The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 998 

ELMER E. HOLT.

Elmer E. Holt, who was the first settler on the Outlook project near Sunnyside,
is now one of the prosperous ranchers of that section of Yakima county and today
has a highly improved property that came into his possession as a tract of wild
land covered with sagebrush. His identification with the northwest dates from
1902, but he is a native son of Iowa, his birth having occurred in Clinton, that
state, on the 28th of September, 1866. He is a son of Alexander and Salena
(Rowland) Holt, the former a native of Kentucky, while the latter was born in
Indiana. The father was a son of Willis Holt, who was also born in Kentucky and
went with his family to Iowa, casting in his lot among the pioneer settlers of
that state. It was in Iowa that Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Holt were married and
there the father devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits. His wife's
people were also pioneer settlers of that state. The death of Alexander Holt
occurred in April, 1918, and his widow note resides at Fulton, Illinois. They
had removed from Iowa to Whiteside county, Illinois, when their son Elmer was
but three years of age and there he was reared and educated, pursuing a public
school course. After his textbooks were put aside he took up the occupation of
fanning in connection with his father and was thus engaged until he reached the
age of twenty-two years. He afterward turned his attention to sawmill work and
later was engaged in railroading for thirteen years as a brakeman and conductor
on the Chicago & Northwestern, being connected with the freight service.

In 1902 Elmer E. Holt arrived in Washington and took up a homestead. He proved
up on the property and transformed it into a good farm, of which he remained
owner until 1909, when he sold and came to Sunnyside, working for the United
States Declamation Service for five years. In 1915 Mr. Holt purchased forty
acres of land two and a half miles north of Sunnyside -- a tract of sagebrush
giving no indication that it might be at some future date a valuable and
productive farm property. Mr. Holt became the first settler on this part of the
Outlook project. He now has his land all cleared and he raises hay, corn,
potatoes and sugar beets, annually producing large crops. In 1916 he built a
nice home upon his place and has a splendidly improved property.

On the 22d of November, 1894, Mr. Holt was united in marriage to Miss Susie
Skare, a native of Hamilton county, Iowa, and a daughter of Sjure and Bertha
(Johnston) Skare, who were born in Norway. They emigrated to the United States
as young people, about 1864, and Mr. Skare became a successful agriculturist of
Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Holt have four children, as follows: Clarence. who was born
October 13, 1895; Mae, the wife of Glen Campbell, who is engaged in ranching
near Sunnyside; George, whose birth occurred April 16, 1903; and Cecil, whose
natal day was January 1, 1911.

Fraternally Mr. Holt is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and
also with the Modern Woodmen of America, in which he has filled all of the
offices. He votes for men and measures rather than for party. The cause of
education has found in him a stalwart champion and he has served on the school
board.

He is also a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is much interested in
the moral progress of the community. In a word he stands for all that has to do
with the improvement and upbuilding of the district in which he has made his
home and his labors have been a contributing factor to its substantial
development.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in January 2008 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.