Clark, Robert Carlton, Ph.D. "History of the Willamette Valley Oregon."  Vol. 3.
Chicago: Chapman Publishing Company, 1927. p. 170.

W. FRED DRAGER

     As the founder and executive head of one of Oregon's large fruit-packing
industries W. Fred Drager is a forceful figure in business circles of Salem and
his activities as a fruit grower are also of benefit to the state. He was born
November 14, 1872, in Seneca, Kansas. His father, A. W. Drager was a native of
Germany, born in 1845 and came to the United States in his youth. For three
years he served in the Civil war and in 1866 he entered a homestead claim in
Kansas but in 1879 he brought his family to Oregon, locating in Roseburg,
Douglas county, and in 1880 moved to Salem. For a year he cultivated leased land
in Marion county and then purchased a ranch southeast of Salem, becoming one of
the leading agriculturists of this section of the state. He attained the age of
seventy-two years, passing away in 1917, and is survived by a widow, Mrs. Ella
(Mathews) Drager, who resides in one of the attractive homes of Salem. To their
union were born eight children; W. Fred; David G., Marion county's efficient
treasurer; W. L., the owner of a desirable farm near Albany, Oregon; George, who
is in the employ of the Chicago & Milwaukee Railroad Company and makes his home
in Tacoma, Washington; Myrtle, the wife of Alex Gair, of Tacoma; Rue who lives
in Salem; Edith, who is Mrs. Earl South, of Portland: and Benjamin a resident of
Salem.
      W. Fred Drager was a boy of seven when the family migrated to Oregon and
his public school training was received in Salem. After the completion of his
high school course he attended the Capital City Business College and was also a
student at Willamette University. For fifteen years he devoted his attention to
educational work, in which he won success, and was principal of the schools at
Jefferson and Scotts Mills, Oregon. In 1908 he organized the Butte Falls Prune
Growers Association, of which he was manager for three years, and during 1911-12
performed a similar service for W. C. Tillson, a well known fruit packer of
Salem. In 1913 he formed the Drager Fruit Company and for some time was sole
owner of the business, which was incorporated in 1919. Mr. Drager has since been
president of the company, of which Louis Lachmund is vice president and
treasurer, and Mrs. O. C. Buff acts as secretary. They specialize in dried
fruits, handling large: quantities of prunes, raspberries, loganberries and
cherries, and their machinery was designed by Mr. Drager for this purpose. The
Salem plant at No, 310 South Cottage street was erected in 1915. The building is
licensed under the federal warehouse law, which insures cleanliness and safety.
A larger plant of the same type was built in Roseburg in 1920 and during the
busy season work is furnished to seventy-five employes. The prunes are packed in
ten, twenty-five and fifty pound cases and the fruit bears the Red Rose
trademark, which is synonymous with the superlative in quality. An individual
motor system has been installed in the plant, which operates by electrical
power, and its equipment includes facilities for making paper cartons. These are
hermetically sealed and absolutely worm-proof, the best containers for dried
fruit on the market. Every effort has been made to secure perfect sanitation and
no industry of the kind in the northwest is operated with greater efficiency.
There is a large demand for loganberries, which are dehydrated and subjected to
a process which renders them frostproof. The fruit is placed in eight-ounce
cartons and shipped chiefly to points in Canada. The output of the firm is sent
to all parts of the world and the extent and importance of the industry are
directly attributable to the unfaltering efforts and expert administration of
Mr. Drager, who has a highly specialized knowledge of the business. He owns one
hundred acres of fertile land in Polk county and his fruit ranch is the finest
in that part of the state.
     In 1894 Mr. Drager married Miss Lillie Moon, of Minnesota, and they became
the parents of five children: Harland and Clair, deceased; Vern, who is
connected with the state public service commission and has a wife and one child,
Vern, Jr.; Marion, who is the wife of George Frey, of Medford, Oregon, and has a
daughter, Betty Jean; and Glen, who is attending school.
     Mr. Drager is an adherent of the republican party and since 1903 has been
chief clerk of the house of representatives, discharging his duties with
characteristic thoroughness and efficiency. He belongs to the Chamber of
Commerce and his fraternal affiliations are with the Artisans, the Benevolent
Protective Order of Elks and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He heartily
indorses all projects for Salem's betterment, and a life of rightly directed
endeavor has won for him the unqualified esteem of his fellowmen.

     
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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in April 2011 by Diana Smith.  Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.