"Early History of Thurston County, Washington; Together with Biographies and
Reminiscences of those Identified with Pioneer Days." Compiled and Edited by
Mrs. George E. (Georgiana) Blankenship.  Published in Olympia, Washington, 1914.
p. 177.
 
DR. ALONZO GERRY COOK

      While not a Thurston County pioneer within the strictest meaning of the
term, Dr. Alonzo Gerry Cook has spent so many summers with his daughter, Mrs.
Millard Lemon, on Puget Sound, and during his younger manhood so
frequently visited the Territorial capital in pursuit of official duty, that a
history of this section would be incomplete without some mention of this grand
old man and his devoted wife.
      Born in Portland, Maine, on May 13, 1839, the young Alonzo spent his
infant years at this place, accompanying his parents to Illinois, settling about
sixty miles from Chicago.  Here he grew to young manhood, and after graduating
from a law school, was admitted to practice law. In 1861 Mr. Cook met and
married Miss Isabella Webster. Dr. Cook's tribute to the devotion of his wife
was beautiful. He said: "My wife, born in London, England, came to America in a
sailing vessel before steam was commonly used. The ocean trip consumed six
weeks, then through the Erie Canal to Buffalo, and then through Lake Erie to
Ohio. Later, after our marriage, to Washington, then to Long Beach and Los
Angeles, cows, mules and stage being the means of conveyance for the three
times this noble woman has accompanied me across the plains.  In later years we
have taken the trip several times with all the luxury and conveniences furnished
by the Pullman Company, but Mrs. Cook was as cheerful and uncomplaining during
those days of hardship and trial as she was when we
traveled in comfort."
     In the Spring of 1862, Mr. Cook and his girl bride started to cross the
plains with a team of four cows. After the usual hardships attendant on the
emigrant trip, the young couple finally reached The Dalles. Two of their cows
succumbed to the rigors of the trip and the wagon was hauled the last stages of
the journey by the two remaining animals. Dr. Cook tells as characteristic the
way these pioneer emigrants had to manage, how the Snake River was crossed in
those days long before man had set a pier or placed a stick in the building of
bridges across any of the western streams. "We took off the wagon bed, when we
came to Snake River, unloaded our plunder and my wife spared a garment and I
spared another, to tear into strips. With these we caulked the wagon box
the best we could and put it in shallow water to soak over night. In the
morning, partly loading our equipment in the box, we started to paddle over. I
steered and rowed the extemporized craft the best I could, but the water rushed
in spite of our caulking, so my wife bailed for dear life till we landed on the
far shore. Then we had to return, and make the trip several times, for we did
not dare to put much of our plunder in at one time.   The cows then swam across
 the river, we reloaded and proceeded on our way, nothing daunted and hardly
considering that we had done anything remarkable, as that was the only way of
crossing large streams in those days.
     "When The Dalles was reached, we sold our remaining cows for barely money
enough to take us to Portland. This city was then only a village of one street
and few business houses. We stayed the first night at the old Portland Hotel, a
small wooden building. The next morning I went out on the streets to look for a
job. We were broke and I needed a job the worst way. Almost the first man I met
was a fanner from Yamhill County, named Griner. He was road master in
his section and wanted a man to work on the road. He told me he could give me
and my wife house room while I was working for him I gladly accepted and soon
was armed with a pick and shovel. Mr. Griner was in doubt as to some of his
legal privileges in his work and asked my advice. I told him I did not know what
the local custom was but so and so was the law on the case. He was surprised at
my legal knowledge and asked me about it. I told him I had the theory but had
never yet practiced law. Mr. Griner told me to drop the pick and shovel and take
ray wife and go to Lafayette, Oregon. He wanted to send his young lady daughter
to school and wanted to board her with a cultured family, and assured us he
would see that we had enough to eat during the winter. This was the end of our
very hard times. While we were in Lafayette, our only child, Marabell, was
born."                      
       Mr. Cook then related that soon after the birth of his child he was
offered the position of district attorney for that section of the Northwest that
is now Idaho. He went to Boise City alone, but sent for Mrs. Cook and the baby
within a short time. They remained in Boise City a couple of years and then Mr.
Cook was sent to the Eastern States for the purpose of securing a charter for
the First National Bank of that city. Chris Moore was the bank president. His
wife accompanied him on this trip, which was made by stage.
     Upon Mr. Cook's return to the West he settled in Vancouver, where he became
a partner in a law office with the Hon. H. G. Struve. Struve afterwards was made
District Attorney over a group of ten counties, of which Thurston was one. When
Struve's term expired, Mr. Cook was elected to succeed his former law partner.
     During the two years of this service, Mr. Cook made frequent trips to
attend the Supreme Court in Olympia and became very well acquainted with the
best people of the Capitol City. He can remember when Tacoma was only a dream of
the future, one settler, Job Carr, being the entire population of the City of
Destiny.
     About this time Mr. Cook's health began, to fail him, and in looking over
some medical books to investigate his ailments he became interested in medicine
and decided to study that profession. He took a course in the Cooper
Medical College in San Francisco. Then he went to Chicago where he became a
graduate of the Hahnemann Homeopathic College.
     During the year of 1872 Dr. and Mrs. Cook and their young daughter went to
California to make their home. They were accompanied on this trip by William
Lemon and family to Los Angeles. Dr. Cook practiced medicine in this city
and Oakland for many years.
     Although the doctor has now retired from active practice he has by no means
retired from active life for when the compiler of these reminiscences called
upon him at the home of his son-in-law, Millard Lemon, he told about having
spent the greater part of the day pruning a pear tree 50 feet high in its top
boughs.
     Dr. and Mrs. Cook claim Long Beach, California, for their home, but every
summer the lure of Puget Sound calls them and they come up and spend the hot
months visiting at the home of their only daughter, Mrs. Millard Lemon.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios. Project in May 2007 by Diana Smith.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.