Charles Xavier Larrabee

Charles Xavier Larrabee (November 19, 1843 – September 16, 1914) (sometimes referred to as C.X. Larrabee) was a 19th century businessman and a co-founder of the town of Fairhaven, Washington.

Early life

Larrabee was born in 1843 to William and Mary Ann Larrabee in Portville, New York, and was only six years old when the family moved to Omro, Wisconsin in 1849, where his father opened a general store. Once he was old enough, Larrabee traveled to Poughkeepsie, New York to take a course at a business college to add to his public education.

Business career

In 1875, he went to Montana, and in 1887, his efforts as a prospector were rewarded by the discovery of the valuable Mountain View near Butte. After selling this property to the Boston & Montana Company, he moved to Portland, Oregon. In 1890, he arrived in Bellingham, Washington and associated himself with Nelson Bennett, the founder of Tacoma. Together they started the town of Fairhaven, now a part of Bellingham, and formed the Fairhaven Land Company, which was financed by Larrabee. Later he purchased the holdings of his partner and retained control of the corporation until his demise, doing much important work along development lines.

He founded the Citizens Bank of Bellingham, of which he was the first president, and was a member of the firm of Larrabee Brothers, private bankers of Deer Lodge, Montana. Larrabee organized the Roslyn-Cascade Coal Company of Roslyn, Washington and developed one of the finest coal mines in the state of Washington. He was the initial investor in the Pacific Northwest region to recognize the possibilities of the salmon-fishing industry. He was the owner of a fine stock ranch, known as Brooknook, near Dillon, Montana, and was a breeder of famous Morgan horses.

Later life

On August 3, 1892, Larrabee married Frances Frazier Payne (15 Jan 1867 - 11 Jun 1941), a daughter of Benjamin and Adelia Payne. They were residents of St. Louis, Missouri. The Larrabees had four children: Charles Francis, Edward Payne, Mary Adele, and Benjamin Howard.

In 1914, Larrabee hired Seattle architect Carl Gould to design a house in Bellingham, called Larrabee Manor (now Lairmont Manor). [cite web |url=http://www.lairmontmanor.com/larrabee.html |title=Lairmont Manor - The Larrabee Story, Charles and Frances Larrabee |accessdate=2008-03-14 |publisher=Lairmont Foundation] Charles Larrabee died in September of that year before construction even began. [cite web |url=http://www.cob.org/services/neighborhoods/historic/tour/11.aspx |title=Charles X. Larrabee House - City of Bellingham, WA |accessdate=2008-03-14 |publisher=City of Bellingham] The house was finished under the supervision of his wife, Frances, and is now on the United States National Register of Historic Places and maintained by a non-profit trusteeship.

Soon after Larrabee's death, his family donated 20 acres of land to the state of Washington for the creation of a state park in Larrabee's name. Charles and Frances are interred at the Acacia Mausoleum near Seattle.

References

External links

* [http://wwwfms.bham.wednet.edu/Museum/RECREA/CX.HTM Biography at the Fairhaven History Museum]