Kahloww  
 

Transcribed from "History of North Washington, an illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties", published by Western Historical Publishing Co., 1904.


     WILLIAM R. KAHLOW owns a fine estate adjoining the town of Alma, Okanogan county.  In addition to general farming and stock raising, he operates a good hotel and feed stable.  He is also proprietor of a ferry.  He is one of the well known and substantial men of the county and has shown a commendable spirit in his labors for building up the country.
     William R. Kahlow was born in Prussia, Germany, on September 27, 1838, the son of Frederick and Mary (Richter) Kahlow, both natives of the same place in the Fatherland.  On June 21, 1851, they came to Henderson, Sibley county, Minnesota, being among the earliest settlers there.  The father and mother were the same age, were married when about twenty, lived together happily until seventy-five and then died on nearly the same date.  Our subject was educated in the public schools where he lived in his youthful days, and as soon as he was able, he began working on the rivers.  In 1862, he volunteered to fight the Indians and was in the horrible massacre of 1862, during the battle of Birch Coulee, where eighteen were killed and forty-five wounded out of 150 men, or where twenty-four hundred white people were killed, as history gives it.  He received a slight wound.  For some time after the slaughter he was busy assisting in burying the dead.  In 1868 Mr. Kahlow came to San Francisco, having gone via New York, Graytown, in Nicaragua, and Costa Rico, thence crossing the Andes.  Later he was in Portland, then went to Alsea, Benton county, Oregon, where he bought a farm, but which he sold later.  He now owns four hundred and eighty acres of valuable land, all under cultivation, near Pasco, in Franklin county, Washington.  In addition to farming, he was engaged on the construction of the Oregon and California railway, and later was contracting on the western part of the Northern Pacific, under the superintendence of H. H. McCartney and later H. W. Fairweather.  After this he was in Pasco, and in 1890 he came to his present home place, where he bought one hundred and sixty acres located at the mouth of Salmon creek.  It was known as Salmon Jim's ranch, the first Indian ranch in the county.  He has his place well irrigated and raises alfalfa and other hay, besides handling stock.  His farm is well improved and he has a large eleven room residence, which he utilizes for his hotel building.
     In October, 1864, Mr. Kahlow married Miss Lois, a daughter of Thomas and Maria (Dickenson) Harvey, now deceased.  Mrs. Kahlow was born in St. John, New Brunswick, and four children are the fruit of this marriage: Alma, wife of Captain C. Hanson, of Seattle; William H.; Bert, deceased; Ione, wife of Ansel S. Griggs, vice-president of the Columbia & Okanogan Steamboat Company of Wenatchee.  Alma was the first postmistress of Okanogan county and from her the town of Alma is named.