French, Joshua
A detailed account of the life and experiences of Joshua W.
French, now would present a most accurate description of
pioneer life of the northwest. For many years he resided in
this section of the country, becoming one of the early
merchants of the state and also one of the pioneer bankers.
He was born in Holland, Vermont, September 13, 1830, a son
of Joshua and Polly (Meade) French. The son acquired his
education in the common schools and remained on the old
homestead farm in New England until he had attained his
majority. He afterward spent a year in Haverhill,
Massachusetts, and on the 10th of January, 1852, in company
with his cousin, Meade, sailed from New York for San
Francisco by way of the Isthmus of During fourteen days of
their long and arduous trip they subsisted solely on hard
tack and stale corned beef. On the 11th of February 1852,
they arrived in San Francisco, at which time Mr. French was
the possessor of a lone picayune. After making several
unsuccessful attempts to secure employment of various kinds
he approached a gang of men with teams and persuaded the
boss to let him work enough to earn something to eat. He was
a powerful man physically and a willing worker and he
performed his task so capably and efficiently that the
superintendent kept him and soon put him on as foreman. He
made enough money on that job to pay his expenses to the
gold mines and for a time met with success in his operations
in the gold fields. Subsequently he went to Calaveras
county, California, and operated a ferry on the Stanislaus
river in connection with his brother Daniel. In 1861 Joshua
and Daniel French returned to San Francisco, where they
engaged in taking contracts for mastic roofing, Joshua
French superintending the placing of the first roof on the
Russ House and the Occidental Hotel and also on many other
prominent buildings of that time. When the Civil war broke
out materials advanced so greatly in price that the firm
could no longer realize a profit on their business and sold
out.
In January, 1862, through the influence of his cousin W. S.
Ladd of Portland, Mr. French with his two brothers Daniel
and Joseph and also with Granville Oilman, formed a
partnership and engaged in merchandising at The Dalles,
Oregon, conducting the business under the firm name of
Oilman, French & Company. At that time there were no
freight teams leaving The Dalles, owing to the scarcity of
horses in the northwest. All freight was hauled to Canyon
City and interior towns on pack mules, the goods being
placed in casks and a cask lashed on each side of a mule,
while the animal at times carried three casks. It was an
interesting but not an unusual sight to see a train of
eighty mules leaving the store packed with casks. The goods
were paid for in gold dust and the scales which were used in
weighing the gold dust for the firm are now in possession of
the French & Company Bank at The Dalles. The partners,
after acquiring a sufficient amount of gold dust, would then
ship it to the mint in San Francisco to be coined. At one
time Mr. French and his brother Daniel had a line of
steamers plying between Portland and The Dalles and a
contract to carry the United States mail as well as freight
and passengers.
In the year in which the partnership was formed Mr. French
went to Umatilla where he superintended the work of erecting
a stone building in which the company established a branch
store, supplying it with goods from The Dalles
establishment, his brother Daniel then taking charge of and
conducting the store. In 1867 Mr. French and his brother
Daniel bought out the business and in connection with their
mercantile interests established a bank, which was the first
one in eastern Oregon. They conducted their affairs under
the firm style of French & Company and met with success
in both their commercial and financial undertakings. In 1875
they disposed of the mercantile business to the firm of
Brooks & McFarland but continued in the banking
business. In 1876 they removed to their building on the
north side of Second street and three years later completed
a building at the corner of Second and Washington streets,
which has been occupied and known as the French &
Company Bank from that time until the present, the business
being still carried on under the firm name. On the death of
Daniel M. French in 1902 Joshua W. French became the head
and general manager of the bank of French & Company. He
was also the president of the Condon National Bank and
president of the Arlington National Bank and the Eastern
Oregon Banking Company at Shaniko. He was interested in and
was a director of the Wasco Warehouse Milling Company at The
Dalles, also the Butler Banking Company at Hood River and
was one of the principal owners in the Gilman-French Land
& Live Stock Company in eastern Oregon.
In 1861 at San Francisco, Mr. French was united in marriage
to Miss Laura Ellen Burke, a daughter of Daniel and Sarah
(Ellis) Burke. She was born at Charleston, Maine, and it was
in the year 1861 that she made her way to the Pacific coast
with a brother and an elder sister to live with them in San
Francisco. She was in her younger years a teacher in the
public schools of her native state. By her marriage she
became the mother of five children, three of whom are
living: Mrs. Nellie J. French Bolton, Edward H. and Vivian
H.
Mr. French loved his home, being a devoted husband and
father, counting no personal effort nor sacrifice on his
part too great if it would promote the happiness of his
family. He belonged to the Masonic fraternity of which he
was an active member and in his life exemplified the
beneficent spirit of the craft. He was prominently
Identified with all things pertaining to the upbuilding and
betterment of his town, county and state. He passed away
December 23, 1907, after long years of connection with the
coast country, during which he had witnessed much of its
growth and progress. His cooperation was never sought in
vain when matters of public welfare were under
consideration. He gave his endorsement and support to all
plans for the general good and in many ways his labors were
of decided advantage to the state, particularly in the
development of business leading to the present-day progress
and prosperity of Oregon.
History of
Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
Brogan, Thomas
THOMAS BROGAN
At an early age Thomas Brogan began his struggle for an
existence, developing that strength of character which
results from battling with difficulties, and his adventurous
spirit has taken him to many parts of the world. Thirty-six
years of his life have been spent in Wasco county, which
numbers him among its foremost agriculturists, and his
activities have also been of benefit to The Dalles. His
birth occurred in Donegal, Ireland, on the 19th of August,
1849, and his parents, John and Margaret (McGee) Brogan,
always resided on the Emerald Isle.
There were seven children in the family, and Thomas Brogan
is the only one now living. He was reared on his father's
farm and received a limited education. Leaving home when a
boy of twelve, he came to the United States alone in 1861
and obtained work in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. He
spent seven years in the Keystone state and was the youngest
miner who ever fired a shot of powder for the Black Diamond
Iron & Coal Company. In 1868 he went to Liverpool,
England, and for six months was on a sailing vessel bound
for Australia. He landed in Melbourne, but soon after made
the voyage to New Zealand, and was there engaged in mining
for five years, developing a claim which yielded
considerable gold. Mr. Brogan then returned to Australia and
devoted his attention to the sheep and cattle business. He
also took contracts for the construction of buildings and
roads and prospered in all of his ventures. In 1892 he
disposed of his business in Australia and returned to the
United States, identifying his interests with those of the
Pacific northwest. He purchased a large ranch in Wasco
county and devoted his energies to the cultivation of the
soil and the raising of livestock. Success attended his well
directed labors and from time to time he increased his
holdings, which now comprise sixteen thousand acres of land
in Wasco county. He is the largest individual landowner in
the county, and runs about four thousand head of sheep and a
large band of cattle, but the management of the place is now
intrusted to his son, John Brogan. The father's various
ranches are improved with good buildings and contain
sixty-seven miles of fencing. The work is facilitated by
modern equipment and the most advanced methods are utilized
in cultivating the land and caring for the stock. Mr. Brogan
puts up six hundred tons of hay and alfalfa each year, and
all of the grain and hay grown on the land is fed to the
stock. In 1916 he moved to The Dalles, purchasing a
desirable home on Webster street, and also owns several lots
in the city. He is the largest stockholder of the Citizens
National Bank of The Dalles, of which he was one of the
organizers, but has steadfastly refused to become an officer
of the institution, feeling that the preference should be
given to a younger man.
Mr. Brogan was married April 24, 1875, in New Zealand, to
Miss Bridget M. A. Collopy, who was born in that country.
Her parents, William and Elizabeth (O'Brien) Collopy, were
natives of Ireland and became pioneer settlers of New
Zealand, in which they spent the remainder of their lives.
The father followed agricultural pursuits and was a
prosperous stock raiser. To Mr. and Mrs. Collopy were born
twelve children and three are now living: Bridget M. A.;
William, whose home is in Sydney, New South Wales; and
Thomas, who resides in New Zealand. Mr. and Mrs. Brogan
became the parents of twelve children, six of whom survive.
Mary was born in New Zealand and has remained at home.
Bridget, also a native of New Zealand, became the wife of J.
C. Robinson and has a daughter, Lillian, who is now Mrs. Ned
Wyke of Portland, Oregon. John was born in New Zealand, and
resides in Antelope, Oregon. He married Miss Lelia Holmes,
by whom he has five children; Thomas John, Francis Joseph,
James William, Agnes Marie and Margaret Ann. Susan is
likewise a native of New Zealand, and has become the wife of
Frank Weiss. They make their home in Woodburn, Oregon, and
their family numbers two children, John Thomas and Mary
Elizabeth. Katherine was born in Wasco county, and is part
owner of a greenhouse at The Dalles. Frances Grace, also a
native of Wasco county, is now Mrs. John Becker. She resides
in Woodburn and is the mother of one child, Thomas Joseph
Becker.
For more than a half century Mr. and Mrs. Brogan have
journeyed together through life and in 1925 they celebrated
their golden wedding anniversary. On that happy occasion a
banquet was held at Hotel Dalles and there Mr. and Mrs.
Brogan entertained about forty friends, from whom they
received many beautiful gifts as well as congratulations.
Among the treasured possessions of Mr. Brogan is a rare onyx
clock, tendered him by the premier of New Zealand and
several of his most intimate friends at the time of his
departure for the United States. Mr. Brogan exercises his
right of franchise in support of the candidates and tenets
of the republican party, and his public spirit has been
demonstrated by effective work in behalf of good roads and
schools. His has been a picturesque career, replete with
interesting experiences. He enjoys life and is esteemed for
the qualities to which he owes his success. In May, 1923,
Mr. and Mrs. Brogan with Katherine and Frances, took a trip
to Ireland, revisiting the old home.
History of
the Columbia River Valley - From The Dalles to the Sea
Volume II - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Haslinger, George
GEORGE HASLINGER
Among the desirable citizens furnished by the old world to
the United States is numbered George Haslinger, a successful
florist and one of the influential business men of The
Dalles. He was born in 1879 in Vienna, Austria, of which his
parents, Joseph and Julia Haslinger, were lifelong
residents. His father was a well known florist of that city,
which is noted throughout Europe for its beautiful gardens
and parks.
After his graduation from high school George Haslinger
matriculated in the agricultural college at Vienna,
completing a two years' course, and received thorough
training in horticulture and landscape gardening. For some
time he was associated with his father in business and in
compliance with the laws of his native land served for three
years in the Austrian army. Following his release from
military duty he traveled for two and a half years, studying
plant and flower life in Austria, Germany, Roumania and
Russia, and then returned to Vienna, where he spent a year.
In 1906 he sailed for America and for eight months was in
the employ of a florist at Washington, D. C., thus gaining a
knowledge of the business methods employed in this country.
He was commissioned by Senator James Hughes, of Huntington,
West Virginia, to landscape a German village and after
completing the contract decided to locate in the west. In
1908 he arrived in Portland, Oregon, and remained in the
Rose city for six months, working for the Swiss Floral
Company. He then ventured in business for himself and allied
his interests with those of Hood River, Oregon. Purchasing a
tract of land, he built a greenhouse and began raising bulbs
and flowers on a small scale. Later he erected two more
greenhouses there and supplied his customers with shrubs and
potted plants as well as cut flowers and bulbs. Encouraged
by the steady growth of his trade, he decided to expand the
scope of his activities and in 1923 came to The Dalles,
purchasing land, on which he erected a greenhouse fifty by
one hundred and fifty feet in dimensions. In 1925 he added
another, thirty-six by one hundred and fifty feet in extent,
and now has fourteen thousand square feet under glass. The
plant is heated by oil and completely equipped. Mr.
Haslinger concentrates his attention upon its operation and
his second son is in charge of the retail flower shop in The
Dalles. The eldest son is manager of the plant in Hood River
and the father also owns a modern house of eight rooms in
that town. In the line of work in which he specializes he is
an acknowledged leader and the rapid increase in his
business is proof of his executive ability and good
judgment.
In 1904 Mr. Haslinger was married in Vienna to Miss Mary
Schreckienger, a native of Winterberg, Bohemia, and they
have become the parents of five children. Mary, the eldest,
was born in Vienna and is a high school graduate. Her
husband, C. Taylor, is connected with a garage at The Dalles
and they have a daughter, Mary Ann. George J., a native of
Washington, D. C., also completed a high school course and
is a capable young business man. J. F. was born in West
Virginia and is planning to enter college. Frances Elizabeth
is a native of Hood River and a junior in the Hood River
high school. Powell, who completes the family, was also born
in Hood River and is a grammar school pupil.
Mr. Haslinger is one of the enterprising members of the
Chamber of Commerce and his fraternal affiliations are with
the United Workmen and the Woodmen of the World. He enjoys
his work, through which his creative talent is expressed,
and as the founder and head of The Dalles Floral Company he
controls a business of much importance and value to the
city. Mr. Haslinger cooperates heartily in movements for the
general good and possesses those qualities which inspire
respect and confidence.
History of
the Columbia River Valley - From The Dalles to the Sea
Volume II - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Schadewitz, Henry
HENRY SCHADEWITZ
For forty-four years a resident of Wasco county, Henry
Schadewitz has played well his part, contributing
substantially toward the upbuilding and progress of this
section of the state through his operations as an
agriculturist and a merchant, and is now living retired at
The Dalles. He was born September 16, 1857, in Rochester,
New York, and his parents, C. H. and Maria Schadewitz, were
natives of Berlin, Germany. His father was born January 28,
1828, and the mother's birth occurred in 1829. In 1876 the
paternal grandfather of Henry Schadewitz sailed for the
United States and at that time was over ninety years of age.
He was unable to withstand the rigors of an ocean voyage and
was buried at sea.
His son, C. H. Schadewitz, received a good education and
remained in Germany until he reached the age of
eighteen. In 1846 he sought the opportunities of the
United States and located in Rochester, New York, where he
followed the trade of carriage-making until 1851. He then
started for the gold fields of California, by the isthmus
route, and there engaged in prospecting for a few years. Mr.
Schadewitz returned to the east by way of Cape Horn and
about 1855 was married in New York state. A few years later
he again made the trip to California by way of the isthmus
of Panama and began the manufacture of wagons and carriages
in Stockton. At the end of a few months he sent for his wife
and son, who arrived in California in the fall of that year,
also sailing around Cape Horn. The hardwood which Mr.
Schadewitz used in making his wagons was shipped from the
east and for some time he conducted the factory in Stockton.
He then purchased a ranch located about eighteen miles north
of the city and also filed on a homestead in that vicinity,
becoming the owner of a tract of four hundred acres. There
he engaged in ranching until 1892, when he disposed of his
holdings and came to Oregon. Settling in Sherman county, he
purchased a half section of land and also took up a one
hundred and sixty-acre timber culture. He was identified
with the Masonic order and closely adhered to its beneficent
teachings. Death terminated his career December 10, 1893,
and Mrs. Schadewitz passed away March 4, 1874. They left a
family of three children: Henry; and Charles and Louis, who
live in Sherman county, Oregon. The last named is married
and has four children: Oliver E., Mrs. Shelton Fritts, Mrs.
Jack Hendricks and Louis Virgil.
In the acquirement of an education Henry Schadewitz attended
the country schools of San Joaquin county, California, and
the public schools of Sacramento. Afterward he worked in his
father's shop and in March, 1884, journeyed to Wasco county,
Oregon, locating thirteen miles south of Grass Valley, where
the town of Kent now stands. He preempted a homestead and
also took up a timber culture, acquiring four hundred and
eighty acres of land in all. During the season of harvesting
he was in California and in October, 1884, returned to the
ranch in Oregon. He built a small house on the homestead and
also dug a well. The winter was exceptionally cold and
Oregon experienced the heaviest snowfall in its history. In
the canyon where Mr. Schadewitz lived the snow was ten feet
deep and remained on the ground throughout the winter,
finally disappearing at the end of February. He plowed up
some of the land and planted a garden. The first year he
cultivated ten acres of the arm and also followed the
carpenter's trade, building houses and barns for the
settlers in that district. In 1899, when a railroad was
extended through this section of the state, he began raising
wheat on a large scale and previous to that time had grown
hay, which he sold to the cattlemen of the county. As the
years passed he added to his holdings and is now the owner
of two thousand acres of fertile land, which is leased to
his sons. In 1901 he opened a general store in Kent and
successfully conducted the business for five years. Through
tireless effort and good management he accumulated a
substantial sum and in 1919 purchased a comfortable home in
The Dalles, where he has since lived retired, enjoying the
fruits of his former years of industry and thrift.
Mr. Schadewitz was married January 13, 1892, to Miss Emma
May Parks, who was born in Jackson, Amador county,
California. Her parents were John M. and Olive H. (Walston)
Parks, the former having been born April 8, 1827, in
Kentucky, and the latter on November 2, 1849, in Iowa. Mr.
Parks went to California with the gold seekers of 1852 and
there engaged in placer mining for some time. He then
purchased land in San Joaquin county and operated the ranch
for many years. His demise occurred at Acampo, California,
April 29, 1893, and Mrs. Parks died April 14, 1911. In their
family were ten children: Emma May; Mrs. Mary Ann
Schadewitz, of Sherman county, Oregon; Mrs. Cynthia Prehn,
Mrs. Martha Viola Hamilton, Mrs. Louise Leora Needham and
Archie Lee Parks, all of whom have passed away; John M., who
lives in Stockton, California; Delbert S. Parks and Mrs.
Nellie E. Toothacher, residents of Stockton; and Mrs. Elzada
Thatcher, of Los Angeles, California. To Mr. and Mrs. Henry
Schadewitz were born seven children, all of whom survive
except John William, the third in order of birth, and
Theodore L., the youngest. Carl H., the eldest, lives on the
old homestead and has a wife and one child, John Henry. Mrs.
Olive Marie Barnet makes her home in Gilliam county, Oregon,
and had three sons: Leo George H., Louis Ernest and Ray
Robert, who died January 7, 1928. Mrs. Lola May Barnet
resides in Wasco, Oregon, and is the mother of four
children: Melvin L., Rosellen May, Carl Alvin and Ernest
Eugene. Melvin R. conducts a garage in Moro, Oregon, and has
a wife and one son, Melvin Ramsey Jr. Louis M., who
cultivates the home farm, is also married and has a
daughter, Twila Darline.
Mr. Schadewitz is much interested in public affairs,
particularly educational matters, and for many years was a
school director. He aided in organizing the first school at
Kent, which town he founded and named, and was its
postmaster for eight years. Liberal, broadminded and
public-spirited, Mr. Schadewitz has thoroughly demonstrated
his worth as a citizen and stands deservedly high in the
esteem of his fellowmen.
History of
the Columbia River Valley - From The Dalles to the Sea
Volume II - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Clausen, F. C.
F. C. CLAUSEN
Agricultural progress in the Columbia River Valley has
received marked impetus from the enterprising spirit and
systematic labors of F. C. Clausen, a pioneer wheat grower
of Wasco county and one of its large land owners. Having
accumulated a sum more than sufficient for his needs, he is
spending the evening of life in ease and comfort and resides
in an attractive home at The Dalles. He was born February 1,
1858, in Kolding, Denmark, and his parents, Nicolai and
Karen Clausen, were life-long residents of that country. His
father's demise occurred in 1858 and the mother long
survived him, passing away in 1907. They had eight children,
four of whom attained years of maturity: F. C.; Jorgen, who
lives in San Francisco, California; and Erik and James, both
deceased.
F. C. Clausen received a common school education and laid
aside his textbooks at the age of sixteen, as his assistance
was needed on the home farm. His country was engaged in war
with Germany, which took the province of Schleswig-Holstein
as indemnity from Denmark. The family lived near the
boundary line dividing the two countries and two brothers of
F. C. Clausen served in the Danish army. Being unwilling to
swear allegiance to Germany, he left his native land and on
April 7, 1875, sailed from Hamburg on a vessel which bore
him to New York city. He then purchased a ticket for San
Francisco, California, and for a period of four years was
engaged in dairying near Sacramento. In partnership with his
brother James, he operated a wheat ranch in the Sacramento
valley for two years and then decided to migrate to Oregon.
Selling his interest in the ranch to his brother, he came to
The Dalles in the spring of 1881 and soon afterward filed on
a homestead on the Deschutes river, twenty miles southeast
of the town. He proved up on the land and later secured a
timber claim. As fast as his resources permitted Mr. Clausen
increased his holdings and is now the owner of three
thousand acres of land in Wasco county. A tract of one
thousand acres is devoted to the growing of grain and the
balance is used for pasture and stock farming. Endowed with
keen powers of discernment, Mr. Clausen was the first man to
recognize the fact that grain could be produced in this
locality and the old cattle and sheep raisers were averse to
the idea, saying that the land could be utilized only for
grazing purposes owing to the dryness of the soil. In 1882
he planted his first crop of wheat, which was destroyed by
grasshoppers, but the next season he had better luck and in
forty-five years of farming has had only one failure.
His equipment is up-to-date and the fields are divided by
well kept fences. A modern house has been erected on
the ranch, which is further improved with substantial barns
and other outbuildings. The place is well irrigated and
water from the spring is pumped to the house and other
buildings. Mr. Clausen follows diversified farming and has
found that the best results are obtained by summer
fallowing. The soil yields good crops and he keeps about
fifty head of horses for the farm work. His cattle and hogs
are of high grade and he owns about one hundred and
twenty-five head of stock, which he allows to run in the
wheat fields after the grain is harvested. Every detail of
the work has been carefully planned and the ranch has proven
a profitable investment because it is operated on an
economic basis. Mr. Clausen is a firm believer in scientific
methods of a culture and has demonstrated their value as
factors in productiveness. In 1910 he leased the ranch
to his sons, James and Otto, who are successfully managing
the place and also own valuable stock farms. Since his
retirement Mr. Clausen has lived at The Dalles in a
desirable home, which he purchased in 1910, and during the
busy season supervises the work on his farm. He has proven
his faith in the future of The Dalles by judicious
investments in real estate and is a stockholder in the
Wrentham and Columbia Warehouse Companies, while he also
owns a half-interest in two substantial business blocks,
which were recently erected in the city.
Mr. Clausen was married August 31, 1881, in Sacramento,
California, to Miss Christina Petersen, who was a native of
Sweden and made the voyage to the United States in April,
1875. It was during their honeymoon that Mr. and Mrs.
Clausen made the trip to Oregon, traveling to The Dalles in
a wagon drawn by four horses. Theirs proved an ideal union,
which was terminated by the death of Mrs. Clausen on October
17, 1904. In their family were eight children, all of whom
were born on the old homestead in Wasco county and received
liberal educational advantages. Arthur, the first
born, died at the age of six years. James is married and has
one child, Edna. Cora is deceased. Edna completed a course
in The Dalles high school and was graduated from a nurses'
training school maintained by one of the largest hospitals
in Cleveland, Ohio. She is anaesthesian at The Dalles
Hospital and also acts as housekeeper for her father. Otto
is married and has two children, Fred and Virginia. Arnold
was graduated from The Dalles high school and in 1911
received the degree of Civil Engineer from the Oregon
Agricultural College at Corvallis. During the World war he
enlisted in the United States Engineers Corps, becoming
sergeant of his company, and later was promoted to the
position of chief engineer. He spent two years overseas and
is now filling a responsible position in Chicago, Illinois.
Emma supplemented her high school education by attendance at
Reed College in Portland, Oregon, from which she was
graduated. For two years she was a student at the University
of Washington and is now dietician at Dornbacher Hospital in
Portland. Clara, the youngest child, died at the age of
seven years.
Mr. Clausen is both a York and Scottish Rite Mason and a
Noble of Al Kader Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Portland
and two of his sons are Masons. His fraternal relations also
extend to the Woodmen of the World. For eight years he was
one of the commissioners of Wasco county and during his
tenure of office the county built and paid for the finest
courthouse in the state, with the exception of the one in
Portland. A strong advocate of educational advancement, Mr.
Clausen was a member of the school board of his district for
twenty-four years and has always evinced a keen desire to
cooperate in movements for the general good. A man of stable
purpose and marked strength of character, he has sown wisely
and well and his life has been a succession of harvests. For
nearly a half century he has resided in Wasco county, where
he has a wide acquaintance, and enjoys to the fullest extent
the esteem and confidence of all with whom he has been
associated.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume II - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Egbert, Joseph
JOSEPH CLEMMER EGBERT
Time has demonstrated the worth of J. C. Egbert, an Oregon
pioneer, who was long an influential factor in the
development and utilization of the rich agricultural
resources of Wasco county and is now living at The Dalles,
enjoying the fruits of his well directed labors in former
years. He was born December 14, 1838, in Fulton, Ohio, of
which state his parents, James and Katherine (Clemmer)
Egbert, were also natives, and his father followed the trade
of a wheelwright.
J. C. Egbert was reared in the Buckeye state and received a
public school education. For several years he was engaged in
farm work in Ohio, but in 1856, went to Des Moines, Iowa,
and in 1859 when a young man of twenty-one, spent a year in
Kansas. In 1861 he journeyed to Missouri and passed through
Liberty at the time the rebel army took the arms from the
arsenal at that place. Early in the '60s he secured work on
a Mississippi river steamboat and was thus employed for two
years. On the expiration of that period he made his way to
Iowa and in 1863 went to Minnesota. For a year thereafter he
sold school books for a livelihood and after his marriage
was engaged in surveying in Minnesota. Later he was a
foreman for the Hastings, North Dakota, Railroad, being
stationed on the first division, and was next engaged in
farming in Minnesota. In 1872 he sold the place and leased
land near Fort Collins, Colorado, cultivating the tract
until 1879. He then came to Oregon and for a year followed
the occupation of farming the Grande Ronde valley, in Union
county. In 1881 he came to The Dalles and for a year was in
the employ of the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company,
assisting in building its railroad across the Blue
mountains. Locating in Wasco county, he took up a homestead
and in addition purchased a tract of nine hundred and sixty
acres in the county. Mr. Egbert utilized the most effective
methods in the development of his land, carefully planning
every detail of the work, and became one of the largest
wheat growers of this part of the state. In 1907 he leased
the farm, purchasing a substantial home in The Dalles, and
has since lived retired in this city.
At Hastings, Minnesota, Mr. Egbert was married in 1868 to
Miss Marian Susan Davis, a daughter of Christopher and Flora
Davis, both of whom died in Colorado. Mr. Davis was a
seafaring man and fought for the Union during the Civil war.
Mrs. Egbert was born near St. Cloud, Minnesota, and passed
away July 8, 1926. She had become the mother of nine
children. Herbert, the first born, a native of Minnesota, is
married and owns a desirable ranch near The Dalles. At one
time he was president of the Farmers Union and also
represented his district in the state legislature. George,
who was born in Minnesota and resides at The Dalles, has a
wife and two sons, Curtis and Homer. Clemmer, who was born
in Iowa and lives in Kirkland, Washington, is married and
has a family of five children. Mrs. Gertrude Pepper, a
native of Colorado, has become the mother of three children:
George, Joseph and Pearl. Edward was also born in
Colorado and his home is situated at The Dalles. He is
married and has two children, Therian and Irma. Curtis E.,
who was born in Colorado and is now a prominent dentist at
Olympia, Washington, is married and has adopted two
children. Grace is a native of Oregon and received a diploma
from The Dalles high school. After her graduation from the
University of Washington at Seattle she completed a course
in the State Normal School at Monmouth, Oregon, and is now a
teacher in the Wright school at The Dalles, also acting as
housekeeper for her father. Leola was born in Oregon and is
also a graduate of The Dalles high school. At Portland she
took a business course, after which she was graduated from
the State Normal School of Oregon, and is now engaged in
teaching at Dayville, Oregon. Orion, the ninth in order of
birth, was also a native of Oregon. He was liberally
educated, first becoming a civil engineer, and later was a
dental surgeon. As a member of the United States Medical
Corps he served his country during the World war and died
before the termination of that conflict.
At Hastings, Minnesota, in 1863, Mr. Egbert joined the
Masonic order, with which he has been identified for
sixty-five years, and belongs to the blue lodge at The
Dalles, while he has crossed the hot sands of the desert
with the Nobles of Al Kader Temple of the Mystic Shrine at
Portland. He also belongs to the White Shrine of Jerusalem
and is a charter member of Gul Razee Grotto, No. 65. While
in Minnesota he was county assessor and for two years acted
as town clerk. Mr. Egbert has always manifested an unselfish
spirit of devotion to the general good and his record as an
alderman of The Dalles exceeded that of any other councilman
in length of service. When in his eighty-fifth year he
underwent an operation for appendicitis and is the only
person in the United States known to have survived such an
ordeal at that age. Endowed with a remarkable constitution,
Mr. Egbert has led a temperate life and enjoys the priceless
possession of good health. In spirit and interests he has
remained young and throughout the county he is esteemed and
honored.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume II - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Ketchum, Delaney
DELANEY PAULIN KETCHUM
For thirty years Delaney Paulin Ketchum has successfully
engaged in ranching in Wasco county, doing much to stimulate
the development of this section of the state along
agricultural lines, and he has also achieved prominence as a
sheep raiser. A native of New Jersey, he was born in 1849
and his parents, Henry P. and Rebecca (Cox) Ketchum, were
lifelong residents of that state. His father followed the
occupation of farming and died in 1853, when a young man of
thirty-two. He was long survived by the mother, who passed
away about the year 1904.
D. P. Ketchum attended the public schools of New Jersey and
was reared by his great-uncle, William Watson. After the
latter's death Mr. Ketchum took charge of his farm, which he
cultivated until 1870, when he was married to Miss Adelaide
Keeley, also a native of New Jersey. He then became a dealer
in live stock, buying cattle and sheep throughout the state
of New Jersey and selling them in the Philadelphia markets.
In 1879 he traveled westward to Kansas and for a few years
was the manager and part owner of a large stock farm near
Garden City, also continuing his speculations in sheep. On
disposing of the place he returned to Philadelphia and in
the spring of 1883 made another trip to the west. After a
short stay in Portland, Oregon, he proceeded to Lane county
and leased a large stock ranch owned by the father of
Joaquin Miller, who was known as the "poet of the Sierras."
For two years Mr. Ketchum operated the Miller ranch and then
disposed of his stock. Returning to Portland, he entered the
employ of Page & Son, commission merchants, and for one
season was their fruit buyer in the Willamette valley. In
1887 he came to The Dalles and bought a band of sheep,
allowing them to graze in the mountains during the summer.
He purchased a tract of one hundred and sixty acres ten
miles southeast of The Dalles, where he placed the sheep
during the winter, and increased his flock. In 1889 he sold
the place and went to Wisconsin, becoming manager at Trevor
for Charles Butler, a sheep dealer of eastern Oregon. Later
Mr. Ketchum returned to The Dalles and was made sheep buyer
for the Union Meat Company of Portland, traveling throughout
eastern Oregon in the interests of the firm, with which he
spent four years. On the expiration of that period he
ventured in business for himself, buying sheep in Oregon and
shipping them to the large stock ranches in Montana. An
expert judge of sheep, he prospered in the undertaking and
in 1898 invested in a ranch of four thousand acres, situated
seven miles east of The Dalles. His son William is his
partner in the sheep business but Mr. Ketchum is sole owner
of the ranch. He has one thousand acres planted to wheat and
the remainder of the land is used for pasture. Of this a
tract of one hundred acres is devoted to the growing of
alfalfa, and irrigation enhances the fertility of the land.
In 1925 Mr. Ketchum sold his partnership interest in the
large band of sheep to his son William. The place is well
equipped and scientific methods are utilized in its
operation. In 1910 Mr. Ketchum moved to The Dalles,
purchasing an attractive home, in which he has since
resided.
Mr. Ketchum's first wife passed away in 1886, leaving a son,
William, who was born in New Jersey, and a daughter, Carolyn
W., who was educated at Columbia University and is now
living in Seattle. He completed his studies in Oregon,
graduating from the old Bishop Scott Academy in Portland,
and for a number of years was associated with his father in
farming and stock raising. The son now owns five thousand
acres of land lying along the Deschutes river, in Wasco
county, and also a stock ranch of three thousand acres,
situated southwest of The Dalles, in the foothills of the
mountains. These tracts were owned co-jointly by his father
and himself, the son purchasing the father's interest in
1925. He harvests large crops of wheat and keeps three
thousand head of breeding ewes. Every detail of the work is
carefully planned and his ability and enterprise have placed
him with the foremost agriculturists and sheep raisers of
Oregon. He is married and has two children. His son, William
Ketchum, Jr., was born in Wasco county and since his
graduation from The Dalles high school has attended the
Oregon Agricultural College, specializing in animal
husbandry. The daughter, Adeline, was graduated from the
local high school and is taking a course in home economics
at the State Agricultural College. From babyhood D. P.
Ketchum has reared his nephew, Delaney P. Schanno, who was
born March 23, 1913, and is in The Dalles high school. In
1896 Mr. Ketchum married Miss Alice Hall, a daughter of John
and Phoebe Elizabeth (Dawson) Hall. Mrs. Ketchum's father
was a native of New York state and a well known educator,
who at the time of her birth was a member of the faculty of
the University of Washington at Seattle. Early in 1845 Mrs.
Hall's father crossed the plains in a covered wagon and
settled near Monmouth, in Polk county, Oregon. There he
passed away in 1889 and in 1910 Mrs. Hall was called to her
final rest. Mrs. Ketchum attended the Anna Wright Seminary
at Tacoma, Washington, specializing in kindergarten work,
and after her graduation established a school of that nature
at The Dalles, conducting it successfully until her
marriage. Mr. Ketchum is an Odd Fellow and is connected with
both the York and Scottish Rite bodies of Masons and has
crossed the hot sands of the desert with the Nobles of Al
Kader Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Portland. He has
conformed his life to the beneficent teachings of the order
and is known and honored throughout this section of the
state.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume II - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Sinnott, Nicholas
NICHOLAS BYRNE SINNOTT
Nicholas Byrne Sinnott was born in June, 1832, near Aughfad,
County Wexford, Ireland, and when seventeen years of age
sought the opportunities offered in the United States. Going
direct to Peoria, Illinois, he found work in a hotel and
later went to St. Louis, Missouri, securing employment in
the Planters Hotel, which at that time was the finest
hostelry in the Mississippi states. In 1861 he returned to
Peoria, where he met his brother, P. B. Sinnott, who had
just returned from a trip to California. Together they
started for the Pacific coast, going by way of the isthmus
of Panama, and eached Portland in March, 1862. They leased
the Columbia Hotel in that city for a year and then went to
the Salmon River gold mines in northern Idaho, where they
spent a short time.
Returning through The Dalles, N. B. Sinnott at once
perceived the possibilities of a first class hotel here, as
there were thousands of people passing up and down the river
to the gold fields of the “Inland Empire.” Then he acquired
the Umatilla House, which had been the principal hotel of
the new town at the head of navigation on the Columbia river
since 1859 and which is still doing business under its
historic name. The property belonged to H. P. Isaacs, who
was one of the early settlers of Wasco county and later
located in Walla Walla, Washington. Knowing that the first
arrival to see the owner would be successful, “Colonel”
Sinnott made a record trip to Walla Walla and outdistanced
the other entrants in the race. In 1863 the house was leased
by “Colonel” Sinnott and his partner, “Major” Dennis
Handley, and under their wise management it became the most
popular hotel in eastern Oregon. They became the owners of
the property in 1865. In 1879 the old building proved
inadequate and Messrs. Sinnott and Handley erected a large
structure, but before it was opened the hotel was destroyed
by one of the devastating fires that occurred so frequently
in pioneer years. Another building was then completed and in
this the business has since been conducted.
“Colonel” Sinnott was one of the best known hotel men in the
northwest and came in contact with many celebrities, among
whom was George Francis Train, of Tacoma. This noted writer
he regaled with a tale that during the season salmon were so
plentiful in the Columbia that one could walk across the
river on their backs. Another of the “Colonel’s” fish
stories was an account of a run of salmon so large that the
fish got jammed in the narrows of the Columbia four miles
east of The Dalles, where the river is less than two hundred
feet wide. Here the fish died from suffocation, like so many
sheep. The dead fish clogged up the river until the weight
of the accumulated water broke the dam and the dead fish
were washed down the river and lined its banks from The
Dalles to Hood River. That summer the “Colonel” said, “The
farmers for thirty miles back from the river drove their
hogs to the Columbia, where they fed on the dead salmon.”
“Don't you know,” he said, “it took ten generations of
breeding to breed out of the descendants of those hogs the
pink eye, pink flesh and the salmon taste.” Another of
“Colonel” Sinnott's famous fish stories took the form of
rhyme. The “big fish” was a hump-back salmon, the first one
known to be caught near The Dalles. A joke was played on the
Colonel. The fish was hung on the front porch of the
Umatilla House. A first picture was taken of the Colonel,
who was not an expert in photography, standing several feet
to the rear of the post, with John Mitchell, which of course
made the fish look very large. A second picture was taken of
the Colonel standing with John Mitchell several feet in
front of the post, which made the fish look very small.
Some rhyming wagster penned the following doggerel lines on
the pictures:
“Colonel” Sinnott went a-fishing not very long ago,
And caught a fish that looked like this,
—At least he told them so.
He invited all his neighbors to come and take a look
And sent for D. C. Herrin to have its picture took.
The fame of the Colonel's fish spread throughout the town,
It brought the folks from many miles around;
But when the crowd had assembled,
The Colonel's fish, it looked like this.
The Colonel said — My! How it has dwindled!
On the register of Umatilla House were the names of many
army officers and other distinguished men, among whom were
General Sherman and Henry Ward Beecher. During the Bannock
Indian war of 1878 General O. O. Howard, who was in command,
was often a guest at the Umatilla House and to him “Colonel”
Sinnott suggested the feasibility of mounting guns on the
river beats above Celilo. As a result of his suggestion the
steamer Spokane was armored so as to patrol the river and
prevented the Indians from crossing. They were obliged to
retreat and the war then came to a close.
N. B. Sinnott was a republican and took an active interest
in state and local politics. At that time there were few
republicans in the country. He attended party county and
state conventions and exerted great influence during the
campaigns in Wasco county but did not seek office.
On June 17, 1865, N. B. Sinnott was married in San Francisco
to Miss Mary Brass, who was also a native of Ireland and at
the age of two years came to the United States with her
father. She was endowed with fine qualities of mind and
heart and theirs proved an ideal union. A beautiful woman of
stately manner, Mrs. Sinnott was always tastefully and
elegantly attired and each day her husband escorted her to
the hotel for dinner. “Colonel” Sinnott reached the
sixty-fifth milestone on life's journey, passing away
October 21, 1897, at St. Vincent's Hospital in Portland, and
his wife's demise occurred on November 30, 1902, when she
was about sixty years of age. They were the parents of four
children, Mollie, Nicholas J., Roger B. and Catherine.
Catherine died at the age of seven. Mollie, a beautiful and
accomplished young woman, who married Judd S. Fish, died
December 13, 1903. At her death Mrs. Fish left a son named
Harold and a daughter Genevieve, who became the wife of John
Twohy. Roger B. Sinnott was a gifted young lawyer of
Portland, Oregon, who died March 4, 1920.
The funeral of “Colonel” Sinnott was held from the local
Catholic church, the services conducted by the Rev. Father
Hogan, of Portland. Never before in the history of The
Dalles had such a large funeral procession been known. When
the hearse, led by The Dalles Concert Band playing a funeral
march, had already reached the cemetery before the other
vehicles had crossed Mill creek bridge, by actual count over
one hundred teams followed the remains. Many were forced to
walk, as transportation could not be obtained for all
friends of the family who wished to attend the funeral. Many
prominent persons came from Portland, Salem and other cities
in the state to pay their last respects to “Colonel”
Sinnott. The pallbearers were selected from his old
associates. They were Dr. William Shackelford, J. P.
McEnerny, J. Doherty, Ex-Governor Z. F. Moody, Mayor M. T.
Nolan and George Young. Two of these men are now living: Mr.
McEnerny, of this city; and Mr. Nolan, a resident of
Portland.
A fine tribute to the memory of “Colonel” Sinnott was paid
by Lulu D. Crandall, who wrote the following article, which
appeared in one of the local papers on September 30, 1927:
“‘Colonel’ Sinnott was a man of marked personality. He would
be called a striking and handsome man among any group of
men. His title was honorary, as was the custom in pioneer
days. A popular man easily acquired such a title from his
friends. For the same reason his partner was ‘Major’
Handley, whose death occurred six years before that of
‘Colonel’ Sinnott. His generosity was proverbial. A story is
told of him and at the time of his death it appeared in
public print. It was a sample of his kindness to the many
who were ‘broke’ and whom he, in the goodness of his heart,
helped. This is the story: ‘In the early days a Hebrew
peddler arrived in The Dalles with his pack. He was
exhausted from his long tramp, and failure to dispose of his
goods soon left him penniless and hungry. He appealed to
“Colonel” Sinnott, who took him in. When he was ready to
depart he offered the “Colonel” all the money he had, about
six dollars, in part payment of his account of about twenty
dollars. Sinnott refused it and sent him away. A few weeks
later, having been more fortunate, the peddler remitted the
amount in full and the Jew passed out of the “Colonel’s”
thoughts. Two days after the fire that almost wiped The
Dalles out of existence in 1891, “Colonel” Sinnott received
a message from New York stating. “Wait for letter,” signed
“Blumenthal.” With impatience the “Colonel” waited for the
arrival of the letter, which came in due time. It stated
that the writer had read in the press dispatches of The
Dalles fire and presumed that the hotel burned was the
Umatilla House. If so, the writer desired the “Colonel” to
apply to him for what money he needed and to use six figures
if necessary. The letter went on to state that the writer
was the Hebrew peddler whom the “Colonel” had assisted. He
had worked himself up to the head of an extensive
manufacturing enterprise. Sinnott replied that his hotel had
not been burned and that he was not financially distressed.
Mr. Blumenthal then replied that he stood ready to assist
him at any time, and that he would give any sum that he
might need.’ For thirty-five years Mr. Sinnott was a
familiar figure on the streets of The Dalles. When he took
over the Umatilla House there were less than a thousand
people living in the town. There was always a large
population, coming and going. The young man was quick to see
that the country would soon develop and he, by his word of
advice and gracious smile, helped to make the great interior
into the great states of Idaho, Washington and Oregon.”
Hon. Nicholas J. Sinnott, the only surviving member of this
pioneer family, attended the public schools and the old
Wasco Academy at The Dalles. In the latter institution he
received instruction from Professor Gatch and afterward
matriculated in the university of Notre Dame, Indiana, from
which he was graduated in 1892 with the degree of Bachelor
of Arts. A brilliant student, he was class valedictorian for
1891 and 1892 and also excelled in contests requiring
physical prowess. He won the all-round championship in
athletic sports at Notre Dame and likewise was stroke oar of
the rowing crew. After the completion of his classical
course Mr. Sinnott returned to The Dalles, beginning his law
studies in the office of Judge Alfred S. Bennett, one of
Oregon's famous jurists, and in 1895 was admitted to the bar
at Pendleton, Oregon. In his association with his brother,
Roger B. Sinnott, he opened a law office in The Dalles and
the partnership was continued until the father's death, at
which time Roger B. Sinnott withdrew from the firm, to
assist his brother-in-law, Judd S. Fish, in the management
of the Umatilla House. In 1900 Nicholas J. Sinnott formed a
partnership with Judge Bennett and this relationship existed
until 1912, when Mr. Sinnott was elected to congress from
the second district of Oregon. He served in congress until
March 31, 1928, when he resigned to become judge on the
United States court of claims to which position he was
appointed by President Coolidge on April 18, 1928. While a
member of congress he was nine years chairman of the public
lands committee of the house, ranking member of the
committee on irrigation and reclamation; and also a member
of the “steering committee” of the house.
In 1901 Mr. Sinnott married Miss Dora Purcell, a native of
Pennsylvania, and they became the parents of six children:
Dorothy, deceased; Margaret; Alfred, deceased; Gertrude;
Nicholas B.; and Florence, who has also passed away. The
home of the family is now in Washington, D. C., and the
children are being educated in that city.
Mr. Sinnott gives his political allegiance to the republican
party and adheres to the Catholic faith. Along fraternal
lines he is connected with The Dalles lodge of Elks and the
local council of the Knights of Columbus. He leads a well
balanced life and enjoys the sports of fishing and hunting.
A devotee of the national game of Scotland, he belongs to
The Dalles Golf & Country Club and in 1926 became a
member of the Hole in One Club of Washington, D. C. Mr.
Sinnott is an honorary member of the Kiwanis Club at The
Dalles and usually spends his vacations at his old home,
where he is known to his many friends as “Nick.” Throughout
life he has been a student and a reader and can quote at
random from the works of the great poets whose verses have
endured throughout the ages. Like his father, he loves a
good story and can tell one. A high-minded man, Mr. Sinnott
has served his state and his country with clean hands and
his achievements have brought additional luster to an
honored family name.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume II - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Walther, William
WILLIAM E. WALTHER
William E. Walther has made his own way in the world,
demonstrating what may be accomplished when effort and
ambition combine, and is a recognized leader in mercantile
circles of The Dalles, which for forty years has numbered
him among its loyal citizens. A native of Leipzig, Germany,
he was born January 28, 1862, and his parents, Gustav and
Wilhelmina (Traetner) Walther, lived in that country until
1883, when they crossed the Atlantic. They located in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and for two years the father worked in a
trunk factory in that city, then went to California,
purchasing a ranch near San Diego, and started a vineyard.
For many years he cultivated the land, producing grapes of
fine quality, and after his retirement moved to Los Angeles.
His demise occurred in that city but Mrs. Walther passed
away in San Diego. To them were born three children: Adolph,
who lives at The Dalles; Theodore, who is the proprietor of
a large grocery store in San Diego; and William E.
Reared in the kingdom of Saxony, William E. Walther received
a public school education and for three years was an
apprentice in a dry goods store at Zwickau. His employer
allowed him a room and board but he received no wages. When
a young man of nineteen he responded to the call of
adventure and came to the United States. He worked for a few
years in a trunk factory at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and in 1885
journeyed to the Pacific coast. For a time he followed the
trade of painting at San Diego, California, and then became
a waiter in the restaurant of the old Horton House, now
known as the Grand, the city's finest hotel. Owing to his
propensity for breaking dishes Mr. Walther lost the job and
was next employed in a laundry. Through the exercise of the
qualities of thrift and self-denial he had accumulated a
small capital and this enabled him to purchase a tract of
wild land, for which he pair five hundred dollars. On this
place, which was located in El Cajon valley, near San Diego,
he planted a vineyard, which he cultivated for three years,
and then sold the property for three thousand dollars,
receiving a large return from his investment. In 1888 he
revisited Wisconsin but the Pacific northwest made a strong
appeal to him and he returned to the coast, this time
proceeding to Seattle, Washington. From there he traveled to
Oregon, looking over the City of Portland, and finally
purchased a ranch in the vicinity of Centerville,
Washington. After raising one crop of grain he decided that
he was not adapted to agricultural pursuits and sold the
farm.
In the spring of 1888 Mr. Walther came to The Dallas,
obtaining work in the trunk factory of Charles Dietzel, who
later made a fortune in the manufacturing business and who
is now living retired in Pasadena. Later Mr. Walther became
a clerk in a hardware store owned by William Stewart, a
prominent business man of The Dalles, and at first received
thirty-five dollars a month. Knowing that this sum was
insufficient for the support of a family, his employer
promptly increased the amount, paying him a monthly salary
of sixty dollars. A year later Mr. Stewart sold his business
to the firm of Mays & Crowe and Mr. Walther remained
with them for ten years, at the end of which time he was
receiving a monthly wage of two hundred dollars. In 1901 he
opened a hardware store at The Dalles with the financial
assistance of Felix Sexton, whose status was that of a
silent partner. From the start the venture was a success and
five years later they became the owners of a desirable
business block on Second street, paying twenty-five thousand
dollars for the property. In 1906 the business was
incorporated under the name of the Walther Williams Hardware
Company. Edward M. Williams, trustee of the Williams estate,
acquired an interest in the business, which has since been
continued under the style of the Walther-Williams Hardware
& Implement Company. Mr. Walther is president and
general manager of the firm, which carries a full line of
heavy hardware and farm machinery of all kinds. In 1911 Mr.
Walther decided to broaden the scope of the undertaking and
entered the automobile business, leasing a large building
across the street from the hardware store. The company
acquired the local agency for the Studebaker and Overland
cars and in 1914 became distributors for the Dodge cars in
eleven counties of eastern Oregon. They carry a complete
stock of automobile accessories and have a large garage. In
addition they operate two well equipped service stations in
The Dalles and likewise own several valuable business blocks
in the city. Methodical and systematic, Mr. Walther closely
supervises the work of every department and under his expert
management the business has grown to extensive proportions.
The firm has always adhered to a high standard of commercial
ethics and a well deserved reputation for honest,
straightforward dealing is its most valuable asset.
In 1883 Mr. Walther was married in Wisconsin to Miss Susan
Heitz, a daughter of Gregor and Caroline Heitz, who are
deceased. Mrs. Walther was born in Oshkosh and passed away
in December, 1922. She had become the mother of three
children, all of whom received a good education. The eldest,
Harry E., who was born in Oshkosh and is associated with his
father in business, is married Elizabeth, Harry and
Winifred. and has three children, The daughter, May, was
born in The Dalles and is the widow of Major H. H. Roberts,
a graduate of West Point Military Academy who was an
engineer of high standing and built the Celilo canal while
in the service of the government. Mrs. Robert has two
sons, Henry H. and William Joseph. The other daughter,
Gertrude Walther, is living in Portland, Oregon. In 1923 Mr.
Walther married Mrs. Emily McGrath, the widow of Dr. P. J.
McGrath, who was a prominent physician of Los Angeles,
California. His son, Theodore McGrath, is a capable young
business man and has charge of the Walther-Williams service
stations at The Dalles. He belongs to the Masonic order and
is also a member of the Lions Club and Elks. His daughter,
Geraldine McGrath, is in high school.
Mr. Walther is a Kiwanian and is also affiliated with The
Dalles Golf and Country Club. For over thirty-two years he
has been connected with the Knights of Pythias and is also
identified with the local camp of the Woodmen of the World
and Elks Lodge, No. 303. The Chamber of Commerce
likewise numbers Mr. Walther among its enterprising members
and although he has neither sought or held public
office, he has rendered service of value to the city, whose
welfare and prosperity are matters close to his heart.
He has worthily earned the distinctive title of "self-made
man" and the respect accorded him is well deserved.
History of the Columbia River Valley -
From The Dalles to the Sea
Volume III - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Doane, O. D.
O. D. DOANE, M. D.
A pioneer physician, well known to the older residents of
Wasco county and other sections of the state, was the
subject of the following article, written by Fred Lockley
for the Oregon Daily Journal of November 27, 1927:
"A few days ago, while eating breakfast in a restaurant at
The Dalles, I saw a man who looked as though he might be a
pioneer. As he paid his bill and started for the door, I
hailed him and said: 'Do you mind sitting at my table while
I finish my waffle? I want to ask you a few questions.' As
he sat down, I said: 'When did you come across the plains?'
He shook his head, and said: 'I didn't come across the
plains. I was born in Portland on March 10, 1851.' I shoved
my waffle to one side, cleared the table, took out my
notebook and said: 'I don't know what your name is, but
you're the man I've been looking for.' 'My name is Dr. 0. D.
Doane,' he said. 'My father, the Rev. Nehemiah Doane, was
the first minister sent to a foreign mission from an
American Methodist theological school. He came out as a
foreign missionary to the Oregon country in 1849. Father was
born January 22, 1818, in Barnstable county, Massachusetts.
He was a Cape Codder and died in 1904 at the age of
eighty-six. He was a descendant of Deacon John Doane, who
settled at Plymouth in 1621 and at one time was acting
governor of Massachusetts. Father was born at Eastham, a
place selected by Deacon John Doane as his home some time
after his arrival in America. This old-time ancestor of mine
lived in Plymouth until 1644, at which time he moved to
Eastham, on Cape Cod. He died in 1685 at the age of
ninety-five. My grandfather, Nehemiah Doane, for whom my
father was named, followed the sea, as did most of those who
were born on Cape Cod.
"'My father was graduated from the common schools at
Eastham, after which he taught school for a while. He
attended Holliston Academy at Holliston, Massachusetts, for
two and a half years and was then appointed a teacher. Later
he opened a school at Cadiz, Ohio. In 1847 he became a
student at the Boston School of Theology at Concord, New
Hampshire. This was the first school of theology established
by the Methodist church in the United States and my father
was one of its first students. Professor Baker, who later
became a bishop in the Methodist church, secured for my
father the appointment as superintendent of the Oregon
Institute at Salem.
"'Father was married at Springfield, Vermont, on September
10, 1849, to Matilda Draper, a native of that state. At the
time father married her she was a student in the Springfield
Seminary. On October 16, 1849, father and mother started on
their wedding journey, aboard the Empire City, for the
isthmus of Panama. My father delivered the first sermon
preached at Panama by a Methodist minister. After crossing
the isthmus they went aboard the Oregon, bound for San
Francisco. In that city they bought tickets on the Mary
Taylor for Astoria, paying one hundred dollars for each
ticket. The steamer encountered a heavy gale and was driven
far to the north. They finally cast anchor in an inlet near
Vancouver island, and when the storm was over they went to
Astoria. Eight of the passengers hired three sailors to row
them in a whaleboat from Astoria to Portland. Father paid
fifty dollars for himself and my mother for the trip in the
whaleboat to Portland. It took them nine days to make the
voyage, and as it was January and they encountered lots of
rain in the open boat, they did not have a particularly
pleasant journey.
"'Father was married at Springfield, Vermont, on September
10, 1849, to Matilda Draper, a native of that state. At the
time father married her she was a student in the Springfield
Seminary. On October 16, 1849, father and mother started on
their wedding journey, aboard the Empire City, for the
isthmus of Panama. My father delivered the first sermon
preached at Panama by a Methodist minister. After crossing
the isthmus they went aboard the Oregon, bound for San
Francisco. In that city they bought tickets on the Mary
Taylor for Astoria, paying one hundred dollars for each
ticket. The steamer encountered a heavy gale and was driven
far to the north. They finally cast anchor in an inlet near
Vancouver island, and when the storm was over they went to
Astoria. Eight of the passengers hired three sailors to row
them in a whaleboat from Astoria to Portland. Father paid
fifty dollars for himself and my mother for the trip in the
whaleboat to Portland. It took them nine days to make the
voyage, and as it was January and they encountered lots of
rain in the open boat, they did not have a particularly
pleasant journey.
"'My father was at once placed in charge of the Oregon
Institute, which at that time had nearly one hundred pupils.
Father and mother both taught. They were paid five hundred
dollars a year. The gold excitement in California had made
provisions almost prohibitive in price. For example, sugar
was sixty dollars a sack, and other things in proportion. In
1851 the Rev. F. S. Hoyt took charge of the Oregon Institute
and father went to Portland, where he taught school. That
fall father was appointed pastor of the church at Oregon
City.
"'I was about six months old when my parents moved from
Portland to Oregon City in the fall of 1851. Father served
as pastor of the church and mother taught school there.
During the next few years father filled pastorates at
Yamhill, Dallas, Corvallis and Albany, Oregon. In 1859 he
was appointed presiding elder of the Puget Sound district,
his headquarters being at Olympia, Washington. Father was
presiding elder there for four years. In 1863 he was called
to the Methodist church at Seattle. Two years later he
became presiding elder of the Portland district. His next
appointment was as presiding elder of the Salem district,
where he was stationed for four years. Afterward he was
pastor of the church at The Dalles, going from there to East
Portland, and thence in succession to Shedds, McMinnville,
Dayton, Port Townsend and Salem. Later father was appointed
professor of theology in Willamette University. When
Portland University was established my father was elected to
the chair of systematic theology. He attended the Oregon
annual conference of the Methodist church, which was
organized March 17, 1853, by Bishop Edward H. Ames, who had
just come out from Boston. This meeting was held at Salem.
In 1876 father was sent to the general conference of the
church at Baltimore and in 1891 was a delegate to the
conference at Washington, D. C. He was also the author of
several theological works.
"'My parents had six children and I am the oldest. All are
deceased except my brother, Prince Albert Doane, who is
engaged in contracting in Portland, and myself. My brother,
Orville L., lived for many years on Vashon island. My
brother, Quinn T. Doane, was also a well known. contractor
and resided for several years in Spokane. My sister Mary was
the next of the family and then came Prince Albert. The
other child a girl, Evalyne, died in infancy.
"'My father took up a donation land claim about six miles
from Fort Yamhill. Lieutenant Phil Sheridan, who fought in
the Indian war of 1855-56, used to visit our home frequently
and many a time held me on his knee and played with me. This
was about 1859 and in 1876 Sheridan, who then bore the title
of general, revisited Oregon. I met General Sheridan at the
train in Eugene and he remembered me and also my father.
"'The first school I attended was at Corvallis and my
teacher was Lavina Draper. When we lived in Olympia my
father was presiding elder of a district which extended from
the sea to the Cascades and from the British Columbia line
to the Columbia river. He covered his field afoot, by canoe
and on horseback, frequently camping out where night
overtook him. I attended school in Olympia from 1859 to
1863. My teachers were Professors McElroy and Lippincott. In
1863 father took charge of the church in Seattle and I went
to school there for two years. We lived on the bluff, above
what is now Pioneer square. Clarence Bagley, now an employe
of the city of Seattle, and I were boyhood friends. I worked
for a while in a sawmill at what was then called Freeport
but is now West Seattle.
"'When news came of the end of the Civil war Seattle had a
big celebration. They put candles in most of the windows and
many of the residents, as well as the residences, were lit
up. Every anvil obtainable was brought into requisition and
salutes were fired. I was working in the sawmill at the time
we received the news of the assassination of President
Lincoln. I became a student of the territorial university
the year after it opened. Daniel Bagley, John Webster and
Edmund Carr were the university commissioners. A. A. Denny,
who was a member of the legislature, succeeded in having the
university get under way. He gave eight acres toward a
campus. Asa Mercer was principal of the university when it
was started.
"'I attended Willamette University in 1865, 1866 and 1867.
L. T. Woodward was president and L. J. Powell was professor
of mathematics. Sylvester Simpson had charge of the
department of languages and F. H. Grubbs was principal of
the academy. C. B. Moores, now of Portland, was one of my
schoolmates.
"'In 1868 I taught school on Mormon Hill, ten miles east of
Salem. Later I taught at Wheatland and for several terms I
was principal of the East Salem school. From Salem I went to
Shoalwater bay and clerked in a store at Oysterville for
about six or eight months. From there I came to The Dalles.
That was fifty-five years ago and all of the people who were
then here have gone with the exception of about ten. Lulu
Crandall was here at that time and so were Mrs. Sarah
Mitchell and her daughters, Mrs. Schenck and Albert
Bettingen. Sim Bolton, the postmaster, was a pupil of mine.
During 1872 and 1873 I was principal of the public school
here.
"'When I first came to The Dalles I had a peculiar
experience. I cast my first vote here. When the judges of
the election board learned that I was going to vote the
republican ticket they challenged my vote. Joseph G. Wilson,
whose son, Fred Wilson, is circuit judge here at The Dalles,
said, "I believe this young man has a right to vote." He
said, "Did you give up your residence at Salem and remove to
Shoalwater bay?" I said, "No. I consider Salem still my
home." Judge Wilson replied, "Then you have a right to vote
for state officers, though not for county officers." The
judges grudgingly conceded this right, but refused to let me
vote for the members of the legislature. Judge Wilson said,
"They are state officials, as they are paid by the state."
So I won out all along the line. When I was seventeen years
old I went to the polls in Salem. Sam May said to me, "The
polls are about to close; you had better vote." I had a
heavy beard that came down pretty well over my chin. He
said, "I suppose this is your first presidential vote." When
I did not step forward to vote, he said, "What are you
waiting for?" I replied, "I am waiting until I am
twenty-one; I am only seventeen now." He gave me a
scandalized look, and said: "Well, go home and shave off
that beard, and don't come around the polling place
masquerading as a man.
"'After putting in a year as principal of the school at The
Dalles I went back to Salem and began the study of medicine.
To earn my way through the medical college I worked in the
drug store owned by Cyrus Woodworth and Dr. C. H. Hall. In
1874 I went to Albany and ran a drug store for Fred Hill,
the brother of W. Lair Hill. I returned to Salem and put in
the 'winter in the medical department of Willamette
University. The next summer I went to Eugene, where I
worked, and also studied with Dr. A. I. Nicklin. I graduated
from the medical department of Willamette University in
1877. Among my fellow students were Dan W. Cox, A. J. Geisy,
Harry Lane, S. C. Stone, Thomas Mann, founder of the Mann
Home in Portland, L. W. and Jonathan Brown, I. N. Cromwell,
L. L. Davis, Reece Holmes, G. J. Hill and others.
"'I went to Dallas, in Polk county, where I practiced until
1879, when I returned to The Dalles and opened an office.
Here I was married in the fall of 1877 to Emma L. Harman,
who died in September, 1903, and on the 2d of June, 1908, I
married Ida May Freeman, whose son, Loy Van Norden, is
engaged in dairying in Tillamook county. Loy Van Norden was
born in Lakeview, Oregon.
"'When I started my practice in The Dalles I had to travel
on horseback as far as Arlington and Grass Valley, and even
up into Yakima. Among the old pioneers that I knew were
Governors Gibbs, Grover, Woods, Whittaker, Chadwick, Moody,
Geer, Withycombe and Pierce, Asahel Bush, Dr. W. L. Adams,
and most of the old-time politicians and ministers.'" For
more than forty-five years Dr. Doane continuously
followed his profession, never hesitating to respond to the
call of duty, and endured many hardships in the exercise of
his beneficent calling. Efficient, dignified and well
poised, he inspired confidence and trust in his patients and
was long regarded as one of the foremost physicians of this
part of the state. His practice was drawn from a wide area
and his knowledge and skill were in constant demand. In
1923, when seventy-two years of age, he laid aside the
arduous work of the profession and has since lived retired
at The Dalles.
For a half century Dr. Doane has been identified with the
Masonic order, which he joined in 1878, becoming a member of
Wasco Lodge, No. 15, A. F. & A. M., and is its oldest
past master. In the York Rite he has filled all of the
chairs and is one of the Nobles of Al Kader Temple of the
Mystic Shrine. His affiliation with Columbia Lodge, No. 5,
of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, dates from 1872.
and in this organization he has filled important offices. In
1880 he entered the Grand Lodge and has since attended all
of its sessions. He was made grand master in 1889 and in
1893 was grand representative of the Sovereign Grand Lodge
of Odd Fellows at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1894 he was again
grand representative of the Grand Lodge, attending the
session on Lookout mountain near Chattanooga, Tennessee, and
since 1903 he has served continuously as grand treasurer of
the Grand Lodge. He also belongs to The Dalles Camp of the
Woodmen of the World and the local Kiwanis Club. An ardent
advocate of good roads, he is one of the public-spirited
citizens who are responsible for the building of the Sarosis
Park Scenic drive, overlooking The Dalles, a beautiful
highway Dr. Doane is a broad-minded man of unselfish nature,
esteemed by a host of friends, and his life has been upright
and serviceable.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume III - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Klindt, Walter
WALTER A. KLINDT
Through his fishing operations Walter A. Klindt has
contributed toward the success of the great salmon industry
of the Pacific northwest. He is a product of Oregon,
representing an old and honored family of Wasco county, his
birth having occurred July 2, 1875, two miles west of The
Dalles, on the homestead on which he now resides. His
parents, Henry and Doris (Stoltenberg) Klindt, were natives
of the province of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, in which his
grandparents, Goris and Viebke (Stuhr) Klindt, spent their
lives. His maternal grandfather, Hans Stoltenberg, was born
in the same province and came to the United States in 1845.
He filed on a homestead in Scott county when that part of
Iowa was largely a wilderness and died soon afterward.
His children later acquired large tracts of land and his
numerous descendants still live in the vicinity of
Davenport, where he first settled.
Henry Klindt received his education in Germany and there
learned the stone mason’s trade. He served for a few years
in the Danish army and in 1851 yielded to the lure of the
new world. Mr. Klindt followed his trade in Pennsylvania and
Iowa and invested his savings in a home in Comanche, Iowa.
On the property he built a good stone house and it was there
that his marriage occurred. Soon afterward he decided to
join the gold seekers in the Pikes Peak district of Colorado
but changed his plans because of adverse reports and went
instead to California, traveling in a covered wagon drawn by
oxen. For about two years he engaged in placer
mining in the Sacramento valley and on his return to
Iowa found that a cyclone had destroyed his home at
Comanche, leveling the stone house to the ground. Not caring
to rebuild in Iowa, he left the place loading all of his
possessions in a prairie schooner. With his wife and two
small children he started for Oregon, driving a team of oxen
across the plains, and arrived at The Dalles in the fall of
1859. He went to work at his trade and aided in erecting
some of the first stone structures in the town. Afterward he
entered the field of contracting and was thus engaged for
several years, becoming recognized as a master craftsman. He
established a large business and many of the buildings which
he constructed at The Dalles are still standing. In 1868 he
filed on a homestead of fifty-four acres, situated two miles
west of The Dalles, and increased his holdings by the
purchase of two hundred arid fifty acres of land. Here he
built a small frame house and began cultivating a tract of
about forty acres consisting of rich river bottom soil,
especially adapted to the production of garden truck. Later
he erected a larger house farther back from the river,
constructing the foundation of stone, which he found on his
ranch, and this material he also utilized for other
buildings and in terracing the hillside on his
property. Mr. Klindt was a firm believer in scientific
methods of agriculture and brought his land to a high state
of development. He remained on the homestead until his
demise in July, 1907, and his wife passed away August 2,
1927, at the advanced age of ninety-four years, retaining
all of her faculties until her death. In their family were
seven children, two of whom died in infancy. The others are:
G. E who lives at Ocean Park, Washington; Mrs. H. C.
Nielsen, a resident of the same place; Charles A., of The
Dalles; Anna Amalia, who likewise makes her home at Ocean
Park; and Walter A. Mrs. Nielson and her oldest brother are
natives of Iowa and the other children were born in Wasco
county.
Walter A. Klindt was a pupil in the public schools of The
Dalles and the old Wasco Academy. At Davenport, Iowa, he
took a course in the J. C. Duncan Business College and for
two years was a law student but abandoned the idea of
entering the legal profession. For several years he rode the
range in the eastern parts of Washington and Oregon and now
devotes his energies to commercial salmon fishing in the
Columbia river, supplying the local cannery. The season
lasts about six months and at its height he employs from ten
to twelve men. His equipment comprises ten boats, four of
which are supplied with motors. He is the owner of the
homestead and leases the land for gardening purposes.
At Belma, Washington, Mr. Klindt married Miss Ethel Eastman,
who was born in Miami county, Kansas. She is a daughter of
Hiram and Alice (Farnsworth) Eastman, of whom the former was
born in the state of Pennsylvania, while the latter is a
native of Canada. For a number of years Mr. Eastman was
engaged in farming in Kansas and in 1902 migrated to the
state of Washington. He purchased land near Grandview in
Yakima county, and developed a valuable ranch, on which he
has since resided. Mr. and Mrs. Eastman have a family of
eight children: Ethel; Mrs. Caroline Hartman, who also lives
in Yakima county; Ernest, whose home is in Idaho; Robert, a
resident of California; Mrs. Theodore Erdman, of Nampa,
Idaho; Mrs. Herbert Brooks, who is living in Portland,
Oregon; Leon, who is with his parents; and Leonard, of
Condon, Oregon. Mr. and Mrs. Klindt have four children:
Doris, who was graduated from The Dalles high school and is
a senior at Willamette University in Salem, specializing in
the study of languages; Henry, who is attending high school;
and Elizabeth and Kathleen, grammar school pupils.
Along fraternal lines Mr. Klindt is connected with the
Woodmen of the World and his favorite sport is deer hunting.
He is an expert marksman and enjoys life in the open.
Although he has neither sought nor held public office, he
takes a keen interest in matters touching the advancement
and prosperity of his city, county and state and is always
ready to further measures for the general good, frank,
sincere and unassuming, Mr. Klindt cares little for the
artificialties of life and his genuine worth is appreciated
by his fellow citizens, who speak of him in terms of high
regard.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume II - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928 |
VanVactor, Sam
SAM E. VAN VACTOR
Endowed by nature with a keen intellect and an analytical
trend of mind, as well as an energetic disposition, Sam E.
Van Vactor has become recognized as one of the foremost
lawyers of The Dalles and is also a prospective fruit
raiser. He was born in Lebanon, Linn county, Oregon, in 1873
and has inherited the sterling qualities of his pioneer
forbears. His parents were William and Mary Emeline
(Wishard) Van Vactor, natives respectively of Frankfort,
Kentucky, and Indianapolis Indiana, The maternal
grandparents of S. E. Van Vactor were Archibald and Melvina
Wishard, who traveled to Oregon in 1852, making the long and
perilous journey in a covered wagon drawn by oxen, and
settling on a donation land claim of six hundred and forty
acres in Linn county, where they spent their remaining
years. They had a large family and their surviving children
are Mrs. Josephine Rickey and Mrs. Anna Cummins, residents
of Portland, Oregon.
Lured by the discovery of gold, William Van Vactor went to
California with the pioneers of 1850, choosing the overland
route, and was there engaged in mining until 1862. He then
came to Oregon and for several years was the proprietor of a
blacksmith shop in Lebanon. In 1875 he moved to Albany,
Oregon, and was there engaged in merchandising for five
years. He disposed of the business in 1880 and for two years
thereafter conducted a blacksmith shop at The Dalles. On the
expiration of that period he went to Klickitat county,
Washington, and filed on a homestead. He proved up on the
farm, which he cultivated for seven years, and during that
time was called to public office, becoming sheriff of
Klickitat county in 1882. Mr. Van Vactor proved fearless,
conscientious and efficient in the performance of his duties
and served as sheriff for two terms. In 1887 he located in
Goldendale, Washington, and soon became recognized as one of
its leading merchants. He successfully conducted the
business until about 1917 and has since lived retired,
retaining his home in Goldendale. In civic affairs he
manifests a helpful interest, cooperating in well devised
projects for the general good, and along fraternal lines he
is connected with the Masons and Knights of Pythias.
The first wife of William Van Vactor died in 1894, leaving a
family of six children: Mrs. Monrovia Parshall, of
Goldendale; Mrs. Anna Johnson who lives in Portland; Sam E.;
Mrs. F. D. McCulley, whose home is in Enterprise, Oregon;
Mrs. H. L. Hudson, of Portland; and W. F. Van Vactor, also a
resident of the Rose city. In 1896 Mr. Van Vactor married
Emma Robinson, whose demise occurred in 1913. She had become
the mother of three children: D. E., who is a prominent
attorney of Klamath Falls, Oregon; Thelma, a public school
teacher; and Mrs. Wilson, whose husband is a prosperous
cattleman of Miles City, Montana.
S. E. Van Vactor received his early instruction in Oregon
and attended the public schools of Goldendale,
Washington. There he read law in the office of C. H.
Spaulding and in October, 1895, was admitted to the bar. His
first experience as a legal practitioner was obtained at The
Dalles and five years later he moved to Condon, this state,
where he followed his profession for four years. On the
expiration of that period he located in Heppner, Oregon,
where he maintained an office until 1921, and then returned
to The Dalles and formed a partnership with Judge Robert R.
Butler, also an able lawyer of broad experience, and they
have since been associated under the style of Van Vactor
& Butler. They occupy a suite of rooms in the First
National Bank building and have successfully handled
important legal interests, ranking with the leading law
firms of eastern Oregon. The partners devote much time and
study to the preparation of their cases and own a large and
valuable law library.
Mr. Van Vactor was married in 1894 to Miss Myrtle Ames, a
native of Minnesota and a daughter of William and Minnie
Ames. In 1890 Mr. Ames came to the Pacific coast and
on reaching Oregon decided to locate on the Washington side
of the Columbia river, purchasing a fruit ranch near
Maryshill. Later he sold the place to Sam Hill and became
the owner of a farm in western Washington. He remained
on the ranch until his death in 1908 and his widow long
survived him, passing away in Texas in 1926. Mr. and Mrs.
Van Vactor are the parents of four children. Grace, the
eldest, born in Goldendale, Washington, is the wife of E. R.
Minor, of Ione, Oregon, and they have three children:
Louise, Arthur and Mary. Ruth, born in Condon, is the wife
of Edward Reitman, a successful farmer, specializing in the
growing of wheat. Their home is situated in lone and they
have two sons, Van and David. Mary Van Vactor was born in
Heppner and after her graduation from The Dalles high school
completed a course in The Dalles Hospital, in which she is
now employed as a nurse. Sam Van Vactor, Jr., also a native
of Heppner and a graduate of The Dalles high school, is a
sophomore in the University of Oregon.
The father owns a desirable home in The Dalles and his hobby
is farming. His well irrigated ranch of one hundred and
seventy acres is situated across the river from The Dalles
and he is now developing the tract on which there is a
vineyard of twenty-five acres. The cherry orchard comprises
twenty acres and several acres are devoted to the growing of
asparagus. An enthusiastic agriculturist, Mr. Van Vactor
knows the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for
the crops and is looking forward to the time when he can
transfer his law practice to his son and devote all of his
time to the cultivation and improvement of his farm. His
Masonic connections are with the blue lodge at The Dalles,
the chapter at Heppner, the commandery at Pendleton and the
temple at Portland. Mr. and Mrs. Van Vactor are members of
Heppner Chapter of the Eastern Star and active in fraternal
affairs. He is a member of the Elks and the Kiwanis Club. In
politics Mr. Van Vactor is a democrat and for one term was
district attorney for Umatilla and Morrow counties,
thoroughly demonstrating his ability as a public prosecutor.
While a resident of Heppner he was elected mayor of the town
and for nine years was a member of its school board, making
an excellent record in each of these offices. He has a keen
sense of life’s duties and responsibilities and has erected
as the guide-posts of his career those principles which
constitute the basis of all honorable and desirable
prosperity.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume II - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928 |
Fulton, John
JOHN FULTON
A lifelong resident of Oregon, John Fulton is well informed
on matters pertaining to its history and as a progressive
farmer he has aided in developing the natural resources of
the state, also devoting considerable time to public
service. He is a pioneer of Wasco county and his record
sustains the high reputation which has ever been borne by
the family. His birth occurred in Yamhill county, on the
24th of May, 1852, and his parents were James and Priscilla
(Wells) Fulton, natives respectively of Indiana and
Kentucky. They were married in the Hoosier state in 1840 and
journeyed to Oregon in 1847, courageously facing the dangers
and perils of the unknown west. Their first home was near
Carlton, in Yamhill county, and in 1857 they had their first
glimpse of Portland while en route to Wasco county. The trip
was made by boat and portage and at the end of three days
they arrived at their destination, settling on Fifteen-Mile
creek, south of The Dalles. There the father engaged in
ranching for many years and became well known as a stock
raiser. He was active in military affairs and won the
commission of colonel. In 1870 he was called to public
office, becoming a member of the general assembly of Oregon,
and worked for the best interests of Wasco county and the
state. Mr. and Mrs. Fulton were the parents of nine
children, seven of whom attained mature years, and of these
five were natives of Oregon.
John Fulton was a child of five when the family settled in
Wasco county, where he pursued his studies, and in 1866
entered Whitman College at Walla Walla, Washington,
attending the institution for two years. In compliance with
his father’s wish, he read law for two years at The Dalles
and then embarked in the freighting business, also running
stock. For two years he was thus engaged and in 1876 settled
on a ranch near Wasco, in what is now known as Sherman
county. Mr. Fulton was one of the early wheat raisers of
that district and utilized the most effective methods in the
cultivation of his land being thoroughly cognizant of soil
and climatic conditions in this region. As the years passed
he purchased up-to-date equipment and erected substantial
buildings, also making other improvements. He has developed
one of the model farms of the county and now has leisure to
enjoy life, spending the winter seasons in Portland and
southern California.
Mr. Fulton was married in 1878 to Miss Brittana Gilmore, who
was reared in Yamhill County. Her father, S. M.
Gilmore, later migrated to the state of Washington, settling
in Klickitat county, and became county judge. Mr. Fulton is
a strong democrat and has been active in behalf of the
party. He was the popular choice for surveyor of Wasco
county in 1880 and acted in that capacity for six years.
Sherman county was created in 1889 and in 1892 he was
elected county judge, serving for a period, of twelve years.
He never used politics as a means of personal
aggrandizement, faithfully and efficiently discharging the
trusts reposed in him, and established an enviable
reputation as public official. At all points in
his career Mr. Fulton has been actuated by worthy motives
and guided by high ideals, and the respect accorded him is
well deserved.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume II - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928 |
Johnston, George
GEORGE WILLIAM JOHNSTON
George W. Johnston, pioneer merchant and banker of Dufur,
was born in Centerville, New Brunswick, January 11, 1859.
His parents were James and Amy (Cogswell) Johnston, the
latter a native of Nova Scotia while on his father's side
the family lineage reverts to northern Ireland, the parents
of James Johnston having resided in Enniskillen, that
country. Of eleven children born to James and Amy Johnston,
nine survive. They are T. H. and J. H. of Portland; J. C.
and G. W. of Dufur; Mrs. Mary Briggs, Mrs. Annie McClintock,
Mrs. Sophia Estebrook, Mrs. Clara Gallagher and Mrs. Rose
Clarke, all of whom now reside in Canada.
In 1878, when a young man of nineteen, Mr. Johnston took
Horace Greeley's advice to "go west." After a brief stay in
Kansas he came to The Dalles, Oregon, where for five years
he was in the employ of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation
Company. In 1884 he came to Dufur and with his brothers T.
H. and J. C., opened a general merchandise store. In 1904
this business was incorporated under the name of Johnstons'
Inc. and is still one of the progressive mercantile
institutions of the city. In 1904 Johnston Brothers also
established a bank in Dufur which has always served the
community's financial interests in efficient and judicious
manner and, as a result, enjoys the utmost confidence of not
only its patrons but of the banking interests of the state
as well. George W. Johnston is president of the institution.
Mr. Johnston is also a practical agriculturist, owning
several highly developed farms and fruit ranches. He is an
ardent booster for the dairying industry in the valley and
maintains a small herd of high-grade cows.
Mr. Johnston was married September 23, 1888, in Salem,
Oregon, to Mary E. Reed, a native of Michigan and daughter
of Robert B. and Sarah J. (Davis) Reed. In the early '50s
Mr. Reed came to Oregon where for a number of years he was
employed at The Dalles as agent for the Wells Fargo Express
Company. He also served as county clerk of Wasco. His death
occurred in 1888, Mrs. Reed dying the following year.
In 1889 Mr. Johnston was elected to represent Wasco county
in the general assembly of Oregon in which capacity he
served for two years. During this service he enjoyed the
distinction of being the youngest member of the House. He
has served as mayor of Dufur, was clerk of the school board
for 21 years, is a past president of the Old Wasco County
Pioneers' association and at the present time is chairman of
the Dufur City Water commission. For 47 years he has been
connected with the Knights of Pythias, is a Knight Templar,
a Noble of Al Kader Temple of the Mystic Shrine and a
charter member and past master of Morris lodge No. 129, A.
F. & A. M., Dufur, Oregon.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Johnston are closely identified with
Dufur's social and church activities and are ardent workers
in all matters of civic interest tending to the upbuilding
of the community.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume III - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Hayden, Thomas
THOMAS G. HAYDEN
For more than four decades Thomas G. Hayden was identified
with public affairs of Wasco county, establishing a record
of long and faithful service which has seldom been equaled.
He is a Union veteran and one of the venerable citizens of
Portland. His birth occurred in Gallatin county, Kentucky,
on the 4th of April, 1844, and his parents, Wilford and
Seena Hayden, were also natives of the Blue Grass state. His
father's forbears were Celts and the mother was of French
lineage. Wilford Hayden was bound out when a boy of twelve
and fought life's battles alone and unaided. Although he had
only five weeks schooling, he learned to read and write and
was also able to keep his own accounts. As a young man he
was employed on steamboats plying on the Mississippi river,
afterward purchasing a tract of land near Gallatin,
Missouri, and there engaged in farming until his demise in
1897. Mrs. Hayden became one of the centenarians of Oregon
and on November 25, 1920, was called to her final rest.
Thomas G. Hayden, one of her seven children, was educated in
public schools and assisted his father in developing the
farm. He remained at homep until September, 1864, when he
joined company F. attached to the Fifty-fifth Regiment of
Kentucky Volunteers, and served with the mounted infantry
until the end of the conflict between the north and the
south. His brothers, John R. and Henry Harrison Hayden, were
Confederate soldiers but soon after their enlistment
espoused the Union cause, which they defended until the
close of the Civil war.
Before entering the service Thomas G. Hayden had learned the
trade of shoe-making and after his honorable discharge he
opened a shop in Fulton, Missouri. The undertaking proved a
success and his trade grew so rapidly that five men were
constantly employed in making boots by hand. The work turned
out of his shop was of exceptionally high grade and the
boots sold for eighteen dollars a pair. They were in great
demand, as shoes were not worn by men in those days. In 1874
Mr. Hayden sold the business in Missouri and went to
California. For six years he was the driver of a street car
in San Jose and then came to Oregon, arriving in Portland in
January, 1880. In July, 1880, he left the Rose city,
securing work as a carpenter at The Dalles, and aided in
building the old Wasco Academy. He was made deputy sheriff
of Wasco county in 1881 and acted in that capacity for three
years. On the expiration of that period he was appointed
court bailiff and served continuously in Wasco county for
forty-six years in official connections, recently tendering
his resignation. His duties were discharged with
conscientiousness and efficiency and during his service as
bailiff he was stationed in three courthouses, each larger
and better than its predecessor.
In 1894 Mr. Hayden married Miss Cora Sybil Kennedy, who died
in July, 1900. His second union was with Mrs. Carrie W.
Chambers, whom he married July 1, 1920. She was born in
Miami county, Kansas, and her parents, James A. and Caroline
W. (Norman) Stewart, were natives respectively of Kentucky
and Indiana. When the country became involved in civil
strife Mr. Stewart joined the Twelfth Regiment of cavalry in
Kansas, becoming sergeant of Company C, and served in the
Union army until the close of the war. Soon afterward he
filed on a homestead in Salem township, Greenwood county,
Kansas, and as the years passed he converted the wild tract
into a valuable farm. His holdings were extensive and he was
numbered among the leading stockmen of that district,
achieving success in raising cattle and hogs. A man of
deeply religious nature, he aided in organizing and building
the first church in the county, also assisting in the
erection of a school building, and contributed generously
toward the support of all worthy projects. He was a devout
Methodist and an earnest, untiring worker in behalf of the
church. Mr. Stewart was elected justice of the peace and
filled the office for many years. His family numbered
fifteen children: John T. and Melinda E., both deceased;
Emma J., who lives in Kansas; James A., of Colorado; Henry
J., who has remained in the Sunflower state; Carrie W.;
Martha Ann, Electa V. I. and Edward R., all of whom are
residents of Kansas; Minnie F., whose home is in Colorado;
Nellie M. and Charles L., of Kansas; Wesley N., who has
passed away; and two children who died in infancy. The
father's demise occurred in Kansas in 1909 and Mrs. Stewart
passed away in that state in 1925, when eighty-seven years
of age. At that time eleven of her own children were living,
as well as sixty-five grandchildren, ninety-six
great-grandchildren and ten great-great-grandchildren.
Eleven of the grandsons fought in the World war, all
volunteering for service, and six of her grandsons were
pallbearers at the funeral.
Mrs. Stewart's daughter Carrie was educated at Eureka,
Kansas, and in that state was married to a Mr. Chambers.
They remained in Kansas until 1891 and went to the territory
of Oklahoma at the time the Cherokee lands were opened up
for settlement. Mr. Chambers was one of the first to file on
a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres in Lincoln
county, which now contains rich oil fields, but
unfortunately sold his land before its value became known.
Mr. and Mrs. Chambers became the parents of five children.
Blanche, the first born, is the wife of Howard Wilkerson and
the mother of four children: Joseph B., Pauline, Hazel and
Laurel. Grace was married to Mr. Muihausen, who is a
prominent architect of San Benito, Texas, and they have two
daughters, Caroline and Eloise. Birdie is Mrs. Sturman, of
Portland, and has one child, Miriam. Glenn Stewart is living
in Billings, Oklahoma, his native town. Harold A. Chambers,
also a native of Billings, is married and resides in Los
Angeles, California. Both sons responded to the call to the
colors and served until the close of the World war.
Mr. Hayden is a past commander of J. W. Nesmith Post, No.
17, of the Grand Army of the Republic, and has been
identified with the Masonic order for a period of fifty-two
years. His wife is president of the State Chapter of the
Daughters of Civil War Veterans and was formerly the
executive head of the Woman's Relief Corps of The Dalles.
She is a past noble grand of the Rebekahs and also belongs
to the local chapter of the Eastern Star, taking a deep
interest in fraternal affairs. Mr. Hayden has wisely
conserved his powers and his eighty-four years rest lightly
upon him. He is esteemed by a host of friends and since his
retirement from public life has resided at No. 114 West of
Bryant street, in the city of Portland.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume III - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Evans, Leander
LEANDER EVANS
Leander Evans, one of the leading and successful fruit
growers in the northwestern part of Wasco county, Oregon,
his well improved farm being near Mosier, has lived on this
place over forty years and is regarded as one of his
community's best citizens. Mr. Evans was born in
Bloomington, Illinois, on the 6th of November, 1849, a son
of Samuel and Evaline (King) Evans, the former a native of
Licking county, Ohio, and the latter of Champaign, Illinois.
The paternal grandfather, William Evans, moved to Illinois
about 1822, taking up a homestead, on which he laid out the
townsite of Bloomington. He built the first house in the
town and it became a popular stopping place for emigrants.
There he lived until his death, at the age of ninety-three
years. He was a man of strong character, was public-spirited
and commanded uniform respect. Both of Mr. Evans' parents
are deceased, the father dying in Mosier, Oregon, in 1901,
and the mother in 1902.
Leander Evans attended the public schools of Bloomington to
the eighth grade, after which he remained at home, assisting
his father on the farm, during the summers, while during the
winters for five years he worked in the car shops of the
Chicago & Alton Railroad, at Bloomington. In 1875 he
went to Kansas and bought one hundred and sixty acres of
land in Sumner county. Building a dug-out sod house, he
engaged in farming operations, raising wheat, cattle and
hogs, and remained there until 1882, when he sold out and
went to Colorado, where he worked in the mines, and also
freighted to the mines at Chaffee, on the Arkansas river. At
the end of a year, he returned to Kansas, where he resumed
farming, being so engaged until 1887, when he came to
Mosier, Wasco county, Oregon, and took up a homestead of one
hundred and eighty acres, one mile southeast of town. The
land was covered with a heavy growth of timber and, after
building a small box house, he began clearing the land. He
now has sixty-five acres under cultivation, about sixty
acres being in fruit, mainly prunes, cherries, apples and
pears, the remainder of the land being in pasture and woods.
In 1875 Mr. Evans was united in marriage to Miss Mary E.
Swasey, who was born in Iowa, and is a daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. George Swasey, both of whom are deceased, Mr. Swasey
dying in 1889 and the mother when her daughter was a small
child. Mr. and Mrs. Evans have two children. George C., who
was born in Kansas, is married and has had nine children,
Lloyd; Florence; Leonard; Alvin and Alvy, twins; Ora and
Flora, both of whom are deceased; Mary; and Walter. Fred E.
Evans, who was born in Colorado and graduated from Philomath
College, Oregon, in 1903, was married and is the father of
two children, Darrell and Arlyn. The mother of these
children died February 29, 1928. There is also one
great-grandchild, Carroll.
Mr. Evans is a charter member of Beacon Lodge, No. 182, I.
O. O. F., at Mosier. He served a number of years as a member
of the school board and has shown an effective interest in
everything pertaining to the welfare of his community. In
1907 he, in association with Perry Harvey and Amos Root,
organized the Mosier Fruit Growers Association, of which he
was a director for twenty-one years, and on his retirement
was unanimously elected an honorary member of the
association. Though almost four score years of age, Mr.
Evans is still hale and hearty, gives his personal attention
to the operation of his ranch, and occasionally enjoys a
fishing trip, of which sport he is very fond. Scrupulously
honest in all the relations of life, hospitable and
charitable, he has long commanded the unqualified respect
and esteem of his fellowmen and is regarded as one of the
representative citizens of his community.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume III - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Blakeney, John
JOHN WILLIAM BLAKENEY
A list of the worthy pioneers of the Columbia River valley
must include the name of the late John W. Blakeney, who was
among the first settlers of Wasco county, performed his full
part in the drama of early civilization here, and to a
marked degree commanded the confidence and respect of his
fellowmen. Mr. Blakeney was born in Kentucky on the 20th of
May, 1823, and was a son of 'Hugh and Ann (William)
Blakeney. He was there reared and educated and in the early
'40s went to Illinois, where he engaged in farming. In 1852
he sold out there and, with a good outfit, including ox
teams and covered wagons, started on the long journey across
the plains to Oregon. The party was well provisioned at the
start, but, owing to their generosity in sharing their food
with other less fortunate than themselves, ran short and Mr.
Blakeney paid as much as a dollar each for biscuits for
himself and family. They arrived in Oregon in the late fall
of 1852, and proceeded on to Cowlitz county, Washington,
where he took up a homestead. They lived there until 1862,
when he sold out and came to The Dalles, Oregon, bringing
the furniture and household goods, as well as twenty-five
head of cattle, on a scow from the Cowlitz river to the
lower Cascades. They transported their stuff above the
Cascades and there took a steamer to The Dalles. For several
years Mr. Blakeney ran a pack train from The Dalles to the
mines in eastern Oregon, in which he met with success, and
later established a livery stable and draying business in
The Dalles, which he conducted to the time of his death,
February 20, 1902. His wife died in 1907. In December, 1843,
in Illinois, Mr. Blakeney was married to Miss Nancy Phelps,
who was born in Danville, Vermillion county, Illinois,
September 8, 1824, and they became the parents of six
children, namely: Hugh T., born in Illinois, now living in
Portland, Oregon; Jesse W., who was born in Illinois, and
died at The Dalles; Mary A. and James H., both born in
Cowlitz county, Washington, are deceased; Decatur A., born
in Cowlitz county; and Emma J., who was born at The Dalles,
Oregon. Mr. Blakeney was a man of sterling character,
energetic methods and sound judgment and during his active
career took a deep interest in the progress and development
of his city and community.
Emma J. Blakeney was educated in the public schools at The
Dalles and remained at home until her marriage, June 21,
1883, to William T. McClure, who was born in Missouri, April
18, 1850. He came to Wasco county with his family in an
early day and as soon as old enough took up a preemption
claim of one hundred and sixty acres, about four and a half
miles east of Mosier. His father and brother also took
claims in the same district and were the second family to
settle in that locality. Mr. McClure's land was partly
covered with oak grubs, which he cleared off and, after
building a good house, he engaged in farming, raising grain,
hay, cattle and horses. He was successful in his operations
and later bought sixty additional acres, a part of the
Nathan Morris donation claim. This was good bottom land and
on it he raised bountiful crops of alfalfa and potatoes, as
well as asparagus. He was energetic and progressive in his
methods and devoted himself closely to the operation of the
farm to the time of his death, on March 13, 1915.
To Mr. and Mrs. McClure were born six children: Mrs.
Josephine Evans, who lives in Portland, Oregon, and is the
mother of four children, Mrs. Mabel Miller, Mrs. Blanche
Durham, Robert M. and Emma; Mrs. Jessie A. Winans, who lives
in Portland and is the mother of four children, Thelma,
Rodessa, Viola and Ella Jane; Mrs. Amelia Nelson, who lives
in Portland and is the mother of a daughter, Florence
Middleswart; William T., who remains at home with his mother
and operates the ranch; Mary, who died February 1, 1907; and
Mrs. Pearl Ellis, of Portland. Mr. McClure was a Mason and
was a man of fine public spirit, taking an active interest
in everything affecting the welfare of his community. He was
particularly interested in educational matters and served
for many years either as clerk or a member of the school
board. William T. McClure, Jr., being the only son in the
family, assumed the responsibility of the farm at his
father's death and has proven in every way well qualified
for the splendid work which he is doing. He raises good
crops of hay and grain and potatoes, has three acres in
asparagus, and also has a nice herd of dairy cows, a number
of hogs and a large number of chickens. The McClure
homestead, which is located midway between Hood River and
The Dalles, on the famous Columbia River highway, is finely
situated, commanding a magnificent view of the majestic
river, and is regarded as one of the best farms in this
section of the valley. Mr. McClure and his mother are kindly
and hospitable, give their earnest support to all local
interests of value to the locality, and throughout the
community are held in the highest esteem.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume III - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Root, Clyde
CLYDE A. ROOT
Clyde A. Root, manager of the Rosedale fruit farm, near
Mosier, Wasco county, Oregon, is regarded as one of the most
progressive and enterprising farmers in his section of the
Columbia river valley and is meeting with well merited
success. Born at Mosier, on the 8th of October, 1892, he is
a son of Amos and Hannah (Holderman) Root, descended from
stanch old Pennsylvania Dutch stock. His father was born in
Ohio and his mother in Elkhart, Indiana. Amos Root was
educated in the public schools of Ohio, in which state he
lived until twenty-one years of age, when he moved to Iowa,
where he engaged in farming for a few years. From there he
went to Colorado, where he worked in the mines for six
years, after which he returned to Ohio and lived in that
state and Indiana until 1875, when he came to Oregon,
locating in the Willamette valley, where he bought a large
band of sheep, which he drove to eastern Oregon, herding
them on Cherry creek until the Indians went on the war path
and compelled him to leave that section. However, he managed
to save his sheep, which he drove to The Dalles, where he
sold them, and in 1878 he bought one hundred and sixty acres
of land, two and a half miles east of Mosier, in Wasco
county. The place was covered with timber and, after
building a log house, he entered upon the task of clearing
the land and getting it into cultivation, in which he was
assisted by his two sons. In the course of time nearly all
of the land was cleared and he was the first man in Wasco
county to plant a commercial dry land orchard, putting
thirty acres in cherries, peaches and apples. This proved a
successful enterprise and he made a number of substantial
improvements on the farm, having built a fine, modern house
in 1900, a substantial barn in 1904 and a packing house in
1920. He continued to live there until his death, both he
and his wife passing away September 30, 1923. They were the
parents of eight children, namely: Mrs. Mary A. Husband, who
lives in Mosier; Elmer L., of Mosier; Leo Alvin, of
Portland, Oregon; Mrs. Sarah Rozella Davidhizar, of Mosier;
Mrs. Nora A. Rordein, deceased; Mrs. Edna A. Evans, of
Mosier; Leslie O., of Portland, Oregon; and Clyde A. Amos
Root was active in local affairs, having helped to organize
the Mosier Fruit Growers Association, of which he was
president for eighteen years. He was a member of the school
board of Rosedale school district, and donated land for the
schoolhouse, which he helped to build.
Clyde A. Root secured his educational training in the
district school of his home neighborhood and remained with
his father until his marriage, though occasionally working
out as a blacksmith. He now operates the old home farm, his
principal crops being fruit and hay, also keeping a few cows
and hogs, and is an up-to-date farmer, giving his
painstaking attention to his work, in the management of
which he has shown good judgment.
On December 16, 1923, Mr. Root was united in marriage to
Miss Christine Pugh, who was born in Dufur, Oregon, and is a
daughter of Archibald and Lillian (Campbell) Pugh, both of
whom are still living in Wasco county. Her paternal
grandparents, Andrew J. and Christine Pugh, were natives of
Virginia, from which state they moved to Missouri. Archibald
Pugh was born in St. Louis, Missouri, August 31, 1859, and
in the late '70s came to Oregon, settling on a farm near
Dufur, Wasco county. Later he sold that place and bought a
ranch eight miles southeast of Dufur, where he now owns four
hundred acres of fine land, which he devotes to cattle and
wheat raising. His wife, who was born in Ontario, Canada, of
Scotch parents, came to Oregon in 1881. She was first
married to George McLeod, who died at Dufur. They became the
parents of five children: Stewart, of Dufur, Oregon; Mrs.
Rena Brown, of Detroit, Mich.; Floyd, of Maupin, Oregon;
Mrs. Grace Chalmers, of Maupin, Oregon; and John, of The
Dalles. Mr. Pugh was married twice and by his first wife had
a daughter, Ruth, who is now the wife of William Galbraith,
of Portland, Oregon. Mr. and Mrs. Pugh had two children,
Mrs. Christine Root and Alda, who is now attending a
business college in Portland, Oregon. Mr. and Mrs. Root are
the parents of two children, Verne Leroy, born October 24,
1924, and Kenneth Archie, born November 29, 1926. Mr. Root
is a member of Mosier Lodge, No. 182, I. O. O. F.; Hood
River Camp, M. W. A., and the United Artisans, and also
belongs to the Mosier Fruit Growers Association. He is a
veteran of the World war, having enlisted in the air
service, and was stationed at Tilly field, Texas, where he
was with the One Hundred and Seventeenth Aerial Squadron,
from which he was honorably discharged at the close of the
war. Because of his earnest and upright life, his success as
a farmer and his genial and agreeable manner, he is held in
high regard throughout his section of the county and is
extremely popular among his associates.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume III - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Southern, Charles
CHARLES H. SOUTHERN
Charles H. Southern, of Boyd, Wasco county, is numbered
among the real pioneers of that section of the Columbia
River valley, having resided for nearly six decades on his
present farm. He has been very successful in business
affairs and has also contributed in a very definite measure
to the development and progress of his locality. Mr.
Southern was born in Iowa, May 14, 1855, and is a son of
Martin and Elizabeth (Bolton) Southern, both of whom were
natives of Virginia, in which state their respective parents
were also born. In 1871 Martin Southern brought his family
across the plains to Oregon, settling on a homestead in
Wasco county, where the town of Boyd is now located, and
there he developed a farm and lived until his death, which
occurred November 8, 1877. He was survived many years by his
widow, who died May 5, 1900. Charles H. Southern had two
sisters, Mrs. Ella Rice and Mrs. Lena Seeley, two half
sisters, Mrs. Jane Mann and Mrs. Minerva Wanamaker, and two
half brothers, William and Watson Southern.
Mr. Southern secured his education in the public schools of
his native state and was about sixteen years of age when he
accompanied his parents to Oregon. He assisted his father in
the operation of the homestead farm and when his father died
he bought the ranch from his mother, and also bought two
hundred and eighty additional acres of good wheat land
adjoining. In the operation of this large tract he met with
splendid success. In 1895 Mr. Southern platted the townsite
of Boyd from a part of his farm and had the pleasure of
seeing the place develop into a live and progressive
community. He had established a general merchandise store
there in 1889, conducting it until 1899, when he sold it to
his son-in-law, R. D. Butler, and he also served for many
years as postmaster of Boyd. He has sold off other portions
of his land, now owning about two hundred acres, which he
devotes mainly to grain-raising, also conducting a small
dairy and keeping a nice flock of chickens. He is intensely
practical in all of his operations, being regarded as one of
the best farmers in this section of the valley. He is still
living in the house which his father built on his arrival
here in 1871 and which is still in splendid condition,
having been kept in good repair.
On November 4, 1878, at The Dalles, Oregon, Mr. Southern was
united in marriage to Miss Emma Rice, who was born in Lane
county, Oregon, and is a daughter of Horace and Eliza J.
(Bolton) Rice, the former born in Portage county, Ohio, May
25, 1829, and the latter in Giles county, West Virginia,
June 8, 1830. The Rice family is of English origin and was
established in America during the early days of the
colonies. Members of the family were participants in all of
the military struggles of the colonies up to and including
the war of the Revolution. Horace Rice went to Illinois with
his parents in 1838, and his father died there in the
following year. In 1840 Mrs. Rice took her four children to
Iowa, where she became the wife of Beckwith Cook, a miller
by trade, and they lived there until 1851, when the family,
together with some relatives, started across the western
plains, with ox teams and covered wagons. At Bridger,
Wyoming, they traded their oxen for horses and proceeded on
their journey. Their food gave out and at Fort Boise, Idaho,
they traded part of their bedding to the Indians for some
dried salmon, which, with roots and hazel brush, comprised
their food until they reached The Dalles, Oregon, the only
exception being at Umatilla, where they helped the Indians
butcher and dress a steer, thus securing meat for several
days. The Dalles at that time consisted of a tent and a
trading post, so they did not remain there long, but
proceeded down the Columbia river to Portland. A little
later they located at Milwaukee, ten miles south of
Portland, where Mr. Rice secured employment in a sawmill, at
a wage of two dollars and a half a day, while Mrs. Rice
secured work as a cook in a boarding house, at one dollar a
day. In the spring of 1852 they went to Lane county, Oregon,
where Mr. Rice took up a donation claim of six hundred and
forty acres, which he developed into a good farm, and there
they lived twelve years. Then, selling that place, he came
to Wasco county and took up a homestead of one hundred and
sixty acres on Fifteen-mile creek. Later he bought
additional land, eventually becoming the owner of a thousand
acres of fine wheat and grazing land. He was the first man
to plant grain on the uplands of Fifteen-mile creek. He was
very successful in this experiment and now this locality
produces the finest wheat in eastern Oregon. He continued to
farm that ranch until 1901, when he sold the place to his
son, George W., and retired to The Dalles, where he and his
wife spent their remaining years, he dying in 1915 and she
in 1915. To Horace and Eliza Rice were born seven children,
namely: George W.; Austin C.; Mrs. Southern; Mrs. Nellie D.
Mann; Mrs. Etta N. Waterman; Charles W., who died in
California, February 10, 1899; and Mrs. Amelia A. Gassaway,
who died January 4, 1885. To Mr. and Mrs. Southern have been
born two children: Ethel is the wife of R. D. Butler, of
Boyd, and they have children as follows, Melva, who is a
clerk in the forestry service at Lakeview, Oregon, and Dale,
who is a student at Oregon Agricultural College. Harry
married Miss Rose Welson, and they have one child, Verda,
who is a teacher in Coos county, Oregon.
In his political views Mr. Southern is a republican and is
greatly interested in the progress and welfare of his
community, having rendered effective service as a member of
the school board for many years. He is a member of the
Woodmen of the World and he and his wife are active members
of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a trustee.
He is a man of kindly and generous disposition, has been
loyal and true in every relation of life, and has so lived
as to earn the confidence and esteem of his fellowmen. He
has been an interested spectator of the great change which
has taken place here since his arrival in this favored
section of the state, and has never been found wanting in
his support of measures for the advancement of community
interests, so that he has always been regarded as one of
Wasco county's solid and dependable citizens.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume III - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
McClure, Thomas
THOMAS J. McCLURE
Prominent among the early pioneers of the Columbia River
valley is Thomas J. McClure, who owns and operates a well
improved and productive farm near Mosier, Wasco county,
Oregon, and who has been a resident of this state
continuously for over three-quarters of a century. During
this period, embracing practically the entire history of
white occupation he witnessed its development from a
wilderness into one of the most progressive and prosperous
sections of the state, and has been a factor in its
advancement. Mr. McClure was born in Buchanan county,
Missouri, on the 20th of November, 1846, a son of William C.
and Amelia (Sullivan) McClure, of whom the former was born
in Knox county, Tennessee, and the latter in Madison county,
Kentucky. In both paternal and maternal lines he is
descended from Scotch-Irish stock, and his grandfather
McClure was a veteran of the war of 1812. In 1852 he
accompanied the family on their emigration to the northwest
and his death occurred at the home of his son in Oregon,
December 31, 1878, at the age of eighty-two years. William
C. McClure was taken to Illinois in his boyhood, lived there
eight years, and then moved to Missouri, where he was
married May 26, 1842. He engaged in farming there until
April 12, 1852, when he started with his family for Oregon.
He had a good outfit, comprising twelve yoke of oxen and
three wagons, but afterwards regretted that he had sold his
good Missouri mules in order to buy the oxen, as they would
have stood the trip better, for when he arrived in Oregon he
had only one ox and one cow, the other cattle having died on
the way. The party arrived at The Dalles on October 1, 1852,
and thence went down the river on a flatboat to the
Cascades, having taken their wagon apart and loaded it and
the livestock on the boat. They unloaded at the mouth of
Sandy river and drove thirty miles through timber and brush
and over logs to Yamhill county, where they took up a
donation claim of three hundred and twenty acres, on the
Yamhill river, two miles west of Sheridan. It was fine
prairie land and there Mr. McClure built a log house and
began the improvement and cultivation of his land. He
remained there until 1863, and on March 20th of the
following year came to The Dalles, where he lived until May
12, 1866, when he located on a homestead three and a half
miles east of Mosier. After building a box house he engaged
in farming, planting an orchard and raising grain and hay,
and also raised considerable stock. He was successful in the
operation of the farm and lived there until his death, May
21, 1895. His wife passed away September 29, 1896. They were
the parents of four children: Mary Elizabeth, who died in
infancy; Thomas J.; William T., who died March 13, 1915; and
Amanda A., the widow of Andrew J. Marsh, who died March 18,
1885. Mr. McClure was a democrat in his political views and
was active in local public affairs, having served for many
years as a member of the school board and also as road
supervisor of his district.
Thomas J. McClure was educated in the Willamette valley,
attending a subscription school at Willamina, after which he
remained at home, assisting his father, until he had
attained his majority, when he took up a preemption claim of
one hundred and sixty acres adjoining his father's land. His
sister, Mrs. Marsh, also took up a homestead of eighty acres
and bought one hundred and sixty acres adjoining, so that
together they now own seven hundred acres of fine land.
Twelve acres are in apples, while the remainder is devoted
to grain and pasture. Mr. McClure keeps both dairy and stock
cattle and a number of hogs and has uniformly been blessed
with good crops, giving painstaking and intelligent
direction to the operation of the place, which is regarded
as one of the best farms in this locality. Since her
husband's death, in 1885, Mrs. Marsh has lived with and kept
house for her brother, who never married. Mr. McClure is a
member of Mosier Lodge, No. 182, I. O. O. F., at Mosier. He
is remarkably active for his years, doing nearly all of his
own farm and orchard work, and does practically all of his
traveling on horseback, being able to jump onto his horse's
back with more ease than most men fifty years his junior.
'He recites many interesting reminiscences of early days on
the Columbia river, recalling, among other things, that
before the coming of railroads there was keen competition
between the river boats for the freight and passenger trade.
He is one of the few men now living here who drove oxen, or
"bull teams," as they were then called. Because of his long
and useful life, his loyalty and constancy as a neighbor and
friend, and his sterling qualities, no man of this community
is held in higher regard than he.
Andrew J. Marsh was born near The Dalles, in Wasco county,
Oregon, May 19, 1858, and was a son of Josiah and Leanna
(Bell) Marsh, the former a native of Tennessee and the
latter of Iowa. His father came to Oregon in 1854, locating
on a donation claim near Rowena, Wasco county, comprising
three hundred and twenty acres of good bottom land. There he
ran a dairy, supplying milk for The Dalles for many years.
Subsequently he returned east, where his death occurred. His
wife died in Oregon in 1896. They were the parents of eight
children. Andrew J. Marsh was educated in the district
school and remained at home until he was married to Amanda
A. McClure, and he devoted his attention to farming until
his death, March 18, 1885. Mr. and Mrs. Marsh had a son,
William A., born March 13, 1884, who is now married and has
three children, Bessie A., Charles W. and William Franklin.
Bessie graduated from the State Normal School at Monmouth,
Oregon, in 1927 and is now teaching school in Wasco county.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume III - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Williams, Edward
EDWARD MARSHALL WILLIAMS
A member of a pioneer family that was established in Oregon
more than. three-quarters of a century ago, Edward Marshall
Williams typifies the progressive spirit of the west and has
made his efforts count as a resultant factor in the
development of this region. He is a dominant personality in
mercantile circles of The Dalles and successfully conducts a
business with a record of over fifty years of continuous
operation in this city, which numbers him among its loyal
sons. He was born September 19, 1866. His father, Griffith
E. Williams, was a native of Wales, when a boy was
apprenticed to a carpenter and about 1850 came with the
family to the United States. Two years were spent in
Wisconsin and in 1852, when a youth of seventeen, he made
the overland journey to Oregon with an emigrant train,
driving a herd of cattle the entire distance. In the fall
of. 1852 he arrived in Oregon City and was there employed as
a carpenter for a time. He then went to the gold fields near
Yreka, California, where he followed his trade for a number
of years, and received high wages. In 1862 he returned to
Oregon, locating at The Dalles, and was made a foreman in
the shops of the Oregon Steamship & Navigation Company,
which was then building the first railroad in the state. It
was in 1876 that he joined E. Wingate in the hardware,
implement and grocery business at The Dalles and later they
added a stock of dry goods. Mr. Wingate conducted the store
and Griffith E. Williams retained his position with the
Oregon Steamship & Navigation Company, remaining a
silent partner in the firm until the death of Mr. Wingate
about 1882. Mr. Williams then resigned his position and took
over the active management of the store, conducting it
successfully during his remaining years.
His wife, Anna (Marshall) Williams, was born in London,
England, and her father was a machinist. After his death the
family sailed for the United States and in the early days
made the journey across the plains. In Oregon City she was
reared and educated and there married Griffith E. Williams,
coming with him to The Dalles in 1862. His demise occurred
in 1886 and in 1920 she was called to her final rest. Their
family numbered ten children: Mrs. Jeannette Dunn, who lives
in Seattle, Washington; Edward Marshall; Griffith, deceased;
Mrs. May Sewall, of Portland, Oregon; Grace, who has passed
away; Mrs. Annie French, whose home is in San Francisco,
California; Pearl E., who is the wife of Dr. George A.
Marshall, of Portland, Oregon; Carlton P., who is manager of
the men's department in the Williams store at The Dalles;
Robert A., a resident of San Diego, California; and Mrs.
Florence Jones, of Seattle, Washington.
Edward M. Williams was a pupil in the public schools of The
Dalles and the old Wasco Academy of that city. At the age of
sixteen he went to work in the warehouse of the firm of
Wingate & Williams, handling machinery and heavy
freight, and gradually mastered the details of the business.
He was eager to advance and his savings were used to defray
the expenses of a course at the Armstrong Business College
of Portland in 1886. Returning to The Dalles, he resumed his
work in the Wingate & Williams store, which was taken
over by the family in 1888, and at that time the name was
changed to the present form of the A. M. Williams Company. A
Mr. Sparks acted as manager until 1891, when Edward M.
Williams became the executive head of the firm and has since
controlled its activities. The wisdom of the policy which he
follows is denoted by the growth of the business, which has
kept pace with the development of The Dalles and the
surrounding district. In step with the progressive spirit of
the times, Mr. Williams has made his store a center of
service, essential to the life of the community, and the
firm name has become synonymous with enterprise and
reliability in mercantile affairs. This is the oldest
commercial establishment in The Dalles and for fifty-two
years the business has been continuously in the Williams
family. The sale of hardware and groceries has been
discontinued and the company now handles dry goods
exclusively, carrying a full line of furnishings for men and
women, shoes, notions, etc. Managed on a highly efficient
basis, this is classed with the finest department stores in
eastern Oregon and has become one of the chief assets of the
city in which it is operated. In other connections Mr.
Williams has also manifested his administrative power and is
president of the Walther-Williams Hardware & Implement
Company, which likewise has the local agency for the Dodge
cars and operates two service stations in The Dalles.
In 1899 Mr. Williams married Miss Elizabeth Sampson, who was
born in Marshfield, Massachusetts. Her parents were Frank T.
and Isabel Christie (Livingstone) Sampson, the former also a
native of Marshfield, while the latter was born in
Frederickstown, in the province of New Brunswick, Canada.
The family came to Oregon in 1883 and located at Tie Dalles.
For a few years Mr. Sampson was employed as a carpenter by
the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company and afterward
became superintendent of the Warmsprings Indian school, of
which he had charge for ten years. On the expiration of that
period he returned to The Dalles and was a salesman in A. M.
Williams store until his death. He is survived by Mrs.
Sampson, who still makes her home at The Dalles. She is the
mother of five daughters: Mrs. Edward M. Williams, Mrs. J.
W. Condon, Mrs. Oliver R. Krier, Mrs. F. W. Sims and Miss
Margaret L. Sampson, all of whom are residents of The
Dalles. To Mr. and Mrs. Williams were born four children,
the youngest of whom died in infancy. Florence Elizabeth,
the eldest, was graduated from the Annie Wright Seminary at
Tacoma, Washington, and received the degree of Bachelor of
Arts from Mount Vernon College at Washington, D. C.
Afterward she took a special course in kindergarten work at
Los Angeles, California, and is now engaged in teaching
school at Annie Wright Seminary. The other children are:
Ruth, who is attending the Annie Wright Seminary; and Edward
Donald, a grammar school pupil.
As a councilman Mr. Williams worked for the best interests
of The Dalles and is always ready to serve his community to
the extent of his ability. He is one of the energetic
members of the Chamber of Commerce and also belongs to the
Kiwanis Club, the local Golf & Country Club and the Elks
lodge. For recreation he turns to agricultural pursuits and
owns a valuable fruit farm near The Dalles. He specializes
in the growing of Royal Anne cherries and at one time had a
seven-acre almond grove, but most of the trees were winter
killed. A lifelong resident of The Dalles, he is deeply
attached to his city and state and his conversation spans
the past in interesting reminiscences. He recalls the days
of his boyhood and the delights of fishing, swimming and
boating on the Columbia. The life which he led was a
healthful one and developed the strength, courage and
self-reliance for which the men of eastern Oregon are noted.
A tireless worker, Mr. Williams has made his efforts count
for the utmost and possesses those qualities which command
respect and inspire high and enduring regard.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume III - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Hunter, William
WILLIAM A. HUNTER
A notable example of a well spent life is afforded by the
career of William A. Hunter, the owner of one of the model
farms of Wasco county and an influential citizen of The
Dalles, of which he was formerly the mayor. A native of
Canada, he was born December 28, 1867, in Kincardine, Bruce
county, Ontario, and has inherited the sterling traits of
his Caledonian ancestors. His parents were Murdoch and Ann
(Finlayson) Hunter, the former born in the province of
Ontario, while the latter was a native of Scotland. When a
child of three Mrs. Hunter made the voyage to Canada with
her parents, who settled on a farm in the province of Quebec
and there remained until called to their final rest. Murdoch
Hunter was a lifelong resident of the Dominion and responded
to death's summons in 1884, while his wife passed away in
Wasco county, Oregon, in 1901. Their family numbered eleven
children, seven of whom survive: Mrs. Maggie McLeod, of
Moosejaw, Saskatchewan, Canada; John, who lives at Sault
Ste. Marie, Michigan; Mrs. Betsy McLeod, of The Dalles; Mrs.
Catherine Longhurst, a resident of Chico, California; David,
who lives on the old homestead in Canada; William A.; and
James, who is engaged in farming in association with his
brother David.
William A. Hunter received a public school education and
assisted his father in the tasks of plowing, planting and
harvesting, becoming thoroughly familiar with farm work. In
1888, when a young man of twenty-one, he severed home ties
and crossed the border into the United States, locating on a
homestead of one hundred and sixty acres in Sherman county,
Oregon. Later he purchased adjoining land and acquired a
tract of four hundred and eighty acres, which he cultivated
until 1894. He then sold the property and purchased a large
ranch twenty-five miles south of The Dalles, in Wasco
county. Spring water has been piped to all of the buildings,
which are modern and substantial, and up-to-date equipment
facilitates the work of the fields. The land is devoted to
diversified farming, wheat being the principal crop, and
cattle and hogs are also raised on the place, which is
exceptionally well improved. This is one of the best farms
on Tygh ridge and Mr. Hunter also owns a tract of two
hundred acres, containing valuable timber and likewise
situated in Wasco county. He was one of the promoters and
builders of the first Farmers Warehouse at Dufur, in which
he is financially interested, and also owns stock in the
Farmers Union Warehouse at The Dalles. In 1913 he retired
from agricultural pursuits and became a resident of The
Dalles. He has since leased the Tygh Ridge ranch, on which
he erected a large barn in 1909 and a modern farmhouse in
1910. The fields are separated by neat fences and everything
about the place indicates the progressive spirit of its
owner.
On July 4, 1899, Mr. Hunter was married at The Dalles to
Miss Gertrude Badger, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan,
and a daughter of George and Sarah Ann (Raymond) Badger.
Mrs. Hunter's great-grandfather, Stephen Badger, was a
soldier in the Continental army, and his father, Obadiah
Badger, also served in the Revolutionary war. Samuel Badger,
the grandfather of Mrs. Hunter, was born in Boston,
Massachusetts, and his wife was a native of Scotland. Samuel
Badger migrated from Massachusetts to Michigan, which at
that time contained dense forests and was sparsely settled.
He was a contractor of high standing and assisted in
building some of the first railroads in Michigan, also
constructing the old state capitol at Lansing. His son,
George Badger, was born in Ionia, Michigan, and fought in
the Civil war, serving in the First Michigan Cavalry and
also in the Sixth. He likewise established an enviable
reputation as a contractor and in 1884 built the State
Asylum at Ionia. In addition he erected the John C.
Blanchard residence and other fine homes in Ionia. His wife
was born in New Canaan, Connecticut, and her parents were
Russell G. and Asenath (Hoyt) Raymond. Her father was a
direct descendant of Count Raymond, a nobleman of France,
and traced his ancestry in that country to the third
century. The American progenitor of the Raymond family left
England in 1624 and settled in Salem, Massachusetts, in
colonial times. Mrs. Hunter's uncle, Cyrus Raymond, was for
years a councilman of Danbury, Connecticut, and also served
in the legislature of that state. He was a member of the
firm of John B. Stetson, whose hats are nationally known,
and in connection with their manufacture he owned a valuable
patent, which he afterward sold. Going to Florida, he
invested heavily in orange groves, from which he derived a
large income, and spent the remainder of his life in that
state. To George and Sarah Ann (Raymond) Badger were born
seven children: Raymond, who has passed away; George, who
conducts a garage at Grays River, Washington; Gertrude;
Mamie, deceased; Mrs. Jennie Pomeroy, a resident of
Portland, Oregon; Frank, who owns a large dairy farm near
Grays River; and Sarah, who lives in Ionia, Michigan, and
follows the profession of teaching.
Mrs. Hunter received her early instruction in Ionia,
Michigan, and attended various schools in the west. Her
education was completed in the old Portland University in
Oregon and previous to her marriage she engaged in teaching
school. She is one of the Daughters of the American
Revolution and belongs to the Sorosis Club and the Monday
Musical Club. In religious faith she is an Episcopalian and
takes a keen interest in the activities of the church Guild,
of which she is a member. Along fraternal lines Mr. Hunter
is connected with The Dalles Lodge, No. 303, of the
Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. An earnest advocate of
the cause of education, he made an excellent record as
school director and for many years was clerk of the board.
For two terms he was mayor of The Dalles and during his
tenure of office the city made notable progress. His labors
have been resultant and beneficial and the respect accorded
him is well deserved.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume III - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Butler, Robert
ROBERT R. BUTLER
Robert R. Butler, a member of one of the leading law firms
of The Dalles, has become well known through his service as
circuit judge, as state senator, and as one of the political
leaders of Oregon. He was born September 24, 1881, in
Johnson county, Tennessee, and is a son of Dr. William H.
and Rebecca Caroline (Grayson) Butler, representatives of
old and distinguished families of that state, in which they
have always resided. One of Mr. Butler's ancestors figured
prominently in events which shaped the early history of
Johnson county and the town of Butler was named in his
honor. Colonel Roderick Randon Butler, the father of Dr.
William R. Butler. was in command of a regiment during the
Civil war, defending the cause of the north, and for a
period of twenty years was a member of congress. J. W.
Grayson, the maternal grandfather of Robert H. Butler, was
also a gallant officer in the Union army and rose to the
rank of colonel. Dr. William R. Butler received the M. D.
degree from the University of Tennessee and since that time
has practiced almost continuously in Butler, his native
town. He is a physician of high standing and draws his
patients from a wide area. To Dr. and Mrs. Butler were born
ten children: Mrs. M. M. Baker, who lives in the state of
Washington; Robert R.; J. D., whose home is in Tennessee;
Mrs. J. A. Sproles, who resides in North Carolina; C. D., of
The Dalles; Mark, who is living in Kansas; Paul and Roy, who
are located in Colorado; Herbert, who maintains his home in
Kansas; and Mrs. James Rivers, of North Carolina.
Robert R. Butler was reared in the town of Butler, which has
been the home of the family for generations, and
supplemented his public school training by attendance
at the Holly Spring College. He received the degree of LL.
B. from Cumberland University at Lebanon, Tennessee, in
1903, and in the same year was admitted to the bar. For
three years he followed his profession at Mountain City,
Tennessee, and in 1906 came to Oregon, locating in Condon,
Gilliam county, where he practiced for five years. His legal
acumen led to his election to the bench and during 1909 and
1910 he was circuit judge of Sherman, Wheeler and Gilliam
counties. To each case brought before his tribunal he gave
deep thought and study and the justice of his rulings proved
his moral worth. As mayor of Condon he also made an
excellent record and since 1911 has been a resident of The
Dalles. He has a comprehensive knowledge of law and displays
marked skill in its exposition. In 1922 he formed a
partnership with Samuel E. Van Vactor, who is the senior
member of the firm, and a large and important clientele
denotes the confidence reposed in their ability as advocates
and counselors.
Mr. Butler was married in 1911 and has a daughter, Elizabeth
Annabel. She was born at The Dalles, June 30, 1912, and is
attending St. Helen's Hall in Portland, Oregon.
A power in the ranks of the republican party, Mr. Butler was
chosen presidential elector-at-large and in 1908 was made
messenger to Washington, D. C., for the state of Oregon. In
1912 he was elected state senator without opposition and
from 1913 until 1915 was a member of that law-making body.
In 1916 he again became presidential elector for Oregon and
in 1924 was recalled to the office of state senator. He
served from 1925 until 1927 and exerted his influence in
behalf of all constructive legislation. Mr. Butler is a
Kiwanian and a past chancellor of the Knights of Pythias. In
Masonry he has attained the thirty-second degree and is also
affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the
Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. His well developed
powers have brought him to the front in his profession and
the firmness, frankness and strength of his character have
established him high in public regard.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume III - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Galloway, Francis
FRANCIS V. GALLOWAY
The prestige of the legal fraternity of The Dalles is ably
maintained by Francis V. Galloway, who for twelve years has
filled the office of district attorney, making an enviable
record as a public prosecutor. A native of Oregon, he
represents one of its old and honored families and traces
his ancestry to the colonial epoch in American history. His
birth occurred in Yamhill county in November, 1885, and his
parents, William and Emma (Baker) Galloway, were natives of
Wisconsin. The father was of Scotch lineage, while the
mother's forebears were among the earliest settlers of New
England and of English stock. Edward Fennel, his
great-great-great-grandfather in the maternal line, left
England about the year 1750 and established his home at
Granville, Massachusetts. He demonstrated his loyalty to the
country of his adoption by gallant service in the
Revolutionary war and his diary, written in 1777, describes
the tactics pursued by his company throughout the campaign
with the British army at that time. The paper is in a good
state of preservation and the writing is clear and distinct,
showing that the ink made in those days was of good quality.
Some of the letters differed in form from those of modern
times and the writer conformed to the old English spelling
then in vogue. This valuable parchment has been treasured by
succeeding generations of the family and Mr. Galloway
intends to give the diary to some historical society for
safe keeping and preservation.
The Galloways were pioneer settlers of Virginia and Charles
Galloway, the great-grandfather of Francis V. Galloway,
owned a large plantation in the Old Dominion, keeping many
slaves. He was a fine type of the southern gentleman and in
politics was a stanch democrat. In 1852 he brought his
family to the Pacific northwest, crossing the plains in a
covered wagon drawn by oxen, and established his home in
Yamhill county, Oregon, where he spent the remainder of his
life.
His son, William Galloway, attended the old Bethel Academy
in Polk county, Oregon, and in 1867, was graduated from the
legal department of Willamette University at Salem. He
returned to the farm and followed agricultural pursuits for
a number of years. During that time he was elected to the
state legislature on the democratic ticket and occupied a
seat in the house for two terms. In 1886 he was elected
judge of the old third district, which comprised five
counties in western Oregon, and served until 1894, when he
became a candidate for governor, but was defeated by Judge
Lord, of Marion county. Judge Galloway opened an office in
McMinnville, Oregon, and there followed his profession for
two years. He was then appointed receiver of the land office
at Oregon City and acted in that capacity until 1902. For
two years thereafter he was engaged in the practice of law
in Oregon City and was then appointed circuit judge. He held
the scales of justice with an even hand and his decisions
were sustained by the higher courts upon appeal. After
twelve years of service he retired from the bench on
December 31, 1916, and moved to The Dalles, where he spent
the remainder of his life. Judge Galloway was a high-minded
man of superior intellectual attainments and sustained the
dignity and honor of his profession. His demise occurred
March 14, 1921, at the home of his son, Francis V., and Mrs.
Galloway passed away January 10, 1920. They had three
children. The eldest, Dr. Zilpha V. Galloway, is a
successful physician and resides at Clarks Summit,
Pennsylvania. His brother, Charles V. Galloway, devotes his
attention to financial affairs and is connected with the
Hibernian Bank of Portland, Oregon. When the tax commission
board was created in Oregon he was selected as one of its
first members and served for ten years. He was also chosen
to represent Yamhill county in the state legislature and
took his seat in the house in 1900.
Francis V. Galloway, the youngest son, received his higher
education at Eugene in the University of Oregon, from which
he won the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1907. After his
graduation he read law at home and for two and a half years
was a teacher in the Washington high school at Portland. On
June 8, 1911, he was admitted to the bar and began his
professional career in McMinnville, where he spent one and a
half years. In February, 1913, he located at The Dalles and
formed a partnership with Judge Bennett, with whom he was
associated until the latter's death on November 28, 1925.
Mr. Galloway is now continuing the business alone and enjoys
a large and lucrative practice. In addition he discharges
the duties of district attorney, to which office he was
elected in 1916 on the democratic ticket, and is now serving
for the third term. He never enters the courtroom without
thorough preparation and presents his evidence with
clearness, logic and force, winning a large percentage of
his cases. Soon after his election to this office Mr.
Galloway volunteered for service in the World war, joining a
company of field artillery, and was sent to the officers
training school at Camp Taylor near Louisville, Kentucky.
There he was stationed until the cessation of hostilities
and on December 10, 1919, was honorably discharged.
In 1920 Mr. Galloway married Miss Mildred Cooper, a native
of The Dalles and a member of one of the pioneer families of
Wasco county. Her father, Daniel Jackson Cooper, was born on
the Cherokee reservation in 1836 and was a child of four
when his parents went to Missouri. He was educated in Mount
Vernon, that state, and in 1854 started for California,
traveling in a prairie schooner drawn by oxen. Mr. Cooper
secured work on a stock ranch, on which he spent two years,
and then went to the Fraser river district of British
Columbia, Canada, in search of gold but was not successful.
Soon afterward he resumed his former occupation in
California and in 1860 returned to Missouri. In Mount
Vernon, Lawrence county, in 1861 he was married to Miss
Arvazena Spillman, a native of Kentucky and a daughter of
Nathan C. and Emily (Pruett) Spillman, both of whom were
born in the Blue Grass state. Following their marriage Mr.
and Mrs. Cooper went to Kansas, where they spent the winter,
and returned to Missouri in 1862. Mr. Cooper joined the
state militia and was engaged in guerilla warfare, serving
under Captain Stutz, a Union officer. In the spring of 1863
Mr. Cooper was transferred to the western division of the
army and made the journey to Oregon with ox teams and
wagons. Locating in Polk county, he purchased a ranch, on
which he resided for several years, and then moved to Marion
county. At Silverton he bought a grist mill, which he
operated for two years, and in 1878 sold the plant. He then
came to Wasco county, purchasing a ranch ten miles southeast
of The Dalles, and there engaged in stock raising until
about 1880. In order to educate his children he bought a
home at The Dalles but retained his stock ranch of several
thousand acres and was an extensive breeder of sheep and
horses. In this city he joined J. W. Nesmith Post of the
Grand Army of the Republic and in association with his old
army comrades he relived the scenes of the past. He passed
away at Portland, Oregon, in 1922, and his widow is
eighty-two years of age. She is active and alert and in the
summer of 1927 enjoyed an airplane ride with her
great-grandson, James Rhinehart. To Mr. and Mrs. Cooper were
born fifteen children: Dr. Belle C. Ferguson, of Seaside,
Oregon; Charles C. Cooper, a resident of Dufur, Wasco
county; Mary E., the wife of James Thompson, of Lewiston,
Idaho; Nathan Cooper, who lives in Billings, Montana; Mrs.
Nancy P. Thomas, of Troutdale, Oregon; Mrs. Prudence Bailey,
of The Dalles; Cyrus Cooper, also of this city; Mrs. Ruth
Fish, of Los Angeles, California; Daniel Cooper, who lives
in Montana; Mrs. Virgilia Northrup, who resides in Portland,
Oregon; John; James, whose home is in Los Angeles,
California; Kenneth, who is in the service of the government
and resides in Portland; Lynn David, deceased; and Mildred.
John Cooper, the eleventh in order of birth, fought in the
Spanish-American war when a youth of eighteen and then
returned to The Dallas. After the completion of his high
school course he enlisted in the United States Army and was
stationed on the border during the Mexican uprising. He was
with the first contingent of United States troops that went
to France and served until the close of the World war. Mr.
Cooper rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel, which title
he still bears, and is stationed near Manila in the
Philippines. His mother has fifty grandchildren and nineteen
great-grandchildren, in whose society she renews her youth.
Mr. and Mrs. Galloway are the parents of two sons, born at
The Dalles: Bill, who was born October 27, 1922; and Sam,
born June 1, 1924. Mr. Galloway is a past exalted ruler of
the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and has passed
through all of the chairs in the local lodge of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is also identified with
the Masonic order, the American Legion, the Chamber of
Commerce, The Dalles Golf & Country Club and the Lions
Club. Throughout his career Mr. Galloway has been dominated
by a strong sense of duty and honor and his reward is the
respect and confidence of his fellowmen.
History of the Columbia River Valley - From The
Dalles to the Sea
Volume III - Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company - 1928
|
Schenck, John
JOHN SYLVESTER SCHENCK
When John S. Schenck crossed the bar in October, 1913, there
was widespread and very general regret throughout The
Dalles, where for years he had been a well known figure in
banking and commercial circles and where his name is still
held in grateful remembrance by numbers of citizens to whom
he had been a benefactor during his life. Mr. Schenck was
born in Auburn, New York, a son of Sylvester and Eliza
(Hughes) Schenck, whose ancestors settled in the Dutch
colony of New York state early in the history of America. He
was educated in the schools of his native state, and, being
of an adventurous disposition, he determined to come out
west while he was yet quite young. In 1862 he located at
Portland and took employment with the Oregon Navigation
Company, Lawrence Coe, a well known member of that company
being his life long friend. Later he was made agent of the
company at The Dalles and remained in that position until
the company sold out to the Oregon Railway & Navigation
Company in 1875.
In the latter year Mr. Schenck established the banking house
of Schenck & Beall, which continued to carry on a most
successful business until it was reorganized as the First
National Bank of The Dalles, with Mr. Schenck as its first
president. The handsome structure in which the bank, is now
housed was conceived and erected by him against the advice
of many, the general opinion being that The Dalles would
never grow sufficiently to warrant so elaborate a building.
The structure is the largest and finest in the city, being
five stories high and covering one-fourth of a city block.
It is unquestionably the finest bank building in the state
outside of Portland and is one of the best office buildings
in Oregon.
Had Mr. Schenck done no more for The Dalles than to erect
this building, he would be regarded as a public benefactor.
Many of the most successful farmers and orchardists in Wasco
county owe their success to him, and The Dalles was a better
place to live in because of his association with it, he
being prominently identified with its commercial and social
affairs for a long number of years. Genial, kindly, and very
public-spirited, he was in all respects a model citizen.
Mr. Schenck was married in 1877 to Mrs. Naomi L. Mitchell,
widow of Dr. B. W. Mitchell, who was one of the early
physicians of the state, and during his lifetime the leading
physician of central Oregon. Mrs. Schenck is a daughter of
William Pike, a Missouri pioneer, who was a member of the
ill fated Donner party and was killed on the plains. She is
the youngest survivor. After the death of her father, her
mother married M. C. Nye. who for some years conducted the
Nye ranch at Marysville, California, and was a member of the
mercantile firm of Nye, Foster & Company, known to all
the "forty-niners" who sought gold in the Marysville
district and along the Columbia river. Mrs. Schenck was
educated at that famous school for girls, the Mary Atkins
Seminary, now known all over the United States as the Mills
College, an institution which has turned out more
distinguished women than, perhaps, any similar college in
America. With her husband she has seen Oregon grow from what
was practically an undeveloped country to be one of the
leading states of the Union and the fruit and flower garden
of America.
Mr. Schenck was in no sense a politician but was ever a
consistent member of the republican party. Beyond being a
delegate and sometimes chairman of conventions, he never
held public office. Fraternally he was a Scottish Rite Mason
and attained the thirty-second degree in the order, becoming
a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. In October, 1913, he crossed
the great divide, and his death was a bereavement not only
to his family but to all the people of central Oregon.
History of
Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
Johnson, James
JAMES CROCKETT JOHNSON
James Crockett Johnson, a prosperous and prominent farmer
and stock raiser of Wasco county, was born in Salem, Oregon,
in 1869, and is descended on both sides of the house from
old New England families. His father, Joel C. Johnson, was
born on Mt. Desert Island, Maine, where for years his people
had been engaged in the shipbuilding industry. His mother,
who was Ellen S. Crockett before her marriage, was born in
the same section and was a member of a family identified
with the shipping interests of the North Atlantic for
several years.
Joel C. Johnson first came to Oregon in 1857 and settled in
Portland, where many sons of Maine had located before him,
the city being named for Portland, Maine. In 1858 he
journeyed across the country and located at Boise, Idaho,
where he embarked in the mercantile business, that town at
the time being one of the outfitting stations for travelers
to the west. Ten years later, in 1868, he sold his business
and started for Maine. His journey from Boise, Idaho, to
Cheyenne, Wyoming, where the railroad from the east
terminated, was a ten-day trip by stage and a dangerous one
as hostile Indians infested the entire route, and each
passenger was fully armed, his rifle being ready for instant
use. Arriving at his home town, Mr. Johnson was married to
Miss Ellen S. Crockett, and the young couple started at once
for the west by way of the Isthmus. On arriving in Oregon
they took up their residence in Salem, where for the next
seven years Mr. Johnson followed his trade of cabinet-maker.
In 1875 the family moved to Wasco county, and here Mr.
Johnson took up farming and stock raising, seventeen miles
southeast of The Dalles. To him belongs the credit of being
the pioneer of wheat growing on the hills of Wasco county,
his experiment having given to the state the knowledge that
wheat could be grown there. He prospered in his farming
operations, was a popular man in the community, and his
death was regretted on all sides.
James C. Johnson has followed in his father's footsteps and
has devoted his life to farming and stock raising. He was
educated in the district schools of Wasco county and worked
on the home place until he was twenty-seven years of age,
when he purchased land adjoining the home ranch and started
farming operations on his own account. After about
twenty-four years of scientific stock raising, Mr. Johnson
has risen to the front rank of Oregon farmers and now owns
fifteen hundred acres of choice land, eight hundred acres of
which is in wheat and which averages a yield of thirty
bushels to the acre. He has a large number of horses, headed
by registered Clydesdales; a herd of Hereford cattle; a
flock of Oxford Down sheep; and a nice lot of Duroc-Jersey
hogs. Mr. Johnson believes in having nothing but pure-bred
registered sires for all of his animals and advocates this
course at all times. Another factor which has contributed to
his success is the fact that he works but half his land each
year, allowing the other half to fallow. His practical
knowledge of stock raising and farming has been mainly
responsible for netting him a handsome fortune.
While a member of the republican party and active in its
councils, Mr. Johnson has never been an office holder, save
in such positions as were of benefit to his section, such as
justice of the peace, clerk of the school board, school
director, etc. He is prominent in farmers' associations,
being president of the Farmers' Educational and Cooperative
Union of Wasco county, a branch of the National Union. He is
president of The Dalles Elevator Company and a director of
the Chamber of Commerce. Fraternally he is a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the United Artisans, and
the Modern Woodmen of America.
In 1897 Mr. Johnson was married to Miss Belle Allen, a
daughter of J. W. and Kate Allen, her father also being a
farmer of Wasco county. They are the parents of two sons,
Ralph Quintan, a graduate of The Dalles high school and now
a student of the University of Oregon, who is a lieutenant
of the officers' reserve corps; and Dean Vivian, now in The
Dalles high school, who is developing a tendency for the
life of a farmer and stock raiser, working from a scientific
standpoint in the pursuit of his agricultural operations.
Mr. Johnson has just erected on the residential hills of The
Dalles, one of the handsome and substantial homes in the
city. In all matters touching on the civic welfare he has
ever been ready to lend a helping hand, and he is justly
esteemed as a good citizen and a good neighbor.
History of
Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
Adcox, L. L.
L. L. ADCOX
As president of the Adcox Auto & Aviation School, L. L.
Adcox is conducting the largest and most successful
institution of the kind west of Kansas City. He is an expert
mechanic whose business initiative and progressiveness are
making his school a model of its kind, its methods of
instruction being extensively adopted by leading
institutions of this character throughout the country. Mr.
Adcox was born in Beebe, Arkansas, in 1887, and is a
representative of an old southern family of English descent.
He is a son of Joseph and Lilly (King) Adcox, the former of
whom was engaged in business as a jeweler.
L. L. Adcox had the advantage of a high school education,
which he supplemented by home study, pursuing correspondence
courses with the American Technical Society and the
International Correspondence Schools. In 1899 the family
moved to Oregon, first locating at Albany and subsequently
taking up their residence at The Dalles. After five years'
experience in driving and repairing automobiles Mr. Adcox
determined to establish a school which would thoroughly
equip men for this line of work. The sudden growth of the
automobile industry had created an unprecedented demand for
skilled mechanics in this particular line of work and he at
first followed the lead of others, opening a combination
repair shop and school in 1914. The results, however, did
not satisfy him and his initiative spirit led him to
establish a school independent of any repair shop. That his
innovation was a decided improvement on the old methods of
instruction is indicated in the fact that graduates of his
school were notably successful in the mechanical field,
having thorough theoretical as well as practical knowledge.
After a few years the little school began to make such a
showing that men throughout the Pacific northwest who had
mechanical leanings began to think of it first when
considering a course to fit them to enter the automobile
field. Today the Adcox Auto & Aviation School
undoubtedly is the largest school of its kind west of Kansas
City and it graduates a larger percentage of students who
make good in a big commanding way than any other auto school
in America, having during the winter months as many as five
hundred students enrolled at a time. The school is fitted
out with the most complete equipment obtainable and
everything possible is done to develop the student's skill
and proficiency, so that with his specialized knowledge his
services are much in demand and he is thus able to command a
large salary. In 1914 the school was incorporated as the
Adcox Auto School but is now known as the Adcox Auto &
Aviation School. Its present officers are L. L. Adcox,
president; Sarah Kesley, vice president; and Hans Rue,
secretary and treasurer. Its equipment includes forty-eight
different motors and to its students it offers ten different
courses.
In 1913 Mr. Adcox was united in marriage to Miss Mary
Kesley, of Canada, and they have a large circle of friends
in the city, their residence being at No. 585 Siskiyou. They
are members of the Methodist church and fraternally Mr.
Adcox is identified with the Woodmen of the World. Although
yet a young man Mr. Adcox has already accomplished much and
judging from his past achievements his future will be well
worth the watching, for he is at all times actuated by a
spirit of energy, progress and determination that has
carried him forward to a substantial point on the highroad
to success.
History of
Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
Gunning, Frank
JUDGE FRANK SUMNER GUNNING
Judge Frank Sumner Gunning, who has recently retired from
the office of county judge, has for many years not only
ranked with the leading business men of The Dalles but also
as one of the most progressive citizens of Wasco county,
standing at all times in support of those projects and
measures which feature in the public improvement and
development of community, commonwealth and country. A native
of Illinois, he was born at Hillsboro in April, 1859, and is
a son of J. C. and Minerva (Lewis) Gunning. Both of his
parents were representatives of pioneer families of Ohio and
West Virginia and the Gunning family before removing to the
Mississippi valley had for generations been represented in
New England, the name being there known before the
establishment of American independence.
Judge Gunning was educated in the graded schools of his
native state and in his youth began working at his fatker's
trade, that of a blacksmith and machinist. Imbued with the
same spirit that caused his forbears to emigrate from New
England to Illinois, he came to the west in 1891, making his
way to The Dalles, where he began working as a machinist.
After remaining in the employ of others for a brief period
he established business of his own as a machinist,
horseshoer and blacksmith and has since been actively
identified with the industrial development of this section.
His present establishment at the corner of Second and
Laughlin streets at The Dalles is a large one in which he
employs a number of skilled mechanics. A portion of the
building is devoted to horseshoeing and the adjoining
building is utilized as a garage in which all kinds of auto
repair work is done. His own mechanical ingenuity enables
him to direct wisely the efforts of the men in his employ
and his establishment is accorded a most liberal patronage.
Aside from the work which he has done along business lines
Mr. Gunning has left the impress of his individuality upon
the history of his city by his active public service. He was
elected a member of the city council in 1897 and was
elevated to the mayor's chair in 1901, thus serving until
1903, giving to the city a businesslike and progressive
administration. He also acceptably filled the office of
county treasurer from 1908 until January, 1913, then was
chosen county judge of Wasco county, serving upon the bench
until 1919. His decisions were characterized by fairness and
impartiality and he retired from office as he had entered
it—with the confidence and goodwill of all concerned. Judge
Gunning has also been president of the Business Men's
Association and has been active in finding solutions for
Intricate commercial and industrial problems relative to the
welfare and upbuilding of the city. He has been chairman of
the Young Men's Christian Association, also of the
questionnaire board and was equally active in connection
with several of the more important war drives. During his
incumbency in the office of county judge the handsome new
Wasco county courthouse was completed at a cost of one
hundred and eighty-five thousand dollars. The Columbia River
highway has always had in him an earnest friend and much of
the upper section of the road was built with his assistance.
In 1886 Judge Gunning was married in Illinois to Miss Minnie
T. Paden, a daughter of Milton Paden, a pioneer of that
state. She passed away in 1892, leaving a daughter who is
now Mrs. Zoe Hochuli of Portland. In 1895 Judge Gunning
wedded Miss Carrie J. Davenport, whose parents were well
known residents of Wasco county. Two children have been born
of this marriage: Alice, who is now the wife of R. A. Ward,
vice president of the First National Bank at Bend, Oregon;
and Louis, who volunteered in the United States navy at
America's entrance into the World war and is still in the
service, being a petty officer.
The cause of education has ever found in Judge Gunning a
stalwart champion and one who has rendered most earnest and
effective labor in behalf of the public schools. For ten
years he was a member of the school board and during that
period did everything possible to promote the educational
interests of the city. While he was serving on the board the
Court Street school was remodeled and doubled the capacity
costing twenty thousand dollars, and the high school was
erected, costing one hundred thousand dollars, besides two
schools, each costing about five thousand dollars were
built. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of
Pythias, has held all of the chairs in the local order and
has been representative to the Grand Lodge. He is likewise
connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He
is a man of straightforward purpose, whose position upon any
vital question is never an equivocal one. He states clearly
his views upon any question and never hedges. During his
long public service he has always kept in mind the interests
of the people and it has become a recognized fact that he
has the faculty of seeing through the mask of many
professional politicians until it has become a common
remark: "You can't put that game over on Judge Gunning." He
is straight himself and expects the same fairness of others.
He conducts his business on exactly the same lines and the
general opinion is that he is a most valuable asset to the
community, his life activities being of sterling worth in
all matters of citizenship as well as in business circles.
History of
Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
Dawson, Leon
LEON EARL DAWSON
Leon Earl Dawson, who is at the head of The Dalles Electric
Works, is a native of Kansas, his birth having there
occurred in 1876. His parents were J. R. and Melvina
(McMannemy) Dawson, well-to-do farming people who settled in
the Sunflower state in pioneer times. The son Leon was
educated in his home town, passing through consecutive
grades to the high school. When he was nineteen years of age
he determined to go west and in 1895 arrived in Oregon.
After working for a brief period in Portland he removed to
The Dalles and obtained a position with The Dalles Electric
Light & Power Company, which work he found congenial and
soon decided to become an electrician. Devoting all of his
spare time to study, and being a young man of steady habits
and thoroughness of purpose, he soon mastered the business
and was put in charge of the company's retail and
installation department. He occupied that position until the
company was reorganized in 1910 and closed out the
department of which he had had charge. Mr. Dawson then
purchased the manufacturing, supply and installation
department of the company and has since conducted business
under the name of The Dalles Electric Works. He carries a
large stock of electric supplies and house necessities,
manufactures all manner of electrical things to meet needs
of this character and installs anything wanted in the
electrical line. His showroom on East Second street displays
a large stock of electric fixtures, household appliances and
similar goods. He makes a specialty of farm installations
and is the agent of the Delco-Light System for light, heat
and power. He has thus given to the farmers of Wasco all of
the advantages of a city dweller in the line of electric
conveniences and he ranks as a master in his chosen line.
Mr. Dawson was married in 1903 to Miss Cora V. Joles, whose
father was a retired business man of The Dalles. To this
marriage have been born two sons, Harold and Kenneth, who
are now grade pupils in The Dalles schools.
Mr. Dawson has never taken any active part in politics but
is well known in connection with fraternal interests, being
a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the
Woodmen of the World and the Knights of Pythias. He is
likewise a member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he has
attained the Knights Templar degree, and he is a Noble of
the Mystic Shrine. He ranks with the most popular business
men of central Oregon and has seen several competitive firms
establish business but fail to attain success, for the trade
is given to him. He has been prominent in support of all
civic matters relating to the welfare of The Dalles and his
cooperation can be counted upon to further any movement for
the public good.
History of
Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
Glenn, Hugh
HUGH GLENN
There are few men who have contributed so largely and
beneficially to the development of the Pacific coast as has
Hugh Glenn of The Dalles. He was born in Amherst Island,
Ontario, Canada, in 1841. His father, Samuel Glenn, was a
farmer well known in the northern part of the Empire state.
The son was educated in the graded schools of New York and
as a boy entered a machine shop in Albany to learn the trade
but soon concluded that he had no taste for that line of
work and in 1860 decided to try his fortune in the west.
Accordingly he made his way to the Pacific coast, arriving
in San Francisco in the fall of that year. His first effort
was in connection with a pack train and later, by the toss
of a coin, he took up mining on the Fraser river, where in
three years his efforts netted him fifty-two thousand
dollars. Assuming that he was on the road to notable success
he mined for a while at Canyon City and then entered into
certain lines of speculation that depleted his fortune.
Accordingly it was necessary that he start anew and this he
did in Portland. Having learned the carpenter's trade, he
took up the business of contracting and building and again
made good. Many of the substantial structures in East
Portland were erected by him. He also engaged in the
mercantile business and again he prospered in his
undertakings but once more suffered severe losses by going
on the bond of a friend.
In 1876 Mr. Glenn arrived at The Dalles, where he has
remained. His first business venture at this place was as a
contractor and one of his first contracts was for the
building of twenty-one miles of the Portland and Astoria
Railroad Line. He was also president of The Dalles, Portland
& Astoria Steamboat Company, which owned and operated
what was known as the Regulator Line of boats. Later he
organized the firm of H. Glenn & Company, which is still
in existence and which conducts one of the most important
business enterprises of the city. They deal in paints, oils,
glass and building material of every description and have a
handsome storeroom on Washington street, which is filled
with a large and varied stock. The firm maintains warehouses
with side tracks and is prepared to meet the wants of a city
of a population of fifty thousand. Mr. Glenn has now retired
from the active management of the business, which he leaves
in the capable hands of his partner, Joseph E. Leroux, who
Is conceded to be one of the most progressive, alert and
enterprising young business men of central Oregon.
In 1872 Mr. Glenn was married to Miss Hattie J. Severson,
daughter of Abraham Severson of Binghamton, New York. They
were the first couple to have a church wedding in the
Methodist church of East Portland. Mrs. Glenn Is the niece
of the well known Oregon philanthropist, P. W. Severson,
whose many and extensive benefactions have greatly endeared
him to the people of the state. Among his gifts may be
mentioned that of one hundred thousand dollars to the
Willamette University, fifty thousand dollars to the Young
Men's Christian Association, an equal amount to the Young
Women's Christian Association and twenty-five thousand
dollars to the Hillsboro Academy. Mr. Glenn is the executor
of his estate and on his own account has endowed the Boys'
Home and the Baby Home with five thousand dollars each. No
civic enterprise that has for its object the good of The
Dalles, of Wasco county or of the state at large seeks the
aid of Hugh Glenn in vain. He does not wait to be solicited
for his subscription but gives cheerfully and voluntarily of
his time and money to every cause that he believes will
prove of benefit to the state.
Mr. and Mrs. Glenn have two children living, Mrs. Bertha E.
Heroux and Mrs. Grace G. Crighton, both of The Dalles. Mr.
Glenn has been a Mason for more than a half century and was
the first Elk in this section of the country, becoming a
charter member of Portland Lodge, No. 142. He is interested
in all civic measures and to save to the people of The
Dalles the large plant of the King Products Company he came
forward and gave his share of the hundred and fifty thousand
dollars needed to finance that corporation. He is a man of
broad vision who readily sees beyond the exigencies of the
moment to the opportunities of the future, and his labors
have been a most potent force in the upbuilding and
development of his state. Notwithstanding that he has met
losses and reverses at times in his business career, he has
persistently put forth effort along lines leading to
success, and prosperity in large measure has come to him as
the reward of his persistency of purpose, his indefatigable
energy and his irreproachable integrity. But it is the use
that he has made of his prosperity that has so endeared Hugh
Glenn to his fellow citizens of city and state, who
recognize his public spirit and have benefited by his
generosity.
History of
Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
Esson, Achilles
ACHILLES SHANNON ESSON, D. D. S.
Dr. Achilles Shannon Esson, a prominent representative of
dentistry in central Oregon, practicing at The Dalles, is a
member of the Esson family of Scotch origin. His grandfather
was an officer of the British navy and his father was
Alexander Esson, born in Strathdon, Scotland. Alex Esson
enlisted at the age of sixteen years in the Seventy-ninth
Scotch Regiment, was transferred to the garrison in Quebec,
and after service of seven years he was honorably discharged
and remained on this continent. He came to the Pacific coast
in 1857. The following year he located in Marion county,
Oregon, where in 1874 Dr. Esson was born. His mother, Mrs.
Christina (Stevens) Esson, also belonged to one of the
pioneer families of the northwest, her parents having come
to Oregon across the plains with ox team and wagon in 1852.
Dr. Esson was educated in the common schools of his native
county and attended a session of the medical department of
the University of Oregon, thus obtaining a broad literary
course to serve as the foundation upon which to rear the
superstructure of professional knowledge. He attended the
North Pacific Dental College in preparation for his
professional activities and won his D. D. S. degree in 1901.
Immediately afterward he took up his abode at The Dalles,
where he was associated in the practice of his profession
with Dr. Harvey A. Sturdevant until 1905, when he became
associated with Dr. H. F. Sturdevant, a connection that was
maintained until 1911. Dr. Esson then purchased his
partner's interest and has since practiced alone, retaining
the services of the dentists who were connected with the
office when the partnership was dissolved. He has built up a
large practice through marked ability and courtesy and
without invidious distinction may be termed one of the
leading dentists of central Oregon. He keeps in touch with
the trend of modern professional thought, investigation,
research and discovery and from 1908 until 1911 was a member
of the state dental board. He belongs to the Oregon Dental
Association and enjoys in the highest degree the esteem and
goodwill of his contemporaries and colleagues in the
profession.
In 1901 Dr. Esson was united in marriage to Miss Anne
Johnson of Marion county, a daughter of P. K. Johnson, one
of the pioneer settlers of the county and the largest hop
grower of that portion of the state.
In 1912 Dr. Esson was appointed a member of the city council
and was twice elected to that position, serving from 1912
until 1916 inclusive, and during his term of office he was
chairman of the fire and water committee and chairman of the
streets committee, during which period all of the cross
streets of the city were paved and the water supply of the
city greatly improved and enlarged. Dr. Esson is also a
member of The Dalles Chamber of Commerce and is at all times
a most public-spirited and progressive resident of Wasco
county. Every enterprise of value to the community is sure
of his cooperation. In the recent reorganization of the
local plant of the King Products Company he was one of a
small group of alert, energetic and progressive business men
who cheerfully put up one hundred and fifty thousand dollars
to assist in financing the project and keeping the plant
here for the benefit of the community. Fraternally Dr. Esson
is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks,
but the major part of his time and attention Is given to his
professional duties, which are constantly growing in volume
and importance. He has long occupied a prominent place as a
representative of the dental profession and at all times
holds to the highest standards and ethics, thus meriting the
high regard which is entertained for him by fellow dentists
and by the public at large.
History of
Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
Butler, Roy
ROY DEFOREST BUTLER
Roy DeForest Butler, of The Dalles, son of Polk and Dell
(Coy) Butler, was born in Illinois in 1874. His paternal
grandfather was a native of Virginia and the family were
among the early pioneers of Illinois. The Coy family was of
Quaker stock and numbered among the earliest residents of
Pennsylvania. In 1878 Polk Butler removed with his family to
Oregon, settling at Dufur, Wasco county, at which time Roy
was a lad of but four years. He acquired his education in
the graded schools of Dufur and in the high school at The
Dalles. When quite young he entered into the mercantile
business as a clerk in a general store at Boyd, Wasco
county, and afterward turned his attention to ranching on
Eight Mile creek, where he secured four hundred and forty
acres, on which he planted an orchard and also engaged in
raising cattle for the next ten years. He likewise became
interested in the mercantile business at Boyd during the
same period.
In 1914 Mr. Butler was elected to the office of county
commissioner and occupied that position for four years. In
the meantime he took up his residence at The Dalles and upon
the expiration of his term as commissioner he established
the insurance agency which he still conducts. He is the
representative of the Oregon Fire Relief Association for the
district which embraces the counties of Morrow, Gilliam,
Wasco, Hood River and Sherman and has placed his company
upon a sound basis in this territory, having developed a
business of gratifying and substantial proportions.
In 1902 Mr. Butler was married to Miss Ethel Southern, a
daughter of C. H. Southern, a pioneer farmer of Wasco
county. They have two children: Melva May and Roy Dale, both
high school pupils. Mr. Butler has a sister, Mrs. Edward
Griffin, of Wasco county, and two brothers: the Rev. O. K.
Butler, a missionary in South Africa and E. C. Butler,
living at The Dalles.
Mr. Butler gives his political allegiance to the democratic
party, yet he cannot be said to be a politician in the sense
of office seeking. The only public office he has filled
besides that of county commissioner was that of postmaster
at Boyd. He is an active member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows and has filled all of the chairs in the local
organization.
The Butler family has long been represented in Oregon, for
Roy D. Butler is a nephew of Daniel Butler, who came to this
state in the '40s and is frequently mentioned in history as
one of the founders of the state and as a fearless Indian
fighter. Under other conditions Roy D. Butler is just as
loyal to the best interests of Oregon and is justly
accounted one of the representative citizens of The Dalles.
History of
Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
Jewell, Miranda
MRS. MIRANDA C. JEWELL
Mrs. Miranda C. Jewell is one of the progressive business
women of central Oregon. Under the name of M. C. Jewell
& Son she conducts one of the best greenhouses of the
state, her partner in the enterprise being her son Merle.
Born in Jackson, Illinois, Mrs. Jewell is a daughter of
Jacob P. and Nancy (Gregg) Faubion, who were pioneer
settlers of that state. She pursued her primary education in
the public schools of Missouri, to which state her parents
removed in her early childhood, there residing until 1869,
when the family came to Oregon. In 1871 she became the wife
of Harry Jewell, a native of England, who had located in
Oregon in 1870.
From her earliest girlhood Mrs. Jewell was a lover of
flowers and upon coming to Oregon, the state of roses, she
found ample opportunity to develop her love of all that is
beautiful in this phase of nature. Mr. Jewell, who is a
miner, took up farming near Oregon City and in the excellent
climate of that region Mrs. Jewell had ample opportunity to
raise flowers. After locating at The Dalles in 1900 she
built a small greenhouse and commenced growing choice
flowers simply for her own use that she might enjoy them.
This, however, soon grew to be a business that now occupies
the greater part of her time and has become one of the most
important enterprises of the state. The greenhouse, which is
located on Webster street at the corner of C street, is the
only one in central Oregon and commands a trade as far east
as Pendleton and also extending into the state of
Washington. The firm owns modern water-heated glass
greenhouses, two of which are fifty by one hundred and
twenty feet, and a third thirty-two by fifty feet. The plant
also has outdoor beds and a shipping department. Bulbs,
plants and cut flowers of every kind are at all times
obtainable and a special department is devoted to the
production of vegetable plants. These florists make a
specialty of rare and beautiful flowers and no society
function of The Dalles or this section of the state is
considered complete without decorations from the Jewell
greenhouse. They also furnish many floral pieces for
funerals, and the business has been developed to extensive
proportions.
Mrs. Jewell, besides her son Merle, who is a partner in the
greenhouse, has other children, namely: Mrs. Grace Lowry of
Canby, Oregon; Mrs. Nora Gard of Madras, Oregon; Bertram;
and Mrs. Edna Baker of The Dalles. The son Merle was married
to Fern Lamson, a native of Nebraska
Mrs. Jewell is a member of the Christian church and also of
the Eastern Star. She likewise belongs to The Dalles
Historical Society and the Woman's Relief Corps, the
auxiliary of the Grand Army of the Republic. Her interests
and activities center along those channels through which
flows the greatest good to the greatest number and she is
constantly assisting some movement for the uplift of the
individual and the betterment of the community.
History of
Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
Lane, Louis
LOUIS LINCOLN LANE
Louis Lincoln Lane of The Dalles is a native son of Oregon,
born in Linn county in 1861, his parents being Andrew W. and
Indiana (Smith) Lane. The family is of English extraction.
The great-grandfather of Louis L. Lane came to America when
this country was still numbered among the colonial
possessions of Great Britian in order to enjoy religious
freedom. He settled in Virginia and when the colonies sought
independence from the mother country he joined the American
army and did his part in winning the war. His son. David
Lane, was born in Virginia and the same military spirit was
manifested in him by his service in the "War of 1812. David
Lane removed to Indiana in the period of pioneer development
in that state and there in 1830 Andrew W. Lane was born.
After reaching his majority he migrated westward, settling
in Oregon in 1853 as a resident of Linn county. For many
years he there conducted business as a wagon maker. The
Smith family, from whom Louis L, Lane is descended in the
maternal line, is also of English origin and the first
record of the family in America is found in Tennessee.
Louis L. Lane was educated in the common schools of
Harrisburg, Linn county. Oregon, and later moved to
Springfield, Linn county, where he remained until he was
eighteen years of age, when the family home was established
in Tygh Valley, and there they resided for two years. With
the exception of a nine years' sojourn in Lassen county,
California, Louis L. Lane has spent his life in Oregon and
has contributed largely to the upbuilding of the state.
Belonging to a family of wagon makers, he learned the trade
and also the trades of wheelwright and blacksmith from his
father. In 1891 he removed to The Dalles, where he
established a wagon and blacksmith shop and was not long in
building up a reputation as a master in his line. Many
stages, coaches and wagons which were built by him were
prize winners at the fairs and expositions held in this
section of the country and added much to the reputation of
Oregon as an industrial center. Mr. Lane continued in that
line of business until 1906, when he became associated with
F. M. Sexton under the firm style of Lane & Sexton, in
the conduct of a mercantile enterprise. Their store is the
largest of its kind in central Oregon. It is situated at the
corner of Second and Jefferson streets and is one hundred by
one hundred feet, having a floor space of ten thousand
square feet. They carry a full line of shelf hardware,
automobile accessories and similar goods. They also have
another building fifty by one hundred feet, which is devoted
to wagon building, plumbing and tinners' work and to general
blacksmith work, while still another building houses a full
line of farm implements, tools and other equipment to meet
the farm needs. The trade of the firm covers all central
Oregon and extends into the river counties of Washington. In
addition to his commercial interests Mr. Lane has a farm
comprising two hundred and eighty acres, forty of which are
planted to fruit and this is a most productive tract of
land.
In 1884 Mr. Lane was married to Miss Hattie E. Miller, a
native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of a Civil war veteran
who was killed in battle. Mr. and Mrs. Lane have one child,
Gladys, who is now Mrs. Murray Carter and she has an infant
son, the pride of his grandparents.
Fraternally Mr. Lane is connected with the F. and A. M., the
Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen of the
World. In politics he is not a partisan but is always deeply
interested in the welfare of town, county and state. While
he has never sought nor desired political preferment, he is
an active member of the Chamber of Commerce, keenly
interested in every plan for civic advancement. No list of
the sterling merchants and representative citizens of Oregon
is complete without the name of Louis L. Lane, nor has his
attention been confined wholly to business. He recognizes
that varied interests must constitute an even balance in
life and each year he and his wife take a holiday, traveling
around for rest and entertainment and thus gaining that
broad and liberal culture and experience which only travel
brings.
History of
Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
Collins, John
JOHN WESLEY COLLINS
John Wesley Collins is one of the most active young business
men of The Dalles, where he is conducting a prosperous wall
paper and paint business. He was born in Jefferson county,
Tennessee, in 1889, his parents being William H. and Naomi
(Tucker) Collins, who were representatives of one of the old
families of that state, while the Tucker family was
established in Indiana during the pioneer epoch in its
history.
John W. Collins' first work was in a general merchandise
store in his home town, but he did not find the pursuit to
his liking and remained in that employ for only thirteen
months. Believing that the far west offered a better chance
for advancement he made his way to this section of the
country and secured employment in a large wall paper
establishment in Portland, where for two years he gave such
study to the business that in 1912 he was tendered the
position of manager of the wall paper department of the
Central Door & Lumber Company in the same city. He acted
in that capacity for six years. In 1918 he determined to
start out in business on his own account and having saved
considerable money from his earnings and made many friends
in the trade, he looked around for a location and after
visiting The Dalles at once decided to cast his lot in the
"cherry town," and renting a store, established business
here. After paying his rent and equipping his place he had
left as a working capital just one hundred dollars, yet by
1920 he was the owner of the only wall paper and decorating
concern in the city and was occupying a handsome store on
the main business street, with a stock of wall paper and
paint fully paid for and worth seven thousand dollars.
Moreover, he is giving employment to eight expert painters
and paper hangers. He takes contracts for all kinds of
painting and decorating work and has broadened the scope of
his business by establishing a picture frame department. He
also sells paint and paper and many decorative articles and
the business is a growing one. while the future career of
the proprietor will be well worth watching.
In 1913 Mr. Collins was married to Miss Ruby S. Pickens, a
native of North Carolina, whose parents are now farming in
Oregon. They have two children, Louelder and William Wesley.
Mr. Collins is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and is
active in support of all progressive civic interests.
Fraternally he is an Odd Fellow and a Yeoman. He enjoys the
high regard of his brethren in these orders and has won a
well deserved reputation as a reliable and progressive
business man and valuable citizen.
History of
Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
Browne, Daniel
DR. DANIEL THOMAS BROWNE
In the little town of Industry, Illinois, In 1880, Daniel
Thomas Browne was born. He is now a successful chiropractor
of The Dalles, where he is accorded a liberal patronage. His
parents were Christopher C. and Alvessa (Mason) Browne, who
were well known and respected farmers of McDonough county,
Illinois. The Brownes were of old Pennsylvania stock and the
great-grandfather of the Doctor became a pioneer of
Missouri. The Mason family came from New England ancestry
and were pioneers of Indiana. Christopher C. Browne removed
with his family to Oregon when his son Daniel was but a
small boy and settled in Salem. The latter acquired his
preliminary education in the public schools of Salem and
afterward pursued an academic course at Dallas, while his
professional training was received in the Pacific
Chiropractic College at Portland. Following his graduation
he took up active professional work in that city and there
remained from 1911 until 1918. During his stay in Portland
he was for three years secretary of the Oregon Chiropractic
Association and published a magazine called The Drugless
Review, devoted to the school of healing which he
represents. He was one of a committee appointed to draft a
bill legalizing the practice of chiropractic, which was
passed by the legislature in 1915. His work in that
connection required so much of his time that he was forced
to permit The Drugless Review to die just as it was getting
on a paying basis. This unselfishness on his part is but an
index of the character of the man. In 1918 Dr. Ingram, who
had built up an extensive business in The Dalles, invited
Dr. Browne to join him and the firm of Ingram & Browne
has since engaged in practice in this city.
In 1905 Dr. Browne was united in marriage to Miss Almona R.
Daniels, a daughter of Francis M. Daniels, who was a
merchant. They have one child, Elizabeth, a student in the
Junior high school in The Dalles. Fraternally Dr. Browne is
connected with the Elks and with the Knights of Pythias. He
holds to the higest standards in his profession and his
ability and enterprise have brought him prominently to the
front.
History of
Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
