Gilbert, Frank T.  "Historic Sketches of Walla Walla, Whitman, Columbia and
Garfield Counties, Washington Territory; and Umatilla County, Oregon." Portland,
OR: Print & Lithographing House of A.  G.  Walling, 1882.  p. a39.

WILLIAM P.  WINANS

	of the firm of Rees, Winans & Co., one of the wealthiest merchandising
houses in Walla Walla, was born in the town of Elizabeth in New Jersey, January
28, 1836.  His parents lived on a farm, and in 1846 they moved to Pittsfield,
Illinois, where both have since died.  In 1859, William P.  crossed the plains
and for the two succeeding years worked on a farm during the summer and taught
school in the winter near the Umatilla river in Eastern Oregon.  In 1861 he went
to Colville in Washington Territory, where he clerked for three years and then
entered the mercantile business upon his own resources.  In 1870, early in the
year, he became Sub-Indian Agent for six tribes who had never made a treaty with
our Government, and were known as the non-treaty Indians.  In 1872 President
Grant set apart a reservation for those tribes that included the Colville
valley, in which were all the farmers and the only town in Stevens county.
Those farmers had settled on their land under the laws providing for pre-emption
and homestead rights, and the same had been surveyed.  In common with the entire
population, not including the Jesuit mission, Mr. Winans protested against this
attempt at destruction of vested rights, claiming that the President had no
power to annul a title already acquired.  He represented the matter in this
light to the authorities at Washington, and described by boundary lines what he
thought world be a just reserve, that would not include what the whites
possessed.  His recommendation was approved, anti the reservation boundries were
changed to include its present limits, north and west of Colville.  This act on
his part was hostile to the interests of the Jesuit mission, and his character
was assailed in a manner so absurdly false that it excited upon his part only
contempt for those who were guilty of the slanders.  In 1874 he came to Walla
Walla and became one of the firm of Johnson, Pees & Co.  that recently has been
changed to Pees, Winans & Co., a firm that commands the confidence of all with
whom they have business relations.  Mr. Winans was married to Miss Lydia Moore
of Olympia, Washington Territory, October 6, 1868, and the names and dates of
birth of their children are: Gilbert P., January 25, 1870; Philip M., December
10, 1874; Allen L., April 25, 1876.  Mrs. Winans died December 4, 1876.  In
1879, November 20, he was married again, this time to Christine McRae, and their
only child is William S., born May 6, 1881.

* * * *

Submitted to the WA.  Bios Project in February 2007 by Diana Smith.

Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies
Project.  Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the
individual featured in the biographies.