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.
On August 3, 1892, C.X. Larrabee and Miss Frances Payne (1867-1941), of St. Charles, Missouri, were married. Frances was an accomplished pianist and became highly regarded in Bellingham for her philanthropic work. The Larrabees had four children: Charles Francis (1895-1950), Edward Payne (1897-1944), Mary Adele (1902-1988), and Benjamin Howard (1906-1944). Following C.X. Larrabee’s death on September 16, 1914, Frances Payne Larrabee and later their two eldest sons took over the family business interests. The Larrabees were noted for making substantial gifts of money and land for charitable and public use, including their donation of Larrabee State Park along Chuckanut Bay, the site of the Fairhaven Public Library, and the YWCA building in Bellingham.
From the guide to the Larrabee family papers, 1840-2004, 1890-2000, (Western Washington University Heritage Resources)
