James Hutchinson

The Payette Independent
Friday, February 08, 1907

PIONEERS PASS AWAY

SAMUEL W. KING AND JAMES HUTCHINSON ANSWER THE LAST CALL

Two of the Oldest Residents of the Payette Valley Die Within the Week -- Mr. King Came to Idaho in 1869 and Mr. Hutchinson in 1878 -- Were Men Highly Honored and Respected.

During the last week two of the pioneers of the Payette Valley have been called to that bourne from which no traveler returns. One an old man enfeebled by age who had served his time and did it well and who was expecting the call of the angel of death, the other a man seemingly in good health who was stricken down with a suddenness that was a great shock to his many friends and which makes it hard for them to realize that he has been called from this life.

JAMES HUTCHINSON CALLED UNEXPECTEDLY

In the death of James Hutchinson Payette has lost one of her most honored citizens. His end was unexpected. On Tuesday, January 29, he was engaged in superintending work being done near Falk’s Store on the Lower Payette ditch, of which irrigation system he had been the superintendent for years. He injured himself about 3 o’clock in the afternoon by lifting. By 6 o’clock that evening he was in great pain and was brought to Payette and then taken to a hospital at Baker City, where Wednesday morning he underwent an operation for intestinal obstruction. He seemed to rally from the operation in good condition, but he did not have the strength to recover from it.

Mr. Hutchinson was born in New York City in 1854. He lived there for 10 years and then moved to California with a cousin much older than himself. After living in San Francisco three years, he removed to Washington territory, where he spent two years. He then took up some farm land in the Willamette valley in Oregon, where he remained for nine years, removing thence to Hailey in this state. He engaged in mining for a short time and 1882 came to the Payette valley, where he had lived since.

He was married to Miss Elizabeth Wilson of Salmon Meadows in 1887 and to them six children were born, three boys and three girls, all of whom survive the husband and father. His father is still living in Ireland.

During the 25 years since Mr. Hutchinson came to Payette he made friends on every hand and no man knew him but to call him honest, patriotic and upright, the highest tributes to be paid to an American citizen.

Four years ago he was elected county treasurer of Canyon county and served one term. He had been a member of the Payette school board for a number of years, and in respect to his memory the public schools were dismissed on the day of his burial.

The funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 o’clock under the auspices of the order of Odd Fellows, of which he was a member. The members of the order gathered at their hall at 1:15 o’clock and conducted the remains from there to the church. Rev. Leeds preached the funeral sermon. Interment was in the Odd Fellow plat at Riverside cemetery.