The Goldendale Sentinel, Goldendale, WA., April 1, 1948, page 9
 

WILL FAULKNER STORY TRACES EARLY EVENTS

     Will G. Faulkner, son of George L. and Albertine A. Faulkner, was born in Waupaca, Waupaca County, Wisconsin, on March 10, 1860. In the year 1866, at the age of six years, he and his parents and family moved to Waseca, Waseca County, Minnesota, where they resided three years. Then in the spring of 1869 they decided to try another part of the state further west. The father filed a homestead entry of 160 acres in the Precinct of Petersburg, Jackson County, Minnesota, seven miles east of Jackson, the county seat of the county, and about one mile from the DesMoines River. After many hardships of trying to make a living for a growing family, and all his crops being destroyed by grasshoppers for two years in succession., a father sold and traded his farm to a Norwegian neighbor.  In the trade he acquired a team of horses and wagon and in the spring of 1874 started back to Moscow, Minnesota, where they lived for a few months only come out then moved to Waterville, Missouri County, Minnesota, 12 miles north of Waseca, where they lived for the next three years.
     In the spring of 1871, the urge of going further west was too strong for the parents to resist, so after disposing of the residents in Waterville, they again loaded the family and a few household goods in a covered wagon, and finally located in the new town of Albion, Boone County, Nebraska.  There Will G. and the father worked at the carpenter trade, and also farmed 160 acres of a timber culture entry.
     After four years of this procedure, and because the climate did not agree with the mother, or Will G. either, who was going about on crutches part of the time from the effects of rheumatism, and because the father and mother had buried two of the girls in the cemetery on the hill near the town, in the spring of 1881 they again disposed of their holdings in Nebraska and started for much exploited Montana, where with limited means it was possible for settlers to get rich quick (so the promoters explained in their literature).  In due time they arrived at Miles City, Will G. and the father worked at their trade in the Government Post of Fort Keogh and at one time during the winter the thermometer registered 52 degrees below zero and that properly settled the idea of making a home in Montana.  Again in 1882, father purchased another team and wagon and started the long trek for the coast of Washington Territory, Will G. riding a buckskin bronco in company with several young fellows who were also headed for the west coast.  In due time they arrived at Spokane, Wash., and after looking over the country of the Big Bend, west of Spokane, decided it did not look so good for people with limited means to make a start.
     Now father had an old friend, Alvin Billington by name, who lived about eight miles south of Goldendale, Wash., who had been writing father to come west, so naturally, we headed for his place and on July 22nd we crossed the Columbia River at Arlington, Oregon, thence over the Goodnoe hills into the Klickitat Valley.  After resting a few days at the Billington's, Alvin, his two sons, George and Albert, father and myself mounted on horseback, leading a pack horse with camp outfit, started to look over the new country known as the Alder Creek section.
     The first night out we camped at the D.C. Macy ranch (at what is now called Dot) then the next stop was at the Milton Embree ranch on the east bank of Pine Creek.  Mr. Embree mounted a horse, and being familiar with the country, was our guide for the next two days.  Mr. Embree and his sister Lucy, with their mother, maintained open house for all prospective new settlers without charge whatever.
     Father and I finally settled on land four and one-half mile south of Cleveland.  My filings consisted of a homestead entry, also of a timber culture tract, 320 acres.  Father secured 320 acres also, and then my sister Ellen filed a homestead entry, which I bought from her after she made the final proof.  The second winter after getting settled on our lands, I worked at the carpenter trade in Arlington, Oregon, and as I always rather disliked farming, I worked at the trade most of the time for the next few years.
     Besides our farming, father and I did considerable contracting and building, notably the Presbyterian Church in Cleveland, the Presbyterian Church at Dot, the Methodist Church in Bickleton, and numerous residences and barns over the country.  Soon after getting started on the farms we acquired quite a large band of horses, but because they proved unprofitable, and because the range was becoming short on account of the country being settled so fast, we disposed of most of the horses.
     In the spring of 1891 I purchased of George W. Mason a small residence in Cleveland and the next two years my sister Ellen and I made this our home.  Then on October 24, 1894 I took on a partner “for better or for worse” in other words, Lettie M. Mason became that partner (which partnerships still exists at this present writing, March 1, 1939).  Soon after our marriage I started a furniture store in Cleveland in a small way, which went up in smoke in a fire that almost completely wiped out the town.  However, I purchased of Herman Bloome a large two-story building partly finished after the fire and put in a stock of hardware and furniture.  About this time my father and I sold our farms to John Copenhefer, father and mother are moving to Cleveland.  I soon bought out the general store and post office being operated by the VanNostern Bros. -- James and Isaac -- and as I owned the building occupied by a Dr. Benham as a drugstore and as the doctor becoming tired of life committed suicide, with the stock being unpaid for, I took over in that business also.
     Soon I sold the store and post office to R.E. Jackson who continued the business.  I also sold the drugstore to a Dr. E.T. Dodson.
     Right here I might mention that with looking after the three kinds of businesses, and each in different buildings, and my duties as a United States Commissioner, Notary Public, Justice of the Peace, Clerk of the School District, Director of the Bank of Bickleton, Superintendent of the Sunday School, Ruling Elder of the Presbyterian Church, and the few other activities, namely, helping to raise a family of six children, kept me fairly busy most of the time.
     During our stay in Cleveland I built a very comfortable cottage (now owned and occupied by Roy Savage).  This I soon traded for the large residence I had built for John T. McCredy (I might add this house has been moved intact to near Dot by A.L. Powers).
     In the summer of 1907 we moved to Bickleton and purchased the residence of George VanNostern, built a comodious store building, and did a thriving business in hardware, furniture, implements, and other lines of goods.  On July 22, 1910, my store and several other buildings, was again destroyed by fire.  However, I rebuilt on the same site at once.  Then on the early morning of June 14, 1936, another disastrous fire wiped out the Farmers Mercantile Co. stores, also the grocery business of Clarence Jensen.  I then sold my store building with the remaining stock to H.O. Wilson, former manager of the Farmers store, who now occupies the same as a Red and White store.  Then in the fall of 1932, Mrs. Faulkner and I decided to spend the winter months in Tacoma, Wash., where five of our six children were making their homes.  We have followed this procedure up to the present date, March 1, 1939.  We still have our home in Bickleton and lived there during the summer months, in the large home built by John T. McCredy and purchased by me in 1918.
     (Mr. Faulkner eventually sold his home in Bickleton and moved to Tacoma permanently.)