The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 199

JOHN WELLARD STEVENSON.

John Wellard Stevenson has the distinction of being the first native son living
on the Cowiche and is a representative of one of the oldest pioneer families of
that section. He was horn in the Cowiche valley of Yakima county on the 16th of
June, 1873, a son of John Wellard and Hannah (Lewis) Stevenson. The father was
born in 1835, in Edwards county, Illinois, and was a son of John Wellard
Stevenson, a native of England, who came to the United States about 1830. He
cast in his lot with the pioneer settlers of Illinois, taking up his abode in
that state prior to the time of the Black Hawk war, whereby the question of
Indian supremacy was forever settled in that state. After residing there for
almost a quarter of a century he made the overland trip to Oregon in 1853 and in
1854 established the family home near Vancouver, Washington. He took up a
government donation claim and resided thereon to the time of his death. His son,
John Wellard Stevenson, the Lather of John Wellard Stevenson of this review,
took up government land at Cape Horn, Washington, in 1857 and is now residing
thereon, although his residence there has not been continuous. In the year 1870
he came to Yakima county and bought the improvements on a squatter's claim on
the Cowiche, being the first white settler along that stream. He was married in
this locality and resided here until 1890, since which time he has made his home
at Cape Horn, Washington. His wife, who was a native of Indiana, passed away in
1913.

Their son, John Wellard Stevenson, acquired a public school education and
through vacation periods and after his school days were over engaged in
ranching with his father, who afterward gave him a part of the ranch on the
Cowiche. He now has sixty acres in all and devotes his place to the raising of
hay and to the conduct of a dairy business.

On the 3d of October, 1912, Mr. Stevenson was married to Miss Cora L. Wixom, a
native of Arkansas, and to them have been born two children, John Wellard and
Ethel Eliazbeth.

In politics Mr. Stevenson maintains an independent course nor does he seek for
nor desire public office. He prefers to concentrate his energies and attention
upon his ranching interests and is meeting with good success in his
undertakings. He is one of the oldest settlers of Yakima county and the first
native son on the Cowiche and throughout all the intervening period he has been
closely identified with the development and progress of the region in which he
lives. He has indeed witnessed many notable changes as the work of improvement
has been carried forward and at all times he has borne his part in the general
advancement which has brought about modern-day prosperity.

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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.