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 183

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 183
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 183

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After retiring from professional life Mr. Rob- ertson followed various pursuits until 1876, at which time he was appointed justice of the peace at Port Susan, an office he has filled since that time with but one year's vacation. He was appointed deputy assessor in 1889, serving four years. In the fall of 1889 he was returned as first county repre- sentative of Snohomish county under state laws. He disposed of land he had settled at Port Susan at the expiration of his term as deputy assessor and moved to the farm where he now resides. He ac- quired this property, consisting of forty-six acres,

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in December, 1892, and now has fifteen acres un- der cultivation. Hle makes a specialty of breeding draft horses, principally Percheron stock, and also owns a fine thoroughbred Hambletonian. He is identified with the Odd Fellows and Elks, being prominent in both fraternities. In political persua- sion he has always been a loyal supporter of the Republican party. A man of wide experience and observation, possessed of keen mental abilities and a charming personality, Mr. Robertson is one of the most popular and influential citizens of Flor- ence.

IVER FURNESS, one of the honored pioneers of Snohomish county, now resides one-half mile southwest of Norman, Washington. He was born in Norway, August 23, 1834, his parents being John and Marret (Sater) Furness. The father, born in 1808. was a farmer and civil engineer in his native country, Norway. till the time of his death in 1868. The mother, also born in 1808, died in Norway in 1896. Iver Furness enjoyed unusual educational advantages, taking a course in an agri- cutural college in addition to a common school training. He then entered the military service of his country, which required that those drafted must remain in the country, though the actual service consisted of ninety days the first year and sixty days each succeeding year for five years. At the expiration of this time he was placed on the re- serve list for five years. Having learned the trade of a blacksmith in his boyhood, he followed it for a number of years. In 1869 he emigrated to South Dakota and began work at his trade. Eventually accepting the position of blacksmith on the Crow Creek Indian reservation, he spent the ensuing five years in the employ of the government. He left the agency in October, 1876, coming direct to his present location. Norman, Washington. He was the second man to settle at this point on the Stilla- guamish river, and at that time his nearest neigh- bor, Severt Breckhus, was five miles away. Unable to tise a canoe to carry his supplies up the river on account of the log jams that blockaded the river, he was forced to pack them on his back from Stan- wood. He pre-empted 130 acres where lie now re- sides, bringing his family here as soon as he had built a house. Of the hardships and privations of those early days in the vast wilderness only those who have had a similar experience can have any definite iden. It was six years before the loggers came to this section. Mr. Furness now has eighty acres cleared and in cultivation and is devoting his time principally to dairying. having a fine herd of cattle. He also has an excellent orchard and is very successful in raising fruit.

Mr. Furness was married July 8, 1858, to Mar- ret Veken. born in Norway, May 12, 1837. Her parents, Erick and Ieldre ( Rolfshore) Veken, died

in their native land, Norway, several years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Furness have one son, John, born in Norway, July 9, 1860, now one of the prominent business men of Everett, operating the creamery, cold storage and ice plant of that city. Ile has been thus employed for the past twelve years. Mr. Furness is a member of the Lutheran church, and liberally supports its various benevolences. Al- though for many years a loyal advocate of Republi- can principles, he lias never cared to take an active part in political matters. He is now surrounded by evidences of the prosperity that lias rewarded his years of arduous toil and is able to appreciate the conveniences and luxuries which civilization has brought to his door. To the brave, hardy pio- neers like himself the rising generation owes a debt of gratitude which can never be fully paid. Mr. Furness is a man whose life and character command the respect and admiration of all who are associated with him.

ANDREW CUTHBERT, a prosperous farmer residing three-quarters of a mile east of Norman, one of Snohomish county's carliest pioneers, was born in Montrose, Scotland, April 19, 1851. His parents, David and Elizabeth (Walker) Cuthbert, also natives of Scotland, immigrated to the United States in 1815, settling in Washington. Six years later they returned to Ontario, where they had previously resided, and spent the remainder of their lives there. Nine children were born to this union, the youngest being Andrew, of this article. He remained at home till sixteen years of age, then

became a sailor. Four years later he gave up the sea and, having spent a month in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he. with a brother whom he met there, made a visit to their parents in Ontario. Learning that another brother had found a home in Washington, Mr. Cuthbert came west in October, 1811, joining him at what is now Stanwood. This brother was one of the earliest settlers on the Stilla- guamish river. After farming with him a year Mr. Cuthbert worked in the woods for a nimm- her of years. In February, 1885, he purchased the land on which he now resides, at that time densely covered with timber. Prior to this he had sold the claim that he took up on coming to this locality. There were no roads, and only a rough trail which oxen could follow. The Indians fur- nished the only meat the settlers had for many months. Mr. Cuthbert was the owner of the first mowing machine brought into the Stillaguamish river valley, and was one of the first to keep a horse. He was employed on the government land survey in 1872 and could have had his choice of any land on the river, but property now worth from $100 to $200 per acre was then deemed worthless

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and any man who considered the advisibility of tak- ing it up was pronounced mentally unbalanced.

Mr. Cuthbert's marriage took place in 1884. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Cuthbert, as follows: Mrs. Alice Sutter of Sauk. Skagit county: Mrs. Ellen Clifford of South Da- kota, Fred, John, Mary, William and James. Mr. Cuthbert is independent in politics, voting for the man and not the party. He has his fine twenty-five- acre farm all cleared and in cultivation. Dairying claims a large share of his attention. Soon after locating here he set out an excellent orchard, in- tending to devote some of his time to fruit raising. but the river has completely destroyed it. He is a thrifty, energetic man, whose careful management and good judgment have secured for him his present financial independence.

ANDERS ESTBY, whose home is one-fourth mile east of Norman, has been prominently identi- fied with the development of this region for the past twenty years. Ile was born in Norway September 20, 1835, the son of Bernil and Carrie ( Johnson ) Ingebortson. both natives of the land of the Norse. The father, born September 19, 1801, resided in that country till he was eighty-one years old, then immigrated to Minnesota, his home at the time of his death in 1891. The mother spent her entire life in the land of her nativity. Leaving home at the age of nineteen, Anders Estby worked on neighbor- ing farms for six years, then learned the carpen- ter's trade. Having decided to seek his fortune in the United States, he crossed the ocean in 1866. lo- cating in Wisconsin. A year later he took up his residence in Goodhue County, Minnesota, moving thence to Ottertail county two years later. After farming there for seventeen years he went to Ta- coma, Washington, on a visit to a married daugh- ter living in that town, and was so favorably im- pressed with the country that he and his family made that city their home in 1886. The following vear he came to Stanwood and purchased ninety- seven acres of land, on which he has resided since that time. There were only ten acres of it cleared at the time he moved on it. It was impossible to reach it by wagon. the river being the only means of bringing supplies from Stanwood. A small school-house had been built one-half mile away ; churches were unknown at that early date. The Great Northern railroad has since been constructed through his farm.

Mr. Estby and Oliva Miller were united in the bonds of marriage in November, 1864. Mrs. Estby was born in Christiania, Norway, and is the daugh- ter of Christian and Bertha ( Ryerson) Miller, both of whom died in their native country, Norway. Five children gladdened the home of Mr. and Mrs. Estby, as follows: Mrs. Carrie Nelson of Minne-

apolis, Minnesota ; Burnett, now in Alaska; Carl, a college graduate, now in the employ of the gov- ernment as a civil engineer, with headquarters at Everett : Mrs. Patrina DeSousa of Norman, Wash- ington, and Mary, who was recently graduated as a chemist from the state college at Pullman. Mr. Estby is a loyal Republican, although he has never cared to participate actively in political affairs. He and his family attend the Lutheran Free church. Sharing with his children the prosperity which has attended his well-directed efforts, Mr. Estby has retained but six acres of his farm for his own use, and here, surrounded by the conveniences and lux- uries made possible by the advancing civilization, he and his estimable wife recall the early days, fraught with so many trials and hardships, rejoicing that they contributed their full share of toil to the reclamation of this vast northwestern country. Broadly intelligent, possessed of sterling qualities of character and charming courtesy, Mr. Estby is a cit- izen whom Norman is proud to claim.

LUDWIG O. STUBB of Norman is one of the leading and prosperous citizens of Snohomish county, one who has been markedly successful in all his business affairs. As a pioneer of Puget sound he has done much to develop the natural resources of the country, assisting in transforming the heavily timbered areas into a district noted for its fine agricultural lands. Mr. Stubb is essentially a self- made man, having by his self-reliance and native ability placed himself in his present position in the community. He was born in Norway, the oldest of the six children of Ole A. and Gunneld Stubb. The elder Stubb came to the United States and settled in Michigan in 1865 and brought his family there one year later. After a residence of three years in the Peninsula state he joined the throng of home- seekers which was then opening up the Dakotas and lived there for a number of years. finally com- ing to Kitsap County, Washington, where he still lives at the advanced age of eighty-four years. Mrs. Stubb passed away in 1826 while living in Da- kota. Ludwig O. Stubb grew up on the Dakota farm and attended school in Union county until twenty years of age, when he commenced farming on his own account. From the very first the young man has been successful in all his undertakings. indicating the aggressiveness of his nature and the accuracy of his commercial instincts. In 1880 Mr. Stubb moved to Washington and passed a vear and a half in Kitsap county. The Stillaguam- ish valley was being opened up for settlement and development at that time. and on looking the ground over Mr. Stubb decided to cast in his for- time with northwestern Snohomish county. Soon after reaching here he purchased 140 acres of dense timber land for farming purposes and engaged ex-

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tensively in the logging business on the Stilla- guamish, waiting until the valley should become more settled before commencing active farming operations. After nine years of logging Mr. Stubb sold out and went to work on his own place, and now has eighty acres cleared and devoted for the most part to dairying, with seventy head of stock on the place. When Mr. Stubb commenced to work his place there were no draft horses in the country and, aside from those in the logging camps. there was but one yoke of oxen, that of Iver Fur- ness. The river was the highway of traffic and commerce in those early days. Mr. Stubb worked with patience and foresight and has converted his timber tract into one of the fine farming estates of the Stillaguamish valley. In addition to his farm work he is deeply interested in the zine deposits in the vicinity of Jorden in this county, being presi- cent of the Washington Zinc Company, incorpo- rated, which owns large deposits and now has sev- eral thousand tons of ore ready for the mill. Under Mr. Stubb's administration the company has done much development work and is about to erect a mill. To this work of mining and the development of the company's resources he has brought the same busi- ness judgment and executive ability which have al- ready placed him in the front rank as a successful agriculturist.

In 1828 Mr. Stubb married Miss Mary Ander- son, a native of Norway, who came to the United States with her parents and settled in Dakota when but a child. Her father and mother came to Stan- wood. where the former's death occurred: the mother still survives. Mrs. Stubb's sister Cather- ine is the principal of the Stanwood school and her brother Andrew is manager of the co-operative creamery at Stanwood. Mr. and Mrs. Stubb have eleven children : Sampson, the first born, being now on a prospecting tour in Siberia : Otto, pursu- ing a course in the Washington State college at Pullman : Antone. Elias. Walter, Helena, Ernest. Mabel, Louis and Vietor. In polities Mr. Stubb is a Republican, but he has never aspired to public office, though he has consented to serve his com- munity as a member of the school board and as road supervisor. Pleasant and cordial, but able. alert and active in all his transactions, he possesses the rare combination of mental characteristics which everywhere make for business success, while his career as a pioneer indicates that he is endowed with the substantial qualities of courage and per- severance so necessary to him who woukl follow the frontier and develop new states.

IVER BOTTEN. AAmong the promising young sons of Norway who have come to the new and rapidly growing state of Washington to grow up with the country and contribute their mite to-

ward the general progress, at the same time work- ing out for themselves the highest destiny pos- sible to them, not the least promising is the worthy merchant whose life record is the theme of this article. lle is the fourth of the eight children of Einer and Marie (Snakvik ) Botten, agricultur- ists of the land of fjords, which is still their home. The date of his birth is September 13, 1872. Re- maining in the old home land until he was twenty years of age, he received there his educational train- ing: but a stirring ambition for larger and better things than were within his grasp in Europe early sprang up within him, so as soon as circumstances would permit he sailed for the shores of America. He paused not in his journeying until he reached Stanwood. Being desirous of fitting himself for something more remunerative and with a larger future to it than manual labor, he gave his sum- mers and a portion of the money earned by hard work in shingle bolt camps during the winter months to the pursuit of higher learning and in 1897 he completed his training for life's battle by a course in a business college in Seattle. He there- upon returned to Florence and, in company with his brother Peder, opened a general merchandise store there, which the brothers together maintained for a year and a half. meeting with excellent suc- cess in their venture. They then bought out Haugen & Company of Silvana, moved their stock from Florence, consolidated it with that purchased and opened on a large scale. Since that date they have given themselves assiduously and uninter- ruptedly to building up, maintaining and increasing their large trade. Mr. Botten served as assistant postmaster under Iver Johnson for two or three years, and so satisfactory was his work to the de- partment that on the retirement of Mr. Johnson in the spring of 1903 he was appointed to take charge of the office in place of his quondam employer. The date of his commission is April 16, 1903, and he is still postmaster at this date.

June 14. 1899, in Silvana. Washington. Mr. Bot- ten married Miss Clara Prestlien. Her father. Nels, was a native of Norway, but came to Minne- sota as a young man, moving thence to Norman. Snohomish county, some twenty years ago, where he died on his own farm. Mrs. Botten's mother. Sarah ( Forgerson) Prestlien, is likewise a native of Norway and is now living near Norman. Mrs. Botten was born in Minnesota, June 22, 1879. but acquired her education in the public school at Nor- man. She and Mr. Botten are parents of the fol- lowing children. Sylvia N., born in Silvana. April 22. 1900; Einar N .. in the same town June 26, 1902 : Carl A .. likewise born in Silvana, January ?, 1904. and Esther J., January 11. 1906. In politics Mr. Botten is a Republican and in religion a Free Lutheran. He is quite active in the local church. being secretary of the organization, while Mrs.

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Botten has contributed by her personal efforts to the efficiency of the Sunday school. A public-spir- ited citizen, willing to lend a hand to any organiza- tion which has for its object the general good, Mr. Botten is in some measure a leader in his com- munity, and the confidence and good will of the people with whom he commingles in the affairs of life is his at all times.

RASMUS KNUTSON, one of the well-known pioneers of Silvana, Washington, came to this lo- cality in 1879. and has been identified with its varied interests since that date. He was born in Norway, April 10, 1851, the son of Knut and Martha (Carl- son) Knutson, both of whom were also of Nor- wegian nativity. The father, a farmer, died in 1867 at the age of sixty-three ; the mother in 1854, aged forty-seven. Rasmus Knutson is the youngest of a family of six children. Acquiring his education in the early years of his life, at the age of sixteen he began working for himself. After farming for a number of years he decided to sail for the United States and in 1879 came direct to Washington, where he had a brother who had come the previous year. He took up one hundred acres of land, all heavily timbered, at once beginning the task of clear- ing a spot for a cabin. The nearest postoffice and supply station was Stanwood, a distance of twelve miles. To bring the necessary supplies by boat was a laborious undertaking, as, on account of the im- mense log jams in the river, it was necessary to unload the boat and supplies and carry them over the obstructions three times in the course of the trip. Only a few settlers had hraved the dangers and trials of pioneer life in this section at that time, and often these grew disheartened and returned to civilization. Settlement did not become general till the railroad was begun some twelve years later. The first wagons used were rude home-made af- fairs, the wheels cut from large fir logs and the frame and the axles all made by hand. These were drawn by oxen, horses being unknown prior to the construction of the railroad. Mr. Knutson has now seventy acres cleared and in excellent condition. He is chiefly interested in dairying and owns a fine herd of cows, besides young stock. In Octo- ber, 1904, he rented his farm for a year, taking his family to Everett, where he has property, and at the present time the farm is in charge of his sons, he being engaged in improving his pleasant home in Silvana, to which he moved from Everett last fall.

Mr. Knutson and Lora Rorstad were united in marriage October 14, 1884. Mrs. Knutson was born in Norway, the daughter of John and Carrina ( Bjerka) Anderson, both of whom are deceased, the father's death occurring April 23, 1902. Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Knutson : Knut, Clara M., John, Minnie, Bertha, Rolf, Louis

and William, twins, and Nellie. The family at- tend the Lutheran church, of which Mr. Knutson is a member. In political belief Mr. Knutson is a Republican, but has never cared to take an active part in politics. Possessed of energy, ambition and strict integrity, he is an esteemed citizen of Silvana.

LARS P., CLAUSEN, the genial proprietor of the Hotel Northern at Silvana, Washington, was born in Denmark, January 15, 1867, where his parents still . live, his father being a shoemaker by trade. He is the oldest of

a family of nine children. After completing the seven-year course in the school as required by the laws of that country he engaged in farming for five years, sailing for the United States at the end of that time. Locating in Dakota, he found employment on the railroad until 1889, then went to Tacoma, Washington. We worked in a brick yard for a time there, then for a while took con- tracts for clearing land. Going to Fairhaven, Wash- ington. he remained there six months, after which he spent one season in the hop fields of Puyallup, returning to Fairhaven to enter the employ of the Fairhaven & Southern railroad. His diligence and faithfulness soon secured for him the position of section foreman, and he has been thus engaged ever since. being now in the employ of the Great North- ern at Silvana.

Mr. Clausen married, October 26, 1898, Julia C. Moe, a native of Norway. Her father, O. M. Moe, who was born in Norway October 7, 1848, is. a shoemaker, and is now following his trade in Sil- vana. having come here in 1898. The mother, Annie- (Torske) Moe, is also of Norwegian nativity, the date of her birth being 1855. She is still living, as are also per parents, Nels and Randi Torske. Mrs. Clausen is an only child. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Clausen, Maud, Otto S., and Lola C. Mr. and Mrs. Clausen are both members of the Fraternal Brotherhood of America. Mr. Clausen adheres to Republican principles in national issues. but prefers to vote an independent ticket in county affairs. He owns a neat and tasteful home in Silvana, 'he having purchased a lot and built soon after he settled in the town. Possessing the qual- ities necessary for successfully handling men, he is deservedly popular with those whom he has work- ing under him. He is one of the well-known citizens of the town, relied on to further the interests of the public in every possible way. By careful atten- tion to the requirements of the traveling public, the hotel under his supervision is acquiring an enviable reputation.

OLANUS and HANS OLSON are two of the energetic men of the Silvana section of Snohomish

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county and have each played his part in the develop- ment of Silvana and vicinity from a place of virgin forest. The brothers were born in Norway, Olan- 11s in 1848 and Hans in 1850, the fifth and sixth of the seven children of Theodore and Bowl (Iverson) Olson, natives of Norway. The father came to Astoria, Oregon, in 1877, to Stanwood a year later and he died there in 1882, but Mrs. Olson died in the old country. The boys received their education in their European home. When Olanus was nine- teen years old he came to the United States, accom- panied by his brother and a sister, and settled in Yankton County, South Dakota, where he took up land and farmed for ten years. In the fall of 1877 he came to Washington, stopping first at Stanwood. Early in 1878 he filed on his present home near Sil- vana, then but a part of the virgin forest. He suc- ceeded in clearing forty acres, but, unfortunately, since 1891 thirty acres have been destroyed by rea- son of the river's changing its course and washing out the land. In 1881 he was joined by his brother Hans.

Hans Olson was born in Norway in 1850 and received his education in the Norwegian schools. Coming to the United States in 1868, he rejoined his brother in South Dakota. He came to Washı- ington in 1881 and for three years thereafter worked in various logging camps, then, in 1884, he took the contract to carry the mail between Stanwood and Stillaguamish. For three years he did excellent service in that line. The brothers also ran a board- ing-house for freighters and themselves did freight- ing to the logging camps until the railroads came in. Olanus also worked on the construction of the draw- bridge over the Stillaguamish at Silvana. The brothers are now proprietors of a dairy farm and keep about twenty head of cows. They are ener- getic. hard workers, willing to turn their hands to any kind of labor, capable, honest, highly esteemed and respected in the community. They have the dis- tinction of having established, in 1889, the first ferry on the Stillaguamish river. It was located near the place where the Great Northern crosses at present. They operated it for three years.

OSCAR TORSKE-Among the men who are active forces to-day in working out the industrial development and winning from primitive condi- tions to civilization that refractory but rich country known as the Stillaguamish valley, the subject of this review is to be given an important place. Like other forceful factors in the winning of various communities of the West. he is a son of Norway, in which land his parents, Nels and Rande ( Dalsboe) Torske, were also born, though they, too, are now residents of Snohomish county, living with their only son, Ocar.

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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 183

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