About one half mile south from Gifford one comes to the beautiful estate of Mr. Cleveland. He has one of the finest quarter sections in this part of the County and his industry and skill have improved it in a very creditable manner. In addition to other improvements and buildings and so forth. Mr. Cleveland has erected a palatial residence of nine rooms. It is of Queen Ann architectural designs, all finished in costly oils and arranged in excellent manner for comfort and convenience. This residence is doubtless the finest one in this section of Nez Perces County and Mr. Cleveland is to be heartily commended for his enterprise, taste and wisdom.
Ben D. Cleveland was born in Monroe County, Tennessee, on December 14, 1867, being the son of David H. and Elizabeth E. (Johnson) Cleveland. He was reared on a farm and gained a fine education from the adjacent schools and also the high school.
At twenty-one he started for himself, going to California, where he spent two years. Later he returned home for eighteen months. Then came a trip to Whitman County, Washington, and for five years he was numbered with the thrifty farmers near Colfax. He then went to Kendrick and wrought in a warehouse until the reservation opened and then in the fall of 1895 he came and filed on his present land, being one of the persons whose energy and wisdom were rewarded by securing a fine tract of land from Uncle barn’s domains. Mr. Cleveland devotes his attention to general farming, producing large quantities of wheat, barley and flax. He handles some stock and is expecting to engage more extensively in this profitable industry.
On November 2, 1897, Mr. Cleveland married Miss Maud M., daughter of S. C. and Mary (Dickinson) Douglas, natives of West Virginia, their ancestors also being residents there for some time back. Mrs. Cleveland was born in Barbour County, on October 30, 1866. She came west in 1895 to reside with relatives near Genesee.
Mr. and Mrs. Cleveland are members of the Methodist church and are highly respected people. Mr. Cleveland is a Democrat but is not partisan nor does he desire political advancement.
Source: An Illustrated History of North Idaho: Embracing Nez Perce, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho; Western Historical Publishing Company, 1903