William Muir Urquhart
Encyclopedia
William Muir Urquhart was an American entrepreneur, businessman and public servant. For many years he was Treasurer of Lewis County, Washington
. He also served as mayor, councilman, and postmaster of Chehalis, Washington
where he lived and worked for over fifty years. He was a merchant, banker, railroad entrepreneur, land developer and timber company investor. He was instrumental in planning the layout the business district of Chehalis in the early days of the city.
in the newly created Washington Territory
, a vast area of wilderness which had been separated from the Oregon Territory
by an Act of Congress in 1853. He was the first member of his family born in the United States. His father, James Urquhart
, left Scotland
in 1851, taking a ship to New York
, and traveling on foot to New Orleans and by boat up the Mississippi River
to Iowa
, before joining a wagon train
and heading west on the Oregon Trail
. William's mother and five older brothers and sisters reunited with James Urquhart in early 1855. They traveled around Cape Horn
to San Francisco and then to the mouth of the Columbia River
by ship, where they transferred to canoes for the last leg of their journey up the Cowlitz River. The trip took them over six months. William was born later that year in a house his father had built on land he had acquired through a Donation Claim. As the Urquhart family continued to grow in size, they added additional acreage to their holdings and tended to a variety of crops and animals for their own use and for the markets of Olympia
on the Puget Sound
. Like his ten siblings who grew to maturity, William became skilled at all aspects of farm work on the frontier.
, not far from Napavine. Anna's father, Joseph P. Manning
, had crossed on the Oregon trail in 1848. His future wife,Caroline Aubert, was part of the same wagon train. William and Anna had four children who lived in very different circumstance than their pioneer parents. The house the Urquharts built in 1902 on Pennsylvania Avenue is today part of the National Register of Historic Places
. His eldest son James, a banker, was killed in a car accident while on a family outing in 1916. His second son, William, became a lawyer and investment banker, traveling the world visiting the ancient seat of the Clan Urquhart
at the Black Isle
and enjoying the social seasons at Craigston Castle
. His daughter, Helen, married a school teacher turned banker and raised her two sons in Chehalis. His second daughter, Louise, married a businessman and moved to the midwest. William Urquhart died at home in 1933. His wife, Anna, had passed away two years earlier.They are buried at Fernhill(Urquhart)Cemetery just a few miles from downtown Chehalis. William and Anna had donated the land for the cemetery and provided a fund for its upkeep. A number of his Urquhart relatives and their pioneer friends lie with them.
in the Puget Sound area.He served for many years as a trustee at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Chehalis as well as a number of other civic and fraternal organizations. He had very little formal education. He learned through his own efforts and failures, but he lived long enough to see his grandson, Jim Urquhart, become the captain of the Yale University
crew in 1933. Later in the 1930s another grandson, Dick Wright, played for two national championship golf teams at Stanford University
Lewis County, Washington
Lewis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of 2010, the population was 75,455. The county seat is at Chehalis, and its largest city is Centralia....
. He also served as mayor, councilman, and postmaster of Chehalis, Washington
Chehalis, Washington
Chehalis is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,259 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lewis County.-History:...
where he lived and worked for over fifty years. He was a merchant, banker, railroad entrepreneur, land developer and timber company investor. He was instrumental in planning the layout the business district of Chehalis in the early days of the city.
Early life
William was born in Cutting's Prairie, north of the Columbia RiverColumbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
in the newly created Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
, a vast area of wilderness which had been separated from the Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
by an Act of Congress in 1853. He was the first member of his family born in the United States. His father, James Urquhart
James Urquhart
James Urquhart served three terms in the Washington Territory legislature. He was also elected to three terms as a county commissioner in Lewis County, Washington. He was a delegate to the Washington State Constitutional Convention. In 1873 he laid out the town of Napavine where he was Postmaster...
, left Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1851, taking a ship to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and traveling on foot to New Orleans and by boat up the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
to Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, before joining a wagon train
Wagon train
A wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. In the American West, individuals traveling across the plains in covered wagons banded together for mutual assistance, as is reflected in numerous films and television programs about the region, such as Audie Murphy's Tumbleweed and Ward Bond...
and heading west on the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
. William's mother and five older brothers and sisters reunited with James Urquhart in early 1855. They traveled around Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
to San Francisco and then to the mouth of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
by ship, where they transferred to canoes for the last leg of their journey up the Cowlitz River. The trip took them over six months. William was born later that year in a house his father had built on land he had acquired through a Donation Claim. As the Urquhart family continued to grow in size, they added additional acreage to their holdings and tended to a variety of crops and animals for their own use and for the markets of Olympia
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
on the Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
. Like his ten siblings who grew to maturity, William became skilled at all aspects of farm work on the frontier.
Napavine
When William Urquhart was eighteen, his father added to the family's real estate holdings when he purchased a large tract of land that included a small store and its merchandise. James Urquhart opened a general store (which he ran with his son, John). He laid out a town which he named Napavine. In addition to farm work, William began to clerk in the store learning the merchant's trade. In 1878 his older brother, John, moved six miles north to Chehalis where he opened a store of his own. John was also the Treasurer of Lewis County and involved in making Chehalis a main stop of the new railroad as well as the county seat. John's sudden and unexpected death changed the course of William's life.Chehalis
When his older brother died, William Urquhart moved to Chehalis to take over the store. He was twenty-five years old. It was 1880 and Chehalis was just beginning a period of great growth. For the next fifty years he lived in Chehalis and was involved many aspects of the city's growth. When he arrived the buildings were mainly wood. In 1889 he greatly expanded his business and constructed a large brick building for his merchandise house. He joined a group of businessmen who formed the National Bank of Chehalis (later Coffman & Dobson) and built a large brick building to house it. He was part of the Chehalis Land and Timber Company which was responsible for much of the planning and growth during the ensuing years. For eight years he was the Treasurer of Lewis County; he served as Mayor of Chehalis and also as Councilman; and he was Postmaster for a number of years.Family
In 1881 William Urquhart married Anna Manning whose pioneer parents had settled near WinlockWinlock
Winlock may refer to:*Winlock, Washington*Herbert Eustis Winlock...
, not far from Napavine. Anna's father, Joseph P. Manning
Joseph P. Manning
Joseph Philip Manning was a pioneer who crossed the Oregon Trail in 1848. He homesteaded north of the Columbia River where he served as a member of the Washington Territory legislature, Lewis County sheriff and assessor, and postmaster of the town of Winlock.-Pioneer:As a young man—barely twenty...
, had crossed on the Oregon trail in 1848. His future wife,Caroline Aubert, was part of the same wagon train. William and Anna had four children who lived in very different circumstance than their pioneer parents. The house the Urquharts built in 1902 on Pennsylvania Avenue is today part of the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. His eldest son James, a banker, was killed in a car accident while on a family outing in 1916. His second son, William, became a lawyer and investment banker, traveling the world visiting the ancient seat of the Clan Urquhart
Clan Urquhart
Urquhart is a Highland Scottish clan. They traditionally occupied the lands in the district and town of Cromarty, a former Royal Burgh with an excellent natural harbour on the tip of The Black Isle. Chiefs of the Clan were Barons and hereditary Sheriffs of the county for hundreds of years...
at the Black Isle
Black Isle
The Black Isle is an eastern area of the Highland local government council area of Scotland, within the county of Ross and Cromarty. The name nearly always includes the article "the"....
and enjoying the social seasons at Craigston Castle
Craigston Castle
Craigston Castle, Turriff, Aberdeenshire is a historic home of the Urquhart family. It was built 1604-1607 by John Urquhart of Craigfintry, known as the Tutor of Cromarty. The castle is composed of two main wings flanking the entrance and connected by an elevated arch, and surmounted by a richly...
. His daughter, Helen, married a school teacher turned banker and raised her two sons in Chehalis. His second daughter, Louise, married a businessman and moved to the midwest. William Urquhart died at home in 1933. His wife, Anna, had passed away two years earlier.They are buried at Fernhill(Urquhart)Cemetery just a few miles from downtown Chehalis. William and Anna had donated the land for the cemetery and provided a fund for its upkeep. A number of his Urquhart relatives and their pioneer friends lie with them.
Personal
William Urquhart never visited Scotland. He spent his entire life in the Pacific NorthwestPacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
in the Puget Sound area.He served for many years as a trustee at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Chehalis as well as a number of other civic and fraternal organizations. He had very little formal education. He learned through his own efforts and failures, but he lived long enough to see his grandson, Jim Urquhart, become the captain of the Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
crew in 1933. Later in the 1930s another grandson, Dick Wright, played for two national championship golf teams at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...