Mr. Shelton votes independently and gives careful study to the questions and issues of the day. He and his wife are devoted members of the Presbyterian church. He is thoroughly western in spirit, and his enterprise and progressiveness have enabled him to take rank among the successful men of his township.
ALFRED L. SHELTON.
Alfred L. Shelton, who is extensively engaged in stock and wheat raising, with residence on section 5, township 12 north, range 43 east, Garfield county, was born in Yamhill county, Oregon, July 1, 1869. His parents, John W. and Mary (Burford) Shelton, were both natives of Missouri and in 1853 made the long and tedious journey across the plains to the Pacific coast country, settling in Yamhill county, Oregon, where the mother passed away. The father survives at the age of eighty-five years and is now a resident of Portland. Ten of the thirteen children born to their union are still living.
Alfred L. Shelton was reared at home and his education was that afforded by the district schools of Oregon. In 1887, when about eighteen years old, he came to Garfield county, Washington, and purchased land, on which he has since resided. His systematic and practical labors have year by year been rewarded by large crops. He has also been successful as a stock raiser and his holdings now comprise eleven hundred and ninety-two acres, of which six hundred acres is devoted to the raising of wheat, while the remainder is fine pasture land. He keeps in close touch with the advancement that is continually being made along agricultural lines and justly ranks as one of the leading farmers of his section.
Mr. Shelton was married in 1894 to Miss Catherine Schnekloth, a native of Iowa and a daughter of Henry and Margaret Schnekloth, an account of whose lives appears elsewhere in this work. Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Shelton, namely, Arthur M., Wilber W., Henry E., Alma, Elmer, Herman, Dale, Hazel and Doris, all of whom are yet at home.
Mr. Shelton belongs to Harmony Lodge, No. 116, I. O. O. F., of Pomeroy, to the Woodmen of the World, to the Grange and the Farmers' Union. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and he has served for some time on the school board. He is a man of unusual energy, finding the opportunity to take part in public affairs in addition to looking after his extensive farming interests. He is manager of the No. 2 telephone line and in that capacity has made an excellent record for the fine service rendered patrons. He is distinctly a western man, possessing the self-reliance, resourcefulness and enterprise characteristic of this section.
MRS. IDA MAY WOLFE.
Mrs. Ida May Wolfe, widely and favorably known in Walla Walla county, is a representative of one of the oldest pioneer families. She resides on section 35, township 8 north, range 36 east, where she owns a valuable farming property. She was born on the site of the present city of Dayton and is a daughter of Oliver C. and Mary E. (Mealey) Gallaher. Her mother was a daughter of Dr. Mealey, who was one of the noted men of his day. Her father crossed the plains in 1845, when few white men had penetrated into the vast wilderness of the northwest. He drove across the hot stretches of sand over the mountain passes and at length reached the Willamette valley of Oregon, where he took up a donation claim. At that time the city of Portland had no existence and the work of progress and improvement had scarcely been begun in all the vast northwest. He resided in the Willamette valley until the spring of 1862, when he came to Walla Walla county and took up his abode in the Walla Walla valley, where he resided until the time of his death. His entire life was devoted to farming and he contributed much to the early agricultural development of this section of the country. His efforts were an important factor in promoting progress and improvement in the Inland Empire and he was among those who laid broad and deep the foundation upon which is built the present prosperity and progress of the county. His political allegiance was always given to the republican party and he took an active and helpful interest in politics, recognizing the duties and obligations as well as the privileges of citizenship. In a word, he left the impress of his individualuty for good upon the developmen of this section of the state and his memory is yet revered and honored by many who knew him in the early days. In his family were six children, three of whom are now living.