mahrtf
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.
FRED MAHRT is one of the wealthy
agriculturists of Lincoln county. His home place, which is a fine
estate, lies four miles south west from Reardan and bears the marks of
being handled with skill, thrift, and wisdom.
Fred Mahrt was born in Wisconsin, on May 20,
1860, being the son of John and Margaret (Jaeger) Mahrt, natives of Germany.
They came to the United States when young and settled in Wisconsin, where
they were married. To them, eight children have been born, three
boys and five girls. The parents are both deceased. Our subject
was the third child and received his education from the public schools
of Wisconsin. When fourteen years of age, he quit the school room
for the farm and labored three years in Wisconsin. Then he journeyed
to Sabula, Iowa, where he farmed for three years. It was 1880, when
he arrived in what is now Lincoln county and for one year was employed
on the Northern Pacific railroad then took up a timber culture claim and
a homestead later. Very few settlers were in this section when Mr.
Mahrt located and he is well acquainted with the life of the pioneer, its
hardships and labors. He has given his attention to grain and stock
raising since coming here and has achieved a most excellent success.
In 1888 he went to Wisconsin and there married Miss Emma Steffen of Newburg,
Washington county. To them eight children have been born, Annie and
Margaret, twins; William, August, George, Florence, Alice, and an infant
unnamed. Mr. Mahrt has improved his estate with first class buildings,
fences, orchard and so forth. About one hundred acres are devoted
to pasture and the balance is all first class grain land. He started
in the Big Bend country with very little capital and he has been rewarded
for his thrift and industry and has a large holding at the present time.
In addition to the other industries mentioned, Mr. Mahrt is handling a
fifty cow dairy, probably the largest in the county.
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