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 93

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 93
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 93

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Oh! the peaceful bay In the islands' lea, For fair is the day O'er the landlocked sea; And the sun's rays' gleam On her waters rest, And the green isles seem Asleep on her breast; Now the ships that ride On the peaceful bay In their stately pride Sail out and away.

Oh! the glorious bay, Of the isle-set sca, Beyond and away Stand the mountains free. And they smile and they frown In their bonnets of snow,

As they look far down On the scene below. The ships may keep On their stately ride, For the waters are deep And the harbor wide. R. K. BEECHAM. Published in the Everett Times, Feb. 6, 1895.

THE WILD CHERRY TREE

It stands on the brow of the hillside green, And bends like a graceful plume; Its pale green foliage in silver sheen, Is fringed with a wealth of bloom.

At sunrise it gleams in the brilliant rays, A tree of beauty most fair; At noontide it rests in the dazzling haze, Aglow with splendor rare.

The shafts of the sunset lodge in its boughs, Now crowned with a halo bright; It sends its perfume to soothe restless brows, And gracefully waves "Goodnight." ERA M. DAVIS, Mount Vernon.

THE OLD SETTLER (Author Unknown)

I've traveled all over the country, Prospecting and digging for gold; I've cradled, hydrauliced and tunneled And frequently I have been sold.

For one that got riches by mining. Perceiving that hundreds grow poor, I made up my mind to try farming, The only pursuit that is sure.

So I rolled up my grub in a blanket And left all my tools on the ground And started one morning to shank it For the country that's called Puget sound.

Arriving flat broke in mid-winter, I found it enveloped in fog And covered all over with timber Thick as hair on the back of a dog.

I took up a home in the forest; I spent there two years of hard toil. I worked and I slaved and I niggered But never got down to the soil.

I tried to get out of the country But poverty forced me to stay Until I became an old settler, Then nothing could drive me away.

But now I've got used to the climate And I think if a man ever found A place to live happy and easy, That Eden is on Puget sound.

No longer the slave of ambition, I laugh at this world and its shams As I think of my pleasant condition, Surrounded by acres of clams.

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SUPPLEMENTARY

ON THE PLAINS

The sun sinks low, The golden glow Falls slanting o'er the tawny plain; A gentle breeze From far-off seas Blows gently o'er the wagon train; A mellow beauty softly reigns-

'Tis sunset on the western plains.

The twinkling stars, Through azure bars, Look down upon the darkened plain: The coyote's cry And night wind's sigh Are blended in a long refrain; A mystic, wild enchantment reigns- 'Tis midnight on the western plains.

Long rays of light Dispel the night As slanting sunbeams span the plain; Wild flowers fair Perfume the air, While westward wends the wagon train, The god of day in glory reigns-

'Tis sunrise on the western plains. LOUIS P. CALLAHAN in Pittsburg Dispatch.

THE PIONEERS

In the heat and the dust of the alkali plains, Over desolate stretches of sand,

They trudged by the side of the slow moving trains, The bullwhip and rifle in hand, Their eyes they had fixed on the wonderful West, Its stories delighted their ears,

And hope had a nest in each resolute breast Of those heroes, our brave pioneers.

They knew of the dangers that clung to the trail That led o'er the desert's bleak waste, And, armed with a courage that never could fail, Those dangers they fearlessly faced. They slept 'neath the stars by the fire's fitful light Or watched o'er the grass feeding steers When red peril lurked in the shadows of night In wait for those brave pioneers.

The great Land of Promise they fought for was won, And the victory flushed their brown cheeks When they saw the red rays of the evening sun Light up the proud heads of the peaks. Their glad lips were reeking with song at the dawn, The echoes were dancing with cheers, As the mountains in view seemed to beckon them on To the home of the brave pioneers.

Long years have rolled by since they halted for rest At the end of their wearisome tramp; A city of grandeur, the pride of the West, Now stands on the site of their camp, And dimmed is the light of once keen flashing eyes As, ripe with the fullness of years, They wait for the call to the trail to the skies That is blazed for our brave pioneers. JAMES BARTON ADAMS.

THE BRAVE OLD DAYS

You will see them meet on the busy street, old fellows of tottering walk,

And the eyes grow bright with the old daylight as their old hands meet and lock,

And its "Hello, Jim!" and its "Hello, Tim!" and "How do you do to-day?" And they draw aside from the human tide for a chat in the old time way.

They talk of the time they were in their prime ere they suffered from age's pains,

Of the songs they sang when the bullwhips rang way out on the dusty plains.

Of the perils faced on the desert waste, of the pioneer joke and jest,

As they trudged through sand to the promised land in the brave old days of the West.

They recall the frays of those brave old days with the demons with skins of red,

Of the wagons "parked" and the guns that barked and bit with their teeth of lead,

Of the fiendish yells and the jingling bells on the ponies of painted foes,

Of the arrows' flight sent with arms of might from the spring of the bended bows,

And again do they hear the words of cheer from the women as brave as they,

The women who shared the perils dared, young wives and old mothers gray,

And as memories swarm how the hearts beat warm as of old in each brave old breast,

As the pictures rise to their brave old eyes of the brave old days of the West.

O! the joy and pain as they live again those scenes of the stirring past;

Joy lights their eyes that they won the prize-a home in the West-at last,

And their tones grow low as they feel a blow from the merciless hand of pain,

As they talk of the braves they laid in graves near the camp of the wagon train.

Thus they often meet on the busy street, those grizzled old pioneers,

And the pictures seen on the memory screen oft start the unbidden tears

As the lips and eyes speak the thoughts that rise from their founts in each valiant breast,

Of the weary tramps and the firelit camps in the brave old days of the West.

JAMES BARTON ADAMS.

THE EVERGREEN STATE (Air, "Illinois.")

We've a land toward the setting Of the far, Western sun, Name of soldier, statesman, hero, Washington, Washington! Land of hill and mountain side, Land of plain and valley wide, Land of plenty, prospect, pride- Washington.

Zephyrs soft o'er Whitman sighing, Washington, Washington! Constant requiem supplying, Washington, Washington!

Here Vancouver came and Gray, Clark and Lewis led the way, To this land of future day- Washington.

Land of fertile sunlit plains, Washington, Washington! Mellow fruit and golden grains, Washington, Washington! Wondrous wealth of stream and mines, Cedar, fir, and giant pines, All within thy vast confines- Washington.

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REMINISCENCES

Here Columbia proudly sweeping, Washington, Washington! By the graves of heroes sleeping, Washington, Washington! Forest, field, and snowy hill, Waterfall and sparkling rill, How these scenes with rapture thrill- Washington.

Cities great and grand and growing, Washington, Washington! In thy land with wealth o'erflowing, Washington, Washington! Walla Walla broad and fair, Everett, with balmy air, Bellingham with vista rare- Washington.

Hear Olympia's olden story, Washington, Washington! Watch Wenatchee's growing glory, Washington, Washington! While we "Watch Tacoma grow," See Seattle onward go, How Spokane's bright prospects glow, Washington.

Bright the morn's first beams advaucing, Washington, Washington! Span Mount Carlton's view entrancing, Washington, Washington! Part the mists on old Rainier, Signal "day" to Adams drear, And to Baker's summit clear- Washington.

Where the rays of twilight resting, Washington, Washington! On the wide Olympic cresting, Washington, Washington! Shade the blue of Puget sound,

Gild the wooded hilltops round, Oh, what gardens doth abound- Washington.

Where the Cascade's rugged rending, Washington, Washington! Form Chelan's bright bays extending, Washington, Washington! Oh, the riches lavished there, Skylit blue of waters fair, Caverns deep and peaks in air- Washington.

Ilere the quiet Oriental, Washington, Washington! Meets again the Occidental, Washington, Washington! 'Neath thy kindly flag unfurled, Here by fate and fortune hurled, Thou the home of all the world -- Washington.

Future's eyes are toward the turning, Washington, Washington! Keep their altar fires still burning, Washington, Washington! Show the worth of coming fates, Grasp the legacy that waits, Thou the queen of all the states - Washington.

When our last long sleep is nearing, Washington, Washington! Earth and loved ones disappearing, Washington, Washington! May we know that we shall rest, On thy kind and ample breast, Thou of all the dearest, best- Washingtou. HENRY HERBERT SLATER. Deer Park, Wash., March 15, 1906.

PART V

BIOGRAPHICAL

"Biography is the only true history." Emerson.

"Biography is infinitely more valuable than the dumb statue or monument." Carlyle.

SKAGIT COUNTY BIOGRAPHY

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES SKAGIT COUNTY

IRA E. SHRAUGER, mayor of Mount Ver- non, and senior member of the law firm of Shrau- ger & Barker, was born in Parkville, Michigan, in 1858, the son of Francis J. and Anna ( Umstead) Shrauger. The father was a descendant of the Pennsylvania Dutch stock. He was a pioneer in the state of Michigan, to which he came with his parents in the early thirties. He followed railroad- ing for years, as conductor on the Rock Island sys- tem, and during the war he carried the wounded soldiers into Rock Island on what might be desig- nated an ambulance special. He also at one time was a hardware merchant, and a prominent member of the Grand Army. He died in 1888, at the age of fifty-five. The mother, born in Pennsylvania in 1838, is now living at Exira, Iowa. Having spent the first twelve years of his life in his native city, Mr. Shrauger came with his parents to Audubon county, where after a short time they took up their permanent residence at Exira, at which place he re- ceived his education. graduating from the Academy, and at the early age of fifteen teaching his first term of school. In the succeeding fourteen terms which he taught he employed all his leisure time in the study of law, and in 1888 was admitted to the bar in Nebraska, to which state he had moved seven years previous. For five years he was editor of The Enterprise, the leading paper of Humboldt, Nebraska, and city clerk for the entire time of his residence there except when serving as city attor- ney. In 1890 he came West, first locating in Bell- ingham, where he practiced law for eighteen months, and later in Hamilton, where he opened a bank in connection with his law practice. Elected county attorney in 1896, he came to Mount Vernon, since which time he has made that place his home and has been connected with every public enter- prise, believing this to be the best town in the coun- try and one whose financial basis is especially wor- thy of praise. Nominated a second time for the office of attorney, he barely missed being elected by sixty-five votes, while other candidates on the same ticket, the Fusion, were defeated by several hundred votes. At the expiration of his- term of office he formed a co-partnership with Mr. E. P. Barker, and together they have built up a splendid business. In 1902 he was appointed mayor, and elected to the same office in 1904.

Mr. Shrauger was married in Skagit county in 1892, to Mayme Finne, who was born in Chicago, but came with her parents to California where she grew to womanhood. Mr. and Mrs. Shrauger have three children : Donald L., Clyde F. and Maynard F. Few members of his party, the Democratic, have rendered it more valuable service than has Mr. Shrauger, who is chairman of the county central committee, and who has represented the party in both county and state conventions, in which his per- sonal popularity and wide practical knowledge of men and affairs rendered him a prominent figure. The legal profession, of which he is such an able member, has honored him by electing him president of the bar association. As treasurer of the county fair association, he is in close touch with the farm- ing interests of the county and state. The Com- mercial club and the Knights of Pythias are pleased to claim him as an active member. The character- istics so clearly manifested in the boy-teacher,- ambition and industry,-joined to the highest in- tegrity, growing and developing with the passing years, have insured for the man of to-day the ex- alted position which he holds in town, county and state.

DAVID HT. MOSS, president of the First Na- tional Bank of Mount Vernon, and the Bank of Burlington, was born in Paris, Missouri, January 5, 1876, of distinguished parents. His father, Dav- id H. Moss, a native of Columbia, Missouri. born in 1822, came of Virginia and Kentucky ancestors, who were pioneers in Missouri, where they came in 1819, and were among the first settlers in Saint Joseph, which at the time of their advent was only an Indian trading point. The elder Moss was for many years a prominent factor in political circles in his state, where he filled the offices of circuit judge and attorney for many terms, and made his influence felt in the councils of his party. A num- ber of years since, however, he decided to retire from the onerous duties of public life, and seek the more peaceful comforts of his home and fireside, holding alone the position of president of the Paris ( Missouri) National bank, one of the solid finan- cial institutions of that state. The mother, Mellville (Hollingsworth) Moss, was born near Hannibal,

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Missouri, and was reared in St. Louis. Her par- ents were natives of Virginia, but immigrated to Missouri in the early part of the last century, when the pioneer instinct would no longer admit of their continuing in what to them were the densely popu- lated regions of their native state. They here ex- perienced fully the strenuous life of the pioneer, and reared their family under these conditions into stalwart manhood and useful womanhood. How happily changed are the conditions under which this worthy matron now lives, surrounded with afflu- ence and social advantages, and, still better, enjoying the approving consciousness of a life well spent. The youngest in a family of eight. the subject of this writing grew to manhood in an atmosphere of cul- ture and refinement. Encouraging the fondness for study which he carly manifested, his parents sent him at the carly age of fourteen to the Military Academy at Booneville, Missouri, which was at that time one of the best educational institutions in the state. He later spent three years at Westmin- ster College, Fulton, Missouri, finishing there at the age of twenty, at which time he entered the law department of the Northwestern University, and was graduated therefrom in 1899. Returning to his home in Paris he was admitted to the bar, and began the practice of law, at the same time being associated with his father in the bank. In the spring of 1902 he came West to Billings, Montana, having accepted the position of assistant cashier of the First National bank, at that place, of which his brother, P. B. Moss, is the president. In March, 1903, he purchased a controlling interest in the First National Bank of Mount Vernon, in which institution he holds the honored position of presi- dent. and is likewise president of the Bank of Bur- lington, which he has established more recently. Capitalized at twenty-five thousand dollars, with loans amounting to one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars, and deposits of three hundred thousand dollars, the Mount Vernon bank is recog- nized as one of the strongest financial institutions in Skagit county.

On April 5, 1905, the marriage of David H. Moss and Miss Annabelle Arnold, daughter of R. R. and Ophelia (Morris) Arnold, of Mexico, Missouri, was solemnized at Billings, Montana. Mrs. Moss comes from one of the distinguished pioneer fami- lies of Missouri, her father, who is cashier of the First National Bank of Mexico, is a man of prom- inence in financial and political circles, and widely known throughout the state. Second from the last of a family of seven children, Mrs. Moss has been reared under the very best home and social in- fluences, with ample educational opportunities and is qualified to fill with dignity and grace the require- ments of home or social life. She is a member of the Christian Church, of which her husband is also a communicant. In fraternal circles Mr. Moss is associated with the Elks and the Masons. With his demonstrated business ability, the high position of

trust which he is holding and the full confidence and respect of his acquaintances, few young men at the age of Mr. Moss have brighter prospects for a life of influence and usefulness.

PATRICK HALLORAN. Among the men who have achieved success in Skagit county and in so doing have contributed not a little toward the general progress, is certainly to be numbered the worthy and influential pioncer whose name forms the title of this article. Born in the province of New Brunswick, Canada, in 1846, he grew up there under pioneer conditions, and naturally his chief preparation for life's battle was the formation of habits of industry and self-reliance which comes with a sustained effort to clear up and win a liveli- hood from a heavily timbered farm. He did, how- ever, receive such educational discipline as was to be had in the schools of the parish in which he was born, and in the larger school of life in which he has since taken an advanced course, being graduat- ed with honors. A degree of success in the indus- trial world has been his such as many a man with larger opportunities might envy.

Mr. Halloran's father, John Halloran, was a native of county Limerick, Ireland, whence he came to New Brunswick in 1825. For a number of years he was one of the active and forceful men in the early industrial development of that province, but in 1868 he moved to Alpena, Michigan, where he passed away some four years later. Before coming to America he had served four years in the British army. The mother of our subject, Ellen (Dawson) Halloran, who was also a native of Ireland; and who became a resident of New Brunswick while yet in early childhood, died in Alpena, Michigan, in 1896.

At the age of twenty the Mr. Halloran of this article left his New Brunswick home to seek the favor of Fortune in the American republic, moving first to Detroit, Michigan, whence, after a brief stay, he went to Alpena. There he became inter- ested in the lumber business. Special aptitude and ability in handling men, together with industry and steadfastness of purpose, soon told in his favor and before long he was entrusted with the general man- agement of the work and the direction of a large crew. About 1876 he determined to secure for him- self the larger opportunities offered by the still new- er West, so struck out for the coast. He spent brief periods of time in Portland and Seattle, and about 1817 became identified with the lumber busi- ness of Skagit county, his first place of employment being the vicinity of the site upon which Edison was subsequently built. Taking land threc-quarters of a mile from the present town he settled there perma- nently and gave to that community the benefit of his labor and influence in the direction of progres- siveness and industrial and social development. For twenty years he was engaged energetically in farm-

PATRICK HALLORAN

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

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BIOGRAPHICAL

ing, raising oats, hay and cattle. In the fall of 1885 he was nominated by the Republican party for the office of county commissioner, and was duly elected to that position. So acceptably did he perform his official duties that he was called to succeed himself two years later, serving during the four years as chairman of the board. In 1900, he sold his orig- inal home, bought a place in Edison and moved into town for the benefit of his wife's health. With characteristic resourcefulness, he engaged in the real estate business when farming was no longer practicable for him, and in 1904 he was summoned by the franchises of his fellow-citizens to the re- sponsible office of county treasurer. He is discharg- ing his duties with an eye single to the public weal, retaining as deputy Ex-treasurer Welts that the benefit of a ripe experience may not be lost to the tax payer. In all his business ventures and activi- ties, Mr. Halloran has been abundantly successful and the reward which Skagit county seldom fails to bestow upon the industrious and sound of judgment are his in good measure. He has many interests throughout the county, but he values his material wealth less highly than the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens which have come as a result of long years of square and honorable dealing. He is very loyal to all the interests of Skagit county, taking a pardonable pride in its past achievements, its present greatness and its promise for the future. Mr. Halloran was married in Alpena. Michigan, in 1812, the lady being Miss Bridget McGinty, a. native of Ireland, who moved to Canada with her brothers when a small girl. The fruit of their union is three children : James and George at home in Ed- ison, and Mary Donnelly, between them, in age, liv- ing at Sedro-Woolley. Fraternally, Mr. Halloran is a Chapter Mason, and in politics he is an active and loyal Republican, having served his party in both the capacity of county central committeeman, and member of the state committee.

HON, JOHN O. RUDENE, the well-known representative of Skagit county, residing on his fine farm three miles east of La Conner, was born in southern Sweden. Ostergotland province, August 13, 1850. His parents, Samuel and Johanna ( Shan- strom) Jacobson, natives of Sweden, died there in 1862. Mr. Rudene spent the first twenty-three years of his life on his father's farm, acquiring a thorough knowledge of the many details of the work, and meanwhile using to the very best ad- vantage the educational opportunities afforded. Two sisters and a brother had found homes in the United States, and urged him to visit the country and to see for himself the unlimited openings to be found. This he decided to do, and upon the return of his brother to the United States after a visit to his parents in Sweden, he accompanied him, locat- ing in Iowa. Mr. Rudene was employed by his uncle, John Shanstrom, for one year, following

which he worked for others in that locality until May. 1826, when he came to La Conner, Washing- ton. Beaver Flats had no farms at that time, and only the prophetie vision could see the resources hidden beneath the waste of brush, stones and mud. At the end of two years which were spent in dik- ing and farming for Mr. Calhoun and others, he rented his present farm for five years, at the end of which time he purchased the property. Meeting with the success he so richly deserved, he was able in 1881 to buy the Kennedy farm of two hundred acres which was sold at administrator's sale. Leas- ing other land until he had four hundred acres un- der cultivation, he devoted his entire time to farm- ing for four years, his principal products being oats and hay, which netted him a sufficient income to meet all his payments on the farm. For several years his brother, August, was in partnership with him, but in 1880 he bought out his interest. Mr. Rudene has three sisters: Mrs. Tina Osberg, who lives on the Swinomish slough : Carrie Edmonds on the Pleasant ridge, and Mrs. May Turner, residing in British Columbia. The brother August, men- tioned above, is now in Ballard.

In 1882 Mr. Rudene was united in marriage to Mrs. Bessie J. Cornelius, the daughter of William Wallace, of Scotch descent, who was a prominent pioneer of Oregon. Coming with her first husband, Mr. Cornelius, to Skagit county at an early date, she has the honor of being one of the first white women to brave the dangers of life in what was then almost a wilderness. Still graver dangers threatened. when; at the death of her husband, she was left with a family of three little ones, without adequate means of support. In later years she mar- ried Mr. Rudene. Mr. Rudene is a trustee in the Methodist church, of which both he and his wife are prominent members. The Odd Fellows frater- nity of La Conner claims him as an honored mem- ber, he being at the present time past grand, having filled the chair of noble grand for one term. Al- ways an active member of the Republican party, he was elected representative in the fall of 1904, at- tending the winter session of the legislature, in which his keen, practical knowledge of affairs made him at once a man of influence. Ile was chairman of the live-stock and dairy committee, before which the widely discussed meat inspector bill came up, a measure that was defeated largely because of his strong opposition. Few men have taken such an ac- tive interest in the vast enterprise of diking and draining this section of the Northwest as has Mr. Rudene, who is drainage commissioner for his dis- triet, and who now, in connection with other leading citizens, has on foot a movement for the drainage and dredging of the sloughs of that section on a most extensive scale, which when completed will be one of the largest systems in the county. Mr. Ru- dene is an ardent admirer of fine stock, and his farm boasts some of the best bred Durham cattle and French Norman Percheron horses to be found

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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 93

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