The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 390

RUFUS COOKE.

For over fifty years Rufus Cooke has been a witness of the wonderful
development that has taken place in the Yakima valley. He is not only a pioneer
of this section but is one of the few native sons who can date the year of their
birth back to 1867. He was born on the 12th of September, a son of C. P. Cooke,
who has since passed away. The latter was numbered among the earliest settlers
of the Yakima Valley, who in the ‘70s located in the Kittitas valley, where he
spent his remaining days. He was married to Susan E. Brewster, a native of New
York, who in 1851 arrived in Oregon with her uncle, E. N. Cooke, C.  P. Cooke
removed to that state in 1850, coming originally from Ohio but having crossed
the plains to California in 1849. In 1867, the year of the birth of our subject,
the father came to Yakima county and in the '70s, as mentioned above, removed to
the Kittitas valley. Both Mr. and Mrs. C. P. Cooke were numbered among the
typical pioneers of the west. He passed away in 1888 but his widow survives and
makes her home with Rufus Cooke, being now in her eighty-seventh year. She is
the only one living of the party who crossed the plains in 1851 and is still
enjoying good health. Her husband was quite prominent as a stock raiser and
dealer and as such was engaged for many years in this valley, having previously
followed the same pursuit at Independence, Oregon. As a stockman he used the
sugar bowl as his brand, which became one of the famous markings among the
cattlemen of his day.

Rufus Cooke was reared under the parental roof and in the acquirement of an
education attended school near his father's ranch. He has given his attention
largely to ranching and now has a valuable property, comprising two hundred and
forty acres, which is mostly devoted to hay and grain. He has always followed
modern and progressive methods and through industry and perseverance has become
financially independent.

In 1889, at the age of twenty-two, Mr. Cooke was united in marriage to Miss
Della Fulton, a native of Idaho, who came to the Kittitas valley in 1884 with
her parents, Frank and Belle (Clemmons) Fulton. 
Mrs. Cooke is a devoted member of the Christian church.

Mr. Cooke is a democrat in his political affiliations, having always given his
support to that party, in the principles of which he thoroughly believes are the
best form of government. Although he has always aided movements undertaken for
the public good and is ever ready to give financial support to anything that
will promote the advancement of the Yakima valley, he has never aspired to
public office, preferring to do his duty as a citizen in a private capacity.
Not only is he a descendant of one of the historic pioneer families of this
region and is connected with another prominent family of equal distinction
through his wife, but he is, moreover, today the oldest living native of Yakima
and Kittitas counties. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, the underlying principles of this organization guiding him to a
large extent in his conduct toward his fellowmen. He has made many friends in
and near Ellensburg and all who know him agree as to his high qualities of heart
and mind.

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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.