Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington, Part 140

Author:
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History
Number of Pages: 992

USA > Washington > Chelan County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 140
USA > Washington > Ferry County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 140
USA > Washington > Okanogan County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 140
USA > Washington > Stevens County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 140

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The fraternal associations of Mr. King are with the Waterville Lodge No. 57, I. O. O. F., of which he is past grand. and the Order of Washington, Entiat, of which he is past president. Politically he is a Democrat and was a delegate to the county convention last year, but is not an aspirant for office. Mrs. King died at Entiat April 28, 1902.

AMOS KNOWLES, who lives about six miles northwest from Chelan, was born in New York, on June 1, 1833, the son of Jonathan and Almedia (Gregory) Knowles, natives of New York and New England, respectively. The father's ancestors came from Ireland, and he died in Clinton, Iowa, on August 9, 1891, aged eighty. The mother's father was a patriot in the Revolution. Our subject was reared in Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin, and in Oc- tober, 1861, he responded to the call for troops to repel the hordes of treason and enlisted in Company F, First Wisconsin Cavalry, Captain John Hyde and Colonel Daniels commanding. For three years Mr. Knowles was a faithful soldier and participated in much hard fight- ing and skirmishing. Among the battles we may mention Cape Girardeau, Marmadukes' attack, Missionary Ridge, Dandridge, Chick- amauga, and many others. In the fall of 1864 he was mustered out at Calhoun, Georgia, and soon entered the government employ at Chat- tanooga, Tennesssee. He was in the capacity of blacksmith in the railroad shops, then en- tered the tan yards, later spent five years in In- diana farming, after which he went to Wis- consin and one year later settled in Minne- sota. After seven years he returned to Wis- consin and eight years later, or in 1886, Mr. Knowles journeyed to Pomeroy, Washington. He bought forty acres in the Blue mountains, whence seven years later he came to his present place. where he owns eighty acres.

On December 10, 1865, at Chattanooga, Tennessee, Mr. Knowles married Miss Nancy A., daughter of Joseph and Harriet (Turner) Griffin, natives of South Carolina. The father was of Irish ancestry and died in 1864. The mother came from Scotch parentage. Mrs. Knowles has two sisters. Mary Richardson and Georgia Rouse. Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Knowles, Amos W., Jonathan, Jason, Georgia Smith, Gertrude Petrie. Laura Sain, Guy A., Charles W., and Albert M. Mr. Knowles is a solid Democrat and a member of the G. A. R. He and his wife belong to the Christian church.

ARTHUR H. DAWSON. of Wenatchee, Chelan county, is engaged successfully in the stock and dairy business. Although an Ameri- can citizen, he was born in England, September

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29, 1858. His father, Henry Dawson, at pres- ent residing in the county of Surrey, England, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of British Architects. As an architect he is eminent in his profession, although now retired from ac- tive business, being advisory architect to the Salters Company of London. The mother, Frances E. (Wheeler) Dawson, is a native of Kent, England. For many years her father was a cashier in the Bank of England.

The elementary education of our subject was received in private schools, and he was graduated from Alleyn College, near London, in 1876. Subsequently he passed eighteen months in Germany, pursuing a course in Ger- man literature, physics, et cetera, under a pri- vate tutor. On his return to England he entered a printing house, with which he remained seven years. At the expiration of his apprenticeship he came to the United States, in 1884. Two years were spent in Florida, where he engaged in fruit packing and orange growing. At Switzerland, on the St. John's river, he was deputy postmaster. Thence he went to British Columbia, on account of his health, which had become impaired during his residence in Florida. Following five months passed in Van- couver, he went to Seattle and accepted a po- sition in the operative department of the Post- Intelligencer, but the same fall he severed his connection with that paper for the purpose of assuming charge of the Daily Record, with which he remained until shortly before the dis- astrous fire of 1889, when the Record was merged with the Daily Journal. Mr. Dawson remained with the Journal as city editor until the plant was destroyed by fire. He then be- came manager for the Remington Typewriter Company, having charge of the Western Washington territory, with his office in Seattle. He was also in charge of the office of the Sunnyside Ditch Company. In 1894 he went to the Yakima Val- ley to prosecute the ditch work, and was land salesman at that point until 1896, when the company collapsed. He then went to Col- ville, Stevens county, where he was elected jus- tice of the peace and mining recorder, serving two years. Here Mr. Dawson became greatly interested in the mining industry and operated here and in adjoining territory until 1900. He then removed to Harrington, Lincoln county, where he purchased the Harrington hotel,

conducting the same two years. Selling out he came to Wenatchee, purchased four thous- and acres of land on the Entiat river, and twenty head of fine Jersey cattle, fifteen of which were registered. He at present conducts an extenive dairy plant.

Mr. Dawson has three brothers and one sister : Rev. Leonard Dawson, Vicar of St. Judes, Bradford, England ; Dr. Bertrand Daw- son, consulting physician, Harley street, Lon- don, England; Cecil W., architect and sur- veyor, London, England; and Emily A., a teacher in the high school, London.

July 31, 1884, at Croyden, Surrey, Eng- land, Mr. Dawson was united in marriage to Edith A. Winton, born in Yalding, Kent, Eng- land. Her father, deceased, was an extensive hop grower. Her mother, Mary (Dunk) Win- ton, deceased, was a native of England, her family having been prominent hop factors. Mrs. Dawson has three brothers, Charles F., William A., and Rev. Lewis Winton, curate of an East End church, London, England. She has two sisters, Florence, wife of Alfred Riley, Croyden, England, and Elizabeth, wife of Hewer H. Dean of England.

Mr. and Mrs. Dawson have three children, Cyril, a student in the Pullman Agricultural College, Harold and Kathleen. For educational privileges the family of Mr. Dawson resides at Pullman. He and his wife are members of the Episcopalian church. Politically he is a Re- publican and his final citizenship papers were granted by Judge Hanford, at Seattle.

ISAAC. J. BAILEY, closely identified with steamboat transportation on the Columbia river, resides at Wenatchee, Chelan county. His native state is New Jersey, and he was born September 15, 1860. His father, James Bailey, is a native of New Jersey, now residing in Wisconsin: his mother, Matilda (Jones) Bailey, was born in the Empire state, of Welsh ancestry. She passed away in Wisconsin in 1895.

At the age of eight years our subject left New Jersey, and with the family, located in Il- linois. Here he attended the district school and assisted his father in the meat business. After leaving school our subject became in- terested in bridge building, and has had charge

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of the construction of a great deal of import- ant work in this line, in various parts of the United States. He built the railway trestle across Hangman creek, Spokane, and in 1890, in partnership with J. L. Bailey (no relative), he secured a contract to build fifty-five miles of trestle and bridge work on the Great North- ern railroad. This enterprise consumed two years. This firm built all of the high trestle on the Great Northern, in the vicinity of Spo- kane. The ferry across the Columbia, between Wenatchee and Douglas county, was con- structed by our subject, and he and his part- ner still own and control the same.

Mr. Bailey, in company with John J. O'Connor, built the steamboat Wenatchee, which they ran two and one-half years. In

July, 1901, she was burned to the water's edge. Later they built the North Star, and at present our subject devotes most of his time to trans- portation by river methods.

Mr. Bailey has two sisters, Alice Banks and Georgia. In June, 1894, at Wenatchee, he was married to Helen M. Parrish, born near El- lensburg, and the daughter of George and Louise Parrish. They have one child, Ruth M. The home is beautifully located, and aside from this property he owns twelve acres of land across the Columbia river, ten acres of orchard on Wenatchee avenue, several lots on Mission avenue, and his interest in the ferry property.

He is a member of the M. W. A., and po- litically is independent.

PART VI.

CHAPTER I.

PRESS OF STEVENS, FERRY, OKANOGAN AND CHELAN COUNTIES.

STEVENS COUNTY.

The history of any county would be woe- fully incomplete without a record of its news- papers, and from the newspapers of four coun- ties is derived much of the data for the present work. A brief sketch of the career of journal- ism in these four counties will, doubtless, serve as interesting reading to those who have lived and moved apace with the progress of affairs in this delightful portion of the state for the past eighteen or twenty years.

To the pioneer journalists of Stevens coun- ty much credit is due for the rapid settlement and advancement of the country. During the early days, before the railroads had penetrated the county, the scheme of issuing a paper was not an easy matter nor a profitable undertak- ing. The mails were carried by stage to and from Spokane three times a week, and to ob- tain news of the world when it was news was an impossibility. During the first few years that Stevens county had a newspaper published within its boundaries, the Portland Oregonian was the only paper in the northwest carrying the Associated Press dispatches, and by the time it reached its Stevens county subscribers it was five or six days old. Freight rates were high, and in order to issue his paper it was sometimes necessary for the publisher to make a special trip to Spokane to procure a supply of print paper owing to the uncertainty of freight traffic.

The first newspaper published in the county was the Stevens County Sun which made its initial appearance at Chewelah in July, 1885. Mr. J. W. Young, who was the founder of the journal, was a mining proprietor and the news- paper was what might be termed a "side issue." Mr. Young passed much of his time in pros- pecting and his literary work was consequently neglected. Two or three issues of the paper were put forth at irregular intervals, and the venture proving unprofitable, publication of The Sun was suspended.

A start in the newspaper field of Stevens county had been made, however, and while the first venture had proved a failure, another took up the work and succeeded in establishing a permanent journal. To Mr. John B. Slater, of Colville, belongs the honor of this accomplish- ment. In the summer of 1885 Mr. Slater, then a mere venturer upon the field of journal- ism, was attracted to the Colville country by reason of the activity occasioned by mining de- velopments. He saw a fair field for his line of work and on October 5, 1885, there issued from the press practically the first Stevens county newspaper. It was published at Colville and was named the Stevens County Miner. It was a six column folio and was printed on a Washı- ington hand press which, until a few years ago, did duty in the office of the Colville Statesman- Index. This press is now employed in the pub- lication of the Springfield Record.

In beginning the publication of The Miner

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Mr. Slater encountered a number of misfor- tunes and set-backs. Part of the office machin- ery was purchased at Walla Walla, and among other items was a job press which was pur- chased at a cost of $400. It was in the trans- portation of this piece of machinery that Mr. Slater met with his greatest hard luck. He had proceeded as far as Blue creek without accident when the freight wagon containing the press and other printing material was over- turned on the river bank and the contents went to the bottom of the river. The press was fished out and brought to Colville, but it proved to be damaged beyond repair and he was com- pelled to discard it. Appearance of the paper was further delayed on account of non-arrival of the stock of print paper and the first issue was, on this account, delayed some time. When The Miner finally made its appearance it was well received, which is attested by the fact that the first fifty papers sent out of the office sold readily on the street at fifty cents each so eager were many of the people to secure one of the copies of the first paper established in Colville. The Miner lived, made friends, and did much to advance the interests of the county. Mr. Slater, always an uncompromising Democrat, directed the course of his paper into active po- litical channels, and The Miner, during his pro- prietorship, was always strongly Democratic.

For nearly five years The Miner was with- out opposition in Stevens county, with the ex- ception of two months in 1886. In that year a gentleman named De Land established the Stevens County Recorder in Colville, as a Re- publican paper, but it became embroiled in a political misunderstanding and after a short but feverish life of two months, it fell under the wheels and its life was crushed out. The plant was shipped to Spokane and was employed in the publication of the Spokane Democrat.

In 1889 W. H. Kearney and G. R. Epper- son purchased The Miner from Mr. Slater and during their proprietorship, which was for a short period only, it was conducted as a Repub-

lican paper. George M. Welty took over the plant from them on a lease, and returned it to the Democratic fold. Mr. Welty proved a very capable and active newspaper man. The fol- lowing year Mr. Slater again resumed control of The Miner, edited it a year, and then dis- posed of it to Cole & Bronson. These gentle- men did not make a success of the venture, and in 1893 it was sold at Sheriff's sale to J. H. Young.

The year 1890 witnessed the establishment of two new papers in Colville in opposition to The Miner. One was the Stevens County Standard, established and edited by Eber C. Smith. The Standard was an independent Republican paper, was well edited, and made and unmade many a political aspirant for pub- lic favor. In the course of a few years The Standard was discontinued and Mr. Smith en- tered the journalistic field in another part of the county. The other paper established this year was The Colville Republican, which was launched by E. L. Jameson and Emmet Clark. Mr. Clark soon dropped out of the business, but the paper continued to exist until 1893, under the able management of Mr. Jameson. At this time Mr. Young, who had purchased The Miner at sheriff's sale, also secured control of The Republican, and then merged the two papers and changed the name to The Colville Index. Mr. Young conducted The Inder until 1895, when it was sold to John James Graves, who conducted it for a year and then disposed of it to John L. Metcalfe, who associated James E. Pickrell with him as editor. In September, 1896, W. D. Allen be- came the owner and consolidated it with the Springdale Statesman, and the paper has since been conducted under the name of the States- man-Index. In 1897 Theo. Rusch secured a part interest in the business. A stock company was formed in 1902, and the journal has since been owned by it with Messrs. Allen and Rusch as managers. The Statesman-Index owns its own home, a fine one-story brick building with

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a large basement for a press room, has all the latest improved and up-to-date printing ma- chinery, and boasts of having one of the best and most modern printing offices in northeast- ern Washington. The Statesman-Index is Re- publican in politics.

The building of the Spokane Falls & North- ern railroad into Stevens county in 1889 was, doubtless, the cause of the activity in the estab- lishment of new papers in the county the fol- lowing year. In addition to the two Colville papers, The Standard and Republican, which first saw the light of day in 1890, The Kettle Falls Pioncer made its initial appearance at this time. The paper did yeoman service for a period in the building up of that thrifty city. It was established by Messrs. Penrose & Bur- nett, who for a time issued a very creditable daily edition, the only daily ever published in the county. They leased The Pioncer to F. W. Sherman. Mr. Sherman gave up the lease after a time and started the Kettle Falls Reveille, which was run as a campaign sheet and was short lived. Messrs. Hall and Fuller took over The Pioneer, and after a year's trial at Kettle Falls, moved it to Colville, purchased The Standard of Eber C. Smith and consolidated the two papers. This venture proved unprofit- able and the plant was again moved to Kettle Falls and the publication of The Pioneer re- sumed under the management of J. J. Fuller, but it soon ceased.

This newspaper plant was not long idle, however, and was at once secured by .A. E. Routhe, who removed it to Colville and began the publication of the Pacific Patriot. In June, 1896, The Patriot suspended and the plant took up its migratory course, this time be- ing taken to Marcus. There F. M. Rob- erts established a paper and continued its pub- lication for a year. Mr. Roberts was a talented writer and gave Marcus a good paper.

The oldest paper in Stevens county to be continued under one management is the North- port News. This paper was born July 4, 1892.

WV. P. Hughes, who was formerly engaged in the newspaper business in California, founded the paper, and for the past eleven years has pre- sided over its destinies. In the language of Mr. Hughes : "It has always been Democratic and will remain so as long as the present owner controls it." To The News and the irrepressi- ble enterprise of Mr. Hughes it may be said Northport owes in a very large measure its prosperity. In 1895 Eber C. Smith, who iden- tified himself with many newspaper enterprises in Stevens county, started The Nonpareil in Northport. Only two numbers were issued, Mr. Smith relinquishing the venture and start- ing in a new field. The first issue of the North- port Republican made its appearance on April 9, 1898. The paper is strongly Republican. It was founded and is still edited by C. F. Murphy.

Another of Eber C. Smith's Stevens county newspaper ventures was the Stevens Standard. This was established in 1896, when the plan was on foot to erect a city to be known as Ste- vens, near Kettle Falls, mention of which is made in a previous chapter of this work. On account of the failure of this city to material- ize the newspaper was suspended after a few issues. The Colville News was the name of a paper published in the county seat for six months in the pear 1896. Col. I. I. Hughes was the publisher.

Dr. T. C. Green conducted The Gasette, the first newspaper venture in Springdale. The journal was established in 1896 and continued in existence for one or two years. The town was without a paper from then until February, 1902, when O. U. Hawkins purchased an out- fit from The Statesman-Index office, among other things being the Washington hand press upon which The Miner was printed for so long, and began the publication of the Springdale Record. In September, 1903, the property was purchased by G. W. Bisson, who now con- ducts the paper. Chewelah, where the first newspaper in Stevens county was published,

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HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

also had a paper for a few months in 1896. Dr. J. J. Travis established the Chewelah Ad- vance in that year. It was a campaign paper and suspended after election. W. H. Brown- low & Sons on June 19, 1903, issued the first number of the Chewelah Independent, and they are publishing one of the newsiest and most interesting papers in the county. The Inde- pendent is independent in politics.

The Stevens County Reveille was estab- lished May 17, 1900, at Colville by Rufus R. Wood. There have been a number of changes in the proprietorship and editorship of the pa- per during the few years of its life, but it has always taken an active part in politics and other matters of interest to Stevens county, and is one of the leading papers of the county. Its politics are Democratic. Mr. Wood conducted the paper until November 29, 1900, when he associated with him H. J. Earnest, and the bus- iness was carried on under the firm name of Wood & Earnest for a few months. February 7, 1901, Mr. Wood sold his interest to John C. Kleber, a Spokane attorney, Mr. Earnest con- tinuing a partner in the business. In May of the same year Messrs. Kleber & Earnest re- tired and the paper was purchased by the Re- veille Publishing Company, the members of which were G. S. Wilson, of Spokane, and J. P. Heckert, of Colville. Mr. Heckert was editor of the paper and continued to ocupy this position until March, 1903, when he sold his interest to his partner. On that date Mr. John B. Slater, who since his arrival in the country in 1885, has been continuously em- ployed in newspaper work, took the editorial chair of The Reveille and continued to pre- side over its destiny until in August of that year. A. E. Adams was then installed as edi- tor, and the following month County Auditor Richard Nagle purchased the plant from G. S. Wilson.

Newport has had a newspaper since 1891. The paper established at that time was called The Newport News, a Republican journal.

Two years after its establishment E. W. Ste- vens purchased the plant and changed the name to the Newport Miner. Mr. Stevens conducted the business two years and then sold out to the Newport Land Company, of which Talmadge Brothers were the principal stockholders. This company has published The Miner for a num- ber of years. W. E. Talmadge is the present editor.

Newspaper work in Stevens county in early days was attended with much hard work and many difficulties. It was also unprofitable. Many who engaged in it were obliged to turn their energies in other directions in order to secure a financial footing, but the county has been better off for their labors in the newspaper field and their work is appreciated.

Meyers Falls has had two newspaper ven- tures. In 1897 E. J. Roberts began the publi- cation of the Meyers Falls Magnet, a Republi- can sheet. It went out of business in about six months. In 1898 Mrs. L. E. Blackmore purchased a newspaper plant in Boston, Massa- chusetts, shipped it to Meyers Falls and for a little less than a year published the Inland En- sign, a Democratic paper. Mrs. Blackmore was a good "newspaper man," and says she made money, but her more profitable mercan- tile business claimed all of her time and she sus- pended the publication of the Inland Ensign. The plant was removed to Republic. 1

FERRY COUNTY.

While the "North Half" of the Colville Indian reservation was opened to mineral entry in 1896, and valuable properties discovered where the city of Republic was afterward built, it was not until the spring of 1898 that the grand rush to the land of promise was made. With the discoveries of the rich mines at Re- public Camp and the rapid building of a new town at this point heralded abroad, it would. indeed, have been a miracle had not some news- paper man conceived the idea of bringing in a

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printing plant and establishing a paper. And no miracle happened.

Early in the spring of 1898 E. R. Cleve- land and Albert I. Drake purchased a plant and set out for the famed Republic Camp. The outfit was shipped by way of the Spokane Falls & Northern railway to Marcus, and from there was freighted to Republic, the latter end of the journey requiring eight days. On their arrival at their destination Messrs. Cleveland and Drake at once set to work and the first paper in Republic, the Republic Pioneer, made its ap- pearance March 26, 1898. We quote from its initial issue :

The first number of the first paper to be printed in Republic makes its appearance today. One year ago those in this section would have been charged with en- tertaining extreme optimistic views concerning the camp had they predicted that a paper like the Pioneer could be circulated in March, 1898. But developments and radical changes take place so rapidly in this age that it is impossible to anticipate the future, especially in the great and growing west.

The Pioneer will do what it can to help develop the business of Republic and advance the mining interests of the entire district. It will take pot luck with the other pioneers of the camp, putting up like the remainder of the community with the inconveniencs and discom- forts that exist here at present. As the camp grows this paper will grow with it. Its aim will be to print all the news of the district.

As evidence that The Pioneer was appre- ciated, the publishers state that within four months' time the plant, which had cost about $800, had been paid for from the paper's pa- tronage. To those who have had experience in managing newspapers, and putting them on their feet financially, this fact means a great deal. The Pioneer was first published as a six column folio, with two "patent" pages, but the patronage increased to such an extent that on May 21, the paper was made all "home print." January 27, following, The Pioneer was enlarged to a seven-column folio and its four pages were filled with live local news. November 18, 1899, Mr. Cleveland purchased his partner's interest and became sole proprie-

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Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington, Part 140

Author: Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History Number of Pages: 992

Author:
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History
Number of Pages: 992