At the present time Mr. Cole is one of the prosperous and well to do citizens of Nez Perces County. His family home is situated on his estate of two hundred and forty acres about three miles north from Culdesac. He has a fine farm, is getting it well improved and is raising stock in addition to a general farming business and fruit culture. He has between one and two acres of fine strawberries, owns some excellent specimens of Poland China hogs, has a good Percheron stallion and is beginning to launch out in stock more extensively. His buildings consist of comfortable house and outbuildings, the former being situated in a naturally sheltered spot and when Mr. Cole gets his plans carried out and his estate improved he will have one of the best rural abodes in the County.
Cassius M. Cole was born in Knoxville, Knox County, Illinois, on March 17, 1852, being the son of Asa V. and Lucy (Doty) Cole. They were farmers and in 1856 the family went to Santa Clara County, California. There our subject received his education in the public schools and in Gates Business College in San Jose.
When twenty he started in the retail liquor business in Tulare County and five years were spent there. He also continued in other places in the state and at the time of the Coeur d’Alene excitement, he took in the first sawmill and also a stock of general merchandise to that section and thirteen years were spent in industrial efforts there. He built the first sawmill on Eagle creek, built the first jail in Shoshone County, Pierce City being the County seat. Next we see him in Palouse where he loaned money for eight years and then repaired to Harrison and built the Hotel Harrison, which he operated for two years. A time was spent in Portland and later we see him in Astoria, but on account of the fishermen’s strike there which stagnated business he moved to Lewiston and did business for five years. Later he settled on his present land and is now turning his attention to the industrial life again.
Mr. Cole married Miss Emma Fairbank, a native of Iowa, in 1886, and to them have been born five children, Clarence, Herbert, May, Edith, and Cassius Dell. May is the wife of Frank Lehmicke in Kendrick. Mrs. Cole has the following brothers and sisters: Robert, Thomas, James, Minnie, wife of Mr. Morris: Grace, wife of Ward Allen; Jane, wife of Henry Erickson, a photographer in Moscow; Eva, wife of Mr. Turnbow. Mrs. Cole’s father was a veteran of the Mexican war, and is now deceased. Mr. Cole is a member of the I. O. R. M., at Lewiston, Idaho. In political matters he is a Democrat and was deputy sheriff under John Costillo, in Kootenai County in 1894. At the same time he was deputy United States marshal under Joe Pinkham. He was nominated by acclamation for delegate to the legislature in 1894, but resigned in favor of Judge Hogan of Kootenai County. Mr. Cole has always taken an active part in political matters and is a leader in his part yet has never pressed himself for preferment, being willing to give the offices to others. Mr. Cole has also been active in prospecting in different sections and is now interested with W. Kittenbaugh, of the Lewiston National Bank, in some promising properties.
He is skilled in minerals and in prospecting as well as in the methods of the developing of properties and Mr. Cole is one of the leaders in pushing forward this important industry.
Source: An Illustrated History of North Idaho: Embracing Nez Perce, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho; Western Historical Publishing Company, 1903