fishere
Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The
Big Bend Country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin counties,
State of Washington", published by Western Historical Publishing
Co., 1904.
ELI C. FISHER is not only a pioneer
of Douglas county, but is also a pioneer in fruit raising in the county.
He commenced early in the industry and has been a careful student and active
worker along those lines until the present time. The wise effort
put forth during these years has not been without result as the present
holdings of Mr. Fisher, which will be mentioned later, will abundantly
testify, as will, also, the excellent results achieved by those in the
county who have followed his suggestions. It was in 1886, that Mr.
Fisher settled on his present place, three miles north from Riverview.
He has added to the estate until it is now of the generous proportions
of five hundred and sixty acres. He has done general farming as the
years went by, but his main attention has been directed to the culture
and production of first-class fruit. He has now over two thousand
trees of the leading varieties of apples, peaches, pears, plums, quinces
and apricots as well as five hundred vines of grapes and many nut trees,
as Black and English varieties of walnuts, almonds, chestnuts, and so forth.
Mr. Fisher has a fine large fruit dryer, a cider mill and also a winery
and handles these products commercially. A steamboat landing is on
the place which renders transportation easy and he is well situated for
comfort in life and for commercial advantage. The estate is irrigated
by a current wheel which supplies all the water from the Columbia needed.
Mr. Fisher has experimented well and skillfully and although he uses irrigation,
he makes this statement, after long years of careful study and experimentation:
"Fruits raised without irrigation are better flavored, will hang on the
trees longer and will ship better."
Speaking more particularly of the personal
career of our subject we notice that he was born in Monroe county, Ohio,
on June 24, 1846. His parents were Barak and Susan (Carmichael) Fisher,
natives also of the Buckeye State. During the youthful days of his
life he studied in the log cabin school house near his native place and
when seventeen stepped forth into the world for himself. The following
five years were spent in Illinois and later he dwelt in Arkansas, after
which he journeyed west to Oregon. From that state he came to Douglas
county and here he has remained since. Part of his land was taken
under the old timber culture act and the remainder was purchased.
Mr. Fisher has two brothers and one sister, John, who fought in Company
D, Seventeenth Iowa; Bennett L., and Mrs. Mary A. Crains.
In Spokane, this state, on February 15, 1886,
Mr. Fisher married Miss Charlotte S., daughter of Christian and Helen (Laman)
Myer, natives of Norway. Mrs. Fisher was born in Bergen, Norway on
March 22, 1862, and has one sister and one brother, Ferdinand, a veteran
of the Rebellion; Mrs. C. E. Helsen. To Mr. and Mrs. Fisher there
have been born four children, Elisa H., on September 24, 1887; Francis
L., on July 16, 1890; Eli J., on February 16, 1895; Susan C., on November
17, 1897. All were born on the farm in this county. Mr. Fisher
and his wife favor the Christian church but are not members.
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