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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.
RICHARD HILTON, although one
of the younger men of Garfield county, has made a record, of which men
of three score and ten might well be proud. He is today one of the
wealthy property owners in this part of the country and is doing a large
business in general merchandise at Pataha City. An account of his
life can but be interesting to all and it is with pleasure that we append
the same.
Richard J. Hilton was born in California,
on May 15, 1874. His father, F. W. Hilton, was a native of Michigan
and came to California as one of the "fortyniners." He followed freighting
for many years and had some very thrilling experiences and wild adventures
with the Indians and in other ways during those early days. He married
Maggie Hartman who was a native of San Jose, California, her parents also
being among the early settlers in the Golden State. When a lad, our
subject was brought by his parents to Pendleton, Oregon, and a short time
thereafter, they moved to the Cold Spring country, about twenty miles out
from Pendleton. There the father of our subject built the first school
house in that part of the country. The educational chances for Richard
were very limited indeed but he possessed a spirit that pressed him forward
to the improvement of what he had and that has constantly given him interest
in research and study since, so that he has come to be one of the well
informed men of the country. When fourteen years of age, the family
moved to Columbia county and two years later, our subject started out on
the voyage of life for himself. His first venture was working on
the farms of the neighbors for wages and for five years continued doing
that with a persevering tenacity which few possess. In 1896 Mr. Hilton
went to Lincoln county in Washington and selected a homestead near Creston.
When he went to Spokane to file on the land, he found he lacked two dollars
and fifty cents of having enough to pay the fees. The kindly receiver
at the land office, however, trusted him for the balance which in due time
was paid promptly. From Spokane, Mr. Hilton went afoot without a
penny, clear to Waitsburg Washington, where he secured a job and seen earned
enough to enable him to improve his homestead in good shape and in 1902,
he sold that property and removed to Pomeroy. Here he bought five
hundred and twenty acres, built two beautiful residences, made other improvements
and sold the place soon after. In January, 1903, he was appointed
postmaster to Pataha City and has given excellent satisfaction in that
office since. At that time, he started a general merchandise store
there and has made a success in that venture. Among the property
that Mr. Hilton owns, may mentioned eighteen hundred acres of land five
miles west from Starbuck, town property at Leland, Idaho and at Starbuck,
Washington, and also much in Pataha City. He has shown himself a
thorough and capable business man, stirring, energetic and always abreast
of the times. Being a man of excellent information, he is able to
take advantage of every opportunity that offers and has thereby gained
his present princely holding.
In 1894 Mr. Hilton married Miss Dora Montgomery,
who was born and raised in Waitsburg. Her father, William Montgomery,
was one of the early pioneers of Walla Walla county, and was a prominent
citizen there. To this union four children have been born, Louis
D., Lola, Laura and Clarence L.
Mr. Hilton started in 1896 with scarcely a
dollar. Inside of eight years he has accumulated a property worth
many thousands of dollars and has met and overcome in the meantime much
adversity and opposition that would have swamped a man of ordinary ability.
After thus overcoming in all these trying places, he is today a better
and stronger man and is ready to meet even greater difficulties than has
been mentioned, and judging the future by the past, he will make a brilliant
record for himself.
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