Durham, N. N.  "Spokane and the Inland Empire: History of the City of Spokane
and Spokane County Washington."  Vol. 2.  S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1912.

FRANK R. CULBERTSON

While Frank R. Culbertson is now identified with the commercial interests of
Spokane as president of the Wonder Department Store, one of the large and
attractive mercantile enterprises of the city, he is widely known throughout
this section of the country because of his former activity in mining and his
efforts in that direction constitute a valuable asset in the development and
substantial improvement of this section of the country. He has ever had firm
faith in the future of this district and therefore has never hesitated to make
investments and thus promote the business enterprise which is always the
foundation of a country's growth. The course he has followed in all of his
business life is such a one as will bear close investigation and scrutiny and is
an object, lesson of what may be accomplished when determination and energy lead
the way.

Mr. Culbertson is a native of Lawrence county, Ohio, born April 2, 1858. His
father, Cambridge C. Culbertson, was one of the pioneer manufacturers of pig
iron in Ohio and was among the first to open up the Hanging Rock iron district
of that state. His business interests were extensive and of an important
character and he remained an active factor in connection with industrial and
financial enterprises of that region up to the time of his death, which occurred
in 1898. In early manhood he had married Emily A. Rankin, who survived him for
about thirteen years, passing away in 1911, being eighty-eight years of age.

In his youthful days, Frank R. Culbertson was a pupil in the public schools of
Ironton, Ohio, but the desire to enter the business world led him to put aside
his text-books when fifteen years of age and accept a position with a surveying
party. The business spirit was strong within him and his ability was manifest in
the fact that when but sixteen years of age he took a contract from the county
to build five miles of county road, which project he carried to successful
completion. He next engaged in the management of a company store for one of the
iron blast furnace companies of that place, which he conducted successfully for
three years. Ever ready to take a forward step as the way opened, he next
engaged in the mining and contracting business, successfully executing a
contract to mine five thousand tons of iron ore. He has ever seemed to know just
when and where and how to put forth his efforts to produce the best results and
at the same time to secure the best possible cooperation of those who have been
in his employ. His next venture connected him with the wholesale grocery trade
at Ironton, Ohio, where he remained for three years and then sought a still
broader field of labor by opening a wholesale grocery house in St. Paul,
Minnesota, in 1881, under the name of the Glidden-Griggs Company. The business
is still conducted under the name of the Griggs-Cooper Company and is the
largest wholesale grocery house west of Chicago.

In the spring of 1885 he transferred the field of his operations to the
northwest, still in connection with S. S. Glidden, his father-in-law. The latter
purchased a controlling interest in the Tiger mine, situated in the Coeur
d'Alene district, at Burke, Idaho, and Mr. Culbertson became general manager of
the mine, which was the first quartz property to be discovered in the Coeur
d'Alene district. Thus from the very outset Mr. Culbertson was closely
associated with the development of mining interests in this section and the
value of his work is inestimable. When the Coeur d'Alene excitement was at its
height in 1884, Mr. Glidden was operating at Thompson's Falls, at that time the
main gateway of the mining section. He secured an option on the Tiger mine and
in the spring of 1885 he and Mr. Culbertson sold their joint interest at St.
Paul for the purpose of locating permanently in this part of the country and
devoting their undivided attention to the development of the Tiger mine, which,
after a thorough investigation showed a big tonnage of low-grade ore. The
problem that confronted them was to devise some means of getting the ore out of
the mine and to a convenient place for shipment. To this problem Mr. Culbertson
and Mr. Glidden bent their attention and largely solved it by building a wagon
road fifteen miles in length to connect with the Thompson's Falls road. The
hauling, however, was all done by teams and the method was found to be
impractical on account of the great cost of transportation in that way. They
then attempted to secure other means of transportation from Coeur d'Alene city
up the south fork of the lake. At that time a steamer was being operated on the
lake between Coeur d'Alene and the Jesuit Mission. Messrs. Glidden and
Culbertson succeeded in interesting some prominent business men of Spokane in
making a survey of the route from the mines to Burke, Idaho, and this was really
the initial step in the building of the railroads in the Coeur d'Alene district.
The same fall D. C. Corbin began operations in the neighborhood in the building
of the road to Wardner. The following year the Northern Pacific & Oregon
Navigation Companies were attracted by the tonnage of the Coeur d'Alene mines
and both started to build to Wardner, the Northern Pacific from Missoula on the
east and the Oregon Navigation Company from Tekoa. Being assured that these
railway lines would reach Wallace, Messrs. Culbertson and Glidden began the
building of a railroad from their mines to Wallace, which they afterward sold to
D. C. Corbin and he in turn to the Northern Pacific. The Tiger mine in which
they had invested became one of the valuable properties of the Coeur d'Alene
district and Mr. Culbertson acted as general manager from the development of the
mine at grass roots until they had sunk a shaft to the depth of eighteen hundred
feet. In 1889 the property was sold to Charles Sweeny. The work which Mr.
Culbertson and Mr. Glidden did for the development of the Coeur d'Alenes cannot
be overestimated, for they were almost the first moneyed people to enter the
district and use their capital in developing the country. At the same time Mr.
Glidden was conducting a banking enterprise in Spokane and while Mr. Culbertson
spent much of his time in Coeur d'Alene, he also made frequent visits to
Spokane, coming at least once a month and has the right to claim that he is one
of its pioneers. The sale of the Tiger did not conclude his activities in the
field of mining, for in 1900 he became associated with Charles Sweeny in the
development of mining properties in California, where he remained for three
years. In 1904 he returned to Spokane and became connected with the commercial
affairs of the city by purchasing a controlling interest in the Wonder
Department Store, which is one of the most extensive and best equipped stores of
this character in the Inland Empire. They have been located in their present
quarters since 1905 and have a splendidly equipped establishment, while the
large line of goods which they carry is attractive to the public as indicated in
the large and growing trade which they now enjoy. Mr. Culbertson is also one of
the directors of the Spokane Title Company. Energy has been the foundation of
his advancement and intelligent direction of his labors and investments have
brought him to the present creditable position which he occupies as a business
man of Spokane.

At Chattanooga, Tennessee, on the 16th of February, 1881, Mr. Culbertson wedded
Miss Jessie B. Glidden, a daughter of Steven S. and Sue M. Glidden. Who were
then living at Chattanooga, Tennessee, but came to St. Paul in 1882 with Mr.
Culbertson and in 1885 they both came to the northwest, Mr. Glidden taking
active part in the development of this region as indicated in the foregoing
paragraphs. The only child of this marriage is a son, S. Glidden Culbertson, who
is a student here. They reside at the Westminster Hotel. Mr. Culbertson has
attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in Masonry and is also a
member of El Katif Temple of the Mystic Shrine, of Spokane. He belongs to
Wallace Lodge, B. P. O. E., and is popular among the membership of the Spokane,
Spokane Country, Inland and Spokane Amateur Athletic Clubs.

His high standing in business circles of the city is indicated by the fact that
he is now the vice president of the Chamber of Commerce. In his entire life he
has looked beyond the exigencies of the moment to the possibilities and
opportunities of the future and in his connection with the Chamber of Commerce
is putting forth most earnest and effective effort, to advance Spokane's
interests and give to the city all those requirements that will be demanded in
its rapid growth. He has never sought nor desired office and the public work
that he has done has largely been of a nature that has brought him no pecuniary
reward, yet has made extensive demand upon his time, his thought and his
energies. In the business world opportunities that others have passed by
heedlessly, he has noted and improved and his record proves that success is
ambition's answer. 

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Submitted to the Washington Biographies Project in June 2017 by Diane Wright.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.