Rinehartj  
 
 

Transcribed from "History of North Washington, an illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties", published by Western Historical Publishing Co., 1904.

     JONATHAN CHARLES RINEHART resides about ten miles northeast from Oroville, where the family estate of four hundred and eighty acres lies.  He was born on February 23, 1855, in Steuben county, Indiana, the son of Christopher and Lydia Ann (Taylor) Rinehart, natives of Pennsylvania.  There were three other children in the family, Benjamin, Mrs. Lucinda Foster, and Caleb.  Our subject's grandmother, Taylor, lived to be nearly ninety years of age.  She was the mother of eleven children, had ninety-nine grandchildren, sixty great-grandchildren, forty great-great-grandchildren, and twenty great-great-great-grandchildren.  In 1864, our subject came with his parents to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  The next year they moved to southwestern Missouri and in 1869, crossed the plains with wagons to Oregon City.  In 1871, they came to Umatilla county and in June, 1878, the father died near Weston, aged sixty-six.  The mother afterwards married Mr. Johnson and is now living near Hardwick, Oregon.  In 1876, our subject came to the Fraser river and being an expert rider followed breaking horses.  In 1878, he returned to Oregon and fought through the Bannock war.  In one battle, where he participated, five men were killed.  The next year he went to Butte, Montana.  He had a good race horse and being a sprinter himself, traveled through various towns of that country, racing.  He was also engaged in hunting and was known as "Antelope Charley."  From there he came to Okanogan, in 1884, prospecting.  He discovered the placer diggings on Granite creek and took out considerable gold.  In 1886, he returned to the Flat Head valley, Montana and did packing.  He visited his mother in 1887, then took up sheep raising in Oregon but lost heavily during the hard winter of 1889-90.  He located where he now lives in 1895, and now has a good band of cattle and horses and a large number of hogs.  Mr. Rinehart married an Indian woman and they have two children, George and Isabel.