Butte County
Biographies
EDGAR CALVIN WILSON
E. C. WILSON.--Having won the good will
and esteem of all with whom he has come in contact, E. C. Wilson, of Oroville,
a prominent citizen and a former supervisor of Butte
County, stands on his own record.
In 1874 he came to Chico, a
stranger without means, looking for work. For a week he sought out every
possible prospect, but without
success and finally despairing of finding employment, went
to the depot and, while waiting to take a train to some point farther north, overheard
a conversation between two men, one telling the other that a certain man wanted
a teamster. Without delay or question Mr. Wilson immediately sought out the man
and was hired on the spot. From that time to the present his interests have
been the interests of Butte County
and
Northern California.
A
native of West Virginia, E. C. Wilson was born at
Philippi, Barbour County,
October 5, 1853. His father, O. E. Wilson, also was
born at that same place and was a prosperous farmer and stock-raiser and operated
a tannery. After the Civil War he moved to Big Springs,
Kans., where he continued farming until his
death, in 1893. He married Mary Ice, who was born in West
Virginia. She became the mother of eight children;
seven of them are now living, of whom E. C. is the second in order of birth.
Mrs. Wilson died in Kansas in
1916. Young Wilson spent his early boyhood on the farm in West
Virginia and attended the subscription schools of his
locality, there being no public schools there until after the Civil War. He
well remembers the raiding back and forth of the armies during the war. In 1865
he accompanied the family to Kansas
and worked on the farm and went to the public schools. When he was twenty he
decided he would see something of the world and started westward to the Pacific
Coast.
In
1874 E. C. Wilson arrived in Chico, Butte
County, a stranger with but very
little money. He was willing to work and earnestly sought any honest employment
that would put him on his feet and give him an opportunity to look about the
country. For more than a week he endeavored to find a job and finally secured
work as a teamster at twenty-five dollars a month. Although aware of the fact
that he was being imposed upon by being offered such low wages, he accepted the
position and for one month gave his best efforts to do the work that was
assigned to him. His interest in the work soon attracted the attention of Ben
Allen, owner of the dump where he was teaming, who told him to come and work
for him and he would give him fifty dollars a month, also to leave the
collection of his month's wages to him. Needless to say that Mr. Allen made the
collection and at the same time scored the man for taking advantage of a boy
without friend or a dollar. For several years Mr. Wilson continued working for
the Sierra Lumber Company, under Ben Allen and always found him a good man and
a stanch friend. While working he attended Woodman's Academy in Chico
for three or four winters. In 1878 he went to Pentz
with Mr. Allen, in the employ of the Flea Valley Lumber Company, helping to
build the flume and working in the sawmills. He later spent two summers at
Merrimac, then returned to Pentz and bought the store
and blacksmith shop with financial success. For nine years he served as
postmaster of Pentz, resigning the position when he
was elected a member of the board of supervisors, and a short time afterwards
sold the store that he might devote more of his time to the duties of his
office. During all the years that he was manager of the store and blacksmith
shop, Mr. Wilson carried on a ranch and raised grain and stock, and is still
interested in ranching on his five hundred acres of land. Success has crowned
his efforts and today he is one of the highly respected citizens of Butte
County. He has been interested in
mining and owns the Butte Star Mine in the Nimshew
district and the Jack Welch Mine that is located on his stock range; both are
good prospects and with proper development will probably pay dividends.
In
the village of Pentz, E. C. Wilson was untied in marriage
with Miss Clara Squire, a native of Kansas.
They have had two children: Erma, a deputy court-reporter at Oroville, and Eddis. Mr. Wilson is a member of Table Mountain Lodge, No.
124, F. & A. M., at Cherokee, and is serving his second term as master of
the lodge. He has been a member of the Odd Fellows for forty years and has
served two terms as Noble Grand of Cherokee Lodge, No. 94, I. O. O. F. Always
interested in the advancement of educational standards,
Mr. Wilson has served for years as a trustee of the Pentz
school district. In 1917 he served as foreman of the Butte County Grand Jury.
In politics he is a Democrat and has always taken an active interest in the
welfare of the party and served as a delegate to county conventions.
At
the earnest solicitation of his friends, in 1898, Mr. Wilson became a candidate
for supervisor from the Fifth District of Butte County and was elected by a
good majority over T. M. Smith. So satisfactory were his services to the people
of the entire county that he was reelected in 1902, again in 1906, and in 1910,
holding the office from January 1, 1899, to January 1, 1915. For three years he
served as chairman of the board. Although earnestly requested to become a
candidate for another term, he refused and retired to give his undivided
attention to his ranching interests. Mr. Wilson is a self-made man and is one
of the best-known and most highly respected citizens of Butte
County. Having overcome obstacles
in his own career, he realizes the difficulties encountered
by others on their road to success and is always ready to lend a helping hand
to those less fortunate than himself.
Transcribed by Sande Beach.
Source: "History of
Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages 624-625, Historic Record Co, Los Angeles, CA, 1918.
© 2007 Sande Beach.
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