An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 168

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company
Number of Pages: 1146

USA > Washington > Kittitas County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 168
USA > Washington > Yakima County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 168
USA > Washington > Klickitat County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 168

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

743

BIOGRAPHICAL.

leased his father-in-law's farm one year. The next five years he was engaged in the mercantile business in Salem; then two years in a sawmill. This experience was succeeded by his removal to California, where he traveled twelve years for a nursery company. In 1884 he came to Washing- ton, settling for a few months in Colfax. Thence he went to Asotin and during the ensuing seven years made his home in that section of Washing- ton. His advent into Yakima county took place in 1891. At this time he filed on a homestead near Kiona and since then has made it his home.

Mr. McAlpin was married near Salem, Ore- gon. in 1860, to Miss Ellen R. Strang, a daughter of Daniel and Cynthia (Lorton) Strang, who came to the Northwest from Iowa in 1852. Her father was born in Baltimore, Maryland; her mother in Illinois, to early pioneers of that state. Mr. Strang opened the first tin shop established in Salem and for a number of years conducted a hotel in that city. During his declining years he was engaged in farming near the capital city. Mrs. Strang was married when seventeen years old. Mrs. McAlpin was born in Burlington, Iowa, 1844, and crossed the Plains when a child. She attended school in the Willamette valley. Mr. and Mrs. McAlpin have six children: Walter, born February 13, 1862; Columbus B., July 21, 1865; Alfred A., April 16, 1872; Donald, August 24, 1877; Ralph S., January 10, 1884, and Lloyd D., September 23, 1886. The first three named were born in Salem; one in California, and the last two in Asotin. Alfred is farming on a part of the parental home, his father having given him a tract of thirty-seven acres. The parents are devoted members of the Presbyterian churchi, and highly esteemed for their many generous, sterling, per- sonal qualities. Mr. McAlpin is a Republican and has served his community for some time as justice of the peace. He is a loyal friend of education and has occupied the responsible and honored position of school director in his district. He owns sixty- five acres of land, of which thirty are under irriga- tion and producing fruit, alfalfa, vegetables and berries.

GEORGE W. PALMER. A typical pioneer of the West is the subject of this biography, whose interesting life would in itself fill a volume, so varied have been his experiences and so broad their scope. Missouri is his native state. He was born in 1842 to the union of John H. and Cather- ine (Graves) Palmer, natives of Kentucky and Virginia, respectively. In 1853 the family crossed the Plains and mountains to the northwestern por- tion of the United States, and in Marion county, Oregon, made their humble home. The doughty Scotch pioneer prospered and at the time of his death was a leading farmer of the valley. George

WV. attended school and assisted his father on the farm until 1861, at that time entering the freight- ing business, operating between The Dalles and the famed Oro Fino mines, in what is now Idaho. He wintered on the site of Weston, Oregon, hav- ing one hundred and twenty-five cattle on the surrounding range. The hard winter of 1861-02 killed all but twelve head. The discouraged young stockman was of necessity obliged to temporarily abandon stock raising. He went into the Auburn mines in eastern Oregon and followed mining un- til 1864, settling in Umatilla county in the fall of that year. During his four years' residence there, he served as a deputy sheriff under Frank Mad- dock. In the fall of 1866 he commenced freight- ing between Umatilla, Oregon, and Boise, Idaho, also between other mining centers, following this work until 1872, when he purchased an interest in the Connor Creek mine, Baker county, and oper- ated it three years. He installed the first stamp- mill erected on that ledge. Meanwhile, having re- tained his stock interests, in 1876 he sold the mine and went to the Palouse region, settling near Col- ton, Washington. He resided there, engaged in stock raising and farming, until 1891; then sold his property and went to the Willamette valley, entering the hop raising industry. The valley was his home until 1899, and in that year he removed to Yakima county and entered the stock industry in the lower valley. The family came to their present home, two miles north of Kiona, in July, 1903, settling upon a forty-acre farm irrigated by the Kiona canal.

Mr. Palmer and Miss Mary A. Parks were married in 1869, the ceremony taking place in Umatilla county. Mrs. Palmer was born in In- diana, 1848, to the union of George B. and Cyn- thia (Richardson) Parks, natives of Kentucky and Indiana, respectively. George B. Parks was mar- ried in Indiana and, in 1853, with his family, fol- lowed the tide of emigration westward across the Plains to the Oregon country, settling in Douglas county. He lived there until 1865, when he re- moved to Umatilla county, and during the next quarter of a century was engaged in farming, stock raising and freighting, in Eastern Oregon and Idaho Territory. He then returned to the Willamette valley and lived the remainder of his days in that beautiful locality. Previous to her marriage, at the age of twenty-one, Miss Parks taught school several terms in Oregon. Mr. and Mrs. Palmer have been blessed with three chil- dren : John B., born in Baker county, Oregon, March 24, 1870, living near Kiona: Nixon, born in Oregon, May 7, 1873, also living near Kiona, and Mattie, born in Washington, March 10, 1878, living with her parents. Mr. Palmer is connected with only one fraternity, the Masons. He is an active Democrat and a considerable factor in local politics. In 1887 he was elected a commissioner

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of Whitman county and served two years, making a creditable record. His business interests are many and include five hundred and forty acres of farming lands in Oregon and Washington, one hundred and fifty head of cattle, and various min- ing property in Oregon. He is making a specialty of breeding thoroughbred Hereford cattle. Mr. Palmer has met with a most commendable success in his business endeavors, has lived a life of use- fulness, faithfully performed his duty as a citizen and a neighbor, and has founded a happy, com- fortable home.

CAPT. ADAM J. WIMER, residing two and a half miles north of Kiona, is a pioneer of the west whose experiences on the coast in the early period of the west's settlement make his life story a most interesting one-too long to fully relate in these pages. He was born in Ohio, November 5, 1832, his parents being Adam and Catherine (Har- rager) Wimer, both of Pennsylvania Dutch de- scent. The family removed from Ohio to Iowa in 1844, and in that state the parents lived until their deaths, that of the mother occurring October 23, 1880, in her eighty-fifth year. Adam Wimer was one of sixteen children. He attended the district schools and worked on the farm until eighteen years old, or until 1850, when he crossed the Plains to the California mines. The Indians stole the party's horses, compelling the frontiersmen to use oxen to finish the trip. Mr. Wimer spent twelve years mining and manufacturing brick in Califor- nia; then was engaged in manufacturing brick for three years in Nevada. In February, 1864, he be- came one of the earliest settlers in Surprise valley, northeastern California, erecting the first cabin there. The Indians proved very troublesome, however, and the settlers of the valley were com- pelled to organize a company of minute men, of which Mr. Wimer was chosen captain. This com- pany fought several times with the hostiles. Previous to this experience, the captain partici- pated in the famous Indian war of 1855-6, and had earned the name of being a skilled Indian fighter. From Surprise valley, he removed to Yamhill county, Oregon, thence, in 1868, to Eu- gene, thence to Cloverdale, where he lived until the spring of 1873, and finally settled in Whitman county, Washington, near Pullman. He was en- gaged in farming and stock raising until the fall of 1888, at that time becoming a resident of Uniontown. The distilling and brick making in- dustries occupied the succeeding fifteen years of his life. In the spring of 1903, however, he left Uniontown and became one of the prosperous in- habitants of Yakima county, settling upon his lit- tle farm near Kiona. We must not forget to men- tion that while in California, Captain Wimer be- came one of the founders of Crescent City.

He was married in Washington county, Ore- gon, May, 1867, to Miss Lydia E. Wayman, the daughter of John and Mary (Smith) Wayman. John Wayman was born in Ohio, settled in Iowa in 1854, crossed the Plains to Oregon in 1865 and settled in Yamhill county, his death occurring in Washington county. Mrs. Wayman was born in Maryland, 1814, was married in 1834 and was the mother of ten children. Her ancestors were Dutch. Mrs. Wimer was born in Ohio, in 1846, educated in Iowa and crossed the Plains with her parents. She and her sister Mary drove and cared for a mule team during the six months' journey and arrived in Yamhill county in September, without having been molested by Indians. Captain and Mrs. Wimer are the parents of several chil- dren : Mrs. Mary E. Wade, born' March 2, 1868, living in Spokane; Zola, August 13, 1869; John W., January 14, 1873, an assayer at Wallace, Idaho; Walter G., April 17, 1877, living at Burke, Idaho; Frank S. and Fred M., twins, born Janu- ary 28, 1880, the former living at Cottonwood, Idaho, the latter, deceased ; Ellis A., September 8, 1882, a mail clerk in Spokane; and Ida B., No- veníber 7, 1890, attending school in Spokane. Mr. Wimer is an active Democrat and has served his fellow men at Uniontown in the capacities of jus- tice of the peace, three years; city clerk, three years, and police judge, four years. He still owns valuable property situated in Uniontown, besides his ten-acre farm near Kiona. His life has been an active one and he is recognized as an influen- tial citizen in all the communities of which he has formed a part.

ALVEN E. WOLCOTT, engaged in general farming seven miles southwest of Kiona, was born in Ohio in 1867, the son of Morgan and Louisa (Ziegler) Wolcott, Ohio pioneers of English and German descent, respectively. Morgan Wolcott, who is himself also the son of Ohio pioneers, still lives at his birthplace. He served three years and nine months in the Union army. His wife's father emigrated from Germany in 1814. Alven E. Wol- cott received a fair education in the public schools of Ohio, remaining on the farm until he was twenty-one years old. In 1890 he left Ohio, im- migrating to California, where he lived eight years in Los Angeles. A trip to Ohio followed, then a season in Florida, and in the spring of 1899 he came to the Northwest. Yakima county attracted his attention and he decided to become one of its citizens, so he filed a homestead claim to a quar- ter section of wheat land south of Prosser, and upon it he has since lived, excepting winters, when he resides in Kiona that his children may attend school. By faithful and skillful work he has transformed his desert claim into a thrifty

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BIOGRAPHICAL.

farm, all under cultivation, and has improved it by the erection of substantial buildings.

His marriage to Miss Emma McCormick took place in Los Angeles, May 1, 1895. She is a na- tive of Ohio, also, born in 1867, and was edu- cated in the public schools of her native state. Mrs. Wolcott is a talented woman, possessing a fine musical education, and for several years previous to her mariage was engaged in teaching music in Los Angeles. Her parents, Samuel and Eliza (Hughes) McCormick were also natives of Ohio, the children of early pioneers. Mr. McCor- mick is a successful farmer in the Buckeye state, but Mrs. McCormick passed to her eternal rest in 1878, leaving eight children to mourn the loss of a devoted mother. Three children have bright- ened the home of Mr. and Mrs. Wolcott, all of whom are living: Morgan, born in California, February 16, 1896; Aloise, on the Horse Heaven ranch, May 9, 1901; and Charles A., also born on the ranch, July 28, 1903. Mr. Wolcott is an ear- nest advocate of Prohibition principles and, outside of politics, takes an active interest in all other public affairs. He and Mrs. Wolcott possess a comfortable home and a valuable farm and, sur- rounded by a host of friends and well wishers, are content with their lot in life.

WALTER W. SCOTT, deceased. With the death, in 1900, of the man whose name appears at the beginning of this biography, there passed away one of Yakima's respected and esteemed cit- izens and one of Kiona's earliest and most sub- stantial pioneers. Mr. Scott was born in Vienna, Illinois, 1862, and was the son of Walter A. Scott, an Englishman, who came to Illinois in early days and became a successful woolen mill owner and farmer. He died in California. The mother was of Scotch parentage. Walter W. Scott left school when he was fifteen years old and learned teleg- raphy. A year later he was stationed in Texas. From Texas he was transferred to Nebraska and after a two years' service in that state, returned to Texas and assumed full charge of an office of considerable importance. In 1888 he came to the Northwest and at first took charge of the office at Sumner, Pierce county, Washington. A year la- ter he went to Tacoma and thence to Gate City, remaining at the latter place two years. He came to Kiona in 1891 as Northern Pacific station agent, occupying that position two years. During his first year of residence he perceived the fine opportunity presented for the establishment of a general store at Kiona and accordingly opened a small one, his wife taking charge of it. Mr. Scott himself managed the business from 1893 until his untimely death, meeting with excellent success and gradually increasing the size of his store. His removal from the affairs of life was a shock to the

community, for he was an energetic business man, public-spirited and won the friendship of all who came into close touch with him.

Mr. Scott and Miss Tena Stoll, a daughter of John P. and Elizabeth (Sohn) Stoll, were united in marriage in 1886, the ceremony taking place in Nebraska. John P. Stoll was born in Germany and came to the United States when a boy of seven years. His youth and early manhood were spent in Ohio, where he married a native of that state. In 1867 the family removed to Nebraska and there established a permanent home. Mr. Stoll died in 1898. Mrs. Scott was born in Ohio in 1866, received her education in Nebraska, and was married at the age of nineteen. To this union were born three children, all of whom are living at home: Neita B., born in Texas, August 12, 1888; Mabel, born in Texas, September 17, 1890; and Ruby, born in Washington, October 22, 1892. Mr. Scott was connected with two fraternities, the Masons and the Modern Woodmen. Mrs. Scott is a consistent member of the Episcopal church. Her property consists of two and a half acres in town, the store and valuables it contains, and a band of horses. She has bravely and successfully taken up her vastly increased duties and responsi- bilities and enjoys the fullest confidence and es- teem of the community.

JOHN H. KENNEDY, orchardist and gen- eral farmer, living at Kiona upon the oldest place in that section of the county, was born in Iowa, December 26, 1854. His father, William Ken- nedy, of Scotch-Irish extraction, was born in Ohio and became one of Iowa's earliest pioneers, going thither in 1830. For a number of years he was engaged in the sawmill business in that state in addition to caring for his farming interests. While yet a resident of Ohio he met and won for his bride a native born Ohio girl, Mary Herron. In Iowa John H. Kennedy attended the public schools, but received most of his education in the Grand View Academy. He accompanied his par- ents to Nebraska in 1877 and, as the youngest son, remained with them during their declining years. When twenty-two years of age, he was presented with eighty acres of land by his father and thenceforth aided liim in the management of his business interests. After the death of his father in 1884, John H. came to the Northwest and after thoroughly inspecting different portions of this section of the Union decided to establish his permanent home in Yakima county, and so settled at Kiona, where his endeavors have been crowned with satisfying success.

He was married in Nebraska, 1884, to Miss Laura French, a native of Iowa, born in 1862 in Lee county, her parents being Jonathan B. and Miranda (Allison) French. Mr. French was born

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in New York, went to Ohio at an early date in its settlement, was married there in 1850, later re- moved to Keokuk, Iowa, thence to Nebraska in 1872, and finally settled in Idaho, in 1885. He died a year later. Mrs. French was a native of Penn- sylvania, the daughter of early Ohio pioneers; her birth occurred in 1828. Mrs. Kennedy was edu- cated in the public schools and in the Pawnee City Academy, Nebraska. For three years pre- vious to her marriage she taught school. Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy are the parents of four children : William W., born in Spokane, April 20, 1886, at- tending the Waitsburg Academy ; Joseph A., born in Idaho, February 15, 1895; Philip F., born at Kiona, September 18, 1899, and John P., also born at Kiona, June 16, 1902. Both Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy are active members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Kennedy's political views may be said to be liberal Republican. He owns one hun- dred acres of land, thirty of which are irrigable. Eight acres are set out in a fine bearing orchard, two acres in a young orchard, and an acre is de- voted to strawberries. He is a skilled horticultur- ist, as is easily discerned by an inspection of his place. As a progressive, energetic citizen of in- tegrity, Mr. Kennedy enjoys the respect of his community and possesses a host of friends.

LOVELL C. TRAVIS, one of the leading farmers of Yakima county, is a pioneer of the wheat belt. He was born May 2, 1864, in Nova Scotia, the eldest son of Nathaniel and Hattie (Ring) Travis, likewise natives of that rich Can- adian province. He remained with his parents until he was twenty-one years old, but upon at- taining his majority, commenced laying the foun- dation for a home of his own by settling upon a homestead near his father's place. During the first ten years of his residence in the county he was engaged in the stock business for the most part, but since 1895 he has given his attention principally to wheat raising, in which industry he has achieved a distinct success. For many years his father, his brother Botsford and himself were partners. For several years Mr. Travis has cul- tivated five hundred acres annually.

He was married in Walla Walla in 1888, to Miss Minnie B. Webber, a daughter of Solomon M. and Mary (Harnes) Webber, whose biog- raphies will be found elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Webber are said to have been, the first permanent settlers in the Horse Heaven re- gion. Mrs. Travis was born in Sacramento, Cali- fornia, in 1868, and received her education in the public schools of Washington, Nevada, California and Oregon, her father having resided in those states while she was a girl. She was eighteen years old when married to Mr. Travis. They have four children, whose names and dates of birth are

recorded as follows : Irene C., November 4, 1888; Etta M., September, 1893; Guy M., March 16, 1895; and Edith R., December 22, 1902. All were born on the Yakima county ranch. Fraternally, Mr. Travis is an Odd Fellow; politically, he is a Republican. For the past eleven years he has served his district as a school director and he takes a lively interest in all other public concerns. Mr. Travis owns five hundred and thirty-five acres of land, of which four hundred and thirty-five acres are in cultivation; his stock interests consist of one hundred head of work and range horses. In culti- vating this land he uses immense gang-plows and eight-horse harrows. The grain is handled by a combination harvester drawn by thirty-two horses. Speaking of early days in this section, Mr. Travis says that in order to mail a letter or get the mail it was necessary to ride sixty-four miles across the range to the Columbia, pay two dollars to be ferried across and then go to Wallula, which was the nearest postoffice. Mr. Travis is an energetic, able and progressive farmer whose success is well deserved.

HALLICK A. SMITH, engaged in wheat farming ten miles southeast of Kiona, is one of Yakima county's pioneers who has achieved suc- cess. Illinois is his birthplace; the year of his birth, 1861. His parents, Aaron and Phila (Ab- bott) Smith, were natives of Ohio and Pennsyl- vania respectively, and their parents were pioneers of Illinois. The father died in 1879, Mrs. Smith in 1876, after long, useful lives. Hallick A. Smith was reared on the old homestead, remaining there assisting his father and attending the district school, until twenty-one years of age. In the spring of 1883, he immigrated to California. He remained there a short time, then with his brother, drove from San Francisco to Walla Walla, Washington. During the fall they investigated the Horse Heaven region and were so well pleased with the outlook that they filed on pre-emption claims immediately. Later Hallick A: filed a homestead claim. Since 1883 he has devoted himself earnestly to the wheat and stock industries. At present he is farming about one thousand acres, all in wheat.

In 1891 Mr. Smith was married to Miss Aurora Volker, the ceremony being performed in Mis- souri. Her parents, William and Nancy (Holmes) Volker, of German and English descent, respect- ively, came to Missouri from Illinois. Mr. Volker was a gunsmith by trade and came to America in 1861. He died in 1897. Nine months after the birth of Mrs. Smith in Madison county, Illinois, 1871, she lost her mother, after which she was taken by her father to Missouri. In the public schools of that state she received her education. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the parents of six children: Lena, born March 31, 1892; Floyd, October 9, 1893; Al-

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BIOGRAPHICAL.

frata, April 19, 1895; Allie L., August 31, 1897 ; Florence, May 30, 1900; and Ina S., March 17, 1902, all born on the Horse Heaven ranch. Mr. Smith is affiliated with one fraternal organization, the Modern Woodmen. In political matters he takes an active interest, belonging to the Repub- lican party. Mr. Smith has served his district as a school director two terms and when the interests of education are at stake is always to be found in the van of progress. His ranch consists of six hundred and forty acres, all in cultivation and well improved and equipped; twenty-eight head of se- lect draught horses are used in operating the machinery, all valuable animals. Mr. Smith com- mands the good will and respect of all in the com- munity ; the task he has accomplished in building up and making comfortable his home place speaks volumes for his energy and ability.

MELVIN U. DIMMICK, lessee of the great Kelso wheat ranch consisting of three and one- half sections situated ten miles southeast of Kiona, is of Irish and English extraction and a member of a well-known northern Illinois family of pioneers. His father, Aaron L. Dimmick, was born in New York, but in early days removed to Franklin county, Illinois, where he is a prosperous farmer. He was one of three in Franklin county who voted for Lincoln in 1850. Mrs. Dimmick is a native of Indiana and was wedded to Mr. Dimmick in Illi- nois when she was sixteen years old.

The subject of this biography was reared and educated in Franklin county, Illinois. He com- menced farming when he was eighteen years old and until he was twenty-seven worked for va- rious farmers in that section of the state. How -. ever, in 1890, he immigrated to the Northwest, lo- cating in Yakima county, and immediately entered the employ of Kelso Brothers. In 1900 he leased their large place and for the past three seasons he has harvested excellent crops. Mr. Dimmick's thorough experience in Illinois agricultural pur- suits has been of invaluable assistance to him in western farming, making him unusually capable of managing so large a farm as the Kelso ranch. His knowledge is thorough and his methods are mod- ern, his energies well directed.

Mr. Dimmick was married in 1881 to Ida Rob- erts, the ceremony taking place in Franklin county, Illinois. To this union four children were born : Horace, March, 1884; Marvin, deceased, Novem- ber, 1881 ; Arthur, November 10, 1886; and Norma, July, 1888. He was again married in 1902, his bride being Mrs. Rena Norman, a daughter of John and Sibley (Odle) McReynolds. Mr. McRey- nolds was born in Indiana and became a pioneer farmer of Illinois. He died September 30, 1887, in Illinois. Between 1861 and 1864 he served in the Union army. Mrs. McReynolds was born in Illi-

nois ; she is still living. Her father was a veteran of the Civil war. Mrs. Dimmick was born in Illi- nois in 1867, and in that state was first married to S. D. Norman. Five children were the fruit of that marriage: Louis, born December 13, 1888; Barney A., April 8, 1891, deceased; Selma C., March 21, 1893; Howard, May 12, 1895; and Vic- tor, April 16, 1897; all born in Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Dimmick are the parents of two sons, Clem, who was born November 4, 1902, and died August 25, 1903, and Aaron, born June 12, 1904. Mr. Dimmick is affiliated with the Odd Fellows and is a member of the Baptist church. He takes a deep interest in political affairs, voting, usually, the Republican ticket. He is a man of unques- tioned integrity, progressive ideas, public-spirit and popularity with his neighbors; and he ranks as one of the most substantial citizens of Yakima county.

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An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 168

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1904 Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company Number of Pages: 1146

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company
Number of Pages: 1146