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The Goldendale Sentinel, Goldendale, WA., April 27, 1972, page 2

PIONEER WRITES ABOUT FORMER DAYS IN COUNTY

We are receiving a few very interesting life stories, partly in connection with our request for early area information to go into our Centennial stories and publications. Space will not to allow their publication on a regular basis but we will be glad to receive them for publication on an "as when" basis. The following is an example:
By Charles S. Gains

With the passing of most of my parents' generation I'm now one of Klickitat County old-timers. This is my life story which spans the time from horse-and-buggy days to man landing on the moon.
My father, Anderson T. Gaines and Alice A. Weir were married in Kansas in 1874. They came west in 1885 and lived on the Smyth place in Wood Gulch for three years before and they took up a homestead 6½ miles south of Bickleton on a farm now owned by L.D. (Toppy) Naught. This is where I was born in 1894. My parents had seven children: Bert, Jelia, Leland, Esten, Olin, Charles and Delia. My mother passed away in 1905 and my father in 1912. All my brothers and sisters are deceased.
I was 5 or 6 years old before there was a town at Bickleton and Cleveland was a bustling trade center consisting of the George Van Nostern livery barn, McCredy Hotel, postoffice, Dr. Dodson's drug store, a general merchandise store, C.M. Beck store, Chester Beck harness and barber shop, Van Nostern general merchandise, Will Faulkner hardware and Steve Juris blacksmith shop.
The early mail route went southwest from Cleveland to the Newell Grade turn-off over Ostrander Hill (behind Roscoe Imrie -- old Harding place) through Oak Flat to join the present road to Goldendale south of Gus Trumbo's. Early mail by buck board (with passengers) from Goldendale to Cleveland went by the Newell Grade going across Hard Flat to White Creek and on to Cleveland stopping at Newell's to change horses and get dinner.
When Bickleton got a post office the route was changed from Bickleton to Cleveland to Jersey (John Hunt, postmaster) where they changed horses and then on to Arlington, Or. When the North Bank Railroad went in, about 1906-07, the mail came up from Roosevelt to Dot post office, Cleveland and Bickleton (same as the present route).
The first car I remember was owned by LeLand, John and George McCredy "Gas" Binns and John Rasmusson had the first Fords in the community. I bought my first car in 1915 and it was a 1914 Ford. It took 7-8 hours to ride a horse from Bickleton to Mabton (one way) so you didn't go just for a loaf of bread.
After my parent's death I started working for wages on roads and the harvest fields. I worked for Marvin Mason (Tom Talbert homestead) which is 4½ miles Southwest of Bickleton and for A.L. (Renzy) Powers (Lund homestead) which is about 8 miles southwest of Bickleton until I went into World War I.
I have my service registration card dated June 8, 1917 and signed by C.M. Beck. My service induction card was mailed to the post office at Dot. I entered the military service at Goldendale on April 25, 1918 and served overseas at the Evacuation Hospital No. 10 in France.
I kept a diary on my time in the service which began as, "On my way to lick the Kaiser." I got out of the service in 1919 and went back to work for A.L. Powers. I joined the Bickleton American Legion Harry Gotfredson Post in 1921. Emil Jensen was post commander. After this group dissolved, I joined the Goldendale American Legion and am still a member.
In 1921 I started farming for myself on the A.O. White place east of Rock Creek. The farm consists of the Paine, Munson, and Martin homesteads. Former owners have been a Wesley Paine and Peter Duce.
In June, 1922 I was married at Goldendale to Vera M. White, daughter of A.O. (Bud) and Minnie White. We later bought the farm from the White estate. Our farm is now leased by Bob Powers, grandson of the A.L. Powers for whom I worked as a young boy. When I started farming we had a threshing crew of 7 men and later went modern with a combine pulled by 12 horses. I hauled wheat by a 8-horse trail wagon to Sundale which took 10 hours round-trip.
We have one daughter, Mrs. Robert (Maxine) McAuley who lives in Yakima. We moved out of Klickitat County in 1964 to retire at 313 North 30th Avenue in Yakima. We still go to the farm and do odd jobs and enjoy living there part of the year. Our friends in Klickitat County are greatly missed and always a joy to see.