Transcribed from "History of North Washington, an illustrated history
of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties", published by Western
Historical Publishing Co., 1904.
WILLIAM L. SANDERS is operating
a dairy farm about two miles west of Lakeside and is one of the prosperous
men of the Chelan country He was one of the earliest settlers of the Chelan
district, and has been closely connected with the settlement and development
of the county, ever laboring with a strong hand and wise counsel for general
upbuilding and improvement.
William L. Sanders was born in Iowa on November
23, 1861, the son of Dexter D. and Irene (Brunson) Sanders, natives of
New York and Vermont, respectively, and now living at Red Oak, Iowa, retired
from active life. They are both descendants of prominent American
families, and the father's father was a patriot of the War of 1812. The
first eighteen years of our subject's life were spent in Iowa, three years
in Fayette, and then fifteen in Montgomery county. After he graduated
from the high school at Red Oak, he took up mining in Colorado. Next
we see him logging in the vicinity of Seattle, after which he went to Walla
Walla and harvested through the Palouse country and then started to Lake
Coeur d' Alene. He prospected on the south fork of the Coeur d' Alene
river part of the summer, and was not successful. Then he spent some
time prospecting in the Pend Oreille Lake country. In July, 1884,
he went to the Columbia river below the mouth of the Spokane, and securing
a skiff made of three boards, began a voyage on that mighty stream.
Utterly oblivious of the dangers that awaited him on the jagged rocks and
rapids, he finally came to the ferry of Wild Goose Bill, a noted character
of the Columbia valley. This enterprising pioneer not wanting any
assistance, Mr. Sanders again took to his frail craft and that night slept
under a choke cherry tree, which fruit supplied his supper and breakfast.
The next day he spied a little tent upon the bank, and, upon rowing thither,
found Henry Dumke engaged in placer mining. Mr. Dumke proposed a
partnership right away, and Mr. Sanders gave him two dollars and ninety-five
cents, his total cash capital, for half interest in the "grub stake." They
worked faithfully for two weeks, then cleaned up fifty cents. Not
being impressed with this method of making money, they gathered their outfit
together, and started down the river, having one cayuse as a pack animal.
At the mouth of the Okanogan they tried to get the Indians to ferry them
across, but their charges were seven dollars and fifty cents, which was
seven dollars more than the total cash of our travelers. Mr. Dumke
argued and offered them their gold dust and a gallon of syrup and a two
gallon camp kettle but the Indians were obdurate. While Mr. Dumke
was eloquently arguing his side of the case, the Indian and squaw who had
paddled across to them became indignant and walked away. Mr. Sanders
plunged a stick in the can of syrup and drew it across the lips of the
squaw while he held her. As soon as she began to taste the treacle,
she cried," Kloshe," "Kloshe," (good, good). The deal was closed,
and our pilgrims were soon on the north side of the Columbia. They
wandered through the Okanogan country, crossed the Methow, and from the
top of the divide west of Lake Chelan, discovered that body of water about
forty miles from the foot of the lake. The men started down the canyon
towards the lake, and while enroute, the unfortunate cayuse fell over a
precipice, and his name, Prince, is the name of the canyon to this day.
Arriving at the lake they made canoes, paddled down to the foot and located
on Mr. Sanders' present home in August, 1884. They did work for the
Indians down by the Entiat and secured food for winter, which both spent
on the banks of Lake Chelan. Mr. Dumke built a sawmill on the edge
of the lake at Dumke's Falls and later became discouraged and left the
country. Our subject stayed on his present place, proved up, then
for a decade went mining in various sections of the county and in 1900
came back to Chelan and started his present business. Mr. Sanders
has two brothers and four sisters: Julius M., Robert B., Ida Harrett, Minnie
M., Alice C., and Jennie M.
On July 6, 1898, at Seattle, Mr. Sanders married
Mrs. Nellie J. Olcott (Neeley) Hamilton. Her parents were George
and Maria (Martin) Hamilton. One child, Tracy, was born to Mrs. Sanders
by her former marriage. Mr. Sanders is a very stanch Republican and
a man of advanced and progressive ideas.