Fresno County, California Biographies Source: History of Fresno County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present (1919) History By Paul E. Vandor Illustrated, Complete In Two Volumes Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, California, 1919 Notes: Missing+page1185-1186 Transcribed by Peggy Hooper This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm DALLAS B. McCABE. � An enterprising, progressive ranchman oper- ating according to the latest methods, is Dallas B. McCabe, a native of Milan, Ripley County, Ind., where he was born on April 30, 1873. His father was Wil- liam Wilson McCabe, who was born in Pennsylvania of Scotch descent and came to Indiana with his mother when he was four years of age. There he grew up amid pioneer surroundings, and when he reached man's estate, he bought a farm, cleared it of timber and otherwise improved it, and eventually became a successful farmer. He died where he had toiled, survived at the old homestead by his widow, who was Miss Margaret Pendergast, a native of Indiana, before her marriage. The fourth youngest of ten children, Dallas McCabe was brought up on an Indiana farm, and educated in the public schools and at the Versailles Indiana State Normal. After having taught for a term he came to Lake County, Ill., that he might work on a farm forty miles north of Chicago and be convenient to attend the World's Fair during that summer; and this am- bition having been satisfied, he decided to push further West. He had seen exhibits of various kinds at the Exhibition, informing him more or less about California, and he determined to investigate for himself and in December, 1893, he arrived in California and located in Fresno. It will be remembered that that was the year of dull times, and he was nearly broke when he obtained his first employment � that of ranch-hand for William Helm on his grain ranch, now the Colonial Helm Tract. There he worked for eight years, after which he entered the service of the ice com- pany in Fresno, when they were still retailing natural ice, but soon afterwards built their artificial ice plant. He was with the ice company nine years, and during the last two years he was foreman in charge of their delivery system. In the beginning, the company was known as the Union Ice Company, but later it became the Consumers' Ice Company. While living at Fresno, Mr. McCabe was married on May 25, 1904, to Miss Norma Wood, a native of San Jose, Cal., and the daughter of George W. Wood, who was born in Texas. Grandfather Stirling Wood, however, was born in Kentucky and came to California in 1863, and settled at Ray- mond, in Madera County, where he resided until his death. George W. Wood was married in Madera County to Miss Nettie Myers, a native of San Luis Obispo County, and the daughter of David and Clara (Wagner) Myers, both of whom came from Ohio. David Myers crossed the plains in 1849 to the gold fields in California, where he mined for about three years, when he returned East: and in 1859 he brought his family by way of Panama. He became a stockman at Fresno Flats, and there he breathed his last; his widow is still living at San Lorenzo, Cal. After his marriage, George W. Wood resided for a while in San Jose, and then at Raymond, in Madera County; and there he became Justice of the Peace. He and his good wife now reside on the Bill- iard Tract north of Fresno. There were five children in the family, and among them Mrs. McCabe is the third eldest. During his service with the ice company. Mr. McCabe bought twenty acres of stubble field in the Colonial Helm Tract, which he improved with a vineyard ; and having resigned his position with the company, in 1909. he lo- cated on his property. For the last five years he has been with the Earl Fruit Company as foreman of the Glorietta and Melvin packing houses, but is at present the field representative for the company. He is a director in and sec- retary to the board of directors of the Colonial Helm Ditch Company, filling cut his sixth year of that responsibility. He is also a trustee of the Clovis grammar school and has served as road overseer. In national politics, he is a progressive Republican. One child. William Wilson, has blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Mc- Cabe. The family are members of the Baptist Church in Clovis. Mr. McCabe belongs to the Fresno lodge of the Independent Foresters of America. He made a trip back to his old Eastern home in 1901. and a second trip in 1904. when he went to the World's Fair at St. Louis. A third time Mr. McCabe saw the scenes of his boyhood and some old. familiar faces when, in 1907. he attended the golden wedding of his parents.