An Illustrated History of Central Oregon, Western Historical Publishing Company,
Spokane, WA. 1905, page 404-405.

MARTIN M. WATERMAN, who resides about seven miles southeast from The Dalles. is
one of the most prominent and successful agriculturists, stockmen, and business
men of Wasco county. Few men have made as brilliant a record as he has and an
epitome of his career will be very interesting to the residents of this county.      

Martin M. Waterman was born in Jefferson, Marion county, Oregon, on July 24,
1870, the son of Ezekiel and Nancy (Smith) Waterman, who are mentioned elsewhere
in this volume. He was educated in the public schools in The Dalles, and then
completed this important part of his life's training in the Wasco Academy and a
Portland business college. At the early age of sixteen, he was permitted by his
father to take charge of two farms on Eightmile creek, and such was his success
in handling them that the father came from The Dalles to join him in the
enterprise the next year. That venture marked the beginning of young Waterman's
successful career and from that time until the present he has been known as one
of the brightest and most successful of business operators in Wasco county. His
tact, his ability, his energy and his untiring care of all enterprises under his
hand account for this achievement which he has won so plainly, and it is not in
any measure the result of "luck" or favorable circumstances as the idler would
fondly dream. The next year after his success on the two farms of his father,
young Waterman used the first thousand dollars which he had saved from his
labors to purchase an estate of seven hundred acres, assuming an indebtedness
for the balance of the purchase price. Thus at the age of seventeen, he started
out as a farmer and land owner and he has added by purchase until he has now one
thousand and fifty acres of choice land. The next year Mr. Waterman married Miss
Etta Rice, who was born on Fifteenmile creek, on July 26, 1868, the sister of
Mrs. C.H. Southern, who is mentioned elsewhere in this volume. Two children have
been born to this union, Ira L. and Lelah. Together Mr. and Mrs. Waterman took
hold of the enterprises at hand and they have wrought a work that deserves the
best of credit. Mr. Waterman raises diversified crops and gives especial
attention to the industry of hog raising and breeding. He captured every prize
on swine in classes entered at the Oregon state fair at Salem in 1903, much to
the discomfort of many of the older hog breeders in various sections of the
state. He breeds the O.I.C. hogs and has the boar, Ohio, which weighs eight
hundred and sixty pounds, and is one of the finest animals in the west. He
markets about three hundred hogs each year. He also raises fine thoroughbred
Jerseys and has a choice herd of thirty head. In the spring of 1903, Mr.
Waterman started a creamery on the ranch and now has a fine plant turning out
about two hundred pounds per week. Unlike many, and indeed most, of the youth of
the land, Mr. Waterman would not receive from his father any money besides what
he earned, and the result is that he has a choice estate, all made by his own
efforts and which is producing annual dividends that make him a goodly
competence. His standing in the community is of the best and he is looked up to
by all as a man of unusual ability and wisdom.

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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in January 2005 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. 
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.