The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 807

ELBERT MILAM CHANDLER.

Throughout practically the entire period of his business career Elbert Milam
Chandler has been identified with water interests. he has been connected with
various hydraulic companies and is now concentrating his efforts and attention
upon irrigation projects, being chief engineer of the Naches-Selah irrigation
district. He was born in Santa Cruz, California, on the 11th of April, 1886, a
son of Milam and Jessie A. (Peck) Chandler. The father was also a native of
California and a son of Lewis Chandler, who fought in the Mexican war. The
latter went to California in 1850 and was a territorial ranger of the early
days. Settling in the Golden state during pioneer times, he became a stock
farmer of Santa Cruz county, where he lived until 1916, when death called him at
the age of nearly one hundred years. His son, Milam Chandler, died in the year
1891. The mother of Mr. Chandler of this review is still living in California.
She is a daughter of Elon G. Peck, who went to that state in 1851 and there
engaged in the stock business until his death, which occurred forty years
later.

Elbert M. Chandler was graduated from the University of California with the
class of 1907, receiving the degree of Civil Engineer. He specialized in
irrigation work and from May until September, 1906, was connected with the
hydraulic and reconnaissance department of the Oregon Railroad & Navigation
Company. From May until September, 1907, he was topographer, draftsman and
transitman with the Southern Pacific Railway Company and on the expiration of
that period became assistant engineer on the San Joaquin irrigation project,
with which he was identified until March, 1908. From that date until May, 1909,
he was hydraulic engineer with the Tuolumne Water Power Company and special
agent of the United States Department of Agriculture, in charge of some
investigations in Tuolumne and Stanislaus counties of California. From May
until September, 1909, he was chief engineer for Will H. Parry, receiver for the
Pasco Power & Water Company at Burbank, Washington, and at the latter date he
became manager and chief engineer of the Burbank Power & Water Company of
Burbank, Washington, so continuing until December, 1911. He was then made
receiver for the Burbank Power & Water Company and so served until November,
1912. From that date until May, 1916, he was manager and chief engineer of the
Burbank Company and next became active in the development of the Edgewater farm
on the Snake river, near Burbank, where he engaged in breeding Percheron horses
and Ayrshire cattle, handling registered stock. This is the only farm in
Washington on which every animal is pure bred. Over sixty acres of the land is
under cultivation and Mr. Chandler has invested over thirty thousand dollars in
improvements upon the property. He is still the owner of that farm but ceased to
do active work thereon in September, 1917, when he accepted the position of
chief engineer of the Naches-Selah irrigation district, having charge of
designing and construction for permanent reconstruction work on the main canal
and laterals. He is providing general plans and detail designs for work to the
value of one million dollars and at present is in charge of actual construction
work amounting to four hundred and fifty thousand dollars, which includes nine
tunnels of concrete and four miles of reinforced concrete canal lining, also a
third of a mile of heavy reinforced concrete flume. This represents the best
construction of the kind in the country, being permanent work, and there will be
as high as three hundred men employed on the prosecution of this project. Mr.
Chandler by reason of his college preparation and his long experience is
splendidly qualified for the conduct of such an important work as now claims his
attention. He is familiar with every scientific phase of the business and every
practical detail and his efforts are producing the most excellent results,
whereby the district will be greatly benefited in enhancing the productivity of
its land. Mr. Chandler has been a most thorough student of irrigation projects
and is now the president of the Washington Irrigation Institute, which is
widely disseminating valuable knowledge concerning the best methods of
irrigating land. He is the second person to occupy the presidency, having been
elected in December, 1917. The organization is very active in plans for the
settlement of the valley after the war.

On the 26th of September, 1907, Mr. Chandler was married to Miss Winifred
Goodrich, of Berkeley, California, and their children are Dorothy, Milam, Geneva
and Benson. Mr. Chandler belongs to Pasco Lodge, No. 138, F. & A. M. He is also
a member of the Commercial Club, belongs to the Yakima Engineering Club, to the
American Society of Civil Engineers, to the American Society of Agricultural
Engineers, in which he has served on the drainage and irrigation committee, and
is a member of the Pacific Northwest Society of Engineers. He is also well known
as a frequent contributor to the Engineering News Record and his writings
command thoughtful and earnest attention, for his ideas are based upon broad
experience and sound initiative. His political endorsement is given to the
republican party and he attends the Congregational church. His life activities
have been of a character that have contributed to general development and
improvement as well as to individual success. In fact his labors have been
far-reaching and beneficial as vital forces in the upbuilding and improvement of
this section of the state and he stands among those whose opinions upon
irrigation in the northwest are largely accepted as authority.

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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.