The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-10-04
CHARLES CUNNINGHAM.
FRESHMAN FROM PASC0
Packed His Blankets Into Pendle-
ton and Became Largest
Sheep Owner in Oregon

A quaint and curious character i'll
the person Of Charles Cunningham,
proprietor of Hotel Cunningham, Pas
co. is registered at Hotel Washington.
There was time when Mr.. Cunning.
ham did not stop at first class hoteh
and live like a nabob That, how.
ever, was long time ago, and is re.
telred to only for the purpose OF
making the story complete.
Charles Cunningham came to Amer
lea from the old country in 1871.
When asked for the name of the land
of his birth, he replied, ireland, of
course, where in do you suppose
was born" He packed his blankets
into Pendleton, Umatilla county, Ore
gon, the same year, and went to work
cutting wood for his board. After
he had worked awhile at that job, and
later for wages, he managed to save
up enough money to go into the sheep
business, his first band being one OF
500 head, which he herded himself.
incidentally, it might be remarked
that there were some pretty serious
wars with the Indians in those early
days, and as Mr.. Cunnin ham himself
sheep he was lodging the Indians, so
he was always busy.
One of the first to grasp the idea
that thoroughbred animals were the
ones that would win in the long run
Mr.. Cunningham went into the breed
| ing of thorough bred Merinos extern
svely and later added the Rambouil-
lets. He was the owner of Centennial.
the famous Merino buck that won the
grand championship in Chicago in
1898 and Cunningham Merino bucks
were known from the southwestern
| oregon to Northeastern Montana, all
through the four big states of the
northwest.
Mr.. Cunningham established his,
home ranch at Pilot Rock IA miles
south of Pendleton, taking up land
| and increasing his sheep from the
small beginning of 800, until in 1906
| he was probably the largest single
owner of sheep of any man in Ore
gon, and surpassed in that regard on
! ly, if at all, by the Baldwin sheep
company, a corporation. In 1906 Mr.
Cunningham disposed of all his hold
inss, land, sheep. buildings, range
rights, etc, to the Cunningham Sheen
and land company for something
| like 100000 From that time he has
been investing his capital in various
enterprises, being heavily interested
at Pasco, of which hustiing little city
he has the highest opinion, from al
investment standpoint. His hotel there
| is big enough and good enough to be
the best hotel in Pasco until it be-
comes city of ten thousand
Likes Yakima, Too
Mr.. Cunningham has not placed all
| his eggs in one basket. He likes
North Yakima and the entire Yakima
valley from Kittitas to the Columbia.
He is a director and the heaviest
stakeholder in the Union Gap Irriga-
| ton company, which takes water
/ from the left bank of the Columbia,
twelve miles above this city, and ex-
tend forty miles southeasterly from
that point, irrigating 5000 acres of
fertile land. His principal object in
| coming here at this time is to at
tend the annual meeting of that COM
pany, which will be held today at the
office of John Schlotfeldt, the presi-
| dent
| Mr.. Cunningham expressed the
opinion that the Union Gap Irriga-
ton company canal is the most COM
plete, perfect and up to date in the
state, and that it will be enlarged 30
as to be capable of irrigating more
| land as soon as there is an increased
acreage available to justify the ex-
pense that would be necessary,