Harrison Houser, 76, a member of one of the Kittitas, valley's earliest pioneer families, died suddenly Tuesday morning at the home of a daughter, Mrs. Eileen Davis, here.
Born in 1866 in Port Townsend, Harrison Houser was brought to the valley by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tillman Houser, when he was two years old.
The Tillman Housers were the fourth family to settle in the valley. They had come to the State of Washington in 1866. Mr. Houser arrived in the valley on June 16, 1868, finding three other settlers, Fred Ludi, John Goller and Bill Wilson, already here.
He came to the valley over Snoqualmie Pass and preempted a claim 10 miles northeast of what is now Ellensburg. After erecting a cabin on the place, he returned to Renton for his family and moved them here and started permanent improvements.
In 1870, the original homestead was sold to Walter A. Bull and the Housers took another homestead in the same neighbored. This place was sold four years later. The family subsequently acquired a third farm. Harrison Houser remained a valley resident all his life.
In addition to his daughter, he is survived by four grandchildren, Henry Davis of Seattle, Beth Davis of Ellensburg, and Richard and Leslie Houser of Ellensburg; two brothers, Clarence Houser of Ellensburg and Alvey Houser of Spokane and a sister, Mrs. C. C. Churchill of Spokane, Mrs. Houser died in 1935.
Funeral services will be held Saturday afternoon at 1:30 o'clock in the Honeycutt Chapel with Rev. W. H. Thompson officiating.
