The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 123

EDWIN H. KIELSMEIER.

Comparatively speaking Edwin H. Kielsmeier is yet a young man, but has already
become one of the prosperous horticulturists of the Zillah district in the
Yakima valley. He was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, January 5, 1883, and is a
son of Henry and Anna (Gaterman) Kielsmeier, pioneer farmers of Wisconsin. In
1890 the family removed to Denver, Colorado, and there they remained for ten
years, the father being connected with railroad work as car inspector. In 1901
he removed to Hancock county, Iowa, but in December of the same year the family
came to Yakima county, where he bought forty acres of land three and a half
miles southeast of Zillah, which at that time was all sagebrush. He immediately
set himself to the task of clearing the land and bringing the same under
cultivation, transforming the raw land into fertile fields. In 1905 he built a
fine residence and made other valuable improvements upon his property. In 1910,
he and his wife removed to Los Angeles, California, where they now live retired.
In their family were two children, Edwin H. and Ruben, the later being engaged
in business in Los Angeles. He married and has two children.

Edwin H. Kielsmeier was but a young boy when the family removed to Denver and in
that city he received his public school education. He subsequently assisted his
father in farming and remained with him until twenty-four years of age. He then
bought sixteen and a half acres adjoining his father's farm, seven acres of
which he planted to orchard, while the balance is plow land. He now has a
substantial farmhouse and barns upon his place and in addition to operating his
own land rents his father's ranch, which has an orchard of twenty-two acres upon
it, the remainder also being plow land. The orchards are devoted to apples,
peaches and pears, while four acres are in grapes. Mr. Kielsmeier has thoroughly
studied the subject of orcharding and applies the latest methods and ideas to
his labors with surprisingly satisfactory results. He has instituted up-to-date
equipment to facilitate the work and in every way handles the property in a
businesslike manner. He now resides on his father's farm.

On December 22, 1905, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Kielsmeier and Miss Ida
Durham, a native of Faribault, Minnesota, and a daughter of Isaac W. and Mary
(Gutcheff) Durham, who in March, 1902, came to the Yakima valley. Mr. Durham
acquired ten acres of land near our subject's place, which is devoted to fruit
raising.

Mr. and Mrs. Kielsmeier are members of the Christian church, to which faith they
are devotedly attached. He is a member of the Grange, and his political
affiliation is with the republican party. He is one of the foremost fruit
raisers and packers of his section of the valley and upon his place there are
two packing houses, which are thoroughly equipped in order to facilitate the
disposition of the fruit. In every way Mr. Kielsmeier is an up-to-date and
energetic business man who ever follows honorable methods and in the course of
years he has made many friends in business as well as in private life.

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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.