Chapter 18

MRS. HENRY F. WATROUSIn 1903 Mr. Watrous married Miss Sadie Williams, a native of Missouri, and although they have no children of their own they have an adopted daughter, Bonnie. Mr. Watrous is a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge, No. 10, of Dayton, and is a republican in politics. He has efficiently served as a member of the school board but has never had the time nor inclination for office, his business affairs claiming his undivided attention. Although he has met with hardships and difficulties in his career he has overcome these by persistent effort and is today one of the substantial citizens of his community, his success being the just reward of his industry and good management, for he is a man of excellent business ability and sound judgment.E. F. DUNLAP.E. F. Dunlap holds the responsible position of manager of the Dayton plant of the Portland Flouring Mills Company and throughout his entire career has been connected with this corporation, entering its service in the humble capacity of office boy. From that point he has steadily worked his way upward and his orderly progression has brought him to the position which he now occupies and for which he is well qualified, for as the years have gone on he has gained comprehensive and extensive knowledge of the business in all of its phases. He is numbered among the native sons of Oregon, his birth having occurred in Wallowa county, on the 5th of October, 1887, his parents being Robert C. and Mary E. (Pool) Dunlap, both of whom are natives of the Willamette valley of Oregon, their respective parents having been among the earliest settlers of that section of the country. Following their marriage they established their home in Wallowa county, where the father engaged in the live stock business, there remaining until 1898, when he removed to Walla Walla county, Washington. He took up his abode upon a ranch near Prescott and is here engaged in operating a hay and dairy farm, being numbered among the representative agriculturists of this section of the state.E. F. Dunlap, spending his boyhood days under the parental roof, acquired his education in the graded schools and in 1902, when a youth of fifteen, started upon his business career, securing a position as office boy in the plant of the Portland Flouring Mills Company at Prescott, Washington. His fidelity, ability and trustworthiness led to promotion and he was afterward made assistant bookkeeper. In 1908 he was transferred to the Dayton mills as bookkeeper and in 1913 he was returned to Prescott as local manager of the plant. On the 1st of May, 1917, he was again sent to Dayton as manager of the mills, in which capacity he is now serving and as the controlling factor in the operation of the plant here he is doing splendid work for the company. The latest processes of flour manufacture are utilized here and the plant is splendidly equipped, while the standard of excellence is ever fully maintained.In 1913 Mr. Dunlap was united in marriage to Miss Susan Weatherford, a daughter of F. M. Weatherford, of whom extended mention is made elsewhere in this work. In his political views Mr. Dunlap maintains an independent attitude with republican tendencies. He belongs to Alki Lodge, No. 136, I. O. O. F., and also to Whetstone Lodge, No. 157, K. P., of Prescott. He is one of Dayton'srepresentative and progressive men. Almost his entire life has been passed in Washington and the spirit of western enterprise finds exemplification in his career and has gained for him a substantial measure of success.W. H. STONECIPHER.W. H. Stonecipher, who follows farming on section 10, township 8 north, range 37 east, in Walla Walla county, is a representative business man whose wise use of time and opportunities has gained for him a place among the prosperous agriculturists of this part of the state. He had no assistance at the outset of his career and whatever he has achieved and enjoyed is the direct result of his own labors. He came to the Pacific coast country from the middle west, his birth having occurred in Washington county, Illinois, December 29, 1869, his parents being James A. and Margaret (Breeze) Stonecipher. The father was a native of Indiana but removed to Jefferson county, Illinois, with his parents when but two years of age and it was in the latter county that the mother was born and reared. They were there married and the father subsequently purchased a farm just over the county line in Washington county, where he lived until his seventieth year, when he returned to Jefferson county, taking up his abode in the town of Cravat, where he lived retired in the enjoyment of well earned rest up to the time of his demise.W. H. Stonecipher acquired a limited education in the district schools near his father's farm and through the period of his boyhood and youth aided in the work of the fields, early becoming familiar with all of the arduous tasks incident to the development and cultivation of the crops. After reaching his twenty-first year, or in the spring of 1891, he came to the west with Washington as his destination. He arrived in Waitsburg on the 13th of March and during the following summer worked for wages as a farm hand. In 1892 he went into the Palouse country and there prospected for a desirable location. Not finding anything to suit him, however, he returned to Walla Walla county and through the succeeding five years was again employed by others. In 1896 he made his first purchase of land, becoming the owner of a forty-acre tract. Not long afterward he acquired eighty acres additional and two years later he bought one hundred and twenty acres making his farm one of two hundred and forty acres. For some years he not only cultivated this land but also worked for wages for others in order to help pay for his own place. He made use of every spare hour and as a consequence he has prospered. In 1909 he purchased the Electric Farm of five hundred and fifty acres. Prior to this, or in 1907, he had purchased the Boley Robbins farm of four hundred and eighty acres, which he traded in on the Electric Farm in 1909. In 1913 he traded the latter property for seven hundred and thirteen acres adjoining his home place, which thus was extended, becoming a tract of nine hundred and fifty-three acres. It is located in the heart of the Spring valley district, the richest wheat growing belt of Walla Walla county. Mr. Stonecipher not only successfully cultivates this land but for the past fourteen years he has also rented and farmed the T. P. Ingall's place of seven hundred and four acres.This property he purchased in December, 1917, and he therefore now owns one thousand six hundred and fifty-seven acres, his interests being most extensive, so that he is ranked with the leading agriculturists of Walla Walla county. He has closely studied soil and climatic conditions, so that he is thoroughly acquainted with what can be done in the way of crop production here. His methods are most progressive, his business affairs are systematically handled and in all things he displays sound judgment as well as unfaltering enterprise.In 1895 Mr. Stonecipher was united in marriage to Miss Alta Winifred Gerking, a daughter of D. B. Gerking, who was one of the pioneer settlers of Walla Walla county and now resides in Rose Lake, Idaho. Mr. and Mrs. Stonecipher have become the parents of six children, three sons and three daughters, as follows: Lola M., the wife of O. Glen Conover, who is in the service of his father-in-law; Grace H., who attended the Washington State College for two years and is now pursuing her studies in the State Normal School at Ellensburg; James D., who is in his senior year in the Waitsburg high school; M. Blanche, a public school pupil; Harvey V.; and Chester B. On December 23, 1917, a baby daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Glen Conover, the first granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Stonecipher.Mr. Stonecipher gives his political endorsement to the republican party. He has served as a member of the school board for twenty years and his wife is now a member of that board. Fraternally he is connected with Waitsburg Lodge, No. 5, I. O. O. F., and with the Woodmen of the World and is true and loyal to the teachings of these organizations, which recognize man's obligations to his fellowmen. At different points in his career difficulties and obstacles have barred his path and he has had many hardships to overcome, but persistent energy has enabled him to work his way upward and his life proves the eternal principle that industry wins. His course may well be followed by others who desire to attain honorable success, and although he started out in life empty-handed, he is now the possessor of a very handsome competence and has worthily won the proud American title of a "self-made man."WILLIAM P. FISHER.William P. Fisher is an enterprising farmer of Walla Walla county, residing on section 27, Small township, where he owns and cultivates a valuable tract of land embracing eighty acres. His birth occurred in Ohio an the 6th of October, 1860, his parents being Joseph and Lydia E. (Dyke) Fisher, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Ohio. They were married in the Buckeye state and a number of years later removed to Kansas, where the father passed away and where the mother still makes her home. They became the parents of five children, all of whom are living.William P. Fisher was a lad of twelve years when the family home was established in Kansas and it was in that state that he acquired his education. In 1900, seeking the broader opportunities of the west, he made his way to the Yakima country and there remained for twelve years. The year 1915 witnessed his arrival in Walla Walla county, Washington, where he has sinceresided. He purchased eighty acres of land on section 27, Small township, and has improved the property until it is now a valuable and productive tract, annually yielding golden harvests in return for the care and labor which he bestows upon it. He also owns a well improved farm of one hundred and sixty-five acres on the Snake river and has won a place among the substantial and progressive agriculturists of the community.In 1881 Mr. Fisher was united in marriage to Miss Martha L. Twidwell, born near Peoria, Illinois, and a daughter of A. K. and Mary Ann (Myers) Twidwell, who were also natives of Illinois. Both passed away in Kansas, in which state they had established their home in the early '70s. To Mr. and Mrs. Fisher have been born seven children, as follows: Charles L., who is a farmer of Washington; George L., living at Mabton, this state; Myrtle V., the wife of L. B. Heffron, of Walla Walla; R. B., who is a resident of Grandview, Washington; Nina B., who is the wife of H. P. Mears, of Touchet, Washington; D. O., who is engaged in farming; and W. F., who operates his father's farm. Mr. Fisher gives his political allegiance to the republican party and has ably served as a member of the school board. Both he and his wife are devoted members of the Christian church, taking an active and helpful part in its work. They have an extensive circle of friends throughout the locality and are widely recognized as people of genuine personal worth.JAMES L. DUMAS.Among the horticulturists of southeastern Washington who have won prominence in their chosen calling is James L. Dumas, one of the pioneer orchardists of the northwest. He is proprietor of the famous Pomona Fruit Ranch, five miles west of Dayton, Washington, which contains an orchard of one hundred and twenty acres of commercial apples. His home is one of the most beautiful country residences in Columbia county and the place is provided with all city conveniences.Mr. Dumas was born in Clark county, Missouri, on the 1st of December, 1862, and is a son of Louis P. and Nancy W. (Waggener) Dumas, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Virginia. Both parents died in Missouri, where they made their home for some years, and of the five sons born to them only two are now living.James L. Dumas grew to manhood in his native state and on leaving there in 1882 came to Washington, where he attended Whitman College for three years. Several years were then devoted to teaching and he subsequently pursued a course in a normal school in New York state, from which he was graduated in 1891. The following year he was sent to the Hawaiian islands to conduct a teachers training school and he remained in that beautiful country for five years.It was while en route to the Hawaiian islands that Mr. Dumas made a trip through the fruit districts of California and this undoubtedly influenced him to take up horticulture on coming to Washington. Thus originated the Commercial apple industry in the Touchet valley. On his return to this state in 1897 Mr. Dumas purchased his present farm of two hundred and forty acres in Columbia county and he now has about half of that amount in apples, from which he has raised on an average of thirty-four thousand one hundred boxes of apples in the last ten years. In the fall of 1917 he harvested over forty thousand boxes of apples.In 1888 Mr. Dumas married Miss Fannie J. Storie, a native of New York, in which state her parents, Kennedy and Isabel Storie, both died. Mr. and Mrs. Dumas have four children, namely: Loren F., who is a graduate of the Washington State College; Mabel, a student at the Bellingham Normal School; Alura, who is attending high school; and Edwin, now seven years of age.Mr. and Mrs. Dumas are members of the Congregational church of Dayton and he is one of its trustees. In politics he is an ardent republican and has served as a delegate to the state conventions of that party. Fraternally he is identified with the Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows but his chief interest is in the apple industry and he has taken a very active and prominent part in the work of those organizations designed to promote horticulture. He has served as president of the Washington State Horticultural Society and as such did much to improve the orchards of the northwest. The society never had a more active head or one who took the same impartial interest in all fruit growing districts of this section. He has made two trips to the nation's capital in the interest of the northwestern growers. A lover of the great outdoors, it was but natural that he should be among the first to join the "back-to-the-farm" movement in this country and as a representative of the Washington State Country Life Commission he has addressed thousands of interested people in the northwest. Mr. Dumas is vice president of the Broughton National Bank. He has served on the state board of education and is a member of the American Pomological Society; the Society for the Promotion of Horticultural Science; the National Educational Association; and the American Genetic Society. He has been superintendent of the Dayton schools and the public schools of Pullman and was the honored president of the Washington State Educational Association. In 1915 he was elected one of the five members of the executive board of the American Pomological Society. It will thus be seen that he has been prominently identified with a number of organizations whose object has been to promote the welfare of this region along many lines and he well deserves mention among its most public-spirited and progressive citizens.R. W. LOUNDAGIN, D. V. M.Dr. R. W. Loundagin, who is engaged in the practice of veterinary surgery in Waitsburg, was born in Benton, Arkansas, December 28, 1859, a son of George W. and Rhoda J. (Stewart) Loundagin. The father was a native of Tennessee and the mother's birth occurred in Indiana. They removed to Arkansas with their respective parents and were married later in that state. In April, 1861, they left Little Rock, Arkansas, for the Pacific coast country, crossing the plains with ox teams. They were en route for six months and at length arrived in Walla Walla, Washington, about the 1st of October. They camped in the shadow of the fort for three or four weeks, after which Mr. Loundagin rented a small place of forty acres from an old man of the name of Massey.Upon that tract Mr. Loundagin spent the winter and followed farming. In the following summer he purchased a quit claim deed from W. P. Bruce on a quarter section about a mile and a half south of Waitsburg. This was in the Coppei valley. He paid Mr. Bruce two thousand dollars to move off the claim and Mr. Loundagin filed on the property as a homestead. In the years following he purchased land adjoining and continued to add to his possessions until his holdings comprised one thousand acres, constituting one of the most valuable wheat farms in Walla Walla county. He also owned other lands throughout the county, his holdings amounting together between four and five thousand acres. He was one of the first men to demonstrate that wheat could be successfully grown on the hills and uplands, and in proving this fact he contributed much to the development and prosperity of the county, as many followed his example and now the Walla Walla wheat belt is famous throughout the country. Mr. Loundagin continued to reside upon the old home farm up to within seven years of his death, when he removed to Waitsburg, turning over the operations of his farm to a son. He passed away about 1910, having for five years survived his wife. In their deaths the county lost two of its representative and valued pioneer people.R. W. Loundagin was only about two years of age when brought by his family to the northwest. He acquired a district school education and through the period of his boyhood and youth worked with his father, to whom he continued to render active assistance until 1883. He then embarked in business on his own account, purchasing a livery stable in Waitsburg. The following year, however, he sold that property and again resumed active connection with agricultural interests, purchasing four hundred and eighty acres of railroad land two and a half miles north of Bolles Junction, for which he paid five dollars per acre. He lived upon that farm and kept bachelor's hall for eighteen years, after which he sold the property at ten dollars per acre, which was all that he could get at that time. Recently, however, the farm sold for seventy dollars per acre. While residing upon that tract of land Mr. Loundagin purchased one hundred and sixty acres in Columbia county, in the Hog Eye valley, four and a half miles east of Waitsburg. Most of that land is devoted to alfalfa and is very valuable. Mr. Loundagin still owns that farm property and from it derives a gratifying annual income.From his youth Dr. Loundagin was deeply interested in horses, and by reason of the successful manner in which he treated his own horses when they needed medical attention, he was called upon to treat his neighbors' horses. As these calls became more frequent he began to read and study recognized works on veterinary surgery, including such authorities as Professor Fleming, A. H. Baker, Professor James A. Lawe, A. C. Copeland and others. His practice in time became a very large one and today he is classed among the ablest veterinary surgeons in southeastern Washington. In 1909 he built a modern veterinary hospital, which was the first private institution of this kind built in the state. It proved a financial success and his practice has continuously and successfully increased to the present time.In 1902 Dr. Loundagin was married to Miss Albertina Smith, of Hanford, California. He votes with the democratic party and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day. He has never been an office seeker. Both heand his wife hold membership in the Christian church and are loyal to its teachings and its principles. His life has been an active and useful one and he has made steady progress in the field of his chosen profession and his other fields of endeavor, and his ability, industry and thoroughness have brought him a substantial measure of success.OSCAR E. KING.Farming interests in Columbia county find a worthy representative in Oscar E. King, a well known agriculturist who owns and cultivates a valuable property on section 9, township 11 north, range 40 east. He was born on the farm where he now resides, February 15, 1871, his parents being William B. and Elizabeth (Cantonwine) King, the former a native of Indiana, while the latter was born in Iowa. The father crossed the plains to the Pacific coast as a young man, making his way to California in 1852. There he was employed for a time in survey work and subsequently he conducted the Woodville House, a well known hostelry situated on the Rabbit Creek road, about forty miles from Marysville, California. In 1855 he returned to the east by way of the Isthmus route, but the lure of the west was upon him and again by way of the Isthmus route he made his way to the Pacific coast. In those days hay was worth eighty dollars per ton and Mr. King brought with him six hundred pounds of Hungarian grass seed, expecting to make a small fortune in the growing of hay. The following season, however was one of drought and, failing to raise a crop, his funds were exhausted in the venture and his season's work amounted to naught. In 1862 he came to Walla Walla county, arriving in the city of Walla Walla on the 4th of July. He then went up into the Idaho mines, but not meeting with success, he retracted his steps and spent the winter in Oregon. In the spring of 1863 he again came to Walla Walla and the following spring took a sub-contract under Captain Mullen to carry the mail from Walla Walla to Colville. He took the mail on horseback and remained as mail carrier for two years and nine months. His employer, Captain Mullen, becoming involved in financial difficulties, Mr. King was unable to collect a cent for his services for the entire period. Later he secured the mail contract direct from the government and operated a stage line from Walla Walla to Lewiston for four years. In 1867 he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, purchasing his farm on the Tucanon river in Columbia county, and in 1868 he settled upon his land, while at the same time he continued to operate his stage line with hired help. He was thus closely and prominently associated with the work of early development and improvement in this section of the northwest. His wife had crossed the plains with her parents in 1863, the family having as their outfit both ox and mule teams. Mrs. King was then a young girl in her teens and drove the mule team throughout the entire journey across the plains. The Cantonwine family spent the winter of 1863-4 in the Willamette valley of Oregon and in the spring of the latter year came to Washington, where they took up a homestead near the present site of Dixie, and later Mr. Cantonwine built the first hotel in Waitsburg, his daughter, Mrs. King, acting as cook for the few boarders whopatronized the house in that early period. After locating on his farm William B. King took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres adjoining his original place and in subsequent years he and his sons in partnership bought other farm lands until their holdings approximated two thousand acres. Mr. King was thus actively, prominently and successfully identified with the agricultural development of the county until his death, which occurred April 12, 1911. His widow survived him for but a brief period, passing away on the 11th of March, 1912. In their family were four sons and three daughters who are yet living, as follows: Harry and Edwin S., well known farmers of Columbia county, Washington; Oscar E., of this review; Silas L., a resident of Pomeroy, Washington; Zorah I., who is the widow of R. A. Jackson and resides in Dayton; Alice, who gave her hand in marriage to Henry Delaney, a farmer of Columbia county; and Frankie G., the wife of A. P. Cahill, who is a banker of Dayton, Washington.Oscar E. King pursued his early education in the country schools and supplemented it by a business course in the Portland Business College. After reaching adult age he joined his brothers and his father in their extensive farming operations, and following the father's death the sons continued to cooperate in their farming enterprises until 1915, when the partnership was dissolved and a division of their holdings was made. Oscar E. King now owns five hundred and fifty-six acres of valuable land and is one of the substantial farmers of the Tucanon valley. His business affairs have been carefully managed and directed and his unfaltering enterprise and unremitting diligence have brought to him a substantial measure of success. In his political views he is an earnest republican but has never been an office seeker, and he is widely known as one of the influential citizens of Columbia county.B. F. BREWER.B. F. Brewer is one of the most prominent farmers of Walla Walla county, living on township 6, range 36 east. He is the president of the Farmers Union and occupies a foremost position as a representative of that progressiveness which has largely revolutionized farming methods in the past quarter of a century. Moreover, his labors have demonstrated the possibilities of this section for agricultural development and have contributed much to the wealth of the district.Mr. Brewer was born November 2, 1879, on the farm where he now lives, a son of John F. Brewer, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work. He was reared on the old homestead and pursued a public school education, attending the high schools of Walla Walla and Seattle, while later he became a student in the State Agricultural College at Pullman. Following the completion of his course he entered the First National Bank of Walla Walla as bookkeeper and for four years was identified with that institution. Upon his father's death he took charge of the home farm and has since operated it. He is now cultivating this place of five hundred and twenty acres and he and his mother own conjointly a farm of seventeen hundred and eighty acres, which they purchased in 1908. His farming interests are thus extensive and are conducted according to the most progressive methods. He has the latest improved machinery to facilitate the work of the fields and he understands the scientific principles that underlie all of his activities. In his work, however, it is definitely seen that he is a man of action rather than of theory and sound judgment directing his labors, has brought splendid results.B. F. BREWERMRS. B. F. BREWEROn May 25, 1904, Mr. Brewer was united in marriage to Miss Harriet Chew, a daughter of H. C. Chew, one of the pioneer nurserymen of Walla Walla county, now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Brewer have been born two children but only one is living, Mary Charlotte.Mr. and Mrs. Brewer are worthy Christian people whose belief actuates them in all life's relations. Mr. Brewer belongs to the Presbyterian church, while his wife is a member of the First Methodist church. His political allegiance is given to the democratic party and he is thoroughly informed concerning the issues and questions of the day but has never taken an active part in party work. He has served as secretary of the Farmers Union and during the past two years has been president of the organization. When the Farmers Agency was established he was made its first manager and served in that important capacity for three years, but his private interests demanded his entire attention and he therefore resigned his position. He does everything in his power to promote the welfare and interests of the agriculturist and in all that he does is actuated by a spirit of enterprise that produces splendid results. He is a man of sound business judgment, sagacious and farsighted, and his well defined plans are carried forward to successful completion.WILLIAM GOODYEAR.William Goodyear, a prosperous business man of Starbuck, dealing in wood and coal, was born on the 11th of March, 1853, in Canada, and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Hynes) Goodyear, the former a native of England and the latter of Ireland. On crossing the Atlantic to the new world in 1833 they settled on a farm in Canada and continued to make it their home until their deaths. They had a family of ten children of whom seven survive.Reared in the Dominion, William Goodyear is indebted to its schools for the education he enjoyed during his boyhood and youth. On leaving home in 1870 he went to Fort Scott, Kansas, where he spent a short time, but later in the same year crossed the plains, driving four cows to a covered wagon. On reaching Salt Lake City he hired out to a Mormon bishop, and subsequently he went to Idaho, where he was interested in a sawmill for twelve years. In 1883 Mr. Goodyear came to Old Walla Walla county, Washington, and for two years drove cattle from here to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Later he bought and sold horses and also engaged in farming until 1903, when he sold out and removed to Starbuck, which has since been his home. He owns considerable property in the village, being extensively engaged in the real estate business, and also deals in wood and coal.Mr. Goodyear was married in 1902 to Miss Emma Woods, a native ofMissouri, and having no children of their own they are now rearing a boy, Richard H. Wellman by name who is a grand nephew of Mrs. Goodyear.Mrs. Goodyear is serving as postmistress of Starbuck and is a lady of more than ordinary business ability. She is a member of the Eastern Star and Mr. Goodyear holds membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has filled all the chairs in his lodge and is a stanch democrat in politics. Since coming to the United States he has steadily prospered in his business undertakings until he has become one of the well-to-do citizens of his community and the success that has come to him is due entirely to his own well directed efforts.W. E. McKINNEY.W. E. McKinney, the well known proprietor of the McKinney Auto Company of Waitsburg, was born in Walla Walla county, about a mile from Waitsburg, on the 6th of April, 1868. His father, William McKinney, is a retired farmer living in Waitsburg. He was one of the early pioneer settlers of the northwest country and through many years was closely and prominently associated with the agricultural development and the upbuilding of this section. He was born in Warren county, Indiana, May 5, 1836, and is a son of William and Ann (Walter) McKinney, who crossed the plains with ox teams to Oregon in 1845. On their arrival in that state they settled in Washington county, near Hillsboro, and their later years were spent in Oregon. Their son, William McKinney, was a lad of but nine years at the time they crossed the plains and thus he was reared on the western frontier and early became familiar with all of the experiences, hardships and privations which fall to the lot of the pioneer settler. In 1855-6 he served as a member of Company A under Colonel Kelly and later under Colonel Cornelius in the Indian war. He spent the winter of those two years in Walla Walla, which was then a far western frontier fort. In 1856 he returned to Oregon and was employed on his father's farm until 1858, when he made his way up to The Dalles with the intention of going on to Walla Walla in order to homestead in that locality. He was told, however, that the country was not yet open for settlement and he therefore returned to the vicinity of Portland, Oregon, where he spent the winter. The following spring he made his way northward as a member of the state boundary survey as government packer and in the fall of 1859 he came to Walla Walla county to locate and has since resided in this section of the state. In 1864 he filed on a homestead on the Touchet river, one mile below Waitsburg, and there continued to live for more than a quarter of a century. He also took up a timber claim and he purchased adjoining land, so that his ranch became one of five hundred and fifty-two and one-half acres. This property he still owns. In 1890, however, he removed to Waitsburg, where he has a beautiful city residence and is most attractively and comfortably situated.William McKinney was married on the 14th of December, 1865, to Miss Sarah J. Paulson, who crossed the plains in 1864. They became the parents of four children, as follows: Frank P., who is a banker residing in Olympia,Washington; William E., of this review; Thomas V., who operates his father's farm; and Emma, at home. William McKinney is a democrat in his political views. Late in the '70s or early '80s he was a candidate, through the insistence of his friends, for the office of county commissioner, and while the county was almost two to one republican, he was defeated by only twenty-five votes, a fact which indicated his personal popularity and the confidence reposed in him. He is held in the highest esteem wherever known and ranks with the honored old pioneer settlers of Walla Walla county. In 1914 he was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who passed away on the 20th of August of that year.Their son, William E. McKinney, was educated in the Waitsburg public schools and also attended the Waitsburg Academy. On reaching manhood he became the active assistant of his father in important farming enterprises, and upon his father's removal to Waitsburg a year or two later, W. E. McKinney took charge of the home place, which he cultivated for twelve or thirteen years. He then assumed the management of the old Lewis Neace farm of twelve hundred or thirteen hundred acres and he also leased twelve hundred acres more, so that he operated in all twenty-four hundred acres of land. This he continued to do until September, 1916, when he retired from farming and engaged in the automobile business, purchasing the Dickinson & Denney garage, which is the largest garage of Waitsburg. He has the agency for the Velie and Buick cars and is one of the leading automobile dealers of the county, having built up a business of large and important proportions.In 1891 Mr. McKinney was united in marriage to Miss Lelia Brown, a daughter of Mrs. Jennie Brown, of Lincoln county, Washington. To them have been born three children, one son and two daughters, as follows: William E., who is a member of the United States navy; Mrs. John Rhinehart, of Waitsburg; and Imogen, who gave her hand in marriage to Guy McLaughlin, of Waitsburg.Mr. McKinney has always voted with the democratic party but has never been a candidate for office. Fraternally he is connected with Delta Lodge, No. 70, K. P., and also with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. His position as a business man ranks him with the leading representatives of automobile interests in his section of the state and he is classed with the foremost citizens of Walla Walla county. He is alert and energetic and is watchful of every opportunity that points to a possible development of his business. His sale of motor cars has reached a substantial figure, while in the repair department he also does a business of gratifying extent.JOHN C. NEACE.No student of the history of Columbia county can carry his investigations far without learning of the important part which the Neace family has taken in the agricultural development of this section of the country. John C. Neace is now extensively and successfully engaged in general agricultural pursuits, having fifteen hundred and thirty-two acres of land in Columbia county. He was bornon the Tucanon, in what is now Columbia county, July 14, 1865, a son of Louis Neace, of whom extended mention is made elsewhere in this work. After acquiring a public school education he continued his studies in the schools of Forest Grove, Oregon, where he had as an instructor Professor W. D. Lyman. On reaching manhood he became associated with J. H. Marrow, of Waitsburg, in the mercantile business, under the firm name of J. H. Marrow & Company, and remained in that connection until 1895, when Mr. Neace and T. M. Hanger bought out the interest of Mr. Marrow in the business and thus formed the firm of Neace, Hanger & Company. Mr. Neace was thereafter identified with commercial interests until 1897, when he sold out and in 1898 went to Montana, where he and his brothers, together with their father, formed the Neace Cattle Company and engaged extensively in raising cattle in that state. John C. Neace remained in Montana until May, 1916, when he returned to Columbia county. The Neace Cattle Company owns twenty thousand acres of land in Montana and John C. Neace individually owns fifteen hundred and thirty-two acres in a body in Columbia county, where he now resides. This land is being operated by his son, Donald D.On the 8th of April, 1888, Mr. Neace was united in marriage to Miss India A. Denney, of Waitsburg, a daughter of Nathaniel B. and Priscilla (Hawk) Denney. The father first crossed the plains to Washington in 1861 and subsequently returned to Iowa, but in 1870 he again came to this state, making the journey across the plains from Iowa in company with his family. Mr. and Mrs. Neace are the parents of a daughter and son: Mildred L., who is the wife of Dr. A. T. Gilhus, of White Sulphur Springs, Montana; and Donald D., who is operating the home farm.In politics Mr. Neace maintains an independent course, voting for men and measures rather than party. He belongs to Waitsburg Lodge, No. 16, F. & A. M., and is a loyal Mason. He has always been closely connected with Columbia county even during the period of his residence in Montana and is widely known as one of its progressive agriculturists. His business methods constitute the last word in modern farming, and undeterred by any obstacles or difficulties which he may meet, he pushes his way steadily forward to success.J. G. BRUNTON.J. G. Brunton, a well known and successful farmer residing an section 20, township 8 north, range 38 east, Walla Walla county, was born in that township on the 23d of January, 1881. His parents, W. H. H. and Sarah A. (Lewis) Brunton, are mentioned at length elsewhere in this work. He received his education in the Fix district schools and at Whitman Academy, which he attended for three or four terms. He was a young man of twenty years at the time of his father's death and a year later he left school and turned his attention to farming. In 1903 he filed upon a homestead in Franklin county, but in 1904 he commuted his claim and returned to the home farm. He has since operated about three hundred acres of the land owned by the estate and one hundred and ten acres adjoining, and the large crops which he annually raises are proof of his industry and his practical knowledge of agriculture. He still owns valuable property in Walla Walla which he obtained in trade for his homestead, and he has already gained a competence although still a young man. He gives the most careful attention to whatever task he has in hand and this habit of concentration has been an important factor in his success.J. G. BRUNTON AND FAMILYIn June, 1913, Mr. Brunton was united in marriage to Miss Geneva Eldridge, a daughter of Hon. H. D. Eldridge, a prominent farmer and influential citizen of Walla Walla county, a biography of whom appears on another page in these volumes. One son, William Eldridge, has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brunton.Mr. Brunton is a republican in politics and is loyal in his support of its candidates and measures. His fraternal connections are with Walla Walla Lodge, No. 287, B. P. O. E., and with Mountain Gem Lodge, No. 136, K. P. Both he and his wife are members of the Christian church and the highest moral standards have ever guided their lives. They have a wide acquaintance and are universally held in high esteem.HIRAM M. HOOVER.Hiram M. Hoover, who has lived retired in Waitsburg since 1911, was long and actively identified with agricultural pursuits in Walla Walla county and is still the owner of four hundred and eighty acres of valuable land. His birth occurred in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, on the 4th of July, 1853, his parents being Myers and Ann (Royer) Hoover, who spent their entire lives in that county, where the father followed farming throughout his active business career.Hiram M. Hoover was reared under the parental roof and acquired his education in the public schools. When a young man of twenty years he left home to provide for his own support and, making his way to Ohio, worked as a farm hand in Wayne county, that state, for four years. On the expiration of that period he removed to Iowa, in which state he spent three years, and in 1880 he journeyed westward to San Francisco, California, where he hired out to a surveying party, with which he worked in southern Nevada for six months. He then returned to California and worked in the harvest fields of the Sacramento valley, while later he engaged in salmon fishing. In the fall of 1881 he returned to his native state, taking ship from San Francisco to the Isthmus of Panama, which voyage consumed twenty-one days, and crossing the Isthmus by railroad along the route of the present canal and then boarding a steamer which reached New York city at the end of seven days. After a few months spent at his home he returned to San Francisco, California, in the spring of 1882 and there remained throughout the following summer. He then sailed for Puget Sound, locating in Whatcom county, Washington, where he took up a homestead and continued to reside until the summer of 1885. That year witnessed his arrival in Walla Walla county and his settlement in Waitsburg, where he has made his home almost continuously since. He cultivated rented land during the first four years of his residence here and then purchased a tract of one hundred and sixty acres about two miles northeast of Waitsburg, over the county line,in Columbia county. Since that date, as his financial resources have increased owing to his well directed activity and able management, he has added to his holdings by additional purchase from time to time until at present he owns four hundred and eighty acres. The cultivation of this property claimed his attention and energies until 1911, when he put aside the active work of the fields and has since rented the place to a tenant. He is a stockholder in the Exchange Bank of Waitsburg and has long been numbered among the leading and substantial citizens of that place.In 1886 Mr. Hoover was united in marriage to Miss Eva I. Loundagin, a sister of Dr. R. W. Loundagin, of Waitsburg, and the daughter of G. W. Loundagin, who came to Walla Walla county as a pioneer in 1861. Mr. and Mrs. Hoover became the parents of six children, three of whom survive, namely: Anna L., who is her father's housekeeper; Elam H., a ranchman, residing in Carter, Montana; and Emory M., who is a second lieutenant in the United States army and is now stationed at Douglas, Arizona. The wife and mother was called to her final rest in August, 1912, and her demise was deeply mourned by her immediate family as well as by an extensive circle of friends. Mr. Hoover gives his political allegiance to the republican party, while his religious faith is that of the Christian church, in which he holds membership. The period of his residence in Walla Walla county covers more than three decades and he has won a place among its esteemed and representative citizens.W. H. WOOD.More than a century ago George Washington said, "Agriculture is the most useful as well as the most honorable occupation of man." Its worth as the basis of all other business prosperity has been continuously demonstrated since the world began, and at no time has its usefulness been greater than at this era in the world's history, when all civilization is facing a crisis. The work of the farmer is indeed of the utmost worth and to this occupation W. H. Wood is devoting his time and energies with good results. He was born in Alvorado, Texas, on the 29th of April, 1880, and is a son of Daniel J. and Alice E. (Scott) Wood, both of whom are natives of Illinois, where they were reared and married. Soon afterward they went to Texas, where the father engaged in cotton growing, remaining in the Lone Star state for a year and a half. He was urged by his neighbors to remain for another year, being told that if he would stay for that length of time he would never desire to leave. His answer was that he was well aware of the fact that if he remained for another year he would not have money enough to get out, so turning his back upon Texas, he went again to Illinois, where he continued through the winter. In the spring of 1881 he started for the west, hoping to find more favorable conditions in this section of the country. He made Washington his destination and after crossing plains and mountains he took up his abode in Columbia county, where he secured a homestead in Smith Hollow. There he still resides, having long been numbered among the substantial farmers of that section of the state.W. H. Wood was reared under the parental roof, being only about a yearold when brought by his parents to the northwest. He became familiar with every phase of pioneer life in this section of Washington and has lived to witness the remarkable growth and development that has occurred in the intervening years. He acquired his education in the district schools and at the age of eighteen he started out independently in the business world by leasing one hundred and sixty acres of land, on which he began farming. He sold his wheat at thirty-eight cents per bushel and realized three hundred dollars profit from his crop. He continued to carry on farming on his own account and carefully saved his earnings until his industry and economy had brought him sufficient capital to enable him to purchase, in 1902, his first land. He invested in one hundred and sixty acres, the purchase price of which was one thousand dollars. He borrowed much of the money with which to pay for his farm and thus made his start toward success. He continued to practice the most rigid economy and the most unfaltering industry and within three years he had cleared his ranch of all indebtedness. From that time forward he made it his purpose to add to his holdings whenever favorable opportunity offered and today he owns and cultivates four hundred and fifty-seven acres and also leases another tract of four hundred and eighty acres, and is now extensively engaged in farming in Thorn Hollow. He has brought his land under high cultivation, has added many improvements to the place and thereon are found all the accessories, conveniences and modern equipment of a model farm. In addition to his agricultural interests Mr. Wood is a stockholder in the Dayton Mercantile Company. Opportunity is to him ever a call to action and a call to which he readily responds.In 1902 Mr. Wood was united in marriage to Miss Maud McCall, a daughter of Charles T. McCall, one of the early settlers of Columbia county, who now makes his home in Oregon. Mr. and Mrs. Wood have two children, Daniel W. and Walter H.In his political views Mr. Wood is a republican and always votes for the men and measures of the party but has never been an office seeker. He prefers to concentrate his thought and attention upon his business affairs. He is a man of strong purpose whose plans are well defined and he displays resourcefulness in accomplishing any object for which he starts out. Practically a lifelong resident of Washington, there is no phase of its development through three decades with which he is not familiar and as a farmer he has contributed much to the agricultural progress of this section of the state.JOHN F. MARTIN.John F. Martin, one of the leading stock raisers of Walla Walla county, is living on section 3, township 6 north, range 33 east, where he has a valuable tract of land of three hundred and thirty acres. His business affairs are wisely directed and his efforts have done much to raise the standard of stock raising in this section of the state.From early pioneer times Mr. Martin has resided within the borders of Washington. In fact he is one of the native sons, having been born in Thurston county on the 1st of May, 1858. His parents are William and Ann E. (Yantis)Martin, the former a native of Indiana, while the latter was born in Missouri. They crossed the plains to the northwest in 1852 and settled first in Thurston county but after about two decades established their home in Walla Walla, where they resided until 1901 and where Mr. Martin was engaged in the mercantile business. In 1901 they removed to Touchet.John F. Martin was reared and educated in this state, becoming a resident of Walla Walla county in 1872, when a youth of fourteen years. In 1883 he removed to Wallula, where he engaged in buying cattle, and in 1900 he purchased his present farm of three hundred and thirty acres, then a tract of pasture and alfalfa land. He has since concentrated his efforts and attention upon its development and improvement and the result of his labors is seen in highly cultivated fields, in well kept fences, in substantial buildings and in the latest improved machinery. He has made a specialty of stock raising and is now engaged extensively in handling Percheron horses, Durham cattle and Oxford sheep. He has closely studied the best methods of caring for stock and is familiar with all of the scientific principles that underlie his work as well as the practical phases of his activities. In addition to his live stock interests Mr. Martin is connected with the Touchet State Bank as one of its directors.In 1886 Mr. Martin was united in marriage to Miss Belle Tyson, a native of Nebraska, by whom he has six children, namely: Charles W., who is coach at the Pennsylvania State College, which position he has held for four years; Frank J.; May, the wife of H. J. Hanson; Lucy,. who gave her hand in marriage to Wendel Barker, of Walla Walla; Blanche M., a high school graduate; and Pearl.Fraternally Mr. Martin is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America and with the Eagles. His political allegiance is given to the democratic party. He has served for twelve years on the school board and the cause of education has found in him a faithful friend whose labors have done much to promote educational interests in this section. As a business man he is thoroughly alert and progressive, watchful of every opportunity pointing to success, and his long experience and close study enable him to speak with authority upon all matters relative to stock raising. He has, indeed, won a place of prominence in this connection in Walla Walla county.WILLIAM G. PRESTON.William G. Preston, deceased, was for many years a prominent citizen of Waitsburg, where he was engaged in the milling business and was also a large landowner, holding title to three thousand acres. He was born in Galway, Saratoga county, New York, November 23, 1832, a son of Dr. Calvin and Margaret (McAllister) Preston, both of whom spent their entire lives in the Empire state. In their family were four sons and two daughters, all of whom have passed away.

MRS. HENRY F. WATROUSIn 1903 Mr. Watrous married Miss Sadie Williams, a native of Missouri, and although they have no children of their own they have an adopted daughter, Bonnie. Mr. Watrous is a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge, No. 10, of Dayton, and is a republican in politics. He has efficiently served as a member of the school board but has never had the time nor inclination for office, his business affairs claiming his undivided attention. Although he has met with hardships and difficulties in his career he has overcome these by persistent effort and is today one of the substantial citizens of his community, his success being the just reward of his industry and good management, for he is a man of excellent business ability and sound judgment.E. F. DUNLAP.E. F. Dunlap holds the responsible position of manager of the Dayton plant of the Portland Flouring Mills Company and throughout his entire career has been connected with this corporation, entering its service in the humble capacity of office boy. From that point he has steadily worked his way upward and his orderly progression has brought him to the position which he now occupies and for which he is well qualified, for as the years have gone on he has gained comprehensive and extensive knowledge of the business in all of its phases. He is numbered among the native sons of Oregon, his birth having occurred in Wallowa county, on the 5th of October, 1887, his parents being Robert C. and Mary E. (Pool) Dunlap, both of whom are natives of the Willamette valley of Oregon, their respective parents having been among the earliest settlers of that section of the country. Following their marriage they established their home in Wallowa county, where the father engaged in the live stock business, there remaining until 1898, when he removed to Walla Walla county, Washington. He took up his abode upon a ranch near Prescott and is here engaged in operating a hay and dairy farm, being numbered among the representative agriculturists of this section of the state.E. F. Dunlap, spending his boyhood days under the parental roof, acquired his education in the graded schools and in 1902, when a youth of fifteen, started upon his business career, securing a position as office boy in the plant of the Portland Flouring Mills Company at Prescott, Washington. His fidelity, ability and trustworthiness led to promotion and he was afterward made assistant bookkeeper. In 1908 he was transferred to the Dayton mills as bookkeeper and in 1913 he was returned to Prescott as local manager of the plant. On the 1st of May, 1917, he was again sent to Dayton as manager of the mills, in which capacity he is now serving and as the controlling factor in the operation of the plant here he is doing splendid work for the company. The latest processes of flour manufacture are utilized here and the plant is splendidly equipped, while the standard of excellence is ever fully maintained.In 1913 Mr. Dunlap was united in marriage to Miss Susan Weatherford, a daughter of F. M. Weatherford, of whom extended mention is made elsewhere in this work. In his political views Mr. Dunlap maintains an independent attitude with republican tendencies. He belongs to Alki Lodge, No. 136, I. O. O. F., and also to Whetstone Lodge, No. 157, K. P., of Prescott. He is one of Dayton'srepresentative and progressive men. Almost his entire life has been passed in Washington and the spirit of western enterprise finds exemplification in his career and has gained for him a substantial measure of success.W. H. STONECIPHER.W. H. Stonecipher, who follows farming on section 10, township 8 north, range 37 east, in Walla Walla county, is a representative business man whose wise use of time and opportunities has gained for him a place among the prosperous agriculturists of this part of the state. He had no assistance at the outset of his career and whatever he has achieved and enjoyed is the direct result of his own labors. He came to the Pacific coast country from the middle west, his birth having occurred in Washington county, Illinois, December 29, 1869, his parents being James A. and Margaret (Breeze) Stonecipher. The father was a native of Indiana but removed to Jefferson county, Illinois, with his parents when but two years of age and it was in the latter county that the mother was born and reared. They were there married and the father subsequently purchased a farm just over the county line in Washington county, where he lived until his seventieth year, when he returned to Jefferson county, taking up his abode in the town of Cravat, where he lived retired in the enjoyment of well earned rest up to the time of his demise.W. H. Stonecipher acquired a limited education in the district schools near his father's farm and through the period of his boyhood and youth aided in the work of the fields, early becoming familiar with all of the arduous tasks incident to the development and cultivation of the crops. After reaching his twenty-first year, or in the spring of 1891, he came to the west with Washington as his destination. He arrived in Waitsburg on the 13th of March and during the following summer worked for wages as a farm hand. In 1892 he went into the Palouse country and there prospected for a desirable location. Not finding anything to suit him, however, he returned to Walla Walla county and through the succeeding five years was again employed by others. In 1896 he made his first purchase of land, becoming the owner of a forty-acre tract. Not long afterward he acquired eighty acres additional and two years later he bought one hundred and twenty acres making his farm one of two hundred and forty acres. For some years he not only cultivated this land but also worked for wages for others in order to help pay for his own place. He made use of every spare hour and as a consequence he has prospered. In 1909 he purchased the Electric Farm of five hundred and fifty acres. Prior to this, or in 1907, he had purchased the Boley Robbins farm of four hundred and eighty acres, which he traded in on the Electric Farm in 1909. In 1913 he traded the latter property for seven hundred and thirteen acres adjoining his home place, which thus was extended, becoming a tract of nine hundred and fifty-three acres. It is located in the heart of the Spring valley district, the richest wheat growing belt of Walla Walla county. Mr. Stonecipher not only successfully cultivates this land but for the past fourteen years he has also rented and farmed the T. P. Ingall's place of seven hundred and four acres.This property he purchased in December, 1917, and he therefore now owns one thousand six hundred and fifty-seven acres, his interests being most extensive, so that he is ranked with the leading agriculturists of Walla Walla county. He has closely studied soil and climatic conditions, so that he is thoroughly acquainted with what can be done in the way of crop production here. His methods are most progressive, his business affairs are systematically handled and in all things he displays sound judgment as well as unfaltering enterprise.In 1895 Mr. Stonecipher was united in marriage to Miss Alta Winifred Gerking, a daughter of D. B. Gerking, who was one of the pioneer settlers of Walla Walla county and now resides in Rose Lake, Idaho. Mr. and Mrs. Stonecipher have become the parents of six children, three sons and three daughters, as follows: Lola M., the wife of O. Glen Conover, who is in the service of his father-in-law; Grace H., who attended the Washington State College for two years and is now pursuing her studies in the State Normal School at Ellensburg; James D., who is in his senior year in the Waitsburg high school; M. Blanche, a public school pupil; Harvey V.; and Chester B. On December 23, 1917, a baby daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Glen Conover, the first granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Stonecipher.Mr. Stonecipher gives his political endorsement to the republican party. He has served as a member of the school board for twenty years and his wife is now a member of that board. Fraternally he is connected with Waitsburg Lodge, No. 5, I. O. O. F., and with the Woodmen of the World and is true and loyal to the teachings of these organizations, which recognize man's obligations to his fellowmen. At different points in his career difficulties and obstacles have barred his path and he has had many hardships to overcome, but persistent energy has enabled him to work his way upward and his life proves the eternal principle that industry wins. His course may well be followed by others who desire to attain honorable success, and although he started out in life empty-handed, he is now the possessor of a very handsome competence and has worthily won the proud American title of a "self-made man."WILLIAM P. FISHER.William P. Fisher is an enterprising farmer of Walla Walla county, residing on section 27, Small township, where he owns and cultivates a valuable tract of land embracing eighty acres. His birth occurred in Ohio an the 6th of October, 1860, his parents being Joseph and Lydia E. (Dyke) Fisher, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Ohio. They were married in the Buckeye state and a number of years later removed to Kansas, where the father passed away and where the mother still makes her home. They became the parents of five children, all of whom are living.William P. Fisher was a lad of twelve years when the family home was established in Kansas and it was in that state that he acquired his education. In 1900, seeking the broader opportunities of the west, he made his way to the Yakima country and there remained for twelve years. The year 1915 witnessed his arrival in Walla Walla county, Washington, where he has sinceresided. He purchased eighty acres of land on section 27, Small township, and has improved the property until it is now a valuable and productive tract, annually yielding golden harvests in return for the care and labor which he bestows upon it. He also owns a well improved farm of one hundred and sixty-five acres on the Snake river and has won a place among the substantial and progressive agriculturists of the community.In 1881 Mr. Fisher was united in marriage to Miss Martha L. Twidwell, born near Peoria, Illinois, and a daughter of A. K. and Mary Ann (Myers) Twidwell, who were also natives of Illinois. Both passed away in Kansas, in which state they had established their home in the early '70s. To Mr. and Mrs. Fisher have been born seven children, as follows: Charles L., who is a farmer of Washington; George L., living at Mabton, this state; Myrtle V., the wife of L. B. Heffron, of Walla Walla; R. B., who is a resident of Grandview, Washington; Nina B., who is the wife of H. P. Mears, of Touchet, Washington; D. O., who is engaged in farming; and W. F., who operates his father's farm. Mr. Fisher gives his political allegiance to the republican party and has ably served as a member of the school board. Both he and his wife are devoted members of the Christian church, taking an active and helpful part in its work. They have an extensive circle of friends throughout the locality and are widely recognized as people of genuine personal worth.JAMES L. DUMAS.Among the horticulturists of southeastern Washington who have won prominence in their chosen calling is James L. Dumas, one of the pioneer orchardists of the northwest. He is proprietor of the famous Pomona Fruit Ranch, five miles west of Dayton, Washington, which contains an orchard of one hundred and twenty acres of commercial apples. His home is one of the most beautiful country residences in Columbia county and the place is provided with all city conveniences.Mr. Dumas was born in Clark county, Missouri, on the 1st of December, 1862, and is a son of Louis P. and Nancy W. (Waggener) Dumas, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Virginia. Both parents died in Missouri, where they made their home for some years, and of the five sons born to them only two are now living.James L. Dumas grew to manhood in his native state and on leaving there in 1882 came to Washington, where he attended Whitman College for three years. Several years were then devoted to teaching and he subsequently pursued a course in a normal school in New York state, from which he was graduated in 1891. The following year he was sent to the Hawaiian islands to conduct a teachers training school and he remained in that beautiful country for five years.It was while en route to the Hawaiian islands that Mr. Dumas made a trip through the fruit districts of California and this undoubtedly influenced him to take up horticulture on coming to Washington. Thus originated the Commercial apple industry in the Touchet valley. On his return to this state in 1897 Mr. Dumas purchased his present farm of two hundred and forty acres in Columbia county and he now has about half of that amount in apples, from which he has raised on an average of thirty-four thousand one hundred boxes of apples in the last ten years. In the fall of 1917 he harvested over forty thousand boxes of apples.In 1888 Mr. Dumas married Miss Fannie J. Storie, a native of New York, in which state her parents, Kennedy and Isabel Storie, both died. Mr. and Mrs. Dumas have four children, namely: Loren F., who is a graduate of the Washington State College; Mabel, a student at the Bellingham Normal School; Alura, who is attending high school; and Edwin, now seven years of age.Mr. and Mrs. Dumas are members of the Congregational church of Dayton and he is one of its trustees. In politics he is an ardent republican and has served as a delegate to the state conventions of that party. Fraternally he is identified with the Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows but his chief interest is in the apple industry and he has taken a very active and prominent part in the work of those organizations designed to promote horticulture. He has served as president of the Washington State Horticultural Society and as such did much to improve the orchards of the northwest. The society never had a more active head or one who took the same impartial interest in all fruit growing districts of this section. He has made two trips to the nation's capital in the interest of the northwestern growers. A lover of the great outdoors, it was but natural that he should be among the first to join the "back-to-the-farm" movement in this country and as a representative of the Washington State Country Life Commission he has addressed thousands of interested people in the northwest. Mr. Dumas is vice president of the Broughton National Bank. He has served on the state board of education and is a member of the American Pomological Society; the Society for the Promotion of Horticultural Science; the National Educational Association; and the American Genetic Society. He has been superintendent of the Dayton schools and the public schools of Pullman and was the honored president of the Washington State Educational Association. In 1915 he was elected one of the five members of the executive board of the American Pomological Society. It will thus be seen that he has been prominently identified with a number of organizations whose object has been to promote the welfare of this region along many lines and he well deserves mention among its most public-spirited and progressive citizens.R. W. LOUNDAGIN, D. V. M.Dr. R. W. Loundagin, who is engaged in the practice of veterinary surgery in Waitsburg, was born in Benton, Arkansas, December 28, 1859, a son of George W. and Rhoda J. (Stewart) Loundagin. The father was a native of Tennessee and the mother's birth occurred in Indiana. They removed to Arkansas with their respective parents and were married later in that state. In April, 1861, they left Little Rock, Arkansas, for the Pacific coast country, crossing the plains with ox teams. They were en route for six months and at length arrived in Walla Walla, Washington, about the 1st of October. They camped in the shadow of the fort for three or four weeks, after which Mr. Loundagin rented a small place of forty acres from an old man of the name of Massey.Upon that tract Mr. Loundagin spent the winter and followed farming. In the following summer he purchased a quit claim deed from W. P. Bruce on a quarter section about a mile and a half south of Waitsburg. This was in the Coppei valley. He paid Mr. Bruce two thousand dollars to move off the claim and Mr. Loundagin filed on the property as a homestead. In the years following he purchased land adjoining and continued to add to his possessions until his holdings comprised one thousand acres, constituting one of the most valuable wheat farms in Walla Walla county. He also owned other lands throughout the county, his holdings amounting together between four and five thousand acres. He was one of the first men to demonstrate that wheat could be successfully grown on the hills and uplands, and in proving this fact he contributed much to the development and prosperity of the county, as many followed his example and now the Walla Walla wheat belt is famous throughout the country. Mr. Loundagin continued to reside upon the old home farm up to within seven years of his death, when he removed to Waitsburg, turning over the operations of his farm to a son. He passed away about 1910, having for five years survived his wife. In their deaths the county lost two of its representative and valued pioneer people.R. W. Loundagin was only about two years of age when brought by his family to the northwest. He acquired a district school education and through the period of his boyhood and youth worked with his father, to whom he continued to render active assistance until 1883. He then embarked in business on his own account, purchasing a livery stable in Waitsburg. The following year, however, he sold that property and again resumed active connection with agricultural interests, purchasing four hundred and eighty acres of railroad land two and a half miles north of Bolles Junction, for which he paid five dollars per acre. He lived upon that farm and kept bachelor's hall for eighteen years, after which he sold the property at ten dollars per acre, which was all that he could get at that time. Recently, however, the farm sold for seventy dollars per acre. While residing upon that tract of land Mr. Loundagin purchased one hundred and sixty acres in Columbia county, in the Hog Eye valley, four and a half miles east of Waitsburg. Most of that land is devoted to alfalfa and is very valuable. Mr. Loundagin still owns that farm property and from it derives a gratifying annual income.From his youth Dr. Loundagin was deeply interested in horses, and by reason of the successful manner in which he treated his own horses when they needed medical attention, he was called upon to treat his neighbors' horses. As these calls became more frequent he began to read and study recognized works on veterinary surgery, including such authorities as Professor Fleming, A. H. Baker, Professor James A. Lawe, A. C. Copeland and others. His practice in time became a very large one and today he is classed among the ablest veterinary surgeons in southeastern Washington. In 1909 he built a modern veterinary hospital, which was the first private institution of this kind built in the state. It proved a financial success and his practice has continuously and successfully increased to the present time.In 1902 Dr. Loundagin was married to Miss Albertina Smith, of Hanford, California. He votes with the democratic party and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day. He has never been an office seeker. Both heand his wife hold membership in the Christian church and are loyal to its teachings and its principles. His life has been an active and useful one and he has made steady progress in the field of his chosen profession and his other fields of endeavor, and his ability, industry and thoroughness have brought him a substantial measure of success.OSCAR E. KING.Farming interests in Columbia county find a worthy representative in Oscar E. King, a well known agriculturist who owns and cultivates a valuable property on section 9, township 11 north, range 40 east. He was born on the farm where he now resides, February 15, 1871, his parents being William B. and Elizabeth (Cantonwine) King, the former a native of Indiana, while the latter was born in Iowa. The father crossed the plains to the Pacific coast as a young man, making his way to California in 1852. There he was employed for a time in survey work and subsequently he conducted the Woodville House, a well known hostelry situated on the Rabbit Creek road, about forty miles from Marysville, California. In 1855 he returned to the east by way of the Isthmus route, but the lure of the west was upon him and again by way of the Isthmus route he made his way to the Pacific coast. In those days hay was worth eighty dollars per ton and Mr. King brought with him six hundred pounds of Hungarian grass seed, expecting to make a small fortune in the growing of hay. The following season, however was one of drought and, failing to raise a crop, his funds were exhausted in the venture and his season's work amounted to naught. In 1862 he came to Walla Walla county, arriving in the city of Walla Walla on the 4th of July. He then went up into the Idaho mines, but not meeting with success, he retracted his steps and spent the winter in Oregon. In the spring of 1863 he again came to Walla Walla and the following spring took a sub-contract under Captain Mullen to carry the mail from Walla Walla to Colville. He took the mail on horseback and remained as mail carrier for two years and nine months. His employer, Captain Mullen, becoming involved in financial difficulties, Mr. King was unable to collect a cent for his services for the entire period. Later he secured the mail contract direct from the government and operated a stage line from Walla Walla to Lewiston for four years. In 1867 he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, purchasing his farm on the Tucanon river in Columbia county, and in 1868 he settled upon his land, while at the same time he continued to operate his stage line with hired help. He was thus closely and prominently associated with the work of early development and improvement in this section of the northwest. His wife had crossed the plains with her parents in 1863, the family having as their outfit both ox and mule teams. Mrs. King was then a young girl in her teens and drove the mule team throughout the entire journey across the plains. The Cantonwine family spent the winter of 1863-4 in the Willamette valley of Oregon and in the spring of the latter year came to Washington, where they took up a homestead near the present site of Dixie, and later Mr. Cantonwine built the first hotel in Waitsburg, his daughter, Mrs. King, acting as cook for the few boarders whopatronized the house in that early period. After locating on his farm William B. King took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres adjoining his original place and in subsequent years he and his sons in partnership bought other farm lands until their holdings approximated two thousand acres. Mr. King was thus actively, prominently and successfully identified with the agricultural development of the county until his death, which occurred April 12, 1911. His widow survived him for but a brief period, passing away on the 11th of March, 1912. In their family were four sons and three daughters who are yet living, as follows: Harry and Edwin S., well known farmers of Columbia county, Washington; Oscar E., of this review; Silas L., a resident of Pomeroy, Washington; Zorah I., who is the widow of R. A. Jackson and resides in Dayton; Alice, who gave her hand in marriage to Henry Delaney, a farmer of Columbia county; and Frankie G., the wife of A. P. Cahill, who is a banker of Dayton, Washington.Oscar E. King pursued his early education in the country schools and supplemented it by a business course in the Portland Business College. After reaching adult age he joined his brothers and his father in their extensive farming operations, and following the father's death the sons continued to cooperate in their farming enterprises until 1915, when the partnership was dissolved and a division of their holdings was made. Oscar E. King now owns five hundred and fifty-six acres of valuable land and is one of the substantial farmers of the Tucanon valley. His business affairs have been carefully managed and directed and his unfaltering enterprise and unremitting diligence have brought to him a substantial measure of success. In his political views he is an earnest republican but has never been an office seeker, and he is widely known as one of the influential citizens of Columbia county.B. F. BREWER.B. F. Brewer is one of the most prominent farmers of Walla Walla county, living on township 6, range 36 east. He is the president of the Farmers Union and occupies a foremost position as a representative of that progressiveness which has largely revolutionized farming methods in the past quarter of a century. Moreover, his labors have demonstrated the possibilities of this section for agricultural development and have contributed much to the wealth of the district.Mr. Brewer was born November 2, 1879, on the farm where he now lives, a son of John F. Brewer, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work. He was reared on the old homestead and pursued a public school education, attending the high schools of Walla Walla and Seattle, while later he became a student in the State Agricultural College at Pullman. Following the completion of his course he entered the First National Bank of Walla Walla as bookkeeper and for four years was identified with that institution. Upon his father's death he took charge of the home farm and has since operated it. He is now cultivating this place of five hundred and twenty acres and he and his mother own conjointly a farm of seventeen hundred and eighty acres, which they purchased in 1908. His farming interests are thus extensive and are conducted according to the most progressive methods. He has the latest improved machinery to facilitate the work of the fields and he understands the scientific principles that underlie all of his activities. In his work, however, it is definitely seen that he is a man of action rather than of theory and sound judgment directing his labors, has brought splendid results.B. F. BREWERMRS. B. F. BREWEROn May 25, 1904, Mr. Brewer was united in marriage to Miss Harriet Chew, a daughter of H. C. Chew, one of the pioneer nurserymen of Walla Walla county, now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Brewer have been born two children but only one is living, Mary Charlotte.Mr. and Mrs. Brewer are worthy Christian people whose belief actuates them in all life's relations. Mr. Brewer belongs to the Presbyterian church, while his wife is a member of the First Methodist church. His political allegiance is given to the democratic party and he is thoroughly informed concerning the issues and questions of the day but has never taken an active part in party work. He has served as secretary of the Farmers Union and during the past two years has been president of the organization. When the Farmers Agency was established he was made its first manager and served in that important capacity for three years, but his private interests demanded his entire attention and he therefore resigned his position. He does everything in his power to promote the welfare and interests of the agriculturist and in all that he does is actuated by a spirit of enterprise that produces splendid results. He is a man of sound business judgment, sagacious and farsighted, and his well defined plans are carried forward to successful completion.WILLIAM GOODYEAR.William Goodyear, a prosperous business man of Starbuck, dealing in wood and coal, was born on the 11th of March, 1853, in Canada, and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Hynes) Goodyear, the former a native of England and the latter of Ireland. On crossing the Atlantic to the new world in 1833 they settled on a farm in Canada and continued to make it their home until their deaths. They had a family of ten children of whom seven survive.Reared in the Dominion, William Goodyear is indebted to its schools for the education he enjoyed during his boyhood and youth. On leaving home in 1870 he went to Fort Scott, Kansas, where he spent a short time, but later in the same year crossed the plains, driving four cows to a covered wagon. On reaching Salt Lake City he hired out to a Mormon bishop, and subsequently he went to Idaho, where he was interested in a sawmill for twelve years. In 1883 Mr. Goodyear came to Old Walla Walla county, Washington, and for two years drove cattle from here to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Later he bought and sold horses and also engaged in farming until 1903, when he sold out and removed to Starbuck, which has since been his home. He owns considerable property in the village, being extensively engaged in the real estate business, and also deals in wood and coal.Mr. Goodyear was married in 1902 to Miss Emma Woods, a native ofMissouri, and having no children of their own they are now rearing a boy, Richard H. Wellman by name who is a grand nephew of Mrs. Goodyear.Mrs. Goodyear is serving as postmistress of Starbuck and is a lady of more than ordinary business ability. She is a member of the Eastern Star and Mr. Goodyear holds membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has filled all the chairs in his lodge and is a stanch democrat in politics. Since coming to the United States he has steadily prospered in his business undertakings until he has become one of the well-to-do citizens of his community and the success that has come to him is due entirely to his own well directed efforts.W. E. McKINNEY.W. E. McKinney, the well known proprietor of the McKinney Auto Company of Waitsburg, was born in Walla Walla county, about a mile from Waitsburg, on the 6th of April, 1868. His father, William McKinney, is a retired farmer living in Waitsburg. He was one of the early pioneer settlers of the northwest country and through many years was closely and prominently associated with the agricultural development and the upbuilding of this section. He was born in Warren county, Indiana, May 5, 1836, and is a son of William and Ann (Walter) McKinney, who crossed the plains with ox teams to Oregon in 1845. On their arrival in that state they settled in Washington county, near Hillsboro, and their later years were spent in Oregon. Their son, William McKinney, was a lad of but nine years at the time they crossed the plains and thus he was reared on the western frontier and early became familiar with all of the experiences, hardships and privations which fall to the lot of the pioneer settler. In 1855-6 he served as a member of Company A under Colonel Kelly and later under Colonel Cornelius in the Indian war. He spent the winter of those two years in Walla Walla, which was then a far western frontier fort. In 1856 he returned to Oregon and was employed on his father's farm until 1858, when he made his way up to The Dalles with the intention of going on to Walla Walla in order to homestead in that locality. He was told, however, that the country was not yet open for settlement and he therefore returned to the vicinity of Portland, Oregon, where he spent the winter. The following spring he made his way northward as a member of the state boundary survey as government packer and in the fall of 1859 he came to Walla Walla county to locate and has since resided in this section of the state. In 1864 he filed on a homestead on the Touchet river, one mile below Waitsburg, and there continued to live for more than a quarter of a century. He also took up a timber claim and he purchased adjoining land, so that his ranch became one of five hundred and fifty-two and one-half acres. This property he still owns. In 1890, however, he removed to Waitsburg, where he has a beautiful city residence and is most attractively and comfortably situated.William McKinney was married on the 14th of December, 1865, to Miss Sarah J. Paulson, who crossed the plains in 1864. They became the parents of four children, as follows: Frank P., who is a banker residing in Olympia,Washington; William E., of this review; Thomas V., who operates his father's farm; and Emma, at home. William McKinney is a democrat in his political views. Late in the '70s or early '80s he was a candidate, through the insistence of his friends, for the office of county commissioner, and while the county was almost two to one republican, he was defeated by only twenty-five votes, a fact which indicated his personal popularity and the confidence reposed in him. He is held in the highest esteem wherever known and ranks with the honored old pioneer settlers of Walla Walla county. In 1914 he was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who passed away on the 20th of August of that year.Their son, William E. McKinney, was educated in the Waitsburg public schools and also attended the Waitsburg Academy. On reaching manhood he became the active assistant of his father in important farming enterprises, and upon his father's removal to Waitsburg a year or two later, W. E. McKinney took charge of the home place, which he cultivated for twelve or thirteen years. He then assumed the management of the old Lewis Neace farm of twelve hundred or thirteen hundred acres and he also leased twelve hundred acres more, so that he operated in all twenty-four hundred acres of land. This he continued to do until September, 1916, when he retired from farming and engaged in the automobile business, purchasing the Dickinson & Denney garage, which is the largest garage of Waitsburg. He has the agency for the Velie and Buick cars and is one of the leading automobile dealers of the county, having built up a business of large and important proportions.In 1891 Mr. McKinney was united in marriage to Miss Lelia Brown, a daughter of Mrs. Jennie Brown, of Lincoln county, Washington. To them have been born three children, one son and two daughters, as follows: William E., who is a member of the United States navy; Mrs. John Rhinehart, of Waitsburg; and Imogen, who gave her hand in marriage to Guy McLaughlin, of Waitsburg.Mr. McKinney has always voted with the democratic party but has never been a candidate for office. Fraternally he is connected with Delta Lodge, No. 70, K. P., and also with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. His position as a business man ranks him with the leading representatives of automobile interests in his section of the state and he is classed with the foremost citizens of Walla Walla county. He is alert and energetic and is watchful of every opportunity that points to a possible development of his business. His sale of motor cars has reached a substantial figure, while in the repair department he also does a business of gratifying extent.JOHN C. NEACE.No student of the history of Columbia county can carry his investigations far without learning of the important part which the Neace family has taken in the agricultural development of this section of the country. John C. Neace is now extensively and successfully engaged in general agricultural pursuits, having fifteen hundred and thirty-two acres of land in Columbia county. He was bornon the Tucanon, in what is now Columbia county, July 14, 1865, a son of Louis Neace, of whom extended mention is made elsewhere in this work. After acquiring a public school education he continued his studies in the schools of Forest Grove, Oregon, where he had as an instructor Professor W. D. Lyman. On reaching manhood he became associated with J. H. Marrow, of Waitsburg, in the mercantile business, under the firm name of J. H. Marrow & Company, and remained in that connection until 1895, when Mr. Neace and T. M. Hanger bought out the interest of Mr. Marrow in the business and thus formed the firm of Neace, Hanger & Company. Mr. Neace was thereafter identified with commercial interests until 1897, when he sold out and in 1898 went to Montana, where he and his brothers, together with their father, formed the Neace Cattle Company and engaged extensively in raising cattle in that state. John C. Neace remained in Montana until May, 1916, when he returned to Columbia county. The Neace Cattle Company owns twenty thousand acres of land in Montana and John C. Neace individually owns fifteen hundred and thirty-two acres in a body in Columbia county, where he now resides. This land is being operated by his son, Donald D.On the 8th of April, 1888, Mr. Neace was united in marriage to Miss India A. Denney, of Waitsburg, a daughter of Nathaniel B. and Priscilla (Hawk) Denney. The father first crossed the plains to Washington in 1861 and subsequently returned to Iowa, but in 1870 he again came to this state, making the journey across the plains from Iowa in company with his family. Mr. and Mrs. Neace are the parents of a daughter and son: Mildred L., who is the wife of Dr. A. T. Gilhus, of White Sulphur Springs, Montana; and Donald D., who is operating the home farm.In politics Mr. Neace maintains an independent course, voting for men and measures rather than party. He belongs to Waitsburg Lodge, No. 16, F. & A. M., and is a loyal Mason. He has always been closely connected with Columbia county even during the period of his residence in Montana and is widely known as one of its progressive agriculturists. His business methods constitute the last word in modern farming, and undeterred by any obstacles or difficulties which he may meet, he pushes his way steadily forward to success.J. G. BRUNTON.J. G. Brunton, a well known and successful farmer residing an section 20, township 8 north, range 38 east, Walla Walla county, was born in that township on the 23d of January, 1881. His parents, W. H. H. and Sarah A. (Lewis) Brunton, are mentioned at length elsewhere in this work. He received his education in the Fix district schools and at Whitman Academy, which he attended for three or four terms. He was a young man of twenty years at the time of his father's death and a year later he left school and turned his attention to farming. In 1903 he filed upon a homestead in Franklin county, but in 1904 he commuted his claim and returned to the home farm. He has since operated about three hundred acres of the land owned by the estate and one hundred and ten acres adjoining, and the large crops which he annually raises are proof of his industry and his practical knowledge of agriculture. He still owns valuable property in Walla Walla which he obtained in trade for his homestead, and he has already gained a competence although still a young man. He gives the most careful attention to whatever task he has in hand and this habit of concentration has been an important factor in his success.J. G. BRUNTON AND FAMILYIn June, 1913, Mr. Brunton was united in marriage to Miss Geneva Eldridge, a daughter of Hon. H. D. Eldridge, a prominent farmer and influential citizen of Walla Walla county, a biography of whom appears on another page in these volumes. One son, William Eldridge, has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brunton.Mr. Brunton is a republican in politics and is loyal in his support of its candidates and measures. His fraternal connections are with Walla Walla Lodge, No. 287, B. P. O. E., and with Mountain Gem Lodge, No. 136, K. P. Both he and his wife are members of the Christian church and the highest moral standards have ever guided their lives. They have a wide acquaintance and are universally held in high esteem.HIRAM M. HOOVER.Hiram M. Hoover, who has lived retired in Waitsburg since 1911, was long and actively identified with agricultural pursuits in Walla Walla county and is still the owner of four hundred and eighty acres of valuable land. His birth occurred in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, on the 4th of July, 1853, his parents being Myers and Ann (Royer) Hoover, who spent their entire lives in that county, where the father followed farming throughout his active business career.Hiram M. Hoover was reared under the parental roof and acquired his education in the public schools. When a young man of twenty years he left home to provide for his own support and, making his way to Ohio, worked as a farm hand in Wayne county, that state, for four years. On the expiration of that period he removed to Iowa, in which state he spent three years, and in 1880 he journeyed westward to San Francisco, California, where he hired out to a surveying party, with which he worked in southern Nevada for six months. He then returned to California and worked in the harvest fields of the Sacramento valley, while later he engaged in salmon fishing. In the fall of 1881 he returned to his native state, taking ship from San Francisco to the Isthmus of Panama, which voyage consumed twenty-one days, and crossing the Isthmus by railroad along the route of the present canal and then boarding a steamer which reached New York city at the end of seven days. After a few months spent at his home he returned to San Francisco, California, in the spring of 1882 and there remained throughout the following summer. He then sailed for Puget Sound, locating in Whatcom county, Washington, where he took up a homestead and continued to reside until the summer of 1885. That year witnessed his arrival in Walla Walla county and his settlement in Waitsburg, where he has made his home almost continuously since. He cultivated rented land during the first four years of his residence here and then purchased a tract of one hundred and sixty acres about two miles northeast of Waitsburg, over the county line,in Columbia county. Since that date, as his financial resources have increased owing to his well directed activity and able management, he has added to his holdings by additional purchase from time to time until at present he owns four hundred and eighty acres. The cultivation of this property claimed his attention and energies until 1911, when he put aside the active work of the fields and has since rented the place to a tenant. He is a stockholder in the Exchange Bank of Waitsburg and has long been numbered among the leading and substantial citizens of that place.In 1886 Mr. Hoover was united in marriage to Miss Eva I. Loundagin, a sister of Dr. R. W. Loundagin, of Waitsburg, and the daughter of G. W. Loundagin, who came to Walla Walla county as a pioneer in 1861. Mr. and Mrs. Hoover became the parents of six children, three of whom survive, namely: Anna L., who is her father's housekeeper; Elam H., a ranchman, residing in Carter, Montana; and Emory M., who is a second lieutenant in the United States army and is now stationed at Douglas, Arizona. The wife and mother was called to her final rest in August, 1912, and her demise was deeply mourned by her immediate family as well as by an extensive circle of friends. Mr. Hoover gives his political allegiance to the republican party, while his religious faith is that of the Christian church, in which he holds membership. The period of his residence in Walla Walla county covers more than three decades and he has won a place among its esteemed and representative citizens.W. H. WOOD.More than a century ago George Washington said, "Agriculture is the most useful as well as the most honorable occupation of man." Its worth as the basis of all other business prosperity has been continuously demonstrated since the world began, and at no time has its usefulness been greater than at this era in the world's history, when all civilization is facing a crisis. The work of the farmer is indeed of the utmost worth and to this occupation W. H. Wood is devoting his time and energies with good results. He was born in Alvorado, Texas, on the 29th of April, 1880, and is a son of Daniel J. and Alice E. (Scott) Wood, both of whom are natives of Illinois, where they were reared and married. Soon afterward they went to Texas, where the father engaged in cotton growing, remaining in the Lone Star state for a year and a half. He was urged by his neighbors to remain for another year, being told that if he would stay for that length of time he would never desire to leave. His answer was that he was well aware of the fact that if he remained for another year he would not have money enough to get out, so turning his back upon Texas, he went again to Illinois, where he continued through the winter. In the spring of 1881 he started for the west, hoping to find more favorable conditions in this section of the country. He made Washington his destination and after crossing plains and mountains he took up his abode in Columbia county, where he secured a homestead in Smith Hollow. There he still resides, having long been numbered among the substantial farmers of that section of the state.W. H. Wood was reared under the parental roof, being only about a yearold when brought by his parents to the northwest. He became familiar with every phase of pioneer life in this section of Washington and has lived to witness the remarkable growth and development that has occurred in the intervening years. He acquired his education in the district schools and at the age of eighteen he started out independently in the business world by leasing one hundred and sixty acres of land, on which he began farming. He sold his wheat at thirty-eight cents per bushel and realized three hundred dollars profit from his crop. He continued to carry on farming on his own account and carefully saved his earnings until his industry and economy had brought him sufficient capital to enable him to purchase, in 1902, his first land. He invested in one hundred and sixty acres, the purchase price of which was one thousand dollars. He borrowed much of the money with which to pay for his farm and thus made his start toward success. He continued to practice the most rigid economy and the most unfaltering industry and within three years he had cleared his ranch of all indebtedness. From that time forward he made it his purpose to add to his holdings whenever favorable opportunity offered and today he owns and cultivates four hundred and fifty-seven acres and also leases another tract of four hundred and eighty acres, and is now extensively engaged in farming in Thorn Hollow. He has brought his land under high cultivation, has added many improvements to the place and thereon are found all the accessories, conveniences and modern equipment of a model farm. In addition to his agricultural interests Mr. Wood is a stockholder in the Dayton Mercantile Company. Opportunity is to him ever a call to action and a call to which he readily responds.In 1902 Mr. Wood was united in marriage to Miss Maud McCall, a daughter of Charles T. McCall, one of the early settlers of Columbia county, who now makes his home in Oregon. Mr. and Mrs. Wood have two children, Daniel W. and Walter H.In his political views Mr. Wood is a republican and always votes for the men and measures of the party but has never been an office seeker. He prefers to concentrate his thought and attention upon his business affairs. He is a man of strong purpose whose plans are well defined and he displays resourcefulness in accomplishing any object for which he starts out. Practically a lifelong resident of Washington, there is no phase of its development through three decades with which he is not familiar and as a farmer he has contributed much to the agricultural progress of this section of the state.JOHN F. MARTIN.John F. Martin, one of the leading stock raisers of Walla Walla county, is living on section 3, township 6 north, range 33 east, where he has a valuable tract of land of three hundred and thirty acres. His business affairs are wisely directed and his efforts have done much to raise the standard of stock raising in this section of the state.From early pioneer times Mr. Martin has resided within the borders of Washington. In fact he is one of the native sons, having been born in Thurston county on the 1st of May, 1858. His parents are William and Ann E. (Yantis)Martin, the former a native of Indiana, while the latter was born in Missouri. They crossed the plains to the northwest in 1852 and settled first in Thurston county but after about two decades established their home in Walla Walla, where they resided until 1901 and where Mr. Martin was engaged in the mercantile business. In 1901 they removed to Touchet.John F. Martin was reared and educated in this state, becoming a resident of Walla Walla county in 1872, when a youth of fourteen years. In 1883 he removed to Wallula, where he engaged in buying cattle, and in 1900 he purchased his present farm of three hundred and thirty acres, then a tract of pasture and alfalfa land. He has since concentrated his efforts and attention upon its development and improvement and the result of his labors is seen in highly cultivated fields, in well kept fences, in substantial buildings and in the latest improved machinery. He has made a specialty of stock raising and is now engaged extensively in handling Percheron horses, Durham cattle and Oxford sheep. He has closely studied the best methods of caring for stock and is familiar with all of the scientific principles that underlie his work as well as the practical phases of his activities. In addition to his live stock interests Mr. Martin is connected with the Touchet State Bank as one of its directors.In 1886 Mr. Martin was united in marriage to Miss Belle Tyson, a native of Nebraska, by whom he has six children, namely: Charles W., who is coach at the Pennsylvania State College, which position he has held for four years; Frank J.; May, the wife of H. J. Hanson; Lucy,. who gave her hand in marriage to Wendel Barker, of Walla Walla; Blanche M., a high school graduate; and Pearl.Fraternally Mr. Martin is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America and with the Eagles. His political allegiance is given to the democratic party. He has served for twelve years on the school board and the cause of education has found in him a faithful friend whose labors have done much to promote educational interests in this section. As a business man he is thoroughly alert and progressive, watchful of every opportunity pointing to success, and his long experience and close study enable him to speak with authority upon all matters relative to stock raising. He has, indeed, won a place of prominence in this connection in Walla Walla county.WILLIAM G. PRESTON.William G. Preston, deceased, was for many years a prominent citizen of Waitsburg, where he was engaged in the milling business and was also a large landowner, holding title to three thousand acres. He was born in Galway, Saratoga county, New York, November 23, 1832, a son of Dr. Calvin and Margaret (McAllister) Preston, both of whom spent their entire lives in the Empire state. In their family were four sons and two daughters, all of whom have passed away.

MRS. HENRY F. WATROUS

MRS. HENRY F. WATROUS

MRS. HENRY F. WATROUS

In 1903 Mr. Watrous married Miss Sadie Williams, a native of Missouri, and although they have no children of their own they have an adopted daughter, Bonnie. Mr. Watrous is a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge, No. 10, of Dayton, and is a republican in politics. He has efficiently served as a member of the school board but has never had the time nor inclination for office, his business affairs claiming his undivided attention. Although he has met with hardships and difficulties in his career he has overcome these by persistent effort and is today one of the substantial citizens of his community, his success being the just reward of his industry and good management, for he is a man of excellent business ability and sound judgment.

E. F. DUNLAP.

E. F. Dunlap holds the responsible position of manager of the Dayton plant of the Portland Flouring Mills Company and throughout his entire career has been connected with this corporation, entering its service in the humble capacity of office boy. From that point he has steadily worked his way upward and his orderly progression has brought him to the position which he now occupies and for which he is well qualified, for as the years have gone on he has gained comprehensive and extensive knowledge of the business in all of its phases. He is numbered among the native sons of Oregon, his birth having occurred in Wallowa county, on the 5th of October, 1887, his parents being Robert C. and Mary E. (Pool) Dunlap, both of whom are natives of the Willamette valley of Oregon, their respective parents having been among the earliest settlers of that section of the country. Following their marriage they established their home in Wallowa county, where the father engaged in the live stock business, there remaining until 1898, when he removed to Walla Walla county, Washington. He took up his abode upon a ranch near Prescott and is here engaged in operating a hay and dairy farm, being numbered among the representative agriculturists of this section of the state.

E. F. Dunlap, spending his boyhood days under the parental roof, acquired his education in the graded schools and in 1902, when a youth of fifteen, started upon his business career, securing a position as office boy in the plant of the Portland Flouring Mills Company at Prescott, Washington. His fidelity, ability and trustworthiness led to promotion and he was afterward made assistant bookkeeper. In 1908 he was transferred to the Dayton mills as bookkeeper and in 1913 he was returned to Prescott as local manager of the plant. On the 1st of May, 1917, he was again sent to Dayton as manager of the mills, in which capacity he is now serving and as the controlling factor in the operation of the plant here he is doing splendid work for the company. The latest processes of flour manufacture are utilized here and the plant is splendidly equipped, while the standard of excellence is ever fully maintained.

In 1913 Mr. Dunlap was united in marriage to Miss Susan Weatherford, a daughter of F. M. Weatherford, of whom extended mention is made elsewhere in this work. In his political views Mr. Dunlap maintains an independent attitude with republican tendencies. He belongs to Alki Lodge, No. 136, I. O. O. F., and also to Whetstone Lodge, No. 157, K. P., of Prescott. He is one of Dayton'srepresentative and progressive men. Almost his entire life has been passed in Washington and the spirit of western enterprise finds exemplification in his career and has gained for him a substantial measure of success.

W. H. STONECIPHER.

W. H. Stonecipher, who follows farming on section 10, township 8 north, range 37 east, in Walla Walla county, is a representative business man whose wise use of time and opportunities has gained for him a place among the prosperous agriculturists of this part of the state. He had no assistance at the outset of his career and whatever he has achieved and enjoyed is the direct result of his own labors. He came to the Pacific coast country from the middle west, his birth having occurred in Washington county, Illinois, December 29, 1869, his parents being James A. and Margaret (Breeze) Stonecipher. The father was a native of Indiana but removed to Jefferson county, Illinois, with his parents when but two years of age and it was in the latter county that the mother was born and reared. They were there married and the father subsequently purchased a farm just over the county line in Washington county, where he lived until his seventieth year, when he returned to Jefferson county, taking up his abode in the town of Cravat, where he lived retired in the enjoyment of well earned rest up to the time of his demise.

W. H. Stonecipher acquired a limited education in the district schools near his father's farm and through the period of his boyhood and youth aided in the work of the fields, early becoming familiar with all of the arduous tasks incident to the development and cultivation of the crops. After reaching his twenty-first year, or in the spring of 1891, he came to the west with Washington as his destination. He arrived in Waitsburg on the 13th of March and during the following summer worked for wages as a farm hand. In 1892 he went into the Palouse country and there prospected for a desirable location. Not finding anything to suit him, however, he returned to Walla Walla county and through the succeeding five years was again employed by others. In 1896 he made his first purchase of land, becoming the owner of a forty-acre tract. Not long afterward he acquired eighty acres additional and two years later he bought one hundred and twenty acres making his farm one of two hundred and forty acres. For some years he not only cultivated this land but also worked for wages for others in order to help pay for his own place. He made use of every spare hour and as a consequence he has prospered. In 1909 he purchased the Electric Farm of five hundred and fifty acres. Prior to this, or in 1907, he had purchased the Boley Robbins farm of four hundred and eighty acres, which he traded in on the Electric Farm in 1909. In 1913 he traded the latter property for seven hundred and thirteen acres adjoining his home place, which thus was extended, becoming a tract of nine hundred and fifty-three acres. It is located in the heart of the Spring valley district, the richest wheat growing belt of Walla Walla county. Mr. Stonecipher not only successfully cultivates this land but for the past fourteen years he has also rented and farmed the T. P. Ingall's place of seven hundred and four acres.This property he purchased in December, 1917, and he therefore now owns one thousand six hundred and fifty-seven acres, his interests being most extensive, so that he is ranked with the leading agriculturists of Walla Walla county. He has closely studied soil and climatic conditions, so that he is thoroughly acquainted with what can be done in the way of crop production here. His methods are most progressive, his business affairs are systematically handled and in all things he displays sound judgment as well as unfaltering enterprise.

In 1895 Mr. Stonecipher was united in marriage to Miss Alta Winifred Gerking, a daughter of D. B. Gerking, who was one of the pioneer settlers of Walla Walla county and now resides in Rose Lake, Idaho. Mr. and Mrs. Stonecipher have become the parents of six children, three sons and three daughters, as follows: Lola M., the wife of O. Glen Conover, who is in the service of his father-in-law; Grace H., who attended the Washington State College for two years and is now pursuing her studies in the State Normal School at Ellensburg; James D., who is in his senior year in the Waitsburg high school; M. Blanche, a public school pupil; Harvey V.; and Chester B. On December 23, 1917, a baby daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Glen Conover, the first granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Stonecipher.

Mr. Stonecipher gives his political endorsement to the republican party. He has served as a member of the school board for twenty years and his wife is now a member of that board. Fraternally he is connected with Waitsburg Lodge, No. 5, I. O. O. F., and with the Woodmen of the World and is true and loyal to the teachings of these organizations, which recognize man's obligations to his fellowmen. At different points in his career difficulties and obstacles have barred his path and he has had many hardships to overcome, but persistent energy has enabled him to work his way upward and his life proves the eternal principle that industry wins. His course may well be followed by others who desire to attain honorable success, and although he started out in life empty-handed, he is now the possessor of a very handsome competence and has worthily won the proud American title of a "self-made man."

WILLIAM P. FISHER.

William P. Fisher is an enterprising farmer of Walla Walla county, residing on section 27, Small township, where he owns and cultivates a valuable tract of land embracing eighty acres. His birth occurred in Ohio an the 6th of October, 1860, his parents being Joseph and Lydia E. (Dyke) Fisher, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Ohio. They were married in the Buckeye state and a number of years later removed to Kansas, where the father passed away and where the mother still makes her home. They became the parents of five children, all of whom are living.

William P. Fisher was a lad of twelve years when the family home was established in Kansas and it was in that state that he acquired his education. In 1900, seeking the broader opportunities of the west, he made his way to the Yakima country and there remained for twelve years. The year 1915 witnessed his arrival in Walla Walla county, Washington, where he has sinceresided. He purchased eighty acres of land on section 27, Small township, and has improved the property until it is now a valuable and productive tract, annually yielding golden harvests in return for the care and labor which he bestows upon it. He also owns a well improved farm of one hundred and sixty-five acres on the Snake river and has won a place among the substantial and progressive agriculturists of the community.

In 1881 Mr. Fisher was united in marriage to Miss Martha L. Twidwell, born near Peoria, Illinois, and a daughter of A. K. and Mary Ann (Myers) Twidwell, who were also natives of Illinois. Both passed away in Kansas, in which state they had established their home in the early '70s. To Mr. and Mrs. Fisher have been born seven children, as follows: Charles L., who is a farmer of Washington; George L., living at Mabton, this state; Myrtle V., the wife of L. B. Heffron, of Walla Walla; R. B., who is a resident of Grandview, Washington; Nina B., who is the wife of H. P. Mears, of Touchet, Washington; D. O., who is engaged in farming; and W. F., who operates his father's farm. Mr. Fisher gives his political allegiance to the republican party and has ably served as a member of the school board. Both he and his wife are devoted members of the Christian church, taking an active and helpful part in its work. They have an extensive circle of friends throughout the locality and are widely recognized as people of genuine personal worth.

JAMES L. DUMAS.

Among the horticulturists of southeastern Washington who have won prominence in their chosen calling is James L. Dumas, one of the pioneer orchardists of the northwest. He is proprietor of the famous Pomona Fruit Ranch, five miles west of Dayton, Washington, which contains an orchard of one hundred and twenty acres of commercial apples. His home is one of the most beautiful country residences in Columbia county and the place is provided with all city conveniences.

Mr. Dumas was born in Clark county, Missouri, on the 1st of December, 1862, and is a son of Louis P. and Nancy W. (Waggener) Dumas, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Virginia. Both parents died in Missouri, where they made their home for some years, and of the five sons born to them only two are now living.

James L. Dumas grew to manhood in his native state and on leaving there in 1882 came to Washington, where he attended Whitman College for three years. Several years were then devoted to teaching and he subsequently pursued a course in a normal school in New York state, from which he was graduated in 1891. The following year he was sent to the Hawaiian islands to conduct a teachers training school and he remained in that beautiful country for five years.

It was while en route to the Hawaiian islands that Mr. Dumas made a trip through the fruit districts of California and this undoubtedly influenced him to take up horticulture on coming to Washington. Thus originated the Commercial apple industry in the Touchet valley. On his return to this state in 1897 Mr. Dumas purchased his present farm of two hundred and forty acres in Columbia county and he now has about half of that amount in apples, from which he has raised on an average of thirty-four thousand one hundred boxes of apples in the last ten years. In the fall of 1917 he harvested over forty thousand boxes of apples.

In 1888 Mr. Dumas married Miss Fannie J. Storie, a native of New York, in which state her parents, Kennedy and Isabel Storie, both died. Mr. and Mrs. Dumas have four children, namely: Loren F., who is a graduate of the Washington State College; Mabel, a student at the Bellingham Normal School; Alura, who is attending high school; and Edwin, now seven years of age.

Mr. and Mrs. Dumas are members of the Congregational church of Dayton and he is one of its trustees. In politics he is an ardent republican and has served as a delegate to the state conventions of that party. Fraternally he is identified with the Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows but his chief interest is in the apple industry and he has taken a very active and prominent part in the work of those organizations designed to promote horticulture. He has served as president of the Washington State Horticultural Society and as such did much to improve the orchards of the northwest. The society never had a more active head or one who took the same impartial interest in all fruit growing districts of this section. He has made two trips to the nation's capital in the interest of the northwestern growers. A lover of the great outdoors, it was but natural that he should be among the first to join the "back-to-the-farm" movement in this country and as a representative of the Washington State Country Life Commission he has addressed thousands of interested people in the northwest. Mr. Dumas is vice president of the Broughton National Bank. He has served on the state board of education and is a member of the American Pomological Society; the Society for the Promotion of Horticultural Science; the National Educational Association; and the American Genetic Society. He has been superintendent of the Dayton schools and the public schools of Pullman and was the honored president of the Washington State Educational Association. In 1915 he was elected one of the five members of the executive board of the American Pomological Society. It will thus be seen that he has been prominently identified with a number of organizations whose object has been to promote the welfare of this region along many lines and he well deserves mention among its most public-spirited and progressive citizens.

R. W. LOUNDAGIN, D. V. M.

Dr. R. W. Loundagin, who is engaged in the practice of veterinary surgery in Waitsburg, was born in Benton, Arkansas, December 28, 1859, a son of George W. and Rhoda J. (Stewart) Loundagin. The father was a native of Tennessee and the mother's birth occurred in Indiana. They removed to Arkansas with their respective parents and were married later in that state. In April, 1861, they left Little Rock, Arkansas, for the Pacific coast country, crossing the plains with ox teams. They were en route for six months and at length arrived in Walla Walla, Washington, about the 1st of October. They camped in the shadow of the fort for three or four weeks, after which Mr. Loundagin rented a small place of forty acres from an old man of the name of Massey.Upon that tract Mr. Loundagin spent the winter and followed farming. In the following summer he purchased a quit claim deed from W. P. Bruce on a quarter section about a mile and a half south of Waitsburg. This was in the Coppei valley. He paid Mr. Bruce two thousand dollars to move off the claim and Mr. Loundagin filed on the property as a homestead. In the years following he purchased land adjoining and continued to add to his possessions until his holdings comprised one thousand acres, constituting one of the most valuable wheat farms in Walla Walla county. He also owned other lands throughout the county, his holdings amounting together between four and five thousand acres. He was one of the first men to demonstrate that wheat could be successfully grown on the hills and uplands, and in proving this fact he contributed much to the development and prosperity of the county, as many followed his example and now the Walla Walla wheat belt is famous throughout the country. Mr. Loundagin continued to reside upon the old home farm up to within seven years of his death, when he removed to Waitsburg, turning over the operations of his farm to a son. He passed away about 1910, having for five years survived his wife. In their deaths the county lost two of its representative and valued pioneer people.

R. W. Loundagin was only about two years of age when brought by his family to the northwest. He acquired a district school education and through the period of his boyhood and youth worked with his father, to whom he continued to render active assistance until 1883. He then embarked in business on his own account, purchasing a livery stable in Waitsburg. The following year, however, he sold that property and again resumed active connection with agricultural interests, purchasing four hundred and eighty acres of railroad land two and a half miles north of Bolles Junction, for which he paid five dollars per acre. He lived upon that farm and kept bachelor's hall for eighteen years, after which he sold the property at ten dollars per acre, which was all that he could get at that time. Recently, however, the farm sold for seventy dollars per acre. While residing upon that tract of land Mr. Loundagin purchased one hundred and sixty acres in Columbia county, in the Hog Eye valley, four and a half miles east of Waitsburg. Most of that land is devoted to alfalfa and is very valuable. Mr. Loundagin still owns that farm property and from it derives a gratifying annual income.

From his youth Dr. Loundagin was deeply interested in horses, and by reason of the successful manner in which he treated his own horses when they needed medical attention, he was called upon to treat his neighbors' horses. As these calls became more frequent he began to read and study recognized works on veterinary surgery, including such authorities as Professor Fleming, A. H. Baker, Professor James A. Lawe, A. C. Copeland and others. His practice in time became a very large one and today he is classed among the ablest veterinary surgeons in southeastern Washington. In 1909 he built a modern veterinary hospital, which was the first private institution of this kind built in the state. It proved a financial success and his practice has continuously and successfully increased to the present time.

In 1902 Dr. Loundagin was married to Miss Albertina Smith, of Hanford, California. He votes with the democratic party and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day. He has never been an office seeker. Both heand his wife hold membership in the Christian church and are loyal to its teachings and its principles. His life has been an active and useful one and he has made steady progress in the field of his chosen profession and his other fields of endeavor, and his ability, industry and thoroughness have brought him a substantial measure of success.

OSCAR E. KING.

Farming interests in Columbia county find a worthy representative in Oscar E. King, a well known agriculturist who owns and cultivates a valuable property on section 9, township 11 north, range 40 east. He was born on the farm where he now resides, February 15, 1871, his parents being William B. and Elizabeth (Cantonwine) King, the former a native of Indiana, while the latter was born in Iowa. The father crossed the plains to the Pacific coast as a young man, making his way to California in 1852. There he was employed for a time in survey work and subsequently he conducted the Woodville House, a well known hostelry situated on the Rabbit Creek road, about forty miles from Marysville, California. In 1855 he returned to the east by way of the Isthmus route, but the lure of the west was upon him and again by way of the Isthmus route he made his way to the Pacific coast. In those days hay was worth eighty dollars per ton and Mr. King brought with him six hundred pounds of Hungarian grass seed, expecting to make a small fortune in the growing of hay. The following season, however was one of drought and, failing to raise a crop, his funds were exhausted in the venture and his season's work amounted to naught. In 1862 he came to Walla Walla county, arriving in the city of Walla Walla on the 4th of July. He then went up into the Idaho mines, but not meeting with success, he retracted his steps and spent the winter in Oregon. In the spring of 1863 he again came to Walla Walla and the following spring took a sub-contract under Captain Mullen to carry the mail from Walla Walla to Colville. He took the mail on horseback and remained as mail carrier for two years and nine months. His employer, Captain Mullen, becoming involved in financial difficulties, Mr. King was unable to collect a cent for his services for the entire period. Later he secured the mail contract direct from the government and operated a stage line from Walla Walla to Lewiston for four years. In 1867 he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, purchasing his farm on the Tucanon river in Columbia county, and in 1868 he settled upon his land, while at the same time he continued to operate his stage line with hired help. He was thus closely and prominently associated with the work of early development and improvement in this section of the northwest. His wife had crossed the plains with her parents in 1863, the family having as their outfit both ox and mule teams. Mrs. King was then a young girl in her teens and drove the mule team throughout the entire journey across the plains. The Cantonwine family spent the winter of 1863-4 in the Willamette valley of Oregon and in the spring of the latter year came to Washington, where they took up a homestead near the present site of Dixie, and later Mr. Cantonwine built the first hotel in Waitsburg, his daughter, Mrs. King, acting as cook for the few boarders whopatronized the house in that early period. After locating on his farm William B. King took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres adjoining his original place and in subsequent years he and his sons in partnership bought other farm lands until their holdings approximated two thousand acres. Mr. King was thus actively, prominently and successfully identified with the agricultural development of the county until his death, which occurred April 12, 1911. His widow survived him for but a brief period, passing away on the 11th of March, 1912. In their family were four sons and three daughters who are yet living, as follows: Harry and Edwin S., well known farmers of Columbia county, Washington; Oscar E., of this review; Silas L., a resident of Pomeroy, Washington; Zorah I., who is the widow of R. A. Jackson and resides in Dayton; Alice, who gave her hand in marriage to Henry Delaney, a farmer of Columbia county; and Frankie G., the wife of A. P. Cahill, who is a banker of Dayton, Washington.

Oscar E. King pursued his early education in the country schools and supplemented it by a business course in the Portland Business College. After reaching adult age he joined his brothers and his father in their extensive farming operations, and following the father's death the sons continued to cooperate in their farming enterprises until 1915, when the partnership was dissolved and a division of their holdings was made. Oscar E. King now owns five hundred and fifty-six acres of valuable land and is one of the substantial farmers of the Tucanon valley. His business affairs have been carefully managed and directed and his unfaltering enterprise and unremitting diligence have brought to him a substantial measure of success. In his political views he is an earnest republican but has never been an office seeker, and he is widely known as one of the influential citizens of Columbia county.

B. F. BREWER.

B. F. Brewer is one of the most prominent farmers of Walla Walla county, living on township 6, range 36 east. He is the president of the Farmers Union and occupies a foremost position as a representative of that progressiveness which has largely revolutionized farming methods in the past quarter of a century. Moreover, his labors have demonstrated the possibilities of this section for agricultural development and have contributed much to the wealth of the district.

Mr. Brewer was born November 2, 1879, on the farm where he now lives, a son of John F. Brewer, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work. He was reared on the old homestead and pursued a public school education, attending the high schools of Walla Walla and Seattle, while later he became a student in the State Agricultural College at Pullman. Following the completion of his course he entered the First National Bank of Walla Walla as bookkeeper and for four years was identified with that institution. Upon his father's death he took charge of the home farm and has since operated it. He is now cultivating this place of five hundred and twenty acres and he and his mother own conjointly a farm of seventeen hundred and eighty acres, which they purchased in 1908. His farming interests are thus extensive and are conducted according to the most progressive methods. He has the latest improved machinery to facilitate the work of the fields and he understands the scientific principles that underlie all of his activities. In his work, however, it is definitely seen that he is a man of action rather than of theory and sound judgment directing his labors, has brought splendid results.

B. F. BREWER

B. F. BREWER

B. F. BREWER

MRS. B. F. BREWER

MRS. B. F. BREWER

MRS. B. F. BREWER

On May 25, 1904, Mr. Brewer was united in marriage to Miss Harriet Chew, a daughter of H. C. Chew, one of the pioneer nurserymen of Walla Walla county, now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Brewer have been born two children but only one is living, Mary Charlotte.

Mr. and Mrs. Brewer are worthy Christian people whose belief actuates them in all life's relations. Mr. Brewer belongs to the Presbyterian church, while his wife is a member of the First Methodist church. His political allegiance is given to the democratic party and he is thoroughly informed concerning the issues and questions of the day but has never taken an active part in party work. He has served as secretary of the Farmers Union and during the past two years has been president of the organization. When the Farmers Agency was established he was made its first manager and served in that important capacity for three years, but his private interests demanded his entire attention and he therefore resigned his position. He does everything in his power to promote the welfare and interests of the agriculturist and in all that he does is actuated by a spirit of enterprise that produces splendid results. He is a man of sound business judgment, sagacious and farsighted, and his well defined plans are carried forward to successful completion.

WILLIAM GOODYEAR.

William Goodyear, a prosperous business man of Starbuck, dealing in wood and coal, was born on the 11th of March, 1853, in Canada, and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Hynes) Goodyear, the former a native of England and the latter of Ireland. On crossing the Atlantic to the new world in 1833 they settled on a farm in Canada and continued to make it their home until their deaths. They had a family of ten children of whom seven survive.

Reared in the Dominion, William Goodyear is indebted to its schools for the education he enjoyed during his boyhood and youth. On leaving home in 1870 he went to Fort Scott, Kansas, where he spent a short time, but later in the same year crossed the plains, driving four cows to a covered wagon. On reaching Salt Lake City he hired out to a Mormon bishop, and subsequently he went to Idaho, where he was interested in a sawmill for twelve years. In 1883 Mr. Goodyear came to Old Walla Walla county, Washington, and for two years drove cattle from here to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Later he bought and sold horses and also engaged in farming until 1903, when he sold out and removed to Starbuck, which has since been his home. He owns considerable property in the village, being extensively engaged in the real estate business, and also deals in wood and coal.

Mr. Goodyear was married in 1902 to Miss Emma Woods, a native ofMissouri, and having no children of their own they are now rearing a boy, Richard H. Wellman by name who is a grand nephew of Mrs. Goodyear.

Mrs. Goodyear is serving as postmistress of Starbuck and is a lady of more than ordinary business ability. She is a member of the Eastern Star and Mr. Goodyear holds membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has filled all the chairs in his lodge and is a stanch democrat in politics. Since coming to the United States he has steadily prospered in his business undertakings until he has become one of the well-to-do citizens of his community and the success that has come to him is due entirely to his own well directed efforts.

W. E. McKINNEY.

W. E. McKinney, the well known proprietor of the McKinney Auto Company of Waitsburg, was born in Walla Walla county, about a mile from Waitsburg, on the 6th of April, 1868. His father, William McKinney, is a retired farmer living in Waitsburg. He was one of the early pioneer settlers of the northwest country and through many years was closely and prominently associated with the agricultural development and the upbuilding of this section. He was born in Warren county, Indiana, May 5, 1836, and is a son of William and Ann (Walter) McKinney, who crossed the plains with ox teams to Oregon in 1845. On their arrival in that state they settled in Washington county, near Hillsboro, and their later years were spent in Oregon. Their son, William McKinney, was a lad of but nine years at the time they crossed the plains and thus he was reared on the western frontier and early became familiar with all of the experiences, hardships and privations which fall to the lot of the pioneer settler. In 1855-6 he served as a member of Company A under Colonel Kelly and later under Colonel Cornelius in the Indian war. He spent the winter of those two years in Walla Walla, which was then a far western frontier fort. In 1856 he returned to Oregon and was employed on his father's farm until 1858, when he made his way up to The Dalles with the intention of going on to Walla Walla in order to homestead in that locality. He was told, however, that the country was not yet open for settlement and he therefore returned to the vicinity of Portland, Oregon, where he spent the winter. The following spring he made his way northward as a member of the state boundary survey as government packer and in the fall of 1859 he came to Walla Walla county to locate and has since resided in this section of the state. In 1864 he filed on a homestead on the Touchet river, one mile below Waitsburg, and there continued to live for more than a quarter of a century. He also took up a timber claim and he purchased adjoining land, so that his ranch became one of five hundred and fifty-two and one-half acres. This property he still owns. In 1890, however, he removed to Waitsburg, where he has a beautiful city residence and is most attractively and comfortably situated.

William McKinney was married on the 14th of December, 1865, to Miss Sarah J. Paulson, who crossed the plains in 1864. They became the parents of four children, as follows: Frank P., who is a banker residing in Olympia,Washington; William E., of this review; Thomas V., who operates his father's farm; and Emma, at home. William McKinney is a democrat in his political views. Late in the '70s or early '80s he was a candidate, through the insistence of his friends, for the office of county commissioner, and while the county was almost two to one republican, he was defeated by only twenty-five votes, a fact which indicated his personal popularity and the confidence reposed in him. He is held in the highest esteem wherever known and ranks with the honored old pioneer settlers of Walla Walla county. In 1914 he was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who passed away on the 20th of August of that year.

Their son, William E. McKinney, was educated in the Waitsburg public schools and also attended the Waitsburg Academy. On reaching manhood he became the active assistant of his father in important farming enterprises, and upon his father's removal to Waitsburg a year or two later, W. E. McKinney took charge of the home place, which he cultivated for twelve or thirteen years. He then assumed the management of the old Lewis Neace farm of twelve hundred or thirteen hundred acres and he also leased twelve hundred acres more, so that he operated in all twenty-four hundred acres of land. This he continued to do until September, 1916, when he retired from farming and engaged in the automobile business, purchasing the Dickinson & Denney garage, which is the largest garage of Waitsburg. He has the agency for the Velie and Buick cars and is one of the leading automobile dealers of the county, having built up a business of large and important proportions.

In 1891 Mr. McKinney was united in marriage to Miss Lelia Brown, a daughter of Mrs. Jennie Brown, of Lincoln county, Washington. To them have been born three children, one son and two daughters, as follows: William E., who is a member of the United States navy; Mrs. John Rhinehart, of Waitsburg; and Imogen, who gave her hand in marriage to Guy McLaughlin, of Waitsburg.

Mr. McKinney has always voted with the democratic party but has never been a candidate for office. Fraternally he is connected with Delta Lodge, No. 70, K. P., and also with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. His position as a business man ranks him with the leading representatives of automobile interests in his section of the state and he is classed with the foremost citizens of Walla Walla county. He is alert and energetic and is watchful of every opportunity that points to a possible development of his business. His sale of motor cars has reached a substantial figure, while in the repair department he also does a business of gratifying extent.

JOHN C. NEACE.

No student of the history of Columbia county can carry his investigations far without learning of the important part which the Neace family has taken in the agricultural development of this section of the country. John C. Neace is now extensively and successfully engaged in general agricultural pursuits, having fifteen hundred and thirty-two acres of land in Columbia county. He was bornon the Tucanon, in what is now Columbia county, July 14, 1865, a son of Louis Neace, of whom extended mention is made elsewhere in this work. After acquiring a public school education he continued his studies in the schools of Forest Grove, Oregon, where he had as an instructor Professor W. D. Lyman. On reaching manhood he became associated with J. H. Marrow, of Waitsburg, in the mercantile business, under the firm name of J. H. Marrow & Company, and remained in that connection until 1895, when Mr. Neace and T. M. Hanger bought out the interest of Mr. Marrow in the business and thus formed the firm of Neace, Hanger & Company. Mr. Neace was thereafter identified with commercial interests until 1897, when he sold out and in 1898 went to Montana, where he and his brothers, together with their father, formed the Neace Cattle Company and engaged extensively in raising cattle in that state. John C. Neace remained in Montana until May, 1916, when he returned to Columbia county. The Neace Cattle Company owns twenty thousand acres of land in Montana and John C. Neace individually owns fifteen hundred and thirty-two acres in a body in Columbia county, where he now resides. This land is being operated by his son, Donald D.

On the 8th of April, 1888, Mr. Neace was united in marriage to Miss India A. Denney, of Waitsburg, a daughter of Nathaniel B. and Priscilla (Hawk) Denney. The father first crossed the plains to Washington in 1861 and subsequently returned to Iowa, but in 1870 he again came to this state, making the journey across the plains from Iowa in company with his family. Mr. and Mrs. Neace are the parents of a daughter and son: Mildred L., who is the wife of Dr. A. T. Gilhus, of White Sulphur Springs, Montana; and Donald D., who is operating the home farm.

In politics Mr. Neace maintains an independent course, voting for men and measures rather than party. He belongs to Waitsburg Lodge, No. 16, F. & A. M., and is a loyal Mason. He has always been closely connected with Columbia county even during the period of his residence in Montana and is widely known as one of its progressive agriculturists. His business methods constitute the last word in modern farming, and undeterred by any obstacles or difficulties which he may meet, he pushes his way steadily forward to success.

J. G. BRUNTON.

J. G. Brunton, a well known and successful farmer residing an section 20, township 8 north, range 38 east, Walla Walla county, was born in that township on the 23d of January, 1881. His parents, W. H. H. and Sarah A. (Lewis) Brunton, are mentioned at length elsewhere in this work. He received his education in the Fix district schools and at Whitman Academy, which he attended for three or four terms. He was a young man of twenty years at the time of his father's death and a year later he left school and turned his attention to farming. In 1903 he filed upon a homestead in Franklin county, but in 1904 he commuted his claim and returned to the home farm. He has since operated about three hundred acres of the land owned by the estate and one hundred and ten acres adjoining, and the large crops which he annually raises are proof of his industry and his practical knowledge of agriculture. He still owns valuable property in Walla Walla which he obtained in trade for his homestead, and he has already gained a competence although still a young man. He gives the most careful attention to whatever task he has in hand and this habit of concentration has been an important factor in his success.

J. G. BRUNTON AND FAMILY

J. G. BRUNTON AND FAMILY

J. G. BRUNTON AND FAMILY

In June, 1913, Mr. Brunton was united in marriage to Miss Geneva Eldridge, a daughter of Hon. H. D. Eldridge, a prominent farmer and influential citizen of Walla Walla county, a biography of whom appears on another page in these volumes. One son, William Eldridge, has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brunton.

Mr. Brunton is a republican in politics and is loyal in his support of its candidates and measures. His fraternal connections are with Walla Walla Lodge, No. 287, B. P. O. E., and with Mountain Gem Lodge, No. 136, K. P. Both he and his wife are members of the Christian church and the highest moral standards have ever guided their lives. They have a wide acquaintance and are universally held in high esteem.

HIRAM M. HOOVER.

Hiram M. Hoover, who has lived retired in Waitsburg since 1911, was long and actively identified with agricultural pursuits in Walla Walla county and is still the owner of four hundred and eighty acres of valuable land. His birth occurred in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, on the 4th of July, 1853, his parents being Myers and Ann (Royer) Hoover, who spent their entire lives in that county, where the father followed farming throughout his active business career.

Hiram M. Hoover was reared under the parental roof and acquired his education in the public schools. When a young man of twenty years he left home to provide for his own support and, making his way to Ohio, worked as a farm hand in Wayne county, that state, for four years. On the expiration of that period he removed to Iowa, in which state he spent three years, and in 1880 he journeyed westward to San Francisco, California, where he hired out to a surveying party, with which he worked in southern Nevada for six months. He then returned to California and worked in the harvest fields of the Sacramento valley, while later he engaged in salmon fishing. In the fall of 1881 he returned to his native state, taking ship from San Francisco to the Isthmus of Panama, which voyage consumed twenty-one days, and crossing the Isthmus by railroad along the route of the present canal and then boarding a steamer which reached New York city at the end of seven days. After a few months spent at his home he returned to San Francisco, California, in the spring of 1882 and there remained throughout the following summer. He then sailed for Puget Sound, locating in Whatcom county, Washington, where he took up a homestead and continued to reside until the summer of 1885. That year witnessed his arrival in Walla Walla county and his settlement in Waitsburg, where he has made his home almost continuously since. He cultivated rented land during the first four years of his residence here and then purchased a tract of one hundred and sixty acres about two miles northeast of Waitsburg, over the county line,in Columbia county. Since that date, as his financial resources have increased owing to his well directed activity and able management, he has added to his holdings by additional purchase from time to time until at present he owns four hundred and eighty acres. The cultivation of this property claimed his attention and energies until 1911, when he put aside the active work of the fields and has since rented the place to a tenant. He is a stockholder in the Exchange Bank of Waitsburg and has long been numbered among the leading and substantial citizens of that place.

In 1886 Mr. Hoover was united in marriage to Miss Eva I. Loundagin, a sister of Dr. R. W. Loundagin, of Waitsburg, and the daughter of G. W. Loundagin, who came to Walla Walla county as a pioneer in 1861. Mr. and Mrs. Hoover became the parents of six children, three of whom survive, namely: Anna L., who is her father's housekeeper; Elam H., a ranchman, residing in Carter, Montana; and Emory M., who is a second lieutenant in the United States army and is now stationed at Douglas, Arizona. The wife and mother was called to her final rest in August, 1912, and her demise was deeply mourned by her immediate family as well as by an extensive circle of friends. Mr. Hoover gives his political allegiance to the republican party, while his religious faith is that of the Christian church, in which he holds membership. The period of his residence in Walla Walla county covers more than three decades and he has won a place among its esteemed and representative citizens.

W. H. WOOD.

More than a century ago George Washington said, "Agriculture is the most useful as well as the most honorable occupation of man." Its worth as the basis of all other business prosperity has been continuously demonstrated since the world began, and at no time has its usefulness been greater than at this era in the world's history, when all civilization is facing a crisis. The work of the farmer is indeed of the utmost worth and to this occupation W. H. Wood is devoting his time and energies with good results. He was born in Alvorado, Texas, on the 29th of April, 1880, and is a son of Daniel J. and Alice E. (Scott) Wood, both of whom are natives of Illinois, where they were reared and married. Soon afterward they went to Texas, where the father engaged in cotton growing, remaining in the Lone Star state for a year and a half. He was urged by his neighbors to remain for another year, being told that if he would stay for that length of time he would never desire to leave. His answer was that he was well aware of the fact that if he remained for another year he would not have money enough to get out, so turning his back upon Texas, he went again to Illinois, where he continued through the winter. In the spring of 1881 he started for the west, hoping to find more favorable conditions in this section of the country. He made Washington his destination and after crossing plains and mountains he took up his abode in Columbia county, where he secured a homestead in Smith Hollow. There he still resides, having long been numbered among the substantial farmers of that section of the state.

W. H. Wood was reared under the parental roof, being only about a yearold when brought by his parents to the northwest. He became familiar with every phase of pioneer life in this section of Washington and has lived to witness the remarkable growth and development that has occurred in the intervening years. He acquired his education in the district schools and at the age of eighteen he started out independently in the business world by leasing one hundred and sixty acres of land, on which he began farming. He sold his wheat at thirty-eight cents per bushel and realized three hundred dollars profit from his crop. He continued to carry on farming on his own account and carefully saved his earnings until his industry and economy had brought him sufficient capital to enable him to purchase, in 1902, his first land. He invested in one hundred and sixty acres, the purchase price of which was one thousand dollars. He borrowed much of the money with which to pay for his farm and thus made his start toward success. He continued to practice the most rigid economy and the most unfaltering industry and within three years he had cleared his ranch of all indebtedness. From that time forward he made it his purpose to add to his holdings whenever favorable opportunity offered and today he owns and cultivates four hundred and fifty-seven acres and also leases another tract of four hundred and eighty acres, and is now extensively engaged in farming in Thorn Hollow. He has brought his land under high cultivation, has added many improvements to the place and thereon are found all the accessories, conveniences and modern equipment of a model farm. In addition to his agricultural interests Mr. Wood is a stockholder in the Dayton Mercantile Company. Opportunity is to him ever a call to action and a call to which he readily responds.

In 1902 Mr. Wood was united in marriage to Miss Maud McCall, a daughter of Charles T. McCall, one of the early settlers of Columbia county, who now makes his home in Oregon. Mr. and Mrs. Wood have two children, Daniel W. and Walter H.

In his political views Mr. Wood is a republican and always votes for the men and measures of the party but has never been an office seeker. He prefers to concentrate his thought and attention upon his business affairs. He is a man of strong purpose whose plans are well defined and he displays resourcefulness in accomplishing any object for which he starts out. Practically a lifelong resident of Washington, there is no phase of its development through three decades with which he is not familiar and as a farmer he has contributed much to the agricultural progress of this section of the state.

JOHN F. MARTIN.

John F. Martin, one of the leading stock raisers of Walla Walla county, is living on section 3, township 6 north, range 33 east, where he has a valuable tract of land of three hundred and thirty acres. His business affairs are wisely directed and his efforts have done much to raise the standard of stock raising in this section of the state.

From early pioneer times Mr. Martin has resided within the borders of Washington. In fact he is one of the native sons, having been born in Thurston county on the 1st of May, 1858. His parents are William and Ann E. (Yantis)Martin, the former a native of Indiana, while the latter was born in Missouri. They crossed the plains to the northwest in 1852 and settled first in Thurston county but after about two decades established their home in Walla Walla, where they resided until 1901 and where Mr. Martin was engaged in the mercantile business. In 1901 they removed to Touchet.

John F. Martin was reared and educated in this state, becoming a resident of Walla Walla county in 1872, when a youth of fourteen years. In 1883 he removed to Wallula, where he engaged in buying cattle, and in 1900 he purchased his present farm of three hundred and thirty acres, then a tract of pasture and alfalfa land. He has since concentrated his efforts and attention upon its development and improvement and the result of his labors is seen in highly cultivated fields, in well kept fences, in substantial buildings and in the latest improved machinery. He has made a specialty of stock raising and is now engaged extensively in handling Percheron horses, Durham cattle and Oxford sheep. He has closely studied the best methods of caring for stock and is familiar with all of the scientific principles that underlie his work as well as the practical phases of his activities. In addition to his live stock interests Mr. Martin is connected with the Touchet State Bank as one of its directors.

In 1886 Mr. Martin was united in marriage to Miss Belle Tyson, a native of Nebraska, by whom he has six children, namely: Charles W., who is coach at the Pennsylvania State College, which position he has held for four years; Frank J.; May, the wife of H. J. Hanson; Lucy,. who gave her hand in marriage to Wendel Barker, of Walla Walla; Blanche M., a high school graduate; and Pearl.

Fraternally Mr. Martin is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America and with the Eagles. His political allegiance is given to the democratic party. He has served for twelve years on the school board and the cause of education has found in him a faithful friend whose labors have done much to promote educational interests in this section. As a business man he is thoroughly alert and progressive, watchful of every opportunity pointing to success, and his long experience and close study enable him to speak with authority upon all matters relative to stock raising. He has, indeed, won a place of prominence in this connection in Walla Walla county.

WILLIAM G. PRESTON.

William G. Preston, deceased, was for many years a prominent citizen of Waitsburg, where he was engaged in the milling business and was also a large landowner, holding title to three thousand acres. He was born in Galway, Saratoga county, New York, November 23, 1832, a son of Dr. Calvin and Margaret (McAllister) Preston, both of whom spent their entire lives in the Empire state. In their family were four sons and two daughters, all of whom have passed away.

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