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
year old 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.
[Illustration: WILLIAM G. PRESTON]
[Illustration: MRS. WILLIAM G. PRESTON]
William G. Preston grew to manhood in New York and received his
education in Galway Academy. At the age of eighteen he went to live
with an uncle, Rev. A. W. Platt, in Tompkins county, New York, where
he remained until going to sea in 1852. The following two years were
spent upon the water, during which time he visited New Brunswick, New
Orleans, Liverpool and many other ports in Great Britain and America,
returning to Galway, New York, in 1854. In the fall of that year he
made his way west to Nebraska by way of Chicago and Rock Island and
down the Mississippi river to St. Louis and then up the Missouri. He
located at Bellevue, Nebraska, and became captain of a large ferry
boat in 1855, but when Omaha was made the territorial capital the boat
was sold to the Council Bluffs & Nebraska Ferry Company and he went
with it to Omaha. In 1857 he returned east to Steubenville, Ohio,
where he built the Omaha City, a double engine side-wheeler used in
carrying freight on the Missouri river. In 1858 he retired from the
ferry business and accompanied his brother to Pike's Peak, Colorado,
and built one of the finest houses in the present city of Denver. After
engaging in mining in that state for two years he went to northern
Idaho, which then formed a part of Washington territory. He traveled
most of the way by water and crossed Snake river in a wagon box in the
vicinity of an old fort situated near the mouth of the Salmon river.
It was in 1866 that Mr. Preston came to Waitsburg, Walla Walla county,
and identified himself with the Washington flouring mills and machinery
business, which he and his brother, Platt A. Preston, had bought. Under
his management these mills became the foremost industry of Waitsburg
and the high quality of their product became well known throughout the
state. In addition to his milling and mercantile business Mr. Preston
was prominent in other lines, being a director of the Merchants Bank of
Waitsburg and a stockholder and director of the Schwabacher Company of
Walla Walla. He was also prominently identified with the Puget Sound
Dressed Meat Company during its existence and was much interested in
farming and stock raising. At the time of his death he was the owner of
more than three thousand acres of land.
In 1869 Mr. Preston was united in marriage to Miss Matilda Cox, who
was perhaps the first white child born near Boise, Idaho, her birth
occurring in 1845 while her parents were making the overland journey
to the Pacific coast. Her father, Anderson Cox, was a native of Ohio
and a farmer by occupation. On coming west he located near Albany,
Oregon, on a donation claim, where he remained for a number of years,
but in 1862 came to Walla Walla county, Washington, and acquired land.
He also built a sawmill, the first in this county. Both Mr. and. Mrs.
Cox passed away here and six of their ten children are also deceased.
To Mr. and Mrs. Preston were born four children: Herbert P., who is
engaged in the feed business in Toppenish, Washington; William C., who
died when six months old; Charles B., a resident of Portland, Oregon;
and Dale H., deceased.
Mr. Preston was a stanch republican in his political belief and served
for two terms as a member of the territorial legislature. In 1881,
while a member of that body, he was made chairman of the ways and means
committee. He was much interested in educational affairs, especially
in his later years, and in 1913 erected the beautiful auditorium
known as Preston Hall at Waitsburg, it being designed for vocational
training and containing a swimming pool, gymnasium and large hall for
public meetings, etc. In all the relations of life he was loyal to the
teachings of the Presbyterian church, of which he was a member, and his
integrity was never open to question. His death occurred on the 20th of
February, 1916, and he was laid to rest in the Waitsburg cemetery. Like
her husband, Mrs. Preston has also been a generous contributor to all
worthy enterprises for the public good and she now makes her home in
Walla Walla, where she is well known and highly esteemed.
JAMES L. ROBISON.
James L. Robison is a retired farmer residing in Walla Walla. He is
familiar with all of the experiences of the stock raiser on the western
frontier, having ridden the range as a cowboy, while in later years
he became extensively engaged in stock raising on his own account. He
was born in east Tennessee, July 28, 1842. His father died during the
infancy of the son, and the mother later married John Grubb, by whom
James L. Robison of this review was reared. He acquired a common school
education and when he was but ten years of age crossed the plains
with his parents. They spent the winter in Missouri and in the spring
of 1853 started on the long westward journey to Oregon. They took up
their abode in Linn county, twenty miles south of Albany, where Mr.
and Mrs. Grubb spent the remainder of their lives. At the early age of
fifteen Mr. Robison began to work for wages and in 1861 made his way
northward into eastern Oregon and spent the hard winter on the T. K.
McCoy ranch on the Tum-a-Lum in Umatilla county. He continued to work
for others until 1868, when he bought some cattle and thus established
himself in the cattle business. He had previously engaged in riding
the range for seven years prior to engaging in the cattle business on
his own account. He was therefore familiar with the business and from
the beginning met with success. He spent fifteen years in the cattle
business, having as high as a thousand head upon the range. At length,
when the free range was cut off by the settlement of the country, he
retired from that business, after which he had sheep on the range for
a considerable period. Eventually, in 1913, however, he put aside all
business cares and retired from active life. He still owns six hundred
and forty acres of valuable wheat land ten miles north of Walla Walla
and from the rental of his property secures a gratifying income.
In early manhood Mr. Robison was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary J.
Cecil, a daughter of William Cecil, who crossed the plains to Oregon
in 1862, locating in what is now Morrow county. Mr. and Mrs. Robison
became the parents of three children but only one survives, Lena M.,
who is the wife of Otto Haar, of North Yakima, Washington. Mrs. Robison
is a member of the Congregational church and a lady of many admirable
qualities.
In politics Mr. Robison is independent in thought and at local
elections does not consider party ties but has always voted the
republican ticket in electing a president. His life has been a very
busy, active and useful one. His business activities were connected
with an era that is fast passing away--the era when Washington was
still the country of the open range before its lands were divided and
taken up for farms. He is therefore familiar with all the phases of
the history of the state in its development from pioneer times and he
rejoices in what has been accomplished as the work of improvement and
advancement has been carried forward here, placing this great state on
a par with the older commonwealths of the east. In fact, Washington
has gained a position of leadership in various respects and has every
reason to be proud of her splendid record in the line of business
development and especially in the progress which she has made in the
organization of her school system.
In his business career Mr. Robison has at all times displayed that
spirit of enterprise so characteristic of the west and now, at the age
of seventy-five years, he is able to enjoy well earned rest, his former
labors having resulted in a competence which meets all of his needs and
requirements and yet leaves a sufficiency for many of the luxuries of
life.
JOSEPH GROTE.
The farming interests of Joseph Grote would be termed mammoth even in
this great west where agricultural interests are on the whole conducted
on a most extensive scale. He is now operating sixty-two hundred and
eighty acres of land in Columbia and Walla Walla counties, making his
home on section 22, township 11 north, range 38 east, of the former
county. His long experience and his extensive operations enable him
to speak with authority upon everything connected with farming in the
west at the present day. He recognizes fully the possibilities and the
opportunities of the country and what he has accomplished represents
the fit utilization of the innate powers and talents which are his.
Mr. Grote is a native of Ohio, his birth having occurred in Piqua on
the 7th of April, 1885, his parents being John and Anna Grote, both of
whom were natives of Germany, where they were reared and married. In
1881 they came to the United States and after a residence of nine years
in Ohio made their way westward to Washington, the family home being
established in the Palouse country, where Mr. Grote remained, however,
for a period of only two years. He then came to Walla Walla county,
where he purchased a ranch north of Prescott and there he successfully
engaged in farming to the time of his death. For a number of years
prior to his demise he resided in the city of Walla Walla and from
that point superintended the operation of his ranch. He died October
14, 1915, and is survived by his widow, who is now making her home in
southern California.
Joseph Grote, whose name introduces this review, was educated in the
district schools near his father's farm and in the city schools of
Walla Walla. After reaching young manhood he continued to assist his
father in the development of the fields until 1909, when he started
out to engage in farming independently, entering into partnership with
his brother Theodore. They gradually increased their operations in
extent and importance until their interests placed them at the head of
the leading agriculturists of Columbia county. In 1914 the partnership
between the two brothers was dissolved and Joseph Grote retained
twenty-three hundred acres of their holdings. In addition to this he
operates four hundred and eighty acres of school land in the township
where he resides and he leases and operates the Sharpstein ranch in
Walla Walla county, containing thirty-five hundred acres of land. He
has thus become one of the foremost agriculturists of the northwest.
He plants twenty-five hundred acres to grain each year and harvests
mammoth crops.
In 1917 Mr. Grote was united in marriage to Miss Lillian Baumann, a
daughter of F. A. Baumann, a retired farmer of Walla Walla. In politics
he maintains an independent course, not caring to bind himself by
party ties. He is not remiss in the duties of citizenship, however,
but stands for progress and improvement in public affairs and reaches
out along helpful lines in recognition of the needs and opportunities
of county and state. He is an enthusiastic advocate of the great
northwest, and well he may be, for in its opportunities he has found
the path to success and is today numbered among the men of affluence in
southeastern Washington.
JOHN ADKINS GROSS, M. D.
There is much that is inspiring in the life record of Dr. John
Adkins Gross, who for many years was prominently associated with the
agricultural development and activity of southeastern Washington,
acquiring extensive landed possessions which he converted into rich
and productive fields. His worth as a man and citizen was widely
acknowledged and there are in his life record many chapters worthy of
consideration.
Dr. Gross was born in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, July 30, 1840, a son
of Dr. Oren and Jane (Snow) Gross. He was reared and educated on Cape
Cod. In his youth he studied navigation and also taught school for a
time but at the age of twenty-three years enlisted in 1863 as a member
of the Forty-third Massachusetts Infantry for service in the Civil
war, remaining at the front until the close of hostilities. He became
corporal of his company and while he did not engage in any of the
battles between the north and the south his service was of a hazardous
nature, such as scout duty and running boats loaded with provisions
past blockades, etc. He ever manifested the utmost loyalty to the
nation's starry banner and the cause for which it stood and with a most
creditable military record returned to his home.
Soon after leaving the army Dr. Gross went to New York city, where
he engaged in carpenter work until the panic of 1873 swept away all
his investments. He then crossed the continent to San Francisco,
California, where he lived for two years. He afterward went to Astoria,
Oregon, and was in that city and in Portland until 1879, when he came
to Walla Walla. Here he took up the profession of teaching, which he
followed for several years. He taught at Frenchtown, riding back and
forth from Walla Walla. When he had saved enough he secured a homestead
in Umatilla county, Oregon, and kept adding to his landed possessions
until he had over eleven hundred acres, which he brought under a high
state of cultivation. He afterward purchased a ranch of twenty-five
hundred acres near Starbuck, Washington, all of which has been planted
to crops and has been improved with very substantial and commodious
buildings. In a word his labors wrought a marked transformation in the
appearance of the place and also in its value and he won recognition as
one of the foremost agriculturists of this section of the state.
[Illustration: DR. JOHN A. GROSS]
Dr. Gross was married twice and when he went to war left a bride of
only a few weeks. He was married a second time at Pendleton, Oregon, on
the 9th of February, 1891, when Miss Bessie S. Green, of Kansas, became
his wife. He had four children by his first marriage, while four were
born of his second union. Carrie B., the eldest, is now, the wife of R.
C. Dunnington, of Walla Walla. Jennie I. is the wife of F. H. Richmond,
of Walla Walla. Millie E. is the wife of Ralph E. Story, of Silver
Lake, Oregon. O. E., of Seattle, Washington, was the youngest child of
the first marriage. The others are: John E., who is now upon the ranch;
Julia E., who was graduated from Wellesley College in the class of
1917; Marvin, now a high school pupil; and Mabel, who is also in high
school.
The death of Dr. Gross occurred July 17, 1915, and he was laid to
rest in Mountain View cemetery in Walla Walla. He was a man of marked
ability and in his later years he studied medicine, being graduated
from the Hahnemann College at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with the
class of 1900. At that time he was over sixty years of age but he
possessed an especial aptitude for the physician's work and a very
retentive memory, which carried statistical knowledge. The greater part
of his life, however, was devoted to farming and stock raising and he
became one of the most extensive and prosperous farmers of Walla Walla
county. His political endorsement was given to the republican party
and he always took an active part in politics. Fraternally he was
connected with the Knights of Pythias and also with the Grand Army post
thus maintaining pleasant relations with his old military comrades,
with whom he followed the stars and stripes on the battlefields of
the south. He was a man of many sterling traits of character, genial
and affable, and enjoyed the high esteem of those with whom he was
associated. Since his death Mrs. Gross has erected a fine residence on
Boyer avenue in Walla Walla but still has charge of her ranch property
and is a woman of excellent business ability, fully capable of meeting
the requirements put upon her in the management of her estate.
OSSIE MARTIN.
The stock raising interests of Columbia county have a worthy
representative in Ossie Martin, who is the owner of a valuable farm of
seven hundred and twenty acres on section 23, township 12 north, range
38 east. He is one of Washington's native sons, his birth occurring
in Old Walla Walla county, February 8, 1867. His parents, James and
Bridget E. Martin, were natives of Ireland but in early life emigrated
to America and first located in Missouri. In 1861, however, they
started for the Pacific coast in a covered wagon drawn by mules and at
length reached Walla Walla. They located on a farm and later Mr. Martin
took up a homestead near Waitsburg, where he lived until 1893, when he
sold the place and removed to Walla Walla. Both he and his wife died in
that city. To them were born seven children and all are living.