The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 151

EUGENE R. CRAVEN.

Eugene R. Craven is the owner of a valuable farm property of one hundred and
eighty-three acres, in the midst of which stand a fine residence and substantial
barns, while all of the equipment of the farm is thoroughly modern and indicates
his progressive spirit. Mr. Craven is a native of Curtis, Nebraska. He was born
April 4, 1888, of the marriage of Sylvester and Emma Alice (Jessup) Craven, who
were natives of Indiana but went to Iowa at an early day and afterward became
pioneer settlers of Nebraska. In 1889 they removed to Puyallup, Washington,
where the father engaged in the butchering business. He afterward went to
Ellensburg and he now makes his home on the Columbia river. His wife, however,
passed away in 1901.

In the same year Eugene R. Craven made his way by train to Toppenish,
Washington, and then walked a distance of sixteen miles to Outlook. He worked
for wages for six years and then, feeling that his experience was sufficient to
justify him in engaging in business on his own account, he rented land and at a
later period he also rented land on the Yakima Indian reservation. In 1913 he
went to British Columbia but later returned and it was then that he took up his
abode on the reservation. In this way he gained his start. In 1918 he bought two
hundred acres of land four and a half miles northwest of Sunnyside but has since
sold seventeen acres, so that he now has one hundred and eighty-three acres,
constituting one of the valuable farm properties of that section. He is now most
pleasantly and attractively located, having a beautiful home and a splendidly
developed farm and is successfully engaged in the cultivation of hay, grain,
corn and alfalfa and also raises stock.

On the 27th of February, 1909, Mr. Craven was united in marriage to Miss Lillian
M. Burlingame, a daughter of E. H. and Louisa C. (Smith) Burlingame, the former
a native of Minneapolis, while the latter was born in California. The paternal
grandfather, Hiram Burlingame, in pioneer tunes took up a homestead covering
what is now the center of Minneapolis. In 1862 he removed to California, where
his last days were spent. It was in the Golden state that the parents of Mrs.
Craven were married and about 1892 they made their way to the Palouse country of
Washington and about 1895 came to Yakima county. The father engaged in farming
here for two years and then returned to California but after a short time again
came to Yakima county and purchased the ranch now owned and occupied by Mr.
Craven. It was then a tract of wild land, which he developed and improved,
converting it into one of the best ranches in the valley. He is now engaged in
farming near Toppenish and makes his home in that city. To Mr. and Mrs. Craven
have been born three children: Carol, Donald and Gordon.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Craven give their political allegiance to the democratic
party. He is recognized as one of the successful and prominent young ranchers in
his section of the county, carefully and intelligently directing his interests
so that substantial results accrue.

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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.