Columbia county and was one of its most esteemed citizens, manifesting
throughout his entire life those sterling traits of character which
in every land and clime awaken confidence and regard. He was born in
Pennsylvania on the 8th of March, 1838, and when he was but a young
child accompanied his parents on their removal to Hancock county,
Indiana. It was there that he was reared to early manhood and in the
common schools of that locality he acquired his education. About 1859,
however, he left the middle west and made his way to the Pacific
coast, settling in the Willamette valley near Salem, Oregon. During
the following ten years or more he devoted his attention to mining
and then came northward to Washington, arriving in Dayton on the 1st
of November, 1872. This section was then a largely undeveloped and
unimproved district. He purchased land and turned his attention to
farming, his home ranch being located about five miles east of Dayton.
It comprised six hundred and forty acres of rich and productive land
and he developed it into one of the most valuable wheat farms of
Columbia county. The soil is splendidly adapted to the production of
that crop and Mr. Blessinger's methods were at once practical and
progressive. In addition to that property he owned other land and was
classed among the county's most successful and enterprising farmers.
His labors brought splendid results and his methods constituted the
last word in progressive agriculture. About 1900 he removed to Dayton,
turning over the operation of his farm to his sons, and he then became
one of the organizers of the Broughton National Bank, of which he was
made a member of the board of directors.
On the 21st of April, 1872, Mr. Blessinger was united in marriage to
Miss Harriet Byrd, of Marion county, Oregon, a daughter of Luther Byrd,
who crossed the plains with ox teams from Arkansas to Oregon in 1854
or 1855. He took up his abode in Marion county, that state, and there
engaged in farming to the time of his death. Mr. and Mrs. Blessinger
became the parents of seven children, five of whom survive, as follows:
John B., who follows farming in Columbia county, Washington; Albert
E., who is an agriculturist of Columbia county and resides in Dayton;
Myrtle, at home; Leo, who is engaged in farming in Columbia county; and
Fred, who operates the home place.
Mrs. Blessinger resides in a comfortable home in Dayton, her husband
having left her in easy financial circumstances. She is a devoted
member of the Congregational church and her aid and influence are
always given on the side of reform and progress. She is a member of the
Halpine Society and is also a member of the Red Cross Society. She is
a lady of culture and refinement and is constantly extending a helping
hand where aid is needed, taking a most active part in charitable work.
Mr. Blessinger was numbered among the esteemed citizens of Dayton,
being a man of sterling character, and when death called him the
deepest regret was felt throughout the community in which he lived.
HENRY F. WATROUS.
Prominent among the self-made men of Columbia county is Henry F.
Watrous, whose life has been principally devoted to agricultural
pursuits, and success has attended his well directed efforts. He
was born in Green county, Wisconsin, January 26, 1848, his parents
being Levi W. and Elmira (Fish) Watrous, natives of Canada and Ohio,
respectively. On leaving the Dominion the father removed to Wisconsin,
where he was married and where he continued to make his home until
1850. The following five years were spent in Iowa but at the end of
that time he went to Minnesota, where he lived for the same length of
time. He then returned to Iowa and in 1875 came to Washington, settling
in Old Walla Walla county. He took up a soldier's claim of one hundred
and sixty acres a mile and a half from Dayton and built thereon a box
house, making his home upon that place until the required improvements
were made; he then sold the farm and brought his family here. There
were eleven children and nine of the number are still living.
During his boyhood Henry F. Watrous accompanied his parents on their
various removals but was principally reared and educated in Iowa,
attending the common schools there. At an early age he began earning
his own livelihood by working as a farm hand at seventeen dollars per
month and was thus employed for two years, during which time he saved
enough money to come west. It was in 1871 that he crossed the continent
to Salt Lake City, which was then the terminus of the railroad, and
from there continued his journey on horseback in company with an uncle
and his family who rode in a wagon. On reaching Dayton, Washington,
he found employment on a farm at four hundred dollars per year and
at the end of that time was able to send for his father. After the
latter's arrival they contracted to purchase a sawmill near the mouth
of Jim creek, agreeing to pay for the plant with lumber, which was
the principal medium of exchange in those days. Whenever enough clear
lumber had been cut to warrant a trip to Walla Walla, Henry Watrous
would start with a load drawn by oxen and would sell the same for
thirty-five to forty dollars per thousand. After operating the mill
for four years it was traded for the farm still owned by our subject
but he has added to the original tract until he now owns nine hundred
and fifty acres of land, all improved and devoted to wheat. Until 1914
he operated his land but has since rented the place and is now living
retired in Dayton, where he owns a fine residence. He is a stockholder
in a grain warehouse there and is today one of the prosperous citizens
of the community.
[Illustration: HENRY F. WATROUS]
[Illustration: 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's representative 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 since resided. 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.
[Illustration: JAMES L. DUMAS]
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.