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April 2015
| Business World
135
The story of Owens Meats began an aston-
ishing 128 years ago in Roslyn, Washington.
The family business was established in 1887
-two years before Washington officially be-
came a US State- by Morgan Owens. Lured
to the region as a result of the coal rush, Mor-
gan soon found that there was an entirely
different market to be explored: feeding the
legions of coal miners.
In 1906, after operating out of several differ-
ent locations in Roslyn, including the first
store which burned down, Owens Meats re-
located to what is now the Past Time tavern.
It was here where Morgan and his wife, Etta,
handed the responsibility of the market to
their sons Richard and David. Unfortunate-
ly, it wasn't long before the Owens brothers
were faced with two daunting challenges for
the business to overcome: the Great Depres-
sion and a coal miner strike.
Though the business endured these hard-
ships, the Owens brothers soon parted ways,
which led to Richard bringing Owens Meats
to its current location on First Street in Cle
Elum. Along with his wife Francis and their
two sons, Richard Jr and Ray, Richard Sr re-
built the business after the incredibly trying
depression.
Now in 2015, Doug Owens -fourth genera-
tion family member and President of Owens
Meats- detailed more of his family's history
and how the store has changed over the years.
"After the difficulties of working through the
depression," he said. "Grandpa Richard and
his brother Dave went their separate ways.
Granpa moved Owens Meats to Cle Elum
in 1936. As a family, they all worked in the
market. In 1948, they built a beautiful, state-