Silas Eccles

Silas Wright Eccles was born in Washington on January 3, 1852, to Joseph and Susan (Davidson) Eccles.  He was raised in Washington, attended Washington schools, and loved trains.  As a small boy, he spent much time at the TP & W depot begging them for a job, but they never would oblige.  He then walked up the street where Mr. Champion at the C&A railroad depot at the south end of Wood Street took a liking to him and put him to work.

Eccles was a sponge for information on the railroad and the telegraph and, by the age of 17, had moved on from Washington, first to a depot at Roodhouse and then to Dwight.  These stints were very short, as Eccles moved up the chain with surprising speed.

By the age of twenty, Eccles headed west and became a major part of the burgeoning westward development of the railroads in Kansas, Colorado, Utah, and finally, California. From 1872 to 1900, Eccles had a hand in running at least five different railroad companies.

By 1900, he was induced to enter the smelting business and became president of the American Smelting & Refining Company.  He did this while serving as president of the Copper River & Northwestern Railroad Company and holding the position of vice-president of the American Smelters Steamship Company.

At the time of his death in 1917, his yearly salary was estimated at $100,000 per year which today would be almost $2,000,000.  He owned a 25,000-acre hunting ranch in Idaho, considered one of the most game-rich preserves in the world.  He had an office on Broadway in New York City.  His estate at the time of his death, in today’s money, was worth over $16,000,000.

Eccles returned to Washington often during his exciting life to visit friends, namely Anthony Heiple and J.P. Wrenn. He embraced his roots and the importance of home and friendships.