Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The Big Bend Country, embracing
Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin counties, State of Washington",
published by Western Historical Publishing Co., 1904.
JOHN C. INGLE resides one mile
northeast from Lamona on one of the largest estates of the entire state
of Washington. It has been but comparatively few years, since Mr.
Ingle landed at Harrington with two cayuses, one a pack and the other a
riding animal. He had in addition thereto one hundred and eighteen
dollars in his pocket and these were all his holdings. He went to
work for wages and soon thereafter took a homestead and from that time
until the present has been a period of prosperity to him. Notwithstanding
the fact that he came just before the hard times, landing here in the fall
of 1890, he has not failed in any of his enterprises. Although he
lost heavily through crop failures and so forth, his general progress has
never been stopped. Since he put in his first crop, he began to purchase
land and has continued steadily, adding to his holdings from time to time
until he now has three thousand acres, every bit of which is fine wheat
land. He has the estate divided into three mammoth farms, each one
provided with the best of buildings and all other improvements. The
places are connected with headquarters by telephone and he directs the
operations of his entire domain from his residence. Mr. Ingle has
not only shown himself a master in the art of farming but has clearly demonstrated
that he is possessed of business ability of a very high order. The
carefulness with which every detail of the estate is conducted, together
with a patent grasp of the whole, and enterprise characterize all of Mr.
Ingle's undertakings and the successful combination of these two qualities
bring him the most unbounded success. Withal, Mr. Ingle is a genial,
openhearted man, possessed of a very active and penetrating mind and guided
by wisdom, which is evident to all. He is also a man of very forceful
character and strong will power. An account of the details of his
early life will be interesting to all and we append the same.
J. C. Ingle was born in Cleveland, Tennessee,
on November 27, 1862. His father, Elbert C. Ingle, was born in Washington
county, Tennessee, and was known as a good, substantial farmer and a veteran
of the Civil War. Our subject's mother, Margaret Ingle, was born
in Blakely, Tennessee. Her people were prominent and wealthy.
Our subject received an initial education at Georgetown Academy in Tennessee.
At the age of sixteen, he went to work for himself and not being satisfied
with the training he had received, succeeded in working his way through
Granby University, in Missouri. This was the place of his literary
training. It is evident that his mind was not filled with untenable
visions, for immediately after his study at the university, we find young
Ingle out on the frontier of Kansas. He was soon working here for
wages on the farm and continued the same for two years. His wages
were spent in securing a good outfit with which he began exploring western
Kansas. In the course of this trip, he took a preemption and improved
the same in such a manner that he shortly sold it for one thousand dollars.
After selling out in Kansas, he made his way to Park City, Utah, and did
teaming until 1888, in which year he journeyed to Salt Lake City and engaged
in the transfer business. It was August, 1890, when he started on
horseback from Salt Lake City to Lincoln county. Harrington was his
objective point and he made the journey without especial incident, arriving
here as stated above with one hundred and eighteen dollars in cash.
It is evident that Mr. Ingle was gaining his experience from the time
he sold his preemption to the time he landed in Harrington, judging from
the state of his capital. However, his experience was well worth
the price he paid for it, for from the time he landed in the Big Bend,
he began his career of success. It seems almost incredible, yet Mr.
Ingle has gained no less than ten thousand dollars on an average each year
from the time he began work for wages on a farm near Harrington, until
the present time. It is a delight for any one to view the large estate
and see the methods employed and precision exemplified in conducting it.
Very few people understand the responsibility incumbent upon one in charge
of so large an estate, but Mr. Ingle's wisdom and executive ability have
been fully equal to the task and from the time he commenced to accumulate
property in the Big Bend country until the present, few mistakes, if any,
have occurred to mar his continued successful progress.
In 1901, occurred the marriage of Mr. Ingle
and Mrs. Minnie Duvall.
Mr. Ingle's standing is of the best in the
community and he has been interested in building and improving this portion
of Lincoln county. His example has stimulated much worthy effort
and he is considered one of the influential and leading men of Lincoln
county.
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