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= Crumline V. LaDu = Crumline V. LaDu was a pioneer of Cowlitz Washington and a President of Washington's Territorial Council (Senate). He also was Postmaster of Mount Coffin, later LaDu, a town he created. Crumline served in the 1857 Fifth Session and in the 1858 Sixth Session in Washington's Territorial Council.

Early Life ￼
Crumline V. Ladu was born on November 1, 1808 in Fishkill, Dutchess, New York, United States of America. He was the son of Jacob LaDu and Hannah Cuer, he was the second child of nine. He grew up in Fishkill, Dutchess, New York, United States of America and lived there for most of his twenties. Crumline was tall, and a handsome man, he stood 6'0" and had red hair. Crumline was a hatter (a person who made hats) and in 1831 he went to Johnston, Rhode Island, United States of America on either a business trip or visiting family members in the nearby town of Barrington, Rhode Island, United States of America. While he was there he saw, on a parade float, the queen of Johnston and even possibly the queen of Rhode Island, Caroline Frances Matthewsen. Somehow he found a way to introduce himself, after they met and dated for while Crumline and Caroline fell in love. They were married on December 16, 1832 in the First Universalist Church by Rev. David Pickering. They moved back to Crumline's home town and their first three children were born there. They then moved to Providence and lived on Summer St., Crumline set up his hatter business in Providence on High Street. Crumline left Providence and his family to seek his fortune in the gold fields with some friends in 1849. They bought a boat and sailed through the Isthmus of Panama and around Cape Horn, they arrived in San Francisco, California in late 1849 and started panning for gold. While panning for gold in San Francisco Crumline and his friend's food was being stolen, Crumline finally had enough and waited to hear rustling in the kitchen. He had his gun with him and he shot where the sound was coming from, the culprit happened to be a bear and he had killed it. This bear's meat supplied Crumline and his friends with lots of food. The place they were panning was no good, so they left San Francisco, took the boat and sailed Northeast. They arrived in Astoria, Oregon and they sold the boat, each man taking his share of the profit and going their separate ways. Crumline went to Portland, Oregon and applied for a donation land claim, which was located next to Coffin Rock and was 640 acres across the Columbia River. He built a shack, doing everything he could to survive, trading with the Natives, starting a large garden, and doing all the activities to keep alive in the wilderness. In 1853 he finally made enough money to send for his eldest son, James, who was 20 at the time. When James arrived he helped his father build a large house. Crumline had enough money to send for his wife and daughters. The first and second times didn't come through, but the third time did. When the rest of the family did arrive they kept on adding to the house, they added a general store, and a post office. Crumline was appointed to represent Cowlitz, Wahkiakum, and Pacific Counties in the 5th Session 1857 and the 6th Session 1858. On December 6, 1858 Crumline was elected President of Washington's Territorial Council.

Later Life ￼
Crumline stayed as Postmaster of Mount Coffin until a year before his death. He and his wife lived in their huge house until Crumline's death. Crumline died on October 9, 1894 in LaDu, Cowlitz, Washington, United States of America. He was 85 years of age and he was buried in Catlin Cemetery, Kelso, Cowlitz, Washington, United States of America.