This native young Oregonian has demonstrated what pluck and perseverance can do when manipulated with wise management in the things of the financial world, as conditions obtained in this country, having made a brilliant success, as will be noted from the following.
Mr. Baker was born in Lane county, Oregon, on June 20, 1870, being the son of George and Mary (Watson) Baker. His mother died in that county and the father with his children removed to Washington county in 1874. In the fall of 1878 he came with his family to Harney valley, settling where the town of Burns is now located. The children were three boys and two girls. The father went to freighting and soon died, thus leaving the little group orphans in a frontier region. Our subject had but little opportunity to gain an education from schools, but made the best of what he did have and also by careful and diligent research qualified himself for the battle of life. He soon went to riding the range for wages and continued diligently at this occupation until 1894, when he started in for himself, handling livestock. He gained steadily and in 1898 he purchased his present place of one hundred and sixty acres three miles northeast from Burns, which is a well improved ranch, producing abundant crops of hay for his stock, which consists mostly of cattle.
The marriage of Mr. Baker and Miss Grace, daughter of Milton and Eliza Riggs, was solemnized on December 15, 1896, and two children have been born to them, Lulu and Frank. Mr. Riggs was an early pioneer of Oregon and died in Burns in 1895, while his widow still lives here.
Mr. Baker has, unaided, and by his own efforts of industry and skill, gained a fine property holding and bids fair to be one of the leading property owners in the county. He has always manifested with these fine qualities mentioned a becoming stability and integrity and he is counted by all as a reliable, upright and stanch young man.