An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 210

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 210
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 210
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 210

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).

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BIOGRAPHICAL.

ness man and has accumulated considerable prop. erty. He owns two business blocks in Roslyn in addition to his residence, and has a fine farm of one hundred and sixty-two and seven-tenths acres on the Yakima river.

GEORGE D. VIRDEN is a farmer and min- ing man, who lives at Liberty postoffice, twelve miles east of Cle-Elum, Washington. He was born in Illinois, February 23, 1847. His father, Oscar Virden, was born in Kentucky, June 19, 1819, and is now farming in Iowa. The mother, Love C. (Powel) Virden, was born in Vermont in 1821, and is still living. In addition to the son George, there are in the family one son and two daughters: Charles Virden, an Iowa farmer; Lizzie (Virden) Blye and Emily (Virden) Coons, wives of Minnesota farmers. George D. Virden, of whom we write, attended the schools of Black Hawk county, Iowa, until he was nine- teen years old, and then spent two years on his father's farm. He afterwards moved to Kansas and engaged in farming for himself for five years, but, on account of drought and grasshoppers, again moved, this time to Washington. He ar- rived in Kittitas county in September, 1876, and two years later moved on his present farm.

Mr. Virden was married in Iowa, April 9, 1868, to Miss Rebecca Walker, who was born in Ohio, April 20, 1849. Her father and mother, David and Leah (Mohl) Walker, were natives of Pennsylvania and of German descent; both are now deceased. The brothers and sisters of Mrs. Virden are as follows: Sarah (Walker) Wakeman and Lizzie (Walker) Zartman, both deceased; John Walker, a farmer, now residing at Frederick, Kansas; Frank Walker, a Kansas carpenter ; Josiah Walker, Hattie (Walker) Rugg, and Jennie (Walker) Saunders, the three last named now deceased; David Walker, of Kansas City, Missouri; Clara (Walker) Rugg (deceased) and Milton Walker, a farmer of Kan- sas. Another sister, Mrs. Johanna (Walker) Schufell, is now residing in Ohio, and a brother, Byron Walker, is a music teacher at Hutchin- son, Kansas. Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Virden. Mabel, the first child, died. The others are: William, born Novem- ber 6, 1871; Della (Virden) Piland, born Sep- tember 17, 1873, both of Kittitas county; Leah (Virden) Crowley, born March 24, 1875, of El- lensburg ; Ida (Virden) Lundberg, born April 10, 1880 (deceased) ; George Virden, born May 15, 1883; Norman Virden, born September 18, 1887, and Chester Virden, born September 7, 1892. Mr. Virden was intimately associated with pioneer mining in the county. He took out the first sack of coal from Roslyn, and brought it to Ellensburg, where a blacksmith test showed its value. He located

one hundred and sixty acres of coal land and intend- ed to file on it, but found the land was unsurveyed, so let it go. He now has one of the most valuable coal deposits in the county. He also hauled the first wagon load of coal from the Roslyn mine for use in his own blacksmith shop. He was one of the early locaters in the Swauk Creek gold district, where he now has three mines, the Gold Hill, Summit and Gold Bug. He has three hundred and twenty acres of land, of which one-third is under cultivation. His farm is equipped with stock and machinery neces- sary for its proper cultivation, and in addition, with a good barn, machinery sheds, and a comfortable nine-room dwelling house. Mr. Virden is one of the leading farmers of the county, and has a wide circle of friends.

GUSTAF NILSON is a mining man, living four and one-half miles southwest of Liberty, Wash- ington. He was born in Sweden, April 5, 1839. His parents, Nils Nilson and Engebord (Gro) Nilson, were born in Sweden in 1817 and 1818, respect- ively, and are now both deceased. Mr. Nilson at- tended school in his native land until he was seven- teen years old. He then engaged in railroad work and mining, which occupations he followed until he was twenty-two years old. Next, he followed a sea- faring life for two years and a half. When the life of a sailor was no longer to his liking he came to the United States, where, in Illinois, he engaged in farming. Later, feeling a revival of nautical tend- encies, he worked on a Mississippi river steamboat, after which he railroaded until 1889, since which time he has devoted most of his attention to mining. He has been a resident of Washington since 1870. He was the first postmaster at Liberty, and took out the first copper and silver ore from the Fish Lake country. He located placer claims on Liberty bar and took out $19,000 before selling his holdings in 1899. He now owns quartz properties in the Swauk district. Mr. Nilson has two sisters and two brothers. The sisters are Mrs. Engelborg (Nilson) Swanson, of Cle-Elum, and Mrs. Anna (Nilson) Anderson, of Klickitat county ; the broth- ers are Axel Nilson, a minister in Sweden, and Olaf Nilson, a manufacturer, also in the old country. Mr. Nilson is the owner of about four hundred acres of farm land, upon which is a good house and a large barn. He has plenty of live stock and farming implements. Fraternally, he is associated with the Knights of Pythias, and, in religion, he is an ad- herent of the German Lutheran church. He is a prosperous and well-informed mining man whose success is fully merited.

THOMAS LIVINGSTON is a native of the state of Washington, born in Seattle, March 1, 1874. He is engaged in mining, and resides a half mile southeast of Liberty, Washington. He is a son of

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Jacob Livingston, one of the pioneers of the state. His mother, Elizabeth (Brown) Livingston, was born in Washington, in 1853, and died when Thomas was but two years old. The father is of Holland Dutch and Scotch descent, and was born in Pennsylvania, June 22, 1837. Thomas Living- ston studied in the common schools of Ellensburg until he was eighteen years old. He then engaged in prospecting and placer mining, which he has since followed with considerable success. His two brothers reside in this state. They are James Liv- ingston, born in Seattle, June, 1876, now engaged in mining in Kittitas county, and George W., born at Liberty, March 23, 1881. Mr. Livingston was married in Everett, Washington, November 17, 1898, to Miss Estella King, who was born in Illi- nois, February 18, 1883. The parents of the bride were William and Alice King, who, with their three other children, Robert, Rosie and Mary, now reside in Loomis, Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Livingston have one child, Ruby M., born in Neighborsville, Washington, October 2, 1901. Mr. Livingston is a Republican. He is said to be one of the best posted mining men of the county in which he resides, and is the owner of a number of paying mining proper- ties. He is one of the progressive citizens of the county.

TORKEL TWEET is a mining man whose home is one mile north of Liberty, Washington. He was born in Norway, February 14, 1855, and has been in the United States since he was thirteen years old. His parents were John and Anna (Frolin) Tweet, both born in Norway about the year 1812. The elder Tweet is now deceased. Torkel Tweet attended school in his native land and later finished his education in the common schools of Minnesota and Wisconsin. When seven- teen years of age he engaged in farming in Minne- sota, and was thus employed ten years. Then he took up railroad contracting in Wisconsin, Minne- sota and Montana. From 1883 to 1885 he pros- pected in the Coeur d'Alene mining district of Idaho. Thence he moved to the Liberty district, where he has since prospected and mined, except- ing two years, during which time he was in Alaska. He is now operating the Selma mine, which is owned by Mr. Jenzer and himself. The two part- ners have extracted about $14,000 worth of ore from other mining property they own, which claims are the Phoenix and Little York. Mr. Tweet has two brothers and one sister, natives of Norway. The brothers are Thomas and John Tweet, and the sister is Mrs. Borney (Tweet) Knutson. The two last named reside in Minnesota. Mr. Tweet is a Republican, and in religion, is connected with the German Lutheran church. His mining properties are considered among the best in the state, and he handles them to the best advantage, being thor-

oughly skilled in mining. He is well-to-do and popular, a substantial citizen.

JOHN JENZER is a mining man living at Lib- erty, Washington. He is a native of Switzerland, born in Melchnan, Canton Berne, August 15, 1860, and is the son of Andreas and Elizabeth Jenzer, natives of Switzerland, both born in the year 1831. The parents are dead. The son John spent his youth and early manhood in his native country, coming to the United States in 1887, in his twenty-seventh year. Upon arrival in this country he located first in California, where he followed mining in various parts of the state for a number of years. He went to Alaska prior to the rush of miners to that place, and while there met with fair success, facing the dangers and enduring the hardships of the earliest pioneer days. He also spent seven winters and eight summers in the Yukon country. Returning to the states in the fall of 1902, he settled at Lib- erty, Kittitas county, Washington. Since that time he has purchased a half interest with Torkel Tweet in five mines which promise excellent returns when thoroughly developed. Like all prospectors and miners, he has experienced many "ups and downs" in the search for the hidden treasures of the earth, but with the true grit and determination of the native mountaineer, he has persevered, has faced many dangers and overcome many difficulties, and has faith that the future will yet crown his efforts with success. Born among the mountains of his native country, he is nowhere more at home than among the mountains of his adopted land. Mr. Jenzer was third in a family of five children, two of whom have passed away. In political matters, he adheres to the principles of the Republican party and takes an active interest in political campaigns. He was reared in the German Lutheran church. He is energetic and ambitious, and is working hard to make his mining properties take rank with the great producers of the Northwest. He is a man highly respected and esteemed by all who know him.

JOHN BLOMQUIST, a mining man and miller of Liberty, Washington, was born in Sweden, June 12, 1840. He is the son of Carl and Elizabeth Blom- quist, both born in Sweden, where his father, a farmer by occupation, died. Mr. Blomquist's career has been one of work and activity, during which, as a sailor, he managed to see a goodly portion of the world. He worked on his father's farm and attended the common schools of his native count" until seventeen years of age. In 1858 he came to the United States, landed at Boston, and from that port shipped as a sailor on a vessel bound for China. During the voyage his ship was wrecked, her cargo lost, and it was with difficulty that the crew were saved from watery graves. After four years spent as a seaman, he came to California, in 1861. Deter-

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BIOGRAPHICAL.

mined to leave the sea, he secured employment in a shipbuilding yard, where he remained four years, at the expiration of which time he again shipped for China. In that country he remained three years, then came to Puget Sound and again took work in a shipbuilding yard. In 1871 he came to Kittitas county and took up a ranch eight miles from Ellens- burg. He was the first settler to make filings on a homestead in the Yakima land office. He lived on this claim for a number of years, a portion of which time he also ran a brewery. In 1873 he removed to Swauk Prairie and opened a mine near the Dis- covery claim. Seven years ago he established a sawmill on the prairie, and has made this his home up to the present time. His firm is styled the Blom- quist Mining & Milling Company.

Mr. Blomquist was married in Seattle, in 1871, to Miss Eliza Jordan, to which union four children were born : Gustave, August 28, 1875 ; Emma White, July 6, 1877 ; Charley, June, 1879, and Frank, April, 1882 ; all were born in Kittitas county, and are still living, with the exception of the last named. Mr. Blomquist's first wife died sixteen years ago, and ten years subsequent to her death Mr. Blomquist was married to Mrs. Mortsen, who was born in Norway in 1863, and educated in that country. To this union, also, four children have been born : Francis, Victor, Cisciel and Helmer, all natives of Kittitas county, and born in 1897, 1899, 1900 and 1902, respectively. Mr. Blomquist is a Democrat in politics, but not a rabid partisan. He has a saw- mill on Williams creek, which is doing a profitable business. He is also interested in a number of mines, and is opening up some promising quartz properties in the vicinity of his home. He is one of the well-to-do business men of his county, and one of the most popular citizens, both in business and social circles.

R. A. BARRY lives one and one-half miles north of Liberty, Washington, where he is engaged in mining. He was born in Olympia, Washington, April 18, 1875, being the son of Jerome and Hellen (Mereen) Barry. Both of his parents were natives of Maine, where the father was born in 1829 and the mother in 1848. Mr. Barry is now deceased. R. A. Barry, of whom we write, attended the com- mon schools and high school at Olympia until he was seventeen years old. Then in July, 1892, he moved to Liberty and engaged in prospecting and mining. He has charge of mining work for several companies. The Getchell Mining Company was organized to develop some of his prospects in July, 1901, and Mr. Barry is now in charge of the work as manager, and is also one of the heaviest stock- holders of the company. The company has four claims on a contact lead, and four on a fissure vein, the prospects in view being most flattering. Thus far about twenty thousand dollars has been ex- pended in development work, and it is claimed

there are ten million dollars in ore in sight in the main tunnel. This tunnel taps the ledge at a depth of two hundred feet. The ledge is sixty feet wide.

Mr. Barry was married in Olympia, January 5, 1902, to Miss Fanny Early, who was born in Kan- sas City. July 21, 1882. Her father is William Early ; the mother died when Mrs. Barry was three years of age. She has but one brother, Robert, born in 1880. Mr. Barry also has but one brother, Earl, now residing at Olympia. Mr. and Mrs. Barry have one child, Wallace, born August 7, 1903. Politically, Mr. Barry affiliates with the Republican party, and fraternally. with the Modern Woodmen of America. By economy he has accu- mulated considerable property in addition to his mining interests. The Getchell mine was located in 1900. A complete two-stamp mill has been erected and will start steady operation this year. Mr. Barry is president and general manager of the company, which is capitalized at one million dollars. He is one of the successful and respected citizens of the county.

EDGAR McCALLUM is a farmer who lives five and one-half miles south of Liberty, Washing- ton. He was born in Iowa, September 7, 1878. He is the son of Peter and Sarah B. (Harrison) Mc- Callum. His father, born in Scotland, January 12, 1849, is at present located at Cle-Elum, Washing- ton. The elder McCallum was the son of Rohert and Annie ( McKay) McCallum, both natives of Scotland. Robert McCallum was foreman ship carpenter for Dewey Brothers for twenty-one years. He died in 1863. Peter McCallum accompanied his parents to Canada when he was an infant. His father died there and his mother then moved to Iowa, where Peter was educated, and where he worked on farms, thus supporting his mother until 1872, when he went to California. After two years spent in farming and mining, he returned to Iowa, where he was married, in 1874, to Sarah B. Harri- son, daughter of W. H. and Milla (Strowbridge) Harrison. He lived in Iowa six years, going at the end of this period to Olympia, Washington, where for nine months he engaged in logging. In August, 1882, he moved to Kittitas county, took up one hundred and sixty acres of land as a home- stead, and bought as much more railroad land eighteen miles north of Ellensburg. He lived on this place fifteen years and brought the land into a high state of cultivation. He still owns this land, as well as one hundred and sixty acres adjoining, which he purchased in 1891. In 1897 he went to Seattle and engaged in the grocery business. In February, 1902, he sold out and returned to Clc- Elum, which has since been his home. His first wife died after they had lived together many years. His second wife is Julia Eldred, daughter of Henry W. and Julia (Ryan) Eldred, now of Ellensburg. Mrs. McCallum was born in Wisconsin, and was edu-

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CENTRAL WASHINGTON.

cated there and in Iowa. She was twenty-two years of age at the time of her marriage to Mr. McCallum. A brother, George, lives in Ellens- burg, and Leslie, another brother, is dead. Mr. McCallum's brothers and sisters are: Mrs. Anna Shaw, of Pennsylvania; Mrs. Margaret McCon- nell, of St. Louis; Catherine and Rebecca, both of Dakota; of the two brothers, Lewis resides in Dakota, and Robert has passed away. By his first wife Peter McCallum had five children: Edgar, the subject of this article; Jessie ( McCallum) Dun- ford, Lewis, Peter and William. He is a Demo- crat. For sixteen years he was postmaster at McCallum, Washington, and for two years was county commissioner. He is an active member of the Presbyterian church. In addition to his four hundred and eighty acres of farm land, he owns a large amount of valuable property in Cle-Elum.

Edgar McCallum was educated in Kittitas county, and when nineteen years old began farm work, which he has since followed. He was mar- ried in Ellensburg, April 12, 1899, to Miss Jessie Lundberg, who was born in Wisconsin, March 8, 1878. He has been working his father's farm, which he has leased for five years, and has been very successful. He has some live stock and all needed farming implements, and is recognized as one of the most competent young farmers of his locality.

ELLING OLSEN, a farmer living six miles south of Liberty, Washington, was born in Nor- way, October 6, 1851. His parents were Ole and Ingebor (Johnson) Elefson, both natives of Nor- way. The father is now dead, and the mother re- sides in this country. Mr. Olsen was educated in Norway, and when twenty-two years old came to the United States and located in Michigan. There he worked in the iron mines for three years. Later he visited Wisconsin for a short time, and then came to Washington, arriving at Tacoma in the fall of 1876. There he stayed for two years, and in July, 1878, came to Kittitas county. After a few years spent in prospecting and mining he bought the farm where he now lives. He moved on the place in 1886, and has since cultivated it. His brothers and sisters are: John Olsen, of this state ; Martin Olsen, of Norway; Gust and Lasse, twins, who are farmers; Mrs. Cecelia (Olsen) Johnson, of Minnesota, and Julia Olsen, of this county. Politically, Mr. Olsen affiliates with the Republican party, and in religion, with the German Lutheran church. He has eighty acres of land, sixty acres of which are well cultivated. In addi- tion to this, jointly with his three brothers, he owns a section of grazing land. He has a good house and barn, and of cattle and horses about thirty-five head. He is doing well, is a capable farmer, pro- gressive in his ideas and well esteemed by his fellow citizens.

GUST and LASSE OLSEN, living six miles south of Liberty, Washington, are twin brothers, born in Norway, September 9, 1859. They are the sons of Ole and Ingebor (Jensen) Elefson, both natives of Norway, Mr. Elefson having been a farmer. The father died in Norway, while the mother is still living with her sons. She was born August 6, 1827, and was married when twenty-one years of age. Until their tenth year, Gust and Lasse Olsen attended the common schools of. Nor- way. At the age mentioned they were hired out to herd sheep and cattle, and continued in that ·vocation until fifteen years old. At sixteen they took men's places in the field and followed agricul- ture until their twenty-second year, when they came to the United States. Arriving in this country, they went to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where they worked in a sawmill for seven years. They then removed to Blewett, Chelan county, Washington, where for a period of three years they worked in the mines of that region. In the fall of 1893 they purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Kittitas county, where they are now living, and afterwards added, by purchase, three hundred and eighty acres to their holdings. Since 1893 they have been farming ; their land is in a high state of culti- vation and at the present time they have eighty acres in grain. Elling and John Olsen, living in this state, are their brothers, and Julia, living at the home place, is a sister. There is also a brother, Jens, and a sister, Cecelia Johnson, living in Min- nesota, and another brother, Martimus, resides in Norway. All were born in Norway. Gust and Lasse Olsen are Republicans in politics, and mem- bers of the Lutheran church. Their farm is one of the best in the county, being well stocked with blooded Durham cattle and with a sufficient number of horses to carry on their work successfully. The brothers are doing exceptionally well in a business way, they enjoy the esteem and confidence of all, and are surrounded by a large circle of social and business friends.

SAMUEL I. RHODES, a mining man living two and one-half miles north of Liberty, Washing- ton, was born in Pennsylvania, January 7, 1863. He is the son of Christ C. and Elizabeth (Upinge) Rhodes, both born in Pennsylvania, 1831 and 1834, respectively. Mr. Rhodes' father is a lumberman in business life. He is of English descent, and is still living in the state of his birth, as is also the mother. Until arriving at the age of twenty, Sam- ttel worked on the home farm and attended the public schools of Pennsylvania. He then went to work running a sawmill, doing contract work, fol- lowing this vocation until the fall of 1889, when he came to Washington. In this state he located in Gray's Harbor, where he followed the lumbering business for two years. His next move was to

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BIOGRAPHICAL.

Prosser, where he engaged in ditch work, which he followed until the spring of 1896, at which time he came to the Swauk mining region, where he came into possession of a promising placer and quartz claim. On one of his claims, the Red Jacket, he has about seven hundred feet of tunnel and shaft work completed, and the group is one of great promise, and has been bonded for a large sum. Mr. Rhodes has three brothers, all born and still living in Pennsylvania. Their names are: Evert H., Nathan T. and Wilbert E. Rhodes.

In Ellensburg, August 28, 1902, Mr. Rhodes was married to Mrs. May B. Haas, daughter of Emery and Kathren (Patterson) Carter. The father of Mrs. Rhodes, born in Kentucky, was a railroad man, and died in 1872. Mrs. Carter was born in Ohio, in 1837, and is now living in Batavia,

Illinois. Mrs. Rhodes was born in Springfield, Ohio, August 4, 1865. She received a finished edu- cation in the Ohio schools and later took a musical course in Oberlin conservatory. She taught music for eight years, and in 1881 was married to C. Haas. By this union three children were born. Mr. Haas died in 1893, and in 1902 Mrs. Haas was married to her present husband. She has one brother, John P. Carter, born in Ohio, 1858, now living in Chicago. Fraternally, Mr. Rhodes is a member of the Odd Fellows and of the Modern Woodmen of America. Both he and his wife be- long to the Protestant church. Both Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes are social leaders in their locality. Her husband is doing well in business, and is rated as being one of the leading business men of Kittitas 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 210

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