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 199

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 199
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 199

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To Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer was born one son, Ernest L. Sawyer, born June 27, 1861, who came to Puget sound in 1888. He was engaged in the real estate business in Tacoma until 1892 when he came to Monroe and organized the Monroe Land Improvement Company, after which he became one of the leading spirits in the upbuilding and devel- opment of the town. For the past five years he has been a prominent railroad promoter making his headquarters in Madrid, Spain, and taking an active part in the construction of the road from the capital city to Malaga. His mother succeeded to his real estate holdings, in 1896, which she ac- quired by the purchase of mortgages and much of this property she has since sold. She is an earnest, christian woman, a member of the Methi- odist church. In fraternal affiliation she is a Re- bekah. She is intelligent above the average, gen- erous and popular, and has a great deal of business ability which has stood her well in hand in man- aging the details of her extensive interests. She is well worthy of honorable mention in the annals of Snohomish county as one who has lent material aid to the development of its industries and to its general progress.

CHARLES F. ELWELL of Monroe conducts one of the leading meat markets in Snohomish county and deals generally and extensively in beef cattle. He was born in Maine April 2, 1862, the son of John and Eliza (Crosby) Elwell, farmers of the same state, who came to Puget sound first in 1858, remained eighteen months, returned to Maine, came again to Snohomish county in 1872 and remained until her death in 1887, and his in 1897. More of the lives of these honored pioneers is found in a sketch of Tamlin Elwell of Snohomish, in another portion of this history. Charles F. El- well is truly a western man, though born on the Atlantic coast. He was educated in the public schools of Snohomish and was graduated from the commercial course of the Washington University

at Seattle. He worked in the woods and followed lumbering until 1892, then began raising thorough- bred stock on the Snoqualmie river in King county at which he continued until 1900 when he disposed of his interests and opened his present place of business at Monroe.

In Snohomish, on March 29, 1889, Mr. Elwell married Miss Sophia Roesell, daughter of Henry and Mary Roesell, the former of whom, a ship- Builder, died in 1905; the latter is still living in Whatcom, Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Elweil have had three children, June, Earl and Celese. Mr. Elwell is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. IIe is a Republican in politics and public spirited in all matters of general interest. Both Mr. and Mrs. Elwell are worthy citizens of the great state of Washington, warm heated, generous and very popular. They are well entitled to enrollment in these chronicles with those who are recognized as potent factors in the present-day civilization of this section, and as descendants of its carlier pioneers.

FRED O. FATTISON, proprietor of the Met- ropolitan livery and sale stables at Monroe is a native of the Evergreen state, and a product of the great West. He was born in the Tualco valley, Snohomish county, October 29, 1812, the son of Rufus and Eclesta ( Higgins) Pattison, natives of Pennsylvania and lowa, respectively. They are farmers who came to Puget sound from Pennsyl- vania in the spring of 1872 and now reside one and a half miles south of Monroe. Fred O. Patti- son is the second of their five children, the others being Mrs. Mina Dunstan; Ira, Goldy and Sela. Fred O. received a good common school educa- tion in Snohomish county and assisted his father at home until he was eighteen; then he farmed for himself and followed dairying until September 9, 1905, when he purchased his present business from James Wallace.

Mr. Pattison and Miss Lulu Mann were mar- ried at Snohomish October 17, 1894. Mrs. Pattison is a native of Michigan, the daughter of James W. and Clara (Strong) Mann, both born in Maine, now engaged in farming near Sultan, Washington. To Mr. and Mrs. Pattison have been born two children, Wilton Ray June 28, 1896; and Zelma Pernice, December 16, 1898. Mr. Pattison is one of the bright and energetic young business men of Monroe and he and Mrs. Pattison have a wide circle of friends and admirers. Himself a pioneer and the son of pioneers of this section of the North- west, Mr. Pattison will always be identified in pioneer history with the men who have overcome the stubborn obstacles interposed by Nature in the path of progress, and who have brought about the prosperous conditions of the present day.

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BENJAMIN SYKES, a pioneer of the pio- neers, and a typical example of the dauntless and hardy frontier class which has pushed out beyond the boundaries of civilization, subduing the forests and conquering wild nature in her own domain, is a native of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, born May 12, 1848. His father, James Sykes, an Englishman by birth, was for a few years an iron worker in Pittsburg, to which city he came from his native land in the middle forties, but in later life he en- gaged in agriculture and that was his occupation at the time of his death, which occurred in Wisconsin in 1903. He and two brothers settled in La Crosse county about 1850, when it was a "howling wilder- ness" and they had to cut roads into their places. He served as a member of Company I, Eighth Wis- consin Infantry, from 1862 until the war was about closed. Rebecca ( Broadbent ) Sykes, mother of our subject, was likewise a native of England, born about 1829, and was married in that land but ended her earthly pilgrimage in Wisconsin about a year before her husband's death. She was the mother of eight children, of whom the subject hereof was the third in order of birth.

Having been taken to Wisconsin when about two years old. Benjamin Sykes grew up in the midst of pioneer conditions, acquiring such education as was possible under the circumstances and assisting on the parental homestead until twenty-one. He then went to eastern Minnesota, where he served an ap- prenticeship of three years at the wagon maker's trade. At the end of that time the entire family moved to western Minnesota and settled in the heart of the wilderness, locating in Lyons county. near Marshall. At this time they had to haul pro- visions with ox teams one hundred miles. When on the outward trip they would pass just one house between their farms and Redwood Falls, forty miles distant, but notwithstanding the loneliness and iso- lation they got along well. In 1882, after about ten years of farming under those conditions, Mr. Sykes went to Marshall, eight miles distant, and engaged at his trade, carpentering, remaining several years afterward. His next move was made in July, 1887, to Roslyn, Washington, where he spent nearly a year and a half, then he took a place on the head waters of Woods creek, at that time one of the wildest portions of a wild state, settling farther up the stream than any other pioneer. . 1 wagon could be taken to within four or five miles of his place, but provisions had to be transported the rest of the way on the backs of the men, and it was several years before a wagon road was com- pleted to his home. During these early days bears. cougars and other wild animals were abundant and destructive to livestock. At one time a congar entered Mr. Sykes' clearing : at another time one of these animals killed a yearling for him, and many times they gave chase to cattle, occasionally de- stroying one of the weaker animals. During his

residence on Woods creek the neighborhood killed five cougars in all and numerous bears fell victim to the rifle and traps of Mr. Sykes, on one occasion three of them being taken in a single day. Ile also did considerable hunting and trapping for fur bear- ing animals, beaver mostly, selling sometimes as much as one hundred dollars' worth of furs in a year.

Mr. Sykes assisted in building the first school- house in that part of the country, an 18 by 24 struc- ture, all constructed from timber furnished by cedar trees except the sash and doors. He had built his own dwelling house in the same manner out of materials taken from one big tree. As Mr. Sykes had homesteaded eighty acres in Minnesota he could only take eighty acres in Washington, but that was enough, as it took him all the time he resided on Woods creek to free half of it from the impeding timber. In 1903 he sold the unimproved part to Charles Faussett, and the improved part was ac- quired by his son. Elmer, who resides there now, then he moved into Monroe and turned his atten- tian to carpenter work and contracting. He has a splendid home in Monroe, well located.

In Minnesota. April 11. 1821. Mr. Sykes mar- ried Nancy Jane Van Buren, a native of Illinois, born Dec. 18, 1851. Her father, William, was a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1832, but later be- came a pioneer of eastern Minnesota, and eventually settled in Cle-Elum, Washington, where he still lives. He is a shoemaker by trade and is still active in this line. The mother of Mrs. Sykes, Lucy (Cramp) Van Buren, was born in England in 1831, but from her father derived German blood. She died in Roslyn about seven years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Sykes have had the following children: Cul- len, born February 16, 1812, residing in Tualco val- ley: Elmer, February 19, 1879, living on the old Woods creek place; Nettie May, deceased : Ben- jamin, February 13, 1882, at home : also Cora Re- becca, born in 1881. deceased; and one other girl who died before being named. Mr. Sykes is an active and influential member of the Methodist Episcopal churchi as is also his wife, and in fraternal affiliation is a Good Templar, but he acknowledges allegiance to no political party, voting independently always. He is one of the sterling men of the Mon- roe country, possessed in a marked degree of the resourcefulness and independence which are fostered by the battle with pioneer conditions, but also rich in those qualities which make a man a force for order and good government in any community.

CAPTAIN OTIS C. McGRAY, whose long. useful life fraught with so many varied and inter- esting experiences is familiar to the large majority of the residents of Snohomish county, needs no ex- tended introduction to the readers of this history. The profound truth voiced by the philosopher that

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"To have been well born is the greatest felicity" is strikingly illustrated in the career of Captain Mc- Gray. Born January 1, 1839, to the union of William and Hannah ( Ratcliff) McGray, he in- herited many of the sterling qualities of character which for centuries have distinguished the Scottish people. Like his ancestors for two generations, he is a native of Maine. In the early colonial days the McGrays settled in this state and also in various other localities on the Atlantic coast, and became prominently active in the thrilling events of subse- quent years. The family was well represented in the War of 1812, several members of the family having rendered valiant service in that memorable struggle.

Having completed his elementary training in the common schools of his native state, young Mc- Gray took a thorough course in the academy at Freedom, Maine, and was graduated with honor in April, 1861. Alden J. Blethen, the well known pro- prietor of the Seattle Times, was a schoolmate of his at that time. Thrilled with passionate zeal for his beloved country, he was one of the first to re- spond to her call in the hour of extreme need, enlisting as a private in the Fourth Maine regiment, Company A, Volunteer Infantry. He soon found abundant opportunity of fulfilling his boyhood dream, that of some time bravely defending his country as his illustrious forefathers had done. Hay- ing consecrated his services, his life if need be, to the cause of truth and right, he was, during the suceeding years found always in the forefront of battle. From the first conflict at Bull Run to the battle of Gettysburg, he actively participated in six- teen engagements, his regiment being in the third army corps under Philip H. Kearny, brigadier-gen- eral in the Army of the Potomac. Although scarcely past his majority, Mr. McGray soon dis- tinguished himself as a fearless soldier and was promoted to a lieutenancy. Later. in recognition of remarkable bravery and skill, he was appointed captain of Company A, the one in which he had en- listed as a private. After the battle of Gettysburg he was sent to Belfast, Maine, to superintend the first conscript, and he served as provost marshal until 1864 when he was released from duty, retiring with a military record the memory of which might well bring pride to the breast of any man.

Going to Wisconsin after the war, Captain Mc- Gray entered the employ of the W. and J. G. Flint Company, importers and wholesale dealers in teas, coffees and spices, traveling as their representative throughout the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan. With ability and faithfulness he devoted every energy to this enterprise, and gave such excellent satisfaction that he retained the posi- tion until 1872, when he was in position to engage in business for himself. Deciding on Forest City as a location he went thither and opened a general mer- chandise store, which continued to be his for five

years during a part of which time he was also post- master. In 1877 he first visited the Pacific coast, going first to San Francisco, and thence in the steamer "Dakota" to Seattle, Washington. He ar- rived in the latter city June 1, 1822, and soon, in company with a Swede named Andy, went on to Ebey slough where they spent nearly a year cutting cordwood for the steamer "Nellie," owed by Ben Stretch and Charley Low. Returning to Seattle in the spring of 1878 he leased the Salmon Bay ranch of Doctor Smith, and tilled the soil for a time, meanwhile carefully investigating the surrounding country. A year later he purchased the present site of Latona, a suburb of Seattle, for the sum of $500, and quietly awaited the course of events which, he was convinced, would bring a great advance in real estate in localities adjacent to the Queen City. In 1881 William Cochran and William Powell cut the timber for the Western Mill Company, and two years later Captain MeGray sold the tract to Rich- ard Ward for $6,700. Desiring to revisit California and become more familiar with the country, he went to Los Angeles in 1883, and embarked in the real estate business, remaining until 1888. Finding that although surrounded by the beauties nature has so lavishly bestowed on that favored region, he still longed for the strenuous life of the Northwest, he again sought a home in Seattle, where for a time he busied himself in laying water mains for the city. In 1889, just prior to the time that the city was visited by the terrible fire, he was appointed sanitary inspector, an office which he retained until in 1891 he resigned to accept an appointment as bailiff in the equity department of the Superior court, under the Honorable I. J. Litchtenburg. After filling this position with honor for two years, he turned his attention to general contracting, con- structing sewers within the city limits for nearly seven years.

At length, weary of the toil and turmoil of city life, he determined to find a secluded spot where he might have time to enjoy life, and having satisfied himself that Cherry Valley. Snohomish county, would exactly suit his taste, he came here in 1900. and purchased the Rocky Point ranch situated six iniles south of Monroe. It is a fine piece of prop- erty, embracing ninety-two acres, part of which is in cultivation. A large orchard forms a part of the farmi, and to it the Captain gives much time and attention. He is also known as a breeder of su- perior horses, and is acquiring quite a reputation along that line. For many years he has been promi- nent in the councils of the Republican party, having been several times a delegate to the state, county and city conventions, in which assemblies he was always accorded an honored position, and listened to with profound respect. Indeed, so actively was he engaged in political matters while residing in Seattle, that he became known as one of her "war horses." He has one brother, Frank McGray, who

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has been boom master for the Saint Croix Boom Company at Stillwater, Minnesota, since before the Civil War, a fact that carries its own guarantee of his business ability. That he might not be drafted into service, the Captain placed on deposit $300, and thus secured his exemption. It was rather strange that among the entire number of Union soldiers enrolled, there was but one man, the Cap- tain, who bore the name of McGrav. He is an hon- ored member of the Stevens Post, No. 1, of the Grand Army at Seattle, Washington, also is prominently identified with the Masonic lodge, No. 105, at Prescott, Wisconsin. Wise enough to retire from active business pursuits when but lit- tle past the prime of life, Captain McGray is finding the fullest measure of peace and contentment amid these rural surroundings where it is possible to get close to the heart of Nature. A brave, battle- scarred war veteran, a shrewd, practical business man; a loyal and patriotic citizen : a tried and trusted friend, he holds the respect and honor of his entire circle of acquaintances.

FREDERICK KNUTSON. Among the pros- perous agriculturists residing on the banks of the Snoqualmie river, few are better known or more highly respected than he whose life history forms the theme of this review. Like many of the most successful men now residing in the Northwest, he claims Norway as the land of his nativity. His birth occurred July 17, 1854. The father was a successful farmer until his death in 1866; the mother is still living in Norway at the ripe old age of eighty-five. Of her ten children, Frederick is the fifth. He acquired the rudiments of an education in the common schools of his home land, and when buit a lad of twelve years started to make his own way in the world. His willing hands busied them- selves at various occupations in the next few years. farming, mining and railroading each in turn afford- ing him means of support. At the age of twenty- four he migrated to Sweden, where he was engaged in lumbering for four years. Year by year the de- termination to find some day a home in the United States steadily grew stronger, but it was not until 1882 that he was in position to carry out his plans. Then, however, he severed the ties that bound him to his fatherland, and sailed for America, with bright anticipations of the success and honor that awaited him in her hospitable domain. He landed in Castle Garden, and after the usual preliminaries. set out at once for Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. His first employment in the new country was on the railroad then being built between that city and Duluth. He spent the winter working in the lum- ber camps in the northern part of the state, and the following summer, having returned to Chippewa Falls, cleared some land in that locality. Still pressing westward, he reached Saint Paul in 1883,

and there purchased a ticket to Seattle, Washington, making the trip via San Francisco, from which point he came north in the old steamer "Dakota." For a time he labored in the lumber districts, re- turning however to Seatle at the breaking up of the winter. Later he crossed Lake Washington, followed a rude trail into Cherry Valley, and there engaged in the lumber business which he followed for the ensuing four and one-half years. Realizing that his parents were growing old, and would never be able even if willing to visit him in the United States, Mr. Knutson then returned to the land of his birth, remaining a year among his relatives and friends. Again seeking at the end of that period the home of his adoption he very soon filed on a homestead in Cherry Valley. King county, a few miles from his present location. He sold this in 1899, and invested in the property he now owns, 120 acres of fine land, sixty of which are cleared and in excellent cultivation. His splendid orchard, than which there are few finer ones in this part of the state, bears unmistakable evidence of wise care and thorough knowledge of the varied requirements of different fruits. He has a beautiful home built on an elevation commanding a full view of the valley nestling below. Mr. Knutson is largely in- terested in dairying, and is very familiar with the entire subject.

The 17th of November, 1888, witnessed the marriage of Mr. Knutson and Miss Caroline An- derson, of Sweden. She is the daughter of Olaus Anderson, a skillful tailor well known to the resi- dents of Redmond. Washington, his home at the present time. To Mr. and Mrs. Knutson six chil- dren have been born: Fred O., Mamie, Henry, Edwin E., Blanche, and Blanda. Mr. Knutson is a prominent member of the Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America, and his wife is an influential Rebekah. In politics he is a loval Demo- crat, but he has never cherished any political as- pirations. One of the hardy pioneers of this sec- tion who blazed the trail for others, he has been identified with the growth of the community for many years, and has been instrumental to a large extent in developing its resources, as well as ren- dering valuable assistance in building roads and opening up the country. His fellow citizens regard him as one of the strong. influential members of the community.

FRANKLIN E. PHELPS. The distinction of having been one of the little company of daunt- less men who first penetrated the wilderness of Snohomish county, and opened the way for the triumphal march of civilization, is justly accorded Franklin E. Phelps, one of the worthy pioneers of Tualco valley, Washington. Inheriting from his parents, Samuel and Louise (Lindsey) Phelps, the inestimable benefits of a noble ancestry, he entered

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life October 27. 1851. The Phelps family, origi- mally from England, settled on the Atlantic coast very soon after the landing of the Mayflower, and was prominently identified with colonial history. The mother was the direct descendant of a well known Revolutionary family, honored throughout that portion of the East which was then their home. After a long, useful life, she died September 20, 1880. The father early in life learned the stone cutter's trade, following it successfully for fifty years, at the end of which time he decided to aban- don it. and spend the remainder of his years in agricultural pursuits. He therefore located on a farm in his native state, New York, and remained there until his death, June 29, 1900.

Born like both his parents in the Empire state, Franklin E. Phelps acquired his education in the schools of Oxford, his native town, completing his training at the age of eighteen. He left home at that time, and spent the next three years on a farm. that being the occupation that first presented itself. Believing that he could better his condition by going to Pennsylvania, he went thither in 1812. and he worked in the lumber camps of Ridgeway, Elk county, until 18:5. Gradually working his way westward. he was employed the following year in the lumber regions of Warsaw. Wisconsin. Be- ing convinced that the splendid forests of the North- west must afford an unparalleled opening for the lumberman, he started for the state of Washington in 1876, arriving in Snohomish county August 9th of that year. Here felling the giant monarchs of the forest that had sported with the forces of na- ture for centuries, he found congenial toil and four years slipped quickly by. He invested in his first real estate in the county April 19, 1880, 160 acres of land in Tualco valley, which now forms half of his fine ranch. The remaining half he acquired as a homestead claim some years later. In common with the other pioneers, he underwent all the trying experiences inseparably connected with life in a new country. In the absence of roads all the neces- sary supplies were brought by Indians up the Sky- komish river in canoes, and packed thence to the scattered claims, on the backs of the hardy settlers. It is small wonder that the life they lived while wresting a living from the unwilling soil developed a rugged strength of character often wanting in these modern days of ease and luxury. Year by year Mr. Phelps toiled on, working early and late, and today he reaps the harvest of his arduous toil. being the owner of one of the most valuable estates within the boundaries of the entire county. It con- sists of 320 acres of fertile land, 150 of which are in an excellent state of cultivation, and the remain- der in fine pasture which he utilizes in maintaining his large herds of cattle. Crowning these broad aeres, and imparting the necessary home-touch without which the picture would be incomplete. stands an imposing residence, beautiful in archi-

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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 199

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