Holdenjh
Transcribed from "History of North Washington, an illustrated history
of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties", published by Western
Historical Publishing Co., 1904.
JAMES H. HOLDEN, one of the rich
mining men of Chelan county, has been instrumental in carrying forward
this industry in such a successful manner that he has added great interest
and impetus to it, which has brought prominence and wealth to this county.
He was born in Springfield, Minnesota, on
March 13, 1860, being the son of John and Margaret (Blansfield) Holden,
natives of New York and Ireland, respectively, and now living in Denison,
Iowa, the former aged seventy-four and the latter eighty. Our subject
has one brother, Joseph, and one sister, Nellie Wassan. James H.
received his education in New York state and at the age of nineteen came
west to Nevada and engaged in the mines at Virginia City and other points.
Later, he went to California and entered the office of his uncle, a prominent
attorney in San Francisco. After some time spent in this capacity,
he returned to New York and opened a grocery, which was later burned.
Following that, he came to Iowa and worked in the store for some years.
Being economically inclined Mr. Holden saved considerable money and went
into business again. Later he sold his interest to his partner and
came to Denver. He traveled to various portions of Colorado, finally
went to sampling ore for a leading smelter. After this, with two
partners, he located the Colorado central mines and in a short time was
sampling ore on his own property. In thirteen months they took out sixty-four
thousand dollars' worth of ore, and later Mr. Holden spent the greater
portion of it in various mining interests. After this he came to
Seattle and went to work clerking at fifty dollars per month, and six months
later he was at Port Angeles, receiving one hundred and fifty dollars per
month. Some months after that he went into business for himself again.
He operated in various capacities in business for himself, sometimes gaining,
and sometimes meeting with adversity, until 1884, when he went to the Chelan
country. He went away once and returned in 1896, in July of which
year he located the Big Holden mines on Railroad creek. Some idea
of the extensive ore deposits of these mines may be gathered from the fact
that the owners have contracted to furnish the smelter that is to be put
in on Railroad creek with five hundred thousand tons of smelting ore.
A road is to be graded to the property and it promises to be one of the
large mines of the northwest.
On April 11, 1898, at Chelan, Mr. Holden married
Miss Alma Lord, and one child, J. Harold, has been born to them.