Trippt
Transcribed from "History of North Washington, an illustrated history
of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties", published by Western
Historical Publishing Co., 1904.
TALMAN TRIPP, a farmer and dairyman
of Mission creek, Chelan county, was born in Missouri, March 15, 1845.
His father, Talman Tripp, a native of Maine, was of an old and prominent
family in that state. He died in 1863. His mother, Ann (Doty)
Tripp, was born in Ohio, dying in Butte, Montana, 1892.
Missouri was the scene of our subject's early
exploits, and there he attended public schools and worked on farms until
the age of twenty-seven. His father was assassinated by robbers while
he was returning home from a visit to a neighboring town. In 1864
our subject enlisted in the confederate service, in General Price's command,
and served until the close of the Civil war. He then engaged in ranching
and in 1878 removed to Oregon, settling in the Antelope valley, where he
remained two years. He then came to Ellensburg, Washington, engaged
for awhile in mining, and subsequently pre-empted one hundred and sixty
acres of land. In 1882 he disposed of the same and came to Wenatchee
valley, where he homesteaded a quarter section, lying about a mile from
what is now the center of Wenatchee. This place he improved, remained
there seven years, purchased an interest in a saw mill, lost $5,000 within
one year, and then came to Mission creek, where he purchased two hundred
and forty acres of railroad land for his daughter. Between forty
and fifty acres of this are under cultivation, devoted to fruit, alfalfa
and cattle raising. Mr. Tripp usually winters forty or fifty head
of cattle. The present season he has rented this property.
Our subject has three brothers and two sisters
living, Warren, William, and James, of Montana; Anna Wicks, of Oklahoma,
and Mattie, wife of Charles Thompson, of Kansas City, Missouri. He
was married in Holt county, Missouri, to Arzilla Brusha, a native of Misouri.
Her parents were Joseph and Harriett (Hunt) Brusha. Our subject has
one child, Eva, living with her mother at Ballard, Washington. Mr.
Tripp is a Democrat, and for six years was school director in Wenatchee,
Washington. Mrs. Tripp has four brothers and two sisters, Jacob,
of Kansas, John, an Oklahoma farmer, Ezra, of Mission, Elmer, of Almira
Washington, Ida, single, and Cora B., wife of William W. Lee, of Wenatchee.
In 1880 Mr. Tripp came to the Wenatchee valley,
then returned to Ellensburg, whence he came back here in 1882. His
wife and daughter Eva accompanied him this time. He located a homestead
of one-quarter section, part of it being included in the Wenatchee townsite
now. They built a house from a ferry caught in the river. Mrs.
Tripp was the first white woman to live in the valley and she cooked the
first Christmas dinner. The guests at this occasion were Jacob Bolinbaugh
and wife, David Freer and family, Samuel, Phillip, and George Miller, Thomas
Dook, C. Ferguson, and Ralph Putman.