Larrabee family

Charles X. (C.X.) Larrabee was born November 19, 1843 in Portville, New York, and moved to Omro, Wisconsin with his family in 1849. In 1875, Larrabee moved to Montana, where his brother, S.E. Larrabee (Larabie) had established himself as a successful banker. C.X. became a partner in the Larabie Bros. banking firm in Deer Lodge, Montana, and engaged in prospecting, discovering the prosperous Mountain View copper mine near Butte, Montana. He also established the Brook-Nook Stock Ranche, near Dillon, Montana, which became renowned for the breeding of Morgan race horses. In 1887, having sold off large portions of his mining interests, C.X. Larrabee moved briefly to Portland, Oregon, purchasing the Holladay addition east of the Willamette River in partnership with his brother and Nelson Bennett, the founder of Tacoma.

Between 1889 and 1890, Larrabee moved to Fairhaven, Washington, where he established the Fairhaven Land Company with Nelson Bennett, E.M. Wilson, E.L. Cowgill and his brother S.E. Larabie. In addition to his real estate concerns, Larrabee was a leading investor in the Fairhaven & Southern Railroad, and the first president of the Citizen’s Bank of Fairhaven. In 1890, Larrabee hired Cyrus Lester Gates from Vermont as his private secretary. Gates played a key role in several of Larrabee’s business enterprises, and held part-ownership of ventures including the Roslyn-Cascade Coal Company.

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