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The Oregon Journal, Portland, OR., August 15, 1921, page 6
"Observations and Impressions of the Journal Man"
by Fred Lockley, Special Staff Writer of The Journal

[From a country which specializes in tourists came Chris Guler once upon a time. At his home in the State of Washington he is doing all he can, and that's a good deal, to make his section ready for and famed among tourists. It will be admitted that he knows the recipe for bringing these things to pass]

Christian Guler is a pioneer resident of Guler, near Troutlake, in Klickitat county, Washington. He has a ranch of 235 acres near the village of Guler. Through the center of his ranch the White Salmon river flows in a series of rapids and falls, furnishing sufficient power to operate all the machinery on his place by electricity, as well as to furnish light and power and heat for the nearby village. So far, this abundant water power is not harnessed, but in time it will be. His ranch is about 12 miles from the base of Mount Adams. "How did you happen to settle here?" I asked him recently. "This county seemed more like my native country, than any other place I had seen," said Mr. Guler. "I was born at the foot of Silveretta glacier, in the Alps, in Canton Grisson, in Switzerland, and this district, like Switzerland, is one of great scenic beauty; so I settled here. My father was a leather worker. He made saddles, harness, leather trunks and other articles of leather. I was taken in with him to learn the business, but I did not like it. "My eldest brother, Leonard, was a celebrated Swiss guide. He was awarded a medal by the Alpine club for scaling two peaks that had never before been climbed. The first man he guided to the top of one of these almost inaccessible peaks was an American, who gave him a 100-foot guide rope of silk as a token of his appreciation. Leonard did very well in Switzerland. He built a stone hotel of 30 rooms near the glacier and gathered old furniture from all about to furnish it. His place became very popular with tourists. There were nine of us children. I was the youngest. I was born March 3, 1886. Like most Swiss villagers, we owned cows, sheep and goats. My job as a boy in summer was to be with our stock on the mountainside, while they grazed. We used to cut the mountain grass and dry it for hay. It is stored till winter, when two men bring it down the mountain on the snow. It is tied in bundles of about 300 pounds and with one man in front and one at the back to hold back it is hauled by hand over the snow when there is the least danger of avalanches. The hay is very rich, so we mix it with straw making a hay sandwich for the stock; the straw forming the roughage and the hay the nourishment. "Two of my brothers had come to America. They settled at Winona, Minn., and they were working at their trade as carpenters. I joined them when I was 19 years old. For a while I worked for the Winona Wagon Works and later went in with one of my brothers. We secured a contract to make 4-panel doors at 10 cents each. We could, by working hard, make 50 doors a day, which meant $2.50 a day apiece.
"When I was 21 I decided to come west. I went to the ticket agent at St. Paul and asked him to sell me a ticket as far as my money would take me. He said what money I had would carry me as far as Meacham, Oregon; so he made me a ticket to Meacham. I got there at 4 o'clock on a winter morning and sat around till daylight. Meacham is in the Blue mountains, about midway between Pendleton and La Grande. A section man I met thought I might find work at La Grande, so I walked the 25 miles or more to La Grande. I had eaten nothing for several meals -- or mealtimes, rather -- and I had no money, so at La Grande I spent two more days without eating while I inquired for work. "Finally I got a job at $1 a day cutting wood. As I cut the wood I trembled with weakness. Everything turned black and I fainted. The man I worked for saw me fall, so he came and put water on me. When I came to he asked me what was the matter. I told him I had not eaten for three days. He advanced 50 cents to me and I bought two loaves of bread and two bologna sausages. I ate them all up and then was able to work, but from that day to this it makes me sick to look at a sausage in the face and I can no longer eat them. "When I had finished that job I got a job in a logging camp near Hilgard at $1 a day and board. From there I went to Seattle where I spent seven weeks in a hospital with typhoid. My brother Antone had come from The Dalles, so I joined him there. I got a job with the railroad as a carpenter. Antone learned from a fellow countryman about the Troutlake country, so he advised me to take up a homestead there. So I found a homestead in Troutlake Valley and moved in it. That was in 1887. I stayed on my homestead four months. This was the first time I ever lived all alone, so I was very lonesome and homesick. I wanted to learn to read and write the American language, so someone gave me a book entitled "the life of Buffalo Bill." They told me this was a good history of American life. I spent four months reading it and spelling it. I read it over and over and each time I read it I would be able to understand new words. I learned to spell and every word in the ______. The meaning of some of the words, such as "knife" and "knee", I could not make out, as I pronounced them "kayniff" and "kaynee". For a long time I wondered what Buffalo Bill's bowie "kayniff" was, but I didn't like to ask anyone, for I didn't like to be laughed at.
"I went back to The Dalles, where I worked in the railroad shops all winter. I sent for the young woman to whom I was engaged, Philomena Hammell, and we were married at The Dalles and shortly thereafter we moved to the homestead. To us was born a little girl, Marguerite Anna, who is married now and lives here in Troutlake valley.
"I took the contract to carry the mail from White Salmon to Troutlake at $365 a year. I could not handle it alone, so I took in a neighbor, giving him half the money. This meant that we were each paid 50 cents a day and had to keep 4 horses to carry the mail. I lived nine miles from the postoffice. I had to be there to start on the trip at 7 a.m., so I had to leave home long before daylight. One winter morning when the snow was deep and drifted and crusted it took me from a little after 3 o'clock in the morning till after 10 to make the nine miles, and when I got there my horses legs were all cut and bleeding from the icy crust on the snow. In summer our wives drove the stages while we worked on our places or worked out to earn money. I worked for the neighbors cradling grain from daylight to dark for $1 a day and boarded myself.
"I conceived the idea that this country, being like Switzerland, should be a tourist district like Switzerland. A Swiss named Peter Stoller had taken up a homestead at Troutlake. He sold it to E.L. Smith of Hood River for $2000. Mr. Smith sold it to me at that figure. I paid nothing down and had seven years to pay for it at 6 per cent interest. I took in hunters, fishermen, mountain climbers and tourists, boarding and lodging them at the rate of $1 a day or $5 a week. I was a good fisherman, so I put in my spare time catching trout. I would put them into a box in the river so I could always serve my guests plenty of fresh brook trout. Yes, I served fine meals for 25 cents a meal and furnished a comfortable bed for 25 cents. That was the beginning of the tourist business at Troutlake.
"I hope to live to see the day when they will build a fine big hotel here, as they do in Switzerland. With good roads and with advertising the beauty of the country thereabout, it will come, and the farmers can sell their fruit and vegetables, their chickens and eggs and other products to be eaten here in the valley by tourists, in place of shipping them to Portland. It will mean prosperity for all of us, to improve our roads and bring in more tourists.

The Klickitat County Agriculturist, Goldendale, WA., August 26, 1921, page 3

CHRIS GULER, OF TROUT LAKE: THE STORY OF HIS CAREER

Fred Lockley, of the Portland Journal, who recently visited the Trout Lake section, met the well known western Klickitat pioneer Chris Guler. Mr. Lockley, in his graphic interview, brought out the following details of Mr. Guler's life. The article is well worth careful perusal.
Christian Guler is a pioneer resident of Guler, near Trout Lake. He has a ranch of 235 acres near the village of Guler. Through the center of his ranch the White Salmon river flows in a series of rapids and falls, furnishing sufficient power to operate all the machinery on his place by electricity, as well as to furnish light and power and heat for the nearby village. So far, this abundant water power is not harnessed, but in time it will be. His ranch is about 12 miles from the base of Mount Adams.
"How did you happen to settle here?" I asked him recently.
"This county seemed more like my native country, than any other place I had seen," said Mr. Guler. "I was born at the foot of Silveretta glacier, in the Alps, in Canton Grisson, in Switzerland, and this district, like Switzerland, is one of great scenic beauty; so I settled here. My father was a leather worker. He made saddles, harness, leather trunks and other articles of leather. I was taken in with him to learn the business, but I did not like it. "My eldest brother, Leonard, was a celebrated Swiss guide. He was awarded a medal by the Alpine club for scaling two peaks that had never before been climbed. The first man he guided to the top of one of these almost inaccessible peaks was an American, who gave him a 100-foot guide rope of silk as a token of his appreciation.
He then tells Mr. Lockley more of Switzerland and his early life there; of his coming to the United States, with several brothers, and all told at some length.
Mr. brother Antone had come to The Dalles, so I joined him there. I got a job with the railroad as a carpenter. Antone learned from a fellow countryman about Trout Lake country, so he advised me to take up a homestead there. I found a homestead in Trout Lake and moved on it. This was in 1887. I stayed on my homestead four months. This was the first time I ever lived all alone, so I was very lonesome and homesick.
I wanted to learn to read and write the American language, so some one gave me a book entitled the Life of Buffalo Bill. They told me this was a good history of American life. I spent four months reading and spelling it. I read it over and over and each time I read it I would be able to understand new words. I learned to Spell, and the meaning, of some of the words, such as knife and knee, I could not make out, as I pronounced them kayniff and kaynee. For a long time I wondered what Buffalo Bill's bowie knife (kayniff) was, but I didn't like to ask anyone, for I didn't like to be laughed at.
I went back to The Dalles, where I worked in the railroad shops all winter.
I sent for the young woman to whom I was engaged, Philomena Hammell, and we were married at The Dalles, and shortly thereafter we moved to the homestead. To us was born a little girl, Marguerite Anna, who is married now and lives here in Trout Lake valley.
I took the contract to carry the mail from White Salmon to Troutlake at $365 a year. I could not handle it alone, so I took in a neighbor, giving him half the money. This meant that we were each paid 50 cents a day and had to keep 4 horses to carry the mail. I lived 9 miles from the post office, and had to be there to start on the trip at 7 a.m., so I had to leave home long before daylight. One winter morning when the snow was deep and drifted and crusted it took me from 3 o'clock in the morning till after 10 to make the 9 miles, and when I got there my horses legs were all cut and bleeding from the icy crust on the snow. In summer our wives drove the stages while we worked on our places. I also worked out to earn money. I worked for the neighbors cradling grain from daylight to dark for $1 a day and boarded myself.
I conceived the idea that this country being like Switzerland should be a tourist district. A Swiss named Peter Stoller had taken up a homestead at Trout Lake. He sold it to E.L. Smith of Hood River for $2000. Smith sold it to me at that figure. I paid nothing down and had 7 years to pay for it at 6 per cent. I took in hunters, fishermen and tourists, boarding and lodging them at the rate of $1 a day or $5 a week.
"I hope to live to see the day when they will build a fine big hotel here, as they do in Switzerland. With good roads, advertising, and beauty of the country hereabouts, it will come, and the farmers can sell their fruit and vegetables, their chickens and eggs and other products to be eaten here in the valley by tourists, in place of shipping them to Portland. It will mean prosperity for all of us to improve our roads and bring in more tourists.
Mr. Guler, the Editor thanks you! Your story is delightful reading, timely, and we hope it will materially help the Trout Lake section.