Shaver, F. A., Arthur P. Rose, R. F. Steele, and A. E. Adams, compilers.  "An
Illustrated History of Central Oregon." ("Embracing Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam,
Wheeler, Crook, Lake, & Klamath Counties")  Spokane, WA: Western Historical
Publishing Co., 1905.  p. 1027.
 
HON. JOHN SAMUEL SHOOK

     is one of the first settlers within the precincts of Klamath county. His
residence is one and one-half miles south of Dairy and he was born on February
26, 1847, in Ripley county, Indiana.  His father, Amon Shook, was also a native
of Indiana. John Shook Sr., the father of Amon, came from Baltimore, Maryland to
Indiana, settling in the Miami bottoms in early days. There he lived until aged
eighty-four, the time of his death. Our subject's father came on to Iowa in
early days and in 1864 crossed the plains to Jackson county, Oregon. In 1869 he
located in Klamath county and remained there until his death in 1903, he being
then eighty-seven years of age. He had married Catharine Yost, who was born in
Jennings county, Indiana. Her father was born in Germany. Her grandfather on her
mother's side, Samuel Glasgow, was born in Pennsylvania and lived to be one
hundred years of age. He came from Scotch ancestry. Mrs. Shook is still living,
her home being that of our subject and her age eighty-three. Her children are
Mrs. Mary J. Sutton near Dairy; Mrs. Hattie Parker, of Los Angeles, California;
Mrs. Fannie Schumann, of Guatamala, Central America; Mrs. Ada Rueck, near Dairy;
John S., who is our subject; Isaac N., of Ashland, Oregon ; David P., a partner
of our subject; and William H., of Klamath county. Mr. Shook came with his
parents to Davis county, Iowa, when a child. Schooling facilities were very
limited but he was determined to have an education so spent his evenings
studying before the hickory bark fire of the old fashioned fireplace. At the age
of fifteen, it being in the spring of 1862, he left home and took up the weary
journey across the plains with a large emigrant train of ox teams. At American
Falls on the Snake river, they were attacked by Indians and ten of their party
were killed while fourteen were wounded. Coming on, he landed in Susanville,
California, where our young traveler worked for fifteen dollars per month for
the first winter. During the evenings he kept up his studies and the next year
he followed teaming in Virginia City. In the fall of 1863, Mr. Shook walked from
Virginia City to Susanville and used all the money he had to start a store with.
In the fall of the next year, he sold out and went to where his parents had
located in Phoenix, Oregon, they crossed the plains in 1864. In the spring of
1869, he started out to find a first class stock location and lighted on Yonna
valley, in what is now Klamath county. Such excellent grass, fine water and
other favorable things as were evident there induced him to locate and he
succeeded in getting his people to come there too. They bought a few head of
stock and went into business. Very few people were in the country then and much
danger was experienced from hostile Indians. During the Modoc War, Mr. Shook
enlisted as scout in Company B, Oregon State Militia and was chosen sergeant. He
did excellent service, was in many trying and dangerous places, assisted to
quell the savages and when the war was ended returned to his ranch. Later he
located a sawmill at the Big Springs, which he afterward called Bonanza where
Bonanza is now located and furnished the lumber to build the first school house
in Bonanza. After completing it, he taught the first term of school there then
later he dropped the lumber industry and turned his attention exclusively to
stock raising, being in partnership with his brothers, Isaac N, and David P. In
1887, Isaac N. Shook sold his interests and the firm has been confined to the
two brothers since. They are known among, the leading stockmen of this part of
Oregon and have bands of cattle and horses besides three thousand acres of land,
two thousand acres of which are mostly meadow. At one time, the Shook brothers
had about two thousand head of cattle on the range, besides a great many horses
and mules. They have been very prosperous in their business and now their
extensive meadows, dotted with great hay stacks, their fine bands of well bred
cattle and horses, and their other property proclaim them leading and
substantial men. In addition to the dangers from Indians they experienced
considerable trouble with cattle and horse thieves, but were instrumental in
putting the latter entirely out of business. In the spring of 1904, Mr. Shook
was elected to represent me twenty-first district of Oregon in the state
legislature, being joint representative of Klamath, Lake, Crook and Grant
counties. He is a man of experience, of ability and force, and will, without
doubt, conserve carefully the interests of his constituents. Mr. Shook is a
member of the state stock association of Klamath county and was delegate to the
national live stock association at Portland in January, 1904. He was also a
delegate to the Republican state convention in April, 1904. Mr. Shook has always
shown a marked interest in getting the country settled up and developed and in
making it prosperous. He has done a lion's share in this noble endeavor and is
to be commended for his generosity and progressiveness. He was a charter member
of the Klamath Falls lodge, I. 0. 0. F. and also a charter member of the Bonanza
lodge when it was organized. Being a pioneer, he has endured much hardship,
performing a great deal of trying and arduous labor, but despite it all, he is a
man well preserved, vigorous, forceful and has the confidence and esteem of all
the people.
     On April 20, 1904, Mr. Shook married Cora (Jones) Blake, who was born at
Cedarville, Ohio. In addition to their stock business, the Shook brothers have
taken great pains to show what the country will produce and they have orchards
in which some of the trees are over twenty years of age and in the fall of each
year, these magnificent trees bend to the earth with their great wealth of
luscious fruit. They have fine vegetables and produce some of the choicest to be
found in the country. Altogether they are known as thrifty, progressive and
substantial men.


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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in June 2011 by Diana Smith.  Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.