AUGUSTUS DAWELL

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      AUGUSTUS DAWELL is to be classed as one of the earliest pioneers of the territory now embraced in Lincoln county.  He resides three miles northwest from Sprague, on a fine estate of eight hundred and eighty-five acres.  Over seven hundred acres are choice wheat land and are cropped annually to this cereal.  His residence is a six-room cottage, beautifully located in a fine artificial grove and close by a large living spring; while commodious barns, outbuildings and so forth are clustered around, and this estate is a valuable and beautiful one.  Mr. Dawell has plenty of stock and machinery and is one of the wealthy men of this portion of the county.  He came here in 1880, bought railroad land, and added to the estate as the years went by until it has reached its present proportions.  During the hard times from 1893-96, Mr. Dawell succeed-ed very well and all the time has been attended with prosperity.

      August Dawell was born in Prussia, Germany, on October 22, 1834, the son of John and Elizabeth (Wise) Dawell, natives of Germany.  The father died in his native land and the mother in Nebraska.  Our suhject received a good common school education in the Fatherland and in 1852, sailed from Hamburg to New York.  After landing, he learned the blacksmith trade, following the same in Chicago, then crossed the plains in 1855, to California.  He was mining in Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Washingtion and in various other places in the years subsequent.  He was first in Washington, in 1862.  He participated in the Salmon river gold excitement, then came to Walla Walla and finally in 1880, located where he now lives.  Mr. Dawell remarks that there were less than a dozen settlers within ten miles of him when he located and all supplies had to be brought from Walla Walla.  He labored along faithfully, however, and his reward is due to his industry.  Mr. Dawell has two brothers, William and Ernest.

      At Salt Lake City, in August, 1872, occurred the marriage of Mr. Dawell and Miss Hannah Jensen, the daughter of Peter and Ingeborg (Peterson) Jensen, natives of Schleswig Holstein, Germany, where they both remained until their death.  Mrs. Dawell has two sisters and one brother, Margaret Schus, Sophia Stevens, and Harry.  To Mr. and Mrs. Dawell, five children have been born, Gus E., Oscar W., Charles, Harris B., and Lulu.  Mr. Dawell located and worked some fine mines, and one, the Ontario, which he located near Salt Lake and sold in 1861 for thirty-one hundred dollars, has been worked all the time since and is one of the great mines of the country.