An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, by Rev. H.K. Hines, D.D., The
Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, IL., 1893, pages 308-309
	
	FRANCIS M. LOUDEN, one of the leading farmers of Walla Walla county, a
successful stock-raiser and a pioneer of California, was born in Boone county,
Kentucky, February 7, 1831, and resided in Kentucky until he was thirteen years
of age and then removed with his father to Illinois. His father, Spencer Louden,
was a native of Kentucky, and there married Mabel W. Bates, a native of
Massachusetts, born near Plymouth Rock and belonging to one of the families
well-known in that locality. Mr. Louden removed to Illinois in 1847, lived there
until 1856 and then removed to California by water. By trade he was a carpenter
and contractor and until his removal to California had always worked at his
trade. He died in 1874, at the age of seventy years. His wife still survives and
lives on the old homestead in California at the age of eighty-four years. They
reared a family of five children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the
second.
	At the age of eighteen our subject thought often of the great gold beds
lying in the gorges and the sandy river beds of California, and he, in company
with four others, formed a partnership and fitted up a horse team with wagon and
necessary supplies and started on the dangerous path across the plains, bound
for the gold fields of California. After leaving the Missouri river the youths
journeyed all alone taking a little over four months to make the trip. After
reaching California our subject went at once at mining, following this
employment until 1851, by which time he had made enough money to enable him to
fit out a pack train, and he then went into packing, following this renumerative
employment for twenty-one years. He packed freight over every Territory west of
the Rocky mountains and in nearly every mining camp throughout California,
Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Montana and Washington, having many escapes and running
many risks. All readers of this volume who were early settlers will readily
understand many of the dangers which attended the freighting business at that
time, as the Indians were often very hostile. Our subject can tell some
blood-curdling stories of those days and of the dangerous places he has been in,
and at last he tired of the life and having made money he decided to settle down
with his family.
	Our subject married in 1869, and in 1878 with his family he settled in Walla
Walla county, Washington, where he bought 160 acres in the bottoms of Walla
Walla river, twelve miles west of the city of Walla Walla. Here he has made a
fine home and probably will spend his remaining years here, engaged in stock
business. He has always worked with the old adage in mind that if a thing is
worth doing at all it is worth doing well, and his first purchase was to improve
his stock by buying a few fine animals, one of the male animals costing $2,000.
His herd of 125 head of horses are all fine, some of them real blooded animals.
In this country the trotting Hambletonian breed is the favorite, and our subject
has representatives of it.
	Mr. Louden now owns 4,000 acres of fine land and 2,000 are cultivated to
raise feed for his stock. He does not farm and raise grain to sell, but as he
keeps about 600 head of cattle and 125 head of horses he needs much feed. More
would he raised, but as the land is getting settled the range is being closed
up. He has a fine farm here, a good house and barns and everything convenient.
He takes great pride in raising bees and has much honey to sell yearly.
	In 1869 our subject was elected by a large majority to the responsible
office of County Commissioner, and served two years, he being the only Democrat
elected in a Republican county. He was re-elected in 1890 and again in 1892, by
a larger majority than any other candidate, either Republican or Democrat. He
was appointed by the Governor of the State as one of the Board of Trustees of
the Washington Penitentiary, and still holds that position, being a very able
and efficient officer.
	Mr. and Mrs. Louden have three children: M.J., Francis H., and Hettie Irene,
all of whom are yet at home enjoying the comforts of a pleasant and happy
residence in this delightful locality. Mr. Louden is a member of the Masonic
fraternity, and politically he is a Democrat, and cast his first ballot for
Grover Cleveland in 1892.
	
Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in September 2003 by Jeffrey L. Elmer
	
	
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Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies
Project.  Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the
individual featured in the biographies.