The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 222

NELGIS T. ROULEAU.

Nelgis T. Rouleau is not only numbered among the representative farmers in the
vicinity of Moxee City but also deserves special notice as one whose efforts
have been most effective in promoting the good roads movements in his part of
the state. He was born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, February 7, 1868, a son of
Peter and Emily (Valencourt) Rouleau, both of whom were natives of Canada and of
French descent. They crossed the border into the United States when young
people, settling in Wisconsin, where they were married, and there the father
engaged in farming. He afterward removed to St. Paul, Minnesota, and
subsequently lived at Minneapolis and later at Hancock, Minnesota. He was in
various parts of that state and was the owner of six hundred and forty acres of
valuable land near Breckenridge, Minnesota, which he owned until 1900, when he
sold that property and made his way to Yakima county, Washington. Arriving in
the Moxee valley, he purchased twenty acres of land and thereon resided for a
number of years. He afterward bought other farm property and devoted his time
and energies to its cultivation and improvement until his death, which occurred
in 1911. His wife survived him for four years, passing away in 1915.

Nelgis T. Rouleau obtained a public school education in Wisconsin and through
the period of his boyhood and youth worked with his father upon the home farm,
assisting in the task of plowing, planting and harvesting when not in school. He
also followed logging in Wisconsin and likewise worked on farms there. He
afterward became interested in horse racing in connection with E. H. Everette
and was engaged in raising and training race horses. He also engaged in clerking
in stores and did collecting. He bought and sold horses and thus in various
lines of business developed his powers and cultivated that alertness which made
him wide-awake to every business opportunity. In 1899 he went to Helena,
Montana, and afterward to Missoula, that state. He subsequently spent a few
months in Idaho and then made his way to Seattle and afterward to Everett,
Washington, where he worked in logging camps. He traveled at different periods
over various parts of British Columbia, Oregon. Washington and other sections of
the northwest and again had varied experiences along business lines. In 1911,
upon the death of his Lather, he came to the Yakima valley and purchased the old
homestead property, having now twenty acres of land which is highly cultivated
and well improved. He engaged in raising hops until 1916 and he has been
identified with many progressive elements in farming in this neighborhood. He
spent one year in northern Alaska, where he went in the spring of 1906, making
his way north of Cape Prince of Wales. Mr. Rouleau is now quite extensively
engaged in raising high grade Percheron horses and was the first man to bring
full blooded Percheron to the Moxee valley. He has two standard bred trotting
horses, Norlock and Darklork, whose pedigree dates back over a hundred years. He
has every reason to be proud of his fine horses and his efforts have done much
to promote an interest in the raising of high grade horses in this section of
the country.

Mr. Rouleau belongs to the Yakima lodge of Elks, No. 318, and his political
allegiance is given to the democratic party. He is a most public spirited and
energetic citizen, who stands loyally for any cause which he espouses, and he
has been particularly helpful in promoting the good roads movement and improving
the public highways in this section of the state. There is no plan or measure
for the general god that does not receive his endorsement and support, and he
attacks everything with a contagious enthusiasm that never fails to bring
desired results.

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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.