Wasco County OR Archives Biographies.....Clausen, F. C. February 1, 1858 - ************************************************ 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: Ila L. Wakley iwakley@msn.com April 27, 2009, 8:12 pm Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company F. C. CLAUSEN. Agricultural progress in the Columbia River Valley has received marked impetus from the enterprising spirit and systematic labors of F. C. Clausen, a pioneer wheat grower of Wasco county and one of its large land owners. Having accumulated a sum more than sufficient for his needs, he is spending the evening of life in ease and comfort and resides in an attractive home at The Dalles. He was born February 1, 1858, in Kolding, Denmark, and his parents, Nicolai and Karen Clausen, were life-long residents of that country. His father's demise occurred in 1858 and the mother long survived him, passing away in 1907. They had eight children, four of whom attained years of maturity: F. C.; Jorgen, who lives in San Francisco, California; and Erik and James, both deceased. F. C. Clausen received a common school education and laid aside his textbooks at the age of sixteen, as his assistance was needed on the home farm. His country was engaged in war with Germany, which took the province of Schleswig-Holstein as indemnity from Denmark. The family lived near the boundary line dividing the two countries and two brothers of F. C. Clausen served in the Danish army. Being unwilling to swear allegiance to Germany, he left his native land and on April 7, 1875, sailed from Hamburg on a vessel which bore him to New York city. He then purchased a ticket for San Francisco, California, and for a period of four years was engaged in dairying near Sacramento. In partnership with his brother James, he operated a wheat ranch in the Sacramento valley for two years and then decided to migrate to Oregon. Selling his interest in the ranch to his brother, he came to The Dalles in the spring of 1881 and soon afterward filed on a homestead on the Deschutes river, twenty miles southeast of the town. He proved up on the land and later secured a timber claim. As fast as his resources permitted Mr. Clausen increased his holdings and is now the owner of three thousand acres of land in Wasco county. A tract of one thousand acres is devoted to the growing of grain and the balance is used for pasture and stock farming. Endowed with keen powers of discernment, Mr. Clausen was the first man to recognize the fact that grain could be produced in this locality and the old cattle and sheep raisers were averse to the idea, saying that the land could be utilized only for grazing purposes owing to the dryness of the soil. In 1882 he planted his first crop of wheat, which was destroyed by grasshoppers, but the next season he had better luck and in forty-five years of farming has had only one failure. His equipment is up-to-date and the fields are divided by well kept fences. A modern house has been erected on the ranch, which is further improved with substantial barns and other outbuildings. The place is well irrigated and water from the spring is pumped to the house and other buildings. Mr. Clausen follows diversified farming and has found that the best results are obtained by summer fallowing. The soil yields good crops and he keeps about fifty head of horses for the farm work. His cattle and hogs are of high grade and he owns about one hundred and twenty-five head of stock, which he allows to run in the wheat fields after the grain is harvested. Every detail of the work has been carefully planned and the ranch has proven a profitable investment because it is operated on an economic basis. Mr. Clausen is a firm believer in scientific methods of a culture and has demonstrated their value as factors in productiveness. In 1910 he leased the ranch to his sons, James and Otto, who are successfully managing the place and also own valuable stock farms. Since his retirement Mr. Clausen has lived at The Dalles in a desirable home, which he purchased in 1910, and during the busy season supervises the work on his farm. He has proven his faith in the future of The Dalles by judicious investments in real estate and is a stockholder in the Wrentham and Columbia Warehouse Companies, while he also owns a half-interest in two substantial business blocks, which were recently erected in the city. Mr. Clausen was married August 31, 1881, in Sacramento, California, to Miss Christina Petersen, who was a native of Sweden and made the voyage to the United States in April, 1875. It was during their honeymoon that Mr. and Mrs. Clausen made the trip to Oregon, traveling to The Dalles in a wagon drawn by four horses. Theirs proved an ideal union, which was terminated by the death of Mrs. Clausen on October 17, 1904. In their family were eight children, all of whom were born on the old homestead in Wasco county and received liberal educational advantages. Arthur, the first born, died at the age of six years. James is married and has one child, Edna. Cora is deceased. Edna completed a course in The Dalles high school and was graduated from a nurses' training school maintained by one of the largest hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio. She is anaesthesian at The Dalles Hospital and also acts as housekeeper for her father. Otto is married and has two children, Fred and Virginia. Arnold was graduated from The Dalles high school and in 1911 received the degree of Civil Engineer from the Oregon Agricultural College at Corvallis. During the World war he enlisted in the United States Engineers Corps, becoming sergeant of his company, and later was promoted to the position of chief engineer. He spent two years overseas and is now filling a responsible position in Chicago, Illinois. Emma supplemented her high school education by attendance at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, from which she was graduated. For two years she was a student at the University of Washington and is now dietician at Dornbacher Hospital in Portland. Clara, the youngest child, died at the age of seven years. Mr. Clausen is both a York and Scottish Rite Mason and a Noble of Al Kader Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Portland and two of his sons are Masons. His fraternal relations also extend to the Woodmen of the World. For eight years he was one of the commissioners of Wasco county and during his tenure of office the county built and paid for the finest courthouse in the state, with the exception of the one in Portland. A strong advocate of educational advancement, Mr. Clausen was a member of the school board of his district for twenty-four years and has always evinced a keen desire to cooperate in movements for the general good. A man of stable purpose and marked strength of character, he has sown wisely and well and his life has been a succession of harvests. For nearly a half century he has resided in Wasco county, where he has a wide acquaintance, and enjoys to the fullest extent the esteem and confidence of all with whom he has been associated. Additional Comments: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. II, Pages 580-583 Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/wasco/photos/bios/clausen555gbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/wasco/bios/clausen555gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 7.6 Kb