Biography of Commodore P Ragsdale
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| Commodore P. Ragsdale, the leading agriculturalist and stock raiser in the southern portion of Sherman county, resides four and one-half miles northeast of Kent. He was born in Missouri, December 7, 1869, the son of Christopher and Mary L. (Hampton) Ragsdale, both natives of Missouri. The father was born while his parents were moving to Missouri, just over the state line. He died in 1894, in Portland, Oregon. The mother, a native of Missouri, is a descendant of an old Virginia family, her father having been a resident of that state. She at present lives at Moro, Sherman county. The parents of our subject came to the Willamette valley from Missouri when he was four years of age. In Polk county, near Sheridan, the father secured land, but when our subject was twelve years of age his parents removed to Sherman county, and here he attended the public schools, where he laid the foundation of an excellent business education, and began the world for himself. When sixteen years old he worked at farming and freighting, and when only eighteen purchased land near Moro, a half a section, and this he farmed successfully until he was married. He then dispose of this property and migrated to Benton county, Oregon, where he engaged in hop raising, purchasing three hundred and ninety acres of land, paying eight thousand dollars for the same; four thousand dollars in cash. At the termination of three years he became insolvent and returned to Sherman county where he engaged in the sheep business. He purchased his stock on time and was eminently successful in this enterprise. In November, 1900, he purchased a section and a half of land, leased six and a quarter sections more and at present cultivates two thousand acres. The remainder of this land is devoted to pasture. He has now a band of four thousand sheep, twenty head of cattle and seventy head of horses. In the prosecution of his extensive farm work he employs forty head of horses. He owns a combined harvester and all other modern implements necessary for large-scale farming in the west. February 29, 1892, at Wasco, our subject was married to Junia E. Rigdon, a native of Nebraska, the daughter of Charles and Lida Rigdon. Her father was a native of Ohio and now lives in Lincoln county, Oregon. Mr. Ragsdale has three brothers and one sister; William H., an attorney at Moro, and a graduate of the State Normal School at Monmouth; Charles, residing in Idaho; Ray, living at Moro with his parents; Elsie, single, also living at home. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Ragsdale; Edna, aged eleven; Cordon, aged nine, and a babe, Allegra, aged nine months. These are all living. Vera died February 10, 1900, aged two years and six months. The fraternal affiliations of Mr. Ragsdale are with the A.O.U.W., of Moro, and the M.W.A., of Kent. Politically he is a Republican, quite active in the interests of his party. He has twice been elected a delegate to county conventions and last year was a delegate to the Republican state convention at Portland. He is, also, a leading and influential member of the Wool Growers Association, of Wasco county. He is a young man of fine executive ability and superior business talents, popular with all classes and highly esteemed by all.
Shaver, F. A., Arthur P. Rose, R. F. Steele, and A. E. Adams, compilers. "An Illustrated History of Central Oregon." ("Embracing Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam, Wheeler, Crook, Lake, & Klamath Counties") Spokane, WA: Western Historical Publishing Co., 1905. p. 523. Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in January 2007 by Diana Smith. Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.   Get a FREE guestbook here!
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