Person:Daniel Lesh (1)

Daniel Lesh
Spouse Name: Flora Pulkerson
Marriage Date: 2 Sep 1869
Marriage County: Elkhart
Source Title 1: Elkhart County, Indiana
Source Title 2: Index to Marriage Record 1850 - 1920 Inclusive Vol
Source Title 3: Original Record Located: County Clerk's Office Gos
Book: 3
OS Page: 332

Name: Daniel E. Lesh
Spouse Name: Ella B. Howell
Marriage Date: 8 Dec 1895
Marriage County: Jasper
Source Title 1: Jasper County, Indiana
Source Title 2: Index to Marriage Record 1865 - 1920 Inclusive Let
Source Title 3: W. P. A. Original Record Located: County Clerk's O
Book: 3
OS Page: 252

US Census 1881
District 0, East Kittitass, Yakima, Washington
Birth Year: abt 1854
Birthplace: INDIANA
Age: 26
Occupation: School Teacher
Marital Status: Single
Race White
Head of Household Daniel LESH
Relation: Self
Father's Birthplace: O. (Ohio)
Mother's Birthplace: N.C (North Carolina)

DAN LESH DIES SUNDAY AFTER HEART ATTACK

Served Yakima County in Many Ways During His Long Career as a Resident

CAME TO VALLEY IN 1876

Pioneer Had Been Successful as Educator, Peace Officer, State Senator

Daniel Everett Lesh, one of the best known of the Yakima valley pioneers and closely associated with its early development, died last evening of neuralgia of the heart which came on suddenly as he was returning to his hotel rooms with his wife. Mr. and Mrs Lesh had been to dinner at the Alex Miller home and were walking back. At the Elks temple his wife suggested getting into the car, which was parked there, but he replied that he not feel well enough to drive. This was the first intimation that he was not well. By the time the hotel was reached his condition was much worse and a doctor was summoned. The patient was immediately put to bed but died in a short time.

In 1881 Mr. Lesh returned to Iowa where he was married. In June of that year he came up from San Francisco on a the same boat with R. B. Milroy, although neither knew the other at that time. Again Mr. Lesh taught school and then ran a general store. Later he took up a ranch 5 miles west of Ellensburg which he improved, built a ditch into and then sold in 1884. Having seen the Yakima valley before the pioneer decided to return and took up a desert claim in the Ahtanum, now known as the Hackett place.

Served as Sheriff in 1886

In 1886 Mr. Lesh was elected sheriff of Yakima county and reelected in 1888, serving with H. J. Snively, who was prosecuting attorney for the district at that time. In 1891 he went to the state legislature and through the efforts or Mr. Snively and other friends was named sergeant-at-arms for the lower house.

During the nineties he served a term in the senate. In the meantime his Ahtanum property was trated for a place in Fruitvale known as the Milley place. During this period he was also president of the Moxee company ranch, which was his location until 1896 when his wife died. Twins were born at the time of her death, and one was burned to death when the house burned down later when Mr. Lesh was back east. The other twin also died.

Property Interests Varied

For several years Mr. Lesh engaged in the real estate business in Yakima, and was associated in many of the transactions of Snively. Milroy recalls that when Mr. Lesh and his wife made their first tart in Kittitas county they made a small stake by operating an ice cream stand in Ellensburg on the Fourth of July.

On another expedition in the summer of1888 Lesh and Milroy with a number of men of whom the latter is now the only remaining member took a vacation outing to excape the intense heat of that summer. They returned on Setp. 2, the hottest day of the season. One of the early friends of the deceased in the Yakima valley was Johnny Sharpstein now a prominent attorney in Walla Walla. Mr. Lesh acquired property in Wide Hollow, Cowiche and what is known as the Lesh block on North First street in the city. He also platted the Loma Vista addition, which he later sold and where his daughter, Mr. Walker Moren,lives.

Teaches "Subscription" School

Mr. Lesh was born Oct. 5, 1853, in Wayne County, Indiana. His people then moved to Iowa and for a number of years had varying success at farming in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa in turn before moving back to Indiana.

292 HISTORY OF YAKIMA VALLEY

the position of attorney. This was H. J. Snively, a democrat. Another of the leaders of enterprise appears for the first time on the official roll. This was Daniel Lesh, republican, chosen for sheriff. Yet another of the builders makes his entry here. This was W. F. Prosser for auditor. Tke other local officers Chosen were: J. A. Splawn treasurer, S. C. Morford probate judge, Mrs. M. B. urtls school superintendent, J. A. Leach surveyor, Thomas McAusland coroner, W. H. Lipstrap, J. A. Stephenson and F. K. Beard, commissioners. A special election held in June, 1886, to vote on the question of local prohibition of the liquor traffic resulted in a large affirmative vote in Yakima County.

ELECTION OF 1888.
The election of 1888 was marked by something of a reaction in both national and local affairs. The "protection" interests came back and elected a high tariff group as a protest against the supposed free trade tendencies of Cleveland's first administration. As part of the same movement the strenuous anti-monopoly delegate to Congress from this state, Charles Voorhees, was defeated by John B. Allen, republican, by a vote in Yakima County of 461 to 398. Mr. Allen was a resident of Yakima City for a snort time, being in the law firm of Whitson, Allen and Parker, whose office was in the First National Bank Building in North Yakima. Mr. Allen had removed to Walla Walla though still a member of the firm and was a resident of that city at the time of his first election as delegate. With that election he began his distinguished career which went on from that of delegate to senator. The joint councilman (joint with Klickitat County) vcas J. M. Snow, republican, chosen by 439 votes over Clay Fruit, democrat, with 408. Representative was I. N. Power, republican, with 398 against Daniel Gab3, democrat, with 352', and John W..B.rice, independent, with 158. There were prol:ibitionist and independent candidates throughout both state and county tickets. The local choices in 1888 were as follows: H. J. Snively attorney, D. W. Stair probate judge, D. E. Lesh sherrif, Matthew Bartholet auditor, G. W. Cary treasurer, James-, Hall surveyor, Hflda Engdahl school superintendent, Walter Griffith sheep commissioner, J. O. Clark coroner, John Cleman, H D. Winchester and J. M. Brown commissioners. Of the above Messrs. Snively, Bartholet, Cary and Miss Engdahl were democrats, the others were republicans.

And now comes the great year of 1889, the year of statehood. All the counties and communities of the Territory were agog with excitement over the great change of political status. After the persistent efforts of twenty years the slow-focusing attention of Congress had been fixed on this and several other Territories as ripe for mature political life. There had been sundry earlier attempts to induct Washington into the Union with some changes of boundary. One favorite idea, which has been agitated from time to time since, was to join northern Idaho to Washington, or to make a new state of eastern Washington and northern Idaho, or still again to effect some new groupings of eastern Oregon, eastern Washington and different sections of Idaho. The "Spokesman-Review" of Spokane made quite an agitation in that line in about 1905 and 1906. But all such schemes have been quiescent for more than a decade.