mong the later accessions to the ranks of the active business men of Redlands, although not strangers, are Messrs. Harris & Cook, who conduct a coal and wood business on Citrus avenue, near Orange street. Oscar William Harris was born in Indiana October 14, 1860, and lived in that State until he came to California in 1887. He received a common school education and passed the earlier years of his business life upon a large stock farm. He was married January 4, 1884, to Miss Alice E. Cook. a native of Indiana, by whom he has had six children, three born in Indiana and three in Redlands. After coming to Redlands, in 1887 Mr. Harris went into the nursery business, growing orange stock. His nurseries here were on Highland avenue and on Palm avenue, where he acquired about ten acres of land, and he also owns a thirteen acre ranch at Highland. He continued in this occupation for about six years. Last February, in partnership with W. O. Cook, he bought their present business of A. F. Parker.

W. O. Cook is also a native of Indiana, and lived in that State, in the same house in which he was born in 1864, until he came to Redlands in 1891. Having followed farming in the East he naturally continued in this vocation after coming to Redlands, and has engaged in ranching, except for about a year, when he was mining in Kern county, in company with George E. Foster, who was formerly manager of the Newport Lumber Company in this city.

The business now conducted by Messrs. Harris & Cook was established by the Andrews Brothers, after their sale of the plant now owned by the Newport Lumber Company, and was continued by them until the affairs of the Mount Carmel Fruit Company and other enterprises of a similar nature demanded their entire attention. The brick portion of the building now used by this firm was the first business structure erected within the present limits of the city, and was built by Robert Chestnut, the brick manufacturer, for Tipton & Carter, the butchers, who occupied it immediately upon its completion, July 23, 1885. It was subsequently enlarged by a frame addition and used by other butchers, by Jack Levy, who opened in it the first harness shop in this city, on July 17, 1887, and by Mrs. Croal as a restaurant.

Harris & Cook handle Caledonia, Cerrilos and Anthracite coal, most of which comes from the vicinity of Gallup, New Mexico, and wood of all the sorts used for fuel in this country. In this line they get their supplies principally from the neighboring mountains and foothills. They are also the respresentative in Redlands of the Independent Ice Company of Los Angeles. For this company they handle the Puritas Distilled Water, which has a large sale all over Southern California. In all these lines they proposed, by prompt and efficient service and fair dealing, to merit a full share of public patronage.

(Source: Illustrated Redlands, 1897, p. 76.)