The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 29

CARL P. SUTORIUS.

Carl P. Sutorius is one of the founders of the Selah Mercantile Company and as
such figures prominently in the commercial circles not only of Selah but of the
valley. In this connection, in a period of ten years he has developed a business
of extensive and gratifying proportions. He was a young man of twenty-seven
years when he founded the business, for he was born in Lawrence, Kansas, on the
9th of February, 1882, a son of Charles A. and Carrie (Walruff) Sutorius, the
former a native of Germany, while the latter was born in Kansas and was a
daughter of John Walruff, who was likewise born in Germany and became one of the
pioneer settlers of the Sunflower state. Charles A. Sutorius arrived in Kansas
during his boyhood days and was there reared and married. He was a jeweler and
watchmaker by trade and carried on business along those lines for many years. He
has now departed this life, while his wife resides in Chicago.

Carl P. Sutorius acquired a public school education in Kansas City and during
his youthful days had a newspaper route there. It was in that way that he earned
the money necessary to enable him to continue his course in the Kansas City
schools. He left home when a boy of fifteen years and has since been dependent
entirely upon his own resources and labors. For three years he was employed by
the Armour Packing Company in Kansas City and subsequently removed to Omaha,
Nebraska, where he engaged in the retail sheet music business. Later he went to
Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he successfully conducted business along the same
line, and later he started in the sash and door business in that city.

He eventually became a city salesman and was later with the St. Paul & Tacoma
Lumber Company. The year 1905 witnessed his arrival in the northwest, at which
time he made his way to Tacoma and was with the same lumber company in that city
for five years. He afterward became purchasing agent and auditor for the yards
of the company in the Yakima valley and was thus engaged until 1909, when,
desiring that his labors should more directly benefit himself, he became one of
the organizers of the Selah Mercantile Company. In this undertaking he was
associated with H. R. Blackwell and the business was established on the 15th of
August, 1909, succeeding the Selah Trading Company, which had been instituted in
1907. The Selah Mercantile Company was incorporated in 1914 and in 1915 Mr.
Blackwell sold his interest to Frank W. Clark, who was the president of the
company and resided in Yakima until his death, December 7, 1918. Mr. Sutorius
is the executive treasurer. The company began business with a stock worth
eighteen hundred dollars and had a very small store. Something of the rapid and
substantial growth of their trade is indicated in the fact that they now carry a
stock of general merchandise valued at twenty-five thousand dollars, dealing in
everything that a rancher needs. The growth of their business is due to their
thoroughly reliable methods, their enterprise and their earnest desire to please
their customers and today theirs is the leading store in Selah.

On the 28th of August, 1908, Mr. Sutorius was married to Miss Josephine Clark, a
daughter of Frank W. and Kate A. Clark. Her father was born in Lawrence,
Kansas, while his parents were en route to Colorado, and later he became a
pioneer resident of Tacoma. Washington, and occupied the position of general
manager for the Tacoma Smelting Company. In 1913 he removed to Yakima and was
the executive secretary of the Red Cross of the Yakima valley at the time of
his death. To Mr. and Mrs. Sutorius have been born two children. Clark and
Helen.

Fraternally Mr. Sutorius is connected with the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. He also belongs to the Selah Commercial Club, of which he was
secretary and treasurer for three years. In politics he maintains an independent
course, concentrating his efforts and attention upon his business affairs,
which, wisely directed, have placed him in the front rank among the
representatives of commercial interests in Selah.

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