Wentworthj  
 
 

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


     JOHN M. WENTWORTH, who is proprietor of the Wentworth hotel in Loomis, one of the leading hostelries of Okanogan county, was born in November, 1859, and is a prominent and influential mining man of the northwest.  He came to this section when it was very new and has labored assiduously in mining most of the time since and a number of large and valuable properties well developed are evidence of his industry and wisdom.
     Levant Wentworth was born on July 18, 1831, and his father, Uriah Wentworth, served in the Black Hawk war.  Levant Wentworth was reared in Illinois, went to Nebraska and enlisted in Company I, Second Nebraska Cavalry, on November 17, 1862, for nine months, but served one year and two days.  He was in General Sully's command, holding the Indians in check.  He participated in the battle of White Stone Lake and after his discharge returned to Dakota county, Nebraska.  In 1886, he went to Denver, in 1887 came to Walla Walla, thence to Spokane county, and in 1888 came on to Okanogan county where he engaged in mining and prospecting.  He and his wife are now living in Loomis.  Mr. Wentworth states that he has made and lost a great deal of money but five dollars which was the first money that he ever earned and which was lost gave him more pain than all the rest together.  He owns the Iron Mask, a valuable copper property, and has it well developed; also he has other mining interests.
     To Mr. and Mrs. Wentworth were born five children; George E., a noted horseman;  John M., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Clara Wilson; Herbert; and William.  Our subject remained with his parents until they reached Okanogan but had done mining work in various parts before that.  In 1878 he took ore out of the gulch where the Bunker Hill and Sullivan is in Idaho but made no location.  He was in various sections of the northwest engaged in different occupations, mining principally, and in the fall of 1888 began mining in Okanogan county.  He was foreman and general manager in the Rush mining company, and on one occasion fell one hundred and sixty-five feet in the shaft.  He owns one half interest in the Copper World, a valuable property with about three thousand dollars worth of development done.  The ledge is one hundred feet wide and shows excellent values.  He also has an interest in the Georgia and Hercules, which are showing fine, as well as in The Lone Pine and the Tuff Nut.  In 1896 Mr. Wentworth bought his present hotel, a good property, which he has been operating successfully since.  It has twenty sleeping apartments besides other rooms and is a popular place with the traveling public.  In 1886 Mr. Wentworth married Miss Mary Domer, a native of Indiana.