The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 284
A portrait of Charles Bull appears in this publication.

CHARLES BULL.

Charles Bull is one of the leading live stock raisers of the Yakima valley,
being extensively engaged in the raising of full blooded cattle, hogs and sheep.
He is now the owner of two hundred and twenty acres of highly cultivated land
near Mabton, upon which he took up his abode in the spring of 1914. His entire
life has been passed in Washington, however. He was born in the Kittitas valley
of Yakima county on the 8th of October, 1878, a son of Walter A. and Jennie
(Olmstead) Bull. The father was one of the most prominent, influential and
valued citizens of this part of the state. He was born in Albany, New York, June
20, 1839, and was a representative of one of the distinguished old families of
that state. He died March 4, 1898, at the comparatively early age of fifty-nine
years. He was a veteran of the Civil war, having served in the Quartermaster's
Department, and after the war he became a contractor on the Union Pacific
Railroad. It was about 1868 that he came into the Kittitas valley. It was in
Kittitas county that he was united in marriage to Jennie Olmstead, a native of
Illinois and a daughter of J. D. Olmstead, who arrived in the Kittitas valley in
1871. The death of Mrs. Bull occurred January 27, 1885, and she left besides her
husband, five children to mourn her loss: John, who is now a retired rancher
living in Ellensburg, Washington: Lewis, who was a prominent rancher of Kittitas
county and passed away in 1907, at the age of thirty-three years: Cora, the wife
of Charles S. Wright, who is principal of a school on Long Island, New York;
Charles, of this review: and Grant, who resides in Ellensburg and is the owner
of a ranch near the city which he rents. Having lost his first wife, the father
married Mrs. Rebecca Frishie, and they had two sons: Alvadore, who is ranching
in Kittitas county; and Leland, who is a physician now serving with the United
States army.

Walter A. Bull was one of the first of the pioneer settlers in the Kittitas
valley and acquired over two thousand acres of land in one tract. This he
devoted to general farming, to the raising of hay and to stock raising. He was
most progressive in all that he undertook and he was one of the first to begin
irrigating land in the valley. In 1893, however, he met with financial reverses.
Later he had mining interests on the Okanogan, where he passed away. He served
as local probate judge at an early day and he exerted much influence over public
thought and action, being a most loyal and devoted citizen and one well
qualified by nature for a position of leadership. In politics he was ever a
stalwart republican and fraternally he was an Odd Fellow, becoming a charter
member of the lodge at Ellensburg. His worth was attested by his brethren of the
fraternity, by those with whom he had business relations and by those whom he
met socially. All spoke of him in terms of the highest regard and his name is
written high on the roll of honored pioneer settlers who contributed much to the
upbuilding and development of the county.

Charles Bull acquired a public school education and attended Pullman College,
where he pursued a three years' agricultural course. He was thus qualified by
liberal training as well as practical experience for the business which he took
up as a life work. When his college days were over he became identified with
live stock raising in the Kittitas valley where he had a fine ranch of one
thousand acres, all under cultivation. In the spring of 1914 he sold this
property and removed to Yakima county, taking up his abode on two hundred and
twenty acres of land between Sunnyside and Mabton. He purchased this property,
which was then a wild tract covered with sagebrush, and today he has nearly the
entire amount under cultivation. Upon the place he built a very attractive home,
also splendid barns and has all of the modern equipments of the model farm of
the twentieth century. He raises full blooded Hereford cattle, also full blooded
hogs and sheep and he has received various prizes upon his cattle at the state
fair. He ranked with the most extensive cattle raisers of Kittitas county and he
occupies an enviable position as a prominent ranchman of Yakima county.

On the 24th of October, 1900, Mr. Bull was united in marriage to Miss Kate
Cooke, a daughter of George B. Cooke, who was a son of C. P. Cooke, one of the
pioneers of the Yakima valley and of the Kittitas valley. He was a very
prominent cattle man in the latter district and the Cooke family has long
occupied a leading position in business and social circles in this part of the
state. To Mr. and Mrs. Bull have been born three children: J. Lewis, George
Walter and Elma Katherine.

Mr. Bull is a democrat in his political views but has never been an office
seeker. Business affairs have made full demand upon his time and energies and
the spirit of enterprise which has actuated him in all that he has undertaken
has brought him to a creditable position among the successful ranchers of the
state.

********************************
Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.