USA > Washington > Spokane County > Spokane > History of the city of Spokane and Spokane County, Washington : from its earliest settlement to the present time, Volume II > Part 35
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Dr. Olmsted has been married twice and by his first wife had two children: Amy Lois, now the wife of Bert Taylor; and Carrie Edna, who was the wife of Fred Taylor and died in 1903. On the 15th of May, 1881, Dr. Olmsted was united in marriage to Miss Emma L. Sutton, who was born in Illinois. His appreciation of comradeship and friendship causes him to enter into social in- terests with marked zest. He belongs to the Inland Club and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, but is most prominent in the Masonic fraternity, in which he has acquired high honors. He has filled most of the offices in the lodge, the consistory, and the shrine, serving as master of the lodge for five terms, while at the present time he is commander-in-chief of Oriental Consistory, No. 2, S. P. R. S., which position he has filled for the past fourteen years. Upon him has been accorded the honor of election to the thirty-third degree and he holds the second highest office within the gift of the fraternity in Washington as deputy for the sovereign grand inspector general for Alaska and Washington, filling the position under Ernest B. Hussey. He has many traits admirable and worthy of all praise and among his noble qualities is his large capacity for friendship.
EDWARD B. ZANE.
Edward B. Zane, who is the agent for the Packard motor cars, with offices at the corner of Sprague and Jefferson streets, was born in Philadelphia, on the 7th of February, 1884, a son of Charles S. and Jane (Breece) Zane. The father is a prominent attorney of Philadelphia, where the family reside.
Edward B. Zane pursued his education in the public schools of his native city but in 1904 moved to Seattle. He was connected with the engineering department of the Moran Ship Building Company, the Seattle Engineering Company and later the Seattle Electric Company. In these various positions he acquired a good knowledge of engineering and of mechanical construction. In 1907 he became iden- tified with the automobile business, being employed by Nute & Keena, who were the agents in the northwest for the Packard Motor Company. He came to Spokane in 1909 and handled the Spokane business but in June, 1910, he was appointed rep- resentative for the entire Inland Empire district. Their show. rooms were located
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first at 1122 First avenue but in June, 1911, they moved to the new rooms which were especially built for them. There were then but three Packard motor cars in this city but now there are over thirty-five. They are also giving special attention to commercial trucks and there are now seven three-ton trucks in use in this city. They maintain both a salesroom and service station but do not carry on garage work.
On the 16th of June, 1909, Mr. Zane was united in marriage, at Seattle, to Miss Betty Williams, a daughter of H. R. Williams, of that city. They have one daugh- ter, Elizabeth Barbara. Mr. Zane is a member of the Spokane Club and the Spokane Country Club. In his business life he displays marked ability in developing and increasing the business of the company which he represents and in the constantly enlarging patronage accorded this company is seen the success which has rewarded his labors.
CHARLES F. CLOUGH.
Among the veterans of the Civil war who are now residing in Spokane is num- bered Charles F. Clough, who for four years valiantly defended the union cause, bravely facing the enemy on many hotly contested battlefields. He has been equally loyal to his country in days of peace and has done much important serv- ice, especially while filling the office of city councilman and mayor of Spokane. He is also prominently associated with business interests in the northwest, being an extensive real-estate dealer of Spokane and a stockholder and director in vari- ous corporate interests.
Mr. Clough was born at Cumberland, Rhode Island, December 26, 1843, a son of Zera and Sally M. (Cook) Clough. The father, who was born in Connecti- cut, belonged to an old New England family, of Scotch-Irish descent, was en- gaged for many years in freighting between Providence and Woonsocket, Rhode Island, before the advent of the railroads. He died in 1849. His wife, who was born in Rhode Island and was of English. lineage, died in 1892. Their family numbered two sons, the brother of our subject being George H. Clough who is now residing in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Mr. Clough's educational facilities in early life were very limited, and con- fined to country schools during winter terms, like other lads in those days who followed farming as a vocation. In 1861 when in his eighteenth year, he re- sponded to the country's call for volunteers, the rebellion in the south having aroused his patriotic nature and he in the opening year of the struggle joined Com- pany E, Fourth Rhode Island Regiment of Volunteer Infantry, serving from the 8th of September, 1861, until the 25th of July, 1865. He served as a non-com- missioned officer in Burnside's campaign in North Carolina in the winter and spring of 1861-2, during the siege and capture of Roanoke island, on the 7th and 8th of February, 1862, and at the battle of Newbern, N. C., March 14, 1862. Later he participated in the siege of Fort Macon, which surrendered on the 25th of April of that year, and with most of Burnside's forces was transferred from North Caro- lina to Washington, D. C., leaving the old North state on the 5th of July, 1862, then being attached to the Army of the Potomac in routing Lee's forces and driv- ing them out of Maryland. Mr. Clough participated in the battle of South Moun-
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tain, September 14, 1862, and that of Antietam, on the 17th of September. After the rout of Lee's army in Maryland he went to Fredericksburg, West Virginia, and was in the battle of that place on the 14th and 15th of December. In the early spring of 1863 his division was transferred to Portsmouth, Virginia, Mr. Clough remaining in that country for several months, during which his regiment partici- pated in a number of skirmishes near Suffolk, Virginia. Later in that year he was transferred back to the Army of the Potomac and his regiment was on detached duty several months guarding Confederate prisons at Point Lookout, Maryland. Early in the spring of 1864 he was again attached to the Army of the Potomac and took part in several engagements near Petersburg. While at Petersburg his company was stationed directly in front of the town at the point opposite where the rebel fort was undermined, and blown up on July 30, 1864, being followed by one of the noted battles of that year. The regiment was then transferred to Fort Sedg- wick, commonly known as "Fort Hell," on the Jerusalem plank road leading to Petersburg. They remained there until April 2, 1865, under an almost continuous engagement, on the date mentioned a general advance was made on Lee's army, resulting in Lee's being driven from Petersburg and Richmond. The Union troops followed the Confederate army until the surrender at Appomattox on the 9th of April, 1865. Mr. Clough was then transferred to a point near Alexandria, Virginia, where he remained until his regiment was sent home to be mustered out in July, 1865. Following the surrender of Lee and other armies south of there in May, 1865, there was a splendid military pageant held in Washington, being a review of the Army of the Potomac and of Sherman's army which required two full days. In this event Mr. Clough participated, being one of the many thousands of the hero band who passed up the avenue amid the applause of thousands of people who lined the street on each side.
Soon after being mustered out of the army Mr. Clough and one of his old comrades entered the market business, and when he sold out in that line he devoted two years to general merchandising at Woonsocket, Rhode Island. He afterward engaged in the sale of sewing machines and pianos and from 1874 until 1876 in- clusive was largely engaged in handling patent right interests, the business taking him to Chicago in 1876. From that point he went to San Francisco, where for six years he was employed as a commercial traveler, his first visit to Spokane being made while he was thus engaged. He was so impressed with the city and its great possibilities that on the Ist of January, 1884. he quit traveling and on the 2d of March of the same year located in Spokane. This was during the excitement in the Coeur d'Alene mining country, and being attracted by it Mr. Clough spent a few months in the mines of that district, returning to Spokane in July, 1884. A little later he bought out an established business on Howard street and conducted a book and stationery store until 1887. On selling that enterprise he turned his attention to the real-estate business, in which he has engaged continuously since. There were probably twenty-five hundred people in Spokane when Mr. Clough arrived here, and with notable prescience he foresaw the future and made extensive investment in real estate, realizing that property must necessarily rise in value as the city grew in population. His holdings in 1888. 1889 and 1890 were large and he suffered quite seriously through the financial panic of 1893. but succeeded in weathering the storm and is now the owner of much valuable realty. his busi- ness here being conducted as a corporation. He is also a director of the Commer-
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cial Orchards Company of Washington and a stockholder of the Washington Brick, Lime & Sewer Pipe Company, of the Spokane Title Company and the Peoples National Fire Insurance Company of Philadelphia.
Mr. Clough was married twice and by his first union had one son, Lester F. Clough, who was born September 1, 1873, is now married and resides in Oakland, California. On the 5th of May, 1903, Mr. Clough married Mildred A. Morgan, a native of Saginaw, Michigan, who he claims has proved his mascot, and together they are enjoying their beautiful home on "Cannon Hill." He is a member of the Spokane Club and the Chamber of Commerce, and cooperates in all of the move- ments instituted by the latter and particularly during the city's earlier or formative period, he was always a liberal contributor both financially and in energetic effort toward the advancement of enterprises that were for the general good and upbuild- ing of Spokane. In politics he is a republican and has taken an active part in political affairs, frequently serving as a delegate to city and county conventions. His fellow townsmen, appreciative of his worth and ability, have called him to office and for two years, beginning in 1886, he was a member of the city council. In 1890 he was elected mayor, entering upon the duties of the office in April of that year, and served until April, 1891. This was during the reorganization period following the destruction of the business district by fire in 1889. During his tenure of office the old charter was abolished and a new one framed. There was a vast amount of building and improvement during that year, more being done than in any year before or since. The city limits were extended to five times its former size, and a great amount of street railway work was commenced that year. The old steel bridge at Monroe was also begun and nearly finished that year. He gave to the city a businesslike administration, characterized by needed reforms and improvement, and his labors were substantial and beneficial elements in the city's growth.
WILLIAM HENRY ACUFF.
William Henry Acuff is now living retired after long and close association with business interests of Spokane, whereby he contributed to the general welfare in addition to advancing his individual success. He was born at Gwynedd, Pennsyl- vania, October 8, 1846, his home being about sixteen miles from Philadelphia in the old Welsh settlement there. At the time that William Penn arrived in that state the three corners of the town square at Gwynedd had been in possession of the Acuff family for a long period. The ancestry is Welsh and Scotch and the parents of our subject were William and Lydia (Ellis) Acuff. The father died when his son William was but five months old, his death being occasioned by ty- phoid fever when he was twenty-six years of age. The mother lived to the ad- vanced age of eighty-two years and passed away in California in 1906.
William Henry Acuff was an only child and pursued his education in the schools of Pennsylvania and Illinois, having accompanied his mother on her removal to the latter state when eleven years of age. He afterward returned to Norristown, Pennsylvania, where he attended school from 1864 until 1868. He also spent a portion of the time on the oil fields in order to earn the money necessary to en-
W. H. ACUFF
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able him to continue his education. In 1868 he again went to Illinois, settling at Decatur, Macon county, and in that vicinity he followed farming and milling, dealt in grain and taught school. Eventually he turned his attention to the lum- ber business and organized what is known today as the Decatur Lumber & Manu- facturing Company, one of the important industrial and commercial interests of that district. In the spring of 1889 his health failed him and he disposed of his interests in the middle west. He then enjoyed a period of rest covering a few years and in the spring of 1890 came to Spokane, remaining out of business, how- ever, until February, 1892, when he organized the Washington Mill Company, of which he became the first secretary. Afterward he was president of the company for a period of fifteen years and in July, 1910, having won substantial success in the conduct of this enterprise, he retired. He has financial interests in the Trus- tee Company of Spokane, of which he has been a director since its organization.
Aside from business Mr. Acuff is well known in republican circles where he has exerted a wide influence, being well qualified by nature and acquired ability to become a leader of public thought and action. In 1896 he was elected on the re- publican ticket a member of the city council and served for three years as chair- man of its finance committee, while for one year he was president of the council. It was during his term that Spokane was nearly bankrupt and it was through the good business judgment and careful management of Mr. Acuff that the city was able to meet its monthly pay rolls and weather the financial storm. He spent the winter of 1904-5 in Washington, D. C., representing the Chamber of Commerce in the interest of Spokane, endeavoring to assist President Roosevelt in securing increased power for the interstate commerce commission and aid Spokane in its fight for reduced freight rates. The good results he accomplished cannot be over- estimated. The campaign was conducted in such a manner that it awakened the admiration of business men and manufacturers all over the United States. In 1908 Mr. Acuff went to Japan as a Spokane representative with the Pacific coast commercial commission to look into the trade relations between the two countries. His efforts have been most effective in promoting business conditions and in bring- ing forth elements that have been far-reaching forces in the growth and material upbuilding of the northwest. For many years he was the vice president of the Pacific Coast Lumberman's Association and was also president of the local association.
On the 22d of August, 1871, in St. Louis, Missouri, Mr. Acuff was married to Miss Isabelle Bricker, a daughter of Aaron and Louise Bricker of Decatur, Illinois, and they had one daughter, Lillie A., the wife of John C. Neffeler, of Spokane. The wife and mother died in this city in November, 1896. Since his retirement from business life Mr. Acuff has largely devoted his attention to Masonry which had also claimed much of his time and thought previously. He stands very high in the order and is a past master of Tyrian Lodge, No. 96, F. & A. M .; past high priest of Spokane Chapter, No. 2, R. A. M .; past thrice illustrious master of Spo- kane Council, No. 4, R. & S. M .; past eminent commander of Cataract Commandery, No. 3, K. T .; and past commander of Oriental Consistory, No. 2, S. P. R. S. He has likewise been awarded the honorary thirty-third degree and is a member of El Katif Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He is likewise a member of the grand council and is one of its deputy grand masters. He is also junior warden of the grand commandery and is a past patron of the Eastern Star. He is today one of the best known men of Spokane, respected by all. In manner he is modest and Vol. 11-17
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retiring but the work that he has accomplished speaks for itself. His love of jus- tice has expressed itself in correct principle and practice and added to this, the salient features of his life have been a deep earnestness, impelled and fostered by indomitable perseverance, and a progressive spirit ruled by more than ordinary in- telligence and good judgment.
JOHN MELVILLE GRIMMER.
The life of John Melville Grimmer is perhaps more varied than that of many, for there came to him many interesting and sometimes exciting experiences during the period in which he lived a seafaring life. Today he is quietly pursuing the even tenor of his way as a business man of Spokane, having organized and de- veloped the business that is now conducted under the name of the Grimmer Storage & Truck Line. His birth occurred at St. Stephens, New Brunswick, November 27, 1843, his father being William W. Grimmer, and his grandfather, John Grimmer, who were born in the same place near St. Stephens. The family is of German origin but early representatives of the family settled in Norfolk, England, and thence sailed for New Brunswick. Among the prominent members of the fam- ily was Skiffington Grimmer, who became a distinguished lawyer of New Bruns- wick ; his son was surveyor general of that province and now is attorney general. Another member of the family is a distinguished physician of Edinborough, Scot- land. The grandfather of John M. Grimmer was justice of the peace for the part of the county in which he lived and was appointed by the government collector of customs, being head of that department when William W. Grimmer became an officer under him. At one time he owned vessels running between St. Stephens and the West Indies, conducting his interests under the name of the West India Goods & Grocery Business. His son, William W. Grimmer, was supercargo of one of the three vessels, Elizabeth Grimmer, Eliza Gillis and the Caledonia, all three of which were brigs. The latter, thus closely associated with his father in business and in official life, died at St. Stephens in February, 1890, having long survived his wife, who passed away in 1856. She bore the maiden name of Mary Ann Buchanan, and was born at Oak Hill, Charlotte county, New Brunswick, coming of Scotch ancestry. There were two sons of that marriage, the brother of John M. Grimmer being Harry Grimmer, a farmer and logger of Oak Hill, New Brunswick. After losing his first wife the father married again and had five sons, all living in St. Stephens.
John M. Grimmer attended the New Brunswick schools, conning his lessons from books furnished by the British government, all canvas covered. At that day the head of a family paid so much for a term of three months' schooling and the government paid a certain amount, while the teachers boarded around, going from the home of one pupil to another. While the educational opportunities of Mr. Grimmer were thus somewhat limited, in the school of experience he learned many valuable lessons. His first business experience came to him as clerk in the office of Chipman & Bolton, who in connection with the lumber business also shipped lumber to Liverpool, St. Stephens at that time being the center of a large lum- ber trade. In 1859 Mr. Grimmer shipped on a vessel called the Hibernian and
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sailed to Dublin. On the return trip he went to Quebec, where he left the ship and thence made his way to his native town. In 1861 he joined the bark Florence Chipman and then went to Baltimore, where it loaded with a general cargo for Liverpool. On that ship he afterward sailed to Boston, Quebec, Montreal and then again to Liverpool. He next joined the ship Silesia for Calcutta, proceed- ing first to Mauritius island, thence to Calcutta, after which he remained in India for two years, returning by way of Cape of Good Hope to St. Helena for orders and thence to Fayal Island, where orders were received to proceed to London. In that city he joined the P. & O. bark Harrington and sailed for New York, where he shipped as second mate on the Zimi, carrying a load of lumber to Liverpool. He next joined the ship Echo as second mate and went to Philadelphia with a general cargo. Later he was wrecked off Hatteras in the bark Falcon and went into Boston under jury masts. On the ship Dame Durden he sailed for Liverpool and returned to Philadelphia on the Echo, then one of the largest sailing vessels afloat, acting as second mate. Again he was wrecked off Hatteras, losing the main mast and shifting the cargo. With an American ship sailing under English colors he went to Philadelphia from Quebec, taking on a load of square timber for Liverpool but the ship was water logged just eastward of Newfoundland. Twenty-seven men and officers were upon it for a week, when they were taken off on a Friday by the ship Chaudiere. Having abandoned the ship they were taken to London, the Fishermen's Society sending the crew to that place, where they had signed arti- cles. In 1865 Mr. Grimmer sailed as quartermaster on a little blockade runner and following the close of the Civil war went to Pernambuco, South America and thence to Macao and on to Bahia. The ship was chartered by the Brazilian gov- ernment, which was at war with Paraguay to run a blockade between Paraguay and the upper Brazilian country and carried specie from there to Rio de Janeiro. As they did not answer the hail of the fort at Rio they were seized and kept as prisoners of war for two months. When the vessel was sold to the Brazilian gov- ernment for a dispatch boat the crew deserted and joined a bark, going up the Amazon river as far as the vessel could proceed, thence back to Maranhao and afterward to Liverpool. At that place Mr. Grimmer joined the ship Cowper and in 1868 sailed for San Francisco. In the same year he became master of a schooner engaged in the coast trade.
After some time, however, Mr. Grimmer left that service and went to Eurcka, Humboldt county, California, where he was united in marriage to Miss Mary C. Hadley. He left California overland in the fall of 1880 and went on foot to Crescent City, from which point he traveled in the same manner across the moun- tains to Grant's Pass, Oregon. He afterward cruised the head waters of differ- ent rivers for the Hobbs, Gilmore Box Company, now the Crescent City Mill Company, of San Francisco, through the summer of 1880 and in the latter part of September started by stage from Ainsworth, which at that time was the west- ern headquarters of the Northern Pacific Railway in Spokane, the stage stopping at Medical Lake.
Mr. Grimmer remained in Spokane for two weeks, then returned to Ainsworth and began work as bridge carpenter for the Northern Pacific Railway Company. In 1881 the carpenter's gang was changed from trestle No. 23 and sent to build a bridge at Hangman's creek, where they arrived March 11. Three hundred Northern Pacific employes reached there at that time, with John B. McLain
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as superintendent of construction, and Angus Mckenzie as chief builder. Later Mr. McLain was succeeded by the resident engineer, H. M. McCartney, as chief engineer, while H. W. Fairweather was division superintendent .. Mr. Grimmer con- tinued with the Northern Pacific until the spring of 1882, when work was con- cluded at Sandpoint, Idaho. He then came to Spokane and purchased the Northern Pacific Hotel, which he conducted until 1885, but this was not a successful ven- ture and after disposing of his interests therein he purchased a truck and team and turned his attention to the transportation business, in which he has since been engaged. In this undertaking he met with prosperity and is now conducting a suc- cessful business under the firm name of the Grimmer Storage & Truck Line. Their storehouse west of the Monroe Street bridge is one hundred and fifty by one hun- dred and fifty feet and two stories and basement in height. Something of the growth of the business may be imagined from the fact that during the busy sea- son he uses twenty teams and employs from twenty-six to thirty-six men. When he first arrived in Spokane there were no bridges across the river and the only means of reaching the other side was by a ferry boat kept by R. W. Forrest, that made the crossing above where the Division Street bridge now spans the stream. Mr. Forrest was the first mayor of the town. There were few houses on the north side of the river and Mr. Grimmer's home, at No. 1843 Broadway, was the first brick house built on the north side. He and his wife have seen the town grow from an unimportant little village to a city of the first class and recollect many interest- ing reminiscences of those early days. There were several Indian scares in 1883 and one on the 4th of July of that year, which sent the small population of the town to cover. Mr. Grimmer remembers the first murder that occurred in Spokane, the crime being committed in the little singing and dance house on Howard street, when a man named Roblin was shot by one Conover.
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