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The Enterprise, White Salmon, WA., February 10, 1966, page 1

GRACE M. PECK

Grace M. Peck, former resident of White Salmon and for the past six years a resident of Portland, Oregon, passed away in Portland on February 8th.
She was an honorary member of the White Salmon Women's Club, a past president of the American Legion Auxiliary and the Rebecca Lodge.
Surviving are a daughter, Mabel Attwell of Everett, Washington; four grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren. A son, Russell, passed away several years ago.
Christian Science services will be held Saturday, February 12th, 2 p.m. at Gardner's Chapel in White Salmon. Interment will be in White Salmon.
A full obituary will be published next week.

The Enterprise, White Salmon, WA., February 17, 1966

GRACE PECK PASSES FEB. 8 IN PORTLAND

Grace M. Peck, a longtime resident of White Salmon, passed away in Portland Oregon, February 8 where she had lived for the past six years.
Born in Erie, Pa. July 5, 1873. She is survived by her daughter, Mabel Attwell, of Everett, Washington; four grandchildren, nine great grandchildren and four great great grandchildren. A son, Russell, and her husband Elwood preceded her in death.
Christian Science services were held Saturday February 12th, 2 p.m. at Gardner's Funeral Chapel in White Salmon. Interment was at Goodwill Cemetery.

The Mt. Adams Sun, Bingen, WA., February 10, 1966, page 3
Includes portrait.

DEATH TAKES GRACE PECK

Funeral service for Grace Peck, 92, will be held Saturday, February 12 at 2 p.m. in Gardner's Chapel, White Salmon. The Christian Science Church will be in charge.
Mrs. Peck, who made her home in White Salmon for many years died in Portland, Tuesday morning, Feb. 8.
She is survived by a daughter, Mabel Attwell, Everett, four grandchildren, nine great grand-children and four great great grandchildren.

The Mt. Adams Sun, Bingen, WA., February 17, 1966, page 5

DEATH OF GRACE M. PECK RECALLS DAY WHEN LOGGERS BURNED TREES
TO CLEAR LAND FOR STRAWBERRIES

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12 at Gardner's Chapel, White Salmon, for Mrs. Grace M. Peck, 92, who died in Portland, Oregon, Feb. 8, 1966.
The Christian Science service was read by Mrs. Zelma Lauterbach. Vocalist was Shirley Whiting. Burial was in Goodwill Cemetery beside her husband Elwood who died on March 19, 1954.
Casket bearers were Earl Dean, Wm. Lauterbach, Robert Overbaugh, Emile Stratton, William Balsiger and Earl Warneke.
Mrs. Peck is survived by her daughter Mabel Attwell of Everett; four grandchildren, nine great grandchildren and four great, great grandchildren. Her son Russell died several years ago.
She was a member of White Salmon Christian Science church. Past Noble Grand of the local Rebekah Lodge, past president of the American Legion Auxiliary and an honorary member of the White Salmon Women's Club.
When the Sun interviewed Mr. and Mrs. Peck on their 60th wedding anniversary (April 2, 1953) Mrs. Peck asked the Sun's editor to save it for her obituary. Some of the story follows.

TIMBER TO BURN

Grace M. Simmons was born on July 5, 1873 at Erie, Penn. and was married to the late Elwood Peck on April 2, 1893 at Roscommon, Michigan.
Six years later they and 20 other logging families were forced to leave their logged off region to carve new homes out of virgin forests in the far west.
The Pecks and their children, Mabel, 6 and Russell, age 1, arrived in Hood River by train in 1899. They crossed the Columbia in a rowboat. A horse and a wagon driven by the father of the late John and Teunis Wyers hauled them up the hill to White Salmon.
They found what they were seeking on "Peck's Half Acre" near BZ Corners. A dusty little road tunnelled through miles of tall timber to their little homestead.
The White Salmon region was a logger's dream - except for a market. The only way to get rid of the timber was to burn it.
From the first half-acre Elwood hacked out at Pucker Huddle the Pecks sold $600 worth of strawberries the first season. Their Clark Seedling bushes grew 30 inches high but they had to pay $1 a barrel to have water hauled from the spring.
For falling and bucking on contract, Elwood and his partner Alec Martin were paid about $2 per day. But life had it compensations. With a willow pole and a few grasshoppers a man could catch all the trout he could carry in two hours. Anglers used a gunnysack as a creel.

INDIANS

Mrs. Peck liked to recall the early days. One of the first sights to horrified her was a squaw leading a horse to White Salmon. Hairpinned over the saddle was the corpse of her husband.
The village of White Salmon was filled with Indian strawberry pickers but picking came to a standstill. For two days and nights the Indian wake rage behind the Peck cottage which stood where Driver's Time Shop now does.
Nothing could interrupt the marathon funeral. For 48 hours the Indians kept a constant procession to the Peck door to borrow nails, a hammer - all of the things that they needed to make a coffin.
Mrs. Peck gave them everything they asked for. Sympathetic by nature and practical by necessity, White Salmon's first business woman knew full well that the highly perishable berry crops would be a total loss if the wake lasted a week.
When she retired from her last venture, a woman's style shop, Mrs. Peck said that she and Elwood had run every sort of business except a penitentiary and a bank.