Lymans History of Old Walla Walla County vol 2 by William Denison Lyman

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Title: Lyman's History of old Walla Walla County, Vol. 2 (of 2)
Embracing Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties

Author: William Denison Lyman

Release Date: September 8, 2014 [EBook #46808]

Language: English

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LYMAN'S HISTORY

of

Old Walla Walla County

Embracing

Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield

and Asotin Counties

ILLUSTRATED

VOLUME II

CHICAGO

THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY

1918

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BIOGRAPHICAL

N. G. BLALOCK, M. D.

No history of Walla Walla and of this section of the northwest would be complete

without extended reference to Dr. N. G. Blalock, who not only figured as a most successful
and progressive physician but, also recognizing the possibilities for the material development
of the northwest through its natural resources, contributed in marked measure to the
upbuilding of this section of the country and the promotion of its business activities. His labors
were of a character that contributed to public progress as well as to individual success and in
fact they were of the most farreaching extent and importance.

Dr. Blalock was a native of North Carolina, his birth having occurred in Mitchell county,

that state, in 1836. He spent his youth amid rural surroundings in his native state, his time
largely being devoted to agricultural pursuits, while later he took up the profession of teaching
but regarded this merely as an initial step to other professional labor. It became his earnest
desire to enter the medical profession and with that end in view he matriculated in the
Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, from which he was graduated in 1861. He first
located for practice in Mount Zion, Illinois, and when the Civil war was in progress he put
aside all business, professional and personal considerations and joined the army as surgeon of
an Illinois regiment, doing active duty at the front in this connection. When hostilities had
ceased he resumed the practice of medicine in Illinois, where he remained until 1872. He then
heard and heeded the call of the west. He first came in 1872 to spy out the land. Crossing the
continent part of the way with a team, actuated by the purpose of selecting a new home in the
Pacific northwest, he decided upon Walla Walla and then returned to Illinois for his family. In
May, 1873, they left their home in Macon county, that state, and on the 11th of October
reached Walla Walla, having spent about six months upon the road, as they traveled by team.
There were twenty-seven members in the little immigrant party and their total financial
resources on reaching their destination did not exceed twenty dollars. Dr. Blalock at once
sought employment in order to replenish his depleted exchequer. He began hauling wheat
from Walla Walla to Wallula and upon the return trip brought groceries and other
merchandise, which had to be laid in before navigation on the Columbia river closed for the
winter. He was thus engaged for a little over a month, after which he opened his office and
began practicing medicine. His career in that professional field was a most notable one. His
ability was pronounced. He most carefully diagnosed his cases and his judgment was seldom,
if ever, at fault. He did most important work in the frontier community, his professional career
covering a period of fifty-three years, during which he kept a complete record of his
obstetrical cases, including the names, ages and birthplaces of parents and the names and
sexes of children. He officiated at almost six thousand obstetrical cases. He was the loved
family physician in many a household. He was most sympathetic by nature, kindly in spirit and
these qualities, added to his professional skill and ability, made him most efficient in medical
practice.

Dr. Blalock also deserves special mention for his contribution to the development of

Walla Walla and the northwest. He organized the firm of Blalock, Son & Company for the
purpose of building a mill and flume to engage in the manufacture and shipment of lumber,
wood, etc., from what is known as the Blalock Mountain. This undertaking did not prove
profitable, however, and the company failed for two hundred and twenty-five thousand
dollars, with assets of only fifty thousand dollars. The nature of Dr. Blalock at once was
manifest, for he immediately assumed the liabilities of the company and in less than eight years
paid off every cent, with interest at from fifteen to twenty-four per cent per annum, acting in
this matter contrary to the advice of his attorneys. No other course was possible to a man of
his straightforward and honorable nature, however. He felt that every cent of his indebtedness
should be met and he resolutely set to work to achieve this end, which in an incredibly short
space of time he accomplished.

It was Dr. Blalock who installed the first telephone used in the state. He rented six

instruments at twelve dollars per month each and built and kept up his own line from the mill
to the end of the flume. He was the promoter of what is known as the Blalock Orchards, two
miles west of Walla Walla. In 1876 he purchased for two dollars and a half per acre four
hundred acres of desert land, which he leveled, irrigated and then planted with fruit trees,
including apples, pears and cherries, and also set out many small fruits. He shipped the first
two car loads of pears from the state of Washington east of the Rocky Mountains and made
large exhibit of his fruit at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Since that
time the Blalock Orchards have been enlarged to sixteen hundred acres and have constituted
a most important feature of the horticultural development of the northwest. Upon the land are

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now eight artesian wells, all strong and affording a supply of water ample to irrigate the entire
area with a system of pipe lines over twenty miles in length, touching every acre of this vast
tract. The lands are being sold in five-acre tracts at from one thousand to fifteen hundred
dollars per acre. Dr. Blalock also made arrangements for the purchase of three thousand six
hundred acres of dry land six miles south of Walla Walla, for which he was to pay ten bushels
of wheat per acre, an amount equal to five dollars per acre. The first crop paid for the land
and all expenses of raising and harvesting and left him about three thousand dollars. This was
followed by the purchase of seven thousand acres of wheat land in Gilliam county, Oregon,
and he planted and promoted an orchard at the town of Blalock. He was the promoter of the
Blalock Islands enterprise, covering four thousand acres in the Columbia river in Benton
county, Washington. He was associated with others in the development of three thousand
acres of desert land under the Carey act in Morrow county, Oregon. No one labored more
untiringly for the opening of the Columbia river for navigation than Dr. Blalock, who for years
devoted many hours to the work. In appreciation of his efforts in that behalf the Columbia
and Snake River Waterways Association, meeting in Lewiston in its third annual convention,
passed the following resolution: "In these days of the passing of the pioneer the people of the
great northwest are called upon from time to time to recognize the lifelong service of noble
men and women and to honor their names. Occasionally we take unto ourselves the rare
privilege of brightening the closing years of one of these servants of mankind by a slight
expression of our affection and appreciation of their efforts in things worth while. Such an
occasion greets us today as we meet to honor one of God's emblems. In recognition of the
large part Dr. N. G. Blalock has had in effecting an organized movement to secure an open
river; in grateful acknowledgment that through his indefatigable and successful labor,
associated with Joseph N. Teal, W. J. Mariner and J. F. Smith, almost insuperable obstacles
were overcome and the Oregon Portage Railroad was built at The Dalles; and with hearty
thanks to him for the lavish expenditure of time and money in representing his state at
meetings of the Natural Rivers and Harbor Congress and attending innumerable other
gatherings in the interest of our rivers, where he has materially helped in securing definite
results. Therefore, be it resolved, that we, the delegates to the Columbia and Snake River
Waterways Association here assembled, express to Dr. N. G. Blalock our deep affection
and our grateful appreciation for his long life of loving service."

A splendid characterization of Dr. Blalock is found in the memorial address which was

delivered by the Hon. Ben F. Hill before a joint session of the state senate and the house of
representatives, on which occasion Mr. Hill said:

"Mr. President, Gentlemen of the senate and house:

"It is with a sense of profound sorrow that we pay a tribute to the memory of Dr.

Nelson G. Blalock, the distinguished member from Walla Walla, of the constitutional
convention. Dr. Blalock was born in Mitchell county, North Carolina, in 1836. He was a
graduate of Jefferson Medical College, served as a surgeon in the One Hundred and
Fifteenth Illinois Regiment in the Civil war and came in 1873 to Walla Walla, the then
metropolis of the northwest. The brilliant young surgeon was in demand throughout the
whole of the Inland Empire. He became acquainted in his travels with the religious and
geographical work of the great Marcus Whitman and his chief ambition appeared to be
to develop the economic resources of that part of Washington territory. For this reason
the names of Marcus Whitman and Nelson G. Blalock will be indelibly linked together in
the building and construction of our great state. One of Nelson G. Blalock's earliest
exploits was, when roads were impossible, the building of a large flume from the Blue
mountains to Walla Walla, for the purpose of transporting logs, fuel and lumber to that
growing community. He made a success of and was the pioneer of arid land wheat
farming. As early as 1881 he produced the unprecedented yield of fifty thousand bushels
of wheat on one thousand acres of arid land. After proving that wheat could be
successfully produced he turned to irrigation projects, some of which now are honored
in retaining the Blalock name. He drilled for and found artesian water, utilized the water
of the various streams, and every one of the districts he founded is now a prosperous
and conservative community. I could go on and tell you of his work to complete the
Celilo locks and canal and of his intense desire to see an open Columbia river, but those
and local problems are developing as he anticipated they would. In fact before Dr.
Blalock passed away he had the final pleasure of knowing that all these great economic
benefits to the Inland Empire would be finished. In the 1913 session we were honored
by having Dr. Nelson G. Blalock, during one of our sessions, invited to take his place
with our speaker and then a few days later during the session we were shocked to hear
of his death. You do not wonder then that Dr. Blalock was elected to represent the Walla
Walla district at the constitutional convention and we revere and honor that man, soldier,
physician, statesman who in the economic development of the Inland Empire was the
greatest man the northwest has yet produced, Dr. Nelson G. Blalock."

On the 13th of March, 1914, Dr. Blalock was stricken with apoplexy while at work in

his office and was taken to a hospital, where he died the following day.

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DORSEY S. BAKER, M. D.

No history of Walla Walla and the Inland Empire would be complete without extended

reference to Dr. Dorsey S. Baker, now deceased, who for many years figured most
prominently in the professional, commercial and financial circles of the northwest. He stood in
the front rank of the columns that have advanced the civilization of Washington, leading to its
substantial development, progress and upbuilding. He was particularly active in the growth of
Walla Walla, where he continued to make his home for many years. He recognized and
utilized the resources of the country and by establishing many business enterprises contributed
in marked measure to its development and progress. Widely known, his life history cannot fail
to prove of interest to the many friends that he left behind and who still honor and cherish his
memory.

Dr. Baker was born in Wabash county, Illinois, October 18, 1823, and while still a boy

in his teens became the active assistant of his father, who was engaged in milling and
merchandising. Thus he received a thorough training that constituted the broad foundation
upon which much of the success of his later years was built. After a time, however, he
determined to enter upon a professional career and with that end in view matriculated in the
Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, from which he was graduated in 1845 on the
completion of the full course. He located for the practice of medicine in Des Moines, Iowa,
but after remaining there for a brief period determined to follow the advice of Horace
Greeley, who said: "Go west, young man, go west." Accordingly in 1848 he started for
Oregon, where he arrived in the fall of the same year, having no money and no acquaintances
in this section of the country. He immediately opened an office and began the practice of his
chosen profession in Portland, which was then a small town containing but one or two streets
along the river front. Gold was discovered in California the following year and Dr. Baker
joined the rush for the famous Eldorado. He remained in that state until the spring of 1850
and then returned to Portland, where he entered into partnership with L. B. Hastings in the
conduct of a mercantile enterprise. The following spring he again went to the mines, this time
his objective point being Yreka, which was then a newly developed mining camp. In May of
the same year, however, he once more returned to Oregon and established his home in the
Umpqua valley, where for several years he devoted his attention to stock raising, to milling
and to general merchandising. He erected the first flour mill in southern Oregon at the old
town of Oakland in Douglas county, and in 1858 he was conducting business in Portland as a
hardware merchant.

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Dr. Baker's connection with Walla Walla dated from October, 1859, when he

established a store in this city, placing William Stephens in charge. The following year,
however, he personally assumed the management of the business and in 1862 he entered into
partnership with his brother-in-law, John F. Boyer, in establishing the firm of Baker & Boyer,
which was so long widely and favorably known in eastern Washington. It was in that year
that he also became associated with Captain Ankeny, H. W. Corbett and Captain Baughman
in the organization of a steamboat company to operate a line of boats on the Columbia and
Snake rivers. This company built the steamer Spray for the upper river and the E. D. Baker
for the lower Columbia trade, thus instituting what constituted a most important element in the
development and upbuilding of the northwest. These steamship lines were sold the following
year to the Oregon Steam Navigation Company. Dr. Baker's recognition of the possibilities
and opportunities of the northwest constituted a most important factor in the development of
the Inland Empire. After nine years he took up the construction of a railroad from Walla
Walla to the Columbia River, building the line entirely from his own resources. This not only
enhanced the fortune of the promoter but brought prosperity and wealth to the entire Walla
Walla valley and adjacent country. It was a matter of pride to Dr. Baker that during his
ownership and management of the railroad it was never encumbered with a mortgage and
never had a floating debt. He finally sold the road in 1878 to the Henry Villard syndicate and
it became a part of the Oregon Railway and Navigation System.

Throughout the remainder of his life Dr. Baker devoted his energies to banking and to the

inauguration of various business enterprises in and about Walla Walla that continued as
factors in the progress and improvement of the city and of the state. The Baker-Boyer Bank,
which was organized in 1869, is the oldest institution of the kind in Washington and remains
one of the strongest moneyed concerns of the state. Later it was reorganized as the Baker-
Boyer National Bank.

Dr. Baker was married in Portland, Oregon, in June, 1850, to Miss Caroline Tibbetts, a

native of Indiana, by whom he had seven children, three of whom died in infancy. The others
were Edwin Franklin, now living in California; Mary E., the deceased wife of Ex-Governor
Miles C. Moore, now president of the Baker-Boyer National Bank; Henry C.; and W. W.,
who is the vice president of the Baker-Boyer National Bank. For his second wife Dr. Baker
chose Miss Mary Legier, of Tuscola, Illinois, who passed away soon afterward, and in

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August, 1867, he wedded Elizabeth H. McCullough, by whom he had eight daughters, four
of whom died while young. Mrs. Baker passed away May 7, 1917, having for many years
survived her husband, whose death occurred in Walla Walla, July 5, 1888.

Dr. Baker not only lived to witness a remarkable transformation in this section of the

country but was an active participant in all the changes that brought about modern-day
civilization. His greatest effort in pioneer days was the building of the Walla Walla &
Columbia River Railroad, which was the foundation of the early settlement and building up of
the great Inland Empire, of which Walla Walla became the distributing point for eastern
Washington, Montana and Idaho. He gave the original site for Whitman Seminary, donating
land which became the nucleus of the present property of what is now Whitman College.
Almost seventy years have passed since Dr. Baker came to the northwest to cast in his lot
with its pioneers. People of the present period can scarcely realize the struggles and dangers
which attended the early settlers, the heroism and self-sacrifice of lives passed upon the
borders of civilization, the hardships endured, the difficulties overcome. These tales of the
early days read almost like a romance to those who have known only the modern prosperity
and conveniences. To the pioneer of the early days, far removed from the privileges and
conveniences of city and town, the struggle for existence was a stern and hard one, and these
men and women must have possessed indomitable energy and sterling worth of character as
well as marked physical courage when they thus voluntarily selected such a life and
successfully fought its battles under such circumstances as prevailed in the northwest. The
efforts of Dr. Baker were indeed an important feature in the development of this section of
the country. He saw and utilized opportunities which have brought about modern-day
progress and improvement and not only kept pace with the trend of the times but was a
leader in the onward march of progress in Walla Walla and this section of the state.

C. R. ROGG.

C. R. Rogg, who is engaged in the furniture and undertaking business in Dayton, has in

his business career ever followed the admonition of the old Greek philosopher, Epicharmus,
who said: "Earn thy reward; the gods give nought to sloth." In other words he has ever been
diligent and determined and his close application and his energy have brought him the
measure of success which he now enjoys. He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, May 17,
1876, and is a son of Raymond and Katie (Toy) Rogg. The father was a native of Germany
but came to America when a young lad and settled in Connecticut, where he was reared and
married. In 1877 he removed with his family to Kansas, where he established his home upon
a farm and in that state both he and his wife passed away. In their family were seven children,
six of whom are now living.

Although born in New England, C. R. Rogg was only about a year old when the family

home was established in the Sunflower state and there he was reared and educated, pursuing
his studies in the public schools. He was a young man of about twenty-seven years when he
determined to leave the middle west and try his fortune upon the Pacific coast. He arrived in
Walla Walla county, Washington, in 1903 and there remained for a year, after which he
removed to Dayton, where he established a furniture and undertaking business, in which he
has now been engaged for thirteen years, building up a trade of large and gratifying
proportions. He has a well appointed furniture store, carrying a large and carefully selected
stock, and his reasonable prices, progressive business methods and earnest desire to please
his customers have brought to him a very gratifying patronage.

In May, 1906, Mr. Rogg was united in marriage to Miss Ollie Landon, who was born in

Kansas, a daughter of R. E. Landon, who is still living in that state. To Mr. and Mrs. Rogg
have been born three children: John Vern, whose birth occurred October 23, 1907; Erma B.,
who was born January 29, 1910; and Caroline Bernice. Mrs. Rogg is a member of the
Christian church. Mr. Rogg has membership with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
and has filled all of the chairs in the local lodge. He is also connected with Dayton Lodge,
No. 3, K. P. His political support is given to the democratic party and he has been elected a
member of the city council by the vote of his fellow townsmen, who recognized his worth and
ability and felt that public interests would be safe in his hands. The years of his residence in
Dayton have brought him a wide acquaintance and his sterling worth has gained for him the
high regard of those with whom he has been associated.

FRANK C. ROBINSON, M. D., F. A. C. S.

Prepared by comprehensive study at home and abroad, Dr. Frank C. Robinson has won

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for himself a distinguished position in the ranks of the medical profession in Walla Walla and
the northwest. He has wisely utilized his native talents and as the years have gone on his
reading and research have kept him in touch with the trend of scientific attainment. He was
born in Blandinsville, Illinois, May 24, 1874, a son of Campbell and Elizabeth (Hungate)
Robinson, both of whom were natives of McDonough county, Illinois, where they were
reared and married. There they resided until 1875, when they removed to Taylor county,
Iowa, and in 1892 they became residents of Walla Walla county, Washington. The father
purchased land at Bolles Junction, where he engaged in farming for ten years, and in 1902 he
retired from active life, taking up his abode in the city of Walla Walla, where his remaining
days were passed, his death occurring in 1913, while his widow survived until 1916. He was
for a long period one of the most extensive and successful agriculturists of his locality, owning
and cultivating two thousand acres of land at Bolles Junction. In his family were six children,
namely: Frank C., of this review; Charles D., connected with the Lincoln Trust Company, of
Spokane, Washington; Samuel E., a farmer of Imperial, California; Lillian M., who is teaching
in the high school of Hilliard, near Spokane, Washington; Harry H., a physician now on duty
as a captain in the Medical Reserve Corps at Waco, Texas; and Myrtle V., the wife of
William R. Howard, a teacher in the high school of Spokane.

Dr. Frank C. Robinson was very young when the family went to Iowa and was a youth

of about eighteen years when the removal was made to the northwest. He has since taken a
most active interest in the development of the Inland Empire and has contributed in substantial
measure to the work of progress and improvement along various lines. He was educated in
the public schools and in the Waitsburg Academy, being graduated from the latter institution
with the class of 1897. The following year he began preparation for the practice of medicine
and surgery, entering Rush Medical College of Chicago in the fall of 1898. He was graduated
from that institution on the completion of the four years' course as valedictorian of the class of
1902 and immediately afterward served an interneship of a year and a half in the Presbyterian
Hospital of Chicago, thus gaining broad and valuable practical experience along professional
lines. He was afterward appointed superintendent of the Monroe Street Hospital in Chicago,
in which capacity he served for a year. Desirous of further advancing in his profession, he
went abroad in August, 1905, for post-graduate work in Europe, pursuing his studies and his
research work in Vienna, Austria, where he remained until May, 1906, coming under the
instruction of some of the most eminent physicians and surgeons of the old world. He then
returned to his native land and opened an office in Walla Walla, where in the intervening
period of eleven years he has won a place in the front ranks of medical practitioners. His
ability is pronounced and he has gained a most creditable name and place in a profession
where advancement depends entirely upon individual merit.

In 1905 Dr. Robinson was married to Miss Jessie Addle Morgan, a daughter of J. W.

Morgan, a pioneer druggist and the foremost citizen of Waitsburg, Washington. Mrs.
Robinson is a graduate of the Washington State Normal School at Ellensburg and later was
graduated from the University of Washington with the class of 1903. She is a lady of culture
and refinement.

Dr. Robinson is well known in fraternal circles, belonging to Walla Walla Lodge, No. 7,

F. & A. M.; also to Oriental Consistory, No. 2, A. & A. S. R., of Spokane. He has likewise
crossed the sands of the desert with the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, having membership in
El Katif Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Spokane. He belongs to Columbia Lodge, No. 8, K.
P. Dr. Robinson belongs to the Walla Walla County Medical Society, the Washington State
Medical Society and the American Medical Association. At the annual convocation of the
American College of Surgeons in Chicago in October, 1917, fellowship was conferred upon
Dr. Robinson. He makes his practice his chief interest, allowing nothing to interfere with the
faithful and conscientious performance of his professional duties, and his comprehensive
knowledge of the science of medicine, accurately applied, has gained him place with the
eminent representatives of the profession in this state. In July, 1917, he entered the United
States service and was commissioned captain in the Medical Officers Reserve Corps and is
now awaiting summons to the front.

CHARLES A. KAUSCHE.

Charles A. Kausche, a well known farmer of Garfield county with residence on section

21, township 12 north, range 41 east, was born in this county, May 27, 1881, a son of
Henry and Paulina (Lowenberg) Kausche, the former a native of Germany and the latter of
Ohio. When only sixteen years of age the father came to the United States and in 1876
removed to Oregon. Four years later he came with his family to Garfield county, Washington,
and took up a claim. As soon as possible he erected a rude home of the type known as a

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box house and in order to fence his land he hauled poles from the mountains twenty-five miles
distant. In time he brought his place to a high state of development and erected excellent
buildings thereon, being actively engaged in farming until 1902, when he retired and removed
to Pomeroy. In 1903 he passed away there but his wife survives.

Charles A. Kausche, who is one of the five living children of a family of eight, was reared

at home and at the usual age became a pupil in the public schools, which he attended in the
acquirement of an education. In 1904 he rented the old homestead and subsequently he
bought the place, which comprises eight hundred and seventy acres. He has erected excellent
modern buildings upon the place and has otherwise added to its value and it now ranks
among the best developed farms of the locality. He uses up-to-date methods and implements
in carrying on his work and also gives careful thought to the problem of marketing to
advantage.

Mr. Kausche was married in 1904 to Miss Odessa Trosper, who was born in Old Walla

Walla county, a daughter of Joseph G. and Ena (Bonney) Trosper, the former a native of
Missouri. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Kausche, Floyd B. and Merle K.

Mr. Kausche belongs to the Knights of Pythias and in politics supports the republican

party. For some time he was clerk of the school board and he is strongly in favor of the best
possible public schools. His extensive farming interests do not leave him much time for
outside activities but it is generally known that he supports all movements seeking the
material, civic or moral advancement of his community.

CHRISTIAN MILLER.

Christian Miller, who is devoting his time and energies to the operation of a good farm on

section 26, Russell Creek township, Walla Walla county, was born in Denmark, January 27,
1854, a son of Soren S. and Sarah M. Miller, who in 1862 came with their family to the
United States. After residing for six years in Utah, where the father engaged in farming, they
came to Walla Walla county, Washington, in 1868 with a colony composed of Mormons
who had seceded from the church and also others who were never associated with that
organization. The father belonged to the former class and he remained with the colony until it
broke up in 1880 or 1881. He then acquired title to a small farm on Mill creek, where he
continued to make his home until his death, which occurred March 26, 1897.

Christian Miller had very little opportunity to attend school, as his boyhood was passed in

a frontier community, but he has learned many valuable lessons in the school of experience.
He accompanied his parents on their removal to Walla Walla county and remained with the
colony until it was disbanded, after which he worked as a farm hand for a time. In 1889 he
purchased his first farm, comprising one hundred and sixty acres on section 26, Russell
Creek township, and has since added to his holdings from time to time until he now owns
about four hundred acres of excellent land. He is engaged in diversified farming and has been
very successful in his work.

On the 8th of November, 1882, Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Grace E.

Davies, who was born in Kansas, June 18, 1855. Her father, W. W. Davies, was a native of
Wales, born August 8, 1833, and was at the head of the colony of settlers who came to this
county. Before leaving Wales he was married August 24, 1854, to Miss Ann Jones, and they
became the parents of twelve children. It was in 1855 that they came to America and for a
time made their home in Utah and later in Montana, but in 1867 came to Walla Walla county,
Washington. Mrs. Davies, who was born in Wales, March 29, 1836, died May 19, 1879,
and Mr. Davies passed away November 25, 1906. Three children were born to Mr. and
Mrs. Miller, of whom two survive, namely: Sarah M., the wife of Elmer Meiner, a farmer of
Russell Creek township; and Esther M., at home.

Mr. Miller is a republican in politics and has served for a number of years on the school

board, in which connection he has done valuable work for the schools. He belongs to the
Modern Woodmen of America and has many friends within and without that organization.
Through his own efforts he has gained financial independence, his success being based upon
enterprise, hard work and good management.

HON. LEVI ANKENY.

With the history of development in the northwest Hon. Levi Ankeny, of Walla Walla, is

largely familiar. He has been a witness of the various phases of life during the progress from
pioneer times to the days of present prosperity and he has ever borne his part in the work of

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general upbuilding and improvement, while at the same time he has so conducted his private
business interests that substantial results have accrued. He has been active in connection with
mining and with the copper industry and for many years he has occupied a most prominent
position in banking circles. His business interests alone would entitle him to representation in
this volume and yet there are other phases of his life which also render him a most prominent
and representative citizen of the northwest, for he has been United States senator and has
done much to further the interests of this section of the country in the halls of national
legislation.

Mr. Ankeny was born near St. Joseph, Missouri, on the 1st of August, 1844, a son of

John and Charity (Geer) Ankeny, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of the
state of New York. Both were members of old families whose ancestry can be traced back
to Revolutionary war times and who were represented by valiant soldiers in the struggle for
independence. The father was a newspaper man in Milford, Pennsylvania, for a number of
years and died while on a trip across the plains to Oregon in 1850. His widow continued the
trip and spent her last years in Portland, Oregon.

Levi Ankeny of this review was a little lad of but six summers when his parents started

with the family on the long trip over the hot stretches of sand and through the mountain passes
to the northwest, yet he remembers many incidents of that journey, which was made after the
primitive manner of the times. He was reared on the Pacific coast and largely acquired his
education in Kingsley Academy in Portland. After reaching adult age he was for several years
engaged in merchandising in Orofino and in Florence, Idaho, selling goods from pack trains
all through the mining regions and also through the Fraser river country of British Columbia.
He was also for several years with the Wells Fargo Express Company. During these years he
became identified with the cattle industry and his herds roamed the plains of both Idaho and
Washington. He was in Walla Walla in his cattle operations, grazing his herds throughout this
section of the country in the early days before settlement had laid claim to the land.

Mr. Ankeny's identification with financial interests in the northwest began on the 1st of

January, 1878, when he organized the First National Bank of Walla Walla. He thus entered
actively into a field of business in which he has made substantial progress and in which his
efforts have contributed much to the upbuilding and development of this section as well. In
1882 he organized the First National Bank of Pendleton, Oregon, and a year later organized
the First National Bank of Baker City, Oregon. The same year he founded the First National

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Bank of Waitsburg, Washington, and subsequently became the founder of the Columbia
National Bank of Dayton, Washington. He settled the affairs of the Vancouver National Bank
of Vancouver, British Columbia. He has since disposed of the bank at Baker City, Oregon,
and also of the one in Vancouver hut is still president of the other four banking institutions, the
combined deposits of which at the present time amount to over seven million dollars. There is
no phase of the banking business with which he is not familiar and he is thoroughly acquainted
with all of the grave problems of finance which confront the country. He has served as
president of the State Bankers' Association. He is actuated in all that he does by a most
progressive spirit and, readily discriminating between the essential and the non-essential in all
business affairs, he has so directed his efforts that success in notable measure has attended
his endeavors and reputation names him as the wealthiest resident of his county. Moreover,
the policy that he has pursued is one which will bear the closest investigation and scrutiny and
may well constitute an example that others may profitably follow.

In 1867 Mr. Ankeny was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Nesmith, a daughter of James

Nesmith, who was United States senator from Oregon. By this marriage have been born five
children, four of whom are living: Nesmith, who is assistant cashier of the First National Bank
at Pendleton, Oregon; John who is vice president of the First National Bank at Walla Walla;
Robert, who operated a farm in the Willamette valley of Oregon but has volunteered and is
now serving as a machinist in the Navy; and Harriett, who is the wife of Colonel Francis
Pope, of the United States army, formerly stationed at San Antonio, Texas, but now in
France.

Mr. Ankeny has not only done much to develop the material interests and resources of

this section of the country but has also contributed in large measure to shaping its political
history. He has always been a stalwart champion of the republican party and upon its ticket
was elected in 1903 to represent Washington in the United States senate, serving in that
august body for six years, during which period he most carefully considered the vital
questions which came up for settlement and threw the weight of his aid and influence on the
side of progress, reform and improvement. He is a thirty-second degree Mason, being
identified with all the Masonic bodies of both the York and Scottish Rites. He has served as
grand master. He belongs to Walla Walla Commandery, No. 2, K. T., and is a member of El
Kader Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. He also has membership with the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. His religious faith is evidenced in
his membership in the Episcopal church and that he is appreciative of the social amenities of
life is indicated in his identification with the Country Club. Mr. Ankeny is recognized as one
of the strong men of the northwest, strong in his honor and his good name, strong in his ability
to plan and perform. What he has undertaken he has accomplished and, moreover, he has
not only promoted his individual interests but his activities have ever been of a character
which have advanced the public prosperity as well.

CARY MELVIN RADER.

Cary Melvin Rader, a leading member of the bar of Walla Walla, engaged in general

practice, was born in Carroll county, Indiana, July 27, 1868. His father, Solomon Rader, was
also a native of the Hoosier state, born October 8, 1827. He devoted his life to farming in
early manhood and afterward took up merchandising. He was a veteran of the Indian wars of
the northwest and crossed the plains in 1852. He participated in the Modoc and Rogue River
wars of 1853 and 1857. Later he returned to Indiana and became actively identified with its
agricultural and commercial interests. But longing for the west he came to Walla Walla,
Washington, in 1901, there remaining until his death, which occurred December 2, 1912. His
wife, who bore the maiden name of Martha Ann Stewart, was born in Indiana, May 30,
1827, and is still living at the notable old age of ninety years, her home being in Walla Walla.

Cary M. Rader was the only child of that marriage. He obtained a common school

education in his native state and afterward attended the Central Normal College at Danville,
Indiana, where he pursued a law course. He was there graduated on the 28th of July, 1891,
and was admitted to the bar, but in May, 1892, came to Walla Walla and has since been an
active representative of the legal profession of this city. He entered into partnership with
Senator Poindexter, with whom he was associated for about four years, after which he
practiced alone for a few years, and then became a partner of Frank B. Sharpstein. Their
connection continued for four years and Mr. Rader was then alone in practice for a brief
period. He afterward entered into partnership with W. R. King, who later became a supreme
judge of Oregon, and upon the dissolution of that partnership he became connected with E.
F. Barker, forming the present firm of Rader & Barker. This association has since been
maintained and the firm occupies a very prominent position at the Walla Walla bar. Along

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with those qualities indispensable to the lawyer Mr. Rader brought to the starting point of his
legal career certain rare gifts, including forcefulness of expression and a strong personality.
He possesses a keen, rapid, logical mind, plus the business sense, and a ready capacity for
hard work. He has, too, an excellent presence, an earnest, dignified manner and marked
strength of character, which, combined with a thorough grasp of the law and the ability to
accurately apply its principles, has made him a most effective advocate and a wise counselor.
While continuing in general law practice, he has specialized in corporation law and is
thoroughly well informed concerning that department of jurisprudence. He served for one
term as city attorney in 1896. In addition to his professional interests he is a director of the
Peoples State Bank, to which office he was elected on the organization of the bank, and he
has considerable farming interests.

On the 13th of September, 1893, Mr. Rader was united in marriage to Miss Hattie

Miller, a native of Eaton, Ohio, and a daughter of Charles Miller, a resident of that city. Her
mother has passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Rader have become the parents of three children,
Ralph Waldo, Martha Bernice and Melvin Miller.

In his political views Mr. Rader is an earnest democrat, believing firmly in the principles

of the party, yet never seeking office. He attends the Congregational church and is a faithful
follower of the Masonic fraternity, being now a past master of Walla Walla Lodge, No. 7, A.
F. & A. M. There have been no spectacular phases in his career, but in a profession where
advancement depends entirely upon individual merit and ability he has worked his way
steadily upward. His practice is now extensive and of an important character. At no time has
his reading ever been confined to the limitations of the question at issue and he is recognized
not only in professional circles but otherwise as a man of well rounded character, of finely
balanced mind and splendid intellectual attainments.

JUDGE JOHN W. HOLMAN.

Judge John W. Holman, of Dayton, has an unusual record of public service, having for

twenty-two years been police judge and justice of the peace, and for seven years he was
court commissioner. He was born in Monroe county, Indiana, May 22, 1844, a son of
Thomas and Laura (Parker) Holman, pioneers of the Hoosier state. He was reared under the
parental roof and at the usual age entered the district schools. When eighteen years old he
volunteered for service in the Union army and from the time of his enlistment, on the 6th of
August, 1862, until after the close of the war he was with the armed forces of the
government. His record includes service in the battles of Ball Bluff, Port Gibson, the siege of
Vicksburg and the engagements at Jackson, Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, Grandicor, Fort Gaines,
Fort Morgan, Big Black, Champion Hills and Raymond.

On returning to civil life Judge Holman removed to Illinois, where he engaged in farming

until 1868. In that year he became a resident of Nebraska and there made his home until
1876, when he cast in his lot with the Pacific northwest. During the intervening forty-one
years he has lived at Dayton and has become one of the foremost citizens of that town and, in
fact, of Columbia county. In 1888 he was appointed deputy sheriff under W. R. Marcus, and
two years later was elected justice of the peace. Subsequently he became police judge and
for twenty-two years he filled both offices. In the discharge of his duties he manifested a fine
sense of justice and an unusual ability to read human nature. For seven years he was also
court commissioner under Judge R. F. Sturdevant, and in that connection also he was
thoroughly competent.

Judge Holman was married in Nebraska in 1869, to Miss Louisa E. Linn, a native of

Ohio. They became the parents of the following children: Laura A.; Ernest A.; Jessie P.;
Olive F.; Lola C.; Nellie L.; John W., Jr., deceased; Dorothy C.; Charles D.; and Donald L.

Judge Holman has been a republican almost since the organization of the party and his

advice has often been sought by the local party leaders. At one time he was the republican
councilman from Brooklyn. He has always been justly proud of the fact that at the time of the
country's need he offered himself in defense of the Union, and he finds great pleasure in the
association with other veterans of the Civil war in the local post of the Grand Army of the
Republic. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His strength
of character and his unswerving adherence to high standards of morality have gained him the
respect of his community, and, moreover, he has won an unusually large number of personal
friends, owing to his kindly nature and his evident goodwill toward all. One evidence of his
popularity is the fact that while serving as justice of the peace he performed more marriages
than any other official or clergyman in the county and in many instances married two
generations of the same family. He has the satisfaction of knowing that he has discharged in
full every duty devolving upon him, and that during a long life he has at all times proven a man

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of genuine worth, an official devoted to the public welfare.

JUDGE BENJAMIN L. SHARPSTEIN.

No history such as this work defines in its essential limitations will serve to offer fitting

memorial to Judge Benjamin L. Sharpstein, who left the impress of his individuality for good
upon the commonwealth in many ways and whose career ever reflected honor upon the state
that honored him. A Mexican war veteran, a pioneer, lawyer, legislator and member of the
state constitutional convention, he indeed played an important part in shaping the annals of
Washington. For forty-two years he was a resident of Walla Walla and through that period
was not only closely connected with its interests and development but was also associated
with many of the movements which have shaped the policy and directed the upbuilding of the
state.

Judge Sharpstein was a native of the state of New York, his birth having occurred in

Bath, Steuben county, October 22, 1827. He was a lad of seven years when his parents
removed westward to Michigan, settling first in Macomb county, where they resided until
their removal to Sheboygan county, Wisconsin. In the family were two sons, John and
Benjamin L. The former became an attorney of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and later went to San
Francisco, California, where he served as a judge of the supreme court. After the Civil war
his brother Benjamin read law with him for some time. Reared upon the home farm, Judge
Sharpstein divided his time between the work of the schoolroom, the pleasures of the
playground and such tasks as were assigned him in connection with the development of the
fields. He did not care, however, to make farming his life work and turned from agriculture to
a professional career, it being his desire to prepare for the bar. He therefore entered upon his
studies, which, however, were interrupted when he was nineteen years of age, for in 1846 his
patriotic spirit was aroused and he joined the American army as a soldier in the Mexican war.
Upon the close of hostilities with that country he returned to his home and resumed the study
of law, being admitted to the bar in 1852.

JUDGE BENJAMIN SHARPSTEIN

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MRS. BENJAMIN SHARPSTEIN

Judge Sharpstein was married in 1854 to Miss Sarah J. Park, who was indeed a faithful

companion and helpmate to him on life's journey. She has long figured prominently in the
social circles of Walla Walla and her life has been fraught with many good deeds and
characterized by the highest principles. Following their marriage Judge and Mrs. Sharpstein
continued to reside in the middle west until 1865, when they determined to try their fortune
on the Pacific coast and with their three eldest children, John L., Ada A. and Arthur P., they
left the Mississippi valley and with a large train of immigrants started across the plains for
Oregon. The city of Salem, Oregon, was their objective point but on reaching Walla Walla,
Judge Sharpstein was so favorably impressed with the opportunities of this section that he
determined to make his home here. Thereafter he was identified with the city and was a most
important and influential factor in advancing the best interests of the community, in promoting
its progress and upbuilding and in upholding its standards of citizenship. He not only held high
rank as a lawyer but was also prominent in shaping the political history of his state. At the bar
he was forceful and resourceful. He had comprehensive knowledge of the principles of
jurisprudence and was most accurate in applying those principles to the points in litigation.
His arguments were most logical, his reasoning sound and clear and his deductions accurate.

In political faith Judge Sharpstein was a democrat and held loyally to the principles of his

party, although he knew that such a course would deprive him of many political honors, for
the di...