USA > Idaho > History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume II > Part 57
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For twenty years Colonel Dewey was actively engaged in mining and his operations placed him in the front rank among those who were developing Idaho's mineral re- sources. The notable properties which he owned included the Trade Dollar and Black Jack mines, which he afterward sold to Pittsburgh (Pa.) corporations. These prop- erties had been brought to a stage of production that added greatly to the fame of Owyhee county as a mineral section. With various other mining interests Colonel Dewey was also closely associated. However, he gradually diverted his business activ- ity to other fields, becoming interested in railroad construction and in community building. In 1893 he was one of the incorporators of the Boise, Nampa & Owyhee Rail- road Company, which constructed a standard line from Nampa to Murphy and in- cluded the building of the pioneer steel bridge across the Snake river, which still stands as one of the most substantial structures of the kind-a splendid example of the per- manency of the Dewey construction. With the completion of that road Colonel Dewey took up the work of huilding a line north from Nampa and organized the Idaho North- ern, which in 1900 undertook the work of constructing a railroad from Nampa to Emmett which was completed in 1902. Later this road was extended to Payette lakes, one of the greatest natural summer resorts in the northwest, but which was neglected and isolated for many years because of the lack of transportation facilities. As he promoted his mining interests he always secured the hest equipment that could he purchased and the same was true in connection with railroad construction. The result of this high standard of work is seen today in the excellent condition of the railroads which he built and the mines which he developed.
A contemporary writer has said: "Colonel Dewey was a typically rugged western specimen. He lived many years in the mountains but at no time did he permit that environment to render him provincial. His ambition as a builder was only abridged hy his most supreme effort and his last dollar. His determination in all his work to build big and broad for the future was exemplified in a thousand directions, but per- haps at no time more noticeably to the general public than in the case of the Dewey Palace hotel at Nampa, then a small place. Colonel Dewey projected his vision down the avenues of time and built for that little place a hotel costing two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Time has fully justified his judgment. Colonel Dewey, in all his busy life, was never so much concerned as to his own financial future as he was about the future of his home section and his state, although he had amassed consid- erable of a fortune before he died. Essentially a huilder for future generations, he left to the people of the state a magnificent heritage."
E. W. M. DAY.
E. W. M. Day, of the Day Realty Company of Boise, was born at Tunbridge Wells, England, July 29, 1875, the eldest child of Edward and Emily Mary (Honey) Day, who were farming people of that country. The youth of E. W. M. Day was passed upon the old homestead farm and after his education was completed by a course in the public schools he devoted his attention to farming and fruit growing there. He lived near London for ten years and was manager for a large fruit and vegetable concern near Windsor Castle, during which period he necessarily spent much of his time in the metropolis, marketing all of his fruit and vegetables in London in the Covent Garden market, which is probably the largest market place in the world.
In 1903, Mr. Day determined to try his fortune in the new world and crossed the ocean to Canada, spending the summer in Saskatchewan. In 1904 he crossed the border into the United States and for a brief period resided at Lewistown, Idaho, hut later went to Colorado and in 1908 became a resident of Emmett, Idaho. His parents after- ward joined him in the new world and are now residents of Boise. In thelr family were four sons and three daughters, all of whom are living in the United States, and
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with the exception of one brother, Charles, who is in Michigan, all are residents of Idaho.
During the four years of his residence at Emmett, Idaho, E. W. M. Day was engaged in the real estate business and was also well known as a fruit tree salesman. Upon coming to the capital in 1913 he purchased a half interest in the Hub City Realty Com- pany, his partner in the undertaking being Fred Colburn, but soon afterward he pur- chased Mr. Colburn's interest and later, in 1915, he admitted his brother Ernest to a partnership in the business under the name of the Day Realty Company, with offices at the corner of Idaho and Tenth streets. They have built up a business of large and gratifying proportions and through their activities in the real estate field have done much to develop and improve the city. They have negotiated many important realty trans- fers and have been the means of transforming unsightly vacancies into attractive resi- dential or business districts.
In 1907, in Colorado, E. W. M. Day was married to Miss Valeria Olivia Smith, a native of Nebraska, and they have become parents of two sons and two daughters, Grace, Stanley, Bernice and Melvin, the three eldest now pupils in the public schools of Boise.
Mr. Day is a member of the Commercial Club. In politics he maintains an inde- pendent course, voting for the candidates whom he regards as best qualified for office, and never has he sought political preferment for himself. His chief recreation is fish- ing and hunting but he has little leisure for such sports, his life being one of intense business activity. He and all of his family are Baptists in religious faith and the teachings of the church permeate his conduct in every relation of life, making him a man whom to know is to esteem and honor.
GEORGE W. FROMAN.
George W. Froman, serving for the third term as sheriff of Canyon county and a most highly honored and valued resident of Caldwell, came to this state from Missouri with his parents in 1864, the family having driven across the plains with five yoke of cows to one wagon and a team of horses to the other. He was at that time a little lad of but four summers, his birth having occurred in Missouri, March 20, 1860. His father, Dr. F. K. Froman, was a physician by profession but combined farming with his prac- tice and followed both pursuits here. Locating at the mouth of the Boise river. they remained there until 1868 and then removed to a point near Middleton, Idaho, where Dr. Froman again engaged in farming as well as in medical practice for about two years. A third removal took him to within six miles of the present town of Vale, Oregon, on the Malheur river, where he devoted his attention to the tilling of the soil and to the practice of medicine until his death, which occurred in 1896.
His son, George W. Froman, started out in the business world when a youth of fourteen years, being first employed by Tom Johnson and Yank Robinson, who were in the cattle business in Oregon. After three years spent in that connection he entered the employ of Billy Starks, also a cattle dealer of Oregon, with whom he remained until 1878, when the war with the Bannock Indians broke out and he enlisted as a scout in the United States government service, with which he was thus connected for about four months. During that period he participated in several fights with the Indians and had many narrow escapes. His brother Ben was also a scout and was detailed to apprehend some deserters from the army. A second brother, Horton Howard, who was a messenger in the United States service, was ambushed by the Indians and killed near Olive lake, in Grant county, Oregon, being buried where he fell. The following fall, however, when the war was over his body was exhumed and removed to the Canyon Hill cemetery in Caldwell.
In 1879 George W. Froman was appointed deputy warden of the United States penitentiary of Idaho, in which capacity he served for two years. and within that time six convicts broke out of the penitentiary, one of whom was killed in the pursuit, two surrendered and the other three were captured thirty days later at Paine's creek, near where the town of Bliss is now located. The capture of these three men, who were serving life terms and were therefore very desperate in attempting their escape, re- sulted only after four battles between them and the officers and the firing of forty-two rounds of ammunition, the convicts being hit several times but not mortally wounded. Subsequent to this time Mr. Froman was appointed warden of the federal penitentiary by E. S. Chase, United States marshal, but resigned in 1881.
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It was in the spring of the following year that Mr. Froman wedded Miss Mary Bowman, a daughter of Captain John Bowman, of the Boise valley. He then took up the occupation of farming and also engaged in freighting between Caldwell aud De Lamar, Silver City and Flint until 1884, when he turned his attention to the butchering busi- ness, which he carried on at Caldwell for two years. He then resumed- freighting over his old route and in 1887 built the Jordan Valley wagon road and Froman ferry across the Snake river. He operated this ferry until 1900 and then disposed of it. In 1898 he had begun the shipping of beef cattle from Caldwell to Dawson City, Alaska, by way of Seattle, Skagway and the Dawson trail, following that route for two years, after which he shipped by way of Seattle, Skagway and down the Yukon river. In 1900, when he was going down the Yukon, he had two empty scows wrecked in the White Horse Rapids. In 1901, however, he was not so fortunate, as he had two scows that contained sheep wrecked in the rapids, losing one hundred and eighty-eight head.
In 1903 Mr. Froman embarked in the real estate business in Caldwell, where he operated until 1911, when he built a garage, in conjunction with which he had the agency for the Ford and Reo cars. He conducted this business until 1914, when he was elected sheriff, and the proof of his capability and popularity is found in his reelection in 1916 and again in 1918. He disposed of his interest in the Froman-Ross Automobile Company in Boise on the 15th of October, 1918, at which time the firm had outstanding accounts of over twenty thousand dollars, all secured.
To Mr. and Mrs. Froman have been born five children: Ethel, the wife of Thomas Murray, of Springdale, Montana, by whom she has one child, Willis; Walter C., a civil engineer, who was a corporal in the government engineering purchasing office in France and who crossed overseas in a ship that was attacked by submarines, several of which they succeeded in sinking; Mrs. Grace Adams, of Boise, whose husband is associated with the Boise Statesman; Harry Hunter, who is connected with the Troy Laundry of Caldwell and who married Muriel Nolan, of Caldwell, by whom he has one son, Robert; and Georgie, who is teaching school at Tendavis, Idaho, and who is the wife of William W. Welch.
In his fraternal relations Mr. Froman is a Mason and loyally adheres to the teach- ings and beneficent purposes of the craft. His life has been fraught with many interest- ing, exciting and ofttimes dangerous experiences since he first crossed the plains in 1864, more than a half century ago. Throughout this long period he has been an in- terested witness of the growth and development of the west, and his aid and influence have ever been on the side of maintaining order and promoting the public welfare.
HON. IREL J. GUDMUNDSEN.
Hon. Irel J. Gudmundsen, actively engaged in farming in Cassia county and a resi- dent of Burley, where he is serving as a member of the city council, is also a member of the state legislature and his activity along public lines is an indication of his deep interest in the welfare and upbuilding of the state. He was born at Lehi, Utah, Novem- ber 8, 1887, a son of Isaac and Fanny (Mulliner) Gudmundsen, who are also natives of Utah and representatives of old families of the Church of the Latter Day Saints who colonized that state. The father is of Danish descent while the mother is of English origin, and they now make their home in Burley, Idaho, the father serving as bishop of Burley ward, a position which he has occupied for a number of years. It was in the '50s that the Gudmundsen family was founded in Utalı by the paternal grandparents of Irel J. Gudmundsen, who came from Denmark. The grandfather bore the name of Gudmun Gudmundsen and was born in Iceland but went to Denmark before coming to the United States.
In the year 1890 Isaac Gudmundsen removed with his family to Idaho, settling first at Iona, near Idaho Falls, where he engaged in merchandising and also in farming. In 1909 he took up his abode at Burley, where he and his wife still reside.
Irel J. Gudmundsen supplemented his public school training by study in the Brig- ham Young University at Provo, Utah, where he pursued a commercial course and on its completion he became associated with his father in mercantile business and in farming and sheep raising. The business association between them was long main- tained and Irel J. Gudmundsen for six years was the manager of the large retail general store of the firm of Gudmundsen & Sons at Burley. They carried an extensive stock and enjoyed a splendid patronage, remaining actively in the business there until
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1918, when they withdrew from mercantile circles at that place. Irel J. Gudmundsen is now actively engaged in the commission business and as a dealer in real estate and investments, and a member of the Federal Land Company. He displays sound business judgment and indefatigable energy, and his perseverance and determination have been the salient factors in the attainment of his present-day success.
In September, 1912, in Salt Lake City, Mr. Gudmundsen was married to Miss Elsie Taylor, who was born and reared in Cassia county, Idaho, and they now have three sons: Irel Taylor, Decon Max, and Dick D.
Mr. Gudmundsen has always remained an active worker and earnest supporter of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and from 1908 until 1911 was a mis- sionary of the church in France and Switzerland and while abroad he also traveled as a tourist through Italy, Germany and England. Ever keenly interested in com- munity welfare, he is now serving as a member of the Burley city council in the capacity of street commissioner. His political endorsement has always been given to the repub- lican party and upon its ticket he was elected to the state legislature in the fall of 1918, being accorded a good majority. He is now chairman of the committee on rail- roads and other corporations, is a member of the committee on state affairs, fish and game, irrigation, reservoirs and reclamation and educational institutions. He closely studies plans and projects which come before the legislature and his endorsement of a measure rests upon a firm belief in its efficacy as a factor in good government or in the material upbuilding and development of the state.
ALBERT E. WEAVER, D. D. S.
Dr. Albert E. Weaver, engaged in the practice of dentistry in Boise, was born at North Liberty, St. Joseph county, Indiana, May 11, 1875, his birthplace being the farm of his parents, David H. and Malinda (Rupel) Weaver, both of whom have passed away. They removed to Colorado when their son Albert was but six years of age and there he was reared upon a ranch meeting with the usual experiences of the boy who spends his youth upon the frontier. He acquired a good high school education at Longmont, Colorado, and then determining upon the practice of dentistry as a life work, entered the dental department of the University of Denver, from which he was graduated with the class of 1897. He first located for practice in Greeley, where he remained until 1904 and since that time has been in Boise. He has offices on the fifth floor of the Overland building, having occupied his present location for six years. He keeps in touch with modern professional thought and investigation and is skilled in the operative work of dentistry, so that he is accorded a liberal patronage. He belongs to the Dental Protective Association of the United States and also to the Preparedness League of American Dentists.
Dr. Weaver greatly enjoys a hunting and fishing trip when he can absent himself from professional duties. He is a member of the Boise Commercial Club and formerly was identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. He still maintains his membership relations with the Elks and the Masons and is a loyal exemplar of the craft.
JOHN T. GLENN.
If one would know aught of the history of western development and the experiences that came to the frontiersmen he need only ask John T. Glenn, who has intimate knowledge of all phases of pioneer life, having since a youth of fourteen years made his home in the northwest. He was born in Wapello county, Iowa, December 25, 1848. His educational opportunities were limited, but he possessed a natural aptitude for spelling and was one of the best spellers of his time. His parents were John M. and Elizabeth (Thompson) Glenn, and in 1862 they came west with their family. Their objective was the Salmon river in Idaho, the mining excitement having just broken out there, but reports regarding the roads to the Salmon river and the fate which had befallen others who had tried to reach there with wagons caused them to change their plans and instead of coming to Idaho they went to Oregon, reaching the present site of Baker City. There they remained for a few days, after which some of the party
ALBERT E. WEAVER
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went to Auburn, Oregon, but John M. Glenn and his family made their way to The Dalles, although there was great mining excitement at Auburn at that time. When they crossed the plains John T. Glenn of this review acted as advance guard for the train. One day while they were passing through Wyoming about two days' travel west of the Rock of Independence, on the northern route, he was acting as advance scout with several companions to locate a camping ground and keep on the outlook for Indians. This advance guard came upon a lone man with a two-horse wagon who was digging by the roadside. To Captain John Canada's query as to what he was doing he replied that he had killed a man and was burying him. The captain arrested him at once, disinterred the dead man and gave him decent burial, after which the party took the prisoner with them to the Sweetwater river in Wyoming, where there was located a camp of soldiers. The prisoner was given a fair trial and condemned and executed in regular military fashion. Before being shot he willed everything he possessed to Mrs. Scott, the widow of the man whom he had shot. His name was Young and both men were from Denver, Colorado. Several thousand people congregated to hear the trial and there was no dearth of legal talent on either side, nor was there any lack of an audience at the time of the execution, which took place out on the wild plains. Such was one of the incidents which were impressed upon the youthful mind of John T. Glenn as the party traveled westward to Oregon. His parents re- mained at The Dalles until 1864 and then came to Idaho, taking up their permanent abode on Dry Creek, about twelve miles from Boise, where the father homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres.
John T. Glenn, however, became a "bell boy" with a pack train operating hetween The Dalles and Idaho City and sometimes did teaming until 1867 but always con- sidered his parents' place of residence his home even after his marriage. His father became a stockman, raising cattle and horses, and continued active in business until his death in 1877, while the mother survived until 1893, their remains being interred in Dry Creek cemetery. John T. Glenn also engaged in the live stock business, both in Idaho and in Malheur county, Oregon, in the days when the ranges were free and open and grass was found everywhere. He took up his residence first at Ola, Idaho, where he resided for twenty years, conducting a stock raising business throughout that period. In 1912 he removed to Star, Ada county, where he had seven acres of land and lived practically retired, until 1919, when he took possession of his present pleasant home, having three and a third acres of land on Hillcrest Loop about two miles from Bolse.
In 1874 Mr. Glenn was united in marriage to Miss Nannie Keeney, a daughter of Captain Jonathan Keeney, a pioneer of the Pacific coast country, who crossed the plains with his wife in 1846 and was known by all the early settlers of the coast as one of the old and valiant Indian fighters. Mr. and Mrs. Glenn have become the parents of four children, Sherman, forty years of age, is married and resides at Ola, Idaho. He is one of the present commissioners of Gem county and he has a family of four children. Ada is the wife of Andrew Frost, of Star. James, thirty-seven years of age, was a volunteer in the United States infantry and died in France. Bessemer, the youngest of the family, is also deceased.
Mr. Glenn gives his political allegiance to the republican party and was a member of the general assembly of Idaho during its third session, in 1894-5. He did not seek the office and has persistently refused to accept any further nomination, preferring that his public duties shall be done as a private citizen rather than as an office holder. He stands for all that is of value and worth in connection with the progress and upbuilding of his section of the state and along agricultural and stock raising lines he has con- tributed much to its development and improvement.
CHARLES A. TERHUNE.
A well known representative of commercial activity in Burley is Charles A. Ter- hune, proprietor of a drug store. He was horn in Savannah, Missouri, September 15, 1874, a son of John and Mary (Rodgers) Terhune. Through the period of his hoyhood and youth he was a resident of his native state and supplemented his public school education by study in the University of Missouri. He worked in a drug store while at- Tending school, thus making his initial step in the business world and gaining ex- perience that proved of much value to him at a later period. After leaving school he
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traveled out of St. Louis for the Blackwell-Wielandy Book & Stationery Company and subsequently he went to St. Joseph, Missouri, and began traveling for the C. D. Smith Drug Company. He found the business congenial and later he bought a drug store at Kansas City, Missouri, where he remained in business for four years. He then dis- posed of his store there.
In 1909 Mr. Terhune came to Idaho, locating at Twin Falls, where he entered into partnership with A. B. Colwell, a druggist, with whom he was associated in business for two years. On the expiration of that period he sold his interest and erected a building at Burley, where he soon opened a stock of drugs and has since developed a substantial trade. He has a well appointed store, carrying a large and carefully se- lected line of drugs and druggists' sundries, and his reasonable prices, his fair deal- ing and his earnest efforts to please his customers have gained for him a good trade. He is likewise the vice president of the First National Bank.
In 1903 Mr. Terhune was married to Miss Elsie C. Waters, a native of Paines- ville, Ohio, and a daughter of J. F. Waters. Their two children are Mary Catherine and Charles A., Jr. In politics Mr. Terhune is a republican, having supported the party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. In Masonry he has at- tained the Knight Templar degree of the commandery. Since starting out in the businss world he has made steady progress, making wise use of his time, his talents and his opportunities, and step by step he has advanced until he is now a forceful factor in the commercial and also in the financial circles of Burley.
JOHN T. JEFFERIS.
John T. Jefferis, sheriff of Payette county, to which office he was called by popular suffrage on the 1st of January, 1919, had had considerable previous experience as a custodian of the public peace and is proving most faithful and competent in his present position. He was born in Richland, Keokuk county, Iowa, November 20, 1876, a son of W. H. and Jennie (Scearcy) Jefferis. The family comes of Scotch lineage, although the great-grandfather of John T. Jefferis was born in Pennsylvania. Elijah Jefferis, the paternal grandfather of John T. Jefferis, was born near Indianapolis, Indiana, and has now passed away. His son, W. H. Jefferis, is a native of Richland, Keokuk county, Iowa, and at the present time is living retired in Walla Walla, Washington. His wife's birth occurred in the same town and her eldest brother, Jasper Scearcy, was the first white child born in Keokuk county, Iowa, and now at the age of eighty years is living on the farm on which he was born. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Scearcy, were natives of Virginia but have long since departed this life.
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