The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1917-07-12
81 YEAR OLD MAN
WALKS TO PORTLAND

Ralza W. Button, who in a month S
time will have reached his 84th birth
day, comes of remarkable family and
has lead a remarkable career. The
octogenarian, who makes his home
here with his son, F. H. Button, was
the twelfth child of family of IA, six
boys and eight girls. Only one other
of the big family, Julius c. Button,
aged SO years, who resides at Trempu-
leau, Wis, where he is actively en-
gagged in the practice of law despite
his mantle of years, now survives.
81 have accomplished some hardy
and strenuous feats during my time,
says Mr. Button, but consider one
of the crowning events of my life a
jaunt took last week to Portland on
foot over the Columbia River High
way. am counting on good many
more years here in the healthful cline
of Oregon, but the memories of that
trip interspersed with the bitter and
sweet recollections of the past four
score years will give me food for
thought "a plenty and the wonders of
the great highway will form plenty of
topics for conversation. | have trav-
eled over every part of the United
States and | have seen great deal of
Mexico. For rs consecutive days one
time | rode horseback through the
mountains of Chihuahua and Durango.
have crossed the American continent
"a times in my life, once on foot and
once by stage. But of all my travels
| have never enjoyed any little jaunt
more than that down to Portland.
Mr.. Button says that he travelled at
leisure, drinking in the wonderful
sights. He took four days to the
trip. Many. offers of rides were ten
dered him, but all but one were re-
fused.
THAT time it was lady," says Mr..
Button. 81 was seated in the shade
musing and scarcely noticed that big
car stopped near me. / am very deaf,
and guess they had called to me sew
eral times when finally a man tapped
me on the shoulder and statedfthat a
lady in the car wished to see me. Il
never refuse the. ladies anything, re-
piled and followed him to the big car.
The lady, who was driving the car, in
sisted that / shouldsride. | finally ac-
cepted her invitation provided she
would sagree to set me down at.the
first place | could secure a glass of
milk. And this she did. The total
distance of the pleasant ride was three
miles.
From Cascade Locks to Rooster
Rock the Columbia River Highway is
wonderful. | wouldn't be surprised if
the: thought of those lofty pinnacles
and the grand views up and down the
river, the cool retreats beside the
water falls, where the soft spray
blows out and forms dew on the foli-
age of wild plants and shrubs didn't
call me back down the Columbia some
of these days"
Mr.. Button says he began his busi-
ness career as a carpenter and joiner.
Then he turned miner and for six
years in pioneer times he toiled and
bored in the earth in the Idaho gold
fields. He has been railroad builder.
Mr.. Button resided in Oregon for
time Sc years ago. He went to the
cascades and was employed there on
the Washington side of the Columbia
in setting up the hull of one of the
mid Columbia's first steamers, craft
built by the old Oregon Steam Naviga-
tion Co. He accompanied the early
boat up the river to The Dalles, where
he assisted in putting the finishing
touches to the craft.
According to my original plans"
says Mr.. Button, 81 was going to
cross the Columbia at Cascade Locks
and tramp around over there on the
Washington bank on the chips I,made
more than so years ago. But the ferry
didn't run in the morning, and didn't
think | ought to wait until afternoon
20 make the trip, so | hurried on down
toward Portland"
Today Mr.. Button spends his time
writing short stories and "reminiscences
Of his life and in tilling garden of
nearly an acre. .on his sons place. He
is proud of that garden plot and well
he might be, for in no tract of Hood
River do the plants grow more vigor-
ously. Although a small boy helps
with the irrigation, Mr.. Button per-
mits no one else to ply the hoe, and
never does a weed lift its head in the
corn rows or beside his melon hills.
When ask for biographical data
Mr.. Button, who despite the fact that
he has passed by IA years the Biblical
allotment of time to mortal man, still
stands an erect six feet and one inch,
said:
81 was born in Oakland, Mich. But
when | was two years old took
very large family to Illinois. We re-
sided there for six years, journeying
on west to Wisconsin, and have al
ways thought of this as my home
state.
81 have been an exceedingly busy
man, and although have been an in
veterate reader, never until | had
reached the age of 80 years did feel
that | had enough leisure to devote
some time to writing. Now that is
my pastime.
Il have worked in my time for 80
cents day, and at other times have
been rewarded with as much as 500
for days work. In the.course of my
career Judge that have employed as
many as 20,000 different men. And so
you see ought to know little some
thing about labor, about employers
and about employees. have been both.
But today as look back from the hill
top of life can feel mean to just one
class of men, and that class is the In
dependent Workers of the World.
These |. W. VS., the worst trouble
makers that | have ever heard of,
ought to have the contempt of honest
uorkipu mon the world over -