Chapter D: B. Stimmel was the eldest in a family of ten children, nine sons (2)

While Mr. Walter volunteered to find the murderers of Dr. Whitman, whom he knew personally, he was a friend to the Indians as a whole and had some stanch friends among them, some of whom came to camp by his door until the time of his death. He attended the ceremonies at the erection of the monument to Dr. Whitman and the other martyrs and he was one of the party who buried the remains of Dr. Whitman and his wife. He became a member of the first organization of Pioneers of Walla Walla and was also a member of the Oregon Pioneers' Association. In 1880 the first railroad was built in the Touchet valley and little towns were started, among them Prescott, which became quite a railroad town with roundhouse and machine shops. It was filled with railroad men and cowboys which formed two factions, and as the town boasted three saloons and was wide open, a clash was due to come occasionally. Prescott went through all the phases of a frontier town, with gambling houses, etc., had her quota of murders and robberies until the boom dropped out, when it seemed for a time that the town was doomed to die a natural death. Then a new era came. The place began to revive, a good school was built, churches were established, the surrounding country was planted to wheat to furnish grain for one of the largest mills in the country, responsible men took hold of the business enterprises and today Prescott is one of the most thriving little towns in the county. The children of William Walter, having been reared in this valley, have seen all of the changes wrought in the last half-century. They have seen the wild, unbroken prairies developed to their present high state of cultivation and the eldest daughter, Mrs. Fine, still lives on a part of the old homestead. She is the mother of eight sons and a daughter, all grown to manhood and womanhood and all married and settled in homes of their own, with the exception of one. Mrs. Dunlap, another daughter, lives in the house in which she was born. J. D. Walter, the only son, also occupies a part of the old homestead and is mentioned elsewhere in this work. The other daughter, who in 1890 became the wife of John H. Pettijohn, is living on a homestead which was taken up in 1880 and they occupy an attractive little residence in which they expect to spend their declining years. The Walter family has indeed played an important part in the progress and development of this section of the country from the early days and the name is written high on the roll of honored pioneer settlers.

JOHN D. WALTER.

John D. Walter is a resident farmer of Walla Walla county and a well known representative of one of the honored pioneer families. He was born December 8, 1869, on the farm which he yet owns and cultivates, his parents being W. W. and Charity (Marsh) Walter, who in 1845 first crossed the plains and who are mentioned at length on another page of this work.

Spending his youthful days under the parental roof, John D. Walter became largely familiar with many of the experiences which constituted life for the pioneer. He was educated in the district schools, the first school of the neighborhood being built in his father's dooryard. He early became familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops and later he engaged in the butchering business in Prescott and also devoted much time to buying and selling stock, being thus occupied for twenty years. On the expiration of that period he sold his business and turned his attention to farming on the old home place. Today he owns five hundred acres of rich and valuable land splendidly adapted to wheat raising and in addition he cultivates another five hundred acre tract which he rents, so that he is most extensively engaged in general farming. His crop is largely wheat and owing to his indefatigable energy and intelligently directed labor his efforts have been crowned with success. He is also engaged in stock raising and keeps on his place high grade cattle, horses and hogs.

In 1898 Mr. Walter was united in marriage to Miss Lula R. McSherry, a daughter of Nelson McSherry, mentioned elsewhere in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Walter have become the parents of four children, Ernestine O., Helen and Leila, twins, and Camille.

The family is now living in the city of Walla Walla at No. 114 Colville street. They attend the Presbyterian church and Mr. Walter belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, to the Elks and Knights of Pythias lodges. In the first named he has filled all of the chairs. His political endorsement is given to the republican party and he keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day but does not seek nor desire office as a reward for party fealty. His children possess much musical talent, which is being thoroughly trained and cultivated. The family, connected with Walla Walla county since early pioneer times, has always kept pace with the trend of modern day thought and progress. The work begun by the father has been carried forward by the son, whose farm is today an expression of twentieth century methods in agriculture.

A. C. SEMROW.

One who does not delve below the surface of things seldom stops to consider what an important part the architect plays in the improvement of a city. However, his labors constitute one of the strongest features in its attractiveness, and in city building in the west there has been most earnest effort put forth with a view to equalling everything that is of convenience, comfort and beauty in the older structures of the east, while at the same time modern progress adapts all building operations to modern needs. It is in this field that A. C. Semrow has labored and is now regarded as one of the most successful and capable architects of Walla Walla. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, October 11, 1885, a son of August and Minnie Semrow. For the past twenty-five years the father has been prominently identified with the building and contracting business, ranking very high in connection with building operations in Milwaukee.

A. C. Semrow spent his youthful days in his father's home and at the usual age became a pupil in the public schools. He mastered the lessons therein taught until he had become a high school pupil and when he left that institution he had the benefit of a course of instruction in the Milwaukee University. As early as his fourteenth year, however, he became an assistant to his father in the contracting and building business and at the same time he began his studies as an architectural draftsman. He pursued his studies in the offices of some of the leading architects of Milwaukee and of Chicago and he likewise pursued a course in the Milwaukee University. He thus became thoroughly familiar with the scientific principles which underlie his work and gained expert knowledge of every phase of the profession. In April, 1914, well qualified for his chosen calling, he came to the west, making Seattle, Washington, his destination. There he opened an office but after a year he removed from that city to Walla Walla, where he has since remained, becoming widely and favorably known in professional connections. Throughout the city are found many evidences of his skill and ability. He has had the contract for designing and erecting some of the finest structures of Walla Walla and his work has indeed added to the beauty and attractiveness of the place.

On the 9th of May, 1911, Mr. Semrow was married to Miss Frances Wiseman, of Seattle, Washington, a daughter of Richard B. Wiseman, who was one of the pioneer residents of Walla Walla, locating here when the city was a small town and when the work of progress and improvement seemed scarcely begun. Subsequently he removed to Seattle, where he is now engaged in the real estate business.

Mr. Semrow, as one of the representative young business men, has gained a prominent position in public regard, for he has come to be recognized as one who is thoroughly reliable as well as progressive and one whose word is as trustworthy as any contract.

LOGAN P. MULKEY.

Logan P. Mulkey, who was one of the most successful business men of Walla Walla, devoted his later years to the buying and selling of city properties but previously operated a stock farm of twenty-five hundred acres. His birth occurred in Corvallis, Oregon, December 24, 1853, and he was a son of Johnson Mulkey, who crossed the plains three times, an achievement the meaning of which the present generation can scarcely realize, for at the present time the journey which a half century or more ago meant months of weary traveling with the danger of attack by Indians or of an outbreak of pestilence, is now a matter of a few days and is made with the utmost comfort. Johnson Mulkey was a slaveholder in Kentucky in the early days but freed all his slaves some years prior to the Civil war, as he had become convinced that the practice of holding men and women in bondage was wrong. However, such had been his kindness to his slaves that one old mammy refused to leave the family and accompanied them to the northwest. It was in 1845 that Mr. Mulkey first came to Oregon territory and he was so pleased with conditions in this section of the country that in 1846 he returned to Kentucky in order to settle up his affairs and in 1847 he again made the long journey to the west, this time accompanied by his family. His wife was ill when they reached the Whitman home and made plans to remain there until she recovered her health while the other members of the family should continue their journey but later she decided to accompany them and did so, thus escaping massacre at the hands of the Indians, for it was only a short time later that the Whitmans were killed by the red men. Mr. Mulkey located at Corvallis, Oregon, and in the succeeding years acquired extensive farm, timber and sawmill properties, together with valuable mining interests in Idaho. He became one of the wealthy men of Oregon and at the time of his death in the winter of 1861-2 carried in his belt something more than seven thousand dollars in gold dust. He had made a trip to some of his mining properties in Idaho and on his return reached John Day, Oregon, about fifty miles from The Dalles, where he became snowbound. Anxious to reach home as soon as possible, he started overland on foot and, being weighted down by the gold dust which he carried, he became exhausted and nearly perished from the cold. His companions buried him in the snow and then hurried for help to the home of William Graham, whose sons went after him and brought him to the Graham home, where a few days later he died. This was quite a coincidence, as it was years afterwards when Logan P. Mulkey and Georgia Graham were married that the facts were discovered that it was to her father's house that the dying man had been taken. The body was buried in the cemetery at The Dalles.

Logan P. Mulkey received his education in the public schools of Corvallis, Oregon, and also gained valuable training in self-reliance and resourcefulness in the experiences which came to him in the pioneer settlement in which he grew to manhood. On starting out on his independent career he went to Pomeroy, Washington, where he became connected with the hardware business, and for twelve years he was engaged in that line. He erected one of the first store buildings in Pomeroy and was quite prominent in the early commercial life of that place. At length his health became impaired through close confinement and he sold his hardware store and bought a stock ranch of some twenty-five hundred acres seven miles from Pomeroy. For many years he gave his attention to raising stock on an extensive scale but in 1903 he disposed of his land and removed to Walla Walla, where he became a prominent operator in real estate, buying and selling city properties. He was highly successful in that business but his prosperity was not gained at the price of the failure of others, for he was never known to take advantage of any man. If he had sold a property and the purchaser found it difficult to make his payments at the time specified he was given an extension of time and his terms were made easier. Mr. Mulkey's high sense of honor and his probity inevitably won for him the respect and the warm regard of those with whom he was brought in contact and his friends were legion.

In 1885 Mr. Mulkey was united in marriage to Miss Georgia Graham, a daughter of William Graham, who was also a pioneer of the northwest, having crossed the plains from Ohio in 1852.

Mr. Graham was born in Wayne county, Ohio, in 1818, and at the age of twenty-one years married Miss Harriet Duncan. They removed to Missouri, where they spent seven years, and in 1852 started across the plains to Oregon with three wagons and twelve head of cattle. This trip was a very arduous one and while en route their money was stolen. Being a very generous man, Mr. Graham picked up all stranded travelers from other trains. He was accompanied by his wife and six children. In crossing the Cascade mountains an ox fell exhausted and by hand the wagons were lowered in order to proceed on their journey. The next morning this ox had wandered away and a man bought the wagon and brought the family to a place near Corvallis, for which Mr. Graham paid him one hundred dollars. On the journey westward nearly all provisions gave out and the men were forced to hunt in order to supply the party with something to eat. While on one of these hunting trips five Indians came and the women traded a wagon cover for flour. Mr. Graham took up a homestead near Corvallis, not far from the mouth of the Deschutes river, where he developed a fruit farm. In 1874 he came to Washington and purchased a farm one and one-half miles from Dayton, where he spent the remainder of his life. He died at the age of seventy-four years and his wife at the age of seventy. In their family were eleven children, of whom six are still living. Mr. and Mrs. Graham were both consistent members of the Congregational church and were very hospitable people, their home being always open to the travelers or newcomers of this region.

To Mr. and Mrs. Mulkey were born five children, of whom four survive, namely: Allen L., who operates a twenty-two hundred acre ranch in Walla Walla county belonging to his mother; Frances, at home; Marion, who volunteered June 1, 1917, and is now a member of Battery D, Twentieth Field Artillery, stationed at Camp Stanley, Leon Springs, Texas; and Helen, at home.

Mr. Mulkey was a member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity but was not very active in the work of that organization, preferring to spend his leisure time at home. One of his strongest characteristics was his devotion to his family and to his friends and anything that he could do to add to the pleasure of those whom he loved was a source of the greatest satisfaction to him. His death occurred on the 7th of August, 1910, but his memory lives in the hearts of many.

Since her husband's death Mrs. Mulkey has personally managed the large estate and in 1914 she erected the Mulkey apartments at No. 20 Park street and the following year erected an apartment building on the site of the old family home, which had been destroyed by fire, the new building being entirely designed by her. These buildings are thoroughly up-to-date and provided with all the improvements to be found in the highest class apartments and are valuable assets of Walla Walla. In addition to looking after her interests in connection with these apartments Mrs. Mulkey gives supervision to the operation of a splendid ranch of twenty-two hundred acres which she has acquired since the death of her husband and she also owns considerable city property. She and her children are members of the Congregational church and she also belongs to the Sunshine Club and the Reading Club of Walla Walla. All movements for the moral and civic as well as the material upbuilding of Walla Walla receive her hearty support. She combines the qualities necessary to the successful conduct of large business interests with the qualities of the home maker, for she has been a devoted mother and was in the fullest sense a true helpmate to her husband.

JOHN G. PAINE.

John G. Paine, who has been actively identified with commercial, financial and agricultural interests in western Washington, was born in Mercer, Maine, July 8, 1842. He acquired a common school education in his home town, where he was reared upon a farm. Prompted by a desire to attempt something more promising than a New England farm offered, he followed Horace Greeley's advice to go west and in 1865 arrived in Walla Walla. Soon after his arrival he secured employment in the general merchandise store of Baker & Boyer, acting as a salesman in their establishment. In 1868 he entered into partnership with his brother, F. W. Paine, in the conduct of a general store and in 1871 took over the management of a branch store in Waitsburg. Six years later, having disposed of that business, he opened a branch store in Dayton and in the meantime he served as cashier of the Columbia National Bank. After a few years of confinement in indoor life, the firm having acquired several large tracts of wheat land, he undertook the development of that property and devoted several years to wheat growing. More recently, however, he has been largely interested in the development of alfalfa land and is thus prominently connected with an industry which is proving a source of wealth to eastern Washington. Mr. Paine occupies a homelike suite of rooms in the Paine building. He is widely known in the state as a most progressive business man and his enterprise has carried him into most important business connections.

OSCAR W. BRUNTON.

Well directed business activity finds expression in the life record of Oscar W. Brunton, vice president of the Dement Brothers Company, proprietors of a large flour mill at Walla Walla. He was born in Alton, Illinois, on the 15th of March, 1868, a son of David and Margaret P. (White) Brunton. The father was a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of Tennessee, while their marriage was celebrated in Illinois. The former was a winding stair builder and became actively identified with business interests in Alton, Illinois, where he passed away in 1870. His widow afterward removed with her three children to Macon City, Missouri, and thence to Hannibal, that state, and in August, 1876 they came to Walla Walla, where she joined her sister, who was the wife of Rev. H. W. Egan, who was presiding over the Cumberland Presbyterian church at this place. Here Mrs. Brunton reared her children and continued to make her home until 1907, when she took up her residence with a daughter in Berkeley, California, where she has since resided. She is now in her eighty-seventh year and is enjoying excellent health, while in possession of all of her faculties.

Oscar W. Brunton was educated in the Walla Walla public schools and in Whitman Seminary. In his boyhood days he took up the study of telegraphy and mastered the Morse code while he was but a child. A brother being an operator, he was desirous of studying along that line but he never followed the profession as a means of livelihood. For some years in his youth he worked as a job printer in the old Journal office, and in 1884 he entered the employ of Dement Brothers in the Eureka flour mills. There he proved efficient, capable and trustworthy and in 1892 he had risen to the position of mill manager, while in 1896, upon the incorporation of the company, he became one of the members of the concern and continued as manager of the mills. In 1907 he was elected to the vice presidency of the Dement Brothers Company and remained as manager as well. Since that time he has given his attention to administrative direction and executive control as well as to the operation of the mills and has contributed much to the success of the business. There is no phase of milling operations with which he is not familiar and his long experience and capability constitute an important element in the growing success of their trade.

Mr. Brunton was united in marriage on the 12th of May, 1891, to Miss Alice Roberta Egbert, a daughter of Marion D. Egbert, who is now deceased, but for many years was a well known publisher of Walla Walla. Mr. and Mrs. Brunton have become the parents of one child, Margaret A., who is a graduate of the University of California of the class of 1914 and is now a successful teacher in the Le Grand (Calif.) high school.

In his political views Mr. Brunton is a stalwart republican, having been a staunch supporter of the party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He belongs to the Walla Walla Commercial Club and cooperates in all of its well defined plans for the upbuilding of the city, for the extension of its trade relations and for the upholding of its high civic standards. He ranks with its foremost business men and representative residents, enjoying the goodwill and confidence of all with whom he has been associated.

HON. HARLAN D. ELDRIDGE.

A valuable farm property is that owned and operated by Hon. Harlan D. Eldridge, who is living on section 1, township 7 north, range 37 east, Walla Walla county. It is equipped with all the latest accessories and conveniences of a model farm property of the twentieth century and in its splendid appearance indicates the care and supervision of a practical and progressive owner. But while Mr. Eldridge is a representative and prosperous agriculturist, he is also a citizen wide awake to the duties and obligations that devolve upon him in connection with public affairs and has rendered active aid to his state as a member of the general assembly.

He was born in Dallas county, Iowa, April 6, 1858, and is a son of Joseph W. and Matilda (Parks) Eldridge, the former a native of Ohio, while the latter was born in Indiana. Removing westward, they settled in Iowa in 1856, taking up their abode upon a farm in Dallas county, where they remained for a number of years. Afterwards they became residents of Omaha, Nebraska, where both spent their remaining days. They had a family of three children, of whom two are now living.

Harlan D. Eldridge spent the period of his boyhood and youth in his native county and there completed a public school education which fitted him for life's practical duties and responsibilities. He received thorough training in the work of the farm and thus became well qualified for the tasks which he later undertook for his own benefit. In April, 1880, when a young man of twenty-two years, he arrived in Walla Walla county and took up a homestead north of Waitsburg, upon which he resided for ten years. On the expiration of that period he sold the property and bought his present farm, which is situated on section I, township 7 north, range 37 east. He has since improved the property with fine buildings, making it one of the attractive features of the landscape. In addition to the comfortable and commodious residence there are also barns and outbuildings for the shelter of grain and stock and the latest improved machinery facilitates the work of the fields. He has here six hundred and forty acres under cultivation and he makes a specialty of the growing of wheat and of stock raising, in both of which branches of business he is meeting with excellent success. He studies carefully the question of crop rotation and the productiveness of the soil and he employs the most scientific methods of carrying on his farm work-methods which are after all the practical elements of desired results.

In 1884 Mr. Eldridge was united in marriage to Miss Etta Barnes, who was born in Walla Walla county and is a daughter of William T. and Sarah A. (Blaine) Barnes, natives of Kentucky and of Indiana respectively. The family removed to Oregon in 1852 and settled on a ranch there, upon which the parents resided until 1864, when they came to Walla Walla county, here spending their remaining days. In their family were thirteen children, including one pair of twins, and of this number six are yet living. To Mr. and Mrs. Eldridge have been born five children: William W., who is now located on a ranch in Alberta, Canada; Taylor B., who is a merchant of Dixie, where he is also filling the position of postmaster; Earl V., at home; Geneva M., the wife of J. G. Brunton; and Bonnie G., the wife of Burt O'Neal. Her death occurred November 25, 1915.

The parents hold membership in the Christian church and guide their lives according to its teachings. Mr. Eldridge gives his political support to the republican party and in 1909 was elected on that ticket to the state legislature. He proved an earnest working member of the general assembly and gave thoughtful and earnest consideration to the vital questions which came up for settlement. He has also filled the office of county commissioner for four years and he has done effective service in behalf of the interests of the schools as a member of the school board. In a word, he stands for progress and improvement at all times and lends his support to those interests and activities which are matters of civic virtue and of civic pride. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and has filled all of the chairs in the local lodge to which he belongs. He has also filled all of the offices in Mountain Gem Lodge, No. 136, K. P., of which he is a charter member. His life has been well spent and his many sterling traits of character have gained for him the warm regard and confidence of all who know him. Whatever he undertakes he does with thoroughness and energy and because of his genuine worth and public-spirited citizenship his fellow townsmen have honored him with high office.

RALPH E. GUICHARD.

Ralph E. Guichard, deceased, was born in Walla Walla on the 6th of January,. 1869, being a son of Judge Rudolph Guichard, who in a military capacity was sent to Walla Walla when there was nothing here but a fort. The father was a man of high intellectual attainments and of unswerving integrity. He was born at Zeitz, Prussia, December 8, 1830, and in 1854 came to the United States. For a year he resided in Rhode Island and in Massachusetts, after which he went to West Virginia and subsequently to Newport, Kentucky, where he enlisted in the United States army. On the 10th of August, 1857, he was sent to Fort Walla Walla and on retiring from the army he embarked in merchandising in this city, successfully conducting business here until 1871. He afterward took up the study of law and in 1884 was admitted to the bar. He held many public offices, including that of probate judge, was also register of the land office, was county treasurer and penitentiary commissioner. His public duties were discharged with marked fidelity and ability, so that over the record of his official career there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil. In politics he was a democrat, recognized as one of the leaders of his party. He was also a prominent Mason, loyal to the teachings and purposes of the craft. On the 14th of October, 1866, Judge Guichard was married to Miss Mary Morrison and to them were born three children: Ralph E., Albert and Mary. The father passed away on the 3d of April, 1898.

Ralph E. Guichard spent his entire life in Walla Walla. He pursued his education in the Catholic Academy and at the age of fifteen years he entered the drug store of Charles A. Hungate in the capacity of clerk, there remaining for seven years, during which time he thoroughly mastered pharmacy and became a registered pharmacist. He subsequently spent three years in the same store under J. W. Esteb and for one year was in the employ of James McAuliffe. He then became a partner in the business, under the firm style of Guichard & McAuliffe. After a few months, however, the partnership was dissolved and Mr. Guichard entered the employ of the Whitehouse Clothing Company and later became part owner of the business. In 1900 the entire business passed into his hands. His sagacity, his industry, his caution and his capable management, together with his close application, won for him substantial success and an honored place among the commercial leaders of this section. The Whitehouse Clothing Company or the R. E. Guichard Clothing Company, Inc., developed an excellent trade and has become one of the leading clothing houses of the city.

On December 30, 1903, Mr. Guichard was united in marriage to Miss Margaret A. Wooden, of New York, who taught for several years in the city schools of Walla Walla. They had a family of three children: Harold E., Dorothy-Mae, and Robert A.

Mr. Guichard passed away August 10, 1913, and his death was the occasion of deep and widespread regret. He was a member of the Catholic church, also of the Knights of Columbus and of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He likewise held membership in the Commercial Club. His entire life, with the exception of a few years spent in travel, was passed in Walla Walla, so that he was largely familiar with its history, and events which to many were matters of record were to him familiar from personal knowledge and experience. He ever rejoiced in the upbuilding and progress of his city and cooperated to the extent of his time and ability in all matters that related to the general welfare and improvement.

HON. ELMER E. HALSEY.

Hon. Elmer E. Halsey, of Clarkston, is a lawyer, now following his profession in Washington and at the same time is taking active part in framing the laws of the state as a member of the legislature. He was born in Dover, New Jersey, January 23, 1861, a son of Thomas J. and Sarah E. Halsey, who were also natives of that state. He was reared in New Jersey and acquired his early education in the schools of Dover and Hackettstown. In 1878 he went to Missouri and worked on a farm. In 1883 he attended the St. Louis Law School in the same state. In 1885 and 1886 he was a law student in the State University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and was admitted to the bar in the spring of the latter year. In 1890 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Baraga county, Michigan, and was reelected in 1892 and 1894, having been elected to that office for three consecutive terms. He was also appointed to the position of receiver of the United States land office at Marquette, Michigan, in 1896 and occupied that position until 1898. In August of the latter year he made his way westward to Washington and took up his abode in Clarkston, opening a law office in that city and also in Lewiston. He has since engaged in the practice of law. In 1902 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Asotin county. He is recognized as a strong, able lawyer, and is considered one of the leaders in the legislature. He is a stalwart supporter of the republican party and in 1909 was elected to represent his district in the state legislature and is still serving at this date in that capacity, having been elected to the office for five consecutive terms, without opposition in his own party four times, and twice without opposition from the democrats.

In 1886 Mr. Halsey was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Thomas, a daughter of John R. Thomas, of L'Anse, Michigan, but a native of Vermont. They have two children: Marion G., who is the wife of Dr. E. D. Sawyer, of Asotin, and Burt C., who is in the United States army in the Fourth Balloon Squadron of the Signal Corps, having enlisted while a student at the University of Washington.

Mr. Halsey is a Mason, having three times served as master of Clarkston Lodge, No. 143, F. & A. M. For fifteen years he served on the Clarkston school board and the cause of education has found in him a stalwart champion. He was largely instrumental in the legislature in promoting the bone-dry law of Washington and succeeded in having the bill passed through the house. His name is connected with much important legislation which has been enacted during his five terms connection with the house of representatives. His course has been characterized by the utmost devotion to the public good and the record of no member of the legislature has extended over a longer connection therewith and none has been more faultless in honor, fearless in conduct or stainless in reputation.

J. J. ROHN.

J. J. Rohn is now living retired in Walla Walla but for a long period was actively identified with farming interests in this section of the state and through close application and unremitting energy won a substantial measure of success. He was born in Baden, Germany, November 22, 1834, and is a son of Nicholas and Kate (Cipf) Rohn, who were also natives of that country, where they spent their entire lives. They had a family of six children, but so far as he knows, J. J. Rohn is the only one now living. He was reared and educated in his native country and was a youth of seventeen when he bade adieu to friends and native land and sailed for America, having determined to try his fortune on this side of the Atlantic. He crossed the water in 1851, making the trip on a sailing vessel, and landed at New York city, where he remained for two years, working at his trade of picture frame gilder, which he had learned in Germany. Subsequently he removed to Baltimore, Maryland, where he resided for one year, and in 1855 he enlisted for active service in the United States army and was sent to New York harbor, where he remained until May of that year. He was then transferred to San Francisco, California, and afterward was sent to Red Bluff, and still later to Fort Lane, Oregon, to which point he walked, making the entire distance on foot. In 1855 the Indian war broke out and that winter he was engaged in fighting the red men, being in the mountains throughout the entire period. He was fortunate in that he escaped all injury, although he experienced many of the hardships incident to such warfare. In 1857 he was sent to Fort Walla Walla, where he was stationed for several years. He went out with the Wright expedition in 1858 and in 1859 he was transferred to Vancouver, where he remained until honorably discharged in 1860.

Mr. Rohn then returned to Walla Walla and took up a homestead on Mill creek, where he has since lived. He still owns a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, which is highly improved. He has added to it all modern accessories and conveniences and was successfully engaged in farming for many years but eventually put aside the active work of the fields to enjoy a rest which he has truly earned and richly deserves. He is now eighty-three years of age and is most comfortably situated in life, the years of his former toil bringing to him a competence that supplies him with all necessities and many luxuries.

In 1866 Mr. Rohn was united in marriage to Miss Sarah E. Sanders, who was born in Indiana, a daughter of Joseph Sanders, who came to Walla Walla in 1864. To Mr. and Mrs. Rohn were born four children: Kate, who is the widow of T. J. Bryan; Malina J., who is the wife of Harry Gilkerson; Fred, who owns and operates three hundred and eighty acres of land in Whitman county; and Sarah Belle, deceased. The son is married and has seven children. The wife and mother passed away in 1872 and Mr. Rohn has never married again. He reared his children to man and womanhood alone, doing the part of both mother and father in his care of them.

In politics Mr. Rohn has always been a stalwart democrat, actively interested in the success of his party and doing everything in his power to secure the adoption of its principles. His has been a well spent life fraught with good results and characterized by all those traits which in every land and clime awaken confidence and regard. Industry, and perseverance, guided by keen intelligence, have been the basis of his success and he can look back over the past without regret. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to come to the new world, for he here found the opportunities which he sought and in their utilization has made steady progress.

HON. JAMES M. LAMB.

No history of Walla Walla county would be complete and satisfactory were there failure to make reference to Hon. James M. Lamb, who was familiarly known as Governor Lamb. When death called him in 1898 he had been a resident of this county for almost forty years. He was one of its first pioneers and one of its most progressive citizens. He had established the first blacksmith shop in this section of the state and he was the first to demonstrate the possibility of wheat growing on the hills. In many other ways he contributed to public progress and improvement though the utilization of the resources of this section of the country.

Mr. Lamb was born in Logan county, Kentucky, February 19, 1835, a son of Downing and Elizabeth (Maxwell) Lamb, both of whom were natives of Logan county, Kentucky, where they resided until the '70s, when they came to Washington territory, establishing their home in Columbia county, where they resided until called to their final rest.

James M. Lamb remained a resident of his native state until he reached the age of nineteen years, when he crossed the plains to California with his parents in 1854, the gold fields being the attraction which brought them to the Pacific coast. He learned the blacksmith's trade after reaching California, where he conducted a shop and also engaged in farming. In 1856 he was married there to Miss Jane Pearce, also a native of Kentucky, and a daughter of John and Martha (King) Pearce. She crossed the plains from Atchison county, Missouri, in 1856.

Mr. and Mrs. Lamb began their domestic life in California but in 1859 came to Washington, establishing their home in Walla Walla county, where Mr. Lamb opened the first blacksmith shop in this section of the country, there being no shop between Walla Walla and Dayton at that period. He continued to operate his shop and conduct his farm up to the time of his death. About 1867 he went to a place near McMinnville, Oregon, to help perfect the first combination cutting and threshing machine used in this section of the country, as he was a master mechanic. This machine was first drawn by horses attached both in front and behind. Later he made a number of improvements on the machine, which was afterward sold to Holt & Company for two thousand dollars, and it has subsequently been perfected until today it is the standard machine of the kind used in this locality.

Mr. Lamb homesteaded eighty acres of land on his arrival in Walla Walla county and afterward added to his holdings by purchase from time to time until his farm comprised two hundred and eighty acres. This he brought under a high state of cultivation, carefully and persistently developing his fields, so that annually he gathered abundant harvests. It is said that he was the first man to demonstrate the possibility of growing wheat on the hills. He continually sought to improve his farm, was always ready to take up new methods and his sound judgment demonstrated to him the worth of any new idea that was advanced.

In politics Mr. Lamb was a democrat and one of the active workers of the party. He became a leader in molding public thought and opinion and exerted much influence over the affairs of the community. His aid was always given on the side of improvement and upbuilding. His fellow townsmen, recognizing his ability, called upon him to serve in several public offices. He was elected justice of the peace and filled that position for many years, his decisions being strictly fair and impartial, so that he won golden opinions from all sorts of people. In 1867 he was elected to the territorial legislature, where he served with honor and distinction, carefully aiding in the solution of many intricate and involved problems in connection with shaping the early legislation of the state. He also assisted in surveying Walla Walla county in pioneer times and there were many phases of public improvement with which he was closely identified. In 1885 he removed to Walla Walla, where he made his home until his death, although he passed away in Lodi, California, on the 5th of March, 1898, having gone to that place for the benefit of his health. His widow still survives and resides at the old home in Walla Walla with her son, Daniel W.

To Mr. and Mrs. Lamb were born six children: John D., a resident of Walla Walla; Georgia A., the wife of George Howard, of Berkeley, California; Martha E., who married A. H. Johnson, of Tacoma, Washington; Cora A., the widow of J. L. Cation and a resident of Walla Walla; William T., of this township; and Daniel W. The two sons, William T. and Daniel W. Lamb, conduct the old home farm and are representative agriculturists of this section of the state.

James M. Lamb was a most consistent Christian gentleman and an active worker in the church. He became one of the organizers of the First Christian church, services being held on the 4th of July, 1874, in an old log cabin at Dixie. The charter members were John R. Ware, Margaret Ware, Philip and Clarinda Beal, Elizabeth Neland, J. M. and Jane Lamb, W. T. Barnes, Sarah Barnes, Mr. Barnes becoming deacon and clerk, with J. R. Ware as elder. The life of James M. Lamb was ever guided by the highest and most honorable principles and he left to his family the priceless heritage of an untarnished name. For almost forty years he was a resident of Walla Walla and was one of its most valued citizens and honored pioneers. He contributed much to its early development as well as to its later progress and at all times he enjoyed the confidence and respect of those with whom he was brought in contact. His two sons are members of Mountain Gem Lodge, No. 136, K. P., of Dixie. Both have passed through all of the chairs and are members of the grand lodge and they are also identified with El Kindi Temple, No. 193, of the Knights of Khorassan. In business affairs they are progressive and enterprising, wisely managing their important farming interests, which are bringing to them a substantial annual return.

HON. HENRY PERRY ISAACS.

Hon. Henry Perry Isaacs, deceased, was one of the historic figures who have been dominant factors in the development of southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon. His activities were of such a nature that he might be termed one of the empire builders of this section of the country. He saw the possibilities here and utilized the opportunities offered, his labors at all times contributed to public progress and prosperity as well as to individual success. He thus left his impress for good upon the history of Walla Walla and of the state and his memory is yet revered and honored by all who knew him.

Mr. Isaacs was a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where his birth occurred on the 17th of March, 1822. He came of Scotch-English ancestry and while spending his youthful days in the Keystone state acquired a common school education. He had no other opportunities for educational advancement save those which were self-acquired. He possessed, however, an observing eye and retentive memory and was continually storing his mind with facts that proved a basis for his success in later years. At an early age he entered the employ of one of Philadelphia's foremost mercantile houses and his training there constituted an important element in his later progress along commercial lines. When twenty-one years of age he removed to Indiana with a view of seeing something of the outside world and after reaching that state he engaged in merchandising on his own account. Subsequently he joined the rush for the California gold fields, but was not especially successful in his mining venture. However, he was a man of broad vision and saw wonderful opportunities in the new western country. This land of perpetual sunshine seemed to promise great things for the future and in 1858 he proved his faith in the country by erecting at Fort Colville, Washington, his first flour mill, demonstrating to the farmers of this section that wheat could be raised profitably upon the hills and uplands, which in those early days were given over to stock raising. This was the initial step in the development of his important milling interests. In 1862 he built the North Pacific Mills at Walla Walla and in 1864 he erected the War Eagle Mills at Boise City, Idaho. Wherever opportunity offered he eagerly grasped it and extended his efforts into various fields, his labors at all times proving profitable by reason of the intelligent direction of his efforts. In 1865 the Middleton mills at Middleton, Idaho, were built and in 1883 he still further extended his efforts by the building of the North Pacific Mills at Prescott, known as Mill B. In 1898 he built the North Pacific Mills at Wasco, Oregon. His wide experience in this line made him the foremost miller of the Pacific coast. His operations exceeded in volume and importance those of any other man engaged in the milling business. His knowledge concerning the best methods of manufacturing and handling flour became a matter of general comment and he was recognized as authority upon all matters pertaining to milling in any of its branches. The output of his mills was not only sold extensively in this section of the country but the production above what was needed in Washington and the northwest found a ready market in the orient and much of the product was exported to China. Mr. Isaacs was the first miller on the Pacific coast to adopt the roller system in the manufacture of flour, his first rolls being of porcelain and imported from Switzerland. He at all times kept his business in touch with the most modern processes and introduced the latest improved machinery into his plant.

Outside of milling circles Mr. Isaacs was perhaps best known by reason of his public spirit and his progressiveness. After demonstrating the possibilities of wheat growing and the development of kindred interests arising therefrom he did some pioneering in horticulture, planting in 1864 one of the first orchards in the vicinity of Walla Walla. Not long afterward he planted a vineyard and from this point he experimented successfully with almost every variety of fruit and vegetables grown in the north temperate zone. He was an enthusiast in all that pertained to progress and evolution in plants and tree life and he gave liberally of his time and means to further the cause. He was a leader in public affairs and he represented the county in the territorial council of 1885 and 1886, at which session he introduced the bill establishing the state penitentiary at Walla Walla. He was constantly watchful of opportunities pointing not only to his individual success but to the general development of this part of the country, and he ever looked beyond the exigencies of the moment to the possibilities and opportunities of the future. He was the first to attempt to induce G. W. Hunt to build the Washington & Columbia River Line from Dayton to Wallula and thence to Pendleton. The line was successfully built and operated and the completed project was a monument to his enterprise and farsightedness. He was also president of the Commercial Club at the time and used every effort to secure the early construction of the road. But few men in all Washington became so thoroughly conversant with the state, its varied interests and its possibilities or were so deeply interested in the success of its enterprises as Mr. Isaacs, and but few men have arisen to take so active a part in the development of this section of the country. With his death on the 14th of July, 1900, the state of Washington and in fact the entire Pacific northwest lost one of its most conspicuous figures, most esteemed citizens and most honored men.

CHRISTIAN J. BOWERS.

Christian J. Bowers has gained a gratifying measure of success as a farmer and is still active in that connection although now a resident of Walla Walla. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, January 7, 1867, a son of George W. and Catherine M. (Brown) Bowers, also natives of that city, where they were reared. They continued to reside there for about ten years after their marriage and then removed successively to Pennsylvania, Illinois, Iowa and Kansas. From the last named state they crossed the plains in 1880 by horse team to Walla Walla, Washington, and located in the Dry creek hills, about seven miles north of Walla Walla. The father took up a homestead and also preempted one hundred and sixty acres of land and resided upon his farm until about 1896, when he disposed of his holdings and removed to Columbia county, where he purchased two hundred and forty acres on Patit creek, four miles from Dayton. He still owns that farm, but since 1905 has been a resident of Walla Walla. To him and his wife were born the following children: Christian J., of this review; Bertha S., who passed away at the age of eighteen years; Mae, who is now the wife of John W. Eby, of Walla Walla county; Charles E., a resident of Walla Walla; and Gertrude, who is the wife of Clarence Wilson, of Topeka, Kansas.

Christian J. Bowers received his early education in the district schools and in the Waitsburg public schools and at the Huntsville Seminary. He was reared to agricultural pursuits and following his marriage in 1888 he began farming on his own account in the Dry creek hills and maintained his residence upon his ranch until 1905, when he removed to Walla Walla. He still directs the operation of his holdings, which include three hundred and twenty acres near Lowden, and also owns about eight hundred acres in Whitman county. The financial independence which is now his is the direct result of his thorough knowledge of farming, his enterprise and his good management, and he justly ranks among the successful men of Walla Walla county.