Utah Biographies ~ Eccles to Evans

 Eccles, David

David Eccles, one of the most prominent, progressive and best known citizens of the entire inter-mountain region, was born at Paisley, Rentfrashire, Scotland, on the 12th day of May, 1849, the same year that gold was first discovered in California. He is the son of William Eccles, who was a wood-turner by trade, and of Sarah Hutchinson Eccles.

Mr. Eccles received a common-school education in Scotland; and in the spring of 1863, when fourteen years old, immigrated with his parents, brothers and sisters to America, arriving at Ogden City, Utah, in October of the same year. Mr. Eccles first made his home in that city, but soon moved to Ogden Valley, and became the sole support of his father's family, working for wages in the timber and on the farms.

In 1867 Mr. David Eccles decided to go farther West and went into Oregon. After looking around for a location, he finally settled at Oregon City, and thereupon went to work for a couple of years in the adjacent forests of Oregon and Washington. In 1869 Mr. Eccles returned to Ogden Valley, resumed his work in the timber, until in 1873, by thrift and economy he had saved enough money to be able to invest in a sawmill. He thereupon entered into partnership with Messrs. Gibson and Van Noy, who in 1874, under the firm name of Gibson, Eccles & Van Noy, opened a lumber yard upon the present site of the great lumber business now owned by Mr. Eccles in Ogden City. This firm continued in existence until 1880, after which Mr. Eccles continued the business alone until 1889. When he organized the present Eccles Lumber Company.

In the meantime, however, Mr. Eccles had not lost sight of the very promising lumber prospects of the State of Oregon. He felt satisfied that the forests of that State and of the State of Washington presented excellent opportunities for profitable investments; and, acting upon that idea, Mr. Eccles again went to Oregon in 1886, and there began the many lumber and other interests he now owns in the State. Among other things, Mr. Eccles built two railroads in the State of Oregon; one (the Sumpter Valley Railroad) running from Baker City into the John Day country, and the other (the Mount Hood Railroad) running from Hood River City toward Mount Hood.

Mr. Eccles' interests in the West are so many and so varied that it is perfectly safe to assert that no other man in Utah is engaged in so many important and successful business enterprises as he is. Mr. Eccles is president of several banks, prominent among which are the First National Bank of Ogden and the Ogden Savings Bank, besides being heavily interested in many other banks throughout the State. He is also president or principal director of the Amalgamated Sugar Company, the Lewiston Sugar Company, the Ogden Rapid Transit Company, the Sumpter Valley Railroad Company, the Eccles Lumber Company, the Oregon Lumber Company, the U. O. Lumber Company, the Mount Hood Railroad Company, and many other smaller industrial and mercantile institutions. Lately Mr. Eccles and his associates purchased the Sparks-Harrell ranches in Nevada and Idaho, at a cost of about a million dollars, and organized the same under the name of Vineyard Land and Stock Company, of which corporation Mr. Eccles is president and principal stockholder. Mr. Eccles is also president of that gigantic and well-known railroad constructing corporation, the Utah Construction Company, which is now building a railroad for the Western Pacific from Utah to California, constituting the largest railroad contract ever let to any one company west of Chicago; and this immense undertaking was largely made possible by Mr. Eccles' financial standing and personal integrity, which was and is so well known in railroad circles both East and West.

On December 27th, 1875, Mr. Eccles married Miss Bertha N. Jensen, a native of Den-mark, and he is now the father of a large family of boys and girls. Despite Mr. Eccles' many interests, he has nevertheless found time to serve the community in which he has resided. From 1885 to 1887 he served as alderman, and from 1887 to 1889 he was mayor of Ogden City, and it was because of his push and enterprise that the present City Hall was built during his administration.

Though Mr. Eccles is accounted among the wealthiest men in the State of Utah, he is quite unassuming and easy to approach. He is a man with a generous and kind disposition; one who bears malice toward none, and his charities are many and unostentatious. Indeed, he is in every respect a model citizen, a splendid business director, and a man of great value to the community.

Evans, David

Among the most prominent of the pioneer mining men of Utah and one who has won success and distinction as a citizen, lawyer, public official and mine operator, is David Evans, whose name stands for all that is square and upright in business circles and as a man.

David Evans is a native Utahan, born at Lehi, on January 28th, 1852. His parents were David Evans, a prosperous merchant and farmer of Utah, and Barbara Ann Evans.

Mr. Evans's early education was obtained in the public schools at Lehi and the Brigham Young Academy at Provo; he subsequently having an inclination toward the legal profession, took the law course at the University at Ann Arbor, Michigan, and after graduating there from he returned to Utah and practiced his profession with much success. His first work was as City Attorney at Lehi. Later he was Assistant United States Attorney for Utah, and was elected a member of the upper house of the Utah Territorial Legislature and of the Constitutional Convention. Mr. Evans was brought up on a farm, and practiced law in the Utah courts for twenty years, then retired to engage actively in mining, at which he has achieved wonderful success. Mr. Evans is interested in the King David Mining Company, Crown Point Mining Company, Iron King Consolidated Mining Company, and many other mining properties, too numerous to mention. Mr. Evans is a large owner of and manager of nearly all of the mining companies mentioned and also owner of considerable real estate in and around Los Angeles, Cal., and especially around Venice and Ocean Park. Mr. Evans is now a resident of Venice, Cal., and he has done much towards the improvement and building up of that place which is one of the real beauty spots of California, and a noted resort which is daily visited by thousands of tourists and much appreciated by the residents of that section of California. Venice is located directly on the shores of the Pacific and built after the fashion of Venice, Italy, from which famous city it derives its name. Picturesque canals run through the town and all kinds of amusements are afforded the visitor, including band concerts, which are given daily. Ocean bathing is also an attraction, and the climate is perfect the whole year around. Venice is in every respect an ideal spot and contains many beautiful residences of some of the wealthiest people of the country.

Mr. Evans was married to Leah Naegle, of Lehi, Utah, December 1st, 1882, at Salt Lake City, and to them were born three children; Lucile, aged fourteen; Irma Louise, aged ten, and Leah (deceased). He is a member of the Jonathan Club, the leading club of Los Angeles, a Mason and Shriner and a life member of the American Mining Congress. While Mr. Evans is a resident of Venice, California, he makes Salt Lake City the headquarters for all of his mining operations and divides his time pretty equally between Utah and California.

Evans, Richard J.

One of Utah's most successful and progressive mining operators is Richard J. Evans, who was born at Rockland, Ontonagon County, Michigan, January 27, 1865. His father, James Evans, a prosperous mining man, and his mother, Eliza Gundry Evans, were both of English ancestry and settled in Michigan at an early age. Mr. Evans senior organized the first working men's club in Calumet, which is now one of the wealthiest clubs in the world, and for many years was one of its Executive Committee, up to the time of his death. His wife, the mother of our subject, was before her marriage Miss Eliza Gundry, a native of England, her father being a prosperous foundry man of that country.

Our subject obtained his early scholastic education in the common schools of Calumet, and in 1888 gave up, for a time, his mining operations and entered the International Business College at Saginaw, Michigan, from which institution he graduated, and in 1891 took charge of the college as manager. After severing his connection with the college, he took charge of the Saginaw "Courier-Herald," a Republican paper. He has to his name the credit of running the first exclusive newspaper train across the State of Michigan. He was in charge of the "Courier-Herald" for five years, at which time he decided to follow the mining business, and with that object in view he came to Salt Lake City and commenced operations, and was uniformly successful from the outset.

At the age of sixteen young Evans entered the employ of the Calumet and Hecla mines, conceded to be the most perfectly developed and richest copper mines in the world. It was here that Mr. Evans received his practical knowledge of mining, which afterwards made him so successful in his various undertakings. He served his apprenticeship, working with pick and shovel, and it was the practical lessons learned as a common miner that have qualified him so well to judge the real value of a mine.

He successfully promoted the American Falls Canal and Power Company, at Snake River, Idaho, from 1902 to 1904, which is to-day in active operation and one of Idaho's important industries. Mr. Evans is president of the Inter-Mountain Securities Company of Salt Lake City, the Seven Troughs Mining Company, of Seven Troughs, Nevada, and is interested in the Federal Ely Copper Company, of Ely, Nevada. He is also actively identified with the Seven Troughs Coalition Mining Company, the Tintic Mines Company, the Cannon Ball Consolidated Mining and Milling Company, secretary and treasurer of the St. George Electric Company, owner of Evans's Addition to Poplar Grove, and several prominent industries through the inter-mountain country.

Mr. Evans is a member of the American Mining Congress, the Commercial Club, the Masonic Fraternity, is a thirty-third degree Mason, a member of El Kalah Temple Mystic Shrine of Salt Lake City.

Mr. Evans was married in 1893, to Miss Bertha May LaDue, of Saginaw, Michigan, and their union has been blessed with three children, Gladys May, Richard J. Jr., and Shirley LaDue Evans.

Mr. Evans occupies commodious offices in the D. F. Walker Building, and is a resident of Salt Lake City.

Mr. Evans is always striving to interest capital, not only in inter-mountain mines, but in all classes of sound investments in the great inland empire, and he has demonstrated the value of forethought, pluck and energy by building up a profitable business.

Evans, M. R.

Among the mining men of Salt Lake City whose efforts have been attended with signal success is Morris R. Evans, known as one of the pioneers of the Deep Creek mining district of the State and prominently identified with many of the prominent ore producing camps.

Mr. Evans was born August 24th, 1849, at Lockport, N. Y., his parents being Morrison W. and Lucinda A. Evans. His father was for years a prominent manufacturer of Lockport and later carried on a private banking business, making a specialty of bonds and mortgages.

Mr. Evans arrived in Salt Lake from San Francisco on March 9th, 1871, and three years later, in October, 1874, was married to Alice A. Vincent of Salt Lake City. The union has been a happy one in every respect and the family consists of six children, namely: Charles M., Lucinda C., Agnes E., William N., Henry S., and Chester O. Evans.

While for a number of years past Mr. Evans has made his head-quarters in Salt Lake City, he has also resided in a number of points in the State and has traveled over practically all of it. In 1871-2 he gave his full time and attention to mining, but a year later settled at Ashley Fork and in that vicinity was engaged in the cattle raising business individually for ten years. For a short time he was a member of the firm of Carter Evans & Co. in this line, and from 1882 was for five years the principal partner in the firm of Evans & Spencer, which firm he succeeded and afterwards continued the business for thirteen years.

It was about 1890 when Mr. Evans first turned his attention to the Deep Creek Mining District. A number of previous visits had satisfied him of the possibilities of the region and a thorough exploration convinced him of the splendid results which might eventually be expected to crown his efforts. In this he was not disappointed and at this time his name is prominently identified with the district as perhaps its foremost pioneer and one of its most prominent mine operators.

In other localities, notably at Chafey, Nevada, in a property with W. J. Craig, Mr. Evans has been equally successful as a mine operator, and his name is prominently identified with several of the best-known mining properties of the State. Notwithstanding his close attention to the mining business he has yet found time to interest himself in other lines and in nearly all of his ventures he has been uniformly successful.

Mr. Evans occupies a beautifully situated residence at 701 South Temple Street. He is a prominent member of the Salt Lake Commercial Club and personally has a host of friends and few enemies. He has always shown himself willing to help a fellow being in distress or take a stand against anything which did not fully come up to his own rock-bound ideas of justice and honesty. Socially and in a business way he has reaped the rewards of his industry and integrity and the future for him holds only bright promises of new fields and a yet greater measure of success.

Index

Source: Sketches of the Inter-Mountain States, Utah, Idaho and Nevada, Published by The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1909