EDWIN N. COOKE, who died in November, 1925, was an outstanding character in pioneer life and from the early days of colonial history, his ancestors were conspicuously in the front rank of pioneer development. His mother, Susan E. Cooke, was descended from the distinguished family of Van der Cooke's of New York. She crossed the plains by wagon train to the old Oregon Territory in 1851, and that same year was married to Chas P. Cooke, who from the best data at hand had preceded her to Oregon by several years. Chas P. Cooke was a first cousin to Jay Cooke, famous financier and railroad promoter, who during the Civil War offered to underwrite the United States' rapidly mounting debts by means of government bonds.
Our subject, E. N. Cooke, was born in Oregon in the later fifties and with his parents, located in the Yakima country in 1867, and in 1870 he removed to Kittitas Valley and acquired a large ranch twelve miles from Ellensburg, and on the mountain road to the Wenatchee country. Here Mr. Cooke with eight brothers and sisters grew to manhood. Very early in his career he engaged in the cattle business, and for years prior to the hard winter of 1880~81 (still spoken of as the "cow-killer") he was rated one of the wealthy stockmen of Eastern Washington.
Though quiet and retiring in disposition, he must have possessed extraordinary energy, for he gave his attention to many things. In the Nez Perce War, he acted as scout and guide to General O. O. Howard, and in other ways rendered important service to the government. The hard winter referred to stripped Mr. Cooke of his worldly possessions, and soon after, as the first settler, he located on the Colocken Creek, and his ranch became a well-known landmark.
During a residence in Chelan County of more than forty years, Mr. Cooke gave considerable attention to mines and mining. At the time of his death he owned several large tracts of land in the county. Mr. Cooke married Miss Lois Yocum, sister to Byam and E. B. Yocum. Four sons were born to this marriage: Clyde, Claud, Edwin N., Jr., and Jay, all of whom have thus far spent their lives in Chelan County, though some of the boys are talking about Alaska as a country where ambitions young men may find opportunities to get on in the world.
