creek, where he has since lived. He still owns a farm of one hundred
and sixty acres, which is highly improved. He has added to it all
modern accessories and conveniences and was successfully engaged in
farming for many years but eventually put aside the active work of the
fields to enjoy a rest which he has truly earned and richly deserves.
He is now eighty-three years of age and is most comfortably situated in
life, the years of his former toil bringing to him a competence that
supplies him with all necessities and many luxuries.
In 1866 Mr. Rohn was united in marriage to Miss Sarah E. Sanders, who
was born in Indiana, a daughter of Joseph Sanders, who came to Walla
Walla in 1864. To Mr. and Mrs. Rohn were born four children: Kate,
who is the widow of T. J. Bryan; Malina J., who is the wife of Harry
Gilkerson; Fred, who owns and operates three hundred and eighty acres
of land in Whitman county; and Sarah Belle, deceased. The son is
married and has seven children. The wife and mother passed away in 1872
and Mr. Rohn has never married again. He reared his children to man and
womanhood alone, doing the part of both mother and father in his care
of them.
In politics Mr. Rohn has always been a stalwart democrat, actively
interested in the success of his party and doing everything in his
power to secure the adoption of its principles. His has been a well
spent life fraught with good results and characterized by all those
traits which in every land and clime awaken confidence and regard.
Industry, and perseverance, guided by keen intelligence, have been the
basis of his success and he can look back over the past without regret.
He has never had occasion to regret his determination to come to the
new world, for he here found the opportunities which he sought and in
their utilization has made steady progress.
HON. JAMES M. LAMB.
No history of Walla Walla county would be complete and satisfactory
were there failure to make reference to Hon. James M. Lamb, who was
familiarly known as Governor Lamb. When death called him in 1898 he
had been a resident of this county for almost forty years. He was one
of its first pioneers and one of its most progressive citizens. He had
established the first blacksmith shop in this section of the state and
he was the first to demonstrate the possibility of wheat growing on
the hills. In many other ways he contributed to public progress and
improvement though the utilization of the resources of this section of
the country.
[Illustration: HON. JAMES M. LAMB]
[Illustration: MRS. JAMES M. LAMB]
Mr. Lamb was born in Logan county, Kentucky, February 19, 1835, a son
of Downing and Elizabeth (Maxwell) Lamb, both of whom were natives of
Logan county, Kentucky, where they resided until the '70s, when they
came to Washington territory, establishing their home in Columbia
county, where they resided until called to their final rest.
James M. Lamb remained a resident of his native state until he reached
the age of nineteen years, when he crossed the plains to California
with his parents in 1854, the gold fields being the attraction which
brought them to the Pacific coast. He learned the blacksmith's trade
after reaching California, where he conducted a shop and also engaged
in farming. In 1856 he was married there to Miss Jane Pearce, also a
native of Kentucky, and a daughter of John and Martha (King) Pearce.
She crossed the plains from Atchison county, Missouri, in 1856.
Mr. and Mrs. Lamb began their domestic life in California but in 1859
came to Washington, establishing their home in Walla Walla county,
where Mr. Lamb opened the first blacksmith shop in this section of the
country, there being no shop between Walla Walla and Dayton at that
period. He continued to operate his shop and conduct his farm up to
the time of his death. About 1867 he went to a place near McMinnville,
Oregon, to help perfect the first combination cutting and threshing
machine used in this section of the country, as he was a master
mechanic. This machine was first drawn by horses attached both in front
and behind. Later he made a number of improvements on the machine,
which was afterward sold to Holt & Company for two thousand dollars,
and it has subsequently been perfected until today it is the standard
machine of the kind used in this locality.
Mr. Lamb homesteaded eighty acres of land on his arrival in Walla Walla
county and afterward added to his holdings by purchase from time to
time until his farm comprised two hundred and eighty acres. This he
brought under a high state of cultivation, carefully and persistently
developing his fields, so that annually he gathered abundant harvests.
It is said that he was the first man to demonstrate the possibility
of growing wheat on the hills. He continually sought to improve his
farm, was always ready to take up new methods and his sound judgment
demonstrated to him the worth of any new idea that was advanced.
In politics Mr. Lamb was a democrat and one of the active workers of
the party. He became a leader in molding public thought and opinion
and exerted much influence over the affairs of the community. His
aid was always given on the side of improvement and upbuilding. His
fellow townsmen, recognizing his ability, called upon him to serve
in several public offices. He was elected justice of the peace and
filled that position for many years, his decisions being strictly
fair and impartial, so that he won golden opinions from all sorts of
people. In 1867 he was elected to the territorial legislature, where
he served with honor and distinction, carefully aiding in the solution
of many intricate and involved problems in connection with shaping the
early legislation of the state. He also assisted in surveying Walla
Walla county in pioneer times and there were many phases of public
improvement with which he was closely identified. In 1885 he removed to
Walla Walla, where he made his home until his death, although he passed
away in Lodi, California, on the 5th of March, 1898, having gone to
that place for the benefit of his health. His widow still survives and
resides at the old home in Walla Walla with her son, Daniel W.
To Mr. and Mrs. Lamb were born six children: John D., a resident of
Walla Walla; Georgia A., the wife of George Howard, of Berkeley,
California; Martha E., who married A. H. Johnson, of Tacoma,
Washington; Cora A., the widow of J. L. Cation and a resident of Walla
Walla; William T., of this township; and Daniel W. The two sons,
William T. and Daniel W. Lamb, conduct the old home farm and are
representative agriculturists of this section of the state.
James M. Lamb was a most consistent Christian gentleman and an active
worker in the church. He became one of the organizers of the First
Christian church, services being held on the 4th of July, 1874, in an
old log cabin at Dixie. The charter members were John R. Ware, Margaret
Ware, Philip and Clarinda Beal, Elizabeth Neland, J. M. and Jane Lamb,
W. T. Barnes, Sarah Barnes, Mr. Barnes becoming deacon and clerk, with
J. R. Ware as elder. The life of James M. Lamb was ever guided by the
highest and most honorable principles and he left to his family the
priceless heritage of an untarnished name. For almost forty years he
was a resident of Walla Walla and was one of its most valued citizens
and honored pioneers. He contributed much to its early development
as well as to its later progress and at all times he enjoyed the
confidence and respect of those with whom he was brought in contact.
His two sons are members of Mountain Gem Lodge, No. 136, K. P., of
Dixie. Both have passed through all of the chairs and are members of
the grand lodge and they are also identified with El Kindi Temple,
No. 193, of the Knights of Khorassan. In business affairs they are
progressive and enterprising, wisely managing their important farming
interests, which are bringing to them a substantial annual return.
HON. HENRY PERRY ISAACS.
Hon. Henry Perry Isaacs, deceased, was one of the historic figures
who have been dominant factors in the development of southeastern
Washington and northeastern Oregon. His activities were of such a
nature that he might be termed one of the empire builders of this
section of the country. He saw the possibilities here and utilized the
opportunities offered, his labors at all times contributed to public
progress and prosperity as well as to individual success. He thus left
his impress for good upon the history of Walla Walla and of the state
and his memory is yet revered and honored by all who knew him.
Mr. Isaacs was a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where his birth
occurred on the 17th of March, 1822. He came of Scotch-English ancestry
and while spending his youthful days in the Keystone state acquired a
common school education. He had no other opportunities for educational
advancement save those which were self-acquired. He possessed, however,
an observing eye and retentive memory and was continually storing his
mind with facts that proved a basis for his success in later years. At
an early age he entered the employ of one of Philadelphia's foremost
mercantile houses and his training there constituted an important
element in his later progress along commercial lines. When twenty-one
years of age he removed to Indiana with a view of seeing something
of the outside world and after reaching that state he engaged in
merchandising on his own account. Subsequently he joined the rush
for the California gold fields, but was not especially successful in
his mining venture. However, he was a man of broad vision and saw
wonderful opportunities in the new western country. This land of
perpetual sunshine seemed to promise great things for the future and in
1858 he proved his faith in the country by erecting at Fort Colville,
Washington, his first flour mill, demonstrating to the farmers of
this section that wheat could be raised profitably upon the hills and
uplands, which in those early days were given over to stock raising.
This was the initial step in the development of his important milling
interests. In 1862 he built the North Pacific Mills at Walla Walla and
in 1864 he erected the War Eagle Mills at Boise City, Idaho. Wherever
opportunity offered he eagerly grasped it and extended his efforts into
various fields, his labors at all times proving profitable by reason of
the intelligent direction of his efforts. In 1865 the Middleton mills
at Middleton, Idaho, were built and in 1883 he still further extended
his efforts by the building of the North Pacific Mills at Prescott,
known as Mill B. In 1898 he built the North Pacific Mills at Wasco,
Oregon. His wide experience in this line made him the foremost miller
of the Pacific coast. His operations exceeded in volume and importance
those of any other man engaged in the milling business. His knowledge
concerning the best methods of manufacturing and handling flour became
a matter of general comment and he was recognized as authority upon all
matters pertaining to milling in any of its branches. The output of his
mills was not only sold extensively in this section of the country but
the production above what was needed in Washington and the northwest
found a ready market in the orient and much of the product was exported
to China. Mr. Isaacs was the first miller on the Pacific coast to adopt
the roller system in the manufacture of flour, his first rolls being
of porcelain and imported from Switzerland. He at all times kept his
business in touch with the most modern processes and introduced the
latest improved machinery into his plant.
Outside of milling circles Mr. Isaacs was perhaps best known by reason
of his public spirit and his progressiveness. After demonstrating the
possibilities of wheat growing and the development of kindred interests
arising therefrom he did some pioneering in horticulture, planting in
1864 one of the first orchards in the vicinity of Walla Walla. Not long
afterward he planted a vineyard and from this point he experimented
successfully with almost every variety of fruit and vegetables grown in
the north temperate zone. He was an enthusiast in all that pertained to
progress and evolution in plants and tree life and he gave liberally
of his time and means to further the cause. He was a leader in public
affairs and he represented the county in the territorial council of
1885 and 1886, at which session he introduced the bill establishing
the state penitentiary at Walla Walla. He was constantly watchful
of opportunities pointing not only to his individual success but to
the general development of this part of the country, and he ever
looked beyond the exigencies of the moment to the possibilities and
opportunities of the future. He was the first to attempt to induce G.
W. Hunt to build the Washington & Columbia River Line from Dayton to
Wallula and thence to Pendleton. The line was successfully built and
operated and the completed project was a monument to his enterprise
and farsightedness. He was also president of the Commercial Club at
the time and used every effort to secure the early construction of the
road. But few men in all Washington became so thoroughly conversant
with the state, its varied interests and its possibilities or were so
deeply interested in the success of its enterprises as Mr. Isaacs, and
but few men have arisen to take so active a part in the development of
this section of the country. With his death on the 14th of July, 1900,
the state of Washington and in fact the entire Pacific northwest lost
one of its most conspicuous figures, most esteemed citizens and most
honored men.
CHRISTIAN J. BOWERS.
Christian J. Bowers has gained a gratifying measure of success as a
farmer and is still active in that connection although now a resident
of Walla Walla. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, January 7, 1867,
a son of George W. and Catherine M. (Brown) Bowers, also natives of
that city, where they were reared. They continued to reside there for
about ten years after their marriage and then removed successively to
Pennsylvania, Illinois, Iowa and Kansas. From the last named state they
crossed the plains in 1880 by horse team to Walla Walla, Washington,
and located in the Dry creek hills, about seven miles north of Walla
Walla. The father took up a homestead and also preempted one hundred
and sixty acres of land and resided upon his farm until about 1896,
when he disposed of his holdings and removed to Columbia county,
where he purchased two hundred and forty acres on Patit creek, four
miles from Dayton. He still owns that farm, but since 1905 has been a
resident of Walla Walla. To him and his wife were born the following
children: Christian J., of this review; Bertha S., who passed away at
the age of eighteen years; Mae, who is now the wife of John W. Eby,
of Walla Walla county; Charles E., a resident of Walla Walla; and
Gertrude, who is the wife of Clarence Wilson, of Topeka, Kansas.
Christian J. Bowers received his early education in the district
schools and in the Waitsburg public schools and at the Huntsville
Seminary. He was reared to agricultural pursuits and following his
marriage in 1888 he began farming on his own account in the Dry creek
hills and maintained his residence upon his ranch until 1905, when he
removed to Walla Walla. He still directs the operation of his holdings,
which include three hundred and twenty acres near Lowden, and also owns
about eight hundred acres in Whitman county. The financial independence
which is now his is the direct result of his thorough knowledge of
farming, his enterprise and his good management, and he justly ranks
among the successful men of Walla Walla county.
[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. CHRISTIAN J. BOWERS]
On the 13th of May, 1888, occurred the marriage of Mr. Bowers and
Miss Laura V. Coplen, a native of Washington. Her grandfather, Henry
Coplen, removed with his family from Indiana to Colorado and thence
in 1864 located in the Willamette valley, near Vancouver, Washington.
Six years later, in 1870, he removed to Whitman county, Washington,
where he founded the town of Latah. His son, Benjamin, was a scout in
the early days and took part in the Indian wars in the northwest. The
mastodon skeleton which is now preserved in Field Museum in Chicago was
found upon his farm. James W. Coplen, father of Mrs. Bowers and son of
Henry Coplen, was married in 1865, in the Willamette valley, to Miss
Elizabeth Hoskins, a daughter of Dillon and Rachel (Emery) Hoskins,
who had removed to the west with their family from Iowa, crossing the
plains with ox teams in 1851 and reaching their destination after six
months spent en route. They settled at Scio, in the Willamette valley,
where they secured a donation claim of three hundred and twenty acres.
The parents both died in Oregon, the father passing away in 1888 and
the mother in 1898. Soon after their marriage James W. Coplen and his
wife took up a donation claim on the old battleground near Vancouver,
Washington, at which place Mrs. Bowers was born, and while there Mr.
Coplen became ill and accordingly returned to his old home in the
Willamette valley, where his death occurred in 1868. To him and his
wife had been born two children: William, a resident of Lewiston,
Idaho; and Laura V., who became the wife of Christian J. Bowers. Mrs.
Coplen later removed to Walla Walla county, where she met the Rev.
William C. Gallaher, and in 1871 they were married. Mr. Gallaher was
born in Putnam county, Illinois, in 1835, and died on a farm which
he owned near Milton, Oregon, December 22, 1915, his widow passing
away upon the farm in February, 1916. They were the parents of two
children: Minnie E., now the wife of O. E. Phillips, of Walla Walla;
and Ernest U., who resides upon the old home farm near Milton, Oregon.
Rev. Gallaher was one of the pioneer ministers of the northwest,
coming as a missionary to Oregon. He was one of the earliest settlers
of "Old Oregon," having made the long journey across the plains with
his parents in 1845, when a boy of ten years. The family settled in
Oregon and there he grew to manhood. In 1861 he removed to Walla Walla
and helped to organize the first United Brethren church in the state.
He remained active in the work of the ministry until he reached an
advanced age and was one of the best known divines of the northwest.
To Mr. and Mrs. Bowers have been born four children, namely: Harry C.,
who is farming the Whitman county farm belonging to his father; George
W., who is operating his father's farm in Walla Walla county; Violet
B., the wife of Wayne Reid, who is also farming in Whitman county; and
Sheldon H., who is at home.
Mr. Bowers gives his support to the candidates and measures of the
democratic party and takes a commendable interest in the questions and
issues of the day but has never been an office seeker. His wife belongs
to the Christian church and aids in its work. She is also a member of
the Sunshine Club and the president of the Woman's Educational Club of
Walla Walla. He is a man of importance in his community and is also
popular personally.
J. W. ROGERS.
J. W. Rogers, who for eight years has been successfully and extensively
engaged in the automobile business in Walla Walla, was born in Georgia
on the 28th day of February, 1879, a son of James and Ellen (Tatum)
Rogers, the former a native of Tennessee, while the latter was born in
Georgia. About thirty years ago they removed to Kansas, where they are
still living.
J. W. Rogers was reared and educated in the Sunflower state, passing
through consecutive grades until he became a high school student.
He left the middle west in 1907 to become a resident of the Pacific
coast country, making his way to Walla Walla, where for two years he
was employed in a wholesale grocery house. Since then he has given
his attention to the automobile business and now handles the Stutz
and Premier cars. He has developed a business of large and extensive
proportions. The Stutz car is the champion of the world today and his
sales reach a most gratifying annual figure. He also still owns a
garage and other property in Dayton, Washington. His business affairs
have been wisely and carefully managed and he is actuated by a spirit
of enterprise in all that he does. Alert and energetic, he never fails
in carrying out his purpose, for he recognizes that when one avenue of
opportunity seems closed, he can carve out other paths that will reach
the desired goal.
In 1909 Mr. Rogers was united in marriage to Miss Florence Helm, a
native of Walla Walla. They are members of the Baptist church and are
prominent in the social circles of the city, the hospitality of many
of the best homes of Walla Walla being cordially extended them. Mr.
Rogers votes with the democratic party and is a staunch advocate of
its principles. He belongs to the Commercial Club and is in hearty
sympathy with every plan and measure put forth by that organization
for the benefit and upbuilding of the city, the extension of its trade
relations, or the upholding of its civic standards. For ten years a
resident of Walla Walla, he has made himself an enviable position in
its business and social circles, and those who know him speak of him in
terms of high regard.
EUGENE F. BOURGEOIS.
Eugene F. Bourgeois, one of the prosperous farmers of Walla Walla
county, where he has been actively identified with agricultural
pursuits during the past four decades, is now the owner of seven
hundred acres of valuable land on section 13, Dixie township. His birth
occurred in Paris, France, on the 10th of October, 1847, his parents
being Franquell and Felicia Bourgeois, who emigrated to the United
States in 1852 and took up their abode in Bond county, Illinois, where
they spent the remainder of their lives. They had a family of eleven
children, three of whom yet survive.
Eugene F. Bourgeois, a little lad of five years when he crossed the
Atlantic in company with his parents, was reared and educated in
Illinois and remained in that state until thirty years of age. In 1877
he made his way to the Pacific coast country and took up a homestead
in Walla Walla county, Washington, which he has since made his place
of residence, erecting fine buildings on his property and otherwise
improving the same until it is now very valuable. As the years have
passed and his financial resources have increased he has extended the
boundaries of his farm by purchase until it now comprises seven hundred
acres of land, through the cultivation of which he has won a gratifying
annual income.
On the 21st of October, 1888, Mr. Bourgeois was united in marriage to
Miss Isabel Lang, a daughter of Israel and Allie Ann (Hambough) Lang,
both natives of Warren county, Virginia, from which state they removed
to Illinois, locating in Pike county in 1867. There they spent the
remainder of their lives. By occupation Mr. Lang was a farmer. To Mr.
and Mrs. Bourgeois were born four sons, namely: Charles; Frederick;
Henry; and William, who is deceased.
[Illustration: EUGENE F. BOURGEOIS]
[Illustration: MRS. EUGENE F. BOURGEOIS]
Mr. Bourgeois gives political allegiance to the republican party and
has furthered the interests of education as a member of the school
board. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the
Christian church. He has justly won the proud American title of a
self-made man, for he came to this state empty-handed and has worked
his way upward to a position among the substantial and representative
citizens of his county.
JOHN REITH, M. D.
Well equipped by thorough preparatory training, Dr. John Reith entered
upon a successful career as a physician and surgeon and is now
prominently known as the superintendent of the Walla Walla Sanitarium,
the Seventh Day Adventist institution of this city. He was born in
Huron county, Ontario, September 10, 1883, a son of John and Jane
(Moir) Reith, the former a native of Ontario, while the latter was born
in Ireland. The father has devoted his entire life to agricultural
pursuits. He removed to British Columbia in 1892 and now resides in
Lacombe, Alberta.