The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1919-10-04
PIONEER CALLED
TO LONG REST
HUGH MUNRO SUCCUMBS AT
HIS HOME IN KETTLE FALLS,
AFTER LONG FIGHT
One OF Best Known Men of North
eastern Washington, and for
Years Resident of County

Hugh Munro died at his home in
Kettle Falls Thursday evening, Sept.
25. The funeral was held at the
McCord Undertaking Parlors in Col
vile Sunday afternoon, and the body
was shipped to Ingersoll, Ontario,
for burial.
The people of Stevens county will
feel deeply grieved in the loss of one
Of their first and most steadfast citi-
zens whose useful life has been given
in sacrifice and service to the best in
terests of all those who have counted
upon his good faith and friendship.
His life book dedicated to virtue,
honor and right living, has been
closed. His was the peaceful sur
render of a man; though not an out
ward professor of religious creed,
he was nevertheless a man of God
and practiced an abiding faith in the
religious teachings impaired to him
by his parents while yet youth.
Hugh Munro, native of Scotland,
for 25 years boniface of one of the
best appointed hotels in the interior
of the Northwest, and for more than
a quarter Of century leading
citizen of Stevens county, passed
away at his home in Kettle Falls on
Thursday, September 26, 1919, after
long illness of cancerous growth
of the stomach. The end was not
unexpected at the time; in fact Mr..
Munro had called many of his friends
and neighbors to his home to have
last friendly talk, and those who
visited him in his final illness re-
marked on his cheerfulness and resig-
nation.
Perhaps there is no one better
known or more widely acquainted in
all the great northwest than Mr..
Munro. Born in Southerlandshire in
the north Of Scotland, November rs,
1852, of that sturdy race that has
done more than it's full share in push
ing methods of modern progress into
new parts of all the world, he began
his career in early preparation for
the future struggles for which he
was by nature, physically and
mentally so we'll fitted. His father
was Donald Munro and mother NJ.
Christina (Sutherland) Munro of
the clan Of Sutherland, dating their
ancestry to the 14th century. In
1869, with their family the parents
moved to Eastern Canada and later
to Detroit, Michigan, where they
made their home until their death.
At the age of 18 Hugh engaged as
a clerk with various commercial con-
Germs and circumstances carried him
westward to Omaha where his abil-
ity and enterprise in business were
recognized by H. H. Clark, western
manager for Jay Gould interests in
the Union Pacific railway then under
construction from the Nebraska
metropolis westward across the con-
tinent, who made him his assistant,
first as confidential agent and later
as traffic manager for the eastern
system. When vacancy on the
Pacific Coast promised wider field
for his activities Mr. Munro asked
to be sent there Clark wished him
to remain at Omaha and he contin-
ued until 1876 when the Indian wars,
eliminating in the Custer massacre,
demoralized the transportation busi
ness in the upper Missouri river val
ley. Clark was appealed to for help
to reestablish the stage lines cover
ing system of several thousands of
miles, extending through the Dakotas,
Montana and even to Calgary, and
he detailed Munro to the task. He
reorganized the system and later
took over large part of it under
his personal ownership, controlling
then the largest overland mail and
stage contracting system in the
world.
While in Omaha Mr. Munro brought
his sister west, afforded her the op-
portunity for liberal education, and
enabled her to occupy the position of
literary critic and associate editress
of the Omaha Herald where she was
associated on the staff of that paper
with William Jennings Bryan, then
just beginning his career
1t was while in Omaha that he
cast his first vote for president in
favor of Samuel j. Tilden the demo-
cratic standard bearer, and while he
never intruded his political beliefs
upon those with whom he came in
contact Mr. Munro remained always
consistent democrat.
In 1891 he was attracted across
the Rocky Mountains by the oppor-
tunities then opening by reason of