Friday, April 17, 2015

A BOWLER, A CERTIFICATE OF DENTISTRY, A SILHOUETTE

 What do they have in common?

In the early 1900s, James Otis Kenyon was a struggling dentist in the nearby town of Milton-Freewater, Oregon. Fearing competition when a new dentist moved to town, James burned his competitor's office to the ground. As a result, his wife left him and moved to Walla Walla never speaking again of her husband and father of her two sons, who presumed their father had died.


Fifty years later, the grandson Stephen Otis Kenyon discovered his grandfather living a quiet life on the Oregon coast. The father and sons were happily reunited and together celebrated the birth of his first great-grandchild, Muriel. After his death at 101, a second great grandchild was born, Samuel Otis Kenyon.


Today, in honor of four generations of Otis Kenyons, the family returned to the area to make wine. The label bears the silhouette of James Otis Kenyon along with burned edges that harken back to the infamous past of the winery's namesake. The winery has two tasting rooms--one on Main Street in Walla Walla and another on the west side of the state in Woodinville.



5 comments:

  1. What an interesting story. I don't blame his wife for leaving him... that's a pretty harsh way to get rid of the competition.

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  2. I love posts that are wrapped around with the history of place.

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  3. Superb post with great photos to illustrate it!

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  4. Quite a character, but bad impulse control!

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  5. What a fascinating story and fascinating post!

    I hope you are enjoying your new life as a CDP blogger.

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