USA > Wyoming > History of Wyoming, Volume II > Part 62
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His political allegiance is given to the republican party and in 1901 he was elected to represent his district in the state legislature. He also served as a member of the city council for three years, but while he made an excellent officer he is willing that his public duties should be done as a private citizen that he may
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concentrate his efforts and attention upon his business affairs and upon his church and charitable work, which lie nearest to his heart. He is constantly reaching out a helping hand to those in need of assistance and he has done much to ameliorate the hard conditions of life for the unfortunate.
CHARLES W. VAN VLEET.
Charles W. Van Vleet, well known in the business circles of Douglas as owner of the Douglas Steam Laundry, came to Wyoming from the far-off Empire state, his birth having occurred in Norwich, New York, September 9, 1875. His parents were James W. and Mary (Brown) Van Vleet. The mother has now passed away, but the father survives and is making his home in Douglas with his son, Charles.
At the usual age Charles W. Van Vleet became a pupil in the public schools of Norwich, New York, and in young manhood he started out upon his business career, being first connected with a laundry in his native city. He became owner of a laundry in Norwich and also in Syracuse, New York, but thinking to find still better and broader business opportunities in the west, he left the Empire state and made his way to Denver, Colorado, where he remained for a short time. In May, 1911, he removed to Douglas and purchased the Douglas Steam Laundry, which he has since enlarged and remodeled, making it a modern laundry, supplied with the latest equipment and machinery for carrying on the business. He now has about twelve employes and his trade has reached exten- sive proportions.
On the 14th of October, 1908, Mr. Van Vleet was united in marriage to Miss Eva Bristol and their children are Warren and Howard. Mr. Van Vleet votes with the republican party, which he has always supported since attaining adult age. He is a member of the Masonic lodge of Douglas and also of the Com- mercial Club. His religious faith is that of the Methodist church.
He has never sought or desired office, preferring to concentrate his atten- tion and energies upon his business affairs, and he is truly a self-made man in the best sense of the term. He started out in youth to provide for his own support and has since depended upon his own resources, working his way steadily upward through the wise utilization of the opportunities that have come to him. He is today at the head of a growing business and as the architect of his for- tunes he has builded wisely and well.
FRANK COOK.
Frank Cook is proprietor of the New Method Laundry of Laramie, in which city he was born November 8, 1881. His father, the late Jabez Cook, was a native of England and came to America when twenty years of age, crossing the Atlantic in 1858. He first settled in Illinois, where he resided for a num- ber of years, and in 1874 he removed westward to Laramie, where he engaged in railroading as an employe of the Union Pacific Railroad Company for many years. He continued to make his home in Laramie until his death, which oc- curred January 21, 1916, when he had reached the advanced age of seventy- eight. He was a Civil war veteran, having served with the Eleventh Illinois Infantry for three years as a private, during which time he participated in a number of hotly contested engagements, proving his loyalty at all times by his faithful performance of any task assigned him, whether called to the firing line or stationed on the lonely picket line. He was imprisoned at Jacksonville, where he suffered the hardships of prison life. He proudly wore the little bronze button that proclaimed him one of the defenders of the Union, for he
CHARLES W. VAN VLEET
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was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. His political allegiance was always given to the republican party, which was the defense of the coun- try during the dark days of the Civil war. He married Margaret Parton, a native of Franklin county, Arkansas, where her parents settled at an early day although the family came originally from Kentucky. To Mr. and Mrs. Cook were born eight children, three sons and five daughters. In the paternal line the ancestry of the family is English and American.
Frank Cook began his education in the public schools of Laramie, passing through consecutive grades to the high school. He afterward attended the Grant high school at Denver, Colorado, from which he was graduated in 1898. He then started out to earn his own livelihood, his first situation being in the rolling mills of Laramie, where he was employed for three years. He after- ward followed various pursuits until June, 1914, when he entered the laundry business, in which he has since been engaged, successfully conducting his enter- prise. His plant is thoroughly modern in every detail and something of the scope of his business is indicated in the fact that he employs on an average eight people, while his laundry covers a floor space of eighty-five by twenty-four feet. The business has shown a marked increase each year and the plant is now being operated to its full capacity.
On the 28th of June, 1906, Mr. Cook was married in Laramie to Miss Blanch Beaudoin, a native of Laramie and a daughter of John and Matilda (De Mars) Beaudoin, both of whom are living.
Mr. Cook votes with the republican party, which he has supported since at- taining his majority. He belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. and likewise has membership in the Laramie Chamber of Commerce and is in thorough sympathy with its purposes concerning the upbuilding and develop- ment of the city. In fact, he stands for progress and improvement in all pub- lic affairs and never withholds his aid and cooperation in any movement which he believes will prove of general benefit.
ARTHUR R. BOWEN.
Arthar R. Bowen is well known in theatrical circles, especially in western Wyoming, where for a number of years he has been identified with the Wyoming and Strand theatres, the latter a new venture which in architectural construc- tion and equipment is equal to any theatre to be found in this section of the country. In the conduct of his places of amusement Mr. Bowen has displayed the most enterprising spirit and has kept in touch with the trend of progressiveness along that line.
Mr. Bowen is a native of Bloomington, Illinois. He was born May 19, 1885, of the marriage of Charles Harvey and Emma ( Williams) Bowen, the former a native of the state of New York and the latter of Ohio. In early life they removed westward to Illinois and were married in Bloomington, where the father engaged in business in connection with the tailor's trade. Later he removed to Gallipolis, Ohio, and subsequently took up his abode at Oxford, Ohio. where he passed away in 1893. when but thirty-eight years of age. His widow survives and is now a resident of Seattle, Washington. They had a family of five children : Harvey, who resides in Middleport, Ohio; Harry, living in Seattle : Mrs. Clara Fultz, the wife of F. P. Fultz, of Columbus, Ohio; Mrs. Beatrice Lyons, the wife of Earl Lyons, of Boomer, West Virginia ; and Arthur R., who was the third in order of birth.
In his boyhood days Arthur R. Bowen was a pupil in the schools of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and after leaving the high school secured a position as call boy with the Kanawha & Michigan Railroad. He worked up in that con- nection for several years and at length secured a position with the Union Pacific Railway Company. In the meantime he took up the study of telegraphy and as
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an operator came to Evanston, Wyoming, in 1907, in the employ of the Union Pacific Railway Company. He continued in the work in Evanston for three years or until 1910, but prior to resigning his position he had assumed the management of a moving picture theatre, to which he gave his attention during the evenings, while in the daytime he concentrated his efforts upon telegraph service. He afterward bought out a moving picture theatre, incurring a heavy indebtedness to do this. He borrowed money from a bank and was in other ways under financial obligations. He put forth every effort to meet these and at times went with only one meal per day in order to lower his expenses. It can well be imagined that he did not frequently renew his stock of clothing and that period was indeed one of "lean years." In time, however, he became known and had three theatres in successful operation. He then induced the Masonic fraternity to erect a suitable theatre building and from that point his success has steadily increased. Through the intervening period he has made money rapidly. For a considerable period one of the popular amusement enterprises of Wyoming was known as the Wyoming theatre of Evanston, in which he catered to the better class of patrons and conducted a high-class amusement house, producing the best films that have been brought forth by the leading companies of the country. In 1917 he began the erection of the Strand theatre which opened December 17. 1917. It was built and equipped at a cost of fifty thousand dollars and is one of the most at- tractive and modern theatres to be found anywhere in the west. The architect was Frank W. Moore, of Salt Lake City, who is an expert in theatre building and who has combined in the Strand all of the latest conveniences and attractive designs known to the theatrical world. The Strand has a seating capacity of eight hundred, including main floor and balcony, with orchestra space and a large, commodious stage with ample dressing rooms for the use of traveling companies. The efforts and early experience of Mr. Bowen combine to enable him to pro- duce something worth while. His laudable ambition has thus come to its fruition and Evanston is profiting thereby.
On the 6th of June, 1915, Mr. Bowen was united in marriage to Miss Alice Cashin, a daughter of Mrs. Ellen Cashin, widely and prominently known in Evanston and this section of the state. They occupy an enviable position in social circles. Fraternally Mr. Bowen is a Mason of high rank, being a member of the Mystic Shrine. He has served on the city council and is interested in all that has to do with the welfare and progress of the city in which he makes his home. His is a record of notable achievement, for he came to Wyoming with only seven dollars in his pocket and within a comparatively few years he has worked his way steadily upward, his life record being one which should serve as a source of inspiration and encouragement to others, showing what may be ac- complished when there is ambition to succeed coupled with indefatigable energy and persistency of purpose. As a theatrical man Mr. Bowen has closely studied public wishes and demands and has put forth every effort not only to meet the public taste but to improve it by the production of high-class attractions, and his labors in this direction have been fruitful of good results.
MRS. N. ARTISEE ERICKSON.
Mrs. N. Artisee Erickson, county superintendent of schools of Albany county and a well known resident of Laramie, pursued her education in the Pennsylvania State Normal School at Millersville, Pennsylvania, from which she was graduated with the class of 1802. winning the degree of M. E. She has largely devoted her life to teaching and was connected with the graded schools of Laramie for ten years. On the 27th of June. 1900, in Laramie, she became the wife of Andrew Erickson and after her husband's death in 1909 returned to school work. In IQII she was elected to the position of county superintendent of schools,
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serving for four years or until January 1, 1915, and in 1917 she was again elected to the office. In this connection one of the local papers said of Mrs. Erickson :
"She is the democratic candidate for county superintendent of schools and it is far from necessary for us to apologize for Mrs. Erickson in any particular whatever. Nothing can be said in favor of Mrs. Erickson that will be of higher tribute to her than to ask you to look up her record when she served in this capacity two years ago. Mrs. Erickson has proven herself competent and able, she has proven that her first interest is the interests of the schools of Albany county and if she is reelected the office of county superintendent will be filled by a woman against whom no word has ever been spoken and in whom the people of Albany county can place their entire confidence and feel that there is no doubt as to how that office will be conducted for the next two years."
Mrs. Erickson is a descendant of the Edward Mott family, prominently known in Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Levi Smith, of Stroudsburg, Penn- sylvania. She belongs to the Woman's Club of Laramie and was state treasurer of the Wyoming Federation of Women's Clubs from 1909 until 1911. She belongs to the Methodist church and she has taken a most active and helpful interest in various lines of uplift work, keeping in touch with the broad sociological, economic and political questions which have important bearing upon the welfare of the individual and the nation at large. She has traveled extensively in this country, and in the summer of 1910 toured Europe in the interest of school work, inci- dentally visiting the Passion Play at Oberammergau and other places of interest
Throughout Albany county she is spoken of in terms of the highest regard, for her work in behalf of the schools has been most effective. Her ideals are high, her methods are practical and in all of her work she is actuated by a progressive spirit that is most resultant. Broad-minded, keeping in touch with the general trend of public thought and progress, she is alive to all the interests and questions of the day and recognizes the fact that the real object of education is to prepare one for whatever life may bring that duties may be well performed and re- sponsibilities fully met.
FRED M. MILLS.
Starting out in business life at the age of fifteen years in order to earn enough to support a widowed mother and three brothers, Fred M. Mills thus early faced a heavy responsibility following the death of his father, and the story of the trying experiences and hardships which he has met would be an extended one if given in detail. His record indicates how force of character and persistency of purpose may overcome obstacles and difficulties and ulti- mately reach the goal of success. Though his start in the business world was a most humble one, he is now at the head of an extensive wholesale provision business and, moreover, is respected not alone by reason of the success he has achieved but also owing to the honorable, straightforward business policy that he has ever followed and also owing to the manly and honorable attitude that he has maintained in every relation of life.
He was born in Leigh, England, July 29, 1875, a son of Samuel and Eliza- beth (Davis) Mills, who were also natives of that country. The father, who was an engineer, died in 1888, when but thirty-eight years of age. In 1890 the mother came with her family to the new world and established her home in Rock Springs, Wyoming. She was accompanied by four children, two of the children having died ere the family came to America. Those who survive are: Fred M .; Walter and J. E., both residents of Rock Springs; and Charles, who is living in Seattle, Washington.
In early life Fred M. Mills became a pupil in the public schools of his native country, there pursuing his education to the age of fifteen. His father died and the necessity of providing for the family soon devolved upon him. He
FRED M. MILLS
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continued in school for a brief time in England, but after coming to America assumed the burden of assisting in the support of his widowed mother and the younger children of the household. He secured a position in a brickyard in Rock Springs and was employed in that way and in various other occupations until 1901, when he embarked in business on his own account as a wholesale dealer in provisions, grain and feed. His capital had been obtained entirely through his own labors. He had practiced unfaltering industry and close economy and whenever it was possible to save a dollar he did so until the sum was sufficient to enable him to begin an independent commercial career. He is now selling in carload lots and is today one of the prosperous merchants in his line in Wyoming, notwithstanding the fact that he started in business with an indebtedness of three hundred dollars. He ranks very high in commercial circles in Rock Springs and it is a well known fact that opportunity is ever to him the call to action. Aside from conducting a very extensive and profitable business as a dealer in provisions, grain and feed he is connected with the North Side State Bank.
Mr. Mills was married in Rock Springs on the 6th of June, 1900, to Miss M. G. Boland, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Boland. They have one child, Fred H., who was born in Rock Springs in 1902 and is a student in St. John's Military Academy at Delafield, Wisconsin.
Fraternally Mr. Mills is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. In politics he maintains an inde- pendent course and for one term he served as councilman, but has not been a politician in the sense of office seeking, preferring to concentrate his undivided thought, attention and purpose upon his business affairs, which have been most wisely directed. He is deserving of much credit for what he has accomplished, for in youth he faced difficulties and obstacles that fall to the lot of compara- tively few boys, and yet, notwithstanding these, he has won a place among the most prominent and prosperous merchants of western Wyoming.
ORCEMAS ORVIL DAVIS.
Orcemas Orvil Davis, publisher, editor and proprietor of the Green River Star and one of the progressive citizens and enterprising business men of Sweet- water county, was born in Biggsville, Illinois, May 24, 1875, his parents being A. M. and Hulda Anna (Smith) Davis, the former a native of Ohio, while the latter was born in Iowa. They were married in Burlington, Iowa, but early became residents of Illinois. The father engaged in the business of decorating and painting and later was identified with the service of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company. He is now a resident of Gas, Kansas, but his wife passed away in Oregon in 1911. They were the parents of two children, Ida Viola being the wife of Charles Pierson, who is living in the state of Washington.
Orcemas O. Davis was the elder of the two children and in his boyhood days attended school in the various places where the family resided. After completing the work of the seventh grade he started out in the business world on his own account, securing a situation in a printing office, with the Daily Avalanche, at Glenwood Springs. Colorado. He has since been closely connected with news- paper interests. Starting at the bottom, he steadily worked his way upward, remaining in the office at Glenwood Springs for two years. He then removed to Utah, where he had charge of the Brighton Record, and later he went to Mercurv. Utah. where he also had charge of a paper. He then purchased the Lehi Hustler at Lehi. Utah, which he conducted for one year. He was at that time but twenty years of age. He afterward removed to Rock Springs, Wyoming. where he was foreman of the Rock Springs Miner under Robert Smith, acting in that capacity for four years. He then took charge of the Rock Springs Independent and later he removed to Green River, where he leased the Star. A year later he purchased
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the paper and for six years he conducted it. He then sold out and went to Nyssa, Oregon, where he established the Nyssa News, but on account of illness he removed to Denver, where he established the West End Advertiser and Five Point Star, advertising journals. In connection with the publication of these papers, he also conducted a job printing shop and for one year remained in Denver, at which time he was offered special inducements to return to Green River. He again became a resident of that city in 1909 and has since conducted the Green River Star, of which he has become sole owner. The plant is equipped with modern machinery and he issues a fine eight-page paper published in the interests of the democratic party and devoted to the upbuilding of his city, county and state. He has made the Star the champion of all progressive movements for public benefit and his paper has become both the molder and the mirror of public opinion.
On the 21st of February, 1899, in Rock Springs, Wyoming, Mr. Davis was united in marriage to Miss Anna P. Dykes, who is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Dykes, of Rock Springs. The father died in Denver, Colorado, in 1917, and the mother is still making her home there. To Mr. and Mrs. Davis have been born four children of whom they lost one, their youngest daughter, Hulda Viola, who died May 30, 1911. Gladys Fern, born at Rock Springs in 1902, is a high school pupil. Raymond Milton, born in Nyssa, Oregon, in 1906, and John Ross, born in Green River in 1910, are also in school.
While a stalwart champion of democratic principles, Mr. Davis has never sought or desired office for himself nor felt that public preferment should be ac- corded him in recognition of his party fealty. Fraternally he is a Mason, belonging to Mount Moriah Lodge, No. 6. A. F. & A. M., at Green River. He is also a past patron of Mystic Chapter, No. 8, of the Order of the Eastern Star and he belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He is likewise a past consul commander of the Modern Woodmen of America and a past consul of Denver Camp, No. 19, W. O. W., and Green River Camp. His present position is in marked contrast to the point from which he started out in the business world. In his early boyhood his opportunities were very limited and he was willing to accept any honest employment that would aid him to earn a living. As a curiosity it may be mentioned that he blacked the shoes of President Harrison and of the "great" John L. Sullivan. In fact he never hesitated to perform any task that was honorable and he has steadily advanced as the result of his persistency, his dili- gence and his honesty of purpose. Today he is one of the substantial residents of Green River and in the conduct of his paper is not only winning substantial reward for his labors but is also making valuable contribution to the development and upbuilding of the district in which he now makes his home. The Star is an attractive country newspaper, published weekly, and the office is equipped in a most effective manner. It is supplied with the latest type of printing presses and machinery, with one of the latest linotype machines, and in connection with the publication of the paper Mr. Davis is conducting a substantial and growing job printing trade.
LEWIS L. DORMAN.
Lewis L. Dorman is owner and manager of the Dorman Hotel at Worland and is conducting a hostelry that would be a credit to a city of much larger size. He puts forth every effort to please his patrons, by giving them excellent service, and thus he has gained a substantial and growing business.
He was born in Ohio, January 20, 1880, a son of L. S. and Mary H. ( Thomp- son ) Dorman. the former a native of Connecticut, while the latter was a native of the Buckeye state. Their marriage was celebrated in Ohio. The mother's death occurred in 1900 hut the father survives and makes his home in Kearney, Nebraska. In the family were three children, all of whom are living.
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Lewis L. Dorman was but three years of age when he was taken by his parents to Nebraska, where he was reared and pursued his education. In 1898 he arrived in Wyoming, where he engaged in the cattle business for seven years. He then took up his abode in Cody, where he devoted his attention to the livery business. In 1910 he removed to Worland and purchased a hotel, of which he is now proprietor, and he has since conducted the leading hotel in this city and county. The rooms are well furnished and the separate dining room service is excellent, the hotel being conducted according to the European plan. The cuisine is first class and every effort is put forth to add to the comfort and convenience of the guests, Mr. Dorman ever recognizing the fact that satisfied patrons are the best advertise- ment. He is a man of resourceful business ability and not only concentrates his efforts and attention upon the Dorman Hotel but is also interested in oil lands in this section of the state. In addition to the hotel business Mr. Dorman owns a good residence and four lots in Worland.
In 1903 Mr. Dorman was united in marriage to Miss Edna B. Kenty, a native of Wyoming. Fraternally he is connected with the Odd Fellows and with the Woodmen of the World and his wife is identified with the Royal Neighbors. His political allegiance has been given to the republican party since he attained his majority but he has never been an office seeker, preferring to concentrate his thought, purpose and activities upon business affairs, which have made him in time one of the successful men of his adopted state.
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