Umatilla County OR Archives Biographies.....Byers, W. S. 1835 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Carlene Still crstill@oregontrail.net August 3, 2006, 2:44 am Author: Colonel William Parsons Page 388, 389 W. S. BYERS It is no small source of profit as well as satisfaction for one at all interested in his race and the welfare of the country to trace the way of men who have, by their integrity, probity, sound judgment and constant and wise action, developed the country, broadened its resources and established first- class industries, thereby benefiting the population as well as putting themselves in the forefront of the commercial ranks. Surely we are now considering one who has attained no small prominence in these respects. The proprietor and owner of Byers’ Mills in Pendleton, Oregon, is one whose career is interesting from start until the present time. He was born in Germany in 1835, his parents being Jacob and Mattie Byers, and his father was a miller before him. This is a point that has great weight and is too little made note of among us. There is no industry that is yet perfect, and if it is to be made more and more so it must be done by adding to what our ancestors have already achieved. How can that be better accomplished than for the son of a skillful artisan, born and raised in the very atmosphere of his father’s calling, to commence in his youth the training, from one fitted both by ties of nature and his own excellent attainments, and continue the prosecution of the same industry through life? This wise course is not always so well carried out in this fevered age as one would wish to see it, but it was the method that was pursued in the life of Mr. Byers, and which, no doubt, coupled with natural capabilities, has accounted for this phenomenal success. In 1842 his parents pioneered to American and settled in Pennsylvania, and in Berks county, that state, he received his education in the common schools, also speding much of his time in different mills there until he was twenty-one years of age. Upon arriving at his majority, he was well acquainted with the flouring business. The most wonderful country in the world was stretching west of his home and soon he must explore it, as no other way would do for an active investigating mind and energetic spirit. It was in 1858 that he found his way to Salt Lake, but there were still new fields before him and he soon was moving toward them. During some of this time he was not only seeing and exploring the country but was earning a good salary as well from the government as a driver of mule teams. In this way he made the trip to California. Few of the more experienced artisans in any line of skilled labor were in these lands for him to associate with, and soon he was back in Pennsylvania and Kentucky at the milling business again, where he continued until 1866. During this time he had served also for the government in capacity of soldier in Company H, Second Volunteer Pennsylvania Infantry, for three months, and later was in the Home Guards. In 1866 he turned west again and thus got the exeprience of a double trip across the plains before the advent of the railroad. He worked in the Golden Gate Mills in California for one year and then came to Portland, where he worked one summer in the mills. Later he came to Walla Walla, and in 1872 he worked for H. P. Isaacs, afterward for Mr. Rees, and then for A. H. Reynolds. He then rented the Reynolds mill. It was in 1874-5 that he first built in Pendleton a fifty- barrel mill, which he operated for one year and then increased the capacity. His efforts were crowned with success and his business increased so rapidly that he was forced again and again to increase the capacity of his mill to accommodate it, and on September 21, 1898, he had a mill that could turn out five hundred barrels of flour in one day. On this last date came disaster, for fire consumed the whole affair and entailed a loss of $185,000. But loss is no defeat, and the next spring he began to build the present mill. His plant occupies a whole block, and in every way is a most commodious and complete and modern mill. He has spared no pains nor expense to make it the best that modern skill can produce. He has all the equipments to produce chop or steam-rolled barley, rye flour and corn meal, as well as all of the products of wheat and oats. The capacity is eight hundred barrels a day. Mr. Byers sells all his products to exporters, and thus is brought almost to the door of the farmer the export buyer. Mr. Byers purposes to build this summer a warehouse that will occupy half of a block and will enable him to prosecute his business in still better manner. It would seem that such a mammoth enterprise would entirely occupy the attention of even more than one mind, but besides having to attend to everything connected with his great milling industry by supervision and direction, he has found time to attend to the duties of director of the First National Bank since its organization, of which institution he is a heavy stockholder. He is also interested in farming and owns a nice farm near the town. He holds a membership in the Masonic lodge in Pennsylvania. He was married in Ellentown, Pennsylvania, September 21, 1858, to Sophia Wolf, a native of Germany. They have three living children: Gus W., in the mill with his father; Benjamin, in England; Sophia, bookkeeper in the mill; and Rose, who died in 1879. Additional Comments: An Illustrated History of Umatilla County by Colonel William Parsons and of Morrow County by W. S. Shiach with a brief outline of the early history of the State of Oregon. W. H. Lever, Publisher 1902. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/umatilla/bios/byers162gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 6.1 Kb