Biography of Lewis W. Mustoe

It gives us pleasure to record the salient points in the career of our subject, as he has been a real pioneer in the reservation portion of the Nez Perces country and has shown commendable zeal and energy in his labors for its up building and development.

Lewis Mustoe was born in Bath County, Virginia, on June 8, 1859, being the son of Adam G. and Nancy (Wilson) Mustoe natives respectively of Bath County, Virginia, and Barbour County, West Virginia. They were married in the latter place and came to Bath County to live and in 1871 removed to Adair County, Missouri. In these places our subject grew to manhood, received a good common school education and learned well the art of farming.

He then took various trips to Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas, and in 1889, he made his way to Moscow, where he explored the country and then went to the north fork of the Clearwater and there spent several years hunting, trapping, prospecting and exploring the country. He was a very successful nimrod and many excellent specimens of big game were the trophies of his chase. Later we see him in the Potlatch country and there he remained until the twenty-sixth day of March, 1896, on which day he located his present claim, about fourteen miles southeast from Peck. He had the pick of farms, being one of the first settlers, and his judgment was good, for Mr. Mustoe has as fine a piece of land as is to be found on the reservation. He has bestowed his labors with wisdom and industry and the result could but be that such effort would be rewarded with a competence that is gratifying.

Mr. Mustoe has devoted himself to raising the cereals and flax and is one of the successful men in this line. It is interesting to see that all this has been accomplished without the aid of capital, for Mr. Mustoe came with a couple of horses and has wrought it all out by the sturdy labors of his hands. He has had all the various hardships of the mountaineer and pioneer to endure and is one who has shown in it all endurance, continuity of purpose, determination to succeed despite the various hardships and obstacles, and has accomplished his purpose. The mother of our subject died on July 11, 1891, at the old home in Missouri. The father came to the Potlatch country in 1893 and died in September, 1899.

Back to: Nez Perce Biographies

Source: An Illustrated History of Northern Idaho, Embracing Nez Perce, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone Counties, Western Historical Publishing Company, 1903

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