Wheelere
Transcribed from "History of North Washington, an illustrated history
of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties", published by Western
Historical Publishing Co., 1904.
EMERY P. WHEELER is a well known
and prominent mining man of Okanogan county. His residence is on Mineral
Hill, near Conconully, and in addition to various mining properties which
will be more fully mentioned hereafter, he owns a quarter section of land,
well improved, in this county.
Emery P. Wheeler was born in Whitingham, Vermont,
on January 10, 1848, the son of Ephraim and Hannah (Davidson) Wheeler,
both natives of Whitingham, Vermont. The mother died in 1884, aged
seventy-eight, but the father is living in his native place, aged eighty-seven.
Our subject received a good commercial education and remained with his
parents until 1874; then he came via New York and Panama to San Francisco,
where he was engaged in a mercantile business, first as salesman, then
embarked for himself at Bakersfield, in the same state. In 1884 he
came to Spokane and did business for two years, then began prospecting
in British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, and Washington. He was one of
the first to make location on Mineral Hill and was the organizer of the
Mineral Hill Mining company, which owns sixteen claims on the hill, covering
the main ledge which goes through the apex of the mountain. They
did about two thousand feet of prospect work before deciding upon their
permanent development work and now have one thousand feet done on their
main tunnel. Their ledge has large assays in gold, silver and copper,
silver predominating. Mr. Wheeler is manager and Dr. Jacob May, of
Connecticut, and several other eastern men are interested in the property.
They are pushing development work rapidly and it is supposed the mine will
soon be a shipper. Mr. Wheeler is also interested in copper properties
with Spokane capitalists.
In 1873, at North Adams, Massachusetts, where
Mr. Wheeler was doing some business at the time, he married Miss Jennie
L. Wheeler. While of the same name he and his wife are not related
by blood. Her parents, Zachariah and Caroline Wheeler, are both natives
of Vermont. To Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler three children have been born,
Maude L., Bertha M. and Arthur E. Mr. Wheeler is one of the responsible
mining men of the country and is well and favorably known.