the young man, after a few months spent in teaching, went east and
in 1877 graduated at Williams College, Massachusetts. While there he
was known for his interest in debating, oratory and literature, as
well as for his informal and independent western way of considering
political, social and religious topics. Upon returning to Oregon in the
fall of 1877, he entered upon what proved to be his life work, that of
a college teacher, writer and public speaker. He became professor of
history, oratory, and English literature at Pacific University, where
he continued until 1886. During that period he laid the foundations
of his subsequent literary career by spending his summer vacations
in mountain journeys and explorations of the rivers and wildernesses
of the northwest and in embodying the results of his adventures in
articles which appeared in various newspapers and magazines, east and
west. During this time he became a skillful amateur photographer and
has acquired a large collection of views, many of which were the first
to be taken of some of the wild scenes which he might be considered the
first to make known to the world.
During that period of his life the very important event of marriage
occurred. In 1882 Professor Lyman was united in marriage to Miss Mattie
Clark of Vancouver, Washington. Mrs. Lyman has become known in Walla
Walla and throughout the region about as one of the leaders in social,
intellectual and philanthropic life. Four children have been born to
Professor and Mrs. Lyman, two sons and two daughters. The oldest,
Hubert, born in 1883, is now engaged in business in the Philippine
islands. The second, Marjorie, born in 1885, is the wife of Ridgway
Gillis, a state highway engineer in charge of an important section of
the Pacific highway, with present residence at Kalama, Washington. The
third, Willena, born in 1889, is living with her parents.
The fourth, Harold, is now engaged with the Walla Walla Bulletin.
Professor Lyman severed his connection with Pacific University in 1886,
and for nearly three years was engaged mainly in literary work. During
that period he spent some time at Fresno, California, endeavoring to
start a raisin ranch. He was for a time at Santa Fe, New Mexico. In
1889 he became head of the department of history at Whitman College,
Walla Walla. He has been thus engaged continuously to the present, with
the exception of the year 1891, when he was in Spokane. During these
twenty-nine years he has seen Whitman College grow from a struggling
frontier institution, largely of a preparatory grade, to a well
equipped college supported by a good endowment and by a loyal body of
enthusiastic alumni, among whom may be reckoned some of the foremost
men and women of the northwest.
During his long residence in Walla Walla, Professor Lyman has been in
frequent demand as a speaker and lecturer on many pulpits and platforms
throughout the three northwest states, and has thus come to have a
very extensive acquaintance. He has been active in political life and
has been a candidate, though an unsuccessful one, as a democrat, for
the national congress. Brought up as a republican during the Civil war
and reconstruction periods, he became a liberal in political views
and finally a democrat. As an ardent supporter of Woodrow Wilson for
both of his terms, he labored with voice and pen for the election of
that statesman whom he regards as in the same class with Washington,
Jefferson and Lincoln.
During all his active life a member of the Congregational church,
Professor Lyman has become known among his students and friends as
very liberal in religious views and has associates among all faiths.
He has been active in all forms of municipal betterment, in the
prohibition and woman suffrage causes, and since the opening of the
great war has made many addresses and written articles of a patriotic
character. He firmly believes that it is the God-given mission of the
United States to "make the world safe for democracy."
While living in Walla Walla, Professor Lyman has continued his
practice of mountaineering. He has been a member of both the Mazama
and Mountaineers' Clubs, and in the course of his life has made nine
ascensions of the great snow-capped volcanoes of the Cascade range and
four of the Olympics, besides many lesser peaks. He has traveled almost
the entire length of the Columbia river and many miles of the Snake and
other tributaries. The results of these journeys he embodied in what he
regards as the most highly literary and artistic of his various books,
The Columbia River, published in 1909 by G. P. Putnam's Sons and now
entering upon its third edition.
Professor Lyman has become something of a specialist in local
history. He was one of the principal writers of The History of the
Pacific Northwest in 1889. In 1901 his history of Walla Walla county
appeared. In 1906 he wrote the narrative part of a history of Skagit
and Snohomish counties. Having witnessed with his own eyes most of
the remarkable development of this section and having partaken of the
social, industrial and political life of the section in which he lives,
he has been able to write sympathetically of the struggles and the
triumphs of the pioneers. As a side issue in his life, Professor Lyman
has been much interested in waterway transportation. He has been for
many years director of the Rivers and Harbors Congress for the state of
Washington and has seen many improvements in waterways as a result of
the labors of that organization. Opposed on principle to monopoly and
special privilege, he has deemed waterways and water power as among the
great agencies for preserving the freedom of the people.
HOWARD E. BARR.
That Howard E. Barr enjoys in unusual measure the confidence and
respect of his fellow townsmen is indicated in the fact that he is
now serving as mayor of Dayton, a position to which he was called by
popular vote and in which he is discharging his duties with marked
capability and fidelity. He was born in Tennessee, March 18, 1876,
a son of Hugh and Emeline (Parker) Barr, who were also natives of
Tennessee, in which state the death of the mother occurred. The father
afterward removed to Texas, where he is still living. In their family
were four children, all of whom survive.
Howard E. Barr was but seven years of age at the time of the removal of
the family to the Lone Star state and there he was reared and educated,
supplementing his public school training by a course in a college.
He was a man of thirty-one years when in 1907 he arrived in Dayton,
Washington, where he has since made his home, covering a period of a
decade. He here established a barber shop and is still engaged in the
business. In community affairs he has taken a helpful interest and on
the citizens' ticket he was elected in 1916 to the office of mayor of
Dayton, in which capacity he is now serving. He has closely studied
the needs of the city, its opportunities and the possibilities for
improvement and is giving to the city a businesslike and progressive
administration.
In 1909 Mr. Barr was united in marriage to Miss Maud Babb, a native
of Texas, and to them has been born a daughter, Geneva R., whose
birth occurred July 4, 1912. The family occupies an attractive home
in Dayton, where Mr. Barr owns two residences. Mrs. Barr is a member
of the Christian church and in his fraternal relations Mr. Barr is an
Odd Fellow and a Knight of Pythias, in both of which lodges he has
filled all the chairs, showing his high standing among his brethren of
the two fraternities. He is a man of genuine worth, alert, energetic
and progressive not only in his business connections but also as a
public official. He stands for whatever he believes to be best for the
community and Dayton has benefited by his administration of her affairs.
ARTHUR H. HALLE.
Arthur H. Halle is prominently connected with hotel ownership and
management in the northwest. He is well known as a progressive
business man of Walla Walla and before coming to this city was closely
associated with hotel interests in various sections of the country. He
is, however, a native of Germany, his birth having occurred in Leipzig
on the 19th of April, 1877. His father, Paul Halle, lived and died in
that country, where he was engaged during his active business career
as a traveling salesman. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Laura
Muenzner, still resides in Germany.
Arthur H. Halle is one of a family of four children and is the only one
residing in America. He pursued his education in the schools of Germany
and came to the United States in 1897, when a young man of twenty
years. He first made his way to New York and afterward to Chicago,
where he was employed in the Grand Pacific Hotel for ten years. Later
he removed to Lewiston, Montana, and was afterward located at different
periods in Miles City, Billings and Missoula, Montana. He then came
to the "garden spot of the northwest," arriving in Walla Walla in
1911. Here he established the Grand Hotel, after which he returned to
Missoula to look after his hotel interests in that city. Three years
later he again came to Walla Walla to take up his permanent abode. He
is associated with Charles Mullemer and J. S. Rick in the ownership of
the hotel at Missoula and of the Grand in Walla Walla, the latter being
one of the finest hostelries of this city. The Palace at Missoula is of
equal rank and both are liberally patronized because of the excellent
service rendered to the public. Mr. Halle and his associates maintain
the highest standards in hotel management and conduct and displayed
something of the spirit of the pioneer in that they have initiated new
methods which add to the success of their business and to the comfort
of their guests.
In Chicago, in 1901, Mr. Halle was united in marriage to Miss Alice
Rick, who was born in that city, a daughter of J. S. Rick, who is yet
living, while her mother has passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Halle have
become the parents of two children, Laura and Dorothy. In the social
circles of Walla Walla Mr. and Mrs. Halle are widely and favorably
known, the hospitality of the best homes being freely accorded them.
Mr. Halle has made steady progress since coming to the United States,
advancing step by step in the business world, and his enterprise
and perseverance have made him one of the successful hotel men of
the northwest. His membership relations include connection with the
Lutheran church, the Elks and the Commercial Club.
WILLIAM CHARLES PAINTER.
The days of chivalry and knighthood in Europe cannot furnish more
interesting or romantic tales than our own western history. Into the
wild mountain fastnesses of the unexplored west went brave men whose
courage was often called forth in encounters with hostile savages. The
land was rich in all natural resources, in metals, in agricultural
and commercial possibilities, and awaited the demands of man to yield
up its treasures. But its mountain heights were hard to climb, its
forests difficult to penetrate and the magnificent trees, the dense
bushes or jagged rocks often sheltered the skulking foe, who resented
the encroachment of the pale faces upon these "hunting grounds."
The establishment of homes in this beautiful region therefore meant
sacrifices, hardships and ofttimes death, but there were some men,
however, brave enough to meet the red man in his own familiar haunts
and undertake the task of reclaiming the district for purposes of
civilization. The rich mineral stores of the northwest were thus added
to the wealth of the nation, its magnificent forests contributed to
the lumber industry and its fertile valleys added to the opportunities
of the farmer and stock raiser; and today the northwest is one of the
most productive sections of the entire country. That this is so is
due to such men as William Charles Painter, whose name is inseparably
interwoven with the history of the region. No story of fiction contains
more exciting chapters than may be found in his life record. He was one
of the most prominent of those who engaged in Indian warfare and for
many years he was also a leading figure in the agricultural development
of this section of the state. Walla Walla numbered him among her most
honored and valued citizens and his death was the occasion of deep and
widespread regret.
William C. Painter was born in St. Genevieve, Missouri, April 18, 1830,
and there the earliest years of his life were passed. His paternal
ancestors came from Mercer county, Pennsylvania. His mother, who bore
the maiden name of Jean Moore, was a daughter of Major Robert Moore,
a veteran of the War of 1812 and well known in connection with the
early history of Oregon. In 1850 the father with his family started
for Oregon, but when the Little Blue river was reached the father and
two of the sons died of cholera. The mother and the surviving children
continued the journey westward with sore hearts but with undaunted
courage and finally reached Washington county, Oregon, where donation
land claims were secured.
[Illustration: WILLIAM C. PAINTER]
There William C. Painter resided until 1863 and was prominently
identified with the early development of that section. At the time of
the Indian war of 1855 he was one of the first to enlist, becoming a
member of Company D, First Oregon Mounted Volunteers, which command
fought the Indians for four days near Walla Walla, finally routing the
red men, who retreated to the Palouse country. In this and many other
engagements of the Indian war Mr. Painter distinguished himself for
bravery. He remained with his company until the close of hostilities.
In 1855 certain young ladies of the Forest Grove Academy, now the
Tualitin Academy and the Pacific University, presented the company with
a flag. Mr. Painter's comrades in arms voted that he should become
its bearer and the starry banner finally came into his exclusive
possession and is still carefully preserved in the Painter household
as a priceless relic. Upon its field there are but twenty-one stars
and on the flag, inscribed in large letters, are the words, "Co. D,
First Oregon Vol., 1855-6." In the war against the Bannock and Piute
Indians in 1878, Mr. Painter again engaged in fighting the red men.
He was appointed by Governor Ferry captain of a company of forty-two
men and was assigned to duty on the gunboat Spokane under command of
Major Cress of the regular army. The first engagement in which he
participated was at Long Island in the Columbia river below Umatilla,
in which the whites were successful. Major Cress, in a letter to
Mr. Painter written from Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, under date
of April 15, 1897, speaks very highly of the assistance which the
latter rendered. After this engagement, in recognition of his valuable
service, he was made aid-de-camp on the staff of Governor Ferry, with
the rank of lieutenant colonel, and was placed in command of forty-two
men. He was then sent to eastern Oregon to assist in defending the
people against the Indians who had recently been defeated by General
O. O. Howard. He passed south of the retreating bands to Camas
Prairie with a view of intercepting the retreat. The hostile savages,
learning of his position, by a circuitous route passed around him and
escaped, but he captured enough horses to pay the entire expenses of
his command. Although no battle was fought in that campaign, it was
considered so hazardous that an offer of ten dollars per day for guides
was not sufficient to cause anyone to accept and run the risk. In his
official report, General O. O. Howard, quoting Captain John A. Cress,
said "Captain William C. Painter and the forty-two volunteers from
Walla Walla deserve praise for good conduct and bravery, not excepting
my Vancouver regiment and Captain Gray, with officers and crew of the
steamer Spokane, who stood firmly at their posts under fire."
When the country no longer needed his military aid Captain Painter
became a clerk for Flanders & Felton of Wallula, and when the senior
member was elected to congress in 1867, Captain Painter took charge
of the business. He also became postmaster of Wallula and the agent
for the Wells Fargo Express Company. Returning to Walla Walla, he was
appointed deputy collector of internal revenue for eastern Washington
and in November, 1870, he resigned that position, although his
resignation was not accepted until the following May. After retiring
from office he made some unfortunate mill investments, in which he lost
everything that he had saved. With courageous spirit, however, he again
became a wage earner and was thus employed until 1876, when he was
appointed receiver of the United States land office and occupied that
position in most satisfactory manner until 1878, when he was elected
county auditor. He served for four consecutive terms in that position
and the Waitsburg Times of March 11, 1887, in speaking of him at his
retirement from office, designated him as "the best auditor Walla Walla
county ever had." He ever regarded a public office as a public trust
and it is well known that no trust reposed in Captain Painter was
ever betrayed in the slightest degree. Upon his retirement from the
position of county auditor he concentrated his attention on farming,
having fifteen hundred acres in the Eureka flats. While thus engaged he
still occupied the old home on South Third street in Walla Walla, where
the family still reside. He was thus extensively engaged in general
agricultural pursuits and continued his farming operations until about
two years prior to his death.
On the 7th of January, 1864, Captain Painter was married to Miss
Caroline Mitchell, the only daughter of Judge I. Mitchell, of Multnomah
county, Oregon, and their children are: Philip M., a resident of
Walla Walla county; Charles S., of Montana; Maude M., the wife of
Garrett D'Ablaing of Ellensburg; Harry M., a Congregational minister
of Seattle; Bonnie Jean, the wife of R. F. MacLane of Walla Walla;
Marguerite M., the wife of Herbert Gall of Sascatoon, Canada; Roy R.,
deceased; Rex M., of Walla Walla county; Caroline M., the wife of H.
J. Wolff of Seattle; and Bruce I., of San Francisco. The family circle
was broken by the hand of death when on the 4th of December, 1900,
Captain Painter died of paralysis. For some time he was a vestryman of
the Episcopal church which the family attend. His political allegiance
had always been given to the republican party from the time of its
organization and he was a most faithful follower of its principles.
It is said that at every demonstration of a patriotic nature Captain
Painter was called upon to take his place among the leaders, with
his battle-scarred Indian war flag. His patriotic sentiments led him
to take a prominent part in the Pioneer Association of Oregon and he
always made a special effort to be present at its meetings. He was also
active among the Indian War Veterans and was the first grand commander
of the organization. For years he belonged to the Ancient Order of
United Workmen. He gave devoted loyalty to every cause which he
espoused and his is a most notable and honorable record of a pioneer, a
valiant soldier and one of nature's noblemen.
WILLIS E. L. FORD.
No history of the pioneer development of Walla Walla county and of the
vast west would be complete without extended reference to the Ford
family, for Willis E. L. Ford and his father have been particularly
active in advancing development along those lines which have meant
much to the upbuilding and progress of this section. He was born near
Oregon City, Oregon, November 29, 1855, a son of Nineveh and Martha
Jane (Simpson) Ford. The father was a native of North Carolina, while
the mother's birth occurred in Missouri. He crossed the plains in 1843
with Marcus Whitman, making the journey with ox teams, and he built
the first tannery in Oregon City and in fact in that entire section
of the country. He continued its operation for several years and also
conducted a shoe store there. In 1848 he was one of the volunteers who
enlisted for service against the Indians and traveled all over this
section of the country in pursuit of the red men. It was at this time
that the massacre of the white people at Walla Walla occurred. All that
the soldiers had to eat for thirty days was the meat of a cayuse pony
without salt. His travels over this section of the country brought
to Nineveh Ford a good knowledge of the land and its possibilities
and in 1859 he removed with his family to the Walla Walla valley,
settling upon a farm upon which he resided to the time of his death.
It was a wild tract of land when it came into his possession but with
characteristic energy he began to break the sod and till the fields.
His wife was the first white woman in the valley outside of the
garrison. Mr. Ford built a log cabin with puncheon floor and doors
and stick chimney and in true pioneer style began his life in Oregon
territory. The latchstring of his cabin always hung out, assuring
the traveler of a hearty welcome, and the stranger was always free
to partake of whatever the table afforded. He worked diligently and
persistently in the cultivation of his land and in the course of time
his fields brought forth abundant harvests and his once wild tract was
converted into a valuable farm. Moreover, he was one of the recognized
leaders of the democratic party in this section of the state. He gave
to that party his stalwart support, never faltering in his allegiance
thereto, and twice he was called upon to represent his district in
the state legislature while a resident of Oregon. Fraternally he was
connected with the Masons and in his life exemplified the beneficent
spirit of the craft, for he was continually extending a helping hand
where aid was needed.
Willis E. L. Ford was one of a family of eleven children, seven of
whom are now living. He shared with the family in all of the hardships
and privations incident to frontier life. Such a life develops a
self-reliance and force of character which count for much in the later
struggle for existence and business supremacy. He supplemented his
early education by study in the seminary in Walla Walla and afterward
settled upon a farm in Whitman county, taking up his abode there in
1877. For thirty-five years he lived upon that place, ranking with the
leading and representative agriculturists of that section of the state.
When more than a third of a century had been passed there he sold his
property and in a considerable measure retired from active business
life. He purchased a farm of twenty-four acres in College Place and has
since lived there, giving his attention to the raising of fruit and
also to the conduct of a dairy business. His interests are carefully
managed and are bringing to him a substantial measure of success.
In 1886 Mr. Ford was united in marriage to Miss Rhoda A. Andross, who
was born in Minnesota, a daughter of William H. and Sophronia (Winigar)
Andross, the former a native of England, while the latter was born in
the state of New York. They removed westward on leaving Minnesota and
became residents of the Walla Walla valley, where both the father and
mother passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Ford have become the parents of six
children: Grace, who is now a nurse in Los Angeles, California; Frank,
also living in California; Edna, who was a college graduate and taught
school for one week, after which she was killed by an electric car in
Spokane, Washington; Orley, who is a missionary in South America; and
John and Orpha, both of whom are at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Ford hold membership with the Seventh Day Adventist
church and take an active part in its work, doing all in their power
to advance its growth and extend its influence. In politics Mr. Ford
maintains a liberal course, not caring to bind himself by party lines.
He served on the school board for several years and has ever been a
champion of the cause of public education. There are few residents
of Walla Walla county more familiar with the story of pioneer life
and conditions in this section of the state than he. He was only four
years of age when brought to Walla Walla county. In 1877 he served as
a volunteer in the Indian war and had his horse killed by his side.
He thoroughly understands the red man, his nature and his problems.
He has lived to see this section of the country no longer under the
dominion of the savage and has witnessed its transformation as the
work of modern day progress and improvement has been carried forward,
whereby the natural resources of the country have been utilized and its
wealth and progress thus greatly enhanced. The name of Ford figures
prominently in connection with the history of the Inland Empire and
Willis E. L. Ford indeed deserves mention among the honored pioneers.
CHARLES PLUCKER.