The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-03-01
CAPT. j. ID. MILLER, INTERESTED
IN COLUMBIA & OKANOGAN
STEAMBOAT COMPANY, HAS
HAD AN ACTIVE CAREER.

The following story of the life of
Capt. j. D. Miller appeared in a
Spokane Sunday paper and will be
read here with general interest on
account of the wide acquaintance OF
the miller family:
Although 80 years of age and act
lively engaged in the steamboat bus
mess in the Pacific northwest for SIS
years, Captain J. D. Miller of Spo-
kane has no desire to entirely retire
from that life, and the river veteran
will probably be seen during the
spring and summer of 1910 on the
various craft on the Columbia and
Okanogan line, plying north from
Wenatchee. Hale and hearty the
river captain retains his masters pa
pers, has the right to run steamboats,
and is one of the stockholders in
the Columbia and Okanogan Steam
| boat company. This corporation
owns and operates five steamers, the
Columbia, Chelan, Okanogan, Enter
prise and North Star
Captain Miller lives at the home
of his son, Captain c. S. Miller, E120S
Augusta avenue. Following in his
fathers footsteps the son became a
river pilot and captain, starting his
first work on a steamer when Is
years of age. Both have retired from
active management Of steamers, al
though retaining their financial in
terest in them.
Three Pioneers Still Living.
Three of the pioneer steamboat
men of the Columbia river and its
tributaries are now living, all being
located in the Pacific northwest. The
others of the old guard are Captain
| George A. Pease, now of Portland,
Ore, and Captain Ephraim Baugh-
man of Lewiston, Idaho. These three
veterans of the northwest rivers en-
gagged in steamboating in 1851, when
the first steam crafts were floated on
the Willamette river. Even before
that time Captain Miller had been
boatman, for he had floated flat
boats between Canemad and Dayton,
Ore, in 1S4S, when he first came
from the east.
Actively engaged in the steamer
business Captain Miller took charge
of the steamer "Hoosier," owned by
John Zumwalt and operating on the
upper Willamette. in 1851. Later he
purchased the steamer and in 1857,
with his associate, S. r. Smith, built
"Hoosier No. g." The Miller boats
became famous in that section and
were fast travellers. His steamer
James Clinton" operated from 1858
to 1861, was burned at Linn City in
the latter year.
A recounting of the steamers on
which Captain Miller served as mas
| ter would give an almost complete
| list of the boats plying on the Co.
lumbia and Willamette rivers during
the early days. The captain became
interested in the Peoples Transpor-
tation company, operating boats on
the Columbia and until that line was
absorbed by the Oregon River & Nav
igation company, was one of the
masters for it's steamers.
In 1878 he purchased the steamer
ga. A. McCully' and after some
changes placed this packet in bust
ness with Eugene, Ore, as its chief
landing place.
After operating several other boats
on the Willamette he made his first
change from the Columbia rivers
lower valley. He built and operated
the steamer Henry Willard" named
after the first president of the Nor.
thern Pacific abroad, on Lake Pend
Oreille in 1881. This craft was used
in transporting material for the con
struction of the Northern Pacific
railroad line.
He became interested in other
steamers on the Snake river and fol
time was owner and master of the
steamer Norma" at Huntington
disposing of that boat and returning
to Portland in 1891. In 1898 he de-
cided that the Kootenai river in Mon
tana offered steamboating opportun.
tiles and ran a steamer between Jen-
nings and Fort Smell, leaving the
Kootenai country after the building
of the Great Northern railroad de-
stroyed the steamer business in that
section. His last craft in Montana
was the Hays" run out of Boomers
Ferry.
Following this the captain was in
Puget Sound and then he returned
to the Columbia river valley to close
his active management of river craft
when he was master of the steamer
Yakima" on the Snake river.
This boat was on the Columbia
river during the building of the s.
P. & S. railroad and had a thriving
business transporting material for
that railroad and it's many camps.
Captain Miller and his son, after op-