An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 176

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1172

USA > Washington > Skagit County > An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 176
USA > Washington > Snohomish County > An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 176

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THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOR. TENOK TILDAS : IT. NATIONS

HON. O. B. IVERSON

TRUITT K. ROBE

HENRY MENZEL

GEORGE MENZEL

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BIOGRAPHICAL

prosperity. He set up and helped print the first paper in the county, The Northern Star, of which Eldridge Morse was the editor. He has witnessed many hard times in the early days, but considers that 1876 was the most trying period known to the Northwest, surpassing even the panic of 1893. Mr. Gregory's one diversion in the last fifteen years has been bear hunting, in which he has had remarkable success, but he is now debarred from this sport be- cause of paralysis. He laughingly challenges any man in the county to count bear scalps with him, having thirty-five to his credit. Throughout his long, busy, eventful life his one controlling principle has been the Golden Rule, and the hosts of friends he has made in these years all gladly bear witness that he has adherred closely to its lofty teachings.

CHARLES F. HANSON, whose farm lies two miles in a northerly direction from Stanwood, is one of the large farm operators of Snohomish county, and has been eminently successful since coming here, nearly twenty years ago. Energy, tact and business judgment are the qualities which have been prominent among the characteristics of Mr. Hanson. He was born in Portland, Maine, in the summer of 1862, the second of the ten children of James M. and Emeline (Whitney) Hanson. The elder Hanson followed farming all his life, with the exception of the time he passed as a sol- dier in the Civil War and a few months in the mercantile business just previous to his death. Until 1886 he lived in the Pine Tree state, save three years of service in the Union army as a pri- vate of the Twenty-Fifth Maine infantry. In the year named he came to Snohomish county and leased the place which is now owned by his son, Charles. He operated this farm until 1899, when he sold out his stock and moved to Redlands, Cali- fornia, where he embarked in the grocery business. He was attacked by pneumonia and died in 1900. Mrs. Hanson, also a native of Maine, died in 1903 while residing with her son George, near Mount Vernon. The children of this union surviving are: George, Charles, Eliza, Emma, Frank and Mary.

Charles F. Hanson attended the common schools of his native state until he reached the age of six- teen, but remained with his parents until he had attained his majority. For the subsequent four years he worked at farming. He came to Snoho- mish county in 1887 and for three years operated large farms near Florence, under lease, making oats his principal crop and raising as many as 7,000 sacks per year. In 1890 he removed to his present place near Stanwood, and leased a farm of 320 acres, later purchasing 160 acres northi of his

present home. He operates both places, 480 acres in all.

In 1897 at Stanwood Mr. Hanson married Miss Grace Fowler, a native of Sonoma county, Cali- fornia, born April 8, 1872, the daughter of White- head and Emeline (Peckenpaugh) Fowler. Mr. Fowler was born on Long Island, New York, in 1833, and was a harness maker by trade. He went to California in 1852, remaining there for forty years. Coming to Snohomish county in 1892, he resided near Port Susan until his death, in the late autumn of 1902. Mrs. Fowler was born in Illi- nois in 1841, and accompanied her parents to So- noma county, California, in 1853, remaining with them until her marriage. She is now a resident of Bellingham, Whatcom county, making her home with a daughter. Her six children, all living, are : Alice, Warren, Laura, Ellen, Grace and Charles. Mrs. Hanson received her education in California and lived with her parents until marriage. To Mr. and Mrs. Hanson have been born two children : Donald, December 11, 1899, and Audrey, May 20, 1902. In politics Mr. Hanson is a Republican ; in lodge circles a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Fraternal Union of America. The family is affiliated with the Metho- dist church. Mr. Hanson's farm of 160 acres, the land which he owns, is improved bottom land and diked. It is said to be worth not less than $200 an acre. Aside from his extensive business as grower of oats and other farm products, Mr. Hanson is deeply engaged in the dairy and live stock business. having forty-two head in his dairy herd, forty head of stock cattle, twenty head of horses and colts and thirty-five head of hogs. He owns a J. I. Case threshing machine and also a baler. He is one of the substantial business men of the community, re- spected for his qualities of mind and heart and honored as the possessor of a sterling manhood.

HON. O. B. IVERSON, now of Olympia, Washington, formerly of Stanwood, and among that section's notable pioneer leaders to whom Snohomish county will ever owe a debt of grati- tude for public services, is a native of Norway. Hle was born September 14, 1843, on an estate known as Borsheim, Ulvik Hardanger. In 1857 his parents immigrated to Big Canoe, Winneshiek county, Iowa. the lad of twelve accompanying them to the new home selected across the sea. The next few years he spent as did most boys of his age and circumstances, rapidly acquiring a knowledge of and a love for America's peculiar institutions, and laying firm the foundations for his future useful- ness. The month of September, 1862, witnessed his enlistment in Company D, Sixth Iowa Cavalry. for a term of three years, or until the end of the war. To the intense disgust of this regiment, it

968

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was sent to protect the Dakota and Montana fron- tiers from Indian ravages, remaining ou such duty until mustered out in September, 1865.

Returning to his home on the Big Canoe, Iowa, Mr. Iverson resumed the pursuits of peace with as much ardor and faithfulness as he had displayed in taking up the sword for the preservation of the Union and the protection of the frontier settle- ments. Not only did he labor with renewed ear- nestness and optimism as a single unit of the re- public for which he had fought and sacrificed so generously, but he became a leader of acknowl- edged force and fervent patriotism among his fel- lows.

After marriage in 1866, he settled upon a farm which he purchased in Iowa. His first crop was destroyed by a hailstorm, leaving him nearly bankrupt, but with characteristic fortitude and per- severance, he packed his few belongings and with a yoke of steers to haul them, set out for the north- ern frontier. At the end of a three hundred-mile journey across the plains he took as a homestead land upon which East Sioux Falls, South Dakota, now stands. He assisted in organizing Minnehaha county in 1869, and was elected to and served in the territorial legislature during the years 1869-70. He also served as the first treasurer and probate judge of Minnehaha county and was appointed clerk of the United States District court. While residing in Sioux Falls, Mr. Iverson opened a farm, built and operated a saw mill, burned lime, practiced law, surveyed government land, held court and collected taxes, in addition to his more ambitious public services, thus demonstrating his intense energy, varied abilities and undoubted ca- pacity for leadership. He was appointed commis- sioner of immigration in the year 1874 and as such made a trip to Europe, visiting his old home. It was on this trip that he found Peter Leque and in- duced him to come to Dakota, whence he later re- moved to Stanwood. The year 1874 was a grass- hopper year, and, as in the case of many others, Mr. Iverson's confidence in Dakota was so seriously shaken by the disaster that he decided to once again go in quest of a more congenial home. Puget sound attracted his attention so strongly that in January, 1875, he started for the Pacific, reaching Olympia, March 10th.

Writing recently in the Washington Posten re- garding conditions obtaining on the sound at that period, Mr. Iverson gives some interesting and graphic information. Indeed, he is a writer of ability whose articles have attracted wide notice and upon which the editors of this history have drawn generously for information concerning the settlement and growth of Snohomish county. "When I first saw the enchanting shores of Puget sound," writes Mr. Iverson, "Seattle was a saw- dust village with about 5,000 inhabitants. The

whole merchandise of the town did not equal the stock of two of its houses to-day. Tocamo was un- born. Steilacoom, which has not been subject to change, was a place of importance. Whatcom and Fairhaven were diagrams on the map and a mem- ory. Olympia was the capital and not much else. Snohomish county had perhaps a little more than 500 inhabitants. Everett's inhabitants were Ned Cromer and his telegraph instruments. The only reliable transportation between Seattle and Belling- ham Bay was by dugout, run by squaw power. Time required for the trip, about a week. Sno- homish county had less than twenty miles of wagon road and perhaps ten wagons. The only reliable transportation facilities the pioneer had were his own broad back, unless perchance he owned a canoe and a squaw. Few of the Norse pioneers were owners of the last named class of transporta- tion. In fact, when speaking of our early Norse settlers mention of that method might altogether have been left out of account. But they had the backbone. * * Those who believe that. the * pioneer is, and must be, as a result of the strenuous life he leads, a pure and simple materialist, are in error. On the contrary, he is generally an idealist of the purest type. He loves his surroundings, his work and his friends with an intensity little under- stood within the precincts of alleged civilization. He will risk his comfort and even risk his life for a friend ; yes, even for a stranger ; with less hesita- tion than a city man would lend his friend a dollar. The pioneer is hospitable, honorable, energetic, en- terprising and public-spirited. He is a hero and a gentleman.

Again, Mr. Iverson writes: "Soon after my arrival I joined a surveying party and landed at Centerville (now Stanwood). With this survey I went over the greater portion of the Stillaguamish valley. The country looked good to me. I advised a number of my friends to come and take land- which they did. The advice was good (I could always advise others better than myself)." As a matter of fact, Mr. Iverson is credited with being the chief leader in the movement of Scandinavians toward this select section of Snohomish county which followed the survey. Certain it is that he induced scores to locate there and was unusually active in bringing the Stillaguamish valley into public notice. Together with N. P. Leque, Nils Eide and A. Danielson, Mr. Iverson bought the island now known as Leque's Island, diked it and opened farms, which are notable monuments to the foresight, zeal and courage of those men. In 1876- 77, Mr. Iverson and E. C. Ferguson represented Snohomish county in the territorial legislature. As a delegate, the former attended many territorial conventions in those early years, when Washing- ton's political parties were "in the bornin'," and mould was being given to the commonwealth's fu-

969

BIOGRAPHICAL

ture career. Olympia became his home in 1882, and there he followed business pursuits success- fully until his removal to Whatcom in 1884, where he engaged in surveying and engineer work for the government, railroads and the general public. He pursued his profession as a citizen of Whatcom un- til 1891, then took up his abode in Seattle. During the years 1892 and 1893 he served as draughts- man in the United States Surveyor General's office at Olympia, and in 1894 and 1895 was superin- tendent of the Queen City Mining Company. The following two years he passed at the old Stanwood home in taking a much-needed rest. Again, in 1899, Mr. Iverson entered the Surveyor General's office at Olympia as a draughtsman, and this re- sponsible position he still holds. He is identified with George H. Thomas Post No. 5, of which he is commander.

In March, 1866, Maria Danielson became the wife of Mr. Iverson. To this union fourteen chil- dren have been born, of whom seven are living : Bertha, wife of the late Peter Leque of Stanwood; Frank, Edward, Ida, Anna, Martha and Ella. The family home is at Olympia, and there, as in bygone years at Sioux Falls, Stanwood, Whatcom and Scattle, the gallant Norse veteran, faithful official and pioneer leader is to-day accorded the befitting position to which he has attained by manly effort and by reason of his rich endowments of heart and mind.

TRUITT K. ROBE, of the well known Robe, Menzell Lumber Company of Granite Falls, was born in Cass County, Missouri, January 16, 1869. His father, William R. Robe, was a native of Adams County, Ohio, the date of his birth being 1827. Responding to the call of his country, he ac. tively participated in the Civil War, and while serv- ing in Missouri became convinced that it would be a desirable state in which to live. At the close of the war he therefore moved his family there. Nine years' experience with grasshoppers, drought and hail storms with which the agriculturist in that lo- cality has to contend, caused him to return to the Buckeye state, where he made his home until the ill health of his wife necessitated a change of climate. Coming to the Pacific coast in 1886, he settled in Auburn, Washington. The mild, genial climate having effected a complete cure, he decided to re- main in the state. He moved to Granite Falls in 1892, where he and his estimable wife are still re- siding. She, too, is a native of Ohio, and was for- merly Miss Mary J. Bowen. She is a descendant of a well known Revolutionary family.

Truitt K. Robe might justly be proud of his an- cestry. The Robe family, originally from Scotland, settled in Massachusetts in the early days, and was

prominently identified with the famous Boston Tea Party. Two members of the family were Revolu- tionary heroes. Soon after the close of that war, the family divided, one branch locating in Mary -- land, the other, of which Truitt Robe is a direct de- scendant, in West Virginia. As so frequently hap- pens, the two branches failed to keep in close touch, and in the lapse of years became lost to each other. The best known member of the Maryland branch is Major Robe of Fort Vancouver. During the con- struction of the Monte Cristo railroad Truitt Robe met the Major's son who was the civil engineer in charge of the work. They soon discovered their relationship, being led to compare notes and trace it on account of the close family resemblance existing between them, a resemblance which was so pro- nounced that strangers noticed and commented on it. This is remarkable in view of the fact that the two branches of the family had been separate for more than one hundred years. Mr. Robe's great- grandfather was at one time a wealthy Virginia slave owner. He was a man of great strength of character, and when he realized the injustice of the existing system voluntarily freed his slaves number- ing nearly one hundred, although he knew his action would render him bankrupt. Ilis son, William, re- surveyed several counties in Southern Ohio pre- viously held by old colonial estates, and in this way acquired many small tracts of land. While en- gaged in this work he was also actively interested in the underground railroad system by which large numbers of runaway slaves were conveyed to Can- ada, and thus given their freedom. Immediately after the Civil War he turned over all his small land holding to the freed slaves. Among the earn- est, faithful women who have spent years in study- ing the problem of educating the negro, will ever be numbered Mary M. Robe, an aunt of Truitt Robe. She was at one time principal of the academy at North Liberty, Ohio, but resigned this position to found the Camp Nelson school for negroes located near Lexington, Kentucky. For twenty years she devoted her rare gifts of mind and heart to this work, delegating her responsibilities to others only three years ago, after she had passed her sixty- fourth birthday.

Having acquired his elementary education in the common schools of Ohio, Truitt Robe completed his training in the North Liberty Academy. He was seventeen years of age when his parents became residents of Auburn, Washington, and at this time young Robe was teaching in the public schools of Manchester, Ohio. His first position in this state was in a store owned by M. H. Conners. After he had clerked in the store a few months his father rented a hop farm, and the son gave up his position to assist in the care of it. After remaining at home

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till 1889 he and a brother, A. Campbell Robe, to- gether with E. M. Stevens went to Marysville, and embarked in the shingle business. Nine months later the Robe brothers sold their interest to the other partner. Truitt then contracted for the Seattle and International railroad for a time. In the spring of 1891 he entered the employ of Mark Swinnerton. of Marysville, and so satisfactorily did he serve his employer that in the fall of that year he was given charge of the branch house then opened at Granite Falls. This was the first store built in the town. During the summer he located a homestead in v. hat is now known as the town of Robe. Later he sold his claim, but he continued to manage the store until it changed hands in 1892. He had pre- viously purchased forty acres of land and platted the original town-site of Granite Falls. Mr. Robe also secured a claim just east of town. owning it for five years, when he sold out and opened a grocery store. A year and a half later, having disposed of this business, he with C. P. Last and W. H. Hard- ing built a saw-mill in the town. After operating it a few months, he sold his interest to his partners. and built a mill for himself. In a short time his old firm went out of business, and he purchased their machinery. In moving it to his mill he met with a serious accident that made him an invalid for a year. and caused him to take his present partner, Mr. Menzell, into the business. Prosperity has crowned their united efforts, the firm now having net assets amountnig to $65.000. A saw-mill and planing mill. together with 30,000.000 feet of timber constitute the holdings. The firm is now about to have a rail- road built to the mill. expecting in the near future to extend it across the divide to the Sultan Basin, and thus open up a valuable timber and mining district. Two donkey engines are required to handle the ex - tensive logging business carried on in connection with the mills. Prior to the coming of Mr. Robe to this locality in 1890, no timber had been cut in the triangle formed by the Pilchuck and the south fork of the Stillaguamish rivers, between Arlington and Machias. To him belongs the distinction of having built the first house constructed with sawed lumber in the town of Granite Falls.

Mr. Robe and Miss Ella D. Turner were united in marriage November 25, 1891. Mrs. Robe is herself a pioneer of the Northwest, having driven across the plains from Kansas to Walla Walla in 1880, when her parents found a home in Washing- ton. Two years later the family moved by wagon to Seattle. She is the daughter of William M. and Martha E. (Hendren ) Turner, distinguished pion- eers of Granite Falls, whose sketch appears else - where in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Robe have two children, Mildren A., born November 12, 1895. and Doris M., May 28, 1897. Mr. Robe is a loyal

supporter of the Republican party, is a member of the central committee, being a delegate from this precinct. but has never sought political preferment. His family attend the Congregational church. A man of broad intelligence and splendid business capabilities, Mr. Robe, although still a young man, has achieved a measure of success which is the envy of many an older man. He is already one of the influential men of the community, holding the confi- dence and respect of all who are in any way asso- ciated with him.

HENRY MENZEL, vice president and assist- ant manager of the Robe-Menzel Lumber Com- pany Inc., Granite Falls, has been prominently iden- tified with the milling interests of Snohomish county for several years past. Not only is he a leading business man to-day but he is a pioneer of the sec- tion in whose development he is playing so import- ant a part. Born in Hanover, Germany, March 31, 1869, he is the son of George and Lena ( Dorman) Menzel, also natives of Germany. George Menzel was born in 1831. followed railroad work in Ger- many and there passed away in 1879, his death re- sulting from lockjaw brought on by a broken leg. At the time of his decease he was roadmaster. Mrs. Menzel, the mother, was born in 1839; she died in 18:4. From the age of six until he was fourteen. Henry. the subject of this sketch, attended school. then secured employment as a farm hand. This kind of work occupied him until he was sixteen, when he joined his brother George in the United States, hav- ing meanwhile assisted the latter to get away. Henry landed in New York City September 14, 1885, with a railroad ticket for Minneapolis and with but ten cents in his pocket, a stranger in a strange land, hundreds of miles from his nearest relative or friend. From many viewpoints the outlook was not a happy one. but the young emigrant appreciated the richness of the boundless opportunities around him and with characteristic energy reached out to grasp them. Upon his arrivel in Minnesota, he en- gaged in farming, being thus employed there two vears. In 1887. he again turned westward, reaching Tacoma. Washington, October 15th, with an empty pocketbook, but filled with confidence and hope of better things before him in the great Northwest. Nor was he to be disappointed. At Tacoma he spent the first year in the employ of the Tacoma Mill Com- pany. Then he visited Stockton. California, farm- ing and driving a delivery team during his stay in the Golden state. He finally returned Northward to Washington in December 1893, and immediately proceeded to the Pilchuck valley which he had visit- ed previous to his California trip and in which he

971

BIOGRAPHICAL

had filed on a claim. In the same vicinity as that of his abandoned claim, he took another and at once began the work of developing it into a farm. Five years were spent in this arduous task, during which: he experienced all the obstacles and difficulties and hardships that have fallen to the lot of the Puget sound pioneer, at last proving up on the place. He then accepted employment as foreman in the bolt camp of Theurer & Hembridge, and a little later left that firm to go with Shaffer Brothers. From 1898 to 1901 he was thus employed, gaining an experience that soon proved invaluable to him, for in 1901 he formed a partnership with Truitt K. Robe, also of Granite Falls. This firm erected a small mill on the Pilchuck, a mile Southeast of town and acquired nearby timber lands. Success almost immediately crowned their endeavors and soon they were com- pelled to increase the capacity of their plant. One improvement has followed another until at present this mill is one of the best equipped in the county and manufactures nearly everything in the lumber line, even scroll work and other fine wood products. The company does its own logging, which gives it an immense advantage over other concerns not so situated. This mill and related property stands as a monument to the untiring energy, progress and business abilities of Messrs. Robe and Menzel, for virtually they commenced at the extreme foot of the ladder and in less than half a decade have built up one of the most substantial enterprises in this section of the state, a business whose influence is marked in the community at large.

Mr. Menzel was married January 13, 1895, on the Pilchuck. to Miss Maria Carpenter, the daughter of fra and Samantha Arabella ( Holden) Carpenter, the former a native of New York state. the latter of Tennessee. Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter crossed the plains by wagon from Missouri to Washington in 1880. The mother died September 1, 1892. Mir. Carpenter is still living at the age of seventy-six up- on the old place in the Pilchuck valley. Mrs. Men- zel was born August 5, 1876, and crossed the plains with her parents. After her mother's death she as- sumed the cares of the household and continued to look after them until called to a home of her own, obtaining meanwhile a good education. She is the youngest in a family of four children. To Mr. and Mrs. Menzel three children have been born : Walter Il., Inez E. and Josephine C. Mr. Menzel has ac- quired a five-acre tract just outside of the corporate limits of Granite Falls and upon this sightly place will soon erect a handsome residence.

Fraternally, Mr. Menzel is affiliated with the Code of Honor, while his wife is a member of the Women of Woodcraft fraternity. His political views are Socialistic, though of a broad, liberal spirit. In fact Mr. Menzel is of that porgressive, broad

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An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 176

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.) Publication date: 1906 Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1172

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1172