The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 604
A portrait of Mr. and Mrs. John Estes appears in this publication.

JOHN H. ESTES.

John H. Estes is the owner of a ranch property of twenty-five acres near Buena.
He has become recognized as a leading orchardist of his community and his
experience and success enable him to speak with authority upon many questions
relative to the production of fruit in this section. He dates his residence in
Washington from 1888 but was born in Terre Haute. Indiana, March 19, 1862, a
son of John and Mary (Miller) Estes, who were natives of Kentucky and became
residents of Indiana in the latter part of the '50s. The father was a contractor
and builder who was identified with building operations in Indiana. He had lived
for a brief period in Illinois before removing to the Hoosier state and after
leaving the Mississippi valley he took up his abode in Tacoma, Washington, and
spent the last years of his life in the home of his son, John H., there passing
away in 1892. His wife had died in Indiana in 1878.

In his youthful days John H. Estes was a pupil in the public schools of Terre
Haute and took up the carpenter's trade with his father, eventually entering the
contracting business on his own account when twenty-one years of age. In 1888 he
arrived in Tacoma. Washington, and began building operations in that city,
winning a place among its foremost contractors. He was active in the building
of Fort Lawton and also of Fort Seward in Alaska, and he built the Sperry flour
mill and the mill of the Tacoma Grain Company, both in Tacoma. He likewise
erected many brick buildings there and occupied a position as one of the most
prominent and successful contractors in that city, having a business of
extensive proportions. In 1904, however, he turned his attention to
horticultural pursuits by the purchase of thirty acres of land a mile northeast
of Buena, already planted to orchards. In 1905 he also bought fifty acres of
land below Granger and devoted that place to the raising of hops and hay. He has
since sold all of his land save twenty-five acres of the orchard property. He
now has twenty acres in apples, with the remainder planted to pears. He has
remodeled the home, making it an attractive modern residence, and has built a
fine packing house and storage warehouse with a capacity of eighteen carloads of
fruit. This is a frostproof structure. Every accessory for the care of his fruit
is found upon his place. He also designed and built the cold storage plant at
Zillah for the Yakima Valley Fruit Growers Association and was the vice
president of the association for some time. He promoted this company, whose
warehouse has a capacity of six hundred carloads of fruit and a capacity of
fifty cars of ice which is manufactured every day. This is the only pre-cooler
in the northwest. Mr. Estes also designed and built the cold storage plant at
Buena for the Buena Packing and Supply Company, which he organized in 1916 and
of which he has since been the president. It has a capacity of sixty carloads of
fruit. He has withdrawn from the Yakima Valley Fruit Growers' Association and is
now identified with the Buena corporation. He is one of the most prominent men
of the valley because of his ability and efforts as a contractor and as an
orchardist.
On the 12th of November, 1890, Mr. Estes was married to Miss Rosalia Hipkins,
who was born in Bellaire, Ohio, a daughter of William and Levira (Cox) Hipkins.
Mrs. Estes is now serving her second term as chairman of the Red Cross in her
district.

Fraternally Mr. Estes is connected with the Knights of Pythias and his political
allegiance is given to the republican party. For many years he served as a
member of the county executive committee in Pierce county, Washington. He has
been very active in promoting every interest for the good of the valley and is a
most public-spirited citizen, championing every plan or measure that has to do
with the progress and improvement of this section of the state. The thoroughness
which he displays in everything that he undertakes has brought him to a high
point of efficiency in building operations and in orcharding as well. His
judgment is sound, his sagacity keen and he allows no obstacle or difficulty to
bar his path if it can be overcome by persistent and earnest effort. His work
has counted for much as a factor in the general progress and improvement of the
district in which he makes his home.

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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.