History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume II, Part 22

Author: Hawley, James Henry, 1847-1929, ed
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1024

USA > Idaho > History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume II > Part 22

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On the 8th of July, 1891, Mr. Uehren was married to Miss Pauline Van Curen, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and they have become the parents of two children, Pearl, the wife of Stanley H. Leeney, of Pocatello, who served with the Canadian army during the World war; and Anna June, the wife of W. R. Howard, who served with the United States infantry forces in France during the war.

Mr. Uehren passed away at his home in Pocatello, August 3, 1919, leaving his fam- ily comfortably situated and with the heritage of an untarnished name. He often re. lated many interesting incidents concerning pioneer life in the west, many of which are directly associated with the Indian outbreaks. In 1880 he camped on the spot where is now seen the beautiful Brady park of Pocatello, but at that time there was

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not a house on the site of the city, the closest dwelling being one mile removed, on Pocatello creek, north of the present city boundary. The nearest store was at Fort Hall, and Senator Fred Dubois was at that time clerk of the agency. There is no feature of pioneer life or of the development of this section of the state with which Mr. Uehren was not thoroughly familiar, and at all times he bore his part in the work of progress and improvement, seeking ever to reclaim the region for the purposes of civilization and to promote its business development. From early manhood he lived in the west and was a typical western man, displaying in his life the spirit of enterprise and progress that has been the dominant factor in the upbuilding of this section of the country.

O. T. ANDREWS.

O. T. Andrews, filling the position of postmaster at Notus, where he is also engaged in general merchandising, was born two and a half miles northeast of Parma, on the Boise river, January 21, 1886, and is a representative of one of the old pioneer families of the valley. His father, Thomas Andrews, arrived in the Boise valley in 1864, having crossed the plains with ox team and wagon in 1862. He first went to the Willamette valley of Oregon and while en route he had many encounters with the Indians. With every condition of pioneer life he became familiar, passing through all the hardships, trials and privations incident to the settlement of the frontier. After reaching Oregon his first work was picking apples and in 1863 he went to the mines at Orofino, Idaho.

It was while crossing the Boise valley that Mr. Andrews decided to locate there and in 1864 took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres. He later pur- chased six hundred and forty acres adjoining the original tract and began the development of his place but after locating on the farm had considerable trouble .

with the Indians and had to build a stable very much like a fort and sleep in the stable in order to prevent the Indians from stealing his horses. The settlers in the early days experienced much difficulty on account of thieving Indians and it was only after following the Indians into the mountains and surprising two of their number while asleep and killing them that the remainder of the red men ceased their horse stealing. For fifteen years the nearest trading point to the home of Mr. Andrews was Boise, a distance of about forty-five miles, and it required three days to make the round trip. At that time the only settlers of the district lived along the Boise river, for the upland was not claimed until the land was put under irri- gation, being considered worthless at that time. At present, however, it is selling for from two hundred to three hundred dollars per acre. As the years passed Thomas Andrews continued the further improvement of his property and lived to see remark- able changes as the work of settlement was carried forward. He bore his full share in the task of transforming the valley from a wild region into one of rich fertility. It was on the 25th of December, 1875, that Thomas Andrews married Miss Jane Mansell, of Missouri, who made the trip across the plains by ox team in 1875. Her trip was without troublesome incidents, although the Indians were anything but friendly. The death of Mr. Andrews occurred in December, 1914, and since his demise his widow has taken complete charge of the farm. In the family were three sons and a daughter: O. T., of this review; A. W., who is a farmer at Parma; Jesse, who follows farming at Wilder; and Lilly, the wife of J. R. Compton, who is in the transfer and coal business at Boise.

In the common schools O. T. Andrews began his education and was afterward graduated from the College of Idaho as a member of the class of 1906. He then took up the study of pharmacy, which he pursued for a year in the Ohio Northern Univer- sity, but at the end of that time returned to Idaho and resumed farming on the old homestead on which his birth occurred. A year later he entered merchandising at Notus and has since successfully conducted his store, being accorded a liberal patronage. He has recently introduced a line of agricultural' implements and increased his stock of hardware and is now carrying a stock valued at twenty thousand dollars. He also gives employment to two people. The fine brick building which houses his business is seventy-five by ninety feet and is owned by him. He also owns a pleasant residence in Notus, besides several lots, and he has eighty

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acres of land under the Black Canyon Irrigation Project. While successfully manag- ing his store he is also acting as postmaster of his town.

In 1910 Mr. Andrews was married to Miss Anna V. Spaeth, of Missouri, and they have become parents of three children: Kenneth, Oral Frederick and Robert Merlin. Mr. Andrews is regarded as a most enterprising and intelligent young business man whose carefully directed efforts are contributing to the growth and substantial improvement of the district in which he makes his home.

H. ANDREW BENSON.

H. Andrew Benson, filling the position of county treasurer of Bingham county and making his home at Blackfoot, was born in Denmark, February 2, 1879. He is a son of Andrew P. and Matilda (Aaberg) Benson, who were also natives of Den- mark, where the father followed the occupation of farming until April, 1886, when he came to the new world, settling at Ogden, Utah. There he resided for ten years, devoting his attention to farming in the employ of L. W. Shurtleff. In 1896 he came to Idaho, settling in Bingham county, and took up land near Moreland, where he carried on general farming throughout his remaining days, passing away in March, 1919, at the age of seventy-four years. He was the postmaster of Moreland at the time of his death. The mother is still living.

H. Andrew Benson was largely reared and educated in Utah, having been but seven years of age when he came with his parents to the new world. He completed his studies in the Latter-day Saints Business College at Salt Lake City and after- ward worked with his father at farming until he reached the age of twenty. He then took up the profession of teaching, which he followed for three years, and afterward he spent two and a half years in filling a mission to the northwestern states for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, acting as secretary of the mission, with headquarters at Portland, Oregon. Later he took up bookkeeping in Blackfoot and was thus employed for several years. In the fall of 1914 he was elected county treasurer of Bingham county and has been reelected at each suc- ceeding election, so that he is now serving for the third term. He is proving a most capable custodian of the public funds, prompt, efficient and accurate in the discharge of his duties, and the endorsement of his course has come to him in his re- election.

In April, 1905, Mr. Benson was married to Miss Ida England and they have become the parents of six children: Lonida, Ammon, Winston, Melvin, Ronald and Stanton. While Mr. Benson and his family reside in Blackfoot, he is also the owner of a good farm of eighty acres north of Moreland, which he improved and which is now cultivated through the offices of a hired man. In his poliitcal views Mr. Benson is a democrat. He remains an active worker in the church and is chorister of the Blackfoot stake, while formerly he was superintendent of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association. During the period of his residence in Idaho he has gained many friends who esteem him as a man of sterling worth.

MILES CANNON.

Miles Cannon is one of the best known and most prominent residents of Idaho. He is now filling the position of commissioner of agriculture in the cabinet of Gov- eruor Davis. He has long been known as a public speaker and author as well as a prominent republican and he is likewise a successful business man, prominently known as an orchardist. While his business duties keep him much of the time in Boise, he still makes his home near Weiser. where he owns a valuable orchard property, devoted largely to the raising of prunes.

Mr. Cannon came to Idaho in 1893 from Hancock county, Illinois, where he was born upon a farm on the 11th of December, 1862. He is a son of Arthur M. and Elizabeth (Gibson) Cannon, natives of Missouri and Indiana respectively. The father was born in Macon, Missouri, in 1821, while the mother's birth occurred in 1824. Throughout his entire life the father followed the occupation of farming. and both he and his wife passed away in Illinois, the former in 1896 and the latter

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in 1899. Their family numbered eight children, of whom Miles was the seventh in order of birth. There were six sons and two daughters, and with one exception all are yet living. One brother, Dr. J. W. Cannon, makes his home in Idaho and has his office in the Sonna block, in Boise.

Miles Cannon was reared upon the home farm in Illinois and acquired a com- mon school education but put aside his textbooks when thirteen years of age and has since depended largely upon his own resources for a living. He left Illinois at the age of seventeen to do for himself and when nineteen years of age became a cowpuncher on the Kansas plains. He drove a stage in South Dakota and laugh- ingly says that the highest position he ever held was to drive a six-horse stage in South Dakota from 1881 until 1885. During the succeeding two years he was a conductor on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad and later he spent three years in travel in historical research on the Missouri river. In 1893 he came to Idaho and has since made his home in this state with the exception of the period from 1894 to 1906, which he spent in the Yakima valley of Washington. There he gave his attention to the raising of fruit and for nine years he also occupied the position of receiver of the United States land office at Yakima, through appointment of Pres- ident Mckinley in 1897 and through reappointment of President Roosevelt. He de- clined a third appointment from President Roosevelt, who sent him a photograph and autographed letter, stating that he was sending it because Mr. Cannon was the only man in the state of Washington who had declined a reappointment.

Mr. Cannon on retiring from office returned to Idaho in 1906 and took up his abode in Washington county, where he concentrated his efforts and attentions upon fruit raising. He has made a specialty of the production of prunes and has a forty acre prune orchard, which is in excellent condition and yields large crops annually. This is one of the attractive orchard properties of the state and Mr. Cannon is regarded as authority upon anything having to do with fruit culture.

Mr. Cannon has been married twice. His first wife died, leaving three children, and in 1909 he wedded Miss Eva C. May, of Colorado, and they have had two chil- dren. The three children of the first marriage are: Lloyd A. and Paul F., who are now in the military service of the country in Europe; and Ross M. The children of the second marriage are Miles, Jr., and Niel Conn, aged respectively eight and six years.

Mr. Cannon has reecntly purchased the Freehafer home in Boise and resides at No. 1319 North Sixteenth street. There are few men in the state more widely and favorably known because of his public activities. He has ever been a stalwart champion of the republican party and is a popular speaker and campaigner. In 1896, at the request of William Mckinley, he made sixty-five gold standard speeches in the state of Washington in support of the gold standard, and he has figured in connec- tion with every presidential campaign since that time. He has served as state high- way commissioner under Governor Haines and while occupying the position made his home in Weiser. He was appointed by Governor Davis as head of the Farm Markets department in January, 1919, and on the 31st of March he became com- missioner of agriculture under the new state regime, which created the office. He thus became a member of the cabinet of Governor Davis. Fraternally he is both an Elk and a Mason, is a past master of his lodge and belongs to the Royal Arch Chapter. His name figures, too, in literary circles, for he is the author of Waiilatpu, an historical sketch, dealing with the northwest and more particularly with the Whitman massacre and the advent of the first white women into the northwest. He has written much for standard publications on historical and political questions and is widely known in this connection. Throughout his life he has been actuated by a most progressive spirit and in all his public affairs has looked beyond the exigencies of the moment to the opportunities and possibilities of the future.

J. C. BLACKWELL.

A substantial monument to the enterprising business methods and progressive spirit of its founders and organizers and an indication of the real prosperity and upbuilding of Parma is the First National Bank of Parma, of which J. C. Blackwell is the cashier. He thus figures actively in connection with financial interests in Canyon county and at the same time he is successfully engaged in farming.

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He was born in London, England, November 26, 1864, and was but eight years of age when he accompanied his parents to the United States in 1873, the family home being established in Missouri, where the father engaged in railroad contract- ing. In that state J. C. Blackwell was reared and educated, being graduated from a high school with the class of 1881. He then entered the employ of the Chicago & Alton Railroad Company, with which he remained for twelve years. In 1894 he established business on his own account as a merchant in McLean county, Illinois, where he continued in business until 1906, at which time he came to Parma, Idaho, to visit friends. He was so favorably impressed with this section of the country and its opportunities that he closed out his business in Illinois and remained in Parma.

E. M. Kirkpatrick, then president of the Parma State Bank, asked Mr. Blackwell to accept the position of cashier, which he did, and has since remained in that office. The name of the bank, however, was changed November 1, 1919, to the First Na- tional Bank of Parma. This bank was organized by Mr. Kirkpatrick in 1903 with a capital stock of thirty thousand dollars. Something of the steady growth and sub- stantial development of the institution is indicated in the fact that it is now cap- italized for one hundred thousand dollars and has a surplus of fifty thousand dollars and footings of over one million dollars. The bank building, seventy by one hundred feet, is a most imposing structure of Grecian architecture which was erected at a cost of fifty thousand dollars. The exterior is of white stone, with granite and marble interior finishings and mahogany fittings. The marble was imported from Italy, from Belgium and Alaska. The stockholders, fifty-four in number, are mostly farm- ers of this section of the country and are justly proud, as well they may be, of their fine bank building. The bank has a standing second to none in the state, hav- ing been developed along the most substantial lines and in accord with the most legitimate methods of business. The institution has been built upon the simple, old- fashioned principles of business-principles that have ever stood the test of time- and its success is therefore assured. The officers of the bank are: H. C. Baldridge, president; F. E. Fisk, vice president; J. C. Blackwell, cashier; and R. B. Mitchell and L. J. Freiermuth, assistant cashiers. In addition to his connection with the bank Mr. Blackwell also follows farming, owning and operating three different farm properties, which are carefully and profitably conducted.

In 1885 Mr. Blackwell was married to Miss Minnie Naylor, a native of Jackson county, Illinois, and they have become the parents of a daughter, Mary Louise, who is at home with her father and mother in Parma. The family are members of the First Presbyterian church and Mr. Blackwell is serving as chairman of its board of trustees. He is the treasurer of the Riverside irrigation district, the treasurer of the Union Loan Company and also of the Parma school board. His high standing in financial circles is indicated in the fact that in 1916 he was elected vice president and in 1917 president of the Idaho Bankers Association, while in 1919 he became its treasurer. In 1918 he was elected vice president of the American Bankers Asso- ciation for the state of Idaho and is still acting in that capacity. He has made a comprehensive study of banking and has put forth every legitimate effort to upbuild the institution with which he is associated. He has never followed suspicious meth- ods of business, but by plans that will bear the closest investigation and scrutiny has contributed to the very gratifying success of the Parma State Bank.

COLONEL LEROY VERNON PATCH.

Colonel Leroy Vernon Patch, who is serving for the second term as adjutant general of Idaho, makes his home in Payette, from which point he goes to the capital in order to discharge his official duties. In the years of his residence in this state he has come to the front in many connections and is an outstanding figure in the business and political circles of Idaho, many important projects hav- ing benefited by the stimulus of his enterprise, industry and sagacity. He came to Idaho in 1900 from Omaha, Nebraska, and through the intervening period has resided at Payette, where his interests have become continuously of increasing importance.

The Colonel was born at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, October 14, 1876, the only son of Joseph Tucker Patch, lawyer and jurist, who spent his last years in the home of Colonel Patch at Payette, passing away there a few years ago when

COL. LEROY V. PATCH

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seventy-three years of age. He was a native of Rutledge, Vermont, and was a graduate of the law department of the University of Michigan. His legal and judicial services were chiefly performed at Omaha, Nebraska. In the paternal line Colonel Patch comes of English ancestry, being a direct descendant of Asa Law- rence, who came to America on the Mayflower. Also in the paternal line Colonel Patch is of Revolutionary war ancestry and has membership with the Sons of the American Revolution. He is likewise eligible to membership in the Founders & Patriots Society. In the maternal line he is of Scotch lineage. His mother bore the maiden name of Mary Elizabeth Vernon and her ancestors came from Scotland to the new world at an early day. Her death occurred in 1897.

Colonel Patch was a young lad when his parents removed to Omaha, Ne- braska, where he pursued his preparatory and college courses. He was a student in the University of Nebraska, winning the Bachelor of Arts degree upon his graduation with the class of 1898. He played on the university football team and aided in winning many of its famous victories, playing generally as fullback. He also belonged to the Kappa Sigma fraternity and while at the university he took military training under General John J. Pershing, then military commandant of that school. When his college days were over he accepted the superintendency of schools at Kearney, Nebraska, and filled that position for two years. In 1902 he removed westward to Payette, where he has since given his attention to busi- ness pursuits and has through his thrift, enterprise and sound judgment acquired large property interests in Payette and the surrounding country. His activities have been of a character that have contributed largely to the upbuilding and progress of the community as well as the advancement of his individual fortunes. He is the secretary-manager of the Idaho Canning Company, one of the largest concerns of that section. He is also the president of the Payette Heights Irriga- tion Company; a director of the First National Bank of Payette; secretary of the Payette Flour Milling Company and of the Rex Spray Company; president of the Payette Brick Manufacturing Company; and vice president of the Payette Valley Land and Orchard Company, operating seven hundred and twenty acres of hear- ing orchards. In all business affairs he displays unfaltering enterprise and keen discrimination, which enable him to avoid the pitfalls into which unrestricted progressiveness is so frequently led. His high standing as a business man and further recognition of his ability are indicated in the fact that he is now the presi- dent of the Idaho Poultry and Pet Stock Association and a director of the Idaho State Dairymen's Association. He owns and conducts a stock ranch and several fruit ranches and his experience and study along these lines enable him to speak with authority upon many questions relative thereto. At his home on Payette Heights he has a fine herd of Holstein cattle, also fine poultry and pet stock that are not only a source of gratification to him but a matter of pride to the community as well. He indeed occupies a central place on the stage of business activity at Payette.

Moreover, Colonel Patch is a man of splendid military training and has ever been deeply interested in military affairs. He has been identified with the Idaho State Militia almost continuously since he came to the state. In 1916 he served with the Second Idaho Regiment on the Mexican border and during the World war he saw active duty in France. He was graduated from the United States Artillery School at Fort Sill in January, 1918, and at once went to France with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He spent sixteen months in that country and during the first two months was base commander at the American military base at Blois, France. In April, 1918, he took command of the One Hundred and Forty-sixth Regiment of Heavy Field Artillery, which was the first regiment of the American Heavy Artillery to serve on the battle line. He commanded the One Hundred and Forty-sixth American Artillery and the Three Hundred and Thirty-third French Heavy Artillery at the battles of the Marne and Oise and at Ourcq and Vesle. He also commanded the One Hundred and Forty-sixth Ameri- can Heavy Artillery and the Sixteenth and Twenty-eighth French Heavy Artillery at St. Mihiel and Verdun and the One Hundred and Forty-sixth Field Artillery in the Argonne forest and in the battles at the Meuse river. About the time the armistice was signed he was transferred to the Three Hundred and Third Ameri- can Heavy Field Artillery, which he commanded with the rank of lieutenant colonel until he was mustered out on the 2d of May, 1919, in Boston, Massachusetts. Fa- miliarity with the history of the war shows that he was on the hardest fought battle front after America's entrance into the great conflict and as a result was advanced

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to the rank of a full colonel. He also wears five stars on his service ribbon, in- dicating his active service on five battle fronts.

While still in France, Colonel Patch was appointed by Governor D. W. Davis a member of the Idaho public utilities commission but upon his return to Idaho he declined the proffered honor and was then appointed by the governor to the position of adjutant general of the state. He had previously served as colonel of the Second Idaho Regiment for several years and had been adjutant general in 1913 and 1914 under Governor John M. Haines.

Colonel Patch was married at Kearney, Nebraska, in 1900, to Miss Ernestine Wilmot Tabor, a native of New York city, where she was reared and educated. They have become parents of four sons: Vernon Tabor, eighteen years of. age; Ernest William, aged sixteen; Allerton Louis, twelve; and Oliver Leroy, ten.

Colonel Patch is a prominent figure in republican circles and has done much to further the interests of the party in the state. He represented Canyon county in the tenth session of the Idaho legislature, has been a member of the Payette city council and secretary of its board of education for seven years. While absent in service on the Mexican border in 1916 he was made the candidate of his party for lieutenant governor. He is a Mason of high rank, being a Knight Templar and Mystic Shriner, is also identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and is at the present time exalted ruler in Boise Lodge, No. 310. He is also presi- dent of Payette Post, American Legion of World War Veterans. At the national convention of the American Legion . in Minneapolis in November, 1919, Colonel Patch was made permanent chairman of the military affairs committee, congress having asked that such a committee be organized to assist that body in forming the future military policies of the armies of the United States. Life to Colonel Patch evidently means opportunity-the opportunity that ambition and enterprise bring in business and the opportunity for contribution to the world's work along those lines where the highest citizenship and loftiest patriotism are involved.

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History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume II, Part 22

Author: Hawley, James Henry, 1847-1929, ed Publication date: 1920 Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company Number of Pages: 1024

Author: Hawley, James Henry, 1847-1929, ed
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 1024