Robert Wafler, born Fruitigen, Switzerland, September 22, 1883, died at his home in Council December 25, 1951.1 He was the youngest of four children, orphaned at an early age and cared for by an aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Anton Wafler. They were the parents of the late Mrs. Adolph Grossen. She and "Bobby" were cousins. Their mothers were sisters and their fathers were brothers.2

Bobby came to the United States in 1902, received his citizenship papers in 1912, and cherished them above all other possessions.

He worked for the P.I.N. railroad for a number of years.

For over forty years he was the custodian of the Congregational Church. He became a member of that church in Switzerland when he was fifteen and transferred his membership to Council in 1908. He served as a Congregational Sunday School teacher and secretary. He cared for Sunday School supplies, rang the bell, and was janitor. He was also town librarian.4

Bobby retired from church work two years before his death.

1. Obituary of Robert Wafler, Adams county Leader January 4, 1952
2. Edith Selby, Council, Idaho oral interview, 1973.
3. Obituary of Robert Wafler.
4. Ibid.

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WALKER, CHARLIE             
Charlie Walker had the Alaska Mine. He called it that because
he had been to Alaska in the gold rush of 1888.  Jesse said, "He
took some of his money and went to Seattle an got him a girl. He
had a whiskey bottle and laid around drunk and said he wasn't
going to get up.  You could reach and get his money out of his
pocket.  When he got up, he probably spilled half of it on the
floor."  The next trip to the Alaska mine, he made $60,000,
but by the time he got to Council, he only had $1,000 left. 
"Hancocks relieved him of it."  "He worked in the barn for old
Huntley for $1 a day.  It wasn't very long that he didn't have the
money to pay him, so he shut him off.  He had enough to live the
first of the winter." *Jesse tape p. 21-22
            
            

WATT

R. C. Watt was an eccentric who lived in Council for many years. No one seemed to know much about him.

He was born in England and was a graduate of Oxford University.1 He was a justice of peace for a time in the 1920s.2 His home was on Galena Street near the present John Gould home. His house burned in 1935.

In Council he was known simply as "Old Watt," odd but a good man. He wore a beard and long hair. When the bows of his glasses broke he used string and tied his glasses to his hair.

I Records of his death and burial were not found.
 

1. John Gould, Council, Idaho oral interview
 2. Records of First Bank of Council, Idaho State Historical Society,
      Boise, Idaho

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WEED

Carl Weed was a young man when he came from Oregon to Council with Sam and Harry Criss. He worked for a time as a clerk in the Criss brothers' store. When they sold and moved away he worked in another store for a short time.

He soon opened his own store, which he operated until 1941 when he sold the store and retired to their farm southeast of town. This was the first home for him and his bride of many years before and is where their children Carlos, David, and Mildred were born and raised.

Mr. and Mrs. Weed moved to Ojai, California, about 1950.

Carlos took over the farm. He married Ella Camp. They have five children.

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WHITE

Robert P. White was born in South Carolina August 14 1827, son of Henry F. and Elizabeth Wiley White.1 Both parents were born in South Carolina. His mother died there but his father moved to Arkansas, where he died before the Civil War.

The name of Robert's first wife is not known. They had one son, William H. White, born 1856 in South Carolina.

Robert P. White married Elenor B. Parnell in Arkansas in 1868. (She was born April 15, 1837.) They had two sons, Robert and Thomas J., and two daughters, Harriet E. and Della.

In 1873 a wagon train left Pope County, Arkansas, heading for Oregon. George Moser's family and that of Robert White were among the group. Somewhere in Oklahoma the wagon train made camp where the water was impure. Some of the party became ill and several children died, including two Moser children (one was a five year old girl) and four year old Harriet White. It was late in the season and the disheartened group felt it best to return to Arkansas. Another group started in 1876. The Mosers and Whites were again in the group. Along the way some of the people turned back, leaving only George Moser, Robert White, and their families to proceed to Idaho.2

From the  Idaho Statesman (Boise) of September 2, 1876, comes the account of their trip west:

Mr. Robert P. White, of Dover, Pope County, Arkansas, with his wife and two children, arrived here Sunday evening. Mr. George Moser and family, wife and four children, came with him. They came with ox teams and were five months and eight days on the road; lost one yoke of oxen but otherwise had very good luck, and their cattle are in fair condition. They intend to stop here and would like to get work in town, and another spring get farms to work. They appear to be good rustlers and we trust they will find employment and realize their full expectations in coming to this favored country.

The Mosers went on to Council Valley in late October but the Whites remained in Boise until the next spring, when they became Council's second family.3

The Whites were stalked by heartbreak. A daughter died during their first attempt to come west. Robert Jr., born that same year, fought in the Spanish American War and died in 1904 in Council, leaving a widow, Ova "Josie" (Biggerstaff) White, a son, Ray, and a daughter, Ruth. Thomas J. White and a companion were shot as suspected horse thieves and their bodies
were never recovered from the Snake River.5 Della White was only nineteen years old when she was killed in a sleighing accident in Council. Only William H. ("Bud") White, son of Robert and his first wife, lived out a full life span. He bought a farm on Hornet Creek, but by 1914 they were living in Montana.

Bob White was the valley's first school teacher, in the old stockade in 1880, holding the job for a couple of terms.

He was also Council Valley's first postmaster, keeping the mail in a box under his bed. This was in 1878.6

Bob White was not overly ambitious. He homesteaded one hundred sixty acres but farming wasn't successful for him. He was a story spinner and an easy going dreamer.

He was a justice of peace for several years.8,

Robert and Elenor moved to Weiser for a time. Bob did some work with his team of mules, such as plowing gardens and hauling wood from the nearby hills. They finally moved back to Council.

After Bob got too old to work he and Elenor, affectionately known to all as "Mammy White," were put on the county. They lived in a small house near the present high school. Valley residents who had known and loved them from earliest days contributed farm produce and shared special foods with them, making the county's burden of support quite small.

Bob died March 11, 1915. "Mammy" continued to be loved and cared for by friends until her death July 26, 1923.

Robert, Elenor, Robert Jr., and Della are buried in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery.
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WILKIE

Fredrick C. Wilkie was born in New York City in 1841.

He moved to California but returned to New York to enlist in the Union Army during the Civil War. He enlisted as a First Lieutenant in Company G, Fifth New York Artillery Volunteers, January 16, 1862. Two months later he was promoted to captain and exactly three years later he became a major. He was injured in Virginia in 1863. His discharge was July 19, 1865.

 Fredrick Wilkie married Sarah E. ____________, who died March 31, 1884.
Their children were Fred, Arthur, Rich, Ralph, and Craig.1

In 1882 the Wilkies moved to Council Valley. They settled the area later known as Dale. Mr. Wilkie became postmaster there sometime before 1905.,

Art and Rich Wilkie were founders of Fruitvale, a real estate venture. They hauled lumber from their mill to the railroad and so decided to build a town where they loaded the lumber on the train. They incorporated with some others and sold shares in the townsite.

Major Wilkie entered the Boise Veterans' Home in 1905 and died there December 18, 1907.3 He and his wife were reportedly buried first on their farm and later moved to Hornet Creek Cemetery.

1. Service record of Fredrick C. Wilkie, General Services Administration, Washington D.C.
2. Township records in files of First Bank of Council, Idaho State Historical Society, Boise, Idaho
3. Records of Veterans Hospital, Boise, Idaho.

WHITLOW          
     William Wadsworth Whitlow  born Mar 12, 1875
in Brownsville, Nebraska.  Married Mary Sophronia
Stewart August 19, 1896 in Missouri, then moved to
Nebraska where they had 2 babies: Susan and Janey. 
Came to Weiser, Idaho spring 1899. 
     Mary Stewart Whitlow's brother was Thomas
Mackey who had settled at Midvale.  The Whitlow's
homesteaded there (Midvale).  Their only son,
William was born there in 1900.  Five more  
daughters were born while they lived at Midvale. 
Their house burned in 1916 and they moved to the
Lick Creek ranch that William had bought, NW of
Council.   Wm served 3 terms as state       
Representative from Adams County.   Retired in
1945 and moved to Moshua Tree, California.  Mary
died Nov 7, 1956.  Wm died Oct 19, 1961.  Both
died at San Jose, Calf.
    Susan born July 14, 1897 - Brownsville, NE
    Janey b. Jan 23, 1899"
    William b. June 2, 1900 Midvale     
    Zoe b. Mar 3, 1902 Midvale 
    Ada b. Nov. 15, 1903 Midvale 
    Esther  b. Oct 19, 1905 Midvale 
    Wilma b. Jan 13, 1908 Midvale 
    Lois  b. Nov 5, 1909 Midvale

WILSON

William "Billy" Wilson, born December 16, 1881 at Green, Iowa, son of Hiram and Mary Wilson, died in April 1974 at age ninety two. He was raised at Cripple Creek, Colorado, and worked as a miner.1

He married Verda V. Bates November 25, 1908, at Colorado Springs, Colorado. They had five children. She died in 1963.

During the early 1900s he drove ore teams and mined in Nevada and came to Idaho in 1914.

He served two terms as state senator from Adams County.1

Birdie Jennie Wilson was born at Cripple Creek, Colorado, April 18, 1894. She was the first girl baby born in that community.

She attended Iowa State College at Cedar Falls, Iowa, and taught in Iowa before coming to Council with her parents and brother "Billy." The family made their home on Hornet Creek. She taught in Upper Dale, Pleasant Ridge, and Mesa before her marriage to Clarence Schroff September 10, 1918.

They had five children  Walter, Eileen, Dell, Frank, and Claire.
 

1. Obituary of William “Bill” Wilson, Idaho Statesman, April 18, 1974

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WINKLER

Within a few months the family had settled on what later became George Gould's ranch north of Council. They cleared it of brush and soon had crops growing in the fertile soil.7

The health of the valley residents was cared for by "Aunt Lettie," as she was known to all. She had brought herbs with her from the south, planting them when she arrived in Council Valley to be sure she would have an ample supply.8 She was a midwife. From Council she traveled to Bear Meadows and Indian Valley. She often stayed ten or more days in a home caring for the sick. Her husband would not allow her to travel alone and insisted she have an escort. This usually fell to one of the boys.. They chopped wood, carried water, and did anything with which she needed help. Needless to say, there were no eager volunteers for the job.9

For many years the George A. Winkler ranch was stage headquarters for the traveling public going to Warren. The food served was plentiful and well prepared.

George M. Winkler, son of George A. and Letitia, was born September 25, 1856, in Virginia and died March 9, 1920. Elizabeth Harp Winkler was born in Madison County, Arkansas, January 9, 1862, and died September 20, 1954. They are buried in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery.

"Their children were Alice, Maude, Charles, Ernest, Mary, Henry, George, Eunice, and Mark. Ernest ("Si") ran Si Winkler's General Store for many years.

Marcus Winkler, born in Virginia September 30, 1858, married Mrs. Carrie Anderson. They had two children, Anna and Mark, Jr. Marcus died November 18, 1921.

William ("Bill") Winkler and his half brother, Lewis, became Council's village blacksmiths in 1901 with a shop on the west end of Main Street. They kept the thriving business for several years. They also farmed and did some mining.10

In 1908 Bill was elected sheriff of Washington County. When Adams County was formed in 1911 he was elected sheriff as its first peace officer. He served several terms.11 During President Wilson's administration he was village postmaster. Again in 1927 he became sheriff, serving until ill health caused his retirement.

He collected many pioneer articles and relics of early days. His collection, one of the largest private ones in Idaho, is now housed in the Council public library.

Bill and Lewis Winkler, A. L. Freehafer, and Frank Mathias were partners in the Golden Rule mine between Warren and Burgdorf Hot Springs.12 After 1914 Lewis Winkler was sole owner of the mine.

James Winkler, born January 20, 1869, at Sandyville, Virginia married Mary Morrison. They had two daughters. Jim owned a grocery store until they moved to Payette in 1945.He died in February 1956.

Lewis E. Winkler was born October 7, 1867, in Jackson County, Virginia. He drew the first map of the Thunder Mountain country, which served as a guide during the boom about 1900. For two years he carried the mail into Warren on skis in winter.

He was the last surviving charter member of Council I.O.O.F. Lodge.

He died in 1952.

1.1850 census, Jackson County, Virginia.
2.Winkler, Early Days of Adams County, Idaho.
3.1870 Census, Carrollton, Carroll County, Arkansas.
4.Ruth Winkler, Council, Idaho, oral interview
5. Ibid
6.Mrs.Luella Allen, Boise, Idaho oral interview, 1973
7. John Gould, Council, Idaho oral interview 1972
8. “Adams County, rugged, Majestic, and Magnificent,” First Segregation News (Hazelton, Idaho), July 4, 1963 and Idaho Free Press (Nampa, Idaho), March 25, 1963
9. Ruth Winkler, oral interview
10.Obiturary of William F. Winkler, Adams County Leader, January 5, 1940.
11.”Adams County, Rugged, Majestic and Magnificent.”
12.Records in files of First Bank of Council, Idaho State Historical Society, Boise, Idaho.