Читать книгу History of Fresno County, Vol. 4 - Paul E. Vandor - Страница 38

Enjoying the distinction of being the oldest living resident rancher in the Summit Lake country, and one of its foremost and highly-respected citizens, Thomas A. Cowan also enjoys the prestige of both a thoroughly practical wheat and grain farmer— using only the most up-to-date machinery — and one of the largest and most successful growers on the West Side. Living on his home ranch of 320 acres four miles west of Lanare, and half a mile to the south of that town, he also operates two sections of the Kings County Development Company's land ten miles north of Huron.

He was born in McDonough County. Ill, on February 11, 1859, the son of William Cowan, a native of Scotland, who came to America with his parents and grew up to be a coal miner. He came to McDonough County, Ill., to work at coal mining. In time he became the owner of a farm of 160 acres. His wife was Mary Ann Bright, before marriage and was born in England. Thomas Cowan worked both in the mines and on his father's farm, turning to the latter in summer, and busying himself at mining during the winters. As a boy at home, he attended the public schools of McDonough County. In that county, at the ripe old age of eighty-four, William Cowan passed away; but the mother still lives at Colchester, eighty-four years old. Seven children — four boys and three girls — were born to this worthy couple; and Thomas is the second oldest son and child. A brother, Charles Cowan, lives four miles north of Modesto, and is a dairy farmer.

It was the fall of 1880 when Thomas Cowan first came to California, and began working near Grangeville, in what is now Kings County, hiring out as a farm hand. He spent from 1882 to 1884 in Washington Territory, and in Whitman County proved up a claim of 160 acres. Then he returned to Grangeville and for several years worked for his uncle, "Wash" Bloyd, the pioneer farmer and "wheat king." In 1886, he and three of his cousins, sons of Mr. Bloyd, came up to the Summit Lake country, then a new district in Fresno County, and each bought a tract of eighty acres, improving the land and farming.

In 1892, Mr. Cowan was married to Miss Beulah Beatty, a native of Clayton County, Iowa, who had come to California with her parents; and as the only one of the Summit Lake party to remain here, he settled on his present place, then consisting of 160 acres, which he had bought and partially improved. Later he added another 160 acres by purchase, and he has made the ranch his home ever since.

In 1917, Mr. Cowan bought a forty-five horsepower Holt caterpillar tractor, and in 1919 he purchased a Steward truck of one and a half tons, on which he hauls loads of three tons each to Lanare, his shipping point. On July 26, 1919, he thus transported 181 sacks of grain from his Huron ranch to Lanare, thirteen miles distant, in four trips covering 104 miles, and loading and unloading, or "bucking" the sacks all alone without exhausting himself or having a breakdown — a showing, at sixty years of age, for which no one need be ashamed. As a self-made man, he is well-muscled, powerfully built physically, and bright and able mentally. The war-draft left him very short of help, and there was little to do, but knuckle down to the situation uncomplainingly. The year 1919 was very dry, yet such was Mr. Cowan's continued mastery of problems that his crops were very fine. From the Cowan home ranch of 320 acres, Mr. Cowan took in 1919, 2,500 sacks of barley and 300 sacks of wheat; while from the Huron ranch in the same season he harvested 3,700 sacks of barley and 2,750 sacks of wheat. He is still the sole proprietor of one of the two sections of rented land in the Huron district, while in operating the other, he is in partnership with Dick Miles of Hanford.

Mr. and Mrs. Cowan have two children, of whom they may well be proud. William T. served in France, and returned on July 21, 1919, honorably discharged from the hospital service. Charles E. also served in France with the Forty-second Balloon Company; was honorably discharged and reached home on May 3, 1919.

Mrs. Cowan is a bright, cheerful and interesting woman who shares with her husband an agreeable popularity; he belongs to the Odd Fellows at Lemoore.