Cactus Jack

The Life and Legend of Cactus Jack and his connection to the Mount Family

By now most of you are wondering who is Cactus Jack and how does he fit into the picture. Jack Michael Williams was born 18 April of 1916 in a small town called Stehekin located in Washington. Stehekin is located on Lake Chelan and has only 28 year round residents today. Everything going to Stehekin is via Ferry 55 up lake including the people. Stehekin still operates a one room school house today thru the eight grade. As  a young man Jack became a miner and still works an active Gold mine some place in the Lake Chelan Area. Only his children and Grand children know of the location.

I first met up with Cactus Jack in 1978 while on a camping trip at place called Alta Lake. In the summer months he worked for the forest service and you would find him anytime after dark checking on the campers making sure the camp grounds didn't catch fire. I guess you could say that he was a good steward of the earth. He was a true environmentalist going Green long before everyone else. Cactus Jack has an old summer cabin on the Columbia River in a small town called Quincy. I usually see him in the summer months

You probably want to know how he got the name Cactus Jack. As a young man Jack developed a taste for alcohol, in fact he loved to drink Vodka. As you know Vodka is distilled Cactus. His love of the drink earned him the name of Cactus Jack. His friends would call him Cactus for short.  

Now here is how he ties into the Mount Family. His Great Grandfather Jack Mount was born in 1827 in Tennessee. He married Jane Allen from Georgia. They had a son named Jack born in 1866 in Georgia (Cactus Jacks Grandfather). Jack was one of 10 children.

Jack was born in 1866 in Georgia, (Cactus Jacks Grandfather) He married Mary Williamson, they had 12 children. They had a daughter named Isabella born in 1889 in Georgia. (Cactus Jacks Mother) The family migrated to Washington as the U. S. Govt. was giving away land to any person who fought in a war. Since his father was a veteran of the civil war he had a land chip for 160 acres in the Washington Territory, that he gave to his daughter Isabella and her husband Horace. All you had to do was work the land and it was yours. This parcel of land still remains in the family today.

Isabella Mount and Horace Williams were married in 1915 in Stehekin Washington, (Cactus Jacks Parents). Jack Michael Williams was born 4-18-1916 in Steheiken. Jack Michael Williams AKA Cactus Jack is a resident of Stehiken, Washington. He has 5 children, 12 Grand children, and 26 Great grand children. Most of the family live in the Lake Chelan Area Today