THE DALLES TIMES-MOUNTAINEER.
39
L. D. HOLDEX.
- L. D. Holden was born in Benton county, in 18Go, and re
ceived his education at the public schools. At the age of 20
he moved to Wasco county, now Sherman, and became en
gaged in the stock business, which he followed until six
years ago, when he came to Moro and engaged in the livery
business.
His barn, of which we give an illustration, is known as
the Altamont, Jr. It has a frontage of CO feet, and a depth
of 58. It is two stories1 in height and is conveniently ar
ranged for a general livery, feed and sale stable. Mr.
Holden has some fine turnouts which he keeps on hand for
the benefit of the public, and rents them at very reason
able prices.
Cheap lands, healthful climate, productive soil, and cer
tain returns on investments, are a few of the inducements
which "Wasco and Sherman counties" offer all who find
homes within their borders.
Wasco county schools are equal to those in any section of
the northwest. There are Gl school districts and each aver
ages six months of school a year.
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BARN OF L. D. HOLDEN.
WASCO, OREGON.
Wasco is not the oldest town in Sherman county; but it
is the oldest in the interior. It is the terminus of the Co
lumbia Soutnern Railway. Leaving the line of the O. R. &
N. Co. at Biggs Station in itself not a very inviting place
because of huge mountains of sand that, when agitated
by wind, to constantly filling ones e3-es, ears and nose the
route lays off up the Spanish Hollow Canyon. Immediate
ly on leaving the river, great high rocky bluffs meet the
gaze. The squeaking of the ponderous wheels fill the air
with unearthly voices, as the train rounds a curve. A small
stream tumbles down over the rocks, occasionally lost to
sight, as it seeks subterranean cavities, only to reappear
lower down. After all, the large imposing piles of stone
and the lower surrounding are not so inviting. It is some
thing new with every turn; and one is constantly inter
ested until aroused by the shrill whistle announcing that
the first half of the journey has been completed. The train
is at Gibson's. Prom this place the scene changes; and
the, transformation is most complete. The track still con
tinues along the bottom of the canyon; but it is scarcely
a canyon now. It is not nearly so steep, the hills are not
so high. Every vestige of rock has disappeared. Farm
houses stand here and there, giving a solid appearance to
tue country, that is just now attracting so mucu attention.
Spreading out over the hills are the broad acres that pro
duce all the immense volume of wheat that Sherman coun
ty boasts of. A band of horses, some cattle or other live
stock may be seen at a distance another great evidence of
the! wealth of this country.
considerably better than half a million dollars. Daily
heavy freight teams leave their depot with great loads of
supplies for other portions ot Sherman county.
Wasco was first thought oi as a town in 1883. It was
platted by Chas. Dunlap in the month of May, and a better
site coulu not have been chosen. Situated near the head
of Spanish Hollow, it is comparatively level, yet sloping
enough that the drainage is excellent. Not only for this
reason is the situation so good, but the general topography
of the country is such that all roads easily aivl naturally
lead to it. It was intended by nature as a business center.
Gradually sloping back, and those same sloping hills al
ways covered with wheat fields.
Wasco has never built up rapidly. It has been a steady
growth, and one that is healthy. It will never recede, but
rather, as the country grows, developes and gets older, it
will keep on a pace always ahead. It will always be the
supply point of this vast wheat country tributary to it.
. The first building to be erected in Wasco was a store
building by W. M. Barnett, the pioneer merchant of Sher
man county. He has been continuously in the business
since 1880. He has acquired considerable property, and to
day his business is large in its proportions.
Mr. Barnett was closely folowed by Messrs. MacKenzie &
Somer, with a machine shop. Mr. MacKenzie's mother was
the -.first white woman to live in the city. These people
were followed next j-ear by Messrs. Tozier & Holland, also
blacksmiths. Mr. Tozier is still in business.
The same year the M. E. Church was built. In 1897
Messrs. Webber & Armsworthy associated together in the
general merchandise business, and Mr. Webber still con
ducts the business, having enlarged it until his store has
W - .. t
- - T
STREET SCENE IN WASCO.
Again the clarion tones of the whistle are heard, and
houses begin to flash in sight. The bell clangs, the train
slows up, and after having traveled ten miles, Wasco is
reached. Looking about, the visitor is impressed with the
amount of business apparent. On every hand are new
houses, both business and dwelling. Many are finished,
others under construction.. It is harvest field .for mechan
ics. The sound of the hammer is incessant. Looking about
the railroad yards, the immense volume of business is more
apparent than ever. The tracks extend along one side, of
the town for nearly a mile, and every available foot of this
space is taken up by warehouses, woodyards anu business
features of different sorts. Huge ricks of wheat, amount
ing to over a million and a half bushels,are stored here dur
ing the year for shipment. During all of the autumn
months and far into the winter heavy wheat trains, four,
six, eight and ten horses, withi two or three heavy wagons,
come in, bring in thousands of sacks daily. Indeed four
hundred of these teams have been counted in one day. It
takes almost an army, of men to handle all this produce, to
say nothing of the large quantity of other freight that goes
out as well as comes in. The( Columbia Southern: hauls
all the freight into the county, and it amounts yearly to
almost the appearance of a department store.
- During the same year L. Armsworthy built the Oskaloosa
Hotel, which still caters to public taste.
Later came Jos. Marsh with a - drug " store, Dr. S. B.
Koontz, Jas. Haas, a contractor, followed by a considerable
contingent, of people, many of whom are yet Wasco's best
and most honored residents. . . .
In 1888 agitation was begun and Sherman county was
formed, with Wasco as a . temporary county seat, which
it retained until 1892: -From the formation of Sherman
county, Wasco's growth has been steady. Shortly after
this came more business houses, etc. And in 1892 the Sher
man bounty bank was founded. Its stockholders are the
best' business men and farmers in. and about Wasco.' Its
officers are conservative buiness men; John Medler, presi
dent, and V. C. Brock, cashier, are men who have long, been
identified with 'the. best interests of the city, and they have
the confidence of all the people. '' Under their direction the
Sherman County . Bank is one of . the most solid .financial
institutions in the country. .... .
Since 1892 hard .times, all over the country have. left their
mark everywhere. But. Wasco' has felt it really, but very
little, compared .with other places., It is. during the past year
that Wasco has made her rapid, growth. She has more than
doubled : her population and the amount of . business has
doubled up in an amazing fashion.The first starting of
this growth was the commencement of the Columbia South
ern Railway. And the projectors of this line deserve es
pecial credit for the persistent manner in which they prose
cuted their project until they saw success crown their ef
forts and began to transport freight to and from Wasco.
This road is without doubt the best paying piece of rail
road property in Oregon. Since the line began to operate
in October, over 1000 loaded cars have been hauled out,
and an equal proportion in. Its officials have interested
theselves in Sherman county, and, business like, have
nothing undone that will help the development of the coun
try. Both Mr. Lytle and Mr. O'Reilly have been identified
with best roads in the United States for many years, and
their experience and business energy has done more to
develop business and build up Wasco than any other men
who have made it taeir objective point.
About the time, or rather before the railroad proposi
tion was agitated a company of five, namely: Geo. Cross
field, A. C. Sanford. E. M. Williams. W. A. Johnston and
E. O. McCoy, formed a corporation known as the Oregon
Trading Company, for the purpose of doing a general mer
chandise business. Mr. Crosfield has the management, and
his business amounts to many thousands of dollars yearly.
This firm occupies the finest store building in the town.
Anotner splendid business started in the past year is the
Union Lumber Company, under the management of Mr.
L. Clark. And at the same time the Wasco Lumber Com
pany, with Mr. G. A. Vananda as manager, was started.
The amount of business these two companies have done
since they have begun, makes one pause and wonder how
a small county can use so much material. Car load after
carload of building material, wood, coal all kinds of sup
plies comes to these firms, and yet it goes out in a rush.
Much of their lumber has been used in building up Wasco.
There are three immense warehouses. The Columbia
Commercial Company being the largest. Then follow the
Farmers Co-Operative Warehouse Association and W. M.
Barnett. These warehouses handle the immense wheat
crop, and during the season that it moves employ a small
army of men.
Two drug stores and three physicians look after the
welfare of the people. One of these stores that of Marsh
& Medler and Drs. Edgington & Hartley, have been in the
town for considerable time. Dr. II. II. Sutcliffe has recent
ly located.
The traveling public is looked after by two hotels and a
restaurant. The hotels are old established, and the busi
ness they do is probably the best index to the enormous
business done in the town that could be found. Not a day
passes that they are not crowded to their utmost capacity,
and often to overflowing.
Four blacksmith shops do the iron work of the communi
ty as large. These are not small concerns, and their bus
iness amounts to many thousand dollars each year. Two
of these shops employ several men, and do a great deal of
new work.
The handsomest business house in town isH. Krause's
harness shop. He virtually supplies the whole country,
and his good work and honest dealing makes it hard for
competition to live.
An undertaking establishment, with Mr. Geo. Pulliam
as proprietor, takes splendid care of all the business In that
line.
Like all towns in Eastern Oregon. Wasco supports an ele
gant butcher shop. Naturally adapted to stock raising,
the country produces the very best meat ever put on the
market.
An immense livery stable under the management of J.
M. Hoag, does a rushing business all the time.
Other business of the town consists of a neat little sta
tionery store at the postoffice owned by Mrs. Mary Jory;
Golden & Andrews, confectionery store; Davis & Westfall,
Monogram cigar store; and Mrs. J. E. Taylor's millinery
store, as well as real estate offices, a newspaper, and a
law office. Indeed attorney Bright has a practice that
is immense in its proportions.
Wasco is well supplied with secret societies, there being
eight, besides numerous charitable and religious organiza
tions. She is lucky that she has no saloons, and not much
likelihood that there will be any. Though she has all the
amusements necessary, consisting of whist rooms, billiard
rooms, and of course a bowling alley. No town would be
metropolitan without that.
Her schools are only equalled never excelled. A' large
handsome school building has been erected in a prominent
part of town, and under the guidance of county school
superintendent W. J. Peddicord, the lads and lassies have
every advantage possible to acquire a good education. It
is the highest graded school in the county, being on the
accedited list of the State University at Eugene, and the
Normal School at Monmouth. Many people have been at-,
tracted to Wasco on account of its exceptional educational
facilities.
Taking all in- all, Wasco is a pleasant place to be in.
Elegant houses, good society, courteous business men. and
congenial surroundings are strong magnets that draw peo
ple to it. Its prospects for the future are brighter as time
advances. It will always be an attractive place.