History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume III, Part 20

Author: Hawley, James Henry, 1847-1929, ed
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 926

USA > Idaho > History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume III > Part 20

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He was born in Salt Lake City, September 14, 1861, his parents being Robert and Emma (Jackson) Siddoway, who were natives of England and came to America about 1858. The father remained in Pennsylvania for a few years, working at the carpenter's trade, and then removed westward to Salt Lake, where he was married. He went to work for the Oregon Short Line Railroad as a bridge builder and prior to that time he assisted in building several flour mills. He continued in the railroad service throughout his remaining days and made his home during that period in Salt Lake City. He died August 14, 1893, at the age of sixty-five years, his birth having occurred on the 6th of June, 1828. His wife, who was born January 29, 1838, survived him until January 28, 1917.

James W. Siddoway spent his youth in Salt Lake, where he pursued his education. He remained with his parents until his marriage and devoted his attention to farming and the operation of a threshing machine near Salt Lake, continuing in the business until 1885, when he came to Fremont county, Idaho. Here he engaged in the operation of a sawmill and later extended his activities to include the manufacture of flour, in which he was engaged for several years. He likewise preempted land and filed on land adjoining the town of Teton. He bought farm property from time to time and for many years continued the cultiva- tion and improvement of his land. In partnership with his brother and with James Briggs, his father-in-law, he organized the Teton Mercantile Company, which has developed into a big concern, and Mr. Siddoway was the president to the time of his death. He instituted a policy in the conduct of the business that led to its rapid and substantial growth. His business methods were ever of a most progres- sive character and his energy and industry brought him prominently to the front in everything that he undertook. He became engaged in sheep raising and was identified with that industry for about eighteen years, during which period he was president of the Fremont County Wool Growers Association and also was president of most of the irrigation companies in this part of the state. He recog- nized fully the opportunities for the development of the region in which he lived and put forth every effort to bring about modern day progress and improvement. His cooperation was sought in connection with every project for the public good and it was well known that he carried forward to successful completion whatever he undertook. In his vocabulary there was no such word as fail. When one avenue of advancement seemed closed he would carve out another path whereby he might reach the desired goal and at all times his activities and purposes measured up to the highest standards.

Mr. Siddoway was the father of Teton and was recognized as a most in- fluential factor in the erection of the ward meeting-house of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was likewise largely instrumental in developing the water system for Teton and there are few interests of public concern with which he was not closely and beneficially associated. In addition to his other in- teresta he carried on general farming for years and was the owner of two thousand acres of land at the time of his demise.

In March, 1886, Mr. Siddoway was united in marriage to Miss Ruth A. Briggs, a daughter of James and Caroline (Clark) Briggs, who were natives of England and came to America in early life, starting across the country with one of the

JAMES W. SIDDOWAY

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famous handcart companies. His father and his brother were frozen to death when on the way. After reaching his destination Mr. Briggs took up his abode in Salt Lake, where he acquired land. This he improved and cultivated through- out his remaining days, save for a period of four and a half years spent in mis- sionary work for his church in England. He died in February, 1905, while the mother passed away in March, 1909. To Mr. and Mrs. Siddoway were born eleven children: Emma; J. Clarence; Caroline, who died September 18, 1890; Frank R .; Kenneth W .; Edith C .; Vera M .; C. Ruth; Ernest R .; Elizabeth; and Eva.

Mr. Siddoway ever remained a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was counselor to the bishop of Teton ward for fourteen years. His political endorsement was given to the republican party and he served as county commissioner of Fremont county for one term, was a member of the town board of Teton and was chosen to represent his district in the state legisla- ture. His official duties were discharged with the same thoroughness and fidelity that marked the conduct of his private business affairs. He remained throughout his life a strong man-strong in his honor and his good name, strong in his ability to plan and perform. The sterling traits of his character established him high in public regard and his example should remain as a source of inspiration and encouragement to all who knew him.

MISS JEANNETTA CALDER.

Miss Jeannetta Calder is actively identified with farming interests in the Payette valley, having an excellent little tract of land of five acres near New Plymouth: She is a daughter of William and Mary Ann (Empey) Calder, who were farming people of the state of Illinois. Her father was born in Scotland and for thirteen years was a soldier in the British army. Her mother was a native of Bath, Eng- land, hut was reared in the city of London. Jeannetta Calder was one of ten chil- dren, five of whom are still living and upon her devolved the care of her parents' home.

After coming to Idaho she took up a homestead claim of one hundred and sitxy acres about three miles west of New Plymouth, her homestead adjoining that of her brother-in-law, Byron A. Brown, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work. She entered the claim in 1903 and later sold the property to the Payette Valley Land and Orchard Company at a good profit. She now owns and supervises the cultivation of five acres adjoining the home of her brother-in-law, who has a forty-acre tract about three miles west of New Plymouth. She has three acres in alfalfa and two acres in pasture and she keeps a cow, horse and chickens. Miss Calder is a woman of hroad intelligence who is fond of reading and keeps in touch with the trend of modern thought and progress. She has also displayed excellent business ability and her enterprise and sound judgment have brought to her sub- stantial success.

RICHARD R. BARRY.

Almost seventeen years have come and gone since Richard R. Barry departed this life, hut he is yet remembered by many who knew him as a representative busi- ness man, a progressive citizen and a faithful friend. He was horn in Blackstone, Illinois, June 9, 1868, and was a son of Thomas and Sarah A. (Cooper) Barry. The father, a native of Ireland, came to America in early life, settling in Illinois, where he followed farming and speculating. He was the owner of large tracts of land there and afterward removed to Iowa, where he spent his remaining days, passing away in 1907, while his wife died in 1900.

Richard R. Barry spent the period of his boyhood and youth in Illinois. In early life, however, he left home and went to Iowa, where he worked along various lines for several years. Subsequently he went to Colorado and about 1892 pur- chased land and engaged in cattle raising near Idaho Falls. He built the first building on the east side of the railroad in Idaho Falls, erecting there a business block. He continued cattle raising throughout his remaining days and his carefully

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directed business affairs constituted an element in the attainment of substantial success.

In May, 1896, Mr. Barry was married to Miss Sadie S. Hopkins, a daughter of Ezekiel and Frances A. (Hendrickson) Hopkins, who were natives ot Ohio and Illinois respectively. The father was a farmer who went to Utah at an early day and engaged in agricultural pursuits in that state for many years. Subsequently he removed to Idaho, settling near Driggs, where he passed away in December, 1910. The mother survives and is yet living at Driggs. To Mr. and Mrs. Barry were born three children: Frances M., Alphonsus and Florence L.

The family circle was broken by the hand of death when on the 4th of April, 1903, Mr. Barry was called to his final rest. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, and his political allegiance was given to the democratic party. He had gained a wide acquaintance in Idaho Falls and the surrounding country through his business affairs, and his sterling worth had firmly established him in the regard, confidence and goodwill of those who knew him.

THOMAS J. SHERLOCK.

Thomas J. Sherlock, manager since 1910 of the Boise Natatorium, was born in Des Moines, Iowa, February 18, 1875. He was educated in the public schools of Portland, Oregon, and in St. Michael's College and for several years after his school days were over he was associated with his father in the live stock business. In early manhood he spent ten years in railway service, being mostly connected with dining car service on the Southern Pacific and on the line of the Oregon Rail- way & Navigation Company, making Portland his home and his headquarters until 1910. In that year he came to Boise and accepted the position of manager of the Boise Natatorium, in which capacity he has since served under eight different pro- prietors, occupying the position notwithstanding the changes in ownership. The Boise Natatorium is one of the best known places of the kind in the United States. It has splendid equipment and is very commodious. It was completed In 1892 at a cost of eighty-seven thousand dollars and the present value of the property is about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, making it one of the finest natatoriums in the United States. It has some unique features, including natural hot water, and is a famous bathing resort. Mr. Sherlock is a republican in politics. He has mem- bership with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and also with the Knights of Columbus.

W. B. MITCHELL.

While farming is pre-eminently the life work of W. B. Mitchell, he belongs to that class of representative Americans whose resourcefulness enables them to main- tain successful connections with various lines, and in addition to his agricultural activity Mr. Mitchell is connected with the Parma State Bank and the Farmers' Co-operative Ditch Company. He was born in Iowa, November 26, 1869, but for forty-four years has been a resident of Idaho, coming to this state in 1877 with his parents. His father, Alfred J. Mitchell. was one of the old timers who ar- rived just before the Indian outbreak. He came overland from Kelton, Utah, making the trip from the terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad by wagon. The first irrigation system was just being established in Idaho, at Eagle, and Alfred J .. Mitchell settled near Parma, where he became identified with the agricultural development of the region. He passed away in Portland, Oregon, and is still sur- vived by his widow, who now makes her home at Parma.

While the school training of W. B. Mitchell was somewhat limited, owing to pioneer conditions, he has been an apt student in the school of experience and has learned much from contact with the world. He followed farming in connec- tion with his father until 1898, when he homesteaded eighty acres of land which was covered with sagebrush and on which he had to turn the first furrow. He has made of it one of the finest tracts devoted to diversified farming in the state,

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everything upon the place being of the best-from his house to the stock. Every modern improvement is found thereon, together with the best farm machinery, and the Mitchell home indeed forms one of the attractive features of the landscape. Having prospered in his farming work, Mr. Mitchell became a stockholder in the Parma State Bank and also a director and the secretary of the Farmers' Co-opera- tive Ditch Company, with which he has thus been connected since its inception in 1902. This ditch irrigates about sixteen thousand acres. In 1902 it had about sixty-five stockholders and at present has about four hundred.

In 1898 Mr. Mitchell was united in marriage to Miss Ella M. Nelson, a native of Utah, and they have reared a boy and a girl, having no children of their own. The former. George D. Kratzberg, is in the United States service on the Battleship North Dakota. The girl, Beatrice Ferguson, is with Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell is a Mason and an Odd Fellow and has been very active in the latter organization. He is also connected with its ladies' auxiliary, the Daughters of Rebekah, and is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He and his wife have membership in the Presbyterian church and are most valued and highly esteemed residents of the community. Mr. Mitchell has been associated with every enterprise that has had for its object the advancement and upbuilding of Parma and of Canyon county. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and he has been an active worker in all the campaigns of the county and state. He filled the office of county commissioner in 1913 and 1914 and has been a mem- ber of the school board since attaining bis majority and is now chairman of the board of education of District No. 8 of Parma, Canyon county. His name is insepa- rably interwoven with the story of progress and development in this region, and his name appears high on the roll of valued citizens.

W. GRANT WARD.

W. Grant Ward, one of the prominent live stock men of Canyon county whose sound judgment and enterprise are manifest in his successful operations, has never allowed business, however, to so monopolize his time and attention that his duties of citizenship have been neglected. On the contrary, his fellow townsmen, recog- nizing his devotion to the general welfare, have elected him mayor of Caldwell and he is now serving most acceptably in that office. He was born in Chillicothe, Missouri, November 5, 1868, and is a son of Joseph and Margaret (Woodgate) Ward, who were natives of Indiana and Kentucky respectively but removed to Missouri in early life.

It was in the schools of his native state that W. Grant Ward pursued his edu- cation and in 1891, attracted by the opportunities of the growing west, he made his way to Boulder, Colorado, where he engaged in the wholesale and retail meat business until 1906. That year witnessed his arrival in Caldwell, where he again took up the meat business, which he followed until 1912, when he sold his interests along that line in order to concentrate his undivided attention upon the develop- ment of a live stock business on a larger scale. In this undertaking he has become associated with partners under the firm style of Baker, Ward & Harrington. The senior partner is interested in the firm only in buying and shipping, while Messrs. Ward and Harrington are also engaged in raising live stock, owning land and stock both separately and together. The firm of Miller, Ward & Harrington operate stockyards at Huntington and at The Dalles, Oregon, while Messrs. Ward and Harrington own together eighty acres of land in Canyon county and four hun- dred and eighty acres in Owyhee county, some of which is under cultivation. The land is operated as a stock ranch and at the present time they have two hundred and fifty head of stock. They are both excellent judges of live stock, and their investments have been judiciously made, while their progressive business methods have insured for them a liberal and profitable trade.

At Boulder, Colorado, in 1904, Mr. Ward was united in marriage to Miss Clara May Fowler, who was born in Sioux City, Iowa. In fraternal affairs Mr. Ward . has taken quite an active and helpful interest. It was largely through his efforts that the money was raised to erect the building for the Elks Lodge at Boulder, Colorado, and upon him was conferred the honor of laying the corner stone. He. devoted much of his time to lodge work there and was elected exalted ruler. A

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life membership was presented to him upon his retirement from that position on the 10th of April, 1905, this being the only life membership given to anyone by that organization.

Since his removal to the northwest Mr. Ward has taken quite an active interest in everything that pertains to the welfare and progress of Caldwell and has served as a member of the city council, while on the 22d of April, 1919, he was elected mayor of the city. He stands for progress and improvement in every possible way and was largely instrumental in promoting the vote for the bonds to cover street paving and the general improvement of the streets. He is giving to the city. a businesslike and progressive administration, avoiding useless retrenchment just as much as useless expenditure of public funds and guided in all that he does for the city by a high sense of business integrity and responsibility. He is a man of pleasing manner and of strong personality and has a host of friends,

LORENZO D. BROWN.

Lorenzo D. Brown, a well known resident of Pocatello, has been closely associated with pioneer interests and activities in Idaho and has also figured prominently in con- nection with political interests in the state. He was born at Ellenville, Ulster county, New York, May 24, 1857, and is a son of David Brown, a native of Lackawack, New York, born November 28, 1818. He was engaged in the lumber business about seven miles from Ellenville, New York, for more than thirty years. In early manhood he wedded Sarah Van Luven, who was born in New York in 1830 and who passed away September 28, 1900.

Lorenzo D. Brown was a lad of eleven years when he became a pupil in Beloit Col- lege at Beloit, Wisconsin, and there studied medicine. He did not complete the course, however, but in the spring of 1874 went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was there when General Grant and Emperor Don Pedro of Brazil started the great Corliss engine at the Centennial Exposition on the 10th of May, 1876, and was one of the thousand men who fired the one thousand shots at the first ringing of the third Liberty Bell at midnight on the 1st of January, 1876. He belonged to the Pennsylvania State Militia as a member of Company B. Third Regiment. At a later period he returned to Wisconsin and afterward went to Denver, Colorado, where he became bookkeeper, occupying that position for about two years. He next became a fireman in the employ of the Colorado Central Railroad, with which he was connected for four years. On the 6th of July, 1884, he was advanced to the position of engineer and served in that capacity, however, for only seven months, after which he made his way to Eagle Rock, Idaho, arriving on the 17th of March, 1885. There he ran a switch engine for about three months in the employ of the Oregon Short Line, at the end of which time he was made night foreman of the shops under John S. Hickey, who was then the master mechanic of the Oregon Short Line. Seven months later he left the position of foreman to resume the position of engineer and so continued until December 15, 1900, when he entered the office of the assessor, serving as deputy under William H. Coffin for more than a year. He next purchased an interest in the Bannock Abstract, Deposit & Trust Company, of which he was the secretary and treasurer for six years. He then disposed of his interests in that business and became associated with Earl C. White on the 7th of June, 1910, but withdrew from the firm of Earl C. White & Company to become a candidate for the office of assessor on the republican ticket. He has been quite prominent in public affairs and in 1894 was elected to the general assembly of Idaho, of which he was a member at the time that Dubois was defeated and Heitfeldt elected.

During the period of his early residence in Idaho, when engaged in railroad work. he witnessed many unusual scenes, one of which made an indelible impression upon him. It was about thirty years ago when one day he stopped his engine for water at the Blackfoot water tank, about one mile east of the present site of the town of Black- foot. While the engine stood there a Mr. Hall and his nephew were shot by a drunken Indian, one bullet killing both men. They fell into their camp fire and were very badly burned ere they were finally removed. Mr. Brown was forced to stand by and witness their burning. as in accordance with the coroner's laws governing such incidents, he did not dare touch the men. He has lived to witness much of the development, growth and progress of the state and has at all times been keenly interested in its advance- ment and improvement.

LORENZO D. BROWN

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On the 28th of September, 1914, Mr. Brown was united in marriage to Miss Maud M. Kelly, of Pocatello, the daughter of William Kelly, a pioneer and head blacksmith of the Oregon Short Line Railroad under Mr. Hickey. Her mother passed away in Feb- ruary, 1914. To Mr. and Mrs. Brown has been born one son, Harold David, now about two years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are well known in Pocatello, where they have many friends, and his business and political activities have brought him prominently to the front in connection with the public interests of this section of the state.

FREDERICK KRESS.

Frederick Kress, who follows farming near Caldwell, in Canyon county, was born in Evansville, Indiana, April 17, 1865. His father, William Kress, died when the son Frederick was but a year and a half old and he was thus left an orphan, for his mother had passed away about six months before. He was then reared by a guardian until eighteen years of age although he practically took care of himself from the time that he reached the age of ten. From his old home in Indiana he came to Idaho in 1889, making his way to Boise, which at that time had a popu- lation of about twenty-eight hundred. He began work on the survey of the New York canal and remained with the company for two years, after which he spent an equal period on the United States geological survey, his work being at the head waters of the Boise and Payette rivers. He afterward engaged in placer mining on the Boise river for two years and then went to Thunder Mountain, where he worked for the Sunnyside Mining Company, surveying roads and tramways and running levels in the mine.

A year later Mr. Kress purchased a ranch of one hundred and sixty acres two miles west of Caldwell and for fourteen years he resided thereon, devoting his attention to its cultivation and improvement. On selling that property he pur- chased his present farm of forty acres, one-half of which is devoted to the pro- duction of fruit and the remainder to hay and grain. He has been very successful in his orcharding and in his different undertakings and is now the possessor of one of the finest forties in the country. An air of neatness and thrift pervades the place and everything is well cared for, while the spirit of progress and improve- ment that he has manifested has made his farm a very valuable one.

In 1888 Mr. Kress was united in marriage to Miss Sophia Ruark, who died in 1917. In August, 1918, he wedded Miss Sue Adams, a native of Kentucky. They are widely and favorably known in Canyon county, where they have a circle of friends almost coextensive with the circle of their acquaintance. Mr. Kress is a self-made man who from early life has been dependent upon his own resources and who through diligence and determination has gained a creditable place in the business world. Those who know him recognize his sterling worth and speak of him in terms of warm regard.

MARK A. KURTZ.

A third of a century has passed since Mark A. Kurtz became a resident of Nampa and through the intervening period from the time of his original settlement here to the time of his death he was closely associated with the development and upbuild- ing of this section of the state, his labors constituting a valuable contributory factor to the work of general improvement and progress. A native of Pennsyl- vania, he was not only born in the historic town of Gettysburg, near which was fought one of the most sanguinary battles of the Civil war, but was also born in the historic house in which Lincoln wrote his famous speech for the dedication of the Gettysburg monument. His natal day was July 15, 1841, and after com- pleting his education at the college of Gettysburg he entered upon his business career in connection with a mercantile firm of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had there served for a year when the Civil war broke out. He volunteered to aid his country in preserving the Union and joined Company F of the One Hundred and Thirty-sixth Regiment of Pennsylvania Infantry, with which he was connected throughout the duration of the war, participating in a number of hotly contested

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engagements. When hostilities were over he resumed merchandising but this time became connected with the business interests of Philadelphia, where he re- mained until 1869. In that year he went west to Omaha, Nebraska, where he once more entered mercantile circles. In 1886 he returned to the east and delivered lectures for the Union Pacific Railroad Company, making his headquarters in Philadelphia for a year.

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History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume III, Part 20

Author: Hawley, James Henry, 1847-1929, ed Publication date: 1920 Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company Number of Pages: 926

Author: Hawley, James Henry, 1847-1929, ed
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 926