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 68
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128 | Part 129
M.E. Borah
375
HISTORY OF IDAHO.
brought in, they are numerous enough to de- stroy much grain.
July 25, 1870, Mr. Cozzens married Miss Emily Merrill and Miss Sarah J. Perkins. By his two marriages lie has eighteen children. Following are the names of his children by his first wife: Almira, who married D. E. Rich and lives at Ogden, Utah; James D., of Preston; William, who is on a mission to Kansas for his church; Orrin, who has a sheep range in the mountains; and Mark, Earl and Lucille, who are members of their father's household. His children by his second marriage are named as follows: John, who is married and lives at Meadowville; Diana, Matthew, David, Luke, Joseph, Paul, Milton, Martha and Golden. Mr. Cozzens is a Democrat, a man of good business reputation and a citizen of much liberality and public spirit.
WILLIAM E. BORAH.
In the "learned professions" merit alone 'can win advancement. When success must depend upon the various mental attributes of the indi- vidual, neither wealth nor influential friends can aid one in the progress toward fame. The man who has attained prominence at the bar is there- fore entitled to great credit, for as he lengthens the distance between himself and mediocrity it is the indication of great zeal, marked abil- ity, close application and thorough knowledge. It has been through the exercise of these qualities that William E. Borah has attained a position at the bar that might well be envied by many an older practitioner.
He was born in Fairfield, Wayne county, Illi- nois, June 29, 1865, and is of German and Irish lineage. Three brothers of the name emigrated to America in colonial days and two of theni fought for the independence of the nation, while the third was an ardent loyalist. William N. Borah, the father of our subject, was a native of Kentucky, numbered among the influential farm- ers and officials in his county for many years. He married Elizabeth West, a native of Indiana, and in 1820 they removed to Illinois, where they still reside, their home being in Fairfield. They are members of the Presbyterian church, honored pioneers of the community, and are widely and favorably known. They had a family of ten chil- dren, eight of whom are yet living.
Among this number is William Edward Borah, of Boise, who was reared on the old family home- stead in Illinois, aiding in the labors of field and meadow through the summer months, while in the winter season he attended the district schools of the neighborhood. Later he entered the Southern Illinois Academy, at Enfield, that state, where he studied for a year, after which he was matriculated in the university at Lawrence, Kan- sas. He had almost completed his course there when failing health forced him to seek a change of climate by going south. When he had suffi- ciently recovered he came to Lyons, Kansas, and began reading law under the instruction of A. M. Lasley, now of Chicago. He applied himself with great earnestness to the mastery of the fundamental principles of jurisprudence, and in 1888 was admitted to the bar. He was then ready to put his theoretical knowledge to the practical test,-a test which afterward fully dem- onstrated his ability to cope with the intricate problems of the courts. He came to Boise in 1891, entered upon the practice of his profession and rose rapidly to prominence, acquiring an ex- tensive and profitable clientage. He now has the reputation of being one of the most successful lawyers in the state, having won many notable victories before judge and jury.
On the 28th of April, 1895, Mr. Borah was united in marriage to Miss Mamie McConnell, a daughter of ex-Governor McConnell, of Idaho. They have a nice home in Boise and their posi- tion in social circles is very enviable. In politics Mr. Borah has always been a stalwart Republi- can, but in 1896, not agreeing with his party on the position which it took on the money question, he refused to follow its leadership and joined the ranks of the "silver" Republicans. With great power he defended the cause of bimetallism, was nominated for congress on that issue and con- ducted one of the most brilliant campaigns in the history of the state. The brilliance and force of his eloquence soon became noised abroad and wherever he spoke he attracted large audiences from every class and station in life. He had the power of holding the attention of his hearers to a remarkable degree, and though he was defeated he led his ticket, won hosts of friends and ac- quired the reputation of being one of the ablest campaign orators in Idaho. He is a young man
376
HISTORY OF IDAHO.
of great promise. His close study of the momen- tous questions of the day and his loyalty to America and her institutions well fit him for leadership, and both in the field of politics and at the bar he will undoubtedly win still greater successes in the future.
HENRY M. THATCHER.
Throughout the greater part of his life Judge Henry M. Thatcher has resided on the Pacific slope, and as one of the honored pioneers of this section of the country has been prominently identified with its development, progress and up- building from an early day. He was born in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, October 17, 1833, and is of German lineage. His grandfather, Samuel Thatcher, was born in Germany, and when a young man emigrated to the United States, settling in Susquehanna county, Pennsyl- vania, where he married Miss Hannah Smith. He was a soldier in the war of 1812 and lived to the advanced age of ninety-three years. Enos Thatcher, the father of the Judge, was one of a family of three sons and five daughters. He married Miss Artemesia Case, also a native of Susquehanna county, and in 1837 they removed to Illinois, locating at Ottawa, LaSalle county, where the father entered land and, in connection with agricultural pursuits, conducted a hotel. Both he and his wife were Congregationalists in religious belief, and for many years Mr. Thatcher served as chorister of his church and took an active part in other branches of the work. He lived to be seventy-eight years of age. The mother of our subject died in the fifty-first year ยท of her age, leaving two children, Henry M. and Elizabeth, who is now Mrs. Deckerd, of Albany, Oregon. After the death of his first wife the father married again, and by that union had two children.
Judge Thatcher was reared on the old home -. stead in Illinois, and in 1850 crossed the plains from LaSalle county to Placerville, California. He traveled with a party, and they experienced many hardships and trials. At Independence Rock they were obliged to abandon their wagons and supplies, after which they suffered for the want of food and were obliged to live on boiled corn, of which they partook but once a day. They had no money with which to buy food at
the few places where it could be obtained, and thus it was, empty-handed, that Henry M. Thatcher began life in the west. For a time he engaged in placer mining near Hangtown and then went to Coloma, just below where Marshall made the first discovery of gold. He also engaged in mining at American Bar, on the American river, but in 1852 returned to the east, making the journey by way of the isthmus route. After paying all expenses he was enabled to take back with him a capital of two thousand dollars.
In the spring of 1853, however, Mr. Thatcher again crossed the plains to California, and was engaged in ranching in the San Jose valley, where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, near Hayward. He raised barley and wheat and received good prices for his cereals. Later he was in San Francisco for a time and served as a member of the vigilance committee, being present when Cora and Casey were hung. The work of that committee was very important in bringing to an end the power of the lawless element which infested the new country and per- petrated many atrocious crimes. In 1858 he re- moved to Albany, Oregon, and thence to Salem, where he engaged in the livery and transfer busi- ness until 1878, when he came to Boise, Idaho, and took charge of the overland stage from Boise to Kelton. After three years devoted to that business he purchased a ranch on Goose creek, in Cassia county, and in connection with its cultivation and improvement he conducted a hotel, his energies being devoted to that enter- prise for nine years, during which time he met with a gratifying success.
In 1890 Judge Thatcher came to Shoshone, and purchased four hundred and forty acres of land five miles east of the town on Little Wood river. Here he has since been engaged in ranch- ing and raising cattle, and has made his property one of the best in the country. He has a fine water right, and also has various placer-mining claims, the estimated value of which is from one to two dollars per yard. He is now engaged in doing hydraulic work, which it is expected will yield large returns. Thus steadily has he added to his possessions, and although he came to California without capital he is to-day the pos- sessor of considerable property, which has come to him as the reward of his own labors.
372
HISTORY OF IDAHO.
In 1878 Judge Thatcher was united in mar- riage to Miss Lou L. Hart, of Portland, Oregon, and they have two sons, Leroy and Harry S. The former, now eighteen years of age, is ably con- ducting affairs on the ranch and is engaged in the stock business. The younger son is a little lad of six summers.
Socially Mr. Thatcher is a Mason, having been connected with the order since 1868. He is past master of the lodge and has also been scribe in the chapter and is a member of the Odd Fellows society. In politics he has always been a stal- wart Republican, but does not agree withi the party on the money question. He was elected a justice of the peace in 1894, and is now serving his fifth year in that office, having ever discharged his duties with marked promptness and fidelity and without fear or favor. He has a wide acquaintance in Califor- nia, Oregon and Idaho, and takes a deep interest in the western states, where so many years of his life have been passed.
JOHN CUDDY. .
In western Idaho is located Cuddy mountain, which will ever stand as a monument to the gen- tleman whose name heads this sketch,-one of the honored pioneers of the state. More than a third of a century has passed since he came to this part of the Union, and few if any of the early settlers are more widely known than he, while none are held in more genuine regard. In almost daily fear of Indian attack, he planted his business interests near the mountain named in his honor and there maintained his home while civilization slowly advanced toward him from the older east, gradually lessening the realm of the red men, who were once lords over this rich and beautiful region. The history of his life here in the early days, if written in detail, would prove more marvelous than the most wonderful tale of the novelist, but space forbids us to give more than a limited notice of his career.
Mr. Cuddy was born in county Tipperary, Ire- land, November 15, 1834, a son of Michael and Catharine (Murphy) Cuddy. In 1840 his parents crossed the Atlantic to Boston, Massachusetts, bringing with them their ten children, while one of the number, having married, remained on the Emerald Isle. The father died at the age of
seventy-eight years, and the mother passed away at the age of ninety-three. John Cuddy, their youngest child, was only six years of age when they sailed for the New World. He is a self-made man, for from early youth he has been dependent entirely upon his own efforts. His education was acquired at night schools and in the hard school of experience, but through his activity in the af- fairs of life he has gained a good practical knowl- edge. In his youth he learned the machinist's trade and operated a stationary engine. In 1852 he made his way to the Pacific coast, traveling by way of the isthmus route to San Fran- cisco, where he was employed in a ware- house for a time. He also engaged in mining on the Tuolumne river and operated a sawmill. In 1856 he went to Puget sound, where he manufactured lumber, and then accepted a position as engineer on a tow boat.
In 1865 Mr. Cuddy came to Idaho, bringing with him a stock of goods from San Francisco. He came by water up the coast and through the river to Umatilla, and thence by team proceeded to Boise, where he opened his store, having a stock of liquors, groceries, paints and oils. He was the senior member of the firm of Cuddy & Tyne, and carried on business in Boise until 1869, when they came to Salubria and erected the first mills in this part of the country. These were ready for operation in 1870, and the following year Mr. Cuddy purchased his partner's interest and has since carried on the business alone. He engages in the manufacture of both lumber and flour, and nearly every house in this part of the state is constructed from lumber from his mill, while there is scarcely a home not familiar with the John Cuddy brand of flour. There were many difficulties and obstacles to be overcome in the establishment of a good business, but he is now enjoying a large trade, and his efforts are crowned with a merited degree of prosperity. In addition to his milling interests he owns a valuable farm of three hundred and twenty acres. a mile and a half from Salubria, and is justly re- garded as one of the successful agriculturists and stock-raisers of this section of the state.
When he brought his materials and supplies from Boise to build his mills, there were no bridges in this part of the state, and so he and Mr. Tyne built a boat, which they carried with
378
HISTORY OF IDAHO.
them. On reaching a stream that was not ford- able they loaded their supplies in the boat and swam their stock across, thus eventually reaching their destination. Salubria is only seventy- five miles distant from Boise, but at that time it required twenty-one days to make the trip to and from the capital city. He located seven miles from any habitation, and the mountain near which he built his mill and home soon became known as Cuddy mountain, a name which it still bears. The first winter after his arrival in the Salubria valley the roads became so blocked with snow that for three months Mrs. Cuddy saw no one but her husband and baby On one oc- casion he loaded two four-horse teams with dressed hogs and bacon and started for the city, but the snow and mud under it were so deep that it required four days to go nine miles. They left the loads and went back to the house to sleep at nights. At another time Mr. Cuddy went to Boise for a ton of salt and was commissioned by a neighbor to purchase a can of kerosene. He paid one hundred and sixty dollars for the salt and secured the oil, but when he reached home he found that it had leaked on the salt, render- ing it unfit for use, and thus he was obliged to make the trip again for more salt. The first load he left exposed to the weather, and at the end of a year the oil had evaporated so that the salt could be fed to the stock.
In 1877, when the Nez Perces war broke out, the settlers were in imminent danger, and many of them packed up their goods, left their homes and went to Weiser. Mr. Cuddy sent his family to Boise, and thus they lived in constant danger of the red men who again and again went on the war-path. The men always wore their cartridge belts to the fields where they worked, and at the slightest noise glanced apprehensively around, fearful of seeing the Indians. In 1878 the Ban- nacks went on the war-path, and when the news reached Mr. Cuddy he put his family in a wagon and took them down the valley to a fort which was built for protection for the settlers. No less than ten times did he thus take his wife and children from home, for he had taken part in an Indian war in Oregon in 1865, and knew of the cruelties and treachery of the savages. Grad- ually, however, as civilization advanced and the country became more thickly populated, the In-
dians were subjugated and thus departed for other regions, leaving this fair district to yield its splendid gifts in return for the labors of the white race.
It was on the roth of January, 1871, that Mr. Cuddy was united in marriage to Miss Delia Tyne, a native of his own country and county, and to them have been born six children, five of whom are living, namely: Kate, Ellen, John, Mary and Edward. They are being provided with good educational privileges and thus fitted to become useful men and women and to do credit to the untarnished family name which they wear.
In his political views Mr. Cuddy is a Republi- can, but has never been a politician in the sense of office-seeking, preferring to devote his time and energies to his business interests, in which he has met with good success. He, however, served his county on the board of commissioners for eight years, and has ever sought to promote the public welfare and the general good. He be- longs to that class of brave and loyal men who have made possible the present splendid devel- opment of the northwest, and on the pages of Idaho's history his name will ever be engraved as one of its honored pioneers.
WARREN P. HUNT.
Warren Palmerton Hunt, who has been a highly respected citizen of Lewiston since 1862, and is numbered among the California pioneers of 1854, was born in Erie county, New York, March 13, 1832, a son of Isaac and Diantha (All- bee) Hunt, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of the Empire state. In 1852 the father went by way of the Cape Horn route to California, but returned to his farm in Erie coun- ty, where he made his home until his death, which occurred in the eighty-sixth year of his age. His wife passed away in her eighty-second year, and both died on the old family homestead in New York, where they had spent the greater part of their lives. They were honest, industrious farming people, highly respected by all. They held membership in the Christian church, and Mr. Hunt gave his political support to the Re- publican party.
Warren P. Hunt was the eldest in their family of three children, and was reared upon the old
379
HISTORY OF IDAHO.
homestead, attending the public schools through the winter months, while in the summer he assist- ed in the labors of field and meadow. In 1854 he sailed from New York for San Francisco, reaching the latter place after a month's voyage. He then went directly to the mines in Sonora, Tuolumne county, California, and engaged in mining for about six years, meeting with only moderate success. While on the Stanislaus river with three partners, an incident occurred which terminated fatally to two of his partners, and Mr. Hunt and the other partner narrowly es- caped with their lives. In the river they had a wheel that lifted the water to the sluice. Three Frenchmen below them were engaged in putting in a wing-dam in the river some distance below, which backed the water on the wheel and pre- vented its turning. Mr. Hunt and his partners went down to see the Frenchmen and in a peace- able way endeavored to get them to obviate the difficulty. They even offered to help deepen the race without charge, but the Frenchmen were obstinate and would agree to nothing, but con- tinued to wheel dirt onto their dam. This so excited the little Englishman of Mr. Hunt's party that he pushed the plank on which they were wheeling the dirt into the water. At this, the big Frenchman clutched him, and Mr. Hunt, fearing that his partner would be drowned, went to the rescue. Finding that his fists-for he had no firearms with him-did not suffice to make the Frenchman desist, he took a stone and hit him on the head hard enough to make hin loosen his hold. While they were in the fight the other Frenchmen ran to the cabin and brought out two guns and shot and killed the two partners of Mr. Hunt. By this time the Englishman had partially succeeded in disengaging himself from the clutches of his opponent, but he was also shot, being wounded in the knee. The French- men then rushed back to the cabin to reload their guns, while Mr. Hunt and the Englishman en- deavored to make their escape. They hadn't gotten away from the range ot the guns, how- ever, before they were fired upon again, and the partner, who was leaning on Mr. Hunt for sup- port, was again wounded. They however, man- aged to reach their own cabin, where they had arms, but the Frenchmen did not follow them. Soon the news of the murder sped among the
miners in that vicinity, who turned out in force, but the Frenchmen escaped in the under- brush, which was then very dense. One of the hunting parties, however, came upon them, and was fired upon by them. It was supposed that they were helped out of the country by a brother Frenchman, who conveyed them away in dry- goods boxes. However, Mr. Hunt afterward learned that one of the Frenchmen was later hung in Los Angeles, for other crimes.
In 1859 the subject of this sketch removed to Monterey, California, where he engaged in farm- ing until 1861. In the winter of that year he went to San Francisco, thence by steamer to Portland, and up the Columbia river to The Dalles. At that point he joined a party of five, who secured pack horses and came overland to the Grande Ronde country on the Powder river and thence, in the same year, to Lewiston. There were then but two wooden buildings in the town, but many tents marked the site of the now flour- ishing and prosperous city. In July the party went to Warren's, where Mr. Hunt took a miner's claim, but met with only fair success in his ef- forts there. He next made his way to Idaho City, in the Boise basin, where he followed mining for a year and a half. That venture, however, did not prove very profitable, and in the winter he returned to Warren's on snow-shoes, digging down and making a bed in the snow at night. The heavy snows greatly delayed the party, and their supply of food gave out. Some of the men suffered greatly and a number of them froze their feet. At last most of them were so exhausted that a Scotchman and Mr. Hunt were the only two strong enough to go ahead and break the track, and a part of the time they were able to make only from five to ten miles a day.
After again mining at Warren's for a year Mr. Hunt abandoned that industry altogether and engaged in carrying the mail and express be- tween Lewiston and Warren's, traveling on horse- back in the summer and making the journey on snow-shoes in the winter. He carried on his back from eighty-five to ninety pounds from Warren's to Lewiston, and was paid one dollar per pound. He made the round trip of one hun- dred and seventy miles each week in the summer and in the winter once in two weeks, seventy miles of the distance on snow-shoes. There were
380
HISTORY OF IDAHO.
road agents in the country then, but Mr. Hunt succeeded in evading them, and although he ran great risk he never received a scratch. He con- tinued this arduous task for six years and then took up his abode in Lewiston, where he has since made his home. He was elected to public office in 1867, being chosen sheriff of Nez Perces county,-the candidate of the Republican party, of which he has always been a stanch supporter. He was afterward elected auditor, recorder and clerk of the board of county commissioners, serv- ing for two years in such a capable and satisfac- tory manner that on the expiration of his two- years' term he was re-elected. Since that time he has been engaged in stock-raising, farming and in the meat business. He owns a valuable farm of one hundred and sixty acres, ten miles from Lewiston, and in the city he has erected a de- lightful residence,-a fitting place for one of Idaho's bravest and best pioneers to spend the evening of his days.
In 1870 Mr. Hunt was united in marriage to Miss Olive C. Martin, a native of New York, and a daughter of Joel D. Martin, who took up his abode in California in 1850, and is numbered among the honored Idaho pioneers of 1862. He resides near Lewiston, and is one of the respected and valued citizens of this commonwealth. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt had two children. The little son died in infancy, and their daughter, Clara Irene, was spared to them only until her tenth year, when the dread disease, diphtheria, carried her away, bringing the greatest grief to the house- hold. Mrs. Hunt is a leading member of the Methodist church. Mr. Hunt is not connected with any church or society, but is widely recog- nized as a man of sterling worth, and in his up- right and useful life has gained not only a com- fortable competence, but has also won that good name which is rather to be chosen than great riches.
EZRA BAIRD.
In the year which witnessed the arrival of so many of Idaho's prominent pioneeers-1862- this gentleman cast in his lot with the early set- tlers, and through the period which has since elapsed he has been an important factor in the development and progress of the state. He is a native of Schoharie county, New York, born May II, 1839, and is of Scotch and English descent.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.