Dave’s parents, Dame and Shirley (Cays) Cameron, were dairy farming next to the Dungeness River at the end of Hendrickson Rd when he was born. His cousin Nancy Hutt owns part of the property now. His family moved to California during my school years, returning in 1968. His father managed Blue Ribbon farm out near the Voice of America. They crew crops, had cattle and his father started strawberries there. Dave helped him and had a couple side jobs too. He entered Peninsula Collage’s fisheries program, but after he married another pioneer descendent, Sidne Brown, they moved to Ellensburg for 2 years for her to get a teaching certificate.
When they returned to Sequim, he raised cattle, grew seed crops and made hay. His brother Pete worked with him when he came home from college. Dave held some side jobs at that time also. He was a ditchwalker for a couple of years, drove a school bus, and later began his own livestock hauling business. He served as Fire District 3 Commissioner and Clallam County Commissioner.
When Dave’s father passed away in 1996, he took over the strawberry business for another 20 years. As the valley has changed out of farming, his farming activities have dwindled. Irrigation has changed as well, from open ditches, which were sometimes troublesome, to more efficient piping. Even now, irrigation is vital to his farming.
The Cays side of Dave’s family has been well represented in recent years by both his Aunt Caroline and Aunt Beverly as Grand Pioneers.
Dave’s great grandparents, Amos and Sara Cameron came to Sequim from Pennsylvania, in search of a homestead, which they found on Blue Mountain. They raised 13 children. Amos was a trapper and hunter. He built many trails through the Olympic and named some of the lakes, creeks and valleys, such as Cameron Creek and Moose Lake and Lake Etta for friends of his. Their homestead cabin which has been moved 4 times, now sits on Dave’s own property.