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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.


     DAMIAN WAGNER is certainly to be classed as one of the early pioneers of Lincoln county, since he located here in 1883, over twenty years ago.  He has labored assiduously since those early days of settlement in all the stages of development through which the country has passed, ever doing well his part in development and upbuilding as a capable and faithful citizen.  Mr. Wagner now dwells about six miles south from Wilbur where he has a magnificent estate of eight hundred acres.  The nucleus of this was taken as a homestead and a timber culture claim in the days when the coyotes were the chief companions of the hardy pioneers who weathered the rebuffs of nature to bring under the pale of civilization this fertile country.  Mr. Wagner wrought with wisdom and continuity of purpose and the result is that he is now one of the highly respected citizens, possessed of a fine competence, and a man of influence.
     Damian Wagner was born in Baden, Germany, on May 27, 1845, being the son of Leanhard and Katherine (Wagner) Wagner, both natives of Germany.  The former came to Illinois when our subject was an infant and there the father was soon recognized as one of the prominent men as he had been in his native land.  Our subject received his early education in Belville, Illinois, and at the time of the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted in Company H, Ninety-seventh Illinois, being in the Thirteenth Army Corps of the Second Brigade.  He served with distinction under General Andrews in the Mobile and Red River Campaigns and at the close of the war received an honorable discharge.  He then gave his attention to the quieter occupation of tilling the soil in Illinois, then came on to Missouri, and finally in 1883, as stated above, he located in Lincoln county, Washington.  In addition to general farming, Mr. Wagner gives considerable attention to raising first class blooded stock and has a fine herd at the present time.
     In Missouri, in 1874, Mr. Wagner married Miss Christine Beck, a native of Germany, and to them have been born the following children, Katherine, Caroline Drumheller, George, Ledwine, Lenhard, Annie, deceased, Robert, deceased, Charles, deceased, and Frank.
 

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