USA > Idaho > An illustrated history of the state of Idaho, containing a history of the state of Idaho from the earliest period of its discovery to the present time, together with glimpses of its auspicious future; illustrations and biographical mention of many pioneers and prominent citizens of to-day > Part 125
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expended nearly all his means in relieving the distress of his relatives in that country, and in the spring of 1848 he sailed with his family for New Orleans and thence to St. Louis, where our subject first heard the teachings of the Latter Day Saints and embraced that faith.
The cholera was raging in the year 1849, and by that dread scourge of the race he lost his mother. The people died in great numbers, and burials occurred not only in the day time but at night, as well. Three years later, in 1852, Mr. Parkinson was happily married, in St. Louis, to Miss Arabella Ann Chandler, and in the spring of 1854 they crossed the plains to Utah, bringing with them their first-born son, Samuel C. Par- kinson. Our subject had a team of mules, but the train was principally composed of ox teams. They left St. Louis, June 1, 1854, and reached Salt Lake, September 25, after a dangerous and difficult trip, in which they were in constant fear of Indian attack. They drove their wagons two abreast and were frequently surrounded by In- dians. At night they chained their wagons to- gether in a circle and every man slept under his wagon with his rifle ready to be used in the de- fense of his life, family and property, and a guard . was maintained all night long. About the time they reached Fort Laramie the terrible Indian massacre occurred there. The Indians flocked to the fort in large numbers to receive the pres- ents which were annually given them, and some of their number killed a white man's cow. Com- plaint was made to the soldiers and an officer was sent to the chief to demand the delivery of the culprits. The officer, however, was intoxicated, and told the Indian that he would blow his head off if the guilty parties were not instantly de- livered. The chief stood there, and with a wave of his hand called attention to the large number of his followers, saying, "If you shoot me you will be instantly killed." The officer repeated his threat and killed the chief, and at this the Indians killed the officer. Then the Indians charged the fort, killed every soldier, helped themselves to the presents, and destroyed everything they did not want.
Mr. Parkinson was then ten miles west of the fort, and when his party heard of the massacre they expected to all be killed. However, they divided the company into two sections, and Mr.
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Parkinson, having a mule team, was sent in the lead of the first section. They drove all night and made the best possible time to get out of the reach of the excited savages. After a hard jour- ney across the plains they at length arrived safely in Salt Lake City, where stood the little houses which had been built by the first emigrants. Mr. Parkinson aided in building the Temple. A canal was constructed on which to float the rock from the quarry toward the building. After his work there was completed our subject located at Keysville, twenty-five miles north of Salt Lake City, where for the first time he engaged in farm- ing. It was very hard to obtain water there, however, and in 1859, with two or three others, he started to seek a better location. Crossing the mountains to Hunsaker valley, they arrived at the present site of Wellsville, and found that the land there had been mostly claimed, so Mr. Parkinson continued on to Logan, then a town of four or five houses, while two or three more were being builded at Providence and at Smithfield. In the spring of 1860 an attempt was made to start a town at Richmond, but the company came to the present site of Franklin and being so well pleased with the country they sent for their families, and soon about fifty families were here gathered, and the work of building houses in the form of a hol- low square was begun. Mr. Parkinson, Thomas Smart and Mr. Sanderson were appointed to sur- vey the land. They had no compass, and the lines were run by means of the north star. The land was surveyed in five and ten acre lots, the latter to be used for farming purposes, the former for meadow land, and who should occupy these was decided by casting lots, the most perfect har- mony prevailing through it all. After this the town property was surveyed in one and a quarter acre lots and the substantial residences that now compose the town were erected on these. In the fall President Young visited Franklin, named the place and appointed Preston Thomas as bishop. A log school-house was erected and was also used for a meeting-house. Mr. Parkinson and Mr. Smart built the first sawmill and then furnished the lumber for the town. The former also started a little store and brought his goods from Salt Lake, a distance of one hundred and ten miles, carrying produce to that place and returning with merchandise. He also procured the first thresh-
ing machine seen in the locality. It was a chaff . piler and another machine followed to clean up the grain. In 1869 or 1870 a co-operative store was established, a branch of the great co-opera- tive store at Salt Lake City, from which place they obtained their goods. The citizens took stock and divided the profits, which made the goods very cheap. Shares were sold at ten dol- lars each, everyone got the goods at the same price, and each family was expected to own at least one share. The store was controlled by a board of directors, and Mr. Parkinson was elected its manager, carrying on the business for fifteen years, after which his sons William and Franklin, in turn, acted as superintendent for a number of years. In the meantime other stores were established and a proposition was made to unite them all, which resulted in the formation of The Oneida Mercantile Union, which has con- tinued to carry on business to the present time, Mr. Parkinson serving as one of its directors from the beginning.
In 1879 he went to the east to procure machin- ery for the first woolen mill built in the state, making his purchases mostly in Buffalo, New York, and the mill was started in the spring of 1880. In 1893 he engaged in the sheep-raising business, but the price of wool steadily declined for some time, and it was difficult to realize any- thing from his business. He persevered, how- ever, and since the advance in wool has been meeting with good success, recently selling out at a good profit.
Mr. Parkinson has been a Republican since the organization of the party, but has never sought nor desired office. In his church he has been a useful and valued member, and has served as teacher, elder, a seventy, and as bishop's coun- selor at Franklin. In 1873 he went as a mission- ary to Arizona, for the purpose of colonizing that territory, and was there five months, but it be- came so dry that the settlement had to be aban- doned, although the original plan has since been accomplished. He is still bishop's counselor and has been an honored patriarch in the church for years.
By his first wife Mr. Parkinson had the follow- ing named children: Samuel C., now a promi- ment citizen of Franklin; William C., president of the Pocatello stake; Charlotte C., the twin sis-
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ter of William C., and now the wife of William Pratt; George C., president of the Oneida stake; Franklin C., who is engaged in the sheep busi- ness; Esther C., wife of Henry T. Rogers; Clara C., who became the wife of Charles Goaslind, and died January 20, 1897; Caroline C., present wife of Charles Goaslind. In 1867 Mr. Parkinson was married to Miss Charlotte Smart, daughter of Thomas Smart, a highly respected pioneer of Franklin, and their children are as follows: An- nie S., wife of Ossian L. Packer; Lucy S., wife of Charles Lloyd; Joseph S .; Frederick S., who is now on a mission in the northeastern states; Leona S., wife of Walter Monson; Bertha S., wife of Nephi Larson; Eva S., Hazel S., Nettie S. and Vivian S., all at home. In 1869 he mar- ried Miss Maria Smart, a sister of his second wife, and they have been blessed with the follow- ing children: Thomas; Samuel S .; Luella S., wife of Matthias F. Cowley, an apostle in the Church of the Latter Day Saints; Arabella S., wife of Robert Daines; Sarah Ann S., wife of George T. Marshall, Jr .; Olive S., wife of Ezra Monson; Edmund S., who is now on a mission in the southern states; Clarence S .; Susan S .; Hazen S .; Henry S., who died at the age of thir- teen years; Cloe S., who died in infancy; Lenora S., who also died at infancy; and Glenn S., who completes the family. In all there were thirty- three children, of whom twenty-seven are living. There are sixty-nine grandchildren and six great- grandchildren. All of the members of this num- erous family are highly respected citizens of Ida- ho, and Mr. Parkinson is entitled to great credit for the manner in which he has reared and edu- cated his children.
Mr. Parkinson is a polygamist in his religious faith and has followed the dictates of his own conscience. In 1879 he was arrested, tried and acquitted. In 1886 he was again arrested for the sanie alleged offense, taken to Blackfoot, exam- ined by the grand jury and held for trial. He acknowledged in a most manly way that he had three wives and thirty children, and that he had been married to the last wife over twenty years. His lawyer defended him in a speech in which he stated that Mr. Parkinson was a pioneer citizen oi the state, of the very highest respectability, and had been a potent factor in the development and improvement of the county. Mr. Parkinson then
asked the judge if he might speak. He said he loved his family-all of them-as much as any man could; that he had entered into a solemn covenant with them to take care of them; that they were his for time and for eternity, and he would suffer himself to be hung between the heavens and the earth before he would either deny or forsake them. Judge Hayes then said: "You have left me no alternative but to convict you," and sentenced him to six months in the state penitentiary and imposed a three hundred dollar fine, but told the warden to treat Mr. Par- kinson well and not to shave him, and remarked that when he visited Boise he would go and see him. Mr. Parkinson thanked the judge and went to the penitentiary, where he served out his time, but was allowed a month off for good be- havior, after which he returned to his family and friends. In 1884 he built a large and commo- dious residence in Franklin, and there the good pioneer and patriarch, surrounded by his numer- ous family, is spending the evening of a faithful and exceedingly useful life, enjoying the high es- teem of a host of warm friends.
PETER DONNELLY.
Among the prominent pioneer miners of Silver City we should mention this highly esteemed citizen of Dewey, Owyhee county. He is a na- tive of Ireland, born in county Longford, Octo- ber 31, 1833. In 1840 his parents emigrated to the New World, settling in Rhode Island, and young Peter was brought up in the city of Provi- dence. He arrived in California in the spring of 1853 and for several years followed placer-min- ing, in all the prominent diggings of that state.
Upon the discovery of gold at Oro Fino he was among the first to arrive there, in April, 1862, and engaged in furnishing the miners with meat. He arrived in Idaho basin in March, 1863, and in June following came to the vicinity of Silver City, as a member of the company headed by Captain Michael Jordan. The packers then at the gulch were Cyrus Iby, Dr. Rood (one of the original discoverers), Jack Reynolds and a Mr. Boon. A man named Thompson whipsawed the lumber and made and set the first flumes. Mr. Donnelly and his partner, Michael Jordan, set an Indian- head on the top of a pole at the camp, which be- came the occasion of the place being called
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"Skull Camp." Another partner was a man named Charles Skinner. They together opened the wagon road to Snake river, having first ob- tained from the territorial legislature a charter, which had a life of fifteen years. The toll on this road was three dollars for a pair of horses and wagon, one dollar for a horse and carriage, and twenty-five cents for a saddle-horse. At the same time the company were engaged in running the mines and made a great amount of money.
Swalley Nelson was the first discoverer of the quartz mines here, in October, 1863; next was the discovery of the Oro Fino and the Morning Star, on the War Eagle mountain. Mr. Fogus, who also was a partner in these discoveries, sold two-thirds of his interest to Marion More. Mr. Donnelly has been connected with Colonel Dew- ey in many business enterprises, and he is an en- thusiastic friend of the Colonel; they are indeed fast friends. Mr. Donnelly is uniformly repre- sented to be a whole-souled, generous and liberal man and a good representative of the early set- tlers of Idaho.
WALTER CLARK.
Walter Clark, now the leading merchant of Ketchum, is numbered among the honored pio- neers of Idaho of 1863, and for more than forty- five years has been closely identified with the de- velopment of the northwest, having taken up his residence in Oregon in 1853. Into a wild re- gion infested by Indians and by ruffianly white men, the forests standing in their primeval grand- eur, the mountains still holding their rich treas- ures, he came and established his home. He was one of the vanguard of civilization, and has borne an important part in opening up this region to industry and commerce. Few men of the north- west are more widely known in this section of the Union than Walter Clark, and to-day, in his pleasant home in Ketchum, he is enjoying the comfortable competence that has come to him as the result of years of honest toil.
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Mr. Clark was born in Iowa, October 10, 1840, and is of English and German ancestry. He lost his parents when only five years of age, and knows little of them save that his father was Jacob Clark, and that they resided in Danville, Lee county, Iowa. He lived with J. S. Reland until he was thirteen years of age, when, in 1853,
he crossed the plains to Oregon, with W. C. Myer. They crossed the Missouri river May 10, 1853, and arrived at 'Rogue river on the 3d of September following. He had but little oppor- tunity to attend school and may be called a self- educated as well as self-made man. In the school of experience, however, he has learned many valuable lessons, and is now a man of broad, practical knowledge, thoroughly in touch with the interests of his town, state and nation. In his youth he eagerly accepted any employment that offered, working for some time on a ranch and at herding cattle. In 1863 he came to Idaho basin, driving a pack train, and in 1864 went to Montana. For twenty-five years he engaged in the packing business, owning from fifty to seven- ty-five mules, utilized in hauling the goods to the different destinations. Two of those mules, which he obtained when he began packing in 1864, he turned loose at Ketchum in 1887, they having rendered him faithful service twenty- three years. He sent his pack trains into British Columbia, Montana and Idaho, and did an ex- cellent business. He never had an animal stolen by the Indians and they never attacked him, not- withstanding they committed many murders and depredations all around him.
On the 12th of May, 1881, Mr. Clark came to Ketchum, bringing with him his pack train. He became connected with the very rich mining interests of the Wood river valley, and although he continued packing for some time he also be- came a part owner of the Carrie mine, on Smoky mountain. From this he and his partners took out over one hundred thousand dollars in silver and lead, and on December 25, 1886, they sold the mine for one hundred and five thousand dol- lars. Mr. Clark is now the owner of a gold mine in Joseph county, Oregon, and in 1887 he began merchandising at Ketchum, in partnership with Mr. Comstock. They soon secured an extensive patronage, and erected a large two-story brick store, twenty-eight by one hundred feet. In 1889 Mr. Tague bought out Mr. Comstock's interest, and the firm of Clark & Tague carried on opera- tions until 1892, when Mr. Clark purchased his partner's interest, since which time he has been sole proprietor of the leading store in Ketchunı. He enjoys a large trade from the surrounding country and derives therefrom a good income.
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In the winter of 1887-8 Mr. Clark was united in marriage to Miss C. Dallarhide, a native of Austin, Nevada, and they now have one daugh- ter, Ollie. Mrs. Clark is a valued member of the Episcopal church. They have a pleasant and commodious home in Ketchum and are highly esteemed throughout the community. Mr. Clark is independent in both politics and religion, and is a thoroughly honorable and reliable business man. He certainly deserves great credit for his success in life, for since a very early age he has been dependent entirely upon his own resources and has won his fortune through earnest, diligent effort.
JAMES H. BEAN, M. D.
James H. Bean, M. D., has attained a distinc- tive position in connection with the medical fra- ternity of southern Idaho, and is now successfully engaged in practicing in Pocatello, where he also conducts a drug store. Realizing the importance of the profession, he has carefully prepared him- self for his chosen life-work, and spares no effort that will further perfect him along that line. By the faithful performance of each day's duty he finds inspiration and added strength for the la- bors of the next, and his marked skill has secured him prestige as the representative of one of the most important professions to which man may direct his energies.
Dr. Bean is a native of Boston, Massachusetts, born October 23, 1856, of Scotch-Irish ancestry. His father, James Bean, was born in London, England, and there married Miss Harriet Har- vey. In 1856 they came to the United States, locating in Boston, where the father engaged in business as a florist for a time. Later he was connected with the coal trade for twenty-five years, and is now living retired, at the advanced age of eighty years. In 1876 he was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died in her fifty-seventh year. They were consistent mem- bers of the Episcopal church, and people of genu- ine worth, who won the warm regard of all with whom they came in contact. In their family were nine children, eight of whom are living.
The Doctor was educated in the schools of Medford, Massachusetts, and began the study of medicine with an army physician, after which he entered the medical department of Dartmouth College, in New Hampshire, and was graduated
in the class of 1873. Desiring to still further per- fect himself for his chosen calling, he then ma- triculated in the Jefferson Medical College, in Philadelphia, where he was graduated in 1877. For a year thereafter he practiced in a hospital in that city and then removed to Denver, Colorado, where he remained until 1882. In that year he came to Idaho as assistant surgeon of the Union Pacific Railroad Company, in which capacity he served for fifteen years, and in addition carried on a large general practice, being located first at Eagle Rock, whence he came to Pocatello in 1888. He is well versed in the science of medi- cine and is very capable in every department of the practice, ranking second to none in this part · of the state. His special interest, however, is in surgery, and he is very expert in that line. He has now a large and lucrative practice, and in ad- dition conducts a well appointed drug store, which adds not a little to his income.
The Doctor also has a pleasant home in Poca- tello, which is presided over by the lady who be- came his wife in 1884, and who bore the maiden name of Della Priestley. At that time she was a resident of Lawrence, Kansas. The Doctor and his wife attend the Episcopal church and are members of the Pocatello Society. The Doctor was made a Master Mason in Eagle Rock Lodge, No. 19, A. F. & A. M., at Eagle Rock, in 1885, is a charter member of the Idaho State Medical Association, and was one of the organizers of the Rocky Mountain Inter-state Medical Associa- tion. Among his professional brethren he occu- pies an enviable position, and both he and his estimable wife are highly regarded in social cir- cles.
JOSEPH F. GRIFFIN.
For more than a half century Joseph F. Grif- fin, of Ketchum, has resided in the northwest. A native of Kentucky, he was born in Cumberland county, December 10, 1831. The family is of Scotch origin, and the first American progenitors were early settlers of South Carolina and partici- .pants in many of the events which form the colon- ial history of the south. Jesse Griffin. the grand- father of our subject, was one of the pioneers of Kentucky, where occurred the birth of Burrell Bell Griffin, the father of Joseph. Having ar- rived at years of maturity he married Miss Sally Thogmorton, a native of Tennessee, and a rep-
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resentative of an old family of North Carolina. They became the parents of twelve children, eleven of whom reached years of maturity, while nine are still living. In 1852 the family crossed the plains to Oregon, and settled on the Rogue river, where they took up a government donation claim, upon which the parents spent their re- maining days. The father attained the age of seventy-three years, and the mother, surviving him two years, passed away at about the same · age. They were members of the Christian church, and were held in the highest regard by their many friends.
Mr. Griffin was educated in Missouri and Ore- gon. He was in his fifteenth year when he ar- rived in the latter state, and during his boyhood he alternated his lessons with farming and placer mining, early forming the habits of industry and diligence which have characterized his entire life and which have led to his success. From the government he secured a donation claim of three hundred and twenty acres of good land, and as a companion and helpmeet on life's journey he chose Miss Elizabeth Howard, their marriage be- ing celebrated in 1865. The lady is a daughter of James W. Howard. From that time on Mr. Griffin assiduously devoted himself to the task of acquiring a competence, in order to provide for the wants of his family, and his efforts have been crowned with a fair measure of success.
Previously, however, he had rendered valuable service to the northwest in contests with the In- dians. He volunteered and fought in the Rogue river war, as a member of Captain Rice's com- pany, and later under command of Captain John S. Mills, a brother-in-law of our subject. They had an engagement with the Indians at Little Meadows, where one of the white men was killed and three wounded. The fiercest Indian fight in which Mr. Griffin participated was at Thomp- son's Ferry, on Rogue river, where they attacked the red men, killing many of them, the loss to the volunteers being one killed and four wounded. Mr. Griffin was with his company when they at- tacked twenty-four Indians, killing twenty-one of them, while later two others were found dead. John Hailey located the party, and thirty-six white men surrounded their camp in such a way as to exterminate the whole band. This occurred in December, and several of the white men froze
their feet while waiting for daylight, in order to make the attack. On another occasion it was found that old John's band, eighty strong, were in three cabins. The volunteers sent to Fort Lane for a howitzer, but when it was being hauled to the place of action the mules rolled off the trail into Applegate river, and the shells were lost. They were then obliged to send back to the fort for more shells, and it was evening before they were brought to the volunteers. Loading, they fired at the cabins and two Indians were killed, but the darkness prevented further action that night, and in the morning it was found that the Indians had escaped. In the war Mr. Griffin furnished his own horse and equipment, for which, in 1863, the government paid him forty- four dollars and forty-four cents in greenbacks.
In 1866 he went to Payette, Idaho, and ac- cepted a position as division agent of the stage line owned by John Hailey. Later he engaged in farming at Payette, raising hay and grain. In 1882 he came to what was then Alturas county, now Blaine county, and took up one hundred and sixty acres of government land, three miles up the river from Ketchum. He built a residence there, and has since engaged in dairy farming, but in the meantime has also erected a home in1 Ketchum, where he and his estimable wife spend the winter, while in the summer months they re- side on the farm. They formerly sold butter at fifty cents a pound and milk at seventy-five cents a gallon, and secured from their business a good income, having as high as twenty-five cows at one time.
Mr. and Mrs. Griffin have reared an interesting family of children. The eldest daughter, Mary L., is now the wife of Fred Gooding, a prominent citizen of Shoshone; Sally W. married F. J. Stone, a druggist residing in Colfax, Washing- ton ; Leona B. is a successful school-teacher, mak- ing her home with her parents; and Leonora, the youngest, is also teaching school. The fam- ily attend the Methodist church and are people of the highest respectability, enjoying the warm re- gard of many friends throughout the community. In his political associations Mr. Griffin is a Dem- ocrat, and has taken an active part in the work of the party, doing all in his power to promote its growth and insure its success. While in Ada county he was elected and served as a member of
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