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GENEALOGY COLLECTION
SPOKANE AND THE SPOKANE COUNTRY
PICTORIAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL
De Luxe Supplement
VOLUME I
1912 THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY SPOKANE CHICAGO PHILADELPHIA
1411104
. D . Amis
Graham Barclay Dennis
C ONTINUOUS progress has characterized the career of Graham Barclay Dennis. His intellect early grasped the eternal truth, that industry wins, and in- dustry became the beacon light of his life. What- ever he has undertaken has found him determined in execution and watchful of all opportunities pointing to legitimate success, and today he is prominently connected with most important corporation and business interests, being numbered among Spokane's capitalists. He was born in London, England, June 1, 1855, his parents being Mendenhall John and Sophia Den- nis. His father, also a native of London, was a man of most liberal education and scholarly attainments, having been graduated from Oxford and Heidelberg Universities. He was a linguist of notable powers and his life was largely devoted to the work of the Presby- terian ministry. His wife was German descent and during the early boyhood of their son Graham, they came with their family to the United States, first to Boston, Massachusetts, and finally settling in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Graham B. Dennis pursued his education in the public schools of the latter city until he reached the age of fourteen years, when he began learning the more difficult lessons in the school of experience. He was employed in both Cincinnati and in Dayton, Ohio, but a brief period sufficed to indicate to him how valuable is education as a factor in success. He therefore resumed his studies, pursuing a course in the year 1873-4 at Bethany College in West Virginia. In 1875 he became city editor of the Dayton (Ohio) Daily Journal and after two years spent in that capacity, was made business manager of the paper, which he thus conducted for two years. During the succeeding six years he was associated with different business enter- prises in Dayton and brought his inventive genius into play in pro- ducing and successfully introducing an electrical postage-stamp can- celler. In the further development of his business affairs, he became the head of the firm of G. B. Dennis & Company, comprising the organization of stock companies, stocks and discounts, and at the same time he established, published and edited the Farmer's Home,
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an agricultural newspaper. His identification with the northwest be- gan in May, 1885, at which time he arrived in Spokane, the same year becoming actively interested in real estate and mining, and in the publication of the Spokane Miner, a sixteen-page paper devoted to the mining interests of the northwest, which at that time were in their infancy. He likewise organized the Muscovite Mica Mining Company, in which he enlisted Chicago capital, to develop the great mica mines in Idaho. In 1887 he built in Spokane the first electric railway of the northwest, and the first west of Chicago, known as the Ross Park Street Railway Company, of which he was for two years the president. One of the largest enterprises with which he has been closely associated was the organization of the Old Dominion Mining & Milling Company for the development of properties in Stevens county, and of which company he is still the president. He has the ability that enables him to see the possibilities in a project of large proportions and to direct its interests in the best possible manner toward securing results desired. Upon the organization of the Northwestern Mining Association, on the 2d of October, 1895, he was chosen its president and continued in that position for several years. In the following year he was made its delegate to the parlia- ment of British Columbia at Victoria, and had the distinction of suc- cessfully opposing the proposed two per cent tax on the gross output of the British Columbia mines. In 1897 he was one of the committee appointed by the international mining congress to prepare a revision of the federal mining laws, and in that connection was instrumental in drafting the memorial to the United States congress. His mining interests have brought him into active association with various com- panies, invariably holding the position of president. In 1898 he was chosen president and treasurer of the Insurgent Gold Mining Com- pany of Republic, Washington, and still retains that position. Mr. Dennis has for many years been a director in the Exchange National Bank of Spokane, and president of the Warehouse & Realty Com- pany, a one million dollar corporation.
While his private business interests have been extensive and of a most important character, Mr. Dennis has also been connected with various enterprises of a public or semi-public character, which have become valuable and significant features in the development and upbuilding of the northwest. From 1886 until 1888 he was a mem- ber of the city council of Spokane and aided in shaping its formative policy during that early period. In 1890 he became a member of the board of public education and served as chairman of its committee
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on buildings, constructing the first high school and five district school buildings in Spokane. In the same year, he became the organizer and first vice president of the Spokane Industrial Exposition, which did much to stimulate trade and business conditions in this part of the Inland Empire. For a number of years, he served as one of the trustees and as a member of the executive committee and treasurer of the Jenkins University. The foresight and untiring efforts of Mr. Dennis resulted, in 1902, through him as the author, in the for- mation of the Publicity Committee, an important organization com- prising the representative citizens of Spokane. Its work has been extensive in making known world-wide, through the daily press and magazines, the resources and advantages of Spokane and the Inland Empire, the expense of exploiting the resources of the country amounting to forty thousand dollars a year. Mr. Dennis' firm faith in the country and its future constitutes his inspiration for the work in which he has been engaged in spreading broadcast a knowledge of the country and promoting specific interests and projects which have had important bearing upon its material growth and progress.
On the 20th of May, 1879, Mr. Dennis was united in marriage to Miss Hester L. Bradley, a daughter of Captain John Bradley, and to them have been born a son and two daughters: Howard B. who, married Josephine Wilhelm; Essie Mernie, the wife of Edward R. Dickson; and Julia B., the wife of Roy C. Lammers, by whom she has one child, Graham Dennis Lammers.
While most important and extensive business and public connec- tions have claimed the attention of Mr. Dennis, yet it is not as a financial success that his character appeals most to those who have known, and still know him; nor is it his genial and warm-hearted man- ner that has earned him enduring friendships. It is his broad- minded, public spirit, his fearless initiative in undertaking public work and his indomitable energy in carrying worthy projects to a successful culmination, that command the deep regard of his fellow citizens. Among his public acts were liberal subscriptions to various important enterprises-bonuses to secure projected railways, contri- butions for parks, hospitals, schools. And he was not a subscriber alone, but a leader and coworker in advancing worthy movements, giving of his time and brain, as well as of his financial resources, to make for a greater city and a grander commonwealth. His unfail- ing generosity, his zeal for work and his executive ability have en- tailed on him endless service as chairman of committees for public purposes, and have brought him honors the more dignified because conferred on him, by whom preferment has never been sought.
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Graham Barclay Dennis
The most recent, and the crowning honor of his lifetime, was ten- dered him on September 26, 1906, on the occasion of his election by acclamation to the distinction of the first presidency of the Pacific Northwest Development League, a public enterprise conceived by the representative men of four sovereign states, to promote their common interests.
The spirit that has characterized the entire career of Mr. Dennis has considered first, good citizenship; thereafter, reasonable concern for private interest. And only too often the private interests have suffered, to promote the common weal. Such a character is more than a good citizen; he is a public benefactor-a type that free Amer- .ica, perhaps, has developed in more generous plenty than any other country.
James Willover
James Rettle Glober
O HISTORY of Spokane would be complete with- N out extended reference to James Nettle Glover who as the first permanent settler, as the first merchant and as the promoter and supporter of many interests which in subsequent days have advanced the welfare and progress of the city well deserves to be known as "the father of Spokane." His life history in detail would prove as interesting as any wrought by the imagination of a writer of fiction. It would be the story of travel through the primeval forests, of dif- ficulties and dangers encountered and of obstacles overcome. More- over, settlement in a new country always calls out the resourceful- ness of the individual in meeting existing conditions. Mr. Glover was at all times ready for any emergency and on more than one occasion his quick wit and keen insight enabled him to master what seemed a difficult situation. Less than forty years have wrought the transformation that has developed Spokane from the tiny hamlet into the splendid modern city of the present day, and with this work Mr. Glover has been more or less associated.
He was born in Lincoln county, Missouri, March 15, 1837, a son of Philip and Sarah (Koontz) Glover, who were of French and German ancestry respectively. They became pioneer settlers of Missouri when it was still under territorial rule, and were married there in 1818. The father, who was born in 1795 and was reared in Maryland, devoted his entire life to farming. He inherited a num- ber of slaves and took seventeen of them with him to Missouri in 1817, but becoming convinced of the injustice of holding human beings in bondage, he gave them their freedom in 1846. That he was a kind and tolerant taskmaster is indicated by the fact that one old negro, Travis Johnson, insisted on remaining with the family even after their arrival in Oregon, to which state they decided to remove after their eldest son, William, had already settled within its borders. In the early part of 1849, therefore, when James N. Glover was twelve years of age, they started from a place near Independence, Missouri, traveling with wagon and ox team which the negro Johnson drove. They were six months and one day upon the road, and after reaching
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the northwest the father secured a donation land claim of six hundred and forty acres about five miles from Salem, in Marion county, Ore- gon. Immediately he undertook the task of developing a farm and thereon resided until his death, which occurred December 12, 1872. The negro to whom he had given his liberty was employed by his for- mer master to cut ten thousand rails and other service at times kept him busy and gave him a comfortable living. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Philip Glover eleven children were born of whom three sons and three daugh- ters are now deceased, while those still living are: James N., of this review; Philip, who is living in Oregon at the age of eighty-two years; Samuel, eighty years of age, living with his brother James in Spo- kane; Charles Peyton, a resident of Portland, Oregon; and John W., living in Spokane.
The story of life upon the frontier is a familiar one to James N. Glover who shared with the family in the usual pioneer hardships and experiences. He remained with his father in Oregon until twenty years of age and in 1857 made his first business venture, taking a quantity of apples to the Yreka mining district in northern Cali- fornia. Not being able to dispose of them in the way anticipated, he rented a room and opened a fruit store, continuing at that place for a year. On selling out he returned to Oregon and during the suc- ceeding two years lived with his father, who worked at the carpenter's trade. He carefully saved his earnings and in the spring of 1862 began operations in the mining districts of eastern Washington and northern Idaho, the labors of eight years bringing him fifteen thousand dollars. On the expiration of that period he became associated at Sa- lem, Oregon, with the Hon. Richard Williams, of Portland, and J. N. Matheny, of Salem, in the building and operation of the first steam ferry running between Marion and Polk counties in Oregon, and con- tinued in the business until 1872, when the property was sold. Mr. Glover was also engaged in shipping apples from Salem to San Fran- cisco and had been somewhat active in the public life of the city, serving as a member of the board of aldermen and filling the position of city marshal of Salem in 1868. In the spring of 1873 he left Salem, ac- companied by J. N. Matheny, and started for the Palouse and Spo- kane valleys, traveling by rail to Portland and thence by water to Lewiston, Idaho, where they arrived on the 2d of May. After pur- chasing two cayuse ponies and such outfit as they could strap to their saddles, they started out on an exploring expedition through the wild and undeveloped country. There was restlessness among the Indians
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and in southern Oregon the Modoc war was in progress. For days they rode through the region known as the Inland Empire and only once in long distances would they come across an inhabited little log cabin. On hearing of Spokane Falls they made that their destina- tion, arriving on the 11th of May. They found two squatters, J. J. Downing and S. R. Scranton, both of whom were anxious to dispose of their property. Sometime before Mr. Downing had agreed to sell his squatter's rights to a man named Benjamin, who had paid four hundred dollars on the purchase price but was unable to complete the payment. Mr. Glover and Mr. Matheny offered Downing two thou- sand dollars to vacate and let them locate upon the land provided the first payment of four hundred dollars should go to Mr. Benjamin, that being the amount he had paid to Mr. Downing. The deal was at length arranged and upon that basis and then leaving Mr. Scranton in charge of the falls Mr. Glover and his companion returned to Ore- gon. They believed that there was opportunity for the establishment of a profitable business at this point and entered into partnership with C. F. Yeaton. Together the three men placed orders for all necessary machinery and with this returned to Spokane Falls on the 29th of July. In the meantime Mr. Scranton had become involved in some trouble with the officers of the law and was a fugitive, hiding in the sur- rounding country. Mr. Glover, who remained in Oregon for a time to settle up affairs there, arrived at the falls, on the 19th of August, traveling in a lumber wagon from Wallula Junction. Being told of Scranton's hiding place he met the man, purchased his squatter's right for two thousand dollars and thus gained clear possession to the falls. It was impossible to know if they were on government land open to free settlement or on a section granted the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, for at that time no survey had been made. The sawmill, however, was built and kept in operation where the Phoenix Sawmill now stands, and Mr. Glover also opened a general merchandise store which was the first in this city, its site being the present location of the Windson building on Front avenue. When a squad of surveyors un- der government contract came to survey lower Crab creek and ran a base line to Spokane Falls Mr. Glover had the satisfaction of finding that he was in the section open for settlement. Some time afterward he built another store where the Pioneers block now stands, on the cor- ner of Howard and Front streets. Trading was carried on with the Indians and with a few white settlers who had ventured into this part of the country. Mr. Glover's partners became discouraged at the outlook and in 1876 he purchased their interests in the business and
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property so that he became the owner of one hundred and sixty acres situated in what is now the very center of the city, its boundaries being Sprague avenue on the south, Broadway on the north, Bernard street on the east and Adams street on the west. Up to that time no settlers had come to join him at Spokane, his former partner Matheny having gone to Utah and Yeaton to Oregon, and thus Mr. Glover was left alone at the falls.
It certainly required a courageous spirit to face the conditions in which he found himself-solitary and alone-without any immediate indication that changes would occur leading to the upbuilding of a city or even a village in his vicinity. In June, 1877, the Nez Perces war broke out and in order to entice the young warriors of the Spo- kane tribe to join them a band of twenty-five or thirty Nez Perces came to the falls, camping near Mr. Glover's store and engaging in their war dance night after night. All of the white people of the surrounding country had gathered into the store for safety, sleeping on the floor and benches, and a number of settlers living at a point forty miles to the west made their way to "Big Island" where the Great Northern now stands. Mr. Glover watched the war dance for a few nights and, realizing that something must be done, he called a number of old Spokane Indians who had been trading with him for years and had a plain talk with them, reminding them of the Indian war of twenty years before, when Colonel Wright executed a number of their people, destroying their property and leaving them in misery from which they never recovered. Mr. Glover ended by telling the Indians that "if the visitors don't go away before the sun is over our heads (noon) I am in close touch now with the boys who wear the brass buttons." This had the desired effect and before noon of the same day the Nez Perces braves had gone to the gorges of the river. In intimating that he could summon the United States troops Mr. Glover felt it would strengthen his case but had no idea that the sol- diers were near, as it happened, however, that very day Colonel Wheaton of the regular army marched into the Spokane settlement with his entire regiment, and ever afterward the Indians accredited Mr. Glover with great foresight and knowledge. After a few weeks' stay here the troops, with the exception of Companies H and I, pro- ceeded to Palouse City. About the same time General Sherman passed through the Spokane settlement with his escort, on the way from Fort Benton to Vancouver, Washington, via Walla Walla, and was entertained by Mr. Glover who asked that the companies be re- turned here, and when General Sherman reached Walla Walla he
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James nettle Blober
gave orders for the troops to spend the winter at Spokane. In the following summer, 1878, the soldiers built Fort Coeur d'Alene, twenty-eight miles away, and as this furnished protection for the dis- triet, Spokane began to attract attention.
In his business undertakings Mr. Glover prospered, for some years conducting a profitable trade with the fort. The real growth of the city, however, dates from the fall of 1879, at which time the Northern Pacific Railroad Company gave out the contracts for the extension of its line to Spokane. A construction train, the first to enter this place, arrived in June, 1882, and with the advent of the railroad the future of the city was assured, owing to its excellent lo- cation and the fact that the surrounding country could be profitably cultivated. During the early period of settlement Mr. Glover dis- posed of much his land at a very low figure, in some cases giving away lots to those who would build upon them. He gave forty acres to Fred- erick Post on condition that he would build a grist mill, and this site is now occupied by the building of the Washington Water Power Company. As early as January, 1878, he had caused the first survey of the town plat to be made, acting as chain carrier as there were not sufficient men in the neighborhood to do the work. Subsequently he named all the principal thoroughfares: Washington street, for George Washington; Stevens street, for Governor Isaac Stevens; Howard street, for General O. O. Howard; Sprague avenue, for J. W. Sprague, the general superintendent of the western division of the Northern Pacific Railroad; Post street, for Frederick Post; Monroe, Adams, Lincoln and Madison for the presidents; and Mill street because the first mill was erected thereon.
As the city grew it naturally followed that Mr. Glover should have voice in its management, and in 1883 he was a member of the city council, while in 1884-5 he served as mayor. Then again he was called to the council in 1898 and once more in 1902, so that he has taken an active part in shaping municipal affairs. His business, too, developed with the passing years and for a considerable period he continued in merchandising. In November, 1882, upon the incor- poration of the First National Bank of Spokane he was one of the principal stockholders and served as its president for ten years, but in the great financial panic of 1893 the bank was obliged to suspend, at which time it was estimated that the loss of Mr. Glover amounted to one million, five hundred thousand dollars, or twice as much as any other citizen. The courageous spirit which he had ever manifested throughout the period of his residence in the northwest did not desert
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him now, nor did he lose faith in the city and its future, and it is a pleasure to his many friends to know that in the intervening years to the present time he has regained substantial property interests and now has good realty holdings that return to him a gratifying annual income.
Mr. Glover was married in Spokane to Miss Esther Emily Leslie, a daughter of Samuel C. Leslie. He was the first Mason of Spokane, and is a Knight Templar, while in the Scottish Rite he has attained the thirty-second degree. He belongs to the Spokane Club and to the Chamber of Commerce. He practically bore all the ex- pense of building the First Episcopal church and many other churches are greatly indebted to him because of his donation of land or generous contribution in money. He has been most liberal in his gifts to the Orphanage Home, to the Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation and to various charitable and benevolent works, and in fact it would be difficult to name any department of activity which has been of real benefit to Spokane that has not profited by his coopera-
tion, encouragement and support. As long as the city stands the name of James Nettle Glover should be honored, for with wonder- ful prescience he foresaw the future and recognized the possibilities of the district, and with unfaltering faith labored to promote the in- terests and upbuilding of this section. Thus today he manifests a contagious enthusiasm regarding the northwest and in as far as pos- sible enters into every project for the public good with zest and zeal.
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J.m. Comstock
James Al. Comstock
J AMES M. COMSTOCK, whose life history consti- tutes a most creditable chapter in the trade annals of Spokane, is now well known in business circles here, as vice president of the Spokane Dry Goods Com- pany and president of the Dry Goods Realty Com- pany. It may seem trite to those familiar with his life history to say that he has advanced from a humble position to one of prominence in the business world, but it is only just to record in a history that will descend to future generations, that his has been a record which any man might be proud to possess. He has never made engagements that he has not kept, nor incurred obligations that he has not met, and his record at all times commands the admira- tion and respect of colleagues and contemporaries.
Mr. Comstock is numbered among the worthy citizens that New York has furnished to the state of Washington, his birth occur- ring in Rome, September 6, 1838, and in 1846, he accompanied his parents, George and Eliza (Paine) Comstock, on their removal to Wisconsin, which at that time was largely an undeveloped wilderness. The family settled in Summit township, Waukesha county, and there amid the usual scenes and conditions of pioneer life James M. Comstock was reared, pursuing his early education in the district schools and aiding in the work of the home farm through the summer months. He later had the advantage of educational training in Carroll College at Waukesha and when the Civil war broke out he enlisted in the First Wisconsin Cavalry, which he joined on the 14th of August, 1861, his service cover- ing three and one-half years. He went to the front as a private and was mustered out with the rank of captain. He did duty as provost marshal on the staff of General E. M. McCook, of the First Division Cavalry Corps, Army of the Cumberland, at the battle of Chickamauga. Later he participated in the winter campaign in east- ern Tennessee, in which fighting occurred nearly every day. In Feb- ruary, 1864, he was sent with about two hundred and fifty men from east Tennessee over the Blue Ridge mountains into the valley of the Hiwassee river to the town of Murphy, located in the southwestern
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