An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 33

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 33
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 33
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 33

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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KLICKITAT COUNTY.

In all, about $250,000 worth of property was destroyed.

It was prophesied by some that the town would never be rebuilt, but it soon became evi- dent that such prophets greatly underestimated the pluck and energy of the citizens of Golden- dale. Scarcely had the smoke ceased to rise from the ruins when plans were under way to rebuild in a safer and more substantial manner. Previous to this time not a single brick building had been erected in Goldendale, but the lessons of the fire were well learned. The people were made to realize the true economy of fireproof buildings, and out of the ruins rose a more sub- stantial city than had ever before existed in the Klickitat valley. The Sentinel of July 1, 1888, tells of the laying of the first brick in the first brick building erected in the city. By August 2d Hiram Wing had rebuilt his store; V. E. Gobat had a brick building almost completed on Main street; John Coffield had a corrugated iron building in course of construction; the Palace Hotel building had been rebuilt on the site of the old hotel of that name; beside the hotel, Pierce had an office for his lumber yard; oppo- site the Red Barn, Bold & Bold had built a black- smith shop; on the site of the Occidental, Snover had a building forty by forty feet almost com- pleted; Sol Smith had an office; John Keats a shoeshop; William Millican had a two-story building opposite the Palace Hotel; G. W. Mc- Kinney had a hardware store; the Sentinel had a printing office; W. H. Ward a small temporary building; W. B. Presby a law office; J. M. Hess a store in course of construction ; Samuel Lear had a residence; an armory hall, fifty by one hundred feet, had taken the place of the old one; the Methodist church was in course of construction, and a contract had been let for the Presbyterian church; all this within three months from the date of the fire.

The rapidity with which the new Goldendale arose out of the ashes is all the more remarkable when it is remembered that the city was without railroad connection and therefore unable to obtain readily building materials from outside sources; neither were there home facilities in readiness for supplying immediately the increased demands.

Goldendale had, however, been accustomed from the beginning to depend entirely on its own resources, and the unusual situation caused by the fire developed new activity and new enter- prise. The brick and lumber for the reconstruc- tion were from necessity manufactured at home. There was fortunately abundance of timber within easy reach of the town, also plenty of clay from which to manufacture the needed brick, and both were made use of by an ener- getic and determined people.

For a long time the city had been handi- capped in the transaction of its business because

of the absence of a banking house in the town, but in 1889 this desideratum was supplied, a company being formed with a capital of fifty thousand dollars and the First National Bank of Goldendale established. The first officers of this institution were: J. G. Maddock, president; Hugh Fields, vice-president; Hugh Fields, E. W. Pike, J. G. Maddock, F. W. Patterson and O. D. Sturgess, directors. The enterprise flourished from the beginning.

The havoc wrought by the fire caused many of the leading citizens to urge persistently upon the people the necessity of an adequate water supply. The result of this agitation was that the city council was induced to submit to the voters of the town, at an election held June 19, 1890, a proposition to bond the taxable property of the city for five per cent. of its assessed valu- ation for the purpose of constructing a city water system. The bonds amounted to twelve thou- sand five hundred dollars and were to run twenty years at six per cent. The vote stood one hun- dred and twenty-five for the bonds and seven against. Steps were, therefore, immediately taken to build and put into operation the new system, which was to take its water, by the gravity system, from three mountain springs some thirteen miles distant. For the first two years, however, the water was pumped from the Little Klickitat. A large reservoir was con- structed about one hundred and fifty feet above the town and mains were laid throughout the city. Goldendale lies at the foot of the hills that flank the Simcoe range, and in the moun- tains snow lies on the ground the greater part of the year. From these melting snows the water comes cool and fresh and pure the whole year through. The pipe line and water supply was owned, however, by a private company, and it was not until recently that the system came entirely into the hands of the city.

While the water system was being completed, an object lesson was given to the people of the wisdom of the enterprise and the necessity of hastening the work as much as possible. On the evening of September 4, 1890, a fire broke out near the west end of Main street in a stable owned by Mr. Allen. The wind was blowing from the southwest and the flames spread to the north and east. The residence of William Milli- can, valued at twenty-five hundred dollars, was totally destroyed: the property was uninsured. S. P. Leverett's residence was also destroyed; its value was two thousand dollars, insurance one thousand dollars. The barn where the fire broke out was valued at five hundred dollars and was not insured. It was feared at the time that, with the meager facilities then at hand for fight- ing the fire, the disaster of two years previous would be repeated. There was no method by which water could be thrown on the flames save with buckets, and the water supply was limited,

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but the people fought with energy and courage and succeeded in saving the city. A suspicion gained foothold among the citizens of Goldendale that this fire was of incendiary origin, and the mayor authorized the city marshal to provide patrolmen and guards as a precaution against further attempts to destroy the town. The result was that through the vigilance of Charles Alvord, the miscreant was caught in a second attempt. Mr. Alvord saw a suspicious-looking individual enter a barn back of the Palace Hotel and followed him. Just as the pursuer came up, he met one Jesse Allen coming out of the build- ing. When the latter saw Mr. Alvord, he rushed back into the barn and attempted to put out the fire he had already started in a pile of straw. Alvord readily extinguished the flames, then arrested the man and turned him over to the county authorities. It is generally believed that he was also responsible for the other fire, which, indeed, started in his father's barn.

Allen was given a preliminary hearing on a charge of arson and bound over to appear at the November term of court. When his case was called, he entered a plea of not guilty, but the circumstances were so strongly against him that he was convicted and sentenced to three years in the penitentiary.

Although Goldendale was handicapped in its growth by a lack of transportation facilities for a longer period than most of its sister cities throughout the state and thereby suffered much inconvenience, the people were not so far dis- couraged because of this drawback as to neglect any effort on their part which might count in the development and upbuilding of the city. In the early part of March, 1890, a mass-meeting was held at the courthouse for the purpose of estab- lishing a board of trade to foster the interests of the growing town. A temporary organization was formed which, the following week, was transformed into a permanent one. A constitu- tion was adopted and officers elected as follows: N. B. Brooks, president; R. E. Jackson, first vice-president; Joseph Nesbitt, second vice-pres- ident; George H. Baker, third vice-president; C. S. Reinhart, secretary; D. Cram, treasurer. Previous to this time the action of Goldendale's citizens on its behalf had been along separate lines; now by this organization they were pre- pared to act together.

The best energies of Goldendale's citizens were now directed toward the establishment of a railroad connection for the town. That they were in earnest in this effort is amply demon- strated by the fact that they raised a subsidy of twenty thousand dollars in 1890, as an induce- ment to any road to build into the city. Their labors in this direction and their final triumph in recent years are of interest not alone to the city of Goldendale, but to the entire county, and, therefore, have been fully detailed elsewhere.

At no time in the history of the town were its educational interests neglected; on the contrary, the importance of education for the youth was always recognized and a high standard of excel- lence was maintained in the schools. As early as 1880 an academy had been established, but when the public school system became well enough developed, this institution was aban- doned and for many years it was necessary for students desiring advanced education to go out- side the county for it. It had long been the wish of many Goldendale citizens to provide educa- tional facilities at home, thus obviating, in part at least, the necessity of sending their sons and daughters elsewhere for higher learning.

A meeting was held in February, 1896, with this end in view, and such a lively interest was manifested that those who had the enterprise in contemplation felt encouraged to proceed. The services of Professor Charles Timblin were secured, and by the fall of 1896 an academy was established and ready to receive students. Since that time Klickitat Academy has been doing a good work and has been an important adjunct to the educational facilities of the county. Recently, however, the institution has been converted into a high school.

Goldendale was first incorporated in 1879 under the territorial laws. At the city election of 1902 the question of re-incorporation under the state laws was submitted to a popular vote, and the result was one hundred and five for and five against. The new incorporation, by the provisions of which Goldendale is classed as a city of the fourth class, took effect April 15, 1902. Since that time Goldendale has purchased from Hess & Cooper, for the sum of six thousand dollars, the water system from which the city got its water supply. The present city administra- tion, elected in December, 1903, is composed of the following officers: Mayor, Dr. Allen Bone- brake; councilmen, Nelson B. Brooks, Winthrop B. Presby, A. E. Coley, William McGuire, Sam- uel Waters; treasurer, George Hyatt; secretary, J. R. Putnam; attorney, Edgar C. Ward; mar- shal, G. W. Stackhouse. R. D. McCulley is the chief of the city's volunteer fire department, which is a creditable organization in every respect.

The transportation question has been the most difficult to solve of the many problems which in the past have perplexed the founders and builders of Goldendale. Several times in the history of the town a railroad seemed assured, but as often some obstruction prevented the final consummation of the project, until 1903, when at last the energies and efforts of the people of the county and town were fitly rewarded. The line completed, Goldendale's citizens justly felt that a celebration was in order, so June 18, 1903, was set apart as a day of jubilee and general rejoic- ing. In their celebration the people were assisted

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by business men from The Dalles and Portland, the party arriving in time for dinner at the Cen- tral Hotel, which had just been finished. They spent the afternoon in exploring the surrounding country, with which they expressed themselves as delighted, while the evening was given over to speech-making in the armory. Prominent men among the visitors and citizens delivered enthusiastic addresses. The meeting was opened by Attorney Nelson B. Brooks with a few well- chosen remarks; then Harvey W. Scott, of the Oregonian, spoke; also Judge Ballinger and H. C. Campbell. Later a banquet was tendered the visitors at the Central Hotel, Winthrop B. Presby acting as toastmaster.

In response to the toast "Portland," Attorney John M. Gearin said: "Now that this country has been opened up by this railroad and given communication with the markets of the commer- cial world, your products will take on a new value and the number of your homes will be increased, your lands will be settled more gener- ally, and your wealth will accumulate more rap- idly. At Goldendale you have the metropolis of one of the richest valleys in the Northwest, and as this road is extended and possibly brought into connection with some great transcontinental system, your prestige will grow. You stand here living examples of what men can do by their own endeavors. You came into an unset- tled country without railroads and without even wagon roads, and have built up a rich and pros- perous community."

Other speeches were made in the same strain by experienced business men from other parts, showing that the natural advantages of Golden- dale and the riches of her surrounding country were duly appreciated by all. It is yet too soon to judge of the results of this great enterprise on Goldendale, for scarcely a year has passed since the railroad's arrival, but the city has already shown a marked increase in business activity. The growth of Goldendale has been steady and sure. At no time in its history has it suffered from over-booming, but a comparison of census returns shows that a steady growth in population has ever been maintained. In the past few years this increase has been much more rapid than formerly. The census for 1900 shows a population of seven hundred and thirty-eight, not including the thickly-settled districts which lie just without the limits of the corporation. In 1903 the population, as estimated by the state bureau of statistics, was one thousand six hundred and ninety, a gain of more than one hundred per cent. in three years.

An increase in building activity is also to be noticed. Substantial brick buildings are taking the place of old wooden ones, and the new struc- tures are invariably much larger than those they replace, showing that the business of the town is increasing and demanding more room. The

residence part of the city is being materially extended by the addition of new buildings, made necessary by the arrival of new families, for during the spring just past almost every train has been bringing home-seekers and home-build- ers to the valley and city.

Goldendale now has a large sixty-room hotel, covering a ground space of sixty by one hundred feet. The building is three stories high and is elegantly furnished, using electric lights, steam heat, call bells and all the necessary equipment of a modern hotel. The hotel owns its own light plant and is the only building in the city with electric lights. The hotel is owned and operated by Alvord & Ahola, who provide excel- lent service for their patrons.

Although the National Bank of Goldendale terminated its operations when hard times made business slack, Goldendale was not left long without a bank. In 1899 Moore Brothers, of Moro, Oregon, established the Bank of Golden- dale. A. Melgard, formerly of Minnesota, bought the property in May, 1902, and is at present its owner. The bank is a private insti- tution and occupies its own building. Mr. Mel- gard has had many years of experience in bank- ing, and before coming to this city was cashier of the State Bank of Warren, Minnesota. He is well known in financial circles.

The city has two weekly newspapers, both of which have been and are no small factors in the growth of the community and county at large. The Sentinel, in its twenty-fifth volume, is under the management of W. F. Byars, who owns most of the company's stock. The Agriculturist, in its fourteenth year, is owned and edited by W. J. Story. Both papers are provided with improved printing plants and well equipped job offices. These newspapers will be more fully treated of in the press chapter.

The manufacturing interests of the city are still in their infancy, yet a good beginning has been made in this line. There are two flouring mills-the Goldendale Milling Company's mill, with a capacity of one hundred barrels a day, under the management of Phillips & Aldrich, and the Klickitat mill, owned by J. M. Hess & Son; its capacity is seventy barrels. Besides these mills, there are two planing mills, that of the Klickitat White Pine Company, D. W. Pierce, manager, capacity, twenty thousand feet a day, employing between fifteen and twenty men, and the Goldendale planing mill, of which J. A. Beckett is manager, handling about one million feet a year. A well-equipped foundry is also among the city's industrial institutions.

Goldendale's mercantile houses, business and professional men, other than those heretofore mentioned, may be listed as follows:

General merchandise, Baker Brothers, John E. Chappell, Samuel Waters, A. M. McLeod & Company; clothing store, Rust Brothers; book

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store, Rankin & Frisbie; drug stores, C. M. Shel- ton & Company, Chester Pike, McKee & McKee, H. S. Goddard; hardware, W. A. Mckenzie, H. N. Frazer; furniture, A. C. Chapman, A. I. Webb & Son; second-hand store, P. D. Presher; groceries, Bartlett & Sons; meat market, Shelton & McCrow; jewelers, Wendelin Leidl, V. E. Campbell; bakery, W. F. Stiner; restaurants, Thomas Kennedy, J. J. O'Rourke, Ryan & Swee- ney; racket store, Cochran & Holland; flour and feed, William Van Vactor & Son; implements, wagons, etc., E. W. Pike, C. E. Marshall, Wil- liam Enderby; harness shop, W. H. Ward; foundry, the Goldendale, Leonard & Leverett, proprietors; millinery stores, Mrs. Lizzie Taylor, Miss Helen Campbell, Miss Alice Coffield: bar- ber shops, Southern & Van Hook, Blagdon & Smith; confectionery, notions, O. S. Ebi, C. M. Shelton & Company; fish and fruit market, Francis McGregor; blacksmith shops, George H. Wood, Julius Plett, M. M. Warner; tailor shop, The Toggery (B. E.) Crawford & (Thomas) Hill; livery stables, William Van Vactor, A. B. Courtway, Charles Alvord, John Washburn; lodging-house, The Chicago, J. Lacost, propri- etor ; restaurant and lodging-house, J. P. Harris; shoemaker, S. Odrowski; real estate, loans, insurance, Klickitat County Land & Loan Com- pany, J. J. Reid, manager, Phillips & Aldrich, Brooks & Stringfellow, Hiram Dustin, Stevens & Hause; abstract and real estate, Smith & Spoon; farms, loans, etc., E. W. Pike; undertaker, Frank Sanders; lawyers, Winthrop B. Presby, Hiram Dustin, Nelson B. Brooks, E. C. Ward, W. T. Darch; physicians, Drs. Allen Bonebrake, W. M. Hamilton, H. H. Hartley, H. S. Goddard, J. M. Reeder; dentists, Dr. N. R. Norris, R. D. McCulley : veterinary dentist, H. S. Anderson ; architect and builder, W. J. Andrews ; contractors and builders, N. B. Brooks, A. R. Ketch & Sons; painters and paper hangers, C. H. Carter, E. C. Partridge; transfer business, Bunnell & Carter, Waldo Glover.

It is characteristic of the American commu- nity that the schoolhouse and the church are always among the oldest buildings in the settle- ment. The town of Goldendale was yet only a pile of rails when the first move was made to establish a school within its precincts. In 1873 John J. Golden gave two lots in the newly platted town as a site for a schoolhouse in the district, which was first known as the E. A. Hopkins dis- trict. The district is now officially known as No. 7. Its first directors were I. I. Lancaster, E. A. Hopkins and M. V. Harper. They erected a building on the grounds donated by Mr. Golden, and for a number of years this was the only schoolhouse in the town. The entire furniture consisted of rough benches for the children and the customary teacher's desk and chair.

The rapid growth which followed the removal of the county seat to Goldendale rendered this

building inadequate, and as the people were scarcely prepared to undergo the expense of erecting a larger schoolhouse, it was taken up as a private enterprise by Captain W. A. Wash in 1879. Again the public spirit of Mr. Golden was brought into evidence by his donation of a suitable location for the new building. Captain Wash organized a joint stock company and built the main part of the present west end school- house. An academy was conducted by Mr. Wash in this building, which was in reality a public institution, as the academy drew the school funds and taught the children of the Goldendale district. A year and a half later Mr. Wash sold the building to the district. In a short time this building also became too small, and about 1884 a wing was added. After purchasing the new building, the district sold the old one to the Predestinarian Baptist church. By 1900 the enlarged building was also overcrowded, and it was necessary to rent the old schoolhouse to accommodate the extra numbers. Two years later it was decided to bond the district and build a new schoolhouse. Bonds were issued in the sum of seven thousand dollars by vote of the people and the new building was completed for the fall term of 1902. It is a sightly two-story, eight-room, frame structure occupying a fine site in the eastern end of the city.

The district owns a well-selected library of several hundred volumes, besides a large num- ber of current magazines. The school census of 1904 shows that it contains four hundred and sixty-eight children of school age; the. enroll- ment for the past year was three hundred and twenty-five. The faculty for the year 1904-5 will be as follows: Charles Boyd, principal ; C. M. Ryman, O. B. Frisbie, Miss Lorena Glea- son, Miss Hulda Rankin, Miss Jessie Look, Miss Kate Moore, Miss Mary Hutton, besides the high school faculty, of which Professor Charles Timblin will be principal. The school board is composed of Dr. Allen Bonebrake, Wendelin Leidl and W. H. Ward.

The church history of Goldendale reaches even farther back than that of the public schools. The Goldendale Directory, published in 1880, furnishes the information that:

"The M. E. church circuit of Klickitat county was organized by the Rev. J. W. Turner, of Walla Walla district, Oregon annual confer- ence, in the year 1869-70. The first class was formed by the Rev. G. Hines, then in charge of The Dalles district. In August, 1871, the Rev. J. H. B. Royal was appointed to the Klickitat circuit. Twelve lots were donated at that time for a Methodist parsonage by John J. Golden and a building was erected thereon."

In 1875 the church purchased the present location from John R. Chatfield for the sum of twenty dollars, and three years later erected a church building. By 1880 the church had a

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membership of two hundred and twenty with thirty-three probationers. The disastrous fire that swept Goldendale in 1888 consumed the building, but it was immediately rebuilt. At present the church has a membership of two hundred and thirty, including probationers. They have a fine building with a large seating, capacity and a wing for league room and confer- ence. Following is a list of the pastors who have served since 1880: Revs. W. T. Koontz, succeeded in August, 1881, by G. E. Wilcox; S. W. Richards, August 14, 1882, to September 8, 1884: C. M. Bryan, September 8, 1884, to July 21, 1885: John Uren, July 21, 1885, to Septem- ber 24, 1888; L. J. Whitcomb, September 24, 1888, to August, 1889; G. G. Ferguson, August, 1889, to August 30, 1890; Edward McEvers, August 30, 1890, to September 6, 1892; J. M. McDonald, September 13, 1892, to December 24, 1894: U. F. Hawk, January 2, 1895, to Septem- ber 1, 1897; N. Evans, September 1, 1897, to March 1, 1901; C. D. Nickelson, March 1, 1901, to August 15, 1902 ; H. B. Ellsworthy, September 1, 1902, serving at present.

In 1879 the Christian denomination organized and built a church. This is now the oldest church building in the city, as the Methodist church built the previous year was afterward destroyed by fire. Among the earliest pastors in charge of the Christian church were Revs. Esherman, McCorkel and Ross. For a period of years, however, the church had no resident pas- tor, the pulpit being filled from outside sources. The present pastor, Rev. C. M. Himes, who was called to the church February 22, 1904, is the first resident minister in a number of years. The present membership is about seventy-eight.

The Baptist church of Goldendale was organ- ized in 1879 by Rev. T. H. Harper with nine constituent members. The following year the present house of worship was erected on a lot donated to the society by John J. Golden. By the end of the year 1879 the membership had increased to thirty. At this writing the church is without a resident pastor, though it has a fair- sized membership.

The Presbyterian church was organized in Goldendale July 26, 1879. The following is a partial list of its charter members: I. B. Court- ney, Mr. and Mrs. Luark, Mr. and Mrs. J. G. Downey, Mr. and Mrs. J. B. White, Mr. and Mrs. Mahen, Mrs. Waldo Glover and Mrs. Peter Gunn. As nearly as can be ascertained, the first church building was erected in 1883. This building was destroyed by the great fire of 1888, but in August of the same year the society let a contract for the rebuilding of the church at a cost of one thousand eight hundred and fifty dollars. A very sightly and commodious struc- ture was erected on the corner opposite the Cen- tral Hotel. A year ago Rev. D. F. Giles assumed charge of the church, and he is still its pastor.

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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 33

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