stevensont
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.
THOMAS G. STEVENSON is one of
the most widely known pioneers of eastern Washington. In the fall
of 1879 he came with a team and wagon from Nevada to Spokane Falls, now
the city of Spokane, which at that time contained only a few primitive
frame and log houses. He came thence to Lincoln county, then practically
unsettled, and located a homestead one and a half miles east of the present
Reardan townsite. He has now four hundred and eighty acres of choice
grain land, good buildings and improvements and a fine orchard. Upon
his advent here he engaged at once in farming and stock raising.
Having at that time only $2.50 in money and three horses, he of necessity
started in on a small scale, and naturally experienced many hardships and
difficulties in gaining a foothold. However, he worked hard and to
advantage, so that he now lives a life of ease and retirement, devoting
his time to the collection of rents from his farm and city property, the
latter consisting of five tenement houses and one brick business block
in Reardan, and in the general management of his business affairs.
Mr. Stevenson was born June 5, 1852, in Quebec,
the son of Robert and Isabella (Gray) Stevenson, both now dead. He
grew to manhood on a farm and acquired a good education. In the spring
of 1869 he went to New York, and from there sailed to San Francisco, by
way of the Panama route. After spending some time among the various
mines in California he went to Nevada where he was employed in the Comstock
and other famous mines, of one of which he was for a time foreman, remaining
there until coming to this state.
On February 16, 1896, occurred the marriage
of Mr. Stevenson to Emma Tramm, a native of Wisconsin, daughter of Peter
and Mary Tramm, a sketch of whose lives is to be found elsewhere in this
volume. This union has been blessed by three children, Irene Ethel,
Wallace G. and Herbert Franklin.
Mr. Stevenson is a Democrat politically, and
has held for a number of years the office of county commissioner of Lincoln
county. He is actively and prominently identified with the Maccabees,
the Rebekahs and is past noble grand of Reardan lodge, I. O. O. F.
He is a man of integrity and of the highest
standing, business, social and political, wherever he has been known.
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