"The Oregonian's Handbook of the Pacific Northwest." Portland, OR: Oregonian
Publishing Co., 1894.  pg. 279.

CHARLES CUNNINGHAM
     The Great Sheep King, Charles Cunningham, whose portrait appears on this
page, is the largest individual sheep owner of Umatilla county, and considering
the size of his herds and the blooded animals in his flocks, he may be fairly
said to be the leading representative of the sheep industry in Eastern Oregon.
     A brief sketch of the life of Oregon's sheep king will undoubtedly prove of
interest to those who are personally acquainted with this gentleman, or who know
him by repute only.  born in County Galway, Ireland, in 1846, Mr. Cunningham
emigrated to this country at the age of 18.  Almost immediately upon his arrival
here he profered his services to the United States navy.  He was assigned to the
battleship Galena, and received his first baptism of fire at the famous battle
of Mobile Bay.  At the conclusion of the war he emigrated to California, and
after a brief residence in Alameda county, her removed to Oregon and located in
Umatilla county in 1869.  In the latter year he embarked in the sheep business,
a business that was destined to bring him both wealth and the proud distinction
of being a successful and generous man of the world.
     His apprenticeship in the sheep business was served in the employ of Major
W. H. Barnhart, then one of the leading wool-growers of Eastern Oregon.  No
better opportunity for studying the cares and duties of the management of sheep
could have afforded itself to the young seeker for fame and fortune in the West
than the time Mr. Cunningham spent in the employ of Mr. Barnhart.  Even while
honestly helping to enrich another he fully made up his mind that in the near
future a good part of his honest efforts should be devoted to enriching himself.
Being a thrifty lad he saved his money, and in 1873, in association with Jacob
Frazer, known to all residents of Pendleton as "Uncle Jake," he was able to
purchase a respectable flock of sheep of his own.  The business of Messrs.
Frazer & Cunningham was a prosperous one from the start, and these gentlemen
were soon able to purchase the Webb slough ranch, since better known as the
Hewlet & McDonald ranch.  This new purchase afforded additional and excellent
browsing ground for their flocks, and the increase in the wealth and importance
of the firm was both rapid and of a substantial nature.  The partnership lasted
between these two gentlemen until their flocks had increased to such a size that
they felt that they had a sufficient number of sheep to look after for each
partner to engage in business on his individual account.  The firm then
dissolved partnership by mutual consent, and each in the future devoted his
attention to the care of his individual flocks.
     In 1877 Mr. Cunningham purchased what is now known as the Cunningham ranch,
located on Buffalo creek.  At the time the gentleman purchased this place it was
in Umatilla county, but by a subdivision of the county it is now in Morrow
county.  One year after this time Mr. Cunningham married Miss Sarah Doherty, a
niece of E. B. Nelson, who was massacred by the Indians in the outbreak of 1878.
This union, though a happy one, was of brief duration, for Mrs. Cunningham died
two years after her marriage, leaving behind her a daughter, in whom the hopes
of the father are centered today.
     In the early days of the sheep industry in Eastern Oregon the more common
grades of sheep were raised, to the exclusion of what were then known as "fancy
breeds."  This naturally resulted in a wool crop of a quality greatly inferior
to the crop of today.  Mr. Cunningham was among the first to perceive the
advantage to be derived from raising the standard of his breed of sheep.
Following out this line, he aimed to improve the quality of his flock by the
importation of a number of thoroughbred rams.  To his excellent judgment in this
direction is largely due the popularity and increasing demand at the present
time for what is known as the "Cunningham wool."  This gentleman now numbers in
his flock 20,000 sheep, 4,000 of which are thoroughbreds.  Outside of the
thoroughbreds, the rest of his sheep are graded, and of fine quality.  steady
progress has been his constant motto through life, and he has never allowed any
opportunity for advancement to pass by unimproved.
     When the famous blooded stock owned by William Ross, a noted sheep-herder
came into the market, Mr. Cunningham took advantage of the opportunity to
purchase the entire band.  These sheep were from the noted Hammond stock of
Vermont, and they never fail to inspire confidence and admiration in the breasts
of practical sheep men who regularly visit the ranch of Mr. Cunningham.  The
fleece of these animals is long, white and of the staple quality for which there
is such an eager and steady demand.  The Hammond bucks have established their
reputation as "leaders," and they are eagerly sought by sheep men whose
knowledge of sheep-breeding is abreast of the times.  Those who have bred to the
Hammond bucks owned by Mr. Cunningham, have not only increased the weight of the
fleece on their own sheep, but they have also added to the size of the sheep
themselves.  It has clearly demonstrated that a large fleece of actual wool
depends upon the quantity of wool raised to the square inch of surface of the
sheep's back.  To produce the maximum quantity of wool, it must be long, dense
and equally distributed over the body of the sheep.  All of these conditions are
fulfilled in the Hammond breed, hence their value as wool producers is conceded.
It is a well-known and undisputed fact that all stockmen who have made or are
making their fortunes in sheep raising, are those who have bred to first-class
bucks, and thus improved their stock, and who have also improved their wool clip
as a result of raising the standard of their bred sheep.  That the energy and
good judgment which Mr. Cunningham has availed himself of in the sheep industry
are fully appreciated, is attested by the fact that this gentleman is now in
constant receipt of orders for rams from Oregon, Washington and Idaho, and even
from distant California.
     The rearing and caring of sheep is also a very important factor in the
sheep industry.  A thoroughbred animal is no more exempt from "scab" and other
sheep disorders than his plebian brother of meaner extraction.  In this
direction Mr. Cunningham has also shown himself an expert in his business.  By
painstaking efforts he has succeeded in keeping his flock free from all the
disorders to which the sheep is subject, and his entire ranch is today a model
of cleanliness and good order.  This has been brought about by the closest
attention to the particular line of business to which Mr. Cunningham has devoted
his best energies in life.  As before stated, he is looked upon today as an
expert and authority in sheep-raising, and as such is frequently consulted, not
only by new men embarking in the sheep business, but also by any stockmen of
experience who run across knotty points they are incapable of solving.
     When it is considered that the subject of this sketch came to this country
as a raw Irish lad, entirely without means, and that he has, by strict
application and hard work, placed himself among the wealthiest and most
respected citizens of his section, the native ability and energy of the man can
be better appreciated and admired.  Some of the surroundings of Mr..
Cunningham's home life may be gathered from the illustrations of his ranch
published on this page.  The large illustration is a view of his ranch showing a
few of his celebrated Hammond sheep browsing in the distance, a breed of which
he is so justly proud.  To gain anything of an accurate knowledge of the immense
industry presided over by Mr. Cunningham, and the care and responsibility
involved in the management of 20,000 sheep, one should pay a visit to the home
of the Oregon sheep king.  Mr. Cunningham is a most affable gentleman.  He is
unaffected and quite unspoiled by his great good fortune, and he always takes
particular delight in making visitors to his ranch feel perfectly at home.
Those who may be unable to pay a personal visit to the ranch of Mr. Cunningham,
but who may desire accurate information of the subject of discriminating in
making a choice of different breeds of sheep, can always obtain the desired
information by addressing Charles Cunningham, at Pilot Rock, or at the Pendleton
Savings Bank, Pendleton, Oregon.