REYNCL fCAL
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
AN ILLUSTRATED
HISTORY
OK THE
BIG BEND COUNTRY
EMBRACING
LINCOLN. DOUGLAS, ADAMS™ FRANKLIN
979,7 COUNTIES
STATE OF WASHINGTON
Western Historical Publishing Company
PUBLISHERS
1 904
Copyright
Western Historical Publishing Company
1904.
1323102
DEDICATED
To the
Pioneers of the Big Bend, Who Have Overcome Most Formidable
Difficulties, Stood Like the Rock of Gibraltar Against
Prejudice and False Report, and
Made This Now Famous Country to Blossom as the Rose.
Although no sculptured marble should rise to their memory, nor engraved stone bear record of their deeds, yet
will their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored. — Daniel Webster.
If boundless plenty be the robe,
Trade is the golden girdle of the globe.
Wise to promote whatever end He means,
God opens fruitful- Nature's various scenes.
Each climate needs what other climes produce,
And offers something to the general use;
No land but listens to the common call,
And in return receives supplies from all.
— C'owper.
PREFACE.
N compiling a History of the Big Bend country — one of the most important sections of
the State of Washington, the authors of this work have encountered, of course, those
obstacles that are inseparable in the construction of any pioneer History of the West.
Territorial legislative acts and the records of early county commissioners were vague
and indeterminate in those days. In many respects they are conflicting and confusing. This,
more particularly, applies to political history and educational affairs.
But from this mass of data — official records, state and county documents, combined
with interviews with the earliest and most reliable pioneers — the authors have endeavored to
mine facts and smelt them into an accurate and conscientiously written history of pioneer
days, avoiding as far as possible doubtful statements and conflicting reports. This has been
done with a full realization of the responsibility attending the writing of an original county
history.
Part I., which concerns itself directly with the prominent events in the history of the
Territory and State of Washington since 1550, is a comprehensive abridgment of the earliest
history, from the most authentic data obtainable, written by eminent historians of the United
States, England and Spain. In this connection we acknowledge our indebtedness to the late
George Bancroft; Hon. Hall J. Kelley; the "Journal" of Captain Lewis; letters and other docu-
ments written by the ill-fated Dr. Marcus Whitman; "Oregon: the Struggle for Possession, " by
William Barrows; "Astoria, " by Washington Irving; Congressional Reports on the Oregon
Question; Washington's Correspondence with John Jay; the. Colfax (Washington) Commoner;
correspondence af James Douglas; Barton's "Washington Legislative Hand Book and
Manual"; correspondence printed in the Olympia Pioneer; the eminent Western historian,
Hubert Howe Bancroft; state papers of Governor Isaac Ingalls Stevens; Archibald McVickar
and Hon. A. A. Denny.
Many have been the friendly co-adjutors who have kindly and cheerfully assisted us in
the compilation of this volume. We desire to here frankly state that in no instance has any
one of these pioneers, business men or even temporary residents, of the vast country tra-
versed — the great wheat belt of Washington, bearing on every hand undeniable evidence of
thrift and prosperity — refused to assist us or failed to greet our work with encouragement.
We cannot too cordially thank each and all of them.
The editorial fraternity has been exceptionally friendly. To L. A- Inkster, Lincoln
County Times; James Odgers, Davenport Tribune; Howard Spining, Wilbur Register; R. D.
Anderson, Sprague Times; H. L. King, Franklin County Register; C. T. Geizentanner,
Franklin County News-Recorder; Joseph G. Tuttle, Big Bend Empire; Benjamin Spear,
Douglas County Press; Dan J. Jones, Coulee City News; Pettijohn & Swenson, Ritzville
v i PREFACE.
Times; W. H. Hughes, Hartline Standard; Gibson & Thompson, Adams County News; Al
P. Haas, Lind Leader; J. F. Dealy, Hatton Hustler; Gale Smith, Washtucna Enterprise,
due acknowledgment is made for valuable assistance in our work upon this History.
To Judge N. T. Caton, County Auditor A. L. Brown, of Davenport; A. T. Greene, L.
E. Kellogg, R. S. Steiner, John R. Lewis, S. C. Robins, Douglas County; J. M. Snow, of
Spokane; George R. Roberts, Douglas County; Charles Rankert, Franklin County; Mrs. J. G.
Bennett, George Sinclair, J. F. Cass, Jr., George W. Bassett, Otis Algoe and J. J. Mer-
riman, Adams County, and many others, our thanks are sincerely tendered for the many,
courtesies extended by them.
The general and introductory history is the production of Richard F. Steele. The
special histories of Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin Counties were written by Richard
F. Steele, assisted by Arthur P. Rose.
THE PUBLISHERS.
Spokane, Washington, 1904.
ENDORSEMENTS.
We, the undersigned, citizens of Adams County, Washington, having been selected as a committee to examine
the manuscript of a History of this County to be published by the Western Historical Publishing Company, certify
as follows:
We, as pioneer residents of the County, have read the narrative of the events recorded, and to the best of our
knowledge find it to be a true, impartial and candid record of the leading historical incidents that are woven into the
annals of Adams County. The treatment of the subject is fair and comprehensive, and, to the best of our belief,
accurate. As such we give it our cordial endorsement.
Mrs. James G. Bennett,
George Sinclair, Sr.,
Edgar DeWitt Gilson,
Committee.
Ritzville, Adams County, September, 1904.
We, the undersigned, citizens of Douglas County, Washington, having been selected as a committee to pass
judgment on the merits of the History of said County to be published by the Western Historical Publishing Com-
pany, do hereby certify as follows:
We are pioneer residents of the County, have always taken especial interest in its development, and have been
active participants in many of the incidents described in said History. We have read the manuscript narrative of
these events, and it has our unqualified endorsement as a conscientious History and literary work of merit. In the
treatment of the subject it is impartial, accurate and reliable, and we cordially recommend it to all.
A. T. Greene,
L. E. Kellogg,
C. J. Stanley,
J. M. Snow,
Committee.
Waterville, Douglas County, July, 1904.
We, the undersigned, residents of Franklin County, Washington, having examined a portion of the manuscript
of a History of Franklin County to be published by the Western Historical Publishing Company, and made such
corrections as were deemed desirable, cordially testify that the work gives evidence of careful research and conscien-
tious attention to facts.
D. W. Page, Mayor of Pasco,
Charles Rankert,
W. S. Helm,
Henry L. King,
Committee.
Pasco, Washington, August, 1904.
We, the undersigned, having examined that portion of the History of Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin
Counties to be published by the Western Historical Publishing Company relating to Lincoln County, bear testimony
that it gives evidence of extensive reading, research and conscientious adherence to facts, and presents, to the best
of our knowledge, an accurate, comprehensive and impartial record of events. As such we endorse and commend it.
H. SPINING,
L. A. Inkster,
N. T. Caton,
Committee.
Lincoln County, May, 1904.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PART I.
CHAPTER I.
Dawn of Discovery.
Juan Roderiguez in the Waters of the Smiling Pacific—His Mantle Falls Upon the Shoulders of Bartolme
Ferrelo— Francis Drake Reaches as High as Latitude Forty-three Degrees— He Abandons the Search
for Anian and Returns to England— Spain Becomes Aggressive in Northwest Exploration— Early
Voyages of Urdaneta— Juan de Fuca Sails from Spain in Search of the Strait of Anian— Advance
Guard of Inland Explo — Ephrata— Krupp — Douglas — Stratford — Other Towns 558-586
CHAPTER IV.
Descriptive.
Douglas County Emphatically a Wheat Section— Soil and Climate— Grand and Moses Coulees— Wild and
Awe-inspiring Scenery— Steamboat and Pilot Rocks— Ruins of Old-Time Railway Enterprises— Situa-
tion, Area and Altitude— Famous Alkali Lakes -Moses Lake— Haystack Rocks— Crops Without Rain-
Cool and Temperate Latitudes— Scientific Analysis of the Soil— Average Precipitation— Waterville and
Orando Tramway 586-605
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER V.
Political.
Pioneers Who First Served Douglas County — Commissioner Meyers Removes from the County— Initial Elec-
tion—Party Lines are Loosely Drawn — First Republican and Democratic County Conventions — The 1888
Election — The 1892 Election — Populists Come Into Power — Republicans Recover Lost Ground'in 1902.606-614
CHAPTER VI.
Educational.
E. E. Brown First Superintendent — California Settlement the Original School District — First School Taught
West of the Coulees — Names of the Pupils — Third District Created August 4, 18S6 — The Waterville
District — Pioneer School — Douglas County Teachers' Institute — Waterville School House — Total Value
of School Property 615-616
PART IV.
ADAMS COUNTY.
CHAPTER I.
Early Settlement — 1865-1904.
George Lucas the First White Man to Locate in Adams County — Tribute to the Pioneers — Dissensions
Between Stockmen and Farmers — Earliest Settlement in Adams County Along Cow Creek — Pioneer
George W. Bassett — He Locates at Kahlotus Springs, Afterwards Washtucna — Indian Legend Concerning
the Name of These Springs — Earliest Attempts at Farming in the County — Philip Ritz — Many Settlers
Come from South Dakota— Death of James Gordon Bennett — Severe Winter of 1880-81 — Advent of the
Northern Pacific Railway — First Marriage in Adams County — Legislative Act Creating the County —
Initial Meeting of the Commissioners — Taxes are Levied — Citizens Attempt to Secure Water by Sinking
Artesian Wells-^The County is Bonded for S'20,000 to Build a Court House — Sudden Rise in Price of
Railroad Land 753-770
CHAPTER II.
Cities and Towns.
Early History of Ritzville, Capital of Adams County— Settlers Flock In on the Trail of the Northern Pacific
Railway— Church History— Congregationalists Build a House of Worship— Initial Fourth of July Cele-
bration in Ritzville — Origin of Ritzville's Name — Scanty Supply of Water Causes Apprehension — Plan
to Remove the Townsite Fails to Materialize — Status of the County Seat in 188S— Incorporation — Water
Works System Introduced in 1894 at a Cost of S20.000 — Citizens of Ritzville Organize a Volunteer Fire
Department— History of Fraternal Societies— The Flouring Mill— Many Town Additions are Platted. .771-781
CHAPTER III.
Cities and Towns — Continued.
Lind a Thriving and Enterprising Town— Pioneer Charles Jell— Ten Voters in the Precinct— Establishment
of a Postoffice— New Impetus Given to the Town in 1899— Dirstine Brothers Open Their Store in
1898— Proposition to Incorporate the Town of I ind is Carried by a Large Majority in 1902— Washtucna,
an Indian Name of Which No One Knows the English Equivalent— George W. Bassett the First
Settler— Wheat Platform Built in 1891— Large Shipment of Grain the Same Year— Hatton, a Compara-
tively New Town in Eastern Washington— Mrs. John Hackett Becomes Postmistress— Growth of the
Town— Cunningham— Original Name of the Place, Scott— Elder W. R. Cunningham the Father of the
Town— Paha— Townsite Located by George A. Miller— It is Subsequently Vacated, But Relocated and
Platted by the Northern Pacific Railway Company in 1889— Gigantic Swindle in Connection With
"Cascade City"— Other Places and Postoffices 781-789
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IV.
Descriptive.
Area and Geological Formation of Adams County — Description of the Soil — Railway Facilities — Early Settlers
Believed That the County was Only Suitable for Grazing Horses and oCattle— Climate — Rainfall — De- £
scription of Present Methods Prevailing in the Agricultural Industry — Principal Products — Large Wheat
Shipment in 1902 — Irrigation — Construction of a Ditch from the Palouse River is AttendedJWith Diffi-
culties — Evidences of Thrift and Comfort on Every Hand \ .789-797
CHAPTER V.
Political.
First Commissioners and Other Officers cf Adams County — Initial Election Held in 1884 — Three Voting Pre-
cincts in the County — Election of 1886 — Result of County Election of 1890 — Sweeping Victory for the
Populists in 1896 — Republicans Reverse This Result in 1898 — Democrats Carry the Day in 1900 — Popu-
lists and Democrats Fuse in 1902 and Elect a Majority of the County Officials. 798-802
CHAPTER VI.
Educational.
Organization of First School District in Adams County — Pioneer School Building in the County — Mrs. James
Gordon Bennett is Appointed Superintendent of Schools— Pioneer Teachers — Roster of Teachers in the
County in 1888 — Mrs. Bennett Apportions School Moneys — Increase of School Districts Under the
Administration of Superintendent Egbers — Present Condition of Schools 802-804
PART V.
FRANKLIN COUNTY.
CHAPTER I.
Current Events— 1805-1902.
First White Men in Franklin County — Lewis and Clarke Supply Indians With Eye Salve — Organic Act
Creating Franklin County — Descriptive — Year 1894 One of Great Floods in the Snake and Columbia
Rivers — Rapid Increase of Population — County Seat Removed from Ainsworth to Pasco by Act of the
Legislature — First Newspaper in Pasco — Organization of Irrigation Districts — The Squirrel Pest — De-
structive Fire in Pasco — Crops Matured Without Irrigation — Tragedy at the Schuneman Ranch —
Frightful Railroad Accident on Northern Pacific Near Connell — Organization of the First Sunday
School — Jumping Homesteads — Murder of Peter Nelson 919-940
CHAPTER II.
Current Events— 1884-1904.
Railroad History of Franklin County — Invasion of Pasco by Coxey's Army of Commonwealers — Purchase of a
Poor Farm for County Purposes — Early Days in the Town of Connell — Great Interest Taken in the
Subject of Irrigation — First Wheat Grown in Franklin County — Birth of Many New Towns — Entertain-
ment of President Roosevelt by Pasco Citizens — Flattering Growth and Prosperity of Connell — Organiza-
tion of Franklin County Bank — Suicide of Gottleib Werner — First Franklin County Sunday School
Convention Meets at Connell — Completion of the Survey of Connell Townsite — Connell's Excellent
Water System — Business Houses of Connell Moved to East Side of Railroad Tracks — Connell Commer-
cial Club — Report of Superintendent of Schools Gaiser 941-955
TABLE OF CONTEXTS.
PART' VI.
ADDENDA
CHAPTER I.
Press of Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin Counties.
Lincoln County Times— Sprague Sentinel— Herald— Wilbur Register— Daily Papers in Sprague— Lincoln
County Democrat — Many Suspensions— Mr. De Rackin's Editorial Career — Medical Lake Ledger —
Almira's First Paper— Editorial Association— Douglas County Journalism — Pioneer Sheet the Big Bend
Empire, of Waterville — Nine Years Without a Newspaper — Hartline Standard — Coulee City Review —
Big Bend Chief — Quincy Record — Bridgeport Post — Adams County — Pioneer Newspaper Published in
1885 — Ritzville Times — Mail — Adams County News — Lind Leader — Hatton Hustler — Paha Hub —
Franklin County — Pasco Headlight — Franklin County Register — Pasco Pilot 975-997
CHAPTER II.
Reminiscent.
Lost on the Plains of the Big Bend — Indian Legend Concerning the Origin of Spokane River — History of a
Crime — Sea Serpent in Crab Creek — A Well of Gold — Tales of the Grand Coulee — Story of Early
Days — Killed a Bear on Main Street — In the Early Days — A Mysterious Death — "Jim" Odgers' First
Paper — A. L. Rodgers' Gold Mine — Church Services in a Saloon — Castle Rock — The Blood Thirsty
Coyote — Jim's Report — First Adams County Strawberries 997-1020
CHAPTER III.
Lieu Land Litigation.
Practically Affected All the Counties Traversed by the Northern Pacific Railway — Original Grant Providing
for Withdrawal of Lands — Law Becomes Effective in Washington Territory in 1870 — Forty-Mile Limit —
A Double Withdrawal — Immense Tide of Immigration Overflows Lieu Lands — Ten Miles Added to the
Limits — Case of Guilford Miller vs. Northern Pacific Railway Company — Strong Letter from President
Grover Cleveland — He Takes Sides With the Actual Bona Fide Settlers — Secretary of the Interior Vilas
Decides the Case in Favor of Miller — He is Sustained Later by Secretary Hoke Smith — Case is Carried
to the Supreme Court of the United States — Miller ajid Cole Again Victorious — Compromise is Finally
Reached — United States Senator John L. Wilson Secures the Passage of a Bill Favorable to Home-
steaders 1020-1024
LLUSTRATIONS
Branding Horses in Grand Coulee, Douglas County 545
Rounding up Horses in Douglas County 545
Steamboat Rock, Grand Coulee, Douglas County 592
A Bit of the Mighty Columbia, Walled in 521
A Douglas County Wheat Scene 576
Moses Coulee Falls, at Low Water 560
One of the First Lumber Houses Built in Douglas County,—
a Landmark on the Frank J. Rusho Estate 560
They Will Raise Wheat Bye and Bye 560
A Glimpse of Orchard Valley, Lincoln County, Looking Down
the Columbia J 76
Hawk Creek Falls, Lincoln County 189
Chief Moses and Wife 96
Representatives of the People Who Used to Dwell in the
Big Bend and Who Often Visit it at This Time 80
An Abiding Landmark in the Big Bend 65
11,595 Pounds of Lincoln County Wheat Going to Market .... 196
As Hellgate, Columbia River, Appears from an Elevation of
One Thousand Feet 196
A Lincoln County Wheat Depot '. . 112
Picking Strawberries, Lincoln County 196
A Corner of the "Bread Basket," Adams County 753
Heading Outfit, Adams County 789
Threshing Scene, Adams County 784
Noon Hour for the Wheat Haulers 768
Loading a Train From the Farmers' Warehouse, Lind, Adams
County 7!?6
Steam Plow Belonging to S. L. Thomas, at Work on His Estate
Near Hatton 786
One of the Combined Harvesters Owned by S. L. Thomas and
Used to Assist in Gathering the Wheat Crop from His
Ranch of Five Thousand Acres East from Hatton 786
Steam Combined Harvester of S. L. Thomas Operating on His
Wheat Ranch Near Hatton 786
Residence of S. L. Thomas 786
Palouse Falls, Franklin County 9'9
INDEX.
PAGE
Nail, Benjamin F 50S
Nash, George W 271
Neal, Alice 454
Neal, Charles H 430
Neal, Robert R 275
Nee, John F 362
Nelson, Laurs 245
Nestoss, Henry R 248
Nicholason, John 274
Nicholls, John H 253
Nichols, William P 384
Noble, John M 437
Noble, Sidney G 428
Ochs, Harry 342
Odgers, James 384
O'Farrell, John P 255
Olsen, Ole 354
Olson, J. Gus 280
Page, Sylvanus 498
Panek, Frank 393
Patty, Harve 343
Peffley D. Frank 219
Peterman, George W. 278
Peterson, Jens 503
Peterson, Mads 502
Peterson, Simon 297
Phar, Hannah M 351
Phillips, Charles A 250
Phillips, Joseph B 353
Pierce, Andrew J 301
Plank, Sherman P 288
Poison, Otto C 266
Portch, Daniel L 240
Porter, Edward 482
Powell, James 239
Powers, James H 476
Price, Samuel L 320
Proulx, Napoleon 368
Purcell, Ralph 264
Rake, George W 404
Ratliff, Liberty L 467
Raymer, John 312
Reddy, Owen J 396
Reeves, Rollin J 311
Reinbold, Jacob 365
Reinbold, Simon 367
Reiter, E. D 485
Rhodes, William W 289
Richardson, Benjamin F 295
Rinker, Samuel C 491
Roberts', Alexander D 277
Robertson, John H 309
Robertson, William 216
Robinson, Charles F 507
Robinson, James E 461
Robinson, John H 285
Rockhold, Jerry 410
Rookstool, Cornelius 315
Rosenbalm, Gerhard 290
Rosenbalm, John 290
Rosman, Joseph 300
Russell, John E 506
Sallee, Sallee W 494
PAGE
Salter, Milton C 294
Samuels, Cook 337
Sarasin, Joseph 500
Sawyer, John W 304
Scarborough, Edwin F 316
Scheibner, Fredrick M 425
Scheuss, Matthew 474
Schultz, Albert 5 10
Schulz, William 4 '4
Scott, Andrew J 283
Sessions, Joseph 373
Setters, John W 446
Setters, Marion F 357
Setters, Peter 328
Shaffer, Minor 279
Shaw, Abram 445
Shaw, Jacob E 487
Shepherd, Samuel S 322
Sherman, George W 241
Short. James H 301
Siegman, John M 382
Simons, George H 490
Simons, William F 310
Slater, James A 356
Smelcer, George . . . ; 500
Smith, Almon J .... '. 242
Smith, George E 513
Smith, Jacob 392
Smith, John C 324
Smith, Marshall R 339
Smith, Thompson 453
Smith, William L 233
Snook, Edwin 358
Snyder, George L 433
Snyder, Thomas M 369
Southard, T. B 292
Spangle, Edward 277
Sparks, George M 403
Spining, Howard 3S6
Springer, F. H 507
Sprinkle, Fdwin 477
Sprinkle, Frank 379
Squire, Fred B 285
Stambaugh, Isaiah 303
Stang, Edward F 239
Stanley, Henry C 232
Stark, Andrew 394
Steffey, B. F 309
Stender Henry 343
Stephens, Richard J 492
Stevenson, Thomas G 374
Stewart, Robert R 329
Stimson, Luther- A 505
Stimson, Willard 495
Stolp, Friedrich 423
Stookey, Allen J 247
Stookey, Alfred E 222
Stookey, William 245
Straub, Charles A 221
Strout, Albert D 323
Sullivan, Bridget 505
Swenson, Swen P 262
Talkington, J. Albert 283
Talkington, Joseph 330
Talkington, Thomas E 441
Tanner, Michael 489
PAGE
Telford, Robert 473
Thing, Charles E 414
Thomas, Abram J 345
Thomas, George W 346
Thompson, Henry M 293
Thompson, Hugh L 448
Thornbrue, John D 376
Thornbrue, Joseph 500
Thorp, Ellsworth M 227
Thorp, G. W 391
Timm, Fred D 360
Tischner, Otto 463
Tempers, W. Boltes 431
Tramm, Henry C 405
Tramm, Peter 372
Tramm, Peter N- 504
Tripp, John L 501
Troy, George A 515
Tucker, Orson 462
Tufts, James P 220
Turner, George A 380
Turner, Luther P 442
Unbewust, John 341
VanBuren, Fred 245
Vanskike, William J 244
Vent, William H 517
Vest, James E 395
Vinyard, David 475
Wachter, William 300
Wagner, Damian . . . v 243
Walch, Fred 265
Walker, Nathan E 221
Walker, W. L 395
Walsh, Peter 405
Walters, Thomas 273
Warehime, Frank 321
Warehime, John H 321
Warren, James M 376
Warren, William T 387
Warwick, Horace M 435
Warwick, Russell 340
Watson, Fred L 221
Watkins, William M 318
Weadon, Turner A 510
Weber, Jacob P 270
Weismann, Christen K 472
Wesp, Sylvester R 460
Whiteside, Ida 276
Whitnev, John D 378
Wilke, Charles F 366
Williams, Oliver G 268
Williams. William 286
Wilson. Willard A 420
Witt, August 452
Witt. Xatt 43X
Wolfrum. John N 563
Wolke, August C. F 348
Wollweber. Otto 407
Woodin, Julius D 478
Worts, John K 258
Wynhoff, Henry S 215
Zellmer, Emil 4' '3
Ziegler, Elijah 318
Zimmerman, John 286
i
INDEX.
LINCOLN COUNTY PORTRAITS.
PAGE
Ahern, Morris W 280
Anderson, Lewis 288
Barbre, Charles M 288
Birge, George K.. 488
Bishop, Levi C 264
Brown, Adrian S 312
Brown, Josiah J 424
Brown, Mrs 1 . Josiah J 424
Cagle, John F 500
Carstens, Peter 360
Caton, Nathan T 432
Chaffee. Elmer S 452
Cole, Andrew J 256
Cole, James J 24S
Cole, Mrs. James J 248
Cole, John C 496
Cushrnan, Isaac N 272
Darby, George E 232
Dixon, Barnett D 280
Duncan, William G 488
Duncan, Mrs. William G... 488
Engelsen, Edward 296
Fish, Charles L 408
Fletcher, Harry B 240
Fletcher, Mrs. Harry B 240
Furgeson, Leroy . 215
Gee, William R 432
Geer, Theodore D 224
Geer, Mrs. Theodore D 224
Gerlach, Charles G 272
Gerlach, Mrs. Charles G 272
Grinstead, Thomas 496
Hair, Ole S 232
Hamley, Eugene C 400
Hansen, Hans M 296
Hansen, Marcus A 296
Harding, John R 408
Heath, William J 480
Heid, George 472
Hills, Henry 224
Mills. Mrs. Henry 221.
Howell, William W 296
Huffman, George W 304
Huffman, John S 304
Hutchinson, Richard A 344
PAGE
Irby, Ira L 35 2
Jenne, Frederick 472
Jenne, Mrs. Frederick 472
Jensen, Harry 4°8
Johnson, Julius C 3'2
Jurgensen, Gerhard T. B.... 296
Jurgensen, Holger 296
Kennedy, George A 280
Kiner, Fredrick S 215
King. Benjamin 296
Landreth, Squire B 500
Larrabee, Frank T 448
Leipham, Peter 464
Leonard, Daniel 280
Logsdon, George' T 488
Long. Alfred W 480
Long, Mrs. Alfred W 480
Long, Isaac .H 480
Long, U. Sheridan 480
Markey, John 496
Markey. Mrs. John 496
.Mars. Samuel C 312
McDonald, Alexander W... 416
McGourin, John 416
McGourin, Mrs. John 416
McLaren, Robert 416
McNall. Jesse A 424
McNall, Mrs. Jesse A 424
McQuarie, William H 496
McQuarie, Mrs. William H.. 496
Melcher, Augustus S 448
Michaelsen. William L 280
Miller, Aaron 408
Morgan, Samuel A 320
Morgan, Mrs. Samuel A.... 320
Nicholason, John 272
Nichols, William P 3S4
Nichols, Mrs. William P 384
Olson, J. Gus 280
Page, Sylvanus 496
Page, Mrs. Sylvanus 496
Peterson, Jens 500
Peterson, Mads 500
Peterson, Simon 296
Plank, Sherman P 288
PAGE
Price, Samuel L 320
Price, Mrs. Samuel L 320
Proulx, Napoleon 368
Proulx, Mrs. Napoleon .... 368
Raymer, John 312
Rhodes. William W 288
Robertson, William 215
Russell, John E 506
Sarasin, Joseph 500
Sawyer, John W 304
Scheibner, Fredrick M 424
Scheibner, Mrs. Fredrick M. . 424
Scheuss, Matthew 472
Scott. Andrew J 2S0
Setters, Peter 328
Setters, Mrs. Peter 328
Simons, George H 488
Simons, Mrs. George H 488
Smelcer. George 500
Smith, George E 500
Smith, Mrs. George E 500
Smith, Jacob 392
Smith, William L 232
Snyder, George L 432
Snyder, Mrs. George L 432
Stanley. Henry C 232
Stolp, Friedrich 424
Stolp, Mrs. Friedrich 424
Talkington, J. Albert 2S0
Tanner, Michael : . 488
Tanner, Mrs. Michael 488
Telford, Robert 472
Thompson, Hugh L 448
Thornbrue, Joseph 500
Tripp, John L 500
Tripp, Mrs. John L 500
Vinyard, David 472
Walters, Thomas 272
Warehime. Frank 320
Warehime, Mrs. Frank 320
Warehime, John H 320
Warehime, Mrs. John H 320
Warwick, Horace M 432
Weismann, Christen K 472
Weismann, Mrs. Christen K. . 472
Witt. August 452
Wynhoff, Henry S 215
Wynhoff, Mrs. Henry S 215
DOUGLAS COUNTY BIOGRAPHICAL.
PACE
Alboucq, Leon 626
Alexander, Delbert T 673
Alexander Frank M 695
Anderson, J. Albert 627
Anderson, • Peter 649
Vrbuckle. David S 652
Asbury, Gilbert S 751
PAGE
Baker, William 620
Banneck, John A 695
Bell, Charles A 667
Bell, William F 669
Bishop, Louis E 744
Bogart, Edgar M 648
Bouska, Joseph 683
PAGE
Bowker, George M 727
Brandt, Louis 684
Bromiley, Frank W 742
Brown, George D 620
Brown. Isaiah 744
Brownfield, John C 6t9
Buckingham, James A 624
INDEX.
PAGE
Buzzard, Morris W 625
Canton, William J 722
Case, A. E 697
Cassidy, Michael R 672
Cavadini, Domenic C........ 691
( lhase, Edward S 704
Christensen, Soran C 710
Clark. Orvill 642
Cooper, John M 734
Coordes, Eielt J 644
Corbaley, Alvaro L 750
Cornehl, Herman 667
Covert, Jason 665
Cox, Walter C 659
Cunningham, James H 711
Currier, Silas W 736
Day, James 664
DeBolt, Albert W 638
DeCamp, Harry C 721
Dodd, Byrurn S 644
Dodd, Stephen 646
Domrese, William 641
Drinkard, John Q 663
Duncan, John F 660
Eli, William H 710
Emrick, Weller 640
Estes, William B 657
Enrich, Albert L 706
Farley, Jacob 676
Farnham. Nathaniel H 738
Feeney, Martin 746
Ferguson. Thomas J 715
Finney, Zachariah 730
Fisher, Eli C 749
Fletcher, John M 621
Flynn, Andrew 67s
Flynn, Charles E 662
Friel, John M 700
Friesinger, Peter J 719
Garland, Jasper 634
Garred, Frank S 735
Garrett, Marshall 686
Gilbert, Riley 654
Gilchrist, Colin 699
Godlove, Henry C 629
Goldsmith, George F 731
Gormley, John N 685
Greene, Albert T 707
Griffith. Henry B 738
Gritsch, Anton 752
Guibert, Antoine 696
Hainer, Frank 682
Halterman, Edward R 728
1 [amilton, Ira 687
Harris, John F 661
Hanson, Hans N 627
Harsh, Daniel E 630
Hartman, Hugo F 617
Haynes, William F 656
Heinlen, David L 670
Hellwig, Julius 717
Hendricks. George W 741
Henning, Herman G 674
Hensel, Charles W 681
PAGE
Higginbotham, William W. : 663
Hill. James H 655
Hite, Spencer P 721
Hollingshead, Eli 692
Hollingshead, George W 694
Hopp, Thomas P 685
Howe, Milton B 694
Howell, James 720
1 [ughes, Griffith 671
Hunt, John F 705
Hutchinson, Benjamin 736
Hutton, Hiram H 635
Jamison, George F 724
Jeffers, A. Jackson 731
Jelinek, John 73 2
Jensen, Lewis 649
Johnson. Frederick J 635
Jones, John G 734
Jones, William E 693
Jonke, John 663
Jordan, Sanford E 622
Kelley, Patrick 672
Kellogg. Lucien E 698
Kelly, James L 700
Kimball. Orville H 74-'
Kincaid. James H 696
Kuder, Madison M 747
Kummer, Ernst 632
Lane, Theron W 725
Larson, Hans P 651
Leahy, Daniel E 668
Leahy, Dennis J 7 2 &
Leahy, James B 668
Leary, Dennis E 735
Leighton, Solomon 707
Lewis, John R 658
Lietzow, Henry 727
Logan, John D 701
Logg, George 645
Lytle, Alton A 701
Maltbie. Percy G 732
Manke, August W 724
Mason, Amos H 723
Matthews. Irving W 702
McCann, Francis W 638
McDonald; Alfred E 670
.McDonald, George M 636
McDonald, John W 653
McEntee, Philip 691
McLean, James T 726
McLean, Lachlan 690
McLean, William 68g
McNaught, Lewis A 675
Melin, Luke 676
Mitchell, Henry 714
Mitchell, Joseph R 648
Mohr, John 650
Morrell, Alfred 684
Neely, Oscar W 623
Noble, Mark 711
Oslo. Eddie H 632
I >gle, William 633
Olesen, I tans P. I 737
( I'Neil, John 693
PAGE
Oppel, Adam 743
Osborne, Charles L 659
Osborne. Oscar F 659
Owens, John T 716
Parrott. Richard R 671
Parrv, Thomas 637
Paslay, William R 679
Paul, Daniel 637
Pawson, William 628
Pearl, Silas A 706
Pedersen, Niels 650
Petersen, Christian 651
Peterson, Peter 683
Pierpoint, Alfred A 647
Playfair, Robert L 73°
Popple, James F 7 T 2
Prange, Henry 642
Pugh, John J 677
Reeder, Charles E 745
Reneau, William A 703
Richards. David R 745
Richardson, Tony F 680
Ricks, Emmett L 646
Roberts, George R 617
Roberts, Robert D 645
Roberts, Robert T 733
Rogers, Albert L 705
Robins. Samuel C 697
Robinson, Augustus E 628
Rounds, Frank W 747
Rudd, Oliver A 626
Ruud, Ole 643
Sargeant, Perry T 618
Scheibner, Fred T 674
Schmidt. Leo L 718
Schneider, Leonard 640
Schrock, Edward F 688
Schrock, James P 661
Scully, William 664
Semro. John A 7 T 3
Sheehan, Thomas F 719
Sheehan, William E 719
Shepard. Orson P 678
Shultz, George 633
Smith. James H 658
Smith. William J 656
Soper, Albert 723
Sprague, Charles M 740
Stankey. Julius F 689
Stapish, George M 653
Steele, Calvin R 660
Steiner, Richard S 748
Stephens, John W 739
Stoddard, William 739
Summers, Philo E 715
Sutherland, George D 716
Sutherland, John H 716
Swan, Albert E 750
Tinner, John 678
Turner. John V 629
Tuttle, Baley J 682
Twining, Daniel 639
Tyler, Fred C 630
Urquhart, Donald 708
Urquhart, George 729
INDEX.
PAGE
Valentine, James B 666
Waglay, Wade 729
Waters, Richard J 623
Whitehall, Alva C 7\\
Whitehall, Barclay W 634
Whitehall, James 748
Whitehall, Nicholas C 652
PAGE
Whitney, Eugene 655
Wilcox, Harmon 703
Wilcox, Horatio N 708
Will. Charles F 718
Williams, John E 677
Wilson, David 665
Wingate, Frank A 7 2 8
Witte, John H 622
Woolverton, Joseph W 631
PAGE
Yeager, Albert F 625
Yeager, Henry G 679
Yockey, Daniel 687
Young, Jacob T 713
Young, Louis C 7^3
Young, Phillip J 618
Zude, Gustav 625
DOUGLAS COUNTY PORTRAITS
PAGE
Alboucq, Leon 624
Alexander, Delbert T 672
Anderson, J. Albert 624
Buckingham, James A 624
Buzzard, Morris W 624
Chase, Edward S 704
Chase, Mrs. Edward S 704
Clark. Orvill 640
Domrese, William 640
Domrese, Mrs. William 640
Emrick, Weller 640
Estes, William B 656
Estes, Mrs. William B 656
Flynn, Andrew 672
Flynn, Mrs. Andrew 672
PAGE
Hanson, Hans N 624
Hartman, Hugo F 617
Haynes, William F 656
Henning. Herman G 672
Henning, Mrs. Herman G... 672
Hensel, Charles W 680
Howell, James 720
Kelley, Patrick 672
Kelley, Mrs. Patrick 672
Lewis, John R 656
McNaught, Lewis A 672
Osborne, Oscar F 656
Osborne, Mrs. Oscar F 656
Prange, Henry 640
PAGE
Richardson, Tony F 680
Roberts, George R 617
Rudd, Oliver A 624
Ruud, Ole 640
Sargeant, Perry T 617
Scheibner, Fred T 672
Schneider, Leonard 640
Schneider, Mrs. Leonard . . . 640
Schrock, Edward F 688
Schrock, Mrs. Edward F... 688
Smith, James H 656
Smith, William J 656
Smith, Mrs. William J 656
Yeager, Albert F 624
Young, Phillip J 617
Zude, Gustav 624
ADAMS COUNTY BIOGRAPHICAL
PAGE
Allen, Samuel 835
Amsbaugh, Charles E 862
Angell, John M 807
Angell. Radford M 872
Ashcraft, William B 868
Bannon, James R 839
Banta, Elias L 826
Bardwell, Ernest J 875
Bassett, John D 807
Bassett, George W 888
Bauer, Henry 852
Bauer, Peter 900
Benge, Frank H 823
Bennett, Christena 814
Berry, Benjamin F 906
Bickford, Benjamin F 833
Bickford, Edgar F 834
Biermann, William 879
Blair, Cyril J 891
Booth, Charles T 817
Bowers, Joseph H 828
Bradley, Elja L 916
Buchanan, Daniel 851
Burkhart, Andrew J 895
Burkhart, Madison L 827
Christensen, George F 819
PAGE
Clodius. Claus H 902
Comparer, Joseph M 812
Crampton, Hal 834
Cunningham, William R 805
Dewald, Jacob 902
Dewald, John J 859
Dirstine, John T 867
Dolbow, Thomas J 817
Donnell, Vantromp 837
Dorman, Hiner 845
Eck, Adolph 881
English, James J 876
Evans, George G 905
Fletcher, James F 879
French. Franklin P 811
Frost, Frank L 870
Gage, Wells E 918
Gaskill, Edward 893
German, Thomas A 827
Gilson, Edgar D. 880
Glenn, Samuel . •. 880
Goodenough, Oscar W 829
Goodenough, William 832
Goodykoontz, John W 826
PAGE
Griffith, William C 847
Grub, Philipp A 872
Hamann, Emil 909
Hamblen, Frank 882
Harris, Claude A 813
Harris, Jared M 876
Harris, Jesse R 8r4
Harter, Hannah J 831
Henderson, James W 864
Hinrichs, Henry 848
Holcomb, Clarence L 878
Holcomb, Oscar R 818
Howton, Joel 890
Huffman, Daniel B 845
Huffman, John C 840
Huggins, Louis H 865
Hutchinson, Samuel 863
Imus, Day S6r
Ingram, George 914
Irby, John F 884
Jansen, August C 908
Johnson, Charles F 842
Kasper, Jacob 822
Kasper, Samuel 822
INDEX.
PAGE
Kelber, Wilhelmina H 844
Kennedy, James M 896
Kennedy, Robert C 842
Kennedy, William K 809
King, William W 854
Koch, John F 915
Koeplin, Carl A 871
Krehbiel, Daniel 861
Krehbiel, Jacob 858
Krehbiel, John 867
Labes", Charles 866
Laing, Israel B 816
Lansing, William J 815
Laughlin, Lincoln 840
Lavender, Garrett W 912
Lee, Carroll A 917
Lippold, Hannah 853
Logan, Michael J 836
Long, Calvin 859
Long, Clark 860
Long, John C 907
Lucas, George 894
Lucy, Henry 838
Lucy, Rowen 897
Luiten, Jacob 917
Martin, Tarble W 846
Martin. Thomas C 875
May, Earl W 865
McChesney, John H 830
McChesney, Roy 890
McElroy, Jack 864
McKay, William 877
McMillan, John 891
Merriman, Judson J 848
Milam, Joseph S 898
Moore, Guy D 885
Moore, Lee F 882
Morgan, Arthur V 885
Morgan, Simon H 883
Morgan, Thomas M 886
Mustard, William L 8r8
Neare, William W 903
Newland, Andrew S 825
PAGE
Nissen, Louis' 913
Oestreich, Jacob F 857
Olson, Andrew W 916
Olson, Carl M 874
Olson, Charles D 873
Olson, Charles E 915
Olson, John N 910
Ott, Sebastian 843
Pfannekuchen, Otto 913
Pflugrad, Louis 901
Philpott, David E 857
Philpott, William H 898
Pliger, Gustave '. 870
Purcell, William 1 846
Quillen, Charles' B 904
Reeder, Walter C 900
Reynolds, Ralph R 834
Richardson, Fred H 878
Rickert, Allen 868
Rigg, Isaac 824
Robbins, Fred E 841
Rogers, Roy V 893
Rosenoff. Alexander F 842
Rosenoff, Henry 853
Rosenoff, Jacob 852
Ros'enoff, John F 850
Rouse, Claud C 886
Rouse, Howard B 883
Sandbrink, Fred 874
Saunders, Henry W 856
Schafer, George 909
Schermerhorn. Martin L 869
Schoessler, Jacob 850
Schroeder, Henry F 911
Scott, Daniel A 851
Seely, Eleazer M 839
Shepley, Fred B 809
Shopshire, L. N 844
Shorno, John C 813
Sinclair, George 820
PAGE
Sinclair, George, Jr 914
Smith, Charles VV 837
Smith, Gale 837
Smith, John W 914
Staley, Martin L 899
Staser, Clinton 810
Stewart, Lawrence 907
Sullivan, John C 892
Sutton, Byron L 889
Sutton, Levi L 832
Sutton, W. J 892
Swenson, Willis S 808
Teegarden, David 907
Thiel, Fred 904
Thomas, S. L 912
Thompson, George R. N.... 821
Timm, John 858
VanMarter, Svlvester L 871
Vehrs, Johan N. G 851
Vogt, Christian 901
Wagenaar, Peter 873
Watson, Alexander, Jr 824
Watson, Robert L 883
Weaver, Hezekiah W 862
Webb, George E 829
Webb, Samuel W 905
Weise, August 911
Weller, Simeon G 838
West, James F 894
Whittall, William C 896
Williams', Andrew J 828
Williams, William R 908
Willis, John A : 85s
Wing, George L 863
Winn, George M 831
Winn, Thomas 887
Woody, Nathan S 836
Wright, Solomon P 835
Yeisley, William W 8Sg
Zent. Daniel W 866
ADAMS COUNTY PORTRAITS.
PAGE
Angell, Radford M 872
Angell, Mrs. Radford M 872
Banta, Elias L 824
Bassett, George W 888
Bassett, Mrs. George W.... 888
Berry, Benjamin F 906
Booth, Charles T 816
Bradley, Elja. L 916
Clodius, Claus 1 H 902
Cunningham, William R 805
Dolbow, Thomas J 816
Gilson, Edgar D 880
Irby, John F 884
Johnson, Charles F 840
PAGE
Johnson, Mrs. Charles F.... 840
Kelber, Mrs. Wilhelmina H.. 840
Kennedy, James M 896
Kennedy, Robert C 840
King, William W 854
Laing, Israel B 816
Laughlin, Lincoln 840
McElroy, Jack 864
Merriman, Judson J 848
Merriman, Airs. Judson J... 848
Mustard. William L 816
Newland, Andrew S 824
Olson, John N 910
Olson. Mrs. John N 910
Ott, Sebastian 840
PAGE
Philpott, William H S98
Philpott, Mrs. William H... 898
Reeder, Walter C 900
Rigg, Isaac 8_'4
Robbins, Fred E 840
Rosenoff, Alexander F 840
Sinclair. George. Jr 0T4
Sutton, W. J 892
Thomas, S. L 7S6
Thiel, Fred 904
Watson, Alexander, Jr S24
Watson, Mrs - . Alexander, Jr. . 824
Williams, William R 908
Williams, Mrs. William R... 908
INDEX.
FRANKLIN COUNTY BIOGRAPHICAL
Anderson, William T.
PAGE
■ 963
Baske, Fred 97 2
Blakely, William E 965
Borden, George W 959
Cooper, John 961
Gerry, Robert 957
Gray, Alvin P 971
Harder, Hans 967
Harder, Jacob 967
PAGE
Harder, Max 966
Hendricks, George 960
Hoon, Edgar 959
Leonard, Benjamin D 969
Lewis, John C 960
Love, John B 964
McAdam, Owen 963
McClurken, John R 969
McKinney, Jesse 963
O'Brien, Cornelius S.
957
PAGE
Page, Danville W 958
Ring, Noah H r 961
Savage, Gibson 972
Schunemann, Frank 970
Smith, Wheelock B 962
Spates, William W 970
Taylor, M. M 968
VanGordon, Josiah E 971
Ulrich, Otto 964
FRANKLIN COUNTY PORTRAITS
PAGE
Gerry, Robert 957
Harder, Hans
966
Harder, Jacob
Harder, Max .
Hoon, Edgar
PAGE
. 966
PAGE
O'Brien, Cornelius S 957
Page, Danville W 957
GENERAL HISTORY
THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
PART I
GENERAL HISTORY
CHAPTER I.
DAWN OF DISCOVERY
'Few students of history have failed to ob-
serve the immediate impetus given to maritime
exploration by the royally proclaimed exploit
of Columbus in 1492. Only nine years after the
caravels of the Italian navigator had dropped
anchor in American waters, off San Salvador,
a Portugese sailor, Gaspar Cortereal, was cau-
tiously feeling his way along the Atlantic coast.
This was in the summer of 1501. This voyage
of Cortereal reached as high, on the Atlantic
mainland of North America, as 42 degrees
north. Certain historians have claimed that the
explorations of Cortereal really antedated the
discovery of Columbus. But of this there is no
authentic evidence ; there is an accumulation of
testimony to the contrary. By eminent cosmo-
graphists the year 1501 is now accepted as the
period of Cortereal's exploits on the coast of
the Atlantic, in the vicinity of modern New
England. This expedition of two caravels had
been sent out by Manuel , King of Portugal.
There is no proof that this voyage had any
other object, at least any other result, than
profit. Seizing fifty Indians he carried them
away, on his return, and sold them as slaves.
As Cortereal was among the earliest on the
Atlantic seaboard, so Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo,
or Cabrilla, as the name is variously spelled,
is admitted to have been the earliest navigator.
along southern California. It was evidently
the intention of Cabrillo, to continue his voyage
far higher on the Northwest Coast, for he, too,
had heard of the mysterious "Strait of Anian,"
and was enthused with most laudable geograph-
ical ambition. But fate ruled otherwise. Ca-
brillo died in the harbor of San Diego, Cali-
fornia, in January, 1543, fifty-one years after
the momentous achievement of Columbus on
the southeastern shores of the present United
States. The mantle of Cabrillo fell upon the
shoulders of his pilot, Bartolome Ferrelo. To
within two and one-half degrees of the mouth
of the Columbia river Ferrelo continued the
exploration, tracing the western coast of the
American continent along this portion of the
Pacific, and to Ferrelo has been accredited the
honor of having been the first white man to
gaze upon the coast of Oregon.
But back of that dimly outlined shore which
Ferrelo skirted, above latitude 42 degrees, far
inland, lay the immense, wonderful territory
which afterward became Oregon. It is not
susceptible of proof that Ferrelo ever gained
north of the present Astoria, although this
claim was at one period urged by Spain. But
a country which could solemnly lay claim to the
whole Pacific ocean would not be at all back-
ward in declaring that one of her navigators
GENERAL HISTORY.
was the first to sight the Northwest Coast, and
that, too, far above the point really gained by
Ferrelo. It is not considered likely that he
reached above the mouth of Umpqua river.
In 1577 Francis Drake, as privateer and
freebooter, a pirate and plunderer of Spanish
galleons, yet withal a man of strong character
and enterprising spirit, attempted to find a
northwest passage. Drake probably reached
as high as latitude 43 degrees, and dropped his
anchors into the shoals of that region. No in-
land explorations were achieved by him, and
he reluctantly abandoned the search for Anian,
returned to Drake's Bay, on the coast of Cali-
fornia, and subsequently to England around the
Cape of Good Hope. En passant it is notice-
able that during the famous Oregon Contro-
versy, which obtained ascendancy in interna-
tional politics two hundred and fifty years later,
the discoveries of Drake were not presented by
England in support of her claims for all terri-
tory north of the Columbia river. Whether
Great Britain was doubtful of the validity of
discoveries made by a freebooter, or attached no
importance to his achievement, the fact remains
that they were not urged with any force or en-
thusiasm.
Cabrillo and Ferrelo were not emulated in
maritime discoveries in the waters of the
Northwest Coast, until 1550. But on the
shore-line of the Atlantic, Cartier, for six years,
between 1536 and 1542, had made a number of
inland voyages, ascending the St. Lawrence
Gulf and river five hundred miles, past the site
of Montreal and to the falls of St. Louis. .In
the far south Hernando De Soto, contemporary
with Cartier, had sailed coastwise along the
Florida peninsula and penetrated that tropical
country until forced back by swamps, morasses
and everglades. Inland exploration in the mid-
dle of the sixteenth century comprised, prac-
tically, in its northern limitations, a line cross-
ing the continent a few miles below the 36th
parallel, from the Colorado to the Savannahs,
Coronado advancing into the modern Kansas,
having passed the line at its central part. The
Pacific had been explored sufficiently only to
barely show the shore-line to the 44th degree of
north latitude.
In the w 7 ay of northern exploration on the
Pacific coast Spain had, in 1550, accomplished
little or nothing. But fifteen years afterward
Spain became aggressive along the lines of mar-
itime activity. Urdaneta, in 1565, planned and
executed the initial voyage eastward, opening
a northern route to the Pacific coast of North
America. He was followed,, from the Philip-
pines, by Manila traders, eager for gain, and
for two centuries thereafter, through the rise
and decline of Spanish commercial supremacy,
these active and energetic sailors reaped large
rewards from the costly furs found in the
waters of the Northwest Coast. It is fair to
say that the spirit of commercialism contributed
far more toward development of the region
of which this history treats than did the more
sentimental efforts of geographical science.
Still, the latter spirit was not without its
apostles and propagandists. Among them was
one who called himself Juan de Fuca, a Greek
of Cephalonia. His real name was Apostolos
Valerianos. Acting, as had Columbus, under
royal commission from the King of Spain, he
sailed bravely away to find the legendary Strait
of Anian — the marine pathway between the
greatest oceans of the world. The name of
Anian, a mythical northwestern kingdom, orig-
inated in 1500, and is said to have been taken in
honor of a brother of Cortereal. The real strait
was discovered by Russians in 1750. These
Russians were fur-hunting Cossacks, who
reached the Pacific coast of North America in
1639. Their point of rendezvous was at
Okhotsk, on the sea of that name.
Though the voyage of Juan de Fuca proved
fruitless it must be conceded that it was con-
ceived in the interest of science ; a move in be-
half of international economics, and honorable
alike to both Spain and the intrepid navigator.
In 1584 Francisco de Gali reached the Pacific
GENERAL HISTORY.
coast, from the west, in 37 degrees 30 minutes ;
some say 57 degrees 30 minutes. He was con-
tent to sail southward without landing, but
recorded for the archives of Spain the trend
and shore-line of the coast. By the same route
Cermenon, in 1595, met with disaster by losing
his vessel in Drake's Bay, a short distance
above the present city of San Francisco.
Prominent among numerous other voyagers,
mainly bent on profit, were Espejo, Perea,
Lopez and Captain Vaca.
As has been stated, the earliest explorations
of the Northwest Coast were maritime. They
were, also, in the main, confined between lati-
tudes 42 degrees and 54 degrees, mainly south
of the boundary line finally accepted by Great
Britain as between Canada and the United
States. Even in that twilight preceding the
broad day of inland discovery, there were wars
between nations, with "Oregon" the issue, and
some compromises. Later came the advance
guard of inland explorers who found, at the
occidental terminus of their perilous journeys.
a comparatively unknown seaboard 750 miles
in extent, below the vast reaches of Alaskan
territory and the Aleutian Islands. From the
far north came Russian explorers, and they en-
countered Southern navigators who had come
upward from the ambrosial tropics. They com-
pared notes, they detailed to each other many
facts, intermixed with voluminous fiction, but
from the whole was picked out and arranged
much of geographical certainty. Four nations
of Pacific navigators came to what afterward
was known as Oregon, related their adventures,
boasted of the discoveries each had made, dis-
cussed the probability of a northwest passage,
the "Strait of Anian," — and the Northwest
Mystery remained a mystery still.
The Spaniards, between 1492 and 1550,
were in the lead so far as concerns actual geo-
graphical results, of all other European sailors.
Spain, through the agency of the Italian. Col-
umbus, had discovered a new world : Spain had
meandered the coast-line for 30.000 miles, from
60 degrees on the Atlantis coast of Labrador,
round by Magellan Strait, to 40 degrees on the
coast of the Pacific. Vast were the possibilities
of the future for Spain, and the world did
honor to her unequalled achievement. From a
broad, humanitarian view point, it is a sad
reflection that so many of the golden promises
held out to her should have, in subsequent cen-
turies, faded away as fades the elusive rainbow
against the storm-cloud background. But
Spain's misfortune became North America's
opportunity. England, too, and Russia,
watched and waited, seized and assimilated so
rapidly as possible, piece by piece the territory
on which the feet of Spanish explorers had been
first planted. That it was the survival of the
fittest may, possibly, remain unquestioned, but
it is a fact that Spain's gradual yet certain loss
of the most valuable territory in the world has
furnished many of the most stirring episodes
in the world's history. Spain has lost, sold.
ceded and relinquished vast domains to nearly
all the modern powers. And not the least valu-
able of Spain's former possessions are now
under the Stars and Stripes.
Thus far has been hastily sketched the
salient facts concerning the earliest maritime
discoveries of the Northwest Coast. None of
the Spanish, English, Russian or Italian navi-
gators had penetrated inland farther than a few
miles up the estuary of the Columbia river. It
was destined to remain for a class of explorers
other than maritime, yet equally courageous
and enterprising, to blaze the trail for future
pioneers from the east.
To Alexander Mackenzie, a native of In-
verness, knighted by George III, is accredited
the honor of being the first European to force
a passage of the Rocky Mountains north of
California. On June 3. 1780. Mackenzie left
Fort Chipewyan, situated at the western point
of Athabasca lake, in two canoes. He was ac-
companied by a German, four Canadians, two
of them with wives, an Indian, named English
Chief, and M. Le Roux. the latter in the capac-
GENERAL HISTORY.
ity of clerk and supercargo of the expedition.
The route of this adventurous party was by the
way of Slave river and Slave lake, thence down
a stream subsequently named the Mackenzie
river, on to the Arctic Ocean, striking the coast
at latitude 52 degrees, 24 minutes, 48 seconds.
This territory is all within the present boundar-
ies of British Columbia, north of the line finally
accepted as the northern boundary of "Oregon"
by the English diplomats.
Singular as it may appear there is no
authentic history of the origin of this term
"Oregon. - ' There is, however, cumulative
testimony to the effect that the name was in-
vented by Jonathan Carver, who pushed his in-
land explorations beyond the headwaters of the
Mississippi river; that the name was exploited
and made famous by William Cullen Bryant,
author of "Thanatopsis," and late editor of the
New York Evening Post; that it was fastened
upon the Columbia river territory, originally
by Hall J. Kelley, through his memorials to
congress in 181 7, and secondly by various other
English and American authors. Aside from
this explanation are numerous theories adduc-
ing Spanish derivatives of rather ambiguous
context, but lacking lucidity or force. It is
likely that no more etymological radiance
will ever be thrown upon what, after all. is a
rather unimportant, though often mooted
question.
The expedition of Mackenzie, crowned with
results most valuable to science and territorial
development, comprised one hundred and two
days. At the point he first made, on the Pacific
coast the explorer executed, with vermillion
and grease, a rude sign bearing the following
inscription : "Alexander Mackenzie, from Can-
ada by land, July 22. 1793." Subsequent ex-
peditions were made by Mackenzie to the coast,
one of them via the Peace river.
But now comes one M. Le Page du Pratz,
a talented and scholarly French savant, with
the statement made several years ago, that
neither Mackenzie nor Lewis and Clarke were
the first to cross the Rockies and gain the
Northwest Coast. Our French student claims
to have discovered a Natchez Indian, being of
the tribe of the Yahoos, called LTnterprete, on
account of the various languages he had ac-
quired, but named by his own people Moncacht
Ape, "He Who Kills Trouble and Fatigue."
M. Le Page declares that this man, actuated
mainly by curiosity, a stimulant underlying all
advancement, unassisted and unattended, trav-
eled from the Mississippi river to the Pacific
coast so early as 1743. This was sixty years
before President Jefferson dispatched Captains
Lewis and Clarke on their governmental expe-
dition, the results of which have proved so im-
portant and momentuous in the history of the
development of Oregon and Washington.
Moncacht Ape, it is claimed, met many tribes
of Indians, made friends with all of them, ac-
quired portions of complex dialects, gained as-
sistance and information and, eventually gazed
upon the same waters upon which Balboa had
fixed his eyes with enthusiasm, many hundreds
of miles to the south.
It can not be denied that hardly has a great
discovery been heralded to the world ere some
rival genius springs up to claim it. Possibly
it is this spirit which may have actuated M. Le
Page in producing the somewhat mysterious
Moncacht Ape, to pose as the pioneer of North-
western exploration. But we, of to-day, are in
no position to combat his claims, reserving to
ourselves the undeniable fact that Mackenzie,
Lewis and Clarke were the first white men to
gain, overland, the Northwest Coast.
From 1500 to 1803 this greatly abridged
foreword has traced northwestern discoveries.
We now enter upon a brief description of the
glorious achievements of Lewis and Clarke in
that portion of their journey so fruitful with
results to Washington and Oresfon.
CHATPER II.
MISSISSIPPI TO THE COAST.
Eleven years before the departure of Lewis
and Clarke, on their expedition to the North-
west, President Jefferson, in 1792, proposed a
plan to the American Philosophical Society, in-
volving a subscription for the purpose of em-
ploying a competent person who should pro-
ceed by land to the Northwest Coast. It is at
this period that Captain Meriwether Lewis
emerges from the obscurity of his military post
at Charlotteville, Virginia. It had been ar-
ranged that M. Michaux, a French botanist,
should become the companion of Captain
Lewis. These two had proceeded on their
journey so far as Kentucky, at that time one
of the western states, when an end was put to
this initial enterprise by the French minister,
who suddenly discovered that he had use for
the botanical abilities of M. Michaux else-
where. The latter was recalled.
But this plan, which had grown in devel-
opment of detail since its inception, was not
abandoned by Jefferson. In 1803, on the eve
of expiration of the act for the establishment
of trading posts among Indians, the president
again brought forward the scheme which he
had first proposed to the American Philosophi-
cal Society. The object sought was to trace
the Missouri river to its source, cross the
Rocky Mountains, and gain the Pacific Ocean.
This was most satisfactorily accomplished, and
because this expedition first sighted the Pacific
in latitude 46 degrees, 19 minutes 11.7 seconds,
it becomes an important factor, within the ter-
ritorial limits of this history. The confidential
message, transmitted by President Jefferson to
congress, in January, 1803, had been favorably
received, and results were far bevond his most
sanguine expectations. Not only had the orig-
inal plan been fully approved, but it was consid-
erably amplified in its details, and Captain
Lewis had been given as a companion, William
Clarke, brother of General George Rogers
Clarke. To Captain Lewis, to whom was given
full command of the expedition, instructions
were imparted concerning the route, various
objects to which inquiries should be directed,
relating to geography, character of the country
traversed, the different inhabitants, biology,
and such other scientific information as it was
possible to obtain.
Coincident with this momentuous under-
taking another, and equally important negotia-
tion was being carried to a successful conclu-
sion. This was the Louisiana Purchase, from
Napoleon Bonaparte, by which the United
States acquired title to a domain whose extent
and topographicl location made that other terri-
tory to which Lewis and Clarke were en route,
"Oregon," an almost absolute necessity.
Louisiana, at that period extending from the
mouth of the Mississippi river to the, then,
indefinite boundaries on the north of Montana
and the Dakotas, had been recently ceded by
Spain to France. The latter power, by a treaty
involving the payment to Napoleon of
$15,000,000, ceded it to the United States.
Following the return of the Lewis and
Clarke expedition, a donation of land was made
by congress to the members of the party. This
was in 1807. Captain Lewis was appointed
governor of our newly acquired territory of
"Louisiana." and Clarke was made agent of
Indian affairs. But while on his way to Phila-
delphia, to supervise the publication of his jour-
GENERAL HISTORY.
nal, in 1807, Captain Lewis was stricken with
death.
That portion of Lewis and Clarke's expedi-
tion with which this history concerns itself re-
lates chiefly to the achievements of these in-
trepid captains after they had entered the terri-
tory known as "Oregon," and from which the
states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho were
carved : And what was this territory, at that
period a terra incognita? Major Joshua
Pitcher, early in 1800 contributes the following
brief description :
The form or configuration of the country is the
most perfect and admirable which the imagination can
conceive. All its outlines are distinctly marked ; all its
interior is connected together. Frozen regions on the
north, the ocean and its mountainous coast to the west,
the Rocky Mountains to the east, sandy and desert
plains to the south — such are its boundaries. Within
the whole country is watered by the streams of a single
river, issuing from the north, east and south, uniting
in the region of tidewater, and communicating with the
sea by a single outlet. Such a country is formed for
defense, and whatever power gets possession of it will
probably be able to keep it.
This was published in Volume I, No. 39,
senate documents. Twenty-first Congress, sec-
ond session. A more extended description is
sketched later by Mr. Parker, who says :
Beyond the Rocky Mountains nature appears to
have studied variety on the largest scale. Towering
mountains and wide-extended prairies, rich valleys and
barren plains, and large rivers, with their rapids, cata-
racts and falls, present a great variety of prospects.
The whole country is so mountainous that there is no
elevation from which a person can not see some of the
immense range which intersect its various parts.
From an elevation a short distance from Fort Van-
couver, five isolated, conical mountains, from ten to
fifteen thousand feet high, whose tops are covered with
perpetual snow, may be seen rising in the surrounding
valley. There are three general ranges west of the
Rocky chain of mountains, running in northern and
southern directions; the first above the falls of the
Columbia river; the second at and below the Cascades;
the third toward and along the shores of the Pacific.
From each of these branches extend in different direc-
tions. Besides these there are those in different parts
which are large and high, such as the Blue Mountains,
south of Walla Walla ; the Salmon River Mountains,
between Salmon and Kooskooskie rivers, and also in
the region of Okanogan and Colville. The loftiest peaks
of the Rocky Mountains have been found in about 52
degrees north latitude, where Mr. Thompson, astrono-
mer of the Hudson's Bay Company, has ascertained the
heights of several. One, called Mount Brown, he esti-
mates at sixteen thousand feet above the level of the
sea ; another, Mt. Hooker, at fifteen thousand seven hun-
dred feet. It has been stated, farther (though probably
with some exaggeration) that he discovered other points
farther north of an elevation ten thousand feet higher
than these. Between these mountains are widespread val-
leys and plains. The largest and most fertile valley is in-
cluded between Deer Island in the west, to within twelve
miles of the Cascades, which is about fifty-five miles
wide, and extending north and south to a greater extent
than I had the means of definitely ascertaining ; probably
from Puget Sound on the north, to the Umpqua river
on the south.
The Willamette river, and a section of the Colum-
bia, are included in this valley. The valley south of
the Walla Walla, called the Grand Rond, is said to excel
in fertility. To these may be added Pierre's Hole, and
the adjacent country; also Recueil Amere, east of the
Salmon River Mountains. Others of less magnitude
are dispersed over different parts. To these may be
subjoined extensive plains, most of which are prairies
well covered with grass. The whole region of country
west of the Salmon River Mountains, the Spokane
woods and Okanogan, quite to the range of mountains
that cross the Columbia at the Falls, is a vast prairie,
covered with grass, and the soil is generally good.
Another large plain which is said to be very barren,
lies off to the southward of Lewis, or Malheur river,
including the Shoshone country ; and travelers who have
passed through this have pronounced the interior of
America a great, barren desert, but this is drawing a
conclusion far too broad from premises so limited.
Aside from Captains Lewis and Clarke, the
party of exploration consisted of nine young
men from Kentucky, fourteen United States
soldiers, who had volunteered their services,
two Freijch watermen, (an interpreter and
hunter), and a black servant, employed by
Captain Clarke. Before the close of 1803 prep-
arations for the voyage were all completed, and
the party wintered at the mouth of Wood river,
on the east bank of the Mississippi.
The start was on May 4, 1804, and the first
reach, made on the sixteenth, was twenty-one
miles up the Missouri. Of the many surpris-
ing advantures encountered in ascending this
river to Fort Benton, it is not the province of
GENERAL HISTORY.
this history to recount. It was toward the
Northwest Coast that their faces were set, and
the advent of these pioneers into the future
"Oregon" becomes of material interest to
present residents of this section.
August 1 8, 1805, fourteen months from the
departure of this expedition, it had reached the
extreme navigable point of the Missouri river,
stated in Captain Lewis' journal, to be in lati-
tude 43 degrees, 30 minutes, 43 seconds north.
The party was now, for a certain distance, to
proceed by land with pack horses. Tribe after
tribe of strange Indians were encountered, a
majority of whom met the explorers on friendly
terms. The party endured hardships innum-
erable; game was scarce in certain localities,
and at times the weather was inclement. They
forded unknown streams, and christened many,
Lewis river, Clarke's Fork, and others.
Particular inquiries were made regarding
the topography of the country and the possibil-
ity of soon reaching a navigable stream. In
answer to such questions an ancient chief, who,
it was claimed, knew more concerning the
geography of this section of the northwest than
any one else, drew rude delineations of the vari-
ous rivers on the ground. It soon developed
that he knew little about them. But some
vague information was gained sufficient to
show that the different streams converged in
one vast river, the Columbia, running a great
way toward the "setting sun, and at length los-
ing itself in a great lake of water, which was ill-
tasted and where the white men lived." Still
another route was suggested, an analysis of
which convinced Captain Clarke that the rivers
mentioned debouched into the Gulf of Cali-
fornia. He then inquired concerning the route
used by the Pierced-nose Indians who, living
west of the mountains, crossed over to the Mis-
souri. According to Captain Lewis' journal
the chief replied, in effect, that the route was a
very bad one; that during the passage, he had
been told, thev suffered excessively from hun-
ger, being obliged to subsist for many days on
berries alone, there being no game in that part
of the mountains, which was broken and rocky,
and so thickly covered with timber that they
could scarcely pass.
Difficulties, also, surrounded all routes, and
this one appeared as practicable as any other.
It was reasoned that if Indians could pass the
mountains with their women and children, no
difficulties which they could overcome would
be formidable to the explorers. Lewis sets
down in his journal : "If the tribes below the
mountains were as numerous as they were rep-
resented to be, they would have some means of
subsistance equally within our power. They
had told us, indeed, that the natives to the
westward subsisted principally on fish and
roots, and that their only game was a few elk,
deer and antelope, there being no buffalo west
of the mountains."
It was decided by Captain Clarke to ascer-
tain what difficulty, if any, would be encoun-
tered in descending the river on which the
party was then encamped. Continuing down
the stream, which runs nearly northwest,
through low grounds, rich and wide, they
came to where it forked, the western branch
being much larger than the eastern. To this
stream, or rather the main branch, was given
the name of Lewis river. The party followed
it until confronted by insurmountable ob-
stacles ; it foamed and lashed itself through a
narrow pass flanked by the loftiest mountains
Captain Clarke had ever seen. The Indians
declared that it was impossible to descend the
river or scale the mountains, snow-capped and
repellant. They had never been lower than the
bead of the gap made by the river breaking
through the range. Captain Clarke decided to
abandon the route. It was determined to pro-
ceed on their course by land. On being ques-
tioned their guide drew a map on the sand, rep-
resenting a road leading toward two forks of
another river, where lived a tribe of Indians
called Tushepaws. These people, he said, fre-
quently came to Lewis river to fish for salmon.
GENERAL HISTORY.
Through the broken, hilly country through
which flow the tributaries of the Columbia the
party pressed forward. On the 29th Captain
Clarke and his men joined the main party,
which had made a wide detour in order to gain
information regarding a more feasible route.
Although August was not yet passed the
weather was quite cold, and during the night
ink froze in the pen and frost covered the
meadows. Yet the days were warm, and this
atmospheric condition grew more pronounced
as they drew nearer the "Oregon" climate.
The expedition began the passage across
the mountains August 30, 1805. Accompanied
by the old guide, his four sons and another
Indian, the party began the descent of the
Lemhi river. Three days later all the Indians.
save the old guide, deserted them. There being
no track leading across the mountains it became
necessary to cut their way through the dense
underbrush. Although the Indian guide ap-
pears to have lost his way, on September 4,
after most arduous labor in forcing a passage
through the almost impenetrable brush, the
party came upon a large camp of Indians. The
following day a "pow-wow" Avas held, con-
ducted in many languages, the various dia-
lects suggesting a modern Babel, but it proved
sufficient to inform the Indians of the main ob-
ject of the expedition. These Indians were the
Ootlashoots, a band of the Tushepaws, on their
way to join other bands in hunting buffalo on
Jefferson river, across the Great Divide. Part-
ing from them the toilsome journey was re-
sumed. The party was seeking a pass across
the Bitter Root mountains. Game disappeared.
On September 14 they were forced to kill a colt,
their, stock of animal food being exhausted.
And with frequent recurrence to the use of
horseflesh they pressed on through the wilder-
ness. An extract from Captain Clarke's jour-
nal of September 18, conveys an idea of the
destitute condition of his party :
We melted some snow and supped on a little porta-
ble soup, a few cannisters of which, with about twenty
pounds' weight of bear's oil, are our only remaining
means of subsistence. Our guns are scarcely of any
service for there is no living creature in these mountains
except a few small pheasants, a small species of gray
squirrel, and a blue bird of the vulture kind, about the
size of a turtle dove, or jay. Even these are difficult
to shoot.
Arriving at a bold, running stream on Sep-
tember 19, it was appropriately named "Hun-
gry Creek," as at that point they had nothing to
eat. On September 20 the party passed down
the last of the Bitter Root range and gained a
comparatively level country. Here they found
another band of strange Indians, people who
had never looked upon the face of a white man.
They proved hospitable and the party remained
with them several days. The Indians called
themselves Chopunnish, or Pierced-noses, the
Xez Perces of to-day. The expedition was now
in the vicinity of Pierce City, at one period the
capital of Shoshone county, Idaho. On a white
elk skin, the chief, Twisted Hair, drew a chart
of the country to the west, to explain the geog-
raphy and topography of the district beyond.
Captain Clarke translates it as follows :
"According to this the Kooskooskee forks
(confluence of its north fork) a few miles from
this place ; two days toward the south is another
and larger fork (confluence of Snake river), on
which the Shoshone or Snake Indians fish ; five
days' journey further is a large river from the
northwest (that is, the Columbia itself) into
which Clarke's river empties; from the mouth
of that river (that is, confluence of the Snake.
with the Columbia) to the falls is five days'
journey further; on all the forks as well as on
the main river great numbers of Indians re-
side."
On September 23 the Indians were assem-
bled, and the errand of the party across the
continent explained. The talk satisfied the sav-
ages: they sold their visitors provisions for
man and beast and parted with amity. But
immediate progress was somewhat delayed by
illness of different members of the party. They
were nearly famished when thev encountered
GENERAL HISTORY.
the Nez Perces, and had eaten too heartily fol-
lowing their privations. September 2j they
camped on Kooskooskee river and began the
building of canoes. Gradually the health of
the men was recruited, and the early days of
October were passed in making preparations to
descend the river. According to Lewis' jour-
nal the latitude of this camp was 46 degrees
34 minutes 56 seconds north. It should be re-
membered that the Kooskooskee is now the
Clearwater, flowing into the Snake river which,
in turn, empties into the Columbia. October
8 the party began their long and adventurous
voyage in five canoes, one of which served as
an advance pilot boat, the course of the stream
being unknown. They were soon assailed by
disaster, one of the canoes striking a rock and
sinking. The river was found to be full of
rocks, reefs and rapids. At the confluence of
the Kooskooskee and Snake rivers a night's
camp was made, near the present Idaho town of
Lewiston, named in honor of the commander
of this expedition. And from this point the
party crossed over into the territory now
bounded by the limits of the state of Washing-
ton. Experience in this camp finds the fol-
lowing expression in Lewis' journal.
Our arrival soon attracted the attention of the In-
dians, who flocked from all directions to see us. In the
evening the Indian from the falls, whom we had seen at
Rugged Rapid, joined us with his son in a small canoe,
and insisted on accompanpying us to the falls. Being
again reduced to fish and roots, we made an experiment
to vary our food by purchasing a few dogs, and after
having been accumtomed to horse-flesh felt no disrelish
for this new dish. The Chopunnish have great numbers
of dogs, which they employ for domestic purposes, but
never eat ; and our using the flesh of that animal soon
brought us into ridicule as dog eaters.
On October 11, having made a short stage
in their journey, the party stopped and traded
with the Indians, securing a quantity of salmon
and seven dogs. They were now on the Snake
river and proceeding rapidly toward the Col-
umbia, known to all the various Indian tribes
in "Oregon" as the "Great River." Dangerous
rapids crowded the stream ; disasters were en-
countered far too frequently to prove assuring
to the voyageurs. October 14 another canoe
was blown upon a rock sideways and narrowly
escaped being lost. Four miles above the point
of confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers
the expedition halted and conferred with the
Indians. During the evening of October 16
they were visited by two hundred warriors who
tendered them a barbaric ovation, comprising
a procession with drums, torches and vocal
music far more diabolical than classical. Here
seven more dogs were purchased, together with
some fish and "twenty pounds of fat dried
horseflesh." At the point where the party were
then stationed the counties of Franklin,
Yakima and YValla Walla now come together;
the junction of the Snake and Columbia rivers.
The Indians called themselves Sokulks.
Habit and experience necessarily render ex-
plorers more far-sighted and astute than the
ordinary citizen of civilized habitat. But the
prescience of the former is by no means in-
fallible. Lewis and Clarke were now about to
set forth upon the waters of the mighty Colum-
bia, a famous stream variously known as "The
River of the North" and "The Oregon;" a
great commercial artery whose convolutions
were subsequently to be insisted upon by Great
Britain as the northern boundary of "Oregon"
territory. But the magnitude of this stream
and its future importance in international poli-
tics were, of course, unknown to Lewis and
Clarke. These explorers had no knowledge of
the "terminal facilities" of this stream other
than that contributed by the legendary lore of
Indians, dim. mythical, and altogether theoreti-
cal. And with this absence of even a partial
realization of the great significance of his mis-
sion Captain Lewis writes in his journal of Oc-
tober 17, 1805 :
"In the course of the day Captain Clarke,
in a small canoe, with two men. ascended the
Columbia. At a distance of five miles he passed
GENERAL HISTORY.
an island in the middle of the river, at the head
of which was a small but dangerous rapid."
With this simple introduction to the most
important episode of his journey across the con-
tinent Captain Lewis faced the Occident that
held so much in store for thousands of the
future. On the 19th the voyageurs began to
drift down the Columbia. Rapids impeded
their course, many of them dangerous. Short
portages were made around the more difficult
ones, and forty miles down the stream they
landed among a tribe known as the Pishguit-
pahs who were engaged in drying fish. Here
they smoked the pipe of peace, exchanged pres-
ents and entertained the Indians with the strains
of two violins played by Cruzatte and Gibson,
members of the exploring party. October 21
they arrived at the confluence of a considerable
stream, coming into the Columbia from the left,
and named by the party Lepage, now known as
John Day's river. Six years later, John Day, a
Kentucky Nimrod, crossed the continent on
the trail blazed by Lewis and Clarke, bound for
Astoria, at the mouth of the Columbia. From
the rapids below the mouth of this stream the
party gained their first view of Mount Hood,
prominent in the Cascade range, looming up
from the southwest eleven thousand two hun-
dred and twenty-five feet. On the day fol-
lowing they passed a stream called by the In-
dians Towahnahiooks ; to modern geographers
known as the Des Chutes. This is one of the
largest southern tributaries of the Columbia.
Five miles below the mouth of this stream
the party camped. Lewis and Clarke had
learned from the Indins of the "great falls,"
and toward this point they had looked with
some apprehension. October 23 they made the
descent of these rapids, the height of which, in
a distance of twelve hundred yards is thirty-
seven feet eight inches. Around the first fall,
twenty-five feet high, a portage was made, and
below the canoes were led down by lines. At
the next fall of the Columbia the expedition
camped, among the Echeloots, a tribe of the
Upper Chinooks, at present nearly extinct.
They received the white men with much kind-
ness, invited them to their huts and returned
their visits, but the Echeloots were then at war
with another tribe and at all times anxious con-
cerning an expected attack by their enemies.
Following a long talk with Lewis and Clarke,
who were ever ready to extend their good offices
toward making peace between hostile tribes,
the Echeloots agreed to drop their quarrel with
their ancient enemies. Here, too, the chiefs
who had accompanied the expedition from the
headwaters of the streams, bade the explorers
farewell, and prepared to return eastward. Pur-
chasing horses of the Echeloots they went home
by land.
The closing days of October were passed
in descending the Columbia, in which portion
of their voyage they met a number of different
tribes of Indians, among them the Chilluckitte-
quaws, from whom they purchased five small
dogs, some dried berries and a white bread or
cake, made from roots. They passed a small,
rapid stream which they called Cataract river,
now known as the Klickitat. Going thirty-two
miles farther they camped on the right bank of
a river in what is now Skamania county, Wash-
ington, which is either the White Salmon or
Little White Salmon. On the last day of Oc-
tober Captain Clarke pushed on ahead to ex-
amine the next of the more difficult rapids,
known as "the great shoot." This obstacle was
conquered, however, although not without a
number of hair-breadth escapes, and on No-
vember 2 the party were below the last of all
the descents of the Columbia. At this point
tidewater commences and the river widens.
From tidewater to the sea the passage was
enlivened with incidents sufficient to quicken
the pulse of the enthusiastic explorers. Near
the mouth of Sandy river they met a party of
fifteen Indians who had recently come up from
the mouth of the Columbia. By them they were
told of three vessels lying at anchor below. It
was certain that these craft must be either
GENERAL HISTORY,
13
American or European, and the explorers could
ill conceal their unbounded pleasure and antici-
pation. A group of islands near the mouth of
the Multnomah, or modernly, Williamette, had
concealed this stream, upon which is now situ-
ated the city of Portland, from view. The voy-
ageurs had missed this important river en-
tirely. Proceeding westward the explorers
obtained their first sight of Mount Ranier, or
Mount Tacoma, nine thousand seven hundred
and fifty feet high. Nearing the coast the party
met Indians of a nature widely divergent from
any whom they had before seen. Captain Lewis
says :
These people seem to be of a different nation from
those we have just passed; they are low in stature, ill-
shaped, and all have their heads flattened. They call
themselves Wahkiacum, and their language differs from
that of the tribes above, with whom they trade for
wapatoo roots. The houses are built in a different style,
being raised entirely above ground, with the eaves about
five feet high and the door at the corner. * * * The
dress of the men is like that of the people above, but the
women are clad in a peculiar manner, the robe not
reaching lower than the hip, and the body being covered
in cold weather by a sort of corset of fur, curiously
plaited and reaching from the arms to the hip : added to
this is a sort of petticoat, or rather tissue of white cedar
bark, bruised or broken with small strands, and woven
into a girdle by several cords of the same material.
These Indians, as a tribal nation, have en-
tirely disappeared, but their name is perpetu-
ated by a small county on the coast of Wash-
ington, north of the Bay of Columbia.
Practically the Lewis and Clarke expedition
reached the end of its perilous trip across the
continent on November 15, 1805. Of this
achievement the Encyclopaedia Britannica
says : "They had traveled upwards of four
thousand miles from their starting point, had
encountered various Indian tribes never before
seen by whites, had made scientific collections
and observations, and were the first explorers
to reach the Pacific coast by crossing the con-
tinent north of Mexico."
The closing statement of this article par-
tially ignores the expeditions of Sir Alexander
Mackenzie who, while he did not cross the
continent from a point as far east as Washing-
ton, D. C, made a journey, in 1789, from Fort
Chipewyan, along the great Slave Lake, and
down the river which now bears his name, to
the "Frozen Ocean," and a second journey in
1792-3 from the same initial point, up the
Peace and across the Columbia rivers, and
thence westward to the coast of the Pacific, at
Cape Menzies, opposite Queen Charlotte
Island. Only to this extent is the statement
of the Encyclopaedia Britannica misleading,
but it is quite evident that there is no pro-
nounced inclination to do an injustice to the
memory of Mackenzie.
The Lewis and Clarge party passed the
following winter in camp at the mouth of the
Columbia. Before the holidays Captain Clarke
carved on the trunk of a massive pine this
simple inscription :
WM. CLARKE.
DECEMBER 3, 1805, BY LAND FROM THE U.
STATES IN 1804 AND 5.
During the return of the expedition the
Clarke division came down the Yellowstone,
in Montana. On a mass of saffron sandstone,
an acre in base, and four hundred feet high,
called Pompey's Pillar, twenty miles above the
mouth of the Big Horn river, about half way
up, the following is carved :
WM. CLARKE,
JULY 25. 1806.
CHAPTER III.
THE OREGON CONTROVERSY.
The strugggle of five nations for possession
of "Oregon," a domain embracing indefinite
territory, but including the present states of
Oregon, Washington and Idaho, and a portion
of British Columbia, ran through a century and
a half, and culminated in the "Oregon Contro-
versy" between England and the United States.
Through forty years of diplomatic sparring,
advances, retreats, demands, concessions and
unperfected compromises the contest was
waged between the two remaining champions
of the cause, the United States and Great Brit-
ain. British parlimentary leaders came and
went; federal administrations followed each
other successsively, and each in turn directed
the talents of its able secretaries of state to the
vital point in American politics, Oregon.
The question became all important and far
reaching. It involved, at different periods, all
the cunning diplomacy of the Hudson's Bay
Company, backed by hundreds of thousands of
pounds sterling; it brought to the front con-
spicuously the life tragedy of a humble mis-
sionary among the far western Indians, Dr.
Marcus Whitman; it aroused the spirited pa-
triotism of American citizenship from Maine to
Astoria, and it evoked the sanguinary defi from
American lips, "Fifty-four forty or fight."
It closed with a compromise, quickly, yet
effectually consummated ; ratification was im-
mediate, and the "Oregon Controversy" be-
came as a tale that is told, and from a live and
burning issue of the day it passed quietly into
the sequestered nook of American history.
To obtain a fairly comprehensive view of
this question it becomes necessary to hark
back to 1697, the year of the Treaty of Rys-
wick, when Spain claimed, as her share of
North America, as stated by William Barrows :
On the Atlantic coast from Cape Romaine on the
Carolina shore, a few miles north of Charleston, due
west to the Mississippi river, and all south of that line
to the Gulf of Mexico. That line continued beyond
the Mississippi makes the northern boundary of Louis-
iana. In the valley of the lower Mississippi Spain
acknowledged no rival, though France was then be-
ginning to intrude. On the basis of discovery by the
heroic De Soto and others, she claimed up to the head
of the Arkansas and the present famous Leadville, and
westward to the Pacific. On that ocean, or the South
Sea, as it was then called, she set up the pretensions of
sovereignty from Panama to Nootka Sound or Van-
couver. These pretensions covered the coasts, harbors,
islands and even over the whole Pacific Ocean as then
limited. These stupendous claims Spain based on dis-
covery, under the papal bull of Alexander VI, in 1493.
This bull or decree gave to the discoverer all newly
discovered lands and waters. In 15 13 Balboa, the Span-
iard, discovered the Pacific Ocean, as he came over the
Isthmus of Panama, and so Spain came into the owner-
ship of that body of water. Good old times those were,
when kings thrust their hands into the new world, as
children do theirs into a grab-bag at a fair, and drew
out a river four thousand miles long, or an ocean, or a
tract of wild land ten or fifteen times the size of
England.
Nor was France left out at the Ryswick
partition of the world. She claimed in the
south and in the north, and it was her proud
boast that from the mouth of the Penobscot
along the entire seaboard to the unknown and
frozen Arctic, no European power divided that
coast with her, nor the wild interior back of it.
At the date of this survey, 1697, Russia was
quiescent. She claimed no possessions. But
at the same time Peter the Great, and his minis-
ters, were doing some heavy thinking. Result*
of these cogitations were afterwards seen in
GENERAL HISTORY.
15
the new world, in a territory known for many
years to school children as Russian America,
now the Klondyke, Dawson, Skaguay, Bonan-
za Creek, the Yukon and — the place where the
gold comes from. Russia entered the lists ; she
became the fifth competitor, with Spain, Eng-
land, France and the United States, for Ore-
gon.
Passing over the events of a hundred years,
years of cruel wars; of possession and dispos-
session among the powers ; the loss by France
of Louisiana and the tragedy of the Plains of
Abraham, we come to the first claims of Russia.
She demanded all the Northwest Coast and is-
lands north of latitude 51 degrees and down
the Asiatic coast as low as 45 degrees, 50 min-
utes, forbidding "all foreigners to approach
within one hundred miles of these coasts ex-
cept in cases of extremity." Our secretary of
state, John Quincy Adams, objected to this
presumptuous claim. Emphatically he held that
Russia had no valid rights on that coast south
of the 55th degree. Vigorous letters were ex-
changed and then "the correspondence closed."
Great Britain took sides with the United
States. Our protest was emphasized by pro-
mulgation of the now famous "Monroe Doc-
trine," the substance of which lies in these
words : "That the American continents, by the
free and independent condition which they
have assumed and maintained, are henceforth
not to be considered as subjects for coloniza-
tion by any European power."
Subsequently it was agreed between Russia
and the United States, in 1824, that the latter
country should make no new claim north of 54
degrees, 40 minutes, and the Russians none
south of it. With Great Britain Russia made a
similar compact the year following, and for a
period of ten years this agreement was to be
binding, it being, however, understood that the
privilege of trade and navigation should be free
to all parties. At the expiration of this period
the United States and Great Britain received
notice from Russia of the discontinuance of
their navigation and trade north of 54 degrees,
40 minutes.
Right here falls into line the Hudson's Bay
Company. Between Great Britain and Russia
a compromise was effected through a lease
from Russia to this company of the coast and
margin from 54 degrees, 40 minutes, to Cape
Spencer, near 58 degrees. Matters were, also,
satisfactorily adjusted with the United States.
The final counting out of Russia from the
list of competitors for Oregon dates from 1836.
During a controversy between England and
Russia the good offices of the United States
were solicited, and at our suggestion Russia
withdrew from California and relinquished all
claims south of 54 degrees, 40 minutes. And
now the contest for Oregon was narrowed
down between Great Britain and the United
States. But with the dropping of Russia it
becomes necessary to go back a few years in
order to preserve intact the web of this history.
On May 16, 1670, the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany was chartered by Charles II. Headed by
Prince Rupert the original incorporators num-
bered eighteen. The announced object of the
company was "the discovery of a passage into
the South Sea" — the Pacific Ocean. During
the first century of its existence the company
really did something along the lines of geo-
graphical discovery. Afterward its identity
was purely commercial. Twelve hundred
miles from Lake Superior, in 1778, the eminent
Frobisher and others had established a trading
post, or "factory," at Athabasca. Fort Chipew-
yan was built ten years later and Athabasca
abandoned. From this point Mackenzie made
his two overland trips to the Pacific, treated in
the two preceding chapters. Commenting
upon these expeditions, from a political view
point, William Barrows, in the "American
Commonwealths" series, says :
"The point reached by Mackenzie on the
Pacific is within the present limits of British
Columbia on that coast 1 53 degrees, _' 1 min-
utes), and it was the first real, though unde-
i6
GENERAL HISTORY.
signed step toward the occupation of Oregon by
Great Britain. That government was feeling
its way, daringly and blindly, for all territory
it might obtain, and in 1793 came thus near the
outlying region which afterward became the
coveted prize of our narrative." (Oregon:
the Struggle for Possession.)
Between the United States and possession
of Oregon stood, like a stone wall, the Hud-
son's Bay Company. It was the incarnation
of England's protest against our occupancy.
Such being the case it is a fortuitous opportu-
nity to glance, briefly, at the complexion of
this great commercial potentate of the North-
west Coast. Aside from geographical discov-
eries there was another object set forth in the
Hudson's Bay Company's charter. This was
"the finding of some trade for furs, minerals
and other considerable commodities." More-
over an exclusive right was granted by the
charter to the "trade and commerce of all those
seas, straits and bays, rivers, lakes, creeks and
sounds, in whatsoever latitude they shall be,
that lie within the entrance of the straits com-
monly called Hudson's Straits." The charter
extended, also, to include all lands bordering
them not under any other civilized government.
Such ambiguous description covered a vast
territory — and Oregon. And of this domain,
indefinitely bounded, the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany became monarch, autocrat and tyrant,
rather an unpleasant trinity to be adjacent to
the gradually increasing and solidifying do-
minion of the United States. Then, with the
old company, was united the Northwestern
Company, at one time a rival, now a compo-
nent part of the great original "trust" of the
Christian era. The crown granted to the new-
syndicate the exclusive right to trade with all
Indians in British North America for a term
of twenty years. Their hunters and trappers
spread themselves throughout the entire north-
west of North America. Their fur monopoly
extended so far south as the Salt Lake basin
of the modern Utah. Rivals were bought out.
undersold or crushed. The company held at
its mercy all individual traders from New
Foundland to Vancouver ; from the head of the
Yellowstone to the mouth of the Mackenzie.
With no rivals to share the field, the extent of
territory under the consolidated company seems
almost fabulous — one-third larger than all Eu-
rope; larger than the United States of to-day,
Alaska included, by, as Mr. Barrows states,
"half a million of square miles." And it was
preparing, backed by the throne of England,
to swallow and assimilate "Oregon." Con-
cerning this most powerful company Mr. Bar-
rows has contributed the following graphic de-
scription :
"One contemplates their power with awe
and fear, when he regards the even motion and
solemn silence and unvarying sameness with
which it has done its work through that dreary
animal country. It has been said that a hun-
dred years has not changed its bills of goods
ordered from London. The company wants
the same muskrat and beaver and seal ; the In-
dian hunter, unimproved, and the half-breed
European, deterioating, want the same cotton
goods, and flint-lock guns and tobacco and
gew-gaws. To-day as a hundred years ago the
dog-sledge runs out from Winnipeg for its
solitary drive of five hundred or two thousand
or even three thousand miles. It glides silent
as a spectre over those snow-fields and through
the solemn, still forests, painfully wanting in
animal life. Fifty, seventy, and hundred days it
speeds along, and as many nights it camps
without fire, and looks up to the same cold
stars. At the intervening points the sledge
makes a pause, as a ship, having rounded Cape
Horn, heaves to before some lone Pacific is-
land. It is the same at the trader's hut or 'fac-
tory.' as when the sledge man's grandfather
drove up the same dogs, the same half-breeds
or voyageurs to welcome him, the same foul,
lounging Indians, and the same mink-skin in
exchange for the same trinket. The fur ani-
mal and its purchaser and hunter, as the land-
GENERAL HISTORY.
17
scape, seem to be alike under the same immut-
able law of nature : —
" 'A land where all things always seem the
same," as among the lotus-eaters. Human pro-
gress and Indian civilization have scarcely
made more improvement than that central,
silent partner of the Hudson's Bay Company —
the beaver."
Originally the capital stock of this com-
pany, at the time the charter was granted by
Charles II, was $50,820. Through profits
alone it was tripled twice within fifty years,
going as high as $457,380, without any addi-
tional money being paid in by stockholders.
The Northwest Company was absorbed in
1 82 1 on a basis of valuation equal to that of
the Hudson's Bay Company. Then the con-
solidated capital stock was $1,916,000, of
which $1,780,866 was from profits. And
during all this elapsed period an annual divi-
dend of ten per cent had been paid to stock-
holders. One cargo of furs, leaving Fort
George for London in 1836, was valued at
$380,000. In 1837 the consolidated company
organized the Puget Sound Agricultural Com-
pany. This was intended to serve as an offset
to encroachments of colonists from the United
States which settled in Oregon. In 1846 the
English government conceded United States
claims to Oregon, and at that period the Hud-
son's Bay Company claimed property within
the territory said to be worth $4,990,036.67.
With such gigantic and powerful competi-
tion for the territory of Oregon it is surprising
that even as determined a government as the
United States should have succeeded in oust-
ing it from its trespass on our property. Nor
could this have been accomplished had it not
been for the pluck, skill, determination and in-
domitable energy of our hardy pioneers. While
the sale of rabbit skins alone in London, in one
year, ordinarily amounted to thirteen hundred
thousand, the company found its profit also in
the beaver, land and sea-otter, mink, fisher,
muskrat, fox, raccoon, sable, black, brown and
grizzly bear and buffalo. And in search for
these fur-bearing animals the hunters of the
company braved every danger and spread
themselves over the wild half of North Amer-
ica. So far from carrying out the provisions of
its charter relating to geographical discovery,
early in the nineteenth century the company
threw every obstacle possible in the way of such
discoveries. Evidently it feared rivals. Sir
John Barrow, in his history of Arctic Voyages,
says : "The Northwest Passage seems to have
been entirely forgotten, not only by the ad-
venturers who had obtained their exclusive
charter under this pretext, but also by the na-
tion at large ; at least nothing more appears to
have been heard on the subject for more than
half a century."
And what of the darker deeds of this mys-
terious, silent, yet powerful commercial aggre-
gation? In 1 719 it refused a proposal from
Mr. Knight that two vessels be sent by him to
look up a rumored copper mine at the mouth
of an arctic river. In 1741 the company
showed signs of hostility toward a Mr. Dobbs,
engaged in the same enterprise. The failure
of Captain Middleton, commissioned by the
Lords of Admiralty to explore northern and
western waters of Hudson's Bay, is attributed
to a bribe of five thousand pounds received
from the company. The beacon light at Fort
York was cut down in 1746 to insure the com-
plete wreck of an exploring party then aground
in that vicinity. Much of the information con-
cerning auriferous deposits brought back by
Mackenzie from his two journeys was sup-
presed. The Hudson's Bay Company had set
its face against mineral development. Even
that industry was a rival. Following the assas-
ination of Dr. Marcus Whitman by Indians, in
1847, one °f the suvivors of the massacre was
refused the protection of Fort Walla Walla
then under command of an agent of the Hud-
son's Bay Company. On the whole this aggre-
gation of English capital seems to have been
as antagonistic to English enterprise as to
GENERAL HISTORY.
American commerce, but all the time working
like a mole under ground.
Previous to the War of 1812 England had
strenuously urged the Ohio as the western limit
of the colonies. She seduced various Indian
tribes to oppose western immigration. In 181 1
General Harrison, afterward president, at-
tempted to hold a friendly conference with the
great Tecumseh. The meeting was disrupted by
the latter, and it required the battle of Tippe-
canoe to teach the warriors a bloody object les-
son. Then followed the War of 181 2. In this
Great Britain made an effort to recover the
northwest, but failed signally. But the Hud-
son's Bay Company was England in North
America. And when the nation failed the com-
mercial syndicate succeeded — for a time. While
the United States had legal, she had not, owing
to the interference of this company, actual pos-
session and occupancy.
Following the close of the Revolution and
the treaty of 1783, an attempt was made to run
a northern boundary for the United States. It
looked well on paper. It traversed wild, unex-
plored territory unknown to either party to the
agreement.
"Thus," says Barrows, "the northwest
point of the Lake of the Woods was assumed
for one bound from which the line was to run,
to the northwestern point of the lake and thence
'due west,' to the Mississippi. The clause in the
treaty reads thus: 'to the said Lake of the
Woods, and thence through the said lake to
the most northwestern point thereof, and from
thence on a due west course to the river Missis-
sippi.' But the head of the river, proved to be
a hundred miles or more to the south. So that
little prominence in our otherwise straight
boundary is the bump of ignorance developed
by two nations. The St. Croix was fixed by
treaty as the boundary on the northeast, but a
special 'Joint Commission' was required in
1794 to determine 'what river is the St.
Croix,' and four years afterward this commis-
sion called for an addition to their instructions
since their original ones were not broad enough
to enable them to determine the true St. Croix."
In 1 84 1 another commission ran a boun-
dary from the head of the St. Croix, by the
head of the Connecticut, to the St. Lawrence;
thence through the middle of its channel and
the middle of the lakes to the outlet of Lake
Superior, occupying the whole of seven years.
And yet the line had not been carried through
Lake Superior to the Lake of the Woods. Fi-
nally, in 18 1 8, this was done and an agreement
reached, though this line was not on the 49th
parallel, from the Lake of the Woods, to the
Rocky Mounmtains, the line that was offered
by Great Britain, accepted by one administra-
tion, refused by another, and finally adopted in-
stead of "Fifty-four forty or fight." Still the
English commission was loath to part with the
Mississippi valley. They asked for a right of
way to the headwaters of that stream. At the
same time the southern limits of their northern
possessions did not come within one hundred
miles of the source of the Mississippi from
whence its waters flow more than three thou-
sand miles to the Gulf of Mexico. The com-
mission, however, abandoned this claim and
turned, to stand resolutely on latitude 49 de-
grees. During negotiations with England, in
181 8, a compromise was effected which pro-
vided for a joint occupation of Oregon for ten
years. In 1827 it was renewed, to run indefin-
itely, with a provision that it could be termin-
ated by either party on giving one year's notice.
The Ashburton- Webster treaty of 1842 fixed
the line between the St. Croix and St. Law-
rence. In 1846 another commission failed to
accomplish results in extending a line to the
westward through their inability to agree on
the "middle of the channel" between the main-
land and Vancouver Island.
Not until 1872 was this latter question de-
cided. It was submitted to the Emperor of
Germany as final arbiter. He decided favor-
ably to the claim of the United States. Thus
this boundary question was prolonged eighty-
GENERAL HISTORY.
19
nine years, under eight treaties and fifteen spec-
ifications, until final adjustment in its entirety.
The Oregon Ixmndary remained in dispute up
to 1S47. ^ may here be appropriately re-
marked that the Joint Boundary Commission
of 1818, agreeing on the 49th parallel, might
have carried the line to a satisfactory point had
they not been stopped by fur traders. Two
companies were then attempting to gain pos-
session of the territory.
The expedition of Lewis and Clarke, 1804-
6, opened the eyes of England. Jealous lest
Americans should gain an advantage. Laroque
was sent by the Xorth western Companv to
sprinkle the Columbia river country with trad-
ing posts. But Laroque gained no farther
westing than the Mandan Indian village on the
Missouri. In 1806 Fraser, having crossed the
mountains, made the first English settlement by
erecting a post on Fraser Lake. Others soon
followed and New Caledonia came into exist-
ence. It had remained for daring frontiers-
men to open the dramatic contest for posses-
sion of Oregon. Diplomats and ministers had
dallied and quibbed. Now the contest had be-
come serious and earnest. A German immi-
grant, John Jacob Astor, was destined to play a
prominent part in future strategetic movements
for this possession. At forty years of age he
was established in the fur business on the great
lakes. Later, he had another post at the mouth
of the Columbia river. Astoria, a freight port
for furs incoming, and beads and trinkets out-
going. In 1810 he dispatched an expedition
of sixty men from St. Louis to the Columbia.
Ffteen months after, depleted by death, the sur-
vivors reached Astoria. Another company of
about the same number arrived by way of Cape
Horn some time earlier. Other ships followed,
and in 181 3 Mr. Astor suffered the loss of the
Lark, shipwrecked on the Sandwich, now the
Hawaiian Islands. Nor was this the worst. Of
Mr. Astor's partners, a majority had sold out
to the Northwest Fur Company of Montreal,
an English organization. Property which Mr.
Astor had valued at $200,000 had been thrown
away for $40,000. He saw signs of treachery.
But so far, despite these handicaps, he had out-
witted his competitors. They had planned to
forestall him at the mouth of the Columbia.
The failure of Laroque had defeated this
scheme. Another division of the Northwest
Company, in iSr r. had attempted to reach there
ahead of the sagacious American trader. This
party was snowbound and compelled to winter
in the mountains. When they eventually ar-
rived Astoria was a reality. The importance of
these events is worthy of notice. Had Laroque
or the other parties anticipated Astor, strong
and cumulative evidence would have been af-
forded England of prior possession, and this
evidence would have been a powerful leverage
during the long controversy which followed
concerning the northern boundary of Oregon.
Then, too, the defection of Astor's partners
who had sold out to the Northwest Company
led to an incident in the Oregon Controversy
which is significant. Mr. Barrows says :
"The leading partner in it, and the one who
afterward led off in its sale, received them
(representatives of the Northwest Company)
in a friendly and hospitable way, and not as
rivals : when they returned from their vain
expedition he supplied them, not only with pro-
visions, but with goods for trading purposes
up the river, where they established trading
huts among the Indians and became rivals of
the Americans. Strange to say when the ques-
tion of priority of occupation and national sov-
ereignty was under discussion at London, fif-
teen years afterward, the English put in these
huts of this returning company, as proof that
the English were as early if not earlier in the
Columbia than the Americans."
Here is a case in point which eloquently il-
lustrates the supremacy of commercialism over
sentimental statesmanship. Astor's partners
had turned over the post, practically, to the
Northwestern Company. The United States
had been solicited by Great Britain, previous to
GENERAL HISTORY.
the War of 1 812, to favor the Northwest Com-
pany as against Mr. Astor, and this request
had been refused. When the war opened Eng-
land flamboyantly dispatched a naval force to
the Columbia under orders "to take and destroy
everything American on the Northwest Coast."
On the arrival of this fleet in 1813, the com-
mander had the barren satisfaction of running
up the English colors and naming the post St.
George. Already it had passed into English
hands via the Northwest Company.
Bad faith of his partners and the chances
of war had, temporarily defeated the plans of
Mr. Astor. American interests on that coast
were under a cloud. But the United States was
destined to win out. The War of 1812 was
fairly on. It had been declared on June 12.
1812; the treaty of peace was signed Decem-
ber 14, 1 814. It contained this clause ma-
terially affecting our interests in Oregon : "All
territory, places and possessions whatsoever,
taken by either party from the other during the
war * * * shall be restored without de-
lay." Did this provision cover Astoria? Ap-
parently the English thought not, for when, in
1 81 7, an American vessel was put in readiness
to occupy that post Mr. Bagot, the English
minister at Washington, opposed it. Two
points are noted in his protest: The post had
been sold to the Northwest Company prior to
the war; therefore never captured. Secondly,
"the territory itself was early taken possession
of in his majesty's name, and had since been
considered as forming a part of his majesty's
domains." But repossession was granted
despite the protest. In 181 8 the Stars and
Stripes again waved over Astoria and the name
"St. George" was relegated to the limbo of the
obsolete.
But the Oregon Question was not dead ;
only hibernating. It sprang into life at the
behest of the eloquent Rufus Choate. From his
seat in the senate he said :
"Keep your eye always open, like the eye
of your own eagle, upon the Oregon. Watch
day and night. If any new developments or
policy break forth, meet them. If the times
change, do you change. New things in a new
world. Eternal vigilance is the condition of
empire as well as of liberty."
For twenty-seven years the threads of dip-
lomatic delay and circumlocution were spun out
concerning the status of Oregon. Theoret-
ically Astoria had been restored to us ; prac-
tically the Northwest fur traders thronged the
land. The English company had built a stock-
ade fort. It looked as if they intended to hold
possession of the mouth of the Columbia vie
et armis. Indian tribes ranged themselves on
the side of the English. Their minds had been
poisoned ; insiduous words had been breathed
into their ears to the effect that the Americans
would steal their lands ; the English wanted
only to trade with them for furs. And for more
than ten years following the treachous sale of
Astoria, there were scarcely any Americans in
the country. Greenhow in his "History of
Oregon and California," declares that at the
period when the Hudson's Bay Company was
before parliament, in 1837, asking for renewal
of its charter, they "claimed and received the
aid and consideration of government for their
energy and success in expelling the Americans
from the Columbia regions, and forming set-
tlements there, by means of which they were
rapidly converting Oregon into a British
colony."
Astoria was restored to the United States
by the Treaty of Ghent in 18 14. Yet in that
document there is no allusion made to the
Northwest Coast, or in fact, any territory west
of the Lake of the Woods. Our instructions to
the American plenipotentiaries were to concede
nothing to Great Britain south of the forty-
ninth parallel. Thus the question was left in
abeyance with no defined boundary between
English and American territory west of the
Lake of the Woods. The southern boundary
of Oregon was, also, in doubt. It was not
definitelv fixed until the Florida Purchase.
GENERAL HISTORY.
Then it was decided that parallel forty-two, on
the Pacific, running east from that ocean to the
Arkansas, down the river to longitude one hun-
dred ; on that meridan south till it strikes the
Red river; down the Red river to longitude
ninety-four; due south on it to the Sabine
river; and down the Sabine to the Gulf of
Mexico, should define the southern and western
boundaries of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803,
which up to that period had remained indefin-
ite. This act fixed, also, the southern boundary
of Oregon.
Until 1820 congress remained dormant so
far as Oregon interests were concerned. Then
it was suggested that a marine expedition be
dispatched to guard our interests at the mouth
of the Columbia and aid immigration from the
United States. Nothing resulted. In 182 1 the
same question was revived, but again permitted
to relapse into desuetude. Mr. Barrows does
not use language too strong when he says :
"There appeared to be a lack of appreciation
of the case, and there was a skepticism and leth-
argy concerning that half of the union, which
have by no means disappeared."
In 1814 the question having been reopened
in London Mr. Rush claimed for the United
States from the forty-second to the fifty-first
parallel. This section would embrace all the
waters of the Columbia. Per contra the Eng-
lish demanded possession of the northern half
of the Columbia basin. This would have given
us. as the northern boundary of Oregon, the
Columbia river from a point where it intersects
the forty-ninth parallel to its mouth. It is well
to examine, at this point, what such a boundary
would have meant to Washington. Had it been
accepted there would, probably, never have been
any state of Washington, at least, not as sub-
sequently defined. Tt would have meant the
loss of the following territory, comprised in
the counties of Klickitat. Skamia. Cowlitz,
Clark, Wahkiakum. Pacific. Chehalis, Mason,
Lewis. Pierce. Jefferson. Clallam. Kitsap, King,
Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, Yakima, Kitti-
tas, Chelan, Okanogan and Ferry, a territory
comprising forty-three thousand, seven hun-
dred and sixteen square miles, two-thirds of
the area of the present state of Washington.
Thus remained the status of the dispute un-
til 1828. Joint occupancy had now continued
ten years. It must be conceded that the coun-
try, owing to this provision, was now numeri-
cally British. And English ministers were
eager to avail themselves of the advantages of
this fact. They said : "In the interior of the
territory in question the subjects of Great
Britain have had, for many years, numerous
settlements and trading posts — several of these
posts on the tributary streams of the Columbia,
several upon the Columbia itself, some to the
northward and others to the southward of that
river. * * * In the whole of the territory
in question the citizens of the United States
have not a single settlement or trading post.
They do not use that river, either for the pur-
pose of transmitting or receiving any produce
of their own to or from other parts of the
world."
Yet why was this the condition in Oregon
at that period ? Simply because the aggressive-
ness of the Northwestern Company had op-
posed American colonization and fought each
and every advance made by our pioneers, com-
mercially and otherwise. Nor can it be denied
that for many years Oregon was unappreciated
by the east. To-day it appears, to unreflecting
minds, an extravagant boast to say that only
one-fifth of the domain of the United States
lies east of the Mississippi river. And yet the
statement is true. Only in 1854 did the initial
railway gain the banks of the Father of Waters
— at Rock Island. From there progress to the
northwest was. for many years, slow, perilous
and discouraging. Truly, it was a difficult
matter for Oregon to assert herself. Tn [828
an "Oregon wave" had swept over congress,
amid considerable feverish interest and pro-
longed eloquence. Protracted debate was had
on a bill to survey the territorv west of the
GENERAL HISTORY.
mountains between 42 degrees and 54 degrees
40 minutes, garrison the land and extend over
it the laws of the United States. The measure
was defeated, again the question slumbered.
But the daring American pioneers of the
west were by no means idle. Unconsciously
they were accomplishing far more toward a
final settlement of the "Oregon Question" than
all the tape-bound documents sleeping in the
pigeon-holes of English parliamentary and
American congressional archives. Of these
pioneers Captain Bonneville should not pass
unnoticed. He was of the army, and with one
hundred of his men he made a two years' hunt-
ing, trapping and fur-trading expedition, from
the Missouri to the Colorado, and thence to the
Columbia. In 1832 Nathaniel J. Wyeth or-
ganized a company of twenty-two persons, in
Massachusetts, for western exploration. En-
thusiastic descriptions of Oregon, written by
Hall J. Kelly, had contributed greatly to awak-
en this interest among the scholarly young men
who formed Wyeth's party. On July 4, 1832,
they had arrived at Lewis' Fork of the Colum-
bia. Among them were sickness, disappoint-
ment and insubordination. Here the company
divided. Several left to return east; among
them Jacob and John, brothers of Captain
Wyeth. Nathaniel Wyeth and his remaining
companions reached Snake river, and one hun-
dred miles north of Salt Lake, established a
trading post. He was ruined by the ever ag-
gressive Hudson's Bay Company, which placed
a rival post. Fort Boise, below Fort Hall.
British ministers had impudently declared that
Oregon was settled by Englishmen ; that
Americans had no trading posts within its lim-
its. And why not? Read the following from
Mr. Wyeth's memoir to congress :
"Experience has satisfied me that the entire
weight of this company (Hudson Bay) will be
made to bear on any trader who shall attempt
to prosecute his business within its reach.
* * * No sooner does an American start
in this region than one of these trading parties
is put in motion. A few years will make the
country west of the mountains as completely
English as they can desire."
To the same congressional committee Will-
iam A. Slocum, in a report, goes on record as
follows : "No individual enterprise can com-
pete with this immense foreign monopoly es-
tablished in our waters. * * * The In-
dians are taught to believe that no vessels but
the Company's ships are allowed to trade in the
river, and most of them are afraid to sell their
skins but at Vancouver or Fort George."
Small wonder that at this time there were
less than two hundred Americans west of the
Rockies. And Canadian law, by act of par-
liament, was extended throughout the region
of the Columbia. Theoretically it was joint
occupation ; practically British monopoly. So
late as 1844 the British and Foreign Review
said, brutally : "The interests of the company
are of course adverse to colonization.* * *
The fur trade has been hitherto the only chan-
nel for the advantageous investments of capital
in those regions."
Truly the Hudson's Bay Company had
adopted a policy of "multiplication, division
and silence." Because meat and beef conduced
to pastoral settlements, so late as 1836, the
company opposed the introduction of catttle.
One of the missionaries stationed at Moose
Factory has written this : "A plan which I had
devised for educating and training to some ac-
quaintance with agriculture native children,
was disallowed. * * * A proposal made
for forming a small Indian village near Moose
Factory was not acceded to ; and instead, per-
mission only given to attempt the location of
one or two old men, no longer fit for engaging
in the chase, it being carefully and distinctly
stated, by Sir George Simpson, that the com-
pany would not give them even a spade toward
commencing this mode of life."
In 1S36 when Dr. Marcus Whitman and his
party were entering Oregon. J. K. Townsend.
a naturalist sent from Philadelphia to collect
GENERAL HISTORY.
23
specimens of fauna and flora, said to him at
Walla Walla : "The company will be glad to
have you in the country, and your influence to
improve their servants and their native wives
and children. As to the Indians you have
come to teach they do not want them to be any
more enlightened. The company now have
absolute control over them, and that is all
they require."
And right here is the crux of the differences
between the United States and England con-
cerning the territory of Oregon. It was the
aim of the former to develop, improve and civil-
ize the country ; it was the expressed determina-
tion of the latter to keep it in darkness and sav-
agery. For in North America the Hudson's
Bay Company was England and English states-
men were under the complete domination of
this company's abject commercialism. It has
pleased modern English writers to describe
Americans as "a nation of shop-keepers." But
throughout the whole Oregon controversy the
United States stood for progress and civili-
zation: England for the long night of ignor-
ance and barbarism — for profit. Summed up
bv Mr. Barrows the relations to Oregon of the
two countries were as follows :
"The Americans struck Oregon just where
the English failed, in the line of settlements
and civilization. One carried in the single man
and the other the family; one, his traps and
snares, the other his seed wheat and oats and
potatoes; one counted his muskrat nests, and
the other his hills of corn ; one shot an Indian
for killing a wild animal out of season; and
the other paid bounty on the wolf and bear;
one took his newspaper from the dog-mail
twenty-four or thirty-six months from date,
and the other carried in the printing press ; one
hunted and traded for what he could carry out
of the country, the other planted and builded
for what he could leave in it for his children.
In short the English trader ran his birch and
batteaux up the streams and around the lakes to
bring out furs and peltries, while the American
immigrant hauled in with his rude wagon, the
nineteenth century and came back loaded with
Oregon for the American union."
In 1840 the flow of American immigration
into Oregon, especially the missionaries, Lee,
Whitman and Parker, alarmed the Hudson's
Bay Company. It strenuously opposed the
advent of wagons and carriages. Immigrants
were lied to at Fort Hall ; were told that it
would be impossible to proceed farther on
wheels. It is recorded that on this account
many of them reached Dr. Whitman's mission
in a deplorably destitute condition. But all the
artifices of the company could not check the
hegira from the east. It is reserved for an-
other chapter to relate the experiences of these
pioneers. We have to do here, mainly, with the
final settlement of the great "Oregon Ques-
tion" between England and the United States
— the political struggle for sovereignty.
In 1843 Sir George Simpson, governor of
the Hudson's Bay Company, who had made a
tour of the continent, challenged us in these
words : "The United States will never possess
more than a nominal jurisdiction, nor long
possess even that, on the west side of the Rocky
Mountains. And supposing the country to be
divided tomorrow to the entire satisfaction of
the most unscrupulous patriot in the union, I
challenge congress to bring my prediction and
its power to the test by imposing the Atlantic
tariff on the ports of the Pacific."
Thus the great international question of
tariff was brought into the Oregon Contro-
versy. But we must not jump to the conclusion
that Sir George was without some foundation
for his vaporous remarks. At that time the
Hudson's Bay Company had twenty-three posts
and five trading stations in the northwe-t : it
had absorbed ten rival companies, not leaving
one American or Russian, and had been the
means of putting to rout seven immigrant ex-
peditions seeking homes in Oregon.
The Oregon boundary question was still in
dispute. But those Americans familiar with
24
GENERAL HISTORY.
the subject were destined to temporary disap-
pointment. In 1827 it had been referred,
through a convention, to the King of the
Netherlands as arbiter. Both parties to the dis-
pute had rejected his decision in 183 1. Five
efforts had been made to adjust the boundary
by President Jackson, and five failures had re-
sulted. The administration of President Van
Buren closed with the matter still unsettled. In
1842 Lord Ashburton came from London to
negotiate a boundary treaty with Daniel Web-
ster, secretary of state. A certain boundary
treaty was negotiated, August 9, 1842, the two
ministers signed it; it was ratified by the sen-
ate on the 25th; by the Queen soon after, pro-
claimed on November 10, 1842 — and the Ore-
gon boundary was not in it. Nothing official
whatever alluding to Oregon was found there-
in. The only boundary touched was one "be-
ginning at the monument at the source of the
river St. Croix," terminating at the Rocky
Mountains on the forty-seventh parallel. Little
wonder that sectional feeling developed in the
far west.
Dr. Marcus Whitman, whose connection
with the "Oregon Question" is treated in an-
other chapter, had arrived in Washington too
late for any effectual pleas for consideration of
the matter in the treaty just signed. Still, as
Mr. Barrows says, "The pressure of Oregon
into the Ashburton treaty would probably have
done one of three things, prevented the treaty
altogether, excluded the United States from
Oregon, or produced a war. Delay and ap-
parent defeat were the basis of our real success,
and the great work of Marcus Whitman, by
his timely presence at Washington, was in
making the success sure."
With Oregon left out the Ashburton treaty
had been ratified. The outlook was, indeed,
gloomy. As a reflex of the insiduous teachings
of the Hudson's Bay Company the following
extract from a speech delivered by Mr.
McDuffie in the United States senate is inter-
esting:. He said :
What is the character of this country? Why, as
I understand it, that seven hundred miles this side of
the Rocky Mountains is uninhabitable, where rain
scarcely ever falls — a barren and sandy soil — mountains
totally impassable except in certain parts, where there
were gaps or depressions, to be reached only by going
some hundreds of miles out of the direct course. Well,
now, what are we going to do in a case like this?
How are you going to apply steam? Have you made
anything like an estimate of the cost of a railroad run-
ning from here to the mouth of the Columbia? Why,
the wealth of the Indies would be insufficient. You
would have to tunnel through mountains five or six
hundred miles in extent. * * * Of what use will
this be for agricultural purposes? I would not, for that
purpose, give a pinch of snuff for the whole territory.
I wish it was an impassable barrier to secure us against
the intrusion of others. * * * If there was an em-
bankment of even five feet to be removed, I would not
consent to expend five dollars to remove that embank-
ment to enable our population to go there. I thank
God for his mercy in placing the Rocky Mountains
there.
At the time this speech was being delivered
Dr. Marcus Whitman was on his way from
Oregon with "the facts in the case," informa-
tion destined to shed a flood of intelligence on
a rather benighted congress. And, in reality,
our country was rapidly nearing the end of this
interminable controversy. An area of terri-
tory sixty-three times the size of Massachusetts
and four times as large as Great Britain and
Ireland was about to come under the protecting
aegis of the United States government. The
Hudson's Bay Company had declared, through
its emissaries, that a wagon trip to Oregon was
an impossibility. The same sentiment had been
voiced in the United States senate. It remained
for Dr. Whitman to prove the falsity of such an
audacious statement. He led a party of two
hundred wagons through to his mission on the
mouth of the Columbia, arriving in October.
1843. And this, too, against vigorous opposi-
tion from the Hudson's Bay Company, at Fort
Hall. Then the people began to manifest a
lively interest in the question. This interest had
been stimulated in December, 1842, by a mes-
sage from President Tyler, in which he said :
"The tide of population which has reclaimed
what was so latelv an unbroken wilderness in
GENERAL HISTORY.
25
more contiguous regions, is preparing to flow
over those vast districts which stretch from the
Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. In ad-
vance of the acquirements of individual rights
sound policy dictates that every effort should
be resorted to by the two governments to settle
their respective claims." January 8, 1843, con "
gress received news that Dr. Whitman had
made good his claim, and reached his destina-
tion, with wagons, in Oregon. Party spirit,
for there were two parties to the Oregon Con-
troversy, aside from the British, ran high. Dr.
Winthrop said: "For myself, certainly, I be-
lieve that we have as good a title to the whole
twelve degrees of latitude," i. e., up to 54 de-
grees 40 minutes. Senator Thomas Benton
voiced the prevailing sentiment of the time in
these words : "Let the emigrants go on and
carry their rifles. We want thirty thousand
rifles in the valley of the Oregon; they will
make all quiet there, in the event of a war with
Great Britain for the dominion of that coun-
try. The war, if it come, will not be topical :
it will not be confined to Oregon, but will em-
brace the possessions of the two powers
throughout the globe. Thirty thousand rifles on
the Oregon will anihilate the Hudson's Bay
Company and drive them off our continent and
quiet the Indians."
Rufus Choate spoke for peace. He was
followed by pacificatory utterances from others.
Still, there was sufficient vitality in the "Fifty-
four forty or fight" to elect President Polk on
such a campaign issue. The population of Ore-
gon at the close of 1844 was estimated by Mr.
Greenhow at more than three thousand. The
Indian agent for the government. Mr. White,
placed it at about four thousand; Mr. Hines
said: "In 1845 it increased to nearly three
thousand souls, with some two thousand to
three thousand head of cattle." The west was
warm with zeal and anticipation. In the house
of representatives Mr. Owen, of Indiana, said :
"Oregon is our land of promise. Oregon is our
land of destination. 'The finger of nature' —
such were once the words of the gentleman
from Massachusetts (J. Q. Adams) in regard
to this country, — 'points that way;' two
thousand Americans are already dwelling in
her valleys, five thousand more * * * will
have crossed the mountains before another year
rolls round." It was the opinion of the senator
from Illinois, Mr. Semple, that ten thousand
would cross the Rocky Mountains the follow-
ing year.
At last a re-ohuion was introduced in con-
gresss "affirming Oregon to be part and parcel
of the territory of the United States from 42
degrees to 54 degrees, 40 minutes, and that
notice should be given at once to terminate the
joint occupation of it." It was held on the floor
of the house that "no doubts now remain in
the minds of American statesmen that the gov-
ernment of the United States held a clear and
unquestionable title to the whole of the Oregon
territory."
In the region at this time the Hudson's Bay
Company had about thirty "trading posts."
Really they were forts and powerful auxiliaries
to an internecine war. Seven thousand citizens
of the United States were in the same country.
The question of another war with England had
become a live and important issue. To have
stood solidly for 54 degrees, 40 minutes, would
have meant war. and as one gentleman ex-
pressed it, "a war that might have given the
whole of Oregon to England and Canada to the
United States." During forty days the ques-
tion of giving notice to England of discontinu-
ance of joint occupancy was discussed in the
house. It was carried by a vote of one hun-
dred and sixty-three to fifty-four. The
struggle in the senate was longer. An
idea of the engrosoing nature of the
Oregon topic may be gleaned from the
fact that three score bills and resolutions were
kept in abeyance on the calendar for future ac-
tion. Daniel Webster prophesied that war
would not result: that the incident would be
closed by compromise and that the compromise
26
GENERAL HISTORY.
would be on the boundary line of the forty-
ninth parallel. The attitude of the two coun-
tries was this : We had offered forty-nine de-
grees from the mountains to the Pacific ocean,
not once, but several times; England had of-
fered forty-nine degrees from the mountains to
the Columbia, and by that stream to the sea. A
comparatively narrow triangle of land only lay
between the demands of England and conces-
sions of the United States. Most excellent
grounds for a compromise. April 23, 1846,
the notice passed the house by a vote of forty-
two to ten, with important amendments strong-
ly suggestive to both governments to adjust
all differences amicably. No one longer feared
war.
From the point on the forty-ninth parallel of north
latitude where the boundry laid down in existing
treaties and conventions between the United States and
Great Britian terminates, the line of boundary between
the territories of the United States and those of her
Britannic Majesty shall be continued westward along
said forty-ninth parallel of north latitude to the middle
of the channel which separates the continent from Van-
couver's Island, and thence southerly through the mid-
dle of the said channel, and of Fucca's Strait, to the
Pacific ocean : Provided, however, that the navigation
of the whole of the said channel and straits south of
the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude, remain free
and open to both parties.
Thus reads the first article of the final
boundary treaty between England and the Uni-
ted States, so far as concerns Oregon. But to
mould it into this form and sign the same, fifty-
four years, two months and six days had been
required by the two countries. On July 17,
1846, the document, previously ratified, was
exchanged in London between the two govern-
ments. But Captain Robert Gray, of Boston,
had discovered the Columbia river May 11,
1792, and fully established a United States
title to the country which it drains. It re-
mained yet for a boundary commission, in
1857, to run the line. The first meeting of the
commission was held July 27, of the same
year.
CHAPTER IV.
TRAGEDY OF WHITMANS' MISSION.
"Who will respond to go beyond the Rocky
Mountains and carry the Book of Heaven?"
This was the startling question asked by
President Fisk, of Wilbraham College. It was
an editorial inquiry published in the Christian
Advocate in March, 1833. Yet this ringing
call for spiritual assistance was not initiative
on the part of President Fisk. A Macedonian
cry had been voiced by four Flathead Indians,
of the tribe of Nez Perces, or Pierced-noses.
They had come down to St. Louis from the
headwaters of the Columbia, the Snake, Lewis
or Clarke's rivers, far to westward of the
Rocky Mountains. They were strangers in a
strange land; almost as singular in dress,
speech and accoutrements to the citizens of St.
Louis as would be visitors to us from the
planet Mars. Yet in their distant teepees
among the western foothills of the Rockies,
these four chiefs had heard of the "White
Man's Book" from eager, pushing, tireless and
resourceful pioneers who had followed the trail
made by Lewis and Clarke. Alone and un-
assisted by government appropriation, they
had followed the same course down the Mis-
souri and the Father of Waters three thousand
GENERAL HISTORY.
27
miles to St. Louis. This was in 1832. The
peculiar mission of these Indians was the open-
ing act of the Whitman tragedy. Mr. Barrows
says : "The massacre ran riot through eight
days, and Dr. Marcus Whitman and wife, of
the American Board, and thirteen or more as-
sociates, were savagely killed on the 29th of
November, 1847, an< 3 days following. It was
the bloody baptism of Oregon, by the like of
which the most of the American states have
come to form the union."
At the period of the arrival of these four
Nez Perce chiefs Indians were not an uncom-
mon sight in St. Louis. At certain seasons the
suburbs of the city were fringed with teepees
and wickiups. So, at first, but little attention
was paid to them, otherwise than to note their
strange dress and unknown dialect. It is not
difficult to gather how they had learned of the
White Man's Book. Their own rude eloquence
addressed to General William Clarke at part-
ing conveys this information. After a long
time passed in the city, after two of them had
gone to the happy hunting ground, the survi-
vors made their desires known, and it appears
their request was, perforce, denied. Transla-
tion of the Bible into an Indian dialect is not
the work of a few days or months. The two
remaining Indians decided to return home;
their mission a failure. The pathos of their
complaint is in the spirit, if not the words, of
one of the chiefs in his farewell speech to Gen-
eral Clarke :
"I come to you over a trail of many moons
from the setting sun. You were the friend of
my fathers who have all gone the long way.
I come with one eye partly opened, for more
light for my people who sit in darkness. I go
back with both eyes closed. How can I go
back blind to my blind people? I made my
way to you with strong arms, tjirough many
enemies and strange lands, that I might carry
back much to them. I go back with both arms
broken and empty. The two fathers who came
with us — the braves of main- winters and wars
— we leave here by your great waters and wig-
wam. They were tired in many moons and
their moccasins wore out. My people sent me
to get the White Man's Book of Heaven. You
took me to where you allow your women to
dance, as we do not ours, and the Book was not
there. You took me to where they worshipped
the great spirit with candles, and the Book was
not there. You shewed me the images of good
spirits and pictures of the good land beyond,
but the Book was not amnog them to tell us
the way. I am going back the long, sad trail
to my people of the dark land. You make my
feet heavy with burdens of gifts, and my moc-
casins will grow old in carrying them, but the
Book is not among them. When I tell my
poor, blind people, after one more snow, in the
big council, that I did not bring the Book, no
word will be spoken by our old men or by our
young braves. One by one they will rise up
and go out in silence. My people will die in
darkness, and they will go on the long path to
the other hunting grounds. No white man
will go with them and no White Man's Book
to make the way plain. I have no more
words."
Of this utter failure to secure a copy of the
Bible, Mr. Barrows says, pertinently :
"In what was then a Roman Catholic city
it was not easy to do this, and officers only were
met. It has not been the policy or practice of
that church to give the Bible to the people,
whether Christian or pagan. They have not
thought it wise or right. Probably no Chris-
tian enterprises in all the centuries have shown
more self-sacrificing heroism, foreseen suffer-
ing and intense religious devotion than the la-
borers of that church, from 1520, to give its
type of Christianity to the natives of North
America. But it was oral, ceremonial and pic-
torial. In the best of their judgment, and in
the depths of their convictions, they did not
think it best to ruduce native tongues to writ-
ten languages and the Scriptures to the vernac-
ular of any tribe."
28
GENERAL HISTORY.
But the eloquence of this speech had fallen
on appreciative ears. A young clerk in Gen-
eral's Clarke's office, who had heard the sad
plaint of the chief, wrote to George Catlin, in
Pittsburg, historian and painter, an account of
the scene. Thereafter events moved rapidly;
the seed was sown and the harvest was about
to be fulfilled. One Indian only lived to return
to his people, without the Book, but it cannot
be said that his mission was a failure. The edi-
torial appeal of President Fisk produced re-
sults. Measures were at once taken by the
American Board of Commissioners for For-
eign Missions, and the Methodist Board of
Missions to send missionaries to Oregon.
Revs. Jason and David Lee were pioneers in
this scriptural crusade. They went under ap-
pointment of the Methodist Board. They were
followed the next year by Revs. Samuel Par-
ker and Marcus Whitman, M. D., sent by the
American Board of Commissioners. In the
summer of 1835 the latter arrived at the Amer-
ican rendezvous on Green river. Accompanied
by a body of Nez Perces, from which people
the four chiefs had gone to St. Louis, Rev.
Mr. Parker went to Walla Walla and on to
Vancouver. And with him he carried the
"Book." Dr. Whitman returned to the states
the same fall, married Narcissa Prentice, and
organized an outfit with which he returned,
•with his bride, to Oregon, arriving at Walla
Walla in September, 1836.
The question as to whether or no Dr. Whit-
man "saved Oregon to the United States" will
remain forever a question of casuistry. Events
might have shaped themselves as they subse-
quently did, had Whitman not made his long
midwinter ride to Washington, D. C. to lay
his facts and fears before the president. Every-
thing might have resulted in the retention by
the United States of all of Oregon south of the
49th parallel, had no warning cry come from
the far northwest, a culverin shot announcing
the attempt of England to seize the country,
not only by force of majority colonization, but
through artifices of the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany. At a dinner in Waiilatpu, attended by
Dr. Whitman, news was received that a colony
of English, one hundred and forty strong, were
then near Fort Colville, three- hundred and fifty
miles up the Columbia. A young priest leaped
to his feet, threw his cap into the air and cried :
"Hurrah for Oregon ! America is too late
and we have got the country!"
This is but one of the many significant
signs witnessed by Whitman. He was a man
of foresight : he had seen and realized the
wealth, position and future possibilities of Ore-
gon as had no other American at that period.
And he rode on to Washington and told his
story. It will be read in the preceding chapter
that not until he had done so did the American
congress act. Of the personality of Dr. Whit-
man one who knew him contributes the follow-
ing picture :
"Marcus Whitman once seen, and in our
family circle, telling of his one business — he had
but one — was a man not to be forgotten by the
writer. He was of medium height, more com-
pact than spare, a stout shoulder, and large
head not much above it, covered with stiff,
iron gray hair, while his face carried all the
moustache and whiskers that four months had
beeen able to put on it. He carried himself
awkardly, though perhaps courteously enough
for trappers, Indians, mules and grizzlies, his
principal company for six years. He seemed
built as a man for whom more stock had been
furnished than worked in symmetrically and
gracefully. There was nothing peculiarly
quick in his motion or speech, and no trace of a
fanatic ; but under control of a thorough
knowledge of his business, and with deep, ar-
dent convictions about it, he was a profound
enthusiast. A willful resolution and a tena-
cious earnestness would impress you as making
the man."
Sordid motives have been attributed to Dr.
Whitman's efforts in behalf of Oreg'on. One
writer has assumed that his sole object was to
GENERAL HISTORY.
29
secure continuance of his little mission at
Waiilatpu. But there is abundance of evidence
that his ideas were of broader scope than this.
Let it be noted that efforts to depreciate Whit-
man suddenly ceased as late as 1891. That
year there was found in the archives of Wash-
ington, D. C, a letter from him proposing a
bill for a line of forts from the Kansas river to
the Willamette. In the Walla Walla Union-
Journal of August 15, 1891, the letter was first
published. It has been reproduced in Dr. O.
W. Nixon's work, "How Marcus Whitman
Saved Oregon :"
To the Hon. James W. Porter, Secretary of War:
Sir: — In compliance with the request you did me the
honor to make last winter while at Washington, I
herewith transmit to you the synopsis of a bill, which,
if it could be adopted, would, according to my exper-
ience and observation, prove highly conducive to the best
interests of the United States generally ; to Oregon,
where I have resided for more than seven years as a
missionary, and to the Indian tribes that inhabit the
intermediate country.
The government will doubtless for the first time
be apprised through you, and by means of this communi-
cation, of the immense migration of families to Oregon,
which has taken place this year. I have, since our in-
terview, been instrumental in piloting across the route
described, in the accompanying bill, and which is the
only eligible wagon road, no less than fam-
ilies, consisting of one thousand persons of both sexes,
with their wagons, amounting in all to one hundred and
twenty-six ; six hundred and ninety-four oxen and
seven hundred and seventv-three loose cattle.
Your familiarity with the government's policy,
duties and interests, render it unnecessary for me to
more than hint at the several objects intended by the en-
closed bill, and any enlargements upon the topics here
suggested as inducements to its adoption, would be quite
superflous, if not impertinent. The very existence of
such a system as the one above recommended suggests
the utility of postoffices and mail arrangement-, which
it is the wish of all who now live in Oregon to have
granted them, and I need only add that the contracts
for this purpose will be readily taken at reasonable rates
for transporting the mail across from Missouri to the
mouth of the Columbia in forty day-, with fresh horses
at each of the contemplated posts. The ruling policy
proposed, regards the Indians as the police of the
country, who are to be relied upon to keep the peace,
not only for themselves, but to repel lawless white men
and prevent banditti, under the solitary guidance of the
superintendent of the several post-, aided by a well-
directed system to induce the punishment of crimes.
It will only be after the failure of these means to pro-
cure the delivery or punishment of violent, lawless and
savage acts of aggression, that a band or tribe should
be regarded as conspirators against the peace, or pun-
ished accordingly by force of arms.
Hoping that these suggestions may meet your ap-
probation, and conduce to the future interests of our
growing country, I have the honor to be, Honorable
sir, your obedient servant,
.MARCUS WHITMAN.
Certainly it is reasoning from slender, un-
substantial premises to assert that the great in-
fluence exerted upon President Tyler and Sec-
retary W'ebster by Whitman was founded on
so slight a pretext as saving to him, personally,
the humble mission at Waiilatpu. Whitman
must have been a man with "an idea," larger
than that to have commanded respect from the
ablest statesmen of his day ; to have crystalized
public sentiment into a desire for the whole of
Oregon ; to have smelted patriotism into the
heraldic proclamation of defiance to England,
"Fifty-four forty or fight."
If Whitman were purely selfish, why should
he have announced his intention, in 1843, °f
personally conducting a large train across the
mountains? Security of his mission did not
depend on this. On the contrary the advance
of civilization, with attendant churches, would
tend to do away entirely with missions to the
Indians.
As we approach the melancholy close of Dr.
Whitman's varied career as explorer, mission-
ary and statesman, one can not fail to be im-
pressed with a feeling that less devotion to a
patriotic sense of duty would have conduced to
his personal safety. Two antagonists were ar-
rayed against him and his political, as well as
his spiritual, plans ; primarily the Hudson's Bay
Company, and the Indians, indirectly influ-
enced by the same commercial corporation. The
policy of the company was to keep the country
in the condition of a vast game preserve for the
purpose of breeding fur-bearing animals.
Naturally this pleased the Indians. It was di-
rectly in line with their mode of life. The pol-
3°
GENERAL HISTORY.
icy of American colonization was smybolized
by the axe and the plow; complete demolition
of profitable hunting grounds. And of this
latter policy Dr. Whitman was high priest and
propagandist.
Since the discovery of America Indian wars
have been like
"Freedom's battle, once begun,
Bequeathed by bleeding sire to son."
In a letter written by- Washington to Jay,
in 1794, the first president says: "There does
not remain a doubt in the mind of any well-
informed person in this country, not shut
against conviction, that all the difficulties we
encounter with the Indians, their hostilities, the
murders of helpless women and innocent chil-
dren along our frontiers, result from the con-
duct of the agents of Great Britain in this
country." Historical justice demands, how-
ever, that we assign the primary cause of the
Whitman massacre to the entagling circum-
stances of the Indians on the Columbia, under
two rival peoples and conflicting policies. Also
the general character of the Indians as uncivil-
ized and superstitious, must be duly considered.
Before the tragedy, as since, many Americans
were cruel, deceitful and aggressive in their
treatment of the unsophisticated savage. Those
who have philosophically watched the trend of
current events in the past twenty-five years need
not be told that more than one Indian outbreak
can be directly traced to low cupidity and
peculation among our government officials. To
a certain extent this cruelty and deception had
been practiced upon the Indians by lawless
white men prior to the Whitman massacre. To-
day we can not come into court with clean
hands for the purpose of accusing the English
pioneers of Oregon. If their policy was one
designed to check the march of western civili-
zation, it was certainly devoid of the sometimes
Satanic cruelty shown by Americans towards
the Indians.
We now come to the savagfe details of the
Whitman tragedy and the immediate cause of
the outbreak. Undoubtedly this will be found
to lie in the innate superstition of the savage,
educated or. uneducated. Following the return
of Whitman from Washington, in 1843, tne In-
dians in the vicinity of the mission at Waiilatpu
were restless and insurbordinate. There is evi-
dence that at this period Whitman scented dan-
ger. He contemplated removal to The Dalles
for safety, and had even gone so far as to ar-
range for the purchase of the Methodist Mis-
sion at that point. Two personal enemies were
arrayed against him ; Tamsuky, a Cayuse chief,
and Joe Lewis. The latter, was a sullen, re-
vengeful half-breed, one who had wandered to
the mission, been befriended by the doctor, and
secretly became the head center of a murderous
plot.
Measles became epidemic among the In-
dians during the summer of 1847, introduced
among the Cayuse tribe by immigrants. It was
Indian medical practice to treat all fevers by
placing the patient in a sweat-house, followed
by a bath in ice-cold water. Under, such ig-
norant ministrations many of the patients, of
course, expired. They died, too, under the
medical attendance of Dr. Whitman, whose ut-
most vigilance could not save his patients from
the sweat-house and the fatal douche. It was
at this critical period that the treacherous Lewis
circulated reports that the doctor was poison-
ing instead of healing his patients. Lewis af-
firmed that he had overheard Whitman and
Spalding plotting to obtain possession of the
country. It was finally decided by some of the
influential chiefs of the tribe to demand of Dr.
Whitman a test case of his professional skill.
An Indian woman afflicted with the measles
was given in his charge. The terrible alterna-
tive, secretly decided upon, was this : Should
the woman recover, all would be peace : should
she die the Indians were to kill all the mission-
aries.
Of this direful plot Whitman was apprised
by Istikus. a Umatilla friend. The doctor
GENERAL HISTORY.
3i
treated the story with levity. Not so Mrs.
Whitman. With the sensitive intuition of
woman, she fully comprehended the dread sig-
nificance of Istikus' story, and, though intrepid
by nature, the heroine of a dangerous pioneer
journey across the continent, she became
alarmed, and was in tears for the first time since
the death of her child eight years before. Dr.
Whitman reassured her the best he could, and
renewed his promise to move down the river.
It was too late. On the fatal 29th of Novem-
ber, 1847, great numbers of Tamsuky's adher-
ents were in the vicinity of Waiilatpu. Their
sinister presence added to the alarm of Mrs.
Whitman. Survivors of the massacre said
that the hills were black with Indians looking
down upon the scene. About one o'clock in the
afternoon of the 29th, while Dr. Whitman was
reading, a number of Indians entered his room,
and, having attracted his attention, one of them,
said to have been Tamchas, buried his hatchet
in the head of his benefactor. Another savage,
Telaukait, one who had received nothing but
kindness, beat the face to a pulp. Bloody work,
thus began, was speedily followed with relent-
less brutality. None of the white men, scat-
tered and unsuspecting, could offer adequate
assistance. They were quickly shot down with
the exception of such as were remote. Five
men escaped. After incredible suffering they
finally reached a place of safety. Mrs. Whit-
man was the only woman who suffered death.
Other women were outraged, and children, boys
and girls, held in captivity several days. Will-
iam McBean, the Hudson's Bay Company's
agent, at Fort Walla Walla, refused to harbor
Mr. Hall, who had escaped as far as the fort,
and he subsequently perished. A courier was
despatched by McBean to Vancouver, but this
man did not even warn the people at The Dalles
of danger. Happily they were unmolested. So
soon as James Douglas, then chief factor in the
place of Dr. Whitman, heard of the massacre,
he sent Peter Skeen Ogden, with a force, to
rescue the survivors. Osrden exhibited a com-
mendable zeal and efficiency, and by the expen-
diture of several hundred dollars, ransomed
forty-seven women and children.
Following are the names of the victims of
this outbreak; the people slaughtered during
the eight days of murderous riot: Marcus
Whitman, Narcissa Whitman, John Sager,
Francis Sager, Crockett Brewley, Isaac Gillen,
James Young and Rogers, Kimball, Sales,
Marsh, Saunders, Hoffman and Hall. After-
wards there was found on the site of the massa-
cre a lock of long, fair hair, which was, un-
doubtedly taken from the head of Mrs. Whit-
man. Among the relics of this tragedy, in
Whitman College, it is now preserved. An ac-
count of the escape of Mr. Osborne was pub-
lished a number of years ago. It is a graphic
description of the horrors of the event, and
from it we take the following extracts :
As the guns fired and the yells commenced I
leaned my head upon the bed and committed myself and
family to my maker. My wife removed the loose floor.
I dropped under the floor with my sick family in their
night clothes, taking only two woolen sheets, a piece
of bread and some cold mush, and pulled the floor over
us. In five minutes the room was full of Indians, but
they did not discover us. The roar of guns, the yells
of the savages, and the crash of clubs and knives, and
the groans of the dying continued until dark. We
distinctly heard the dying groans of Mrs. Whitman,
Mr. Rogers and Francis, till they died away one after
the other. We heard the last words of Mr. Rogers in
a slow voice, calling, "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly."
Soon after this I removed the floor and we went out.
We saw the white face of Francis by the door. It was
warm, as we laid our hand upon it, but he was dead.
I carried my two youngest children, who wi re sick, and
mr wife held on to my clothes in her great weakness.
We had all been sick with measles. Two infants had
died. She had not left her bed for six weeks till that
day, when she stood up a few minutes. The naked,
painted Indians were dancing a scalp dance around a
large fire at a little distance. There seemed no hope
for us and we knew not which way to go, but bent
our steps toward Fort Walla Walla. A dense, cold
fog shut out every -t;ir and the darl -implete.
We could see no trail and not even the hand before the
face. We had to feel out the trail with our feet. My
wife almost fainted, but staggered along. Mill Creek,
which we had to wade, was high with late rains and
came up to the waist. My wife in her great weakness
came night washing down, but held to my clothes. I
3 2
GENERAL HISTORY.
braced myself with a stick, holding a child in one arm.
I had to cross five times for the children. The water
was icy cold and the air freezing some. Staggering
along about two miles Mrs. Osborne fainted and could
go no further, and we hid ourselves in the brush of
the Walla Walla river, not far below the lodges of
Tamsuky, a chief who was very active at the commence-
ment of the butchery. We were thoroughly wet, and the
cold, fog-like snow was about us. The cold mud was
partially frozen as we crawled, feeling our way into the
dark brush. We could see nothing the darkness was so
extreme. I spread one wet sheet down on the frozen
ground; wife and children crouched upon it. I covered
the other over them. I thought they must soon perish
as they were shaking and their teeth rattling with cold.
I kneeled down and commended us to our Maker. The
day finally dawned and I could see Indians riding
furiously up and down the trail. Sometimes they would
come close to the brush and our blood would warm and
the shaking would stop from fear for a moment. The
day seemed a week. I expected every moment my wife
would breathe her last. Tuesday night we felt our way
to the trail and staggered along to Sutucks Nima
(Dog Creek), which we waded as we did the other
creek, and kept on about two miles, when my wife
fainted and could go no farther. Crawled into the
brush and frozen mud to shake and suffer on from
hunger and cold, and without sleep. The children, too,
wet and cold, called incessantly for food, but the shock
of groans and yells at first so frightened them that they
did not speak loud. Wednesday night wife was too
weak to stand. I took our second child and started for
Walla Walla; had to wade the Touchet; stopped fre-
quently in the brush from weakness; had not recovered
from measles. Heard a horseman pass and repass as
I lay concealed in the willows. Have since learned it
was Mr. Spalding. Reached Fort Walla Walla after
daylight ; begged Mr. McBean for horses to go to my
family, for food, blankets and clothing to take to them,
and to take care of my child till I could bring my
family in should I live to find them alive. Mr. McBean
told me I could not bring my family to his fort. Mr.
Hall came in on Monday night, but he could not
have an American in his fort, and he had him put over
the Columbia river; that he could not let me have
horeses or anything for my wife or children, and I must
go on to Umatilla. I insisted on bringing my family to
the fort, but he refused ; said he would not let us in.
I next begged the priest to show pity, as my wife and
children must perish and the Indians, undoubtedly, kill
me, but with no success.
There were many priests at the fort. Mr. McBean
gave me breakfast but I saved most of it for my family.
Providentially Mr. Stanley, an artist, came in from
Colville, and narrowly escaped the Indians by telling
them he was "Alain," H. B., meaning that his name
was Alain and that he was a Hudson's Bay Company
employe. He let me have his two horses, some food
he had left from Revs. Ellis' and Walker's mission ;
also a cap, a pair of socks, a shirt and handkerchief,
and Mr. McBean furnished an Indian who proved most
faithful, and Thursday night we started back, taking my
child, but with a sad heart that I could not find mercy
at the hands of God. The Indian guided me in the thick
darkness to where I supposed I had left my dear wife
and children. We could see nothing and dared not call
aloud. Daylight came and I was exposed to Indians, but
we continued to search till I was about to give up in
despair, when the Indian discovered one of the twigs I
had broken as a guide in coming out to the trail. Follow-
ing this he soon found my wife and children still alive.
I distributed what little food and clothing I had and we
started for the Umatilla, the guide leading the way
to a ford.
Mr. Osborne and family went to William-
ette Valley where they lived many years, as
honored members of the community, though
Mrs. Osborne never entirely regained her
health from the dreadful experiences incident
to the massacre and escape.
The most ingenious casuisty will fail to
palliate the heartlessness of Mr. McBean. At
the present day when charity, chivalry, nay,
self-sacrifice to aid the suffering meet with
heartiest approval from nearly all civilized na-
tions, it is difficult to conceive of such base mo-
tives as appear to have actuated him. That he
reflected the baser qualities of the Hudson's
Bay Company's policy, no one can reasonably
deny. It seemed necessary to him to show the
Indians that so far from reproving their con-
duct the representative of the company was in
sympathy, if not in actual collusion with the
savage conspirators. McBean's attitude on this
occasion stands forth as one of the darkest
chapters in the history of the Hudson's Bay
Company's "joint occupancy" with Americans
of the territory of Oregon.
If further proof were wanted of the appar-
ent understanding between the Indians and the
company the case of the artist who gave his
name as "Alain," representing himself as con-
nected with the interests of the Hudson's Bay
Company is before us. Refusal of assistance to
Mr. Osborne by the priests at Fort Walla Walla
is readily understood. Their tenure of spiritual
office was dependent on the company. Their
GENERAL HISTORY.
33
heartless action was not based on theological
antagonism. No difference of creed entered
into the matter. They were guided simply by
personal interest; they were but another form
of the abject creatures to which the Hudson's
Bay Company sought to reduce all their de-
pendents. But in the annals of American his-
tory there is no more pathetic recital than the
story of Osborne's and Hall's rejection at the
English fort to which they had fled for shelter.
A less distressing case of a few weeks later
is presented in the following extract from
some reminiscences of Mrs. Catherine Pringle,
formerly of Colfax. Mrs. Pringle was one of
the Sager children, adopted by Doctor and Mrs.
Whitman. The story of the "Christmas din-
ner" which follows was given by her to the
Commoner, of Colfax, in 1893:
The Christmas of 1847 was celebrated in the midst
of an Indian village where the American families who
kept the day were hostages, whose lives were in constant
danger. There is something tragically humorous about
that Christmas, and I laugh when I think of some things
that I cried over on that day.
When the survivors moved to the Indian village a
set of guards was placed over us, and those guards were
vagabond savages, in whose charge nobody was safe.
Many times we thought our final hour had come. They
ordered us around like slaves, and kept us busy cook-
ing for them. Whenever we made a dish they compelled
us to eat of it first, for fear there was poison in it.
They kept up a din and noise that deprived us of peace
by day and sleep at night. Some days before Christmas
we complained to the chief of the village who was sup-
posed to be a little generous in our regard, and he gave
us a guard of good Indians under command of one
whom we knew as "Beardy." The latter had been
friendly to Dr. Whitman; he had taken no part in the
massacre, and it was claimed that it was through his
intercession that our lives were spared.
We hailed the coming of Beardy as a providential
thing, and so, when the holiday dawned, the elder folks
resolved to make the children as happy as the means
at hand would allow. Mrs. Sanders had brought across
the plains with her some white flour and some dried
peaches, and these had been brought to our abode in
William Gray's mission. White flour was a luxury and
so were dried peaches then. Mrs. Sanders made white
bread on Christmas morning, and then she made peach
pie. Beardy had been so kind to us that we had to in-
vite him to our Christmas dinner. We had ever so
many pies, it seemed, and Beardy thought he had tasted
nothing so good in all his life. He sat in one corner
of the kitchen and crammed piece after piece of that
dried pie into his mouth. We were determined that he
should have all the pie he wanted, even if some of us
went hungry, because Beardy was a friend on whose
fidelity probably our lives depended.
And so we had our Christmas festival, and we sang
songs and thanked heaven that we were still alive. After
dinner, and about an hour after Beardy went away, we
were thrown into alarm by a series of mad yells and we
heard Indian cries of "Kill them! Tomahawk them!"
A band of savages started to attack the Gray residence,
and we saw them from the windows. Our time had
come and some of us began to pray. The day that
opened with fair promises was about to close in despair.
To our amazement and horror the Indian band was led
by Beardy himself, the Indian we counted on to police us
in just such emergencies. He was clamoring for the
death of all the white women. Fortune favored us at
this critical juncture for just as the Indians were enter-
ing the house messengers arrived from Fort Walla
Walla. The messengers knew Beardy well, and they
advanced on him and inquired the reason for his wild
language.
Me poinsoned !" cried Beardy, "Me Killed. White
squaw poisoned me. Me always white man's friend,
now me enemy. White squaw must die."
That would be a liberal translation of the Indian
words. Then followed a colloquy between Beardy and
the messengers, and from the language used we learned
that Beardy had suffered from an overdose o' American
pie, and not knowing about the pains that lie in wait
after intemperate indulgence even in pie, he rushed to
the conclusion that he had been poisoned. It required
a long time for the messengers to convince Beardy that
they were innocent of any intention to cause him pain,
but that he was simply suffering from the effects of
inordinate indulgence in an indigestible luxury. The
messengers talked Beardy into a reasonable frame of
mind; he called off his horde of savages and peace once
more spread her wings over the William Gray mission.
We were all happy that night — happy that Mrs. Saun-
dres' pie had not been the means of a wholesale
slaughter of white families on Christmas day.
The messengers I speak of brought good new
the fort. Succor was at hand, and on December 29th
we were moved to the fort and started down the river
to The Dalles. January .}. 1848. The Christmas of the
year 1847, as it was celebrated in this territory, offers
something of a contrast to the yuletide merriment in all
the churches and homes to-day.
We have described the Whitman Mission,
Whitman's mid-winter journey, his work for
Oregon and the massacre. It remains to speak
of the Cayuse war which followed as a nat-
ural sequence.
CHAPTER V
THE CAYUSE WAR.
Friends of Mr. McBean have come forward
with an explanation of his treatment of the
refugees from the Waiilatpu massacre. It is
claimed tht his reluctance to do any act which
appeared like befriending Americans was
through fear of the Cayuse Indians and a be-
lief that they were about to begin a war of ex-
termination upon Americans, their friends and
allies. Therefore it would be dangerous to
assist such Americans as were then seeking re-
fuge from massacre, outrage and torture.
It was reserved for Americans, however, to
take the initiative in this war. News of the
Whitman tragedy stirred the hearts of genuine
men ; men in whose veins ran the milk of hu-
man kindness instead of ice-water. On the day
following the massacre Vicar General Brouillet
visited the Waiilatpu mission. He found the
bodies of the victims unburied; he left them
with such hasty interment as was possible, and
soon after met Mr. Spalding whom he warned
against attempting to visit the mission. This
was. indeed, a friendly act on the part of the
Vicar General, for the horrors of this tragedy
did not come to a close on the first day. While
it was safe for Brouillet, in close touch with the
Hudson's Bay Company, to repair to that sad
scene of desolation, it was not considered safe
for any Americans to visit the spot. On Tues-
day Mr. Kimball, who had remained with a
broken arm in Dr. Whitman's house, was shot
and killed. Driven desperate by his own and
the sufferings of three sick children with him,
he had attempted to procure water from a
stream near the house. The same week Mr.
Young and Mr. Bulee were killed. Saturday
the savages completed their fiendish work by
carrying away the young women for wives. Of
the final ransom of the captives F. F. Victor, in
"The River of the West," says :
"Late in the month of December (1847)
there arrived in Oregon City to be delivered to
the governor, sixty-two captives, bought from
the Cayuses and Nez Perces by Hudson Bay
blankets and goods ; and obtained at that price
by Hudson's Bay influence. 'No other power
on earth,' says Joe Meek, the American, 'could
have rescued those prisoners from the hands of
the Indians,' and no man better than Mr. Meek
understood the Indian character or the Hud-
son's Bay Company's power over them."
On December 7, 1847, from Fort Van-
couver, James Douglas sent the following let-
ter to Governor Abernethy :
SIR: — Having received intelligence, last night, by
special express from Walla Walla, of the destruction of
the missionary settlement at Waiilatpu, by the Cayuse
Indians of that place, we hasten to communicate the
particulars of that dreadful event, one of the most
atrocious which darkens the annals of Indian crime.
Our lamented friend, Dr. Whitman, his amiable and
accomplished lady, with nine other persons, have fallen
victims to the fury of these remorseless savages, who
appear to have been instigated to this appalling crime by
a horrible suspicion which had taken possession of their
superstitious minds, in consequence of the number of
deaths from dysentery and measles, that Dr. Whitman
was silently working the destruction of their tribes by
administering poisonous drugs, under the semblance of
salutary medicines.
With a goodness of heart and a benevolence truly
his own, Dr. Whitman had been laboring incessantly
since the appearance of the measles and dysentery
among his Indians converts, to relieve their sufferings ;
and such has been the reward of his generous labors.
A copy of Mr. McBean's letter, herewith trans-
mitted, will give you all the particulars known to us of
this indescribably painful event. Mr. Ogden, with a
strong party, will leave this place as soon as possible
GENERAL HISTORY.
182°
1102
35
for Walla Walla, to endeavor to prevent further evil ;
and we beg to suggest to you the propriety of taking
immediate measures for the protection of the Rev. Mr.
Spalding, who, for the sake of his family, ought to
abandon the Clearwater mission without delay, and re-
tire to a place of safety, as he cannot remain at the
isolated station without imminent risk, in the present
excited and irritable state of the Indian population.
I have the honor to be, sir, your most obedient
servant, JAMES DOUGLAS.
The reception of this letter was followed
by intense excitement among people in the
Wallamet settlement. The governor was au-
thorized to mobilize a company of riflemen, not
exceeding fifty in number, their objective point
being The Dalles, which they were instructed
to garrison and hold until such time as they
could be reinforced. Three commissioners
were chosen to carry out such provisions. The
commissioners addressed a circular letter to the
superintendent of the Methodist Mission, the
"merchants and citizens of Oregon" and the
Hudson's Bay Company. This document is
valuable as explaining existing conditions in
Oregon at that date, December 17, 1847:
Gentlemen : — You are aware that the undersigned
have been charged by the legislature of our provisional
government with the difficult duty of obtaining the
necessary means to obtain full satisfaction of the Cayuse
Indians for the late massacre at Waiilatpu, and to pro-
tect the white population of our common country from
further aggression. In furtherance of this subject they
have deemed it their duty to make immediate application
to the merchants and citizens of the country for the
requisite assistance.
Though clothed with the power to pledge to the
fullest extent the faith and means of the present govern-
ment of Oregon, they do not consider this pledge the
curity to those, who, in this distressing emer-
gency, may extend to the people of this country the
means of protection and redress.
Without claiming any special authority from the
government of the United States to contract a deb) to
be liquidated by that power, yet from all precedents of
like character in the history of our country, the under-
signed feel confident that the United States government
will regard the murder of the late Dr. Whitman and his
lady, as a national wrong, and will fully justify the
people of Oregon in taking active measures to obtain
redress for that outrage, and for their protection from
further aggression.
The right of self defense is tacitly acknowledged
to every body politic in the confederacy to which we
claim to belong, and in every case similar to our own,
within our knowledge, the general government has
promptly assumed the payment of all liabilities growing
out of the measures taken by the constituted authorities
to protect the lives and property of those who reside
within the limits of their districts. If the citizens of
the nates and territories, east of the Rocky Mountains,
are justified in promptly acting in such emergencies, who
are under the immediate protection of the general
government, there appears no room for doubt that the
lawful acts of the Oregon government will receive a
like approval.
Though the Indians of the Columbia have com-
mitted a great outrage upon our fellow citizens passing
through the country, and residing among them, and
their punishment for these murders may, and ought to
be, a prime object with every citizen of Oregon, yet,
as that duty more particularly develops upon the gov-
ernment of the United States, we do not make this the
strongest ground upon which to found our earnest ap-
peal to you for pecuniary assistance. It is a fact well
known to every person acquainted with the Indian
character, that by passing silently over their repeated
thefts, robberies and murders of our fellow citizens, they
have been emboldened to the commission of the ap-
palling massacre at Waiilatpu. They call us women,
destitute of the hearts and courage of men, and if we
allow this wholesale murder to pass by as former ag-
gressions, who can tell how long either life or property-
will be secure in any part of the country, or what
moment the Willamette will be the scene of blood and
carnage
The officers of our provisional government have
nobly performed their duty. None can doubt the readi-
ness of the patriotic sons of the west to offer their
personal services in defense of a cause so righteous.
So it now rests with you, gentlemen, to say whether
. mr rights and our firesides shall be defended or not.
Hoping that none will be found to falter in so high
and so sacred a duty, we beg leave, gentlemen, to sub-
ourselves, *-
Your servants and fellow citizens,
Jesse Applegate,
A. L. Lovejoy,
Geo. L. Curry,
Commissioners.
This patriotic communication produced a
certain effect, though not. perhaps, financially
commensurate with the hopes of its authors.
The amount secured was less than five thousand
dollars, but this sufficed to arm and equip the
first regiment of Oregon riflemen. In the
month of January they proceeded to the Cayuse
countrv.
3$
GENERAL HISTORY.
We are now acquainted with the agency
through which the ransomed missionaries,
their wives and children reached the Willa-
mette valley in safety. Concerning the people
who were brought from Lapwai and Tchirria-
kin, it may be said to the credit of the Indians
that though one band, the Cayuses, were mur-
derers, two bands, the Nez Perces and Spo-
kanes, were saviors. Few narratives are more
thrilling than that relating to Fathers Eells and
Walker, who attended the council of the Spo-
kanes at Tchimakin, which council was to de-
cide whether or no to join the Cayuses. On
their decision hung the lives of the missionaries.
Imagine their emotions as they waited with
bated breath in their humble mission house to
learn the result of the Indians' deliberations.
Hours of animated discussion followed; argu-
ment with the Cayuses emissaries; and finally
the Spokanes announced their conclusions in
these words : "Go and tell the Cayuses that the
missionaries are our friends and we will defend
them with our lives."
The Nez Perces arrrived at the same con-
clusion. Bold though these Cayuses were —
the fiercest warriors of the inland empire —
their hearts must have sunk within them as they
saw that the Umatillas, the Nez Perces and the
Spokanes and, even at that particular period,
the Hudson's Bay Company, were all against
them, and that they must meet the infuriated
whites from the Willamette. The provisional
government had entered upon the work of
equipping fourteen companies of volunteers.
The act of the legislature providing for this had
been passed December 9, 1847. A large ma-
jority of these volunteers furnished their own
horses, arms and ammunition. This, too, with-
out thought of pecuniary gain or reimburse-
ment. The response to the circular letter of
the commissioners had been prompt, open-
handed and hearty.
Cornelius Gilliam, father of W. S. Gilliam,
of Walla Walla, was chosen colonel of the reg-
iment. He was a man of superlative energy,
brave and resourceful, and, pushing all neces-
sary arrangements, he set forth from the ren-
dezvous at The Dalles on February 27, 1848.
Several battles occurred on the way into the
Cayuse country, the most severe being at Sand
Hollows, in the Umatilla country. Five Crows
and War Eagle, famous fighters of the Cayuse
tribe, had gathered their braves to dispute the
crossing of this region with the Oregon rifle-
men. Five Crows flamboyantly claimed that
by his wizard powers he could stop all bullets
while War Eagle's gasconade was couched
in the boastful statement that he would
agree to swallow all missies fired at him.
This same spirit of braggadocio has, through-
out all historical times, animated pagan sol-
diers. During the war with the Filipinos the
natives were solemnly told by their priests that
all bullets fired by American soldiers would
turn to water before reaching them.
Mark the result of the engagement between
the avengers of Dr. Whitman and the supersti-
tious Cayuses. At the first onset the "Swallow
Ball" was killed, and the "wizard" was so seri-
ously wounded that he was compelled to retire
from the war.
Nevertheless the Indians maintained a
plucky fight. A number of casualties were suf-
fered by the whites. But at last the Indians
were compelled to break, and the way for the
first regiment of Oregon riflemen was clear to
Waiilatpu. The desolated mission was reached
by Colonel Gilliam's command March 4. Here
the soldiers passed several days to recuperate
from the effects of a short but arduous cam-
paign, and give to the remains of the martyrs
of the Whitman massacre a reverent burial.
Some of the dead had been hastily covered with
earth by Vicar General Brouillet, and his com-
panions ; others when Ogden ransomed the
captives, but afterward they fiad been partially
exhumed by coyotes ; hyena-like allies of the
dastradly Cayuses.
The Indians had now fallen back to Snake
river. Following them thither the whites were,
GENERAL HISTORY.
37
somewhat, outgeneraled by the wily savages, an
event that has been duplicated several times in
Indian wars of more recent date. The Oregon
riflemen surprised and captured a camp of
Cayuse Indians among whom, as was afterward
divulged, were some of the murderers of Dr.
Whitman and his friends at Waillatpu. The
Machiavellian Cayuses suddenly professed
great friendship for the Oregon avengers, and,
pointing to a large band of horses on a hill,
declared that the hostiles had abandoned them,
and gone across the river. This deception was
successful. Completely deluded the whites
surrounded the camp and, rounding up the
horses, started on their return. It was the hour
of temporary Cayuse triumph. The released
captives, mounting at once, began a furious at-
tack on the rear of the batallion of riflemen
which proved so harrassing that the volunteers
were compelled to retreat to the Touchet river,
and finally, although they repelled the Indians,
they were forced to turn loose the captured
horses. These animals the strategetic Indians
immediately seized and with them vanished
over the plains. They had outwitted Gilliam's
men. Not only had they secured life and lib-
erty for themselves, but had actually recovered
the bait with which they had inveigled the vol-
unteers into a trap.
It was soon made evident that the Cayuse
Indians»had no real desire to fight. The whites
insisted on a surrender of the murderers of Dr.
Whitman and his people. Finding that the vol-
unteers were in earnest in making this demand
the treacherous tribe scattered in different di-
rections; Tamsuky, with his friends, going to
the headwaters of the John Day river. There,
despite various efforts to capture them, they re-
mained two years. In 1850, a band of L T ma-
tillas undertook the task of securing them, for
trial, and after fierce and desperate resistance,
killed Tamsuky and captured a number of his
murderous compatriots. Of these captives five
were hanged at Oregon City. June 3. 1850.
The Cavuse Indians, however, assert that I
only one of these condemned and executed In-
dians were really guilty of participation in the
horrible deeds at Waiilatpu. That one, they de-
clared, was Tamahas. who struck Dr. Whitman
the fatal blow. The claim that the others were
innocent may be true, so far as the actual mur-
der of the doctor or his friends is concerned,
but as accessories to a great — indeed, a national
crime — they were, undoubtedly, guilty. If they
were not, it is but one more instance of lament-
able failure to apply either punishment or mercy
accurately, which has characterized all Indian
wars on both sides. The innocent have
borne the sins of the guilty in more ways
than one.
In this Cayuse war many men, who after-
ward became famous in Oregon and Washing-
ton history took an active part. Among them
may be named James Nesmith, who was United
States Senator. He was the father of Mrs. Levi
Ankeny, of Walla Walla, present United States
senator from Washington. William Martin, of
Pendleton, Oregon, was one of the captains in
the corps of rifle men during this war. Joel
Palmer, Tom McKay. J. M. Garrison and
many others bore their part in the beginning, or
later in the maturer development of the coun-
try. Colonel Gilliam, who had shown himself
to be a brave and sagacious commander, was
accidentally killed on the return of his trooops, a
most melancholy close of a career full of prom-
ise to this country, then slowly unfolding its
wealth of varied industries.
In taking leave of this stirring epoch in the
history of a certain portion of the. now. state of
Washington, pursuit, capture and punishment
of principals and instigators of the murder of
Dr. Whitman, and his associates in missionary
work, it may be said in the way of retrospec-
tion that, grevious as was the end of Whitman's
career, no doubt it will ultimately be seen to
have produced greater results for this region
and the world than if he had survived to have
enjoyed a well-merited rest from his labors.
Subsequent development of this section, the
38
GENERAL HISTORY.
founding of Whitman College, and the whole
train of circumstances arising from American
occupation of Oregon may be seen, in some
measure, to have grown out of the tragedy at
Waiilatpu. Here, as elsewhere, martyrdom
appears a necessary accompainment to the most
brilliant progress in civilization.
While the offense of these Indians can not
be condoned, charity compels the admission that
the ignorant creatures were scarcely more re-
sponsible than the wild beasts who, also, dis-
puted this territory with civilized man. The
very superstition which it is the duty of every
missionary to eradicate from pagan minds as
speedily as possible, is primarily to blame for
the undoing of Dr. Whitman. Steeped in this
barbaric superstition, pampered by the Hud-
son's Bay Company, treacherously deceived by
agents and emissaries of the great octupus of
the Northwest Coast, we can not hold these
savages to a higher degree of responsibility than
the source from which they drew their grew-
some inspiration. But in 1848 the progress of
western civilization demanded their suppres-
sion, if not ultimate removal, along with the
coyote and rattlesnake.
CHAPTER VI.
OTHER INDIAN OUTBREAKS— 1S55-1S5S.
Previous to 1859 the territory of Oregon
comprised the present states of Washington,
Oregon and Idaho. It is not within the prov-
ince of this history to follow the careers of In-
dian "braves," Indian thieves and Indian raps-
callions along the entire course of their devious
warpaths throughout all of the country out-
lined above. Of the Indian wars immediately
affecting Washington, the territory covered by
these annals, it becomes our duty to treat them
in an impartial yet concise manner.
The massacre of the Ward train, by the
Snake Indians, occurred near Fort Boise in the
autumn of 1854. Determined to show the In-
dians that the government would not remain in-
active in the face of such outrages Major Gran-
ville O. Haller organized an expedition with
which he pushed over into the Snake country,
from Fort Dalles. Nothing tangible resulted
from this march other than a demonstration in
force 4 ; the Indians retreated into the mountains ;
Major Haller and his soldiers returned to The
Dalles. During the summer of 1855, however.
he made another attempt to reach the Snake In-
dians, and this time successfully, finally captur-
ing and executing the murderers of the Ward
party.
Discovery of gold in the vicinity of Fort
Colville incited a stampede to that country.
This was in the spring of 1855. At that period
Governor Stevens was making his famous east-
ern tour through the territory engaged in treat-
ies and agreements with the various tribes, and
this gold discovery so excited the members of
his escort that it was with difficulty they were
prevented from deserting. On meeting with
the Kettle Falls, Pend d'Oreilles, Spokanes and
Coeur' d'Alenes Governor Stevens had told
them that he would negotiate with them for the
sale of their lands on his return. Offers to pur-
chase lands by the whites had always been re-
garded with suspicion by the Indians. To them
it appeared the preliminary step toward sub-
jugation and domination of the country which,
perhaps was not an unusual view of the matter.
The gradual but steadv increase of the white
GENERAL HISTORY.
39
men was far from pleasing to the Indians; they
were dissatisfied with the terms of treaties al-
ready negotiated, and one chief Peupeumox-
mox "Yellow Bird," was on the eve of repudi-
ating the sale of certain territory.
The first note of defiance was sounded by
Pierre Jerome, chief of the Kettle Falls Indians,
about August i, 1855. He declared emphat-
ically that no white man should pass through
his country. This declaration was soon fol-
lowed by rumors of murders committed by the
Yakimas. A number of small parties had set
forth from the Sound en route to Fort Col-
ville, via Nisqually pass and the Ahtanahm
Catholic mission. Such was the report com-
municated by Chief Garry, of the Spokanes, to
A J. Bolon, special agent for the Yakimas. It
was Bolon's intention to meet Governor Stev-
ens on the latter's return from Fort Benton, and
assist at the councils and treaties. But on re-
ceiving these sanguinary reports Bolon rashly
deflected his course for the purpose of investi-
gating them. He went, unattended to the Cath-
olic mission to meet Kamiakin, and was mur-
dered by Owhi, a nephew of Kamiakin, and
chief of the Umatillas, who treacherously shot
him in the back.
Then Kamiakin declared war on the whites,
which war, he said, he was prepared to carry
on five years, if necessary. The gauntlet had
been thrown down and war was inevitable. The
rumor of whites having been killed by the
Yakimas was confirmed by miners returning
from Fort Cloville, on September 20. A
requisition for troops from Vancouver and
Steilacoom was at once made by acting Gov-
ernor Mason. Fears for the safety of Governor
Stevens warranted sending a detachment to his
assistance. A force of eighty-four men from
Fort Dalles, under Major Haller, was ordered
to proceed against Kamiakin and Peupeumox-
mox. two chiefs most to be dreaded. Haller's
objective point was the Catholic mission, the
home of Kamiakin. He set forth October 3.
Indians were discovered the third day out.
A sharp skirmish ensued in the afternoon of
that day, and at nightfall the Yakimas with-
drew. Of Haller's force eight men were killed
and wounded. On the following day the fight
was renewed, the whites being without water
and having but very little food. The Indians
attempted to surround Haller, and so sharp was
their attack that at dark a messenger was des-
patched to Major Raines, at The Dalles, asking
for assistance. On the third day of this en-
gagement, which was in reality a signal defeat
for the whites, the cavalry horses and pack ani-
mads were turned loose to find water and grass.
Haller determined to return to The Dalles, and
was again attacked by the Indians who, for ten
miles, harassed the retreating soldiers with a
sharp, running fire. The force separated into
two divisions, one of them being under the com-
mand of Captain Russell. Two detachments
of reinforcements failed to connect with Haller,
for any effective stand against the enemy, and
Major Haller reached The Dalles with a loss
of five men killed, seventeen wounded and con-
siderable government property. It was esti-
mated that the Indians suffered a loss of forty
killed.
The disastrous result of this initial cam-
paign against the Yakimas inflamed both sol-
diers and civilians. Preparations for a war of
considerable magnitude were hastily made. It
was reported at Forts Vancouver and Steila-
iiat there were fifteen hundred fighting
braves in the field against the whites. One
company of volunteers was called on from
Clarke, and one from Thurston county, these
companies to consist of eighty-five men each.
Acting Governor Mason asked for arms from
the commanders of the revenue cutter Jefferson
Davis and sloop of war Decatur, which were
furnished promptly. Company B, of the Puget
Sound Volunteers, was organized at Olympia,
Gilmore Hays, captain, James S. Hurd. first
lieutenant, William Martin, second lieutenant,
Joseph Gibson, Henry D. Cock, Thomas
Prathar, and Joseph White, sergeants : Joseph
40
GENERAL HISTORY.
S. Taylor, Whitfield Kirtley, T. Wheelock and
John Scott, corporals. On the 20th they re-
ported at Fort Steilacoom and on the 21st, un-
der command of Captain Maloney, set out for
White river to reinforce Lieutenant Slaughter,
who had gone into the Yakima country with
forty men.
The history of Nesmith's campaign against
the Yakima Indians is uneventful. J. W.
Nesmith was placed in command of several vol-
unteer companies, organized by proclamation
of Acting Governor Mason, numbering,
all told, about seven hundred men. They
were enrolled at Seattle, Olympia, Van-
couver and Cathlamet. James Tilton was
appointed adjutant-general of the volun-
teer forces and Major Raines was in com-
mand of the regulars to cooperate with
Nesmith. The volunteers and regulars formed
a junction at Simcoe Valley on November 7.
The day following there was a sharp skirmish
with the Indians, but the latter finding the force
of the whites greatly augumented were timid,
and more inclined to retreat than advance. Be-
ing supplied with fresh horses they could escape
easily, and were driven up the Yakima river to
a narrow gap in the mountains where they
made a feeble stand. Haller and Captain Augur
charged them, upon which they retreated and
fled down the other side of the mountain, leav-
ing the whites in possession. On the 10th they
made another stand, and an attempt was made
by the volunteers and regulars to surround
them. Owing to a misunderstanding a charge
was made at an inopportune moment, and again
the wily foe were enabled to retreat in compar-
ative safety. On reaching the Ahtanahm mis-
sion it was found deserted and, after a number
of unimportant movements, Nesmith pushed on
to Walla Walla. Major Raines reported to
General Wool, who had recently arrived in the
territory. The latter was supplied with four
thousand stand of arms, a large amount of am-
unition and had with him fifty dragoons.
General Wool at this period appears to have
been extremely critical and fault-finding. He
was particularly severe on the volunteers nor
did he spare Majors Raines and Haller. One
of General Wool's orders, which appears to
have given great offense to the citizens- of Ore-
gon, was to disband the company enrolled to
proceed to the relief of Governor Stevens, and
this order was subsequently bitterly resented
by the governor. The result of Wool's con-
duct was what might have been expected ; con-
tentions between the regulars and volunteers,
rendering void their efficiency and making it
impossible for them to co-operate. Practically
future campaigns against the hostiles were in
the hands of the volunteers. January 11, 1856.
General Wool received information of Indian
troubles in Southern Oregon and California,
and he left for San Francisco, having first as-
signed command of the Columbia River Dis-
trict to Colonel George Wright, with head-
quarters at The Dalles.
In the Puget Sound district the year 1855
was punctuated with a number of Indian trag-
edies. Lieutenant McAllister and M. McCon-
nell, of McConnell's prairie, were killed by the
hostiles in October of that year. Sunday, the
28th, in the White Valley, the Indians fell upon
the farming settlements. W. H. Braman, wife
and child, H. H. Jones and wife, Simon Cooper
and George E. King and wife were killed.
Others escaped to Seattle. The death of Lieu-
tenant Slaughter, in December, 1855, cast a
heavy gloom over the various communities then
in the territory. While in command of sixty-
five men, on Brannans' prairie, Lieutenant
Slaughter was sitting at night in a small log
house. For the purpose of drying their wet
clothing the soldiers had started a small fire
near the door of the cabin, and the Indians,
guided by this light were able to shoot Slaugh-
ter through the heart. Without uttering a
word he fell dead from his chair. An attack
on Seattle, in December of the same year, was
repulsed with heavy losses to both sides, the
sloop of war. Decatur, taking a prominent part
GENERAL HISTORY.
4i
in this fight and doing good execution. Other
United States vessels, including the Active and
Massachusetts, were conspicuous in defense of
the town. It was aboard the Decatur that the
sanguinary Patkanim delivered the heads of In-
dians for which a bounty was offered. Pat-
kanim had entered into a contract with the ter-
ritorial government by which he was to receive
eighty dollars apiece for all heads of Indian
chiefs, and twenty dollars for the heads of war-
riors. Subsequently these ghastly trophies were
forwarded to Olympia. In this horrible hunt
for hostile heads Patkanim was assisted bv
eighty warriors of the Snoqualimich and
Skokomish tribes, and, also, a chief called John
Taylor. The United States navy at that time
rendered most valuable services in repulsing
Indian attacks along the shore-line of Puget
Sound. Working in conjunction with the land
forces of the whites the guns of the ships at
times did terrible execution among the painted
savages. On the morning of October 22, 1856,
a party of Indians surrendered to the com-
mander of the Massachusetts and were taken
to Victoria. It was generally supposed that the
severe treatment accorded unfriendly Indians
on the Sound would result in the abandonment
of depredations in that vicinity. But on August
11, 1857, a party of savages landed at Whidby
Island, killed a man named I. N. Eby, decapi-
tated him and looted his house before an alarm
could be given. Nor was this the extent of
later depredations. It became necessary for
vessels heavily armed to cruise in the sound
and through Fuca Strait.
Our territorial limitations demand that we
return to the Yakima country where Indian hos-
tilities were renewed. In October. 1855 rumors
were rife of a combination of Oregon and
Yakima Indians. It was reported, also, that the
Des Chutes. Walla "Wallas and Cayuses were
inclined to be unfriendly. To prevent such a
combination Indian Agent Olney had been sent
from The Dalles to Walla Walla. Tt was con
strued as an unfavorable circumstance tint
Peupeumoxmox should have been found on the
north side of the Columbia. Other signs indi-
cated the truculency of Peupeumoxmox, and he
even denied that he had ever sold the Walla
Walla valley. To Olney it seemed apparent
that the chief was preparing to join the Ya-
kimas in a war against the whites. It was de-
cided in conference between Agent Olney and
McKinlay, Anderson and Sinclair, officers of
the Hudson's Bay Company, to destroy the
amunition in Walla Walla to prevent it from
falling into the hands of the Indians. It was.
therefore, thrown into the river. All whites
were then ordered to leave the country, and this
order included Sinclair, who abandoned prop-
erty in the fort valued at $37,000.
To a winter campaign against the Indians
in the Yakima valley, Colonel Nesmith was
stoutly opposed. He directed attention to the
fact that his horses and men were exhausted,
some of the latter being severely frost-bitten
and otherwise unfit for duty. One hundred and
twenty-five of them had been discharged. How-
ever, Governor Curry ordered Major M. A.
Chinn to proceed to Walla Walla and join
Nesmith. This order was followed by a general
uprising of the Indians. Chinn resolved to
fortify the Umatilla agency, and await rein-
forcements, believing it impossible to form the
contemplated union with Nesmith. Accord-
ingly Chinn, who had arrived at the agency
November 18. 1855, where he found the build-
ings destroyed, erected a stockade and named
the same Fort Henrietta, in honor of the wife
of Major Haller. Later Kelly arrived and suc-
ceeding reinforcements gave him four hundred
and seventy-five men. The first sally from
Walla Walla was made on December 2. The
force of three hundred and ninety-nine men
was met by Chief Peupeumoxmox, who carried
a white flag at the head of a band of warriors.
Following a conference the Indians were held
as prisoners and, during a subsequent attack
on Waiilatpu. were killed. The truculent chief
of the Walla Wallas met his death earlv in the
42
GENERAL HISTORY.
insurrection of which he was the instigator.
The fight at Waiilatpu continued through the
7th, 8th and 9th, the fortunes of war being tem-
porarily with the Indians. Reinforcements for
Kelly arrived on the 10th, from Fort Henrietta,
thus enabling the whites to snatch victory from
the jaws of defeat, and continue the pursuit of
the Indians until nightfall. Kelly then built
Fort Bennett, two miles above Waiilatpu.
It is impossible to attempt a description of
the battle between the upper and lower cascades
of the Columbia river without being brought
face to face with another blunder of General
Wool. However valuable may have been his
services during the Mexican war, and no one
could justly censure any portion of his career
in those campaigns, truth compels the state-
ment that General Wool's knowledge of Indian
warfare was limited. Undoubtedly his inten-
tions were the best, but he appears singularly
unfortunate in a number of his military orders
while at the head of the troops in Washington
and Oregon.
About the middle of December, 1855, Kelly
received news of the resignation of Colonel
Nesmith. The latter was succeeded by Thomas
R. Cornelius, and Kelly, anxious to return to
civil duties, gave his command to Davis Layton.
A. M. Fellows took the place of Captain Ben-
nett, Fellows being succeeded by A. Shepard,
and the latter by B. A. Barker. Thus was
effected a partial reorganization of the volun-
teer forces in the Walla Walla valley. On the
return of Governor Stevens, who arrived in
camp December 20, he expressed himself as
highly gratified by the assistance rendered us
by the Oregon trooops. During the ten days he
remained in the Walla Walla valley, a com-
pany of home-guards, composed of French
Canadians, was formed and officered by Sidney
E. Ford, captain, Green McCafferty, first lieu-
tenant. It was decided, after discussion with
the Oregon volunteers, to intrench Walla Walla
and hold the same until the regular trooops
were prepared to prosecute another campaign.
Similar means of defense were provided for the
Spokane and Colville.
Before his return to Olympia Governor
Stevens expressed his appreciation of the serv-
ices of sixty-nine Nez Perce volunteers in a
substantial manner. He directed that they be
cordially thanked, mustered out of service and
their muster rolls forwarded to Olympia for
future payment. No one can gainsay this
judicious measure, for it was of -the utmost im-
portance to retain the friendship of any tribe of
Indians disposed to be at all friendly toward the
whites. In return for the generous treatment
by Governor Stevens the Nez Perces coven-
anted to furnish horses with which to mount
the Oregon volunteers.
The return of Governor Stevens and Kelly,
the one to Olympia, the other to Oregon City,
was marked in each instance by a series of pub-
lic ovations from the people. January 19, 1856,
the governor was received with a salute of
thirty-eight guns ; Kelly was given a public
banquet and escorted to the hall, an honor
worthily bestowed on one who, without doubt,
had prevented a dangerous coalition between
the Indians of Northern Washington and
Southern Oregon. But the praiseworthy
efforts of Oregon were not to cease at this point.
A proclamation was issued by Governor Curry
on January 6, 1856, asking for five companies
to be recruited in Yamhill, Polk, Clackamas,
Marion and Linn counties, supplemented by
forty men to round out the skeltonized company
of scouts under Captain Conoyer. These troops
arrived at Walla Walla about March 1.
Nine days later the campaign was opened by
Colonel Cornelius who started with six hundred
men. The plan was to proceed along the Snake
and Columbia rivers to the Palouse and Ya-
kima; thence to Priest's Rapids and down the
east bank of the Columbia to the mouth of the
Yakima. During this march a few Indians
were found, but no heavy engagement followed,
and the command reached the Yakima March
30. Here ominous reports were received. Be-
GENERAL HISTORY.
43
tween the two cascades of the Columbia were
a number of settlements. These had been at-
tacked by hostile Indians.
One blunder of General Wool's, to which
attention has been called, was made at this junc-
ture. On his arrival from California he had
found at Vancouver three companies of in-
fantry. He ordered two of these to repair to
Fort Steilacoom. The territory of the hostile
Klikitats and Yakimas adjoined a portage be-
tween the cascades, on which portage a large
quantity of government stores was exposed.
This was a strong inducement to the Indians to
attack the point, and it should have been heav-
ily guarded. On the contrary the company at
the Cascades, on March 24, was sent away,
with the exception of eight men under com-
mand of Sergeant Matthew Kelly. The latter
was a member of the 4th infantry. The upper
and lower ends of the portage were connected
by a wagon road. The stream above the port-
age was named Rock Creek, on which was a
saw mill. In this vicinity were a number of
families and the trading post of Bradford &
Company. An island in the river was con-
nected with the mainland by a bridge. The first
steamer to run on the Columbia, trading be-
tween The Dalles and the Cascades, was the
Mary. This craft was at her landing near Rock
Creek. The block-house wasi located about
midway between the two cascades and near it
lived the families of George Griswold and W.
K. Kilborn.
General Wool, after giving his orders,
which resulted so disastrously, had returned to
California. The force of Colonel Wright had
moved from The Dalles ; his rear left un-
guarded. At the upper settlement of the Cas-
cades, on the morning of March 26. a force of
Klikitats and Yakimas appeared with hostile
demonstrations. Some of the settlers had gone
to their daily avocations, but the hour being
early, the crew of the Mary had not reached
the boat. The Indians who had taken their po-
sition under cover of darkness opened the
fight, if such an attack on almost defenseless
settlers could be termed a fight, with a rapid
rifle fire from the brush. One of the whites was
shot dead and a number wounded at the first
volley. It developed into an Indian massacre
accompanied by all the horrid features inci-
dental to such scenes, and those who fell vic-
tims to rifle balls were immediately toma-
hawked and scalped. Among the first to fall
was the family of B. W. Brown. Himself,
wife, a young boy and his sister, eighteen years
of age, were slain and thrown into the river.
Bradford & Company's store, a log struc-
ture, appeared to be the only place of refuge,
and to this fled the workmen on the bridge and
a number of settlers. Then began the memor-
able siege of the Cascades. Of the forty people
gathered in the store building eighteen were
able to make a defensive showing, and armed
with nine government rifles which, with some
ammunition, had been left of the store to be for-
warded to Vancouver, they replied to the fire of
the enemy to the best of their ability. All ad-
vantages of position were with the hostiles.
They were concealed on higher ground and, ap-
parently, had the settlers at their mercy. It was
in the first onslaught of this savage attack that
James Sinclair, one of the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany's agents, was killed. He was shot through
an open door in a manner similar to the assas-
sination of Lieutenant Slaughter.
Providentially the steamer Mary was not
captured. An attack was made upon the boat
and the fireman, James Linsay, shot through the
shi iiiMer. A negro cook, having been wounded,
leaped into the stream and was drowned. One
Indian was shot and killed by the engineer.
Buskminister. and John Chance, son of the
steward, killed another hostile. To effect the
escape of the boat it became necessary for Har-
din Chenoweth. the pilot, to manipulate the
wheel while lying prone on the floor of the pilot
house. The families of Sheppard and Vander-
pool ventured from the shore in skiffs, and were
picked up in midstream. The gallant little
44
GENERAL HISTORY.
Mary was then off up the river for succor. Sev-
eral fatalities afterward occurred 301005 the
settlers and a number of hairbreadth escapes
are recorded. The Indians fired the mill and
lumber yards and tried desperately to burn the
log store. The absence of water was added to
the elements of horror surrounding the be-
seiged settlers. Within the store one man was
dead. Sinclair, and four others severely
wounded. A few dozen bottles of ale and whis-
key comprised the liquids available for thirty-
nine people, the greater number being women
and children.
In this dire emergency justice demands that
credit be given to a Spokane Indian in the party
who risked his life to procure water from the
stream. At first he succeeded in getting water
only sufficient for the wounded, but the suc-
ceeding day he was enabled to fill two barrels
and convey them inside the store. Meanwhile
the imprisoned settlers were harassed by fears
for the safety of the Mary. The capture of this
boat meant utter failure to receive reinforce-
ments and relief.
The attack on the block-house below Brad-
ford & Company's store was simultaneous with
the assault above. The garrison comprised nine
persons, five of whom only were inside the
structure at the time of the unexpected attack.
The Indians had massed themselves on an ad-
jacent hill. One of the garrison who had been
caught outside the block-house was shot
through the hip, but managed to crawl to the
door, where he was admitted. Cannon was
brought to bear on the enemy, and soon
afterward the neighboring settlers came
running to the rude fort for protec-
tion. A number of them were killed, but such
as reached the fort alive were taken inside. Dur-
ing four hours a heavy fire was kept up by both
sides, and an attempt to fire the block-house at
night was repulsed. The Indians prowled about
with horrid yells, and did what damage they
could do to surrounding property. Some pro-
visions were procured on the 27th from an ad-
jacent house by three soldiers. The congres-
sional report of "Indian Hostilities in Oregon
and Washington Territories," 11-12, gives the
names of the plucky garrison of this block-
house. They were M. Kelly, Frederick Beman,
Owen McManus, Lawrence Rooney (killed in
the first attack), Smiley, Houser, Williams,
Roach and Sheridan. On the second day of the
fight the latter four went out and returned
with the dead and wounded.
An attack on the Lower Cascades did not
result in loss of lives. Many of the settlers
were warned of the assault on the block-house
by a half-breed boy, who informed W. K. Kil-
born and urged him to leave the neighborhood.
Kilborn owned a Columbia river freight boat,
and by means of this craft he saved the lives of
his own family and those of several others. Ar-
riving at Vancouver Kilborn apprised the resi-
dents of that place of the outbreak. This news
threw the people into consternation, and they
expected momentarily to be attacked. The dif-
ficult problem presented was to send reinforce-
ments to the Cascades and retain, at the same
time, sufficient force to protect Vancouver. To
the Hudson's Bay Company's fort, for greater
safety, Colonel Morris removed the women and
children of the garrison. In his "History of
Washington, Idaho and Montana," Hubert
Howe Bancroft states that Coloneil Morris
"refused arms to the captain of the volunteer
home guards in obedience to the orders of
General Wool." Mr. Bancroft says further :
"I take this statement from a correspondent
of the Olympia Pioneer and Democrat of April
25, 1856, who says that Kelly, of the volun-
teers, went to the officer in command at that
post and requested to be furnished with arms, as
all the arms in the country had gone to furnish
a company in the field — Captain Maxon's. 'He
was insulted — told to mind his own business.'
A few days later a consignment of arms from
the east arrived, for the use of the territory,
and the settlers were furnished from that
supply."
GENERAL HISTORY.
45
If such was the order of General Wool it
certainly exhibits a marked degree of hostility
toward the volunteers of Washington and Ore-
gon, and unpleasantly emphasized one more
blunder on the part of the veteran of the Mexi-
can war. It will be noted in another portion of
this chapter that the brunt of the fighting in the
Various Indian outbreaks fell upon volunteers.
The efforts of the regulars were purely sup-
plementary and were not conducted with the
success worthy of the most ordinary tactician.
Lieutenant Philip Sheridan, of whom we
now hear for the first time in connection with
military movements, on the morning of the 27th
left on the steamer Belle for the Cascades. With
him were a small detachment of one company
assigned by General Wool for the protection of
Vancouver. Fugitives were met, in the river;
some of them on a schooner, others in a
batteau. The men among these settlers, flying
for their lives, immediately volunteered to re-
turn and participate in the punishment of the
hostiles, an exhibition of manliness which fully
illustrates the spirit which invariably animated
the Washington and Oregon volunteers, despite
the severe and unwarranted strictures of Gen-
eral Wool. A reconnoitre was made by Sheri-
dan on arriving at the lower end of the portage,
and the condition of affairs at the Cascades and
the block-house was gleaned from some Cas-
cade Indians. On the Washington side of the
Columbia Sheridan landed his men ; the boat
being sent back for more ammunition to Van-
couver. Two of Sheridan's men were shot
down while effecting a landing. Relief of the
block-house was not effected immediately as
the party was unable to advance during the day.
On the steamer Fashion an >ther relief party
was enroute from Portland. Thirty men had
been recruited by Benjamin Stark and H. P.
Dennison on the 26th. and this number was in-
creased by other volunteers from Vancouver.
It was midnight, the 26th, that Colonel Wrighl
received news of the attack on the Cascades.
He had removed from The Dalles with his
troops to Five-Mile Creek, where he was en-
camped. With two hundred and fifty men he
went back to The Dalles, boarded the steamers
Mary and Wasco, and reached the Cascades on
the morning of the 28th. At the latter place
it was the belief of the garrison that the Mary
had been captured by the Indians. With only
four rounds of ammunition left, and in ignor-
ance of the arrival of Sheridan, the settlers in
their desperation had determined to board a
government flat-boat and go over the falls
rather than fall into the hands of the Indians.
The pleasure with which they caught sight of
the Mary and Wasco rounding the bend of the
river can be better imagined than described.
With the timely arival of these troops the In-
dians disappeared. Under command of Colonel
Steptoe two companies of the 9th infantry, a
detachment of dragoons and the 3rd artillery
advanced to the block-house and from this point
to the landing below. Lieutenant Sheridan's
command coming up at the same time alarmed
the Indians and they vanished with remarkable
celerity. Colonel Steptoe lost one soldier and
one hostile was killed. Subsequently nine In-
dians who were identified as having engaged
in the massacre at the Cascades were captured
and executed.
It was the opinion of Governor Stevens,
formed after his return to Olympia, that Indian
hostilities in the immediate future were to be
confined to the Yakima country and Walla
Walla valley. January 21, 1856, in a special
message addressed to the legislative assembly,
he dwelt with great earnestness on the desirabil-
ity of acquiring title to the country unincum-
bered by Indian claims. This had been the mo-
tive of his recent trip to the country of the Nez
Perces, Coeur d'Alenes and other tribes far to
the eastward of the Cascade range. He said
that nearly all the different tribes whom he had
interviewed had been, apparently, quite willing
to concede this point. But the governor added
that he had been deceived in this respect, and
that it would now be necessarv to send soldiers
4 6
GENERAL HISTORY.
from the Sound into the Indian country east of
the Cascades. Furthermore he was opposed to
treaties and favored extermination.
In this conclusion Governor Stevens was,
as events subsequently proved, greatly de-
ceived. So far from confining their depreda-
tions to the Walla Walla valley the Indians
were even then making preparations to raid the
coast of the Sound. Althogh the ensuing war
was, for a period, confined to the country north
of the Steilacoom, terror ran riot in other iso-
lated and unprotected localities. Many mur-
ders were committed and a great deal of valu-
able property destroyed by the remorseless sav-
ages. Then it was that Governor Stevens re-
turned to Olympia and ordered a portion of
the southern battalion to the Sound country,
During the spring of 1856 a decisive engage-
ment with the Indians was had at White river,
resulting in the complete rout of the savages,
although they outnumbered the whites two to
one. Governor Stevens proclaimed martial
law. Fighting occurred on John Day river and
in June, 1856, Major Layton captured thirty-
four warriors. A spirited engagement between
the Indians and Colonel Shaw took place on the
Grand Rond, but following this the hostiles
broke up into small bands, but sufficiently ag-
gressive to create considerable activity among
the troops. One of the most effective methods
adopted to dishearten the enemy was that of
stopping supplies and capturing the Indians'
horses in various raids. Some of the savages
were neutral; nearly all of them needy; and
during a vigorous march through the country
overtures made by the United States were, in a
large number of cases, accepted. Of the
Wasco, Des Chutes, Tyghe and John Day
tribes, nine hundred and twenty-three surren-
dered, and four hundred of the more truculent
Yakimas and Klikitats surrendered to Colonel
Wright. Following this they received gov-
ernment aid.
While these scenes were being enacted on
the Sound it had been impossible for Governor
Stevens to deploy troops east of the Cascade
range. Of this fact the Indians in that country
took advantage. It required the best diplomatic
efforts of Lieutenant-Colonel Graig to hold the
Nez Perces and Spokanes to their allegiance,
and finally, July 24, Captain Robie informed
Colonel Shaw that the Nez Perces had become
recalcitrant, declared hostile intentions and re-
fused all offers of government supplies. It was
at this annoying juncture of affairs that Gov-
ernor Stevens decided to go to Walla Walla
and hold a council. He found conditions de-
cidedly worse than had been reported. Al-
though Colonel Wright had been pressed to
join the council he declined, urging that it
would be better to establish at Walla Walla a
strong military post with Stepoe in command.
This council was not crowned with the
most satisfactory results. The Cayuses, Des
Chutes and Tyghes, although they arrived in
the vicinity of the meeting place, were disposed
to be sullen and unfriendly. They refused to
pay a visit to Governor Stevens, exhibited signs
of hostility by firing the grass and otherwise
gave evidence of malevolence. Kamiakin and
Owhi, Yakimas and Oualchin. of the Cceur
d'Alenes, also refused to attend and passed their
time sowing seeds of dissension whenever and
wherever opportunity offered. On the nth of
September the council opened and closed dis-
mally on the 17th. It became necessary for
Governor Stevens to remove to the immediate
vicinity of Steptoe's camp through fear of vio-
lence from the Indians. No pipe of peace was
smoked and no satisfactory results achieved.
The Indians demanded to be left in peaceful
possession of all the country claimed by them
as "domains," and declared most emphatically
that no other terms would be accepted. It was
with no little difficulty that Governor Stevens
succeeeded in getting out of the country alive.
His train was attacked on its way back to The
Dalles and two of the escort killed. Following
this humiliating repulse of the governor, and
after his return to the Sound, Colonel Wrigfht
GENERAL HISTORY.
47
marched to Walla Walla and ordered all the
chiefs to meet him in council. It was, evident-
ly, the intention of Wright to adopt drastic
measures, but few Indians attended the coun-
cil, and, like the preceding one, it bore no
fruit. Those who came said, sullenly, that they
were opposed to confirmation of the Walla
Walla treaty. Troops were at once thrown
into the various posts, including Mill Creek,
Fort Dalles and the Cascades settlement, and
preparations made to secure all from invasion
during the approaching winter.
Throughout this summer and while at-
tempts were being made to pacify the Indians
east of the Cascade range, hostilities continued
on the Sound. The Puyallups and Nisquallies,
at a council held at Fox Island, August 4th,
convinced Governor Stevens that an injustice
had been done them through the limitations of
their reservation. An enlargement was recom-
mended by the governor, and a resurvey or-
dered, which absorbed thirteen donation claims.
Subsequently congress appropriated $5,000 to-
ward improvements.
The story of the capture and execution of
Leschi is, perhaps, one of the most sensational
Indian episodes in the career of Governor Ste-
vens. Leschi, together with Nelson, Stahi,
Quiemuth and the younger Kitsap, had been
ringleaders in the attack on the Decatur, in the
Sound, and now Governor Stevens desired to
try them for murder. These Indians had at-
tended the council with Colonel Wright, in the
Yakima country, and Wright had paroled them.
At that period an attempt was being made to
quiet the Indians east of the Cascade range.
In the opinion of Wright, of whom these five
savages had been demanded, it would be unwise
at this juncture to give them over to certain ex-
ecution, but the governor was insistent in his
demands, and again made requisition for the
hostiles. To this demand nearly all the army
officers were opposed, believing the policy to be
unwise.
In November Leschi was arrested. Slug-
gia and Elikukah, two of his own people, be-
trayed him into the hands of the whites. At
that period Leschi was an outcast and, practi-
cally, outlawed by both Yakimas and whites.
The traitorous Sluggia and Elikukah found him
and handed him over to Sydney S. Ford who
forwarded him on to Olympia. Leschi was
now to stand trial for the killing of A. B.
Moses. At the first trial, November 14, the
jury failed to agree. March 18, 1857, a sec-
ond trial was had, resulting in conviction
June 10 was the day set for his execution.
The attorneys engaged for Leschi's defense
appealed the case to the supreme court, and this
appeal served as a stay of proceedings and de-
ferred execution beyond the day assigned.
However, the verdict of the lower court was
sustained and January 22, 1858, was set as the
day for the hanging of Leschi. McMullin,
who had succeeded Stevens, was now governor
of Washington. Friends of Leschi appealed to
him for pardon ; seven hundred settlers vigor-
ously protested. The execution was to be at
Steilacoom and on the day set there was a large
audience. This time, however, the death pen-
alty was delayed by friends of the condemned
by a most peculiar legal manipulation. Shortly
before the time for the execution the sheriff and
his deputy were placed under arrest by a Uni-
ted States marshal. The charge against the
prisoners was that of selling liquor to Indians.
In vain an attempt was made to reach the
i sheriff and secure the death warrant, without
which it would be impossible to strangle Leschi
legally. But that officer was retained in close
custody until the period set for Leschi's hang-
ing had passed. The "United States marshall"
in these proceedings was Lieutenant McKibben,
stationed at Fort Steilacoom, who had been ap-
pointed for that express purpose. All in all
this coup was in the nature of a ruse on the
part of the regular army. l>et\veen whom and
the citizens of the territory there was at all
times considerable friction.
Indignation at this perversion of justice and
GENERAL HISTORY.
palpable miscarriage of law ran high among the
people. Public meetings of protest were held
and the legislature appealed to. This body pro-
ceeded to adjust matters in a most strenuous
manner, repealing certain laws and enacting
new ones until the legal coils around Leschi
were deemed sufficiently strong to insure his
punishment. Again the prisoner was tried and,
although his counsel demurred to the jurisdic-
tion of the court, he was overruled and Febru-
ary 19, 1858, the Indian who had so success-
fully fought off the hounds of law was hanged.
It is a matter of historical record that few of
the more active Indian participants in the vari-
ous outbreaks on the Sound escaped. Three
of them were assassinated by white men in re-
venge for the murder of friends ; a number
were hanged at Fort Steilacoom; one of his
own people killed Kitsap in June, 1857, on
Muckleshoot prairie, and Leschi's friends re-
venged themselves by taking the life of the
treacherous Sluggia. Comparative peace was
restored to the Sound country, yet the horrors
of the outbreak were long remembered. To
the Puyallup and upper White River valley
many of the settlers did not return until 1859.
Patkanim, the horrible blood-hunter, who,
for American gold, trafficked in human heads
as nonchalantly as he would deal in wolf-pelts,
did not long survive the war. The following
estimation of this barbarian is given by the
Pioneer and Democrat under date, January 21,
1859 : "It is just as well that he is out of the
way, as, in spite of everything, we never be-
lieved in his friendship."
Indemnity claims following Indian troubles
on the Sound amounted to some twelve thous-
and dollars, which sum was appropriated by
congress. But the actual expenses incidental
to the conduct of this war, a war in behalf of
the peace and prosperity of Washington and
Oregon, approached quite nearly six million
dollars, or exactly $5,931,424.78, divided as
follows: Washington, $1,481,475.45; Ore-
gon. $4,449,949.33. Payment of $1,409,-
604.53 was made to the Oregon, and $519,-
593.06 to the Washington volunteers. At that
period the eminent editor and publicist, Horace
Greeley, had not advised the young men of the
country to "go west," and he was unkind
enough to say, in the New York Tribune:
"The enterprising territories of Oregon and
Washington have handed into congress their
little bill for scalping Indians and violating
squaws two years ago. After these (the
French spoilation claims) shall have been paid
half a century or so, we trust the claims of the
Oregon and Washington Indian fighters will
come up for consideration."
The scene of Indian troubles now removes
itself to a point in eastern Washington more
immediately identified with the limitations of
this history. In April, 1858, the mines in the
vicinity of Colville had become attractive to
"stampeders," and two white men pushing on
into the "gold country," had been slain by a
party of savages belonging to the Palouse tribe.
A petition for troops, signed by forty residents
of Colville, had been forwarded to Colonel
Steptoe. The latter informed General Clarke
of the fact and advised that an expedition be
sent north to punish the savages and protect
the settlers. Adding to the crime of murder
the Palouses had gone down into the Walla
Walla country and driven away a band of gov-
ernment cattle. The Palouses who, it was
claimed, had killed the Colville miners, were
found by Colonel Steptoe at the Alpowah.
Steptoe had left Walla Walla May 6, 1858,
with one hundred and thirty dragoons en route
for the country of the Nez Perces. On ap-
proach of the whites the Indians fled. Because
Steptoe placed no confidence in a report he re-
ceived on the 1 6th that the Spokanes were
making arrangements to attack him he, unfor-
tunately, found himself surrounded with a force
of six hundred miscellaneous "braves," includ-
ing warriors of the Cceur d'Alenes, Palouses,
Spokanes and Nez Perces. They were attired
in war paint and had chosen a position where
CKN'ERAL HISTORY.
49
from three sides they could assault Steptoe's
detachment of troops. During a short parley
the Spokanes confirmed the reports that they
were on the war path, and announced that they
purposed to do considerable fighting before the
whites would be permitted to ford the Spokane
river. Doubtless the Indians were emboldened
in their conduct by the fact that these dragoons
of Steptoe's were without other means of de-
fense than their small arms. For this inexcus-
able blunder no reason has ever been assigned,
and none could be that would, at this day, be
acceptable to a military man. The savages
rode along side by side with the troops and
hurled at them insults and cries of defiance.
At nightfall the chiefs demanded to know the
reason for this invasion of their country.
No explanation was made that in any way
pacified the chiefs, although Steptoe said that,
having learned of trouble near Colville he was
on his way thither to inquire into the cause of
it. The chiefs pointed out the fact that he was
not on the Colville road at all. Unfortunately
he had been led astray by a guide. Timothy, by
name. Without suitable arms, and otherwise
unprepared for fighting, Steptoe decided to re-
treat. He began his return to the Palouse on
the 17th. A few miles away a party of Cceeur
d'Alenes were gathering roots, and to them the
Spokanes appealed asking their assistance in
bagging an enemy whom the Spokanes. par-
ticularly, did not intend to allow to leave the
country alive. A Cceeur d'Alene chief, named
Vincent, attempted to hold a parley with Colo-
nel Steptoe, but firing was commenced by the
Palouses and the skirmish soon resolved itself
into a general engagement. Encumbered by a
pack train, which it was necessary to guard;
passing over ground rough and most favorable
for Indians and their mode of warfare Step-
toe's command labored under a serious disad-
vantage, and were in no condition for any
effective fighting. The savages charged a com-
pany commanded by Lieutenant Gregg, but
the prompt support given by Lieutenant I las
ton repulsed the Indians and they suffered se-
verely at this point. Twelve of them were
killed, including Jacques Zachary, brother-in-
law of Vincent; lames and Victor, the latter
one of the powerful chiefs of the Coeur d"
Alenes. Later on, while attemping to reach a
stream of water. Lieutenant William Gaston
and Captain Oliver H. P. Taylor were killed.
The result of this "Battle of Steptoe Butte,"
fought at a place seven miles from the present
town of Colfax, must be. impartially, recorded
as a defeat for the whites. On the morning 1 >f
the 19th the retreating troops reached Snake
river and from this point continued on to Walla
Walla.
The animosity of the Indians exhibited in
this disaster has been variously explained. The
most plausible reason for it lies, probably, in the
fact that the Creur d' Alenes bad been told of
the proposed government road through their
country, from the Missouri to the Columbia
river. This was subsequently completed by
Lieutenant Mullan. from Fort Walla Walla
to Fort Benton.
In June, 1858, active preparations were
made to avenge the defeat of Steptoe. Quite a
large body of troops were mobilized at Fort
Walla Walla, some of them being brought
from San Francisco and other California
points ; some from the Sound. Here for a
period of time they were industriously drilled
in the tactics of Indian warfare. This was to
be an expedition against the Cceur d' Alenes
and Spokanes; another was being put in motion
against the Yakimas. The campaign plan was
to have Major Garnett move toward Colville
with three hundred men, co operate with Cap-
tain Keyes. and "round up" the tribes of In-
dians. Major Garnett was to leave August
15; Captain Keyes left Walla Walla on the
7th. Fort Taylor was built at the junction of
Tucannon and Snake rivers, which, with its
six hundred and forty acre- of reservation, was
intended as a permanent post. Here Colonel
Wright arrived August iN. The expedition
5°
GENERAL HISTORY.
consisted of one hundred and ninety dragoons,
four hundred artillery and ninety infantry, the
latter armed with Sharpe's rifles. Seventy-six
miles north from Fort Taylor Indians appeared
on the hills and fired on a company of Nez
Perces Indians who had been enlisted as volun-
teers by the whites and uniformed as regular
soldiers. Soon afterward the hostiles retreated.
They reappeared on September i, in force,
and one of the most important battles of this
particular Indian war was fought. The victory
was plainly with the whites, the savages losing
twenty killed and many wounded.
But the Indians were desperate. Colonel
Wright resumed his march September 5th, and
was again attacked by the enemy. Shells from
the howitzers burst among them ; the fire of the
whites was deadly, and defeat of the Indians
complete. On September 10 the Cceur
d'Alenes surrrendered, and the redoubtable
Vincent was not the least active in inducing
this submission. They had attempted to stay
the progress of civilization through their wil-
derness and civilization would not be stayed.
Whatever of home or country they once had
was gone. Henceforth enterprise, industry and
intelligence were to supplant barbaric ignorance
and Indian squalor.
CHAPTER VII.
TERRITORY AND STATE.
''The West" of the days of the Revolution
was embraced within the limits of the Atlantic
coast and longitude 89 degrees west from
Greenwich, or 12 degrees west from Washing-
ton, D. C. Compare this narrow strip of terri-
tory with the magnitude of the Northwest of to-
day and remember, also, that the geographical
center of the United States, from east to west,
lies at a point in the Pacific Ocean six hundred
miles west from San Francisco, California.
From the latter fact we are enabled to obtain a
fair comprehension of the extreme western ex-
tension of our Alaskan possessions.
States have increased, territorially, since the
surrender of Lord Cornwallis. The "midgets,"
smaller than many western counties, lie along
the Atlantic shore. Washington, the "Ever-
green State," of whose stirring and romantic
past this history treats, is more than three-
fourths the size of New York and Pennsyl-
vania, combined, or more than equalling the
size of all Kentucky, Connecticut, Massachu-
setts, Delaware and Maryland. Its area is
69,994 square miles. Its entire western boun-
dary is washed by the waves of the Pacific; the
great "ill-tasting lake" of the Indians; discov-
ered by Balboa and once claimed in all its sub-
lime immensity by Spain as her own national
property. From British Columbia it is sep-
arated by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which
forms its boundary until it reaches a point where
the 49th degree of north latitude crosses the
strait. Thence the northern boundary line of
Washington runs east on the 49th parallel two
hundred and fifty miles nearly to the 1 1 7th de-
gree of longitude west from Greenwich, and
thence south to the 46th degree of latitude;
thence west on that degree until the Columbia
river is reached, where Klickitat, Walla Walla
and Yakima counties converge, the Columbia
river then forming its southern boundary on to
the coast.
The Puget Sound Basin and the great val-
ley of the Upper Columbia combine to greatly
GENERAL HISTORY.
51
diversify the topography of Washington. Be-
tween these two distinctively marked territor-
ies runs the Cascade Range of mountains, north
and south, separating "The Inland Empire"
from "The Coast," or variably, "The Sound
Country." This mountain range is, in its en-
tirety, one of the most imposing on the North
American continent. Creeping upward from
the far south, for hundreds of miles but a suc-
cession of low hills, or chain of buttes, the range
grows bolder in contour and height until to the
far north Mount St. Elias accentuates its most
imposing altitude. Volcanic, snow-capped
cones rise to heights of fifteen and twenty
thousand feet, and a number of the highest of
these are within the boundaries of Washington.
In a preceding chapter outlining the "Ore-
gon Controversy," it was noted that in 1846,
when the southern line of British Columbia was
finally determined, all that remained south of
that boundary to the 43d parallel was called
Oregon. In 1849 a territorial government was
granted covering all the original Oregon. It
was then an indefinite region embracing the
lands lying between the Rocky Mountains and
the Pacific Ocean, and north of the 43d parallel.
In 1 85 1 steps were taken toward dividing Ore-
gon. All that portion north and west of the
Columbia river was thrown into a new territory,
supplied with a distinct territorial government.
Ni 1 1 ipposition having appeared either from the
Oregon legislature or from congress the con-
summation of this division was effected in
1853. Then Washington embraced the rather
indefinite territory of Idaho. Oregon became a
state in 1859. Washington, then including
Idaho, was under territorial government, re-
maining thus until March 3. 1863. when the
territory of Idaho was set off by congress. The
eastern portion of Washington, from a line
near the 117th degree of west longitude, and
portions of Montana, Dakota and Nebraska
combined to form the creation of Idaho at that
period.
Of the first inroads of civilization, aside
from the Hudson's Bay Company, into the ter-
ritory of Oregon, then including Washington,
Archibald M'Vickar writes:
I he earliest emigration from the United States
for the purpose of settlement in this territory was in
[832. Three years afterward a small party went out
by land with Nathaniel Wyeth, of the Boston Fishing
and Trading Company under the direction of Rev.
James Lee and David Lee, who established a mission
settlement among the Callopoewah Indians, on the
Willamette river. This colony afterward received some
small accessions, and in November, 1839, Rev. James
Lee sailed from the United States for the Columbia
river with a party of fifty-four persons, among them six
missionaries and a physician, with their families. This
party arrived safely out, and the annual report of the
missionary society of the Methodist Episcopal church,
in May, 1841, presents a favorable account of their
labors among the Indians. Some parties of young men
had started for the Columbia from states bordering on
the Mississippi. The whole number directly attached to
the mission is only sixty-eight, including men, women
and children. The first settlers along the river, accord-
ing to Mr. Parker, who visited- the country in 1835.
consisted of Canadian Frenchmen formerly in the em-
ployment of the Hudson's Bay Company.
"The Oregon Controversy," and "Tragedy
of Whitman's Mission," preceding chapters,
have traced in outline the more important de-
tails of this early settlement. Western Wash-
ington, on the coast, was the first portion of the
torritory settled. The advantages of sea coast
fishing and fur-trading, of course, account for
this fact, together with its accessibility by voy-
ages around the Horn, and proximity to the
more fully developed settlements of California.
The name, "Puget Sound" was much more
familiar to eastern people and students than the
coasts of Oregon or Washington. Thus, in a
general way, the resources of western Wash-
ington became gradually known to a certain
limited number of the inhabitants of the ex-
treme east. Concerning the various enterprises
of these pioneers of Washington Hubert Howe
Bancroft has pertinently said in his "History of
Washington, Idaho and Montana:" "In the
previous chapters I have made the reader ac-
quainted with the earlier American residents of
GENERAL HISTORY.
the territory north of the Columbia, and the
methods by which they secured themselves
homes and laid the foundation for fortunes by
making shingles, bricks and cradling machines,
by building mills, loading vessels with timber,
laying out towns, establishing fisheries, explor-
ing for gold and mining for coal. But these
were private enterprises concerning only indi-
viduals, or small groups of men at most, and I
now come to consider them as a body politic,
with relations to the government of Oregon
and to the general government."
The plan of this history demands that we
pursue the same course in the treatment of our
subject, and also to show how narrowly Wash-
ington escaped being called "Columbia." The
provisional government of Oregon adopted in
1843 did not include the terrritory north of the
Columbia river. So late as 1845, at the time of
the Hudson's Bay Company made a compact
with this provisional government, there existed
no county organizations north of that river with
the exception of Tualatin and Clackamas "dis-
tricts," which claimed to extend northward as
far as 54 degrees 40 minutes. But these dis-
tricts were not peopled by American citizens,
and not until the compact went into effect was
there established an American settlement in the
region of Puget Sound, and a new district
created called Vancouver. The first judges
were M. T. Simmons, James Douglas, and
Charles Forrest. John R. Jackson was
sheriff.
Lewis county was created December 19,
1845. Primarily its northern limit extended to
54 degrees, 40 minutes, or was supposed to,
comprising territory north of the Columbia,
and west of the Cowlitz, rivers. In 1846 it was
represented in the legislature by W. F. Tolmie ;
Vancouver county by Henry N. Peers, the lat-
ter described as "a good versifier and fair leg-
islator." He was an attache of the Hudson's
Bay Company. The initial agitation for a new
territory north of the Columbia was made July
4, 1 85 1. At Olympia a number of American
citizens of the Sound had assembled to appro-
priately celebrate the day. In his oration Air.
Chapman alluded eloquently to "the future
state of Columbia." His remarks awakened an
enthusiastic response, and the same evening a
meeting was held, the avowed object of which
was to procure a separate territorial govern-
ment. Of this meeting Clanrick Crosby was
chairman; A. M. Poe, secretary. H. A. Golds-
borough, I. N. Eby, J. B. Chapman and C.
Crosby addressed the audience. Their speeches
were followed by the appointment of a commit-
tee on resolutions which recommended that a
meeting to be held August 29 at Cowlitz land-
ing, the object of which "to take into care-
ful consideration the present peculiar position
of the northern portion of the territory, its
wants, the best methods of supplying those
wants, and the propriety of an early appeal to
congress for a division of the territory." The
convention thus called was attended by twenty-
six delegates. It adjourned the following day,
having defined the limits of twelve intended
counties, requested the benefits of donation
lands, petitioned congress for a plank road
from the Sound to the mouth of the Cowlitz,
and a territorial road from some point on
Puget Sound to Walla Walla, and otherwise
memorializing congress on the important sub-
ject of division. It was the expressed inten-
tion of the delegates to move, should their re-
quest be denied, for immediate admission into
the union as a state. It is needless to say that
enthusiasm ran high at this meeting on the
Cowlitz. At that period the population of
the territory under consideration was less than
four thousand souls.
Nothing tangible resulted from this meet-
ing, although The Columbian, a weekly news-
paper, published at Olympia, continued the agi-
tation for territorial division and independent
organization. November 25, 1852, a conven-
tion was held at Monticello, on the Cowlitz
river, at that period an enterprising munici-
pality of Northern Oregon. Congress was
GENERAL HISTORY.
53
again memorialized and the document for-
warded to Hon. Joseph Lane, territorial dele-
gate. This memorial contains so concise and
graphic a description of early territorial condi-
tions that it is deemed best to reproduce it in
full :
To the Honorable, the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives of the United States, in Congress assembled :
The memorial of the undersigned, delegates of the
citizens of Northern Oregon, in convention assembled,
respectfully represent to your honorable bodies that it
is the earnest desire of your petitioners, and of said
citizens, that all that portion of Oregon Territory lying
north of the Columbia river and west of the great
northern branch thereof, should be organized as a
saparate territory under the name and style of the Terri-
tory of Columbia, urging these reasons : In support of
the prayer of this memorial, your petitioners would
respectfully urge the following, among many other
reasons, viz. :
First : That the present Territory of Oregon con-
tains an area of 341,000 square miles, and is entirely too
large an extent of territory to be embraced within the
limits of one state.
■ Second: That said territory possesses a sea coast
of 650 miles in extent, the country east of the Cascade
mountains is bound to that on the coast by the strongest
ties of interest; and, inasmuch as your petitioners be-
lieve that the territory must inevitably be divided at
no very distant day, they are of the opinion that it would
be unjust that one state should possess so large a sea-
board to the exclusion of that of the interior.
Third: The territory embraced within the bound-
aries of the proposed "Territory of Columbia," contain-
ing an area of about 32,000 square miles, is, in the
opinion of your petitioners, about a fair and just medium
of territorial extent to form one state.
Fourth : The proposed "Territory of Columbia"
presents natural resources capable of supporting a popu-
lation at least as large as that of any state in the union
possessing an equal extent of territory.
Fifth : Those portions of Oregon Territory lying
respectively north and south of the Columbia river must,
from their geographical position, always rival each
other in commercial advantages, and their respective
citizens must, as they now and always have been, be
actuated by a spirit of opposition.
Sixth : The southern part of Oregon Territory, hav-
ing a majority of voters, have controlled the territorial
legislature, and benefit from the appropriations made
by congress for said territory, which were subject to the
disposition of said legislature.
Seventh : The seat of the territorial legislature is
now situated, by the nearest practicable route, at a dis-
tance of four hundred miles from a large portion of the
citizens of Northern Oregon.
/ ighth: A great part of the legislation suitable to
the south, 1-. for local reasons, opposed to the interests
of tin north, inasmuch as the south has a majority of
vote>. and representatives are always bound to reflect
the will of their constituents, your petitioners can enter-
tain no reasonable hopes that their legislative wants will
ever be properly regarded under the present organiza-
tion.
Ninth : Exjprience has. in the opinion of your
petitioners, well established the principle that in states
having a moderate sized territory, the wants of the
people are more easily made known to their representa-
tives there is less danger of a conflict between sectional
interests, and more prompt and adequate legislation can
always be obtained.
In conclusion your petitioners would respectfully
represent that Northern Oregon, with its great natural
resources, presenting such unparalleled inducements to
immigrants, and with its present large population, and
rapidly increasing by immigration, is of sufficient im-
portance, in a national point of view, to merit the foster-
ing care of congress, and its interests are so numerous
and so entirely distinct in their character, as to demand
the attention of a separate and independent legislature.
Wherefore your petitioners pray your honorable
bodies will at an early day pass a law organizing the
district of country above described under a territorial
government, to be named "The Territory of Columbia."
Done in convention assembled at the town of Monti-
cello, Oregon Territory, this 25th day of November,
A. D., 1852.
G. M. McConaha, President.
R. V. White, Secretary.
This memorial was signed by forty-one
other delegates. Congressional Delegate
Joseph Lane earnestly supported the bill for
the formation of Columbia Territory subse-
quently introduced. February 10. 1853. the
bill, amended by Mr. Stanton, of Kentucky,
striking out the word "Columbia" and insert-
ing in lieu thereof "Washington," passed the
house by a vote of 128 to 29, and on March 2,
without further amendment, it was passed by
the senate. It should be taken into considera-
tion that the bill, as passed by both houses, did
not limit the new Territory to the boundaries
prescribed by the memorial of the Monticello
convention. Our national legislators took a
broader view of the matter, and continued the
line of partition from a point near Walla
Walla, east along the 46th parallel to the Rocky
Mountains. This was a far more equal di-
54
GENERAL HISTORY.
vision, and included what is now the "Pan-
handle" of Idaho, an area considerably larger
than the present state of Washington. At that
period, according to a census taken in 1853 by
Marshal Anderson, the counties in the new
Washington Territory contained the following
population: Clarke, 1,134, Island, 195, Lewis,
616, Jefferson, 189, King, 170, Pierce, 513,
Thurston, 996, Pacific, 152; total, 3,965. Of
these 1,682 were voters.
The first Territorial governor of Washing-
ton was Isaac Ingalls Stevens, who was ap-
pointed to this office and, also, made ex officio
Superintendent of Indian Affairs of Washing-
ton Territory, and by the secretary of war was
given charge of an exploration and survey of a
railroad from the headwaters of the Mississippi
to Puget Sound. In a communication to A. A.
Denny, dated at Washington, D. C, April 18,
1853, Governor Stevens said:
"Herewith you will find a printed copy of
my instructions from the secretary of war, by
which you will see an exploration and survey
of a railroad from the headwaters of the Mis-
sissippi to Puget Sound is entrusted to me
* * * A military road is to be built from
Fort Walla Walla to Puget Sound. Captain
McClellan, an officer distinguished for his gal-
lantry in Mexico, has command of the party
who will make the exploration of the Cascade
range and the construction of the military road.
His undertaking of the task is a sure guarantee
of its accomplishment. I expect to pierce the
Rocky Mountains, and this road is to be done
in time for the fall's immigration, so that an
open line of communication between the states
and Sound will be made this year."
Isaac Ingalls Stevens was born in the his-
toric and classic town of Andover, Massachu-
setts, and educated at West Point, from which
military institution he was graduated with hon-
ors in 1837. For several years the young of-
ficer was in charge of the New England coast
fortifications. During the war with Mexico
lie was attached to the staff of General Scott.
Four years preceding his appointment as Ter-
ritorial Governor of Washington he was asso-
ciated with Professor Bache in the coast sur-
vey. It will be seen that the duties assigned to
Governor Stevens were manifold and ardu-
ous. Aside from the appointive office of gov-
ernor of a young, though important Territory,
he was to superintend the construction of a mil-
itary road from the Sound to the Rockies ; sur-
vey the line of what eventually became the
great transcontinental highway, the Northern
Pacific Railroad, and at the same time superin-
tend the complicated affairs of the savage and
turbulent Indian tribes between the coast and
the Rocky Mountains. Certainly a heavy re-
sponsibility to be placed upon the shoulders of
one man. The sagacity and efficiency with
which he met these heavy responsibilities have
been recorded in preceding chapters of this
work. It was his destiny to be called higher.
In May, 1861, news was received at Olympia
of the surrender by Major Anderson of Fort
Sumter. "The Irrepressible Conflict" be-
tween North and South had for years worn
heavily on the patriotic spirit of Governor Stev-
ens. He was a pro-slavery democrat, yet he
loved his country and placed her national and
indisoluble interests above party or purely
sectional benefits. In reply to a speech wel-
coming him home from his perilous expedition
among hostile tribes of Indians he said : "I con-
ceive my duty to be to stop disunion." These
were brave words, for at this period the Terri-
tory of which he was chief executive was
thickly populated with avowed secessionists.
Dissensions were rife in his own party.
Assaults were made by the press upon his pa-
triotism and even his personal character was
assailed. He was accused of attempting a coali-
tion with Lane and Grim for the purpose of
forming an independent Pacific republic. Vis-
ionary and chimerical as was this scheme; im-
possible for one of the sterling patriotism of
Governor Stevens to cherish for a moment, the
charge found many professed believers among
GENERAL HISTORY.
55
his opponents. With the darkening of war
clouds Stevens, who had intended to stand for
re-election, renounced the project and hastened
to Washington to offer his services to the gov-
ernment. July 31, 1 86 1, he was appointed col-
onel of the 79th New York Infantry, and was
among the first of the defenders of Washington
and Arlington Heights. In March, 1862, he
received a commission as brigadier general, and
on July 4, was made a Major General of vol-
unteers. Such was his rapid rise by promotion
in the army. His death was a fitting close of a
heroic life. At the battle of Chantilly he seized
the flag which had fallen from the dead hand of
a color sergeant, and was shot in the forehead,
dying upon the field. Sudden was the revul-
sion of feeling in Washington Territory when
news of his death was received. The legisla-
ture passed resolutions in his honor, and crape
was worn by the members ten days. He died
at forty-four years of age. In a letter touching
upon the character of Governor Stevens, writ-
ten by Professor Bache, of the coast-survey,
he said :
"He was not one who led by looking on but
by example. As we knew him in the coast-
survey office, so he was in every position of life.
* * * This place he filled, and more than
filled, for four years, with a devotion, an en-
ergy, a knowledge not to be surpassed, and
which left its beneficient mark upon our organ-
ization. * * * Generous and noble in im-
pulses, he left our office with our enthusiastic
admiration of his character, appreciation of his
services, and hope for his success."
The apportionment for the first Washing-
ton Territorial legislature was made by Gov-
ernor Stevens soon after his arrival from the
east. The proclamation concerning the same-
was made November 28. 1853, designating
January 30. 1854. as the day for election of
legislative members. February 27 was the
time set for the meeting of the legislature and
Olympia the place. Nine members composed
the original council : Clarke county. D. F.
Bradford, William H. Tappan : Lewis and
Pacific counties, Seth Catlin, Henry Miles;
Thurston county. D. R. Bigelow, B. F. Yantis;
Pierce and King counties. Lafayette Balch, G.
N. McConaha; Jefferson and Island counties,
William P. Sayward.
Twice this number of members composed
the house, viz : Clarke county, F. A. Chenow-
eth, A. J. Bolan, Henry R. Crosbie, A. C.
Lewis and John D. Biles ; Thurston county, C.
H. Hall, L. D. Durgin, David Shelton and Ira
Ward, Jr.; Island county. Samuel D. Howe;
Pierce county, H. C. Moseley, L. F. Thompson
and John M. Chapman ; Jefferson county, Dan-
iel F. Brownfield; King county, A. A. Denny;
Lewis county, H. D. Huntington and John R.
Jackson ; Pacific county, John Scudder.
In this legislative membership we have a
fair roster of the pioneer statesmen of Wash-
ington Territory. The most of them have been
stricken by the hand of death, but the work
they did in laying the foundation of Washing-
ton's future territorial and commonwealth im-
provement can never be stricken from the pages
of history. One of these members, Hon. A. A.
Denny, representative from King county, in a
paper read before the Historical Society, at
Tacoma, said :
At the time of the Monticello convention, Thurston
county embraced all the territory north of Lewis county
to the British line, and the session of the Oregon legis-
lature, just prior to the division of the territory, formed
out of Thurston county Pierce. King. Island and Jeffer-
son counties, making a total of eight counties in Wash-
ington Territory when organized, Clarke county at that
time extending t" the summit of the Rocky Mountains.
The first session of the legislature formed eight new
counties. Walla Walla was formed at this session, em-
bracing all the territory east of the mouth of the Des
Chutes river and running to the forty-ninth parallel on
the north and the parallel of forty-six degrees thirty
minutes eastward to the summit of the Rocky Moun-
tains, and I well remember that a board of county officers
was appointed and representation in the legislature pro-
vided for, but when tin- succeeding legislature convened,
no members from Walla Walla appeared, and it was
found that no organization of the county had been made
for want of population, and the widely scattered condi-
tion of the few who then inhabited that vast territory.
56
GENERAL HISTORY.
It will be recalled that so early as 1852 the
impetuous members of the Monticello conven-
tion were determined to demand admission to
the union as a state should congress deny terri-
torial division. But thirty-seven years were
destined to pass before the culmination of such
an event. And yet. during a large portion of
the last half of this period Washington was a
state in all but name. Her statesmen and poli-
ticians indulged in commonwealthian struggles
much the same as those at present exploited by
older states in the union. In 1859-60 a cer-
tain faction plotted for the removal of the Ter-
ritorial capital from Olympia to Vancouver. It
was secretely arranged by legislative manipu-
lation to apportion Territorial institutions as
follows : to Vancauver the capital ; to Seattle
the university ; to Port Townsend the peniten-
tiarv. An act to this effect passed both bodies
of the legislature. It carried, however, two
fatal defects; no enacting clause was inserted,
and it violated the terms of the organic act by
attempting a permanent location of the capital.
Consequently the law fell to the ground of its
own legal impotence. As in Louisiana, in
1872, two legislatures were in session in Wash-
ington, or rather the regular body at Olympia
and a "rump" organizing at Vancouver. The
supreme court's decision on the removal law-
brought the factions again together at Olympia.
In 1861 the corner stone of a university was
laid at Seattle, A. A. Denny donating eight,
and Edward Lander two, acres of land for that
purpose. In this circumstance, also, the Ter-
ritory of Washington assumed many of the ef-
fects of modern statehood, through subsequent
"mismanagement" of university funds. Truly
a state in all but name !
Quite similar in point of contention for the
capital was the strugle for the possession of the
custom-house between Port Townsend and
Port Angeles. In August, 1861, Victor Smith
arrived from Washington, D. C, with creden-
tials as collector of United States revenue.
Possessine the confidence of the national ad-
ministration he was accused of utilizing it to
further an intrigue for removal of the custom-
house. It was openly charged that he was
speculating in Port Angeles real estate and
working for his personal financial interests. Be-
sides this Smith was one of the original "car-
pet-baggers," even at that early day detested
by the democracy in Washington Territory,
which party was, numerically, quite powerful.
Removal of the custom-house from Port
Townsend to Port Angeles was recommended
by Secretary Salmon Portland Chase, and in
June. 1862, congress passed a bill making the
change. A subsequent act of congress was in
the nature of "a bill for increasing revenue by
reservation and sale of townsites." It was at
this point that the crux of Smith's real estate
enterprises became apparent. Port Townsend
citizens were wild with excitement. They ac-
cused Smith of a defalcation of $15,000, but he
promptly repaired to the national capital and
showed conclusively that the alleged crime was
nothing more than the transference of one
fund to another. This custom-house imbroglio
continued for some time, in the course of which
the guns of the revenue cutter Shubrick were
shotted and brought to bear on the town of
Port Townsend. Finally, after many serious
complications, involving numerous arrests and
much ill-feeling, the custom-house was re-
moved from Port Townsend to Port Angeles.
George B. McClellan, afterwards general
commanding the army of the Potomac, had re-
ported favorably upon the change of location.
Here the institution remained until December
16, 1863, when the town of Port Angeles was
washed away, causing the death of Inspector
William B. Goodell and Deputy Collector J.
W. Anderson. In 1865 the custom-house was
taken back to Port Townsend, and the same
year Victor Smith was lost in the wreck of the
steamship Brother Jonathan, wrecked near
Crescent City, involving the loss of three hun-
dred lives.
For a number of vears the residents of
GENERAL HISTORY.
57
Washington had been engaged in various wars
with Indians. Therefore it was not unusual
that some most excellent fighting material was
to be found among the ex-volunteers of the
Cayuse war, Steptoe's invasion and the im-
portant battle of White River. In May, 1861,
news of President Lincoln's call for volunteers
was received at Olvmpia. Henry M. McGill
was acting-governor; Frank Matthias adju-
tant-general. The latter appointed enrolling
officers in each county in the Territory, at this
period comprising twenty-two, east and west
of the Cascades. The same summer Wright,
now brigadier general, was placed in command
of the department of the Pacific, and Colonel
Albermarle Cady of the district of the Colum-
bia. Colonel Justin Steinberger came to the
coast in January. 1862, and enlisted four in-
fantry companies, one each from Port Madi-
son, Walla Walla, Port Townsend and What-
com. From the Olvmpia Standard, of July 20,
1861, it is learned that a company had prev-
iously, in May, been enlisted at Port Madison,
designated at the Union Guards, consisting of
seventy men, officered as follows: William
Fowler, captain; H. B. Manchester, first lieu-
tenant ; E. D. Kromer, second lieutenant ; non-
commissioned officers, A. J. Tuttle, Noah Falk,
William Clendennin. Edgar Brown. S. F.
Coombs. R. J. May. J. M. Grindon, John Tay-
lor. The Lewis County Rangers, mounted,
were organized in June. 1861. Henry Miles,
captain; L. L. Dubeau, first lieutenant: S. B.
Smith, second lieutenant. To the four com-
panies enlisted by Colonel Steinberger four
more were added from California, General Al-
vord assumed command in July, and Colonel
Steinberger went to Fort Walla Walla, where
he relieved Colonel Cornelius, of the Oregon
cavalry. These troops were stationed at Walla
Walla and Fort Pickett.
In i860 the discovery of valuable aurifer-
ous deposits at Pierce City. Oro Fino. Oro
Grande and other points along the Clearwater,
in what is now Idaho, but was then included in
Washington Territory, created a stampede
which his seldon been equalled in the history
of gold discoveries in the territory. At that
period a treaty with the Nez Perces existed
which, theoretically, estopped travel across the
Indian country. Practically it did nothing of
the sort. From a few hundred the number of
miners increased to thousands. On the Colum-
bia river lines of steamers plied between the
western portions of the Territory to old Fort
Walla Walla, conveying men and freight as
near as possible to these seductive placer mines,
where pay dirt was found averaging one hun-
dred dollars a day to the miner. In May the
steamer Colonel Wright came up the Columbia
and Clearwater to within forty miles of Pierce
City. At this landing was founded the "spas-
modic" mining town of Slaterville. with its
canvas saloons and rough board shanties. In
July five thousand men were prospecting the
country, or washing from ten to one hundred
and fifty dollars a day from the earth. "Town
lot" people and merchants reaped a substantial
reward for their industry. It is stated that the
weekly receipts of gold dust at Portland from
the Clearwater district was $100,000. Deady's
"History of Oregon" says : "The Colville and
Oro Fino mines helped Portland greatly: and
in 1861 built up the Oregon Steam Navigation
Company. Loaded drays used to stand in line
half a mile long, unloading at night freight to
go in the morning, that involved a fortune."
It was but natural that the steadily increas-
ing tide of immigration to this district should
materially affect the political status of the Ter-
ritory. From west of the Cascades the pendu-
lum of political power swung to the east : to
the vicinity of Shoshone and Walla Walla
counties. More judges were required east of
the mountains. District courts were estab-
lished at the county seats. It was. however, the
destiny of Washington Territory to lose the
richest portions of these mining districts. Con-
gress passed an act. which was approved by
President Lincoln. March 3, 1863. organizing
58
GENERAL HISTORY.
the Territory of Idaho out of all such territory
of Washington lying east of Oregon and the
117th meridian of west longitude. The popu-
lation of the remaining Territory of Washing-
ton was then only 12,519. Yet in i860 it had
been less than half this number.
Twelve years before the admission of
Washington into the union agitation concern-
ing this subject was precipitated. Congres-
sional Delegate Jacobs in December, 1877, in-
troduced a bill for admission, and when it was
fully realized that a constitutional convention
was to be ordered, the old question of 1852
sprung to the front, "Washington" or "Col-
umbia"? June 11, 1878, the convention as-
sembled at Walla Walla. By the constitution
then adopted a new eastern boundary was
marked for the proposed state, including the
Idaho "Panhandle" and much of the mineral
territory lost in 1863. Twenty-four days were
passed in "concentrating" and "smelting" the
various provisions of this document, and, al-
though no enabling act had been passed by
Congress, the constitution was adopted by the
people at the succeeding November election for
delegates. As the entire proceedings of this
convention were void and nugatory, it is need-
less to devote space to their consideration. As
illustrative of patriotic zeal and alert progres-
siveness, however, the attitude of the people at
this period is worthy of record.
The administration of Governor Watson C.
Squire was one especially worthy of commen-
dation. He was appointed in 1884, succeeding
William A. Newell. Squire was a man of rare
executive ability, a veteran of the Civil war,
and became one of the most prominent factors
in advancing the interests of the Territory and
promoting its progress toward statehood. He
was born May 18, 1838, at Cape Vincent, New
York, and in 1861 enlisted in the 19th New
York Infantry as a private, rising to the rank
of first lieutenant. He then resigned, was
graduated from the Cleveland law school, in
1862, and then recruited a company of sharp-
shooters of which he was given the command,
being assigned to the Army of the Cumberland.
He served on the staffs of both Generals Rose-
cranz and Thomas and was, after the war,
agent for the Remington Arms Company. In
1879 he located in Seattle, and ten years there-
after was elected president of the statehood
committee, holding its meeting in Ellensburg
in January of 1889. In framing memorials
afterward presented to congress in behalf of
statehood he was most assiduously employed
and his efforts met with cordial appreciation
from the people of the Territory.
During the administration of Governor
Squire occurred the "Chinese Riots," on the
coast, opinion of his policy in the Territory be-
ing at that time divided. But it is certain that
his courageous attitude in behalf of law and
order won the approval of a large majority of
the most influential and intelligent citizens of
the nation at large. It was at this period, 1885,
that the first attempts, under auspices of the
Knights of Labor, were made to expel China-
men from the Territory. Riots occurred;
Chinese were killed and bloodshed and dis-
order ensued at Seattle among the coal miners.
Governor Squire, November 5, 1885, issued a
proclamation commanding the establishment of
peace, and to this so little attention was paid
that disorder increased rather than subsided,
and several Chinese houses were fired and the
occupants driven away. Troops were promptly
forwarded from Vancouver and, the secretary
of war being informed of the conditions, Pres-
ident Cleveland issued a proclamation couched
in more drastic terms than had been that of
Governor Squire. Its effect was temporary;
in February, 1886, other outbreaks took place
and in efforts to protect the "celestials" a num-
ber of lives were sacrificed and conditions re-
solved themselves into overt rebellion. Gov-
ernor Squire declared martial law. Its pro-
visions were carried out with firmness, if not
severity. Order was restored, but the execu-
tive found himself placed between the hostile
GENERAL HISTORY.
59
attacks of the proletariat, and the hearty com-
mendation of President Cleveland, his cabinet
and the members of the Territorial legislature.
Squire's administration was marked by
healthy progress and steady improvement in
the various industries and material welfare of
the Territory. During his incumbency the
penitentiary was built at Walla Walla, an addi-
tion made to the penitentiary at Seatco, and an
insane asylum erected at Steilacoom. At the
close of 1885 the Territory was free from debt
and with a surplus of $100,000. That his best
efforts were ever directed to further the inter-
ests of Washington is amply proven, not only
by gratifying results, but by his carefully pre-
pared and luminously written official reports.
The one forwarded to the secretary of the in-
terior in 1884 was a concise and valuable his-
tory of the Territory for several years ante-
rior to his administration, embracing much in-
formation that had been ignored by preceding
executives. In explaining his object in thus
voluminously presenting these valuable statis-
tics Governor Squire said :
"I have diligently corresponded with the
auditors and assessors of all the counties of the
Territory, furnishing them with printed blanks
to be returned, and with all the managers of
various educational and business institutions.
Besides drawing on my own knowledge of the
Territory, gleaned during a residence here dur-
ing the past five or six years. I have gathered
and compiled a variety of important facts from
leading specialists in reference to the geo-
graphical, geologic, and climatic characteris-
tics, the coal and iron mining, horticultural,
agricultural, and manufacturing interests, the
fisheries and the flora and fauna of the Terri-
tory. The data thus offered, together with the
summary reports of our charitable and penal
institutions, and an exhibit of the financial con-
dition of the Territory, if published, will not
only be of great service in encouraging and
stimulating our people, but will furnish re-
liable information to the intending immigrant.
and will indicate to congress the rightful basis
of our claim for admission into the union of
states."
In the last paragraph of this quotation may
be traced the central thought which appears to
have actuated Governor Squire in his untiring
efforts. To accomplish the admission of Wash-
ington he spared no labor in collecting an ar-
ray of statistical information that could be
molded into powerful arguments for state-
hood. And to these reports is due largely the
great volume of immigration which flowed into
the Territory on the wheels of the Northern
Pacific railway. From 75,000 in 1880, the
population increased to 210,000 in 1886. In
the latter year this pioneer railroad company
operated four hundred and fifty-five miles of
railway within the boundaries of Washington ;
the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company
two hundred and ninety-five miles ; the Colum-
bia and Puget Sound Company forty-four
miles, and the Olympia and Chehalis Company
fifteen miles, which, together with other com-
pleted lines, gave to the Territory eight hun-
dred and sixty-six miles of railroad. The ef-
fect on all industries may be easily conceived.
The building of shipping tonnage was stimu-
lated on the coast ; the output of produce east-
ward increased wonderfully. The wheat mar-
ket was. at that period, still in the east, and in
1886 the Northern Pacific Company trans-
ported 4,161 tone of wheat and 1,600 tons of
other grains to the Mississippi river; the Ore-
gon Railroad and Navigation Company t. >• ik
out 250.000 tons of wheat, flour and barley to
southeastern points. These appear, at this
date, insignificant figures compared with the
present volume of grain business, but eighteen
years ago they gave indubitable proof to the
people of the eastern states of the remarkable
fertility of the soil of Washington Territory.
Associated with Governor Squire in the
Territorial offices were R. S. Greene, chief jus-
tice: J. P. Hoyt, S. C. Wingard and Georg*
Turner, associate justices: N. H. Owings. sec-
6o
GENERAL HISTORY.
retary. The delegate to congress was Thomas
H. Brents. The federal officers were John B.
Allen, United States district attorney: Jesse
George. United States marshal : C. Bash, cus-
toms collector ; C. B. Bagley and E. L. Heriff,
internal revenue collectors ; William McMicken,
surveyor-general : John F. Gowley, registrar,
and J. R. Hayden. receiver of the United States
land office at Olympia; F. W. Sparling, regis-
trar, and A. G. Marsh, receiver, of the Van-
couver land office; Joseph Jorgensen, registrar,
and James Baden, receiver, at Walla Walla; J.
M. Armstrong, registrar, and John L. Wilson,
receiver, at Spokane, and R. R. Kinne, reg-
istrar, and J. M. Adams, receiver, at Yakima.
Governor Squire was succeeded in 1887 by
Eugene Semple. Although a republican, he
had won the confidence of a democratic admin-
istration at Washington, D. C, and was re-
tained in office long after his place could have
been conveniently supplied with a democratic
partisan. His attitude during the Chinese riots
had done much to establish him in the estima-
tion of President Cleveland. At the time of
Semple's accession the questions of statehood
and woman suffrage were agitating the people.
Affairs were somewhat disquieted. The suff-
rage question had been defeated by popular vote
in 1878, but the legislature of 1883-4 had
passed an act conferring this privilege upon
women, and the act had been declared unconsti-
tutional by the courts, but not until the women
of the Territory had enjoyed the benefits of
voting, holding office and serving on juries for
two years, were they disfranchised. In 1886
woman suffrage became an exceedingly lively
party issue : the republicans favoring, the dem-
ocrats opposing the same. There had. also,
been a "capital removal" scheme injected into
the campaign, and strong "North Yakima" and
"Ellensburg" factions developed in the "In-
land Empire." A large number of those favor-
ing statehood had assumed, upon what logical
grounds is rather obscure, that with admission
into the union the "panhandle of Idaho, lost
in 1863, would be restored to the state. This
remote probability was. however, employed as
an argument in favor of capital removal, but
the strenuous "coasters" of the extreme west
stoutly opposed a location of the seat of gov-
ernment east of the Cascades, and the hopes of
the Yakima Valley people were doomed to dis-
appointment. During the second term of Gov-
ernor Semple, Charles S. Voorhees succeeded
Congressional Delegate Brents, and James
Shields succeeded Hayden in the Olympia land
office. N. H. Owings continued as secretary,
R. A. Jones was chief justice, Frank Allyn.
George Turner and W. G Langford associate
justices.
The fight for admission continued bravely.
In 1886 the Tacoma board of trade resolved
that "The commercial independence of Wash-
ington Territory acompanying the completion
of the Northern Pacific railroad to tide-water
should be supplemented by its political inde-
pendence as a state of the American union. Ad-
mission can not in decency be delayed many
years longer, whatever party influences may
sway congress. The census of 1890 will show
a population within the present limits of the
Territory exceeding 200,000, and a property
valuation of at least $200,000,000." Prev-
iously the claims of Washington for admis-
sion had been urged by Governor Squire in one
of his reports, in forceful language, assigning
among other reasons "the sterling, patriotic,
and enterprising character of its citizens ; its
present and prospective maritime relations with
the world : its position as a border state on the
confines of the dominion of Canada, the most
powerful province of Great Britain ; its wealth
of natural resources and growing wealth of its
people: the efficiency of its educational system,
requiring that its school lands should be allotted
and utilized ; its riparian rights should be set-
tled, capital and immigration encouraged, and
the full management and control of municipal
GENERAL HISTORY.
and county affairs should be assumed b) tin-
legislature, which is not allowed during the
Territorial condition."
According- to the report of Governor
Semple for 1888 the population of Washington
Territory was 167.982; the taxable property
was $84,621,182; the revenue produced by a
tax of two and one-half mills. $2 12.734.92 ; the
amount of coal mined, 1,133.801 tons; the lum-
ber output 320,848,203: the estimated capacity
of the combined mills 1,043,796,000 feet; the
total railway mileage 1,137.3. broad-gauge,
and 40 miles narrow-gauge. The same year an
insane asylum at Steilacoom was completed at a
cost of $100,000 and $60,000 appropriated for
a hospital for the insane at Medical Lake. The
citizens of Vancouver donated land, and the
legislature appropriated money for the erection
at that point of a school for defective youth.
The national guard consisted of two regiments
of infantry and one troop of cavalry.
Such, in rough outline, was the material
condition of the Territory of Washington on
the eve of statehood. On the anniversary of
President Washington's birthday. February
22, 1889, congress passed an enabling act pro-
posing the terms on which the Territory might
be admitted into the union. By these pro-
visions the governor was. on April 15, 1889,
to call for the election of seventy-five delegates
on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in
May, to meet in constitutional convention at
Olympia on July 4, 1889, for organization and
formulation of a state constitution. The en-
abling act by virtue of which Washington Ter-
ritory was permitted to call a constitutional
convention embraced other territories. Its title
was as follows: "An act to provide for the
division of Dakota into two states and to en-
able the people of North Dakota. South Da-
kota, Montana and Washington to form con-
stitutions and state governments, and to be ad-
mitted into the union on an equal footing- with
the original states, and to make donations of
public lands to such -late-." The land grant to
Washing-ton was: "For the establishment and
maintenance of a scientific school, one hundred
thousand acres; for state normal schools, one
hundred thousand acres ; for public buildings at
the state capital, in addition to the grant here-
inbefore made, for that purpose, one hundred
thousand acres; for state charitable, educa-
tional and reformatory institutions, two hun-
dred thousand acres."
To defray the expenses of the constitutional
convention the sum of $20,000 was appropri-
ated by congress. It was further provided that
there should be appointed one district judge,
United States attorney, anil United States
marshal ; the state to constitute one judicial dis-
trict to be attached to the ninth judicial dis-
trict ; the regular terms of court to commence
in April and November; the clerks of the courts
to have their offices at the state capital ; the
judge to reside in the district and receive a
salary of $3,500 per annum, and the courts of
the state to become the successors of the terri-
torial courts.
On July 4, 1889, the delegates elected to
the constitutional convention proceeded to bus-
iness at Olympia. Following is the represen-
tation of the several counties :
Stevens, S. H. Manley, J. J. Travis;
Spokane. C. P. Coey, George Turner, J. Z.
Moore. J. J. Browne, T. C. Griffitts, H. F.
Suksdor, Hiram E. Allen; Lincoln. II. W.
Fairweather. B. B. Glascock. Frank M. Dal-
lam; Kititas. J. A. Shoudy, A. Mires. J. T.
McDonald; Whitman. J. P. T. McCloskey, C.
II. Warner. E. 11. Sullivan. J. M. Reed. James
II ungate. George Comegys: Adams. D.
Buchanan; Garfield. S. C. Cosgrove; Franklin,
W. B. Gray; Columbia. M. M. Goodman, R. F.
Sturvedant ; Walla Walla. Lewis Xeace. D. J.
Crowley, B. L. Sharpstein. X. G. Blalock;
Yakima. W. F. Prosser; Clarke, Louis Johns.
A. A. Lindsley; Skamania. G. II. Stevenson;
Pacific. J. A. Burk ; Wahiakum. O. A. Bowen;
Cowlitz. Jesse Van Name; Mason. Henry
Winsor, fohn McReavy ; Chehalis, A. I. West;
62
GENERAL HISTORY.
Jefferson, Allen Weir, George H. Jones, H.
C. Wilson; Skagit, James Power, Thomas
Hayton, H. Clothier; Whatcom, J. J. Weisen-
berger, E. Eldridge; Snohomish, A. Schooley;
Island, J. C. Kellogg; Kitsap, S. A. Dickey;
King, R. Jeffs, T. T. Minor, T. P. Dyer, D.
E. Dwrie, John P. Kinnear, John P. Hoyt, M.
J. McElroy, Morgan Morgans, George W.
Tibbetts, W. L. Newton ; Pierce, T. L. Stiles,
P. C. Sullivan ; Gwin Hicks, H. M. Lillis, C. T.
Fay, R. S. Moore, Robert Jamison ; Thurston,
John T. Gowey, T. M. Reed, Francis Henry;
Lewis, O. H. Joy, S. H. Berry.
J. Z. Moore, of Spokane Falls, was elected
temporary chairman of the convention, and Al-
len Weir, of Port Townsend, was chosen tem-
porary secretary. Permanent organization was
effected by the election of John P. Hoyt, of
Seattle, president, John I. Booge, Spokane
Falls, chief clerk, and Clarence M. Bartin,
Tacoma, reading clerk. The deliberations of
the session occupied fifty days. At the election
of October i, 1889, the constitution framed by
these seventy-five delegates, representing twen-
ty-eight counties, was adopted by the people.
All in all it was an instrument fairly well
adapted to the requirements of the people of
Washington. Although not extravagant the
salaries allowed state officers were liberal; the
corporations were treated impartially; it pro-
vided for five supreme judges and ordained su-
perior courts in all the counties ; fixed the num-
ber of representatives at not less than sixty-
three nor more than ninety-nine ; and the senate
at nor more than half nor less than a third of
that number; and claimed all tide-lands except
such as had been patented by the United States.
The question of woman suffrage, prohibition
and capital removal were voted upon separately.
Of the votes cast 40,152 were for adoption of
the constitution and 11,879 against it. Pro-
hibition was defeated by a vote of 31,487 to
19,546; woman suffrage was again laid aside
by 34,513 votes against, and 16,527 for, that
question, and for location of the state capital
Olympia received 25,490 votes; North Yakima,
14,718; Ellensburg, 12,833; Centralia, 607;
Yakima, 314; Pasco, 120; scattering, 1,088.
At this initial state election John L. Wilson
was chosen for congressman and Elisha Pyre
Ferry for governor. The other state officers
elected were Charles E. Laughton, lieutenant
governor; Allen Weir, secretary of state; A.
A. Lindsley, treasurer; T. M. Reed, auditor;
William C. Jones, attorney general ; Robert B.
Bryan, superintendent of public instruction ;
W. T. Forrest, commissioner of public lands.
Ralph O. Dunbar, Theodore L. Stiles, John P.
Hoyt, Thomas J. Anders and Elman Scott
were elected to the supreme brench. All of these
succeessful candidates were republicans. Of
the one hundred and five members of the legis-
lature elected one senator and six representa-
tives were democrats. Following is the per-
sonnel of the first Washington state senate and
house of representatives
Senate — F. H. Luce, Adams, Franklin and
Okanogan ; C. G Austin, Asotin and Garfield ;
C. T. Wooding, Chehalis ; Henry Landes,
Clallam, Jefferson and San Juan ; L. B. Clough,
Clarke; H. H. Wolfe, Columbia; C. E. For-
sythe, Cowlitz ; J. M. Snow, Douglas and Ya-
kima; Thomas Paine, Island and Skagit; W.
D. Wood, J. H. Jones, O. D. Gilfoil, John R.
Kinnear, W. V. Reinhart, King; W. H. Knee-
land, Kitsap and Mason; E. T. Wilson,
Kittitas ; Jacob Hunsaker, Klickitat and Ska-
mania ; J. H. Long, Lewis ; H. W. Fair-
weather, Lincoln ; B. A. Seaborg, Pacific and
Wahkiakum ; John S. Baker, L. F. Thompson,
Henry Drum. Pierce; Henry Vestal, Snoho-
mish ; Alexander Watt, E. B. Hyde, B. C. Van
Houton, Spokane; H. E. Houghton, Spokane
and Stevens ; N. H. Owings, Thurston ; Piatt
A. Preston, George T. Thompson, Walla
Walla ; W. J. Parkinson, Whatcom ; John C.
Lawrence, J. T. Whaley, A. T. Farris, Whit-
man.
House — W. K. Kennedy, Adams ; Will-
iam Farrish, Asotin; L. B. Nims, J. D. Med-
GENERAL HISTORY.
63
calf, Chehalis; Amos F. Shaw, John D.
Geoghegan, S. S. Cook, Clarke; A. B. Luce,
Clallam ; A. H. Weatherford, H. B. Day, Col-
umbia; Chandler Huntington, Jr., Cowlitz; E.
D. Nash, Douglas; C. H. Flummerfell, Frank-
lin; W. S. Oliphant, Garfield; George W.
Morse, Island; Joseph Kuhn, Jefferson; J. T.
Blackburn, W. C. Rutter, W. H. Hughes,
Alex. Allen, W. J. Shinn, George Bothwell, F.
W. Bird, F. B. Grant, King; M. S. Drew, Kit-
sap ; J. N. Power, J. P. Sharp, Kittitas ; Bruce
F. Purdy, R. H. Blair, Klickitat ; S. C. Herren,
Charles Gilchrist, Lewis ; P. R. Spencer, T. C.
Blackfan, Lincoln; John McReavy, Mason;
Henry Hamilton, Okanogan ; Charles Foster,
Pacific ; George Browne, A. Hewitt, George B.
Kandle, Oliff Peterson, James Knox, Stephen
Judson, Pierce ; J. E. Tucker, San Juan ; J. E.
Edens, B. D- Minkler, Skagit ; George H. Stev-
enson, Skamania; Alexander Robertson, A. H.
Eddy, Snohomish; J. W. Feighan, J. E.
Gandy, S. C. Grubb, J. S. Brown, A. K. Clarke,
E. B. Dean, Spokane; M. A. Randall, Stevens;
W. G. Bush, Francis Rotch, Thurston; Joseph
G. Megler, Wahkiakum ; Joseph Painter, Z. K.
Straight, James Cornwall, Walla Walla; R.
W. Montray, George Judson, Whatcom ; J. C.
Turner, E. R. Pickerell, J. T. Peterson, R. H.
Hutchinson, B. R. Ostrander, Whitman; John
Cleman, Yakima.
On joint ballot the republican majority of
the legislature was ninety-six, thus insuring the
election of two United States senators. Wat-
son C. Squire and John B. Allen were elected,
their respective votes on joint ballot being sev-
enty-six and seventy-one. In the United States
senate Mr. Squire drew the short term, expiring
.March 4, 1891, and Mr. Allen served the long
term, expiring March 4, 1893. In January,
1891, Mr. Squire was re-elected for six years.
The omission of the signiture of Governor
Mason to a certificate accompanying a copy of
the constitution adopted, caused a delay in the
proclamation of President Harrison, and in
consequence of this the legislature had assem-
bled before Washington was actualy a state.
On November 11, 1889, the proclamation was
issued by the President, attested by James G.
Blaine, secretary of state, and Washington
stepped into the ranks of that sisterhood at
whom she had long looked with rather envious
eyes. During the past fifteen years her course
as a state has been one fulfilling the most san-
guine expectations of her sponcors. Indeed, a
retrospective glance shows scarcely one unwise
step taken by the leading factors in her political
and industrial history from the first agitation
for territorial division until to-day.
At the date of admission into the union
Washington had, approximately, a population
of 200,000. The census of 1900 accords the
state 518,103, and the past four years have ma-
terially increased these figures. From twenty-
eight counties at the period of admission the
state now has thirty-six, and Indian reserva-
tions to the number of fourteen. We can not
more fittingly close this portion of our history
than with the words of the late Julian Ralph,
written ten years ago :
"Washington is in every material way a
grand addition to the sisterhood of states. With
the easy and rich fancy of the west, her people
say that if you build a Chinese wall around
Washington, the state will yield all that her
inhabitants need without contributions from
the outer world."
AN ABIDING LANDMARK IN THE BIG BEND
PART II
HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY
CHAPTER I.
CURRENT EVENTS— 1854-1881
The original county formed in eastern
Washington was Walla Walla. It was the
creation of the first Territorial Legislature of
Washington, in 1S54. These were its bound-
aries: Commencing" its line on the north hank
of the Columbia river, opposite the mouth of
the Des Chutes river, in Oregon, and thence
running north to the 49th parallel of
north latitude, and it comprised all of
Washington Territory between this line
and the Rocky [Mountains, which at
that time included what is now north-
ern Idaho and a part of the present state of
Montana, in addition to the greater part of the
present eastern Washington. The whole of
this vast territory then contained less than a
dozen American citizens and the creation of
Walla Walla county has heen spoken of as :i
"legislative absurdity."
The officials appointed to jurisdiction over
this immense county failed to qualify; the suc-
ceeding legislature in [855 appointed others.
In this age of place-hunting and patronage-beg-
ging it is interesting to note that none of the
gentlemen last appointed seemed to desire the
honors or emoluments of public office, anil as
none of them qualified for their positions the
Walla Walla county organization was of mere-
Iv nominal character as was the case the year
previous. But in January, [859, Walla Walla
county was successfully organized. The county
seat was located at a small settlement which had
sprung up near .Mill Creek. Its first name was
Steptoeville; then Waiilatpu, and at the first
meeting of the commissioners it was given the
name of Walla Walla. In [858 the Territorial
Legislature organized the county of Spokane.
These were the bouujlaries : Beginning at the
mouth of the Snake river, thence following the
river to the 46th parallel; thence east to the
crest of the Rocky mountains alienee following
the divide of the Rocky mountains north to the
49th parallel; thence down the Columbia river
to the place of beginning. In the hill, county
commissioners and other officials were named,
hut county organization did not materialize
de facto. The following year new officials
were named with the result that none qualified.
It was a duplication of the Walla Walla organ-
ization. In [860 another "acl to create and or-
ganize the county of Spokane." was passed by
the Territorial Legislature. County organiza-
tion was effected — a county comprising about
one-third of the state of Washington, and por-
tions of Idaho and Montana. I'inkney City,
about three miles from the present town of Col-
ville, Stevens county, was named as the county
seat of all this wide expanse of territory. In
66
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
January, 1863. the legislature created the coun-
ty of Stevens, the same being taken from Walla
Walla county. It was located at that period en-
tirely west of the Columbia river and along the
borders of the British Possessions, and north
of the Wenatchee river. March 3, 1863, con-
gress forced a division of this large county by
organizing the Territory of Idaho from the
eastern portion of Washington. This greatly
reduced the size of the Brobdingnagian Spo-
kane county.
In 1864. by legislative act the county of
Spokane ceased to exist, and thenceforth it was
known as Stevens county. The county seat
remained at Pinkney City, or Fort Colville,
these names being interchangeable. Whitman
county was cut off. in 1871 ; at that period it
included Adams and Franklin counties. Octo-
ber 30, 1879, Spokane county was organized
from a part of Stevens county. At that time
the area included Spokane, Douglas and Lin-
coln counties. The boundaries of Spokane
county, as created at that time were as follows :
Commencing at a point where the section line
between sections 21 and 28, in township 14,
range 2j, Willamette Meridian, Washington
Territory, strikes the main body of the Colum-
bia river on the west side of the island ; thence
west to the mid-channel of the Colum-
bia river ; thence up the mid-channel of
the Columbia river to the Spokane river ;
thence up ihe mid-channel of the Spo-
kane river to the Little Spokane river;
thence north to the township line between
townships 29 and 30 ; thence east to the bound-
ary line between Washington and Idaho Ter-
ritories ; thence south on the said boundary line
to the fifth standard parallel ; thence west on
said parallel to the Columbia guide meridian;
thence south on said meridian to the fourth
standard parallel ; thence west on fourth stand-
ard parallel to the range line between ranges
27 and 28 : thence south on said range line to
the section line between sections Nos. 24 and
25, in township 14. north, range 27 east, Willa-
mette Meridian ; thence west to the place of be-
ginning.
Within these boundaries were the present
counties of Spokane, Lincoln and Douglas, with
an area of 8,844 square miles. The legislative
session of 1883 changed the map of eastern
Washington. In the Big Bend country, with
which we have to deal particularly, the four
counties which form that country were created ;
Lincoln and Douglas from the western portion
of Spokane county, and Adams and Franklin
from the western part of Whitman county.
We have traced the county formations of
eastern Washington so far as they effect Lin-
coln county. The Spokane county, as formed
in 1879, remained intact until 1883, when the
present Lincoln county was formed. But be-
fore proceeding with the creation of the county
let us look into the early settlement before it
became a county. All these changes indicated
a period of voluminous immigration. The days
of the aborigines, the explorers, the fur traders
and the missionaries, which we have glanced
at in brief panorama, were merging into those
of the agriculturist, the miner, the tradesman
and the scholar, with the soldier on the stage
during the brief intervals between acts.
Previous to the advent of white men Lincoln
county contained an Indian trail extending
from east to west. It was considered one of the
most popular Indian thoroughfares in eastern
Washington. The over-night camping place
was the spring where now is located the town
of Davenport. Bunch grass was abundant in
the neighborhood and the present site of Dav-
enport was in the nature of an oasis.
Otto Woolweber, residing eight miles north
of Reardan, Lincoln county, an enthusiastic
delver after data relating to the early history
of the west, has in his possession valuable writ-
ings and maps, once the property of Governor
Isaac Ingalls Stevens' surveying party which
passed through the Territory of Washington in
1853. From this source we learn that a detach-
ment of this party under Lieutenant Richard
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
67
Arnold traversed a portion of what is now Lin-
coln county. From Fort Colville Lieutenant
Arnold followed the Columbia down to the
point where Hunter Creek (Paw-W'aw) forms
a confluence with that stream. From here he
crossed over the ridge toward the Spokane
river, camping November 16. 1853, on the
north side of this stream where now is located
the Detillion bridge. On the 17th he crossed
the Spokane and traversed the Spokane and
Columbia bluffs to the Columbia river and that
evening camped where Peach, or Orchard Val-
ley is now located. Still following the bluffs
down the Columbia he camped on the 18th
near Hellgate and on the evening of the 19th
near where Tipso is located. The party entered
the Grand Coulee, the altitude at this point reg-
istering 1.435 f eet > an d on tne 20m went mto
camp where now stands Coulee City, Douglas
county. At this place Lieutenant Arnold
found the altitude to be 1.642 feet above sea
level. They explored and followed the Grand
Coulee to the Columbia river reaching it No-
vember 25th. From this point the party march-
ed to Fort Walla Walla.
So early as 1858 what is now Lincoln coun-
ty was traversed by a party of miners on their
way to the famous Fraser river mines. Hun-
dreds of sanguine, stalwart men passed through
the Territory of Washington and up the Okan-
ogan river, that year, to the newly discovered
gold fields which, at that period had created
the wildest excitement, as did the Klondike
country in the 90's. There is substantial evi-
dence that at least one party en route to the
Fraser river made its way there via Lincoln
county. A company of 350 men and several
thousand head of stock left The Dalles. Oregon,
bound for Fraser river. They traveled from
The Dalles to Walla Walla where government
officials were then building the fort. Here the
company employed an Indian to guide them to
the mouth of the Okanogan river. The guide
lost the trail and the mining party struck the
Columbia, opposite the mouth of the Sans Poil
river. From there they made their way to the
Okanogan country. It required a number of
days to cross the Columbia. In due time they
won their way to the Fraser river, about thirty
days out from The Dalles to the diggings.
Among the party who crossed the Big Bend
plains in 1858 were J. R. W'hitaker, who in
1881 returned to Lincoln county and settled on
a ranch near Harrington, ami Hiram F. Smith,
better known in politics and mining circles as 1
"Okanogan Smith." Returning from the Fra-
ser river country in i860 Mr. Smith took up a
ranch at the foot of Osoyoos lake, in what is
now Okanogan county. Here he resided for
many years and did much for the advancement
of that northern country. In 1861 William
Newman, after whom Newman's lake was
named, came to the present site of Sprague.
Here he became proprietor of a station for trav-
elers and government express animals. At that
early period Mr. Newman's nearest neighbors
were a lone settler at the mouth of the Palouse
river, and Mr. James Monaghan. The latter
came to this country in i860 and established a
ferry on the newly completed military road
where it crossed the Spokane river, some twen-
ty miles below the falls. Mr. Monaghan sub-
sequently had charge of what was known as
the Lapray bridge.
One of the first permanent settlers — if not
the first — to locate in what afterwards !
Lincoln county, was R. M. Bacon. Mr. Bacon
left his home in Boston in i860 and headed tor
the west. Three years later he came to the di-
vide vallev, in Stevens county, where be re-
mained until 1871. He then came to the Crab
creek country, in Lincoln county, and ^
in raising cattle. Save for an occasional hand
of Indians and the wild animals that ranged
over the prairies, the entire country was a wild
waste, destitute of life and denounced by mili-
tary authority as a howling desert. Mr. Bacon
confesses that he was a trifle lonesome the first
vear he passed in the Crab creek country, but
after that he was satisfied with his lot. He says
68
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
that > iccasionally the Indians were a little ugly,
but he was never molested, and did not think
there was ever real cause for alarm. Within a
few years after Air. Bacon's arrival in this part
of the country other hardy pioneers came and
settled in his vicinity. In course of time a post-
office was established on Crab creek, known as
the Crab creek Post Office. Air. Bacon became
the first postmaster in Lincoln county. Mail
was received once a week by stage.
When the first settlers ventured out upon
the broad bunch grass plains of Lincoln county
and other parts of Central Washington, only
the bottom lands along flowing creeks were con-
sidered of any value, and in such places these
early pioneers sought to make themselves
homes. For agricultural purposes the uplands
were considered worthless ; fit only for roving
bands of cattle, horses and sheep. But a few
years later and it was discovered that the up-
lands were the better, and settlers who located
upon them soon found that they were more
eligibly situated than those who had preceded
them and chosen homes on creek bottoms.
Undoubtedly the oldest settler of Lincoln
county, or of the whole Big Bend country, was
Samuel Wilbur Condin ( sometimes spelled
Condi t, ) but who was better known through-
out the northwest as "Wild Goose Bill. - ' Feb-
ruary I, 1895, the Wilbur Register explained
editorially, as follows:
"As there seems to be some question con-
cerning the correct orthography of 'Wild Goose
Bill's' name, the Register will state, on the au-
ity of his own signature, that the proper spelling
is Samuel Wilbur Condit. The surname was
originally Condin, but some years ago it was
erroneously spelled Condit in a patent from the
government, and this orthography Bill accept-
ed, and has since spelled his name accordingly."
Samuel Wilbur Condit. who was known
personally or by reputation to almost every man
woman or child in the Pacific northwest, as
"Wild Goose Bill," was torn in Orange, New
Jersey, about 1835. Being from childhood of
an adventurous disposition he struck out early
for the west in search of fortune. He stopped
for a time in Illinois, but soon pushed on to
the golden shore of California, where he ar-
rived at an early day. Thence he drifted north-
ward, and in the 6o's he was engaged in
freighting over the trackless plains of the Big
Bend from Walla Walla to the placer camps
along the Columbia river. The exact date that
he came to this country is uncertain. In an
interview in 1889 he made the statement that
he had lived in the Big Bend thirty years which
would make the period of his arrival in 1859.
Condit, or Condin, was a "squaw man," and
for years lived in a country where the face of a
white man was seldom seen. About 1875 he
became known to the few early settlers of east-
ern Washington. At that period he was pro-
prietor of a cayuse pack train engaged in trans-
porting supplies from Walla Walla and other
points which were then supply depots for the
unsettled region embracing northern Idaho and
northeastern Washington, to miners and pros-
pectors scattered through the mountains, and to
surveyors who were then exploring the coun-
try, seeking a feasible route to the seaboard for
the Northern Pacific railroad. Condin had
made frequent trips through the Big Bend
country to the mines of the north. It was one
day. lung ago, that he first saw the site where
Wilbur now stands. He stood on the dividing
ridge south of town, and saw the clear waters
of the Little Ridge, fringed with a luxuriant
growth of aspens, willows and Cottonwood,
meandering down the valley and off through a
natural meadow to the beautiful lake nestling
among the mcks a mile below. Then and there
he resolved that at some future time he would
call this charming spot his home, and he fre-
quently made it his resting place during long
and toilsome journeys.
At length, probably about 1875. becoming
wearied of his nomadic life, he pitched his tent
in this beautiful valley and made it his per-
manent home. The land at that time was un-
HISTORY OK THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
69
surveyed, but he staked off his claim, built a
cabin, disposed of his pack train, invested all of
his available cash in horses and cattle and
branched out into the stock-growing business.
Eater, when the land was surveyed, Condit
made his riling, and afterwards made final proof
and acquired title from the United States gov-
ernment to the land on which is now located the
town of Wilbur. It was at this time that the
government made the mistake of engrossing
the papers and land patent under the name of
"'Condit." According to the rude forms of
marriage practiced among her tribe he took to
himself an Indian maiden. His frontier ranch,
marked on the early maps by hardy explorers
as "Wild Goose Bill's Place," was the ground
occupied by the site of the present flourishing
town of Wilbur. Here, for many years, he
continued to reside with his Indian wife by
whom he had three sons. A mass of sensational
stories have been floated concerning Condin's
wild life. It has been asserted that he had
killed innumerable Indians "for interfering
with his domestic relations." His killing rec-
ord, however, embraced five Indians, shot in a
running tight while resisting arrest. The story
which has been repeated many times, that he
killed the man who first dubbed him "Wild
Goose Bill," is untrue. The following, his last
will and testament, made just prior to his tragic
death, is of historical intererst :
"Condin's Ferry. January 19, 1895. Know
all men by these presents that I Samuel Wilbur
Condit being in my right mind & knowing
that life is uncertain do make my last will and
testament on this day of our Lord January the
ninteant eightten hundred & nity five it is my
desire to give my son george Conduit my prop-
perry known as Condine fery & to will & be-
queath to my son Willey Condit five dollars &
fifty cents the balance of my property real &
pirsinel to my cripple son Charles excepting
my interest that myself & R. J. Reave Hold
jointly on setcion eight I will my interest on the
same to R J Reaves & his Heirs & assig
alsor appoint E J Reave my Adminesterater &
executor without bonds stipulating that he see
to my cripple son Charles & that he 1- well taken
care of as long as he Lives my propperty
known as the Mitchell place I bequeath
to R. J. Reaves provided he pays the
Mortgag on the same it is my de-
sire that R. J. Reaves rents my proper-
ty & aplyes the rents to the maintence of my
cripple son Charles in case of 1 1 i -s Death it is
my desire that my sole property shall he aplied
to the School fund of Wilbur, & also that theree
Be enoughf sold to pay all of my Just debts.
Hoping & trusting that R J Reaves will act in
good faith 1 revoke all former wills up to this
date witness my Hand & Seal
"(My Hand & Seal)
"Samuel Wilbur Condit
"Witness George G James
"Burt I). Woodin"
"Wild Goose Bill" had his good traits, hut.
raised in a rough school, in which self-reliance
and the unbounded freedom of the frontier that
inculcates the impression that might makes
right, endow a man with unconventional char-
acteristics that would not he regarded as en-
tirely the pink of propriety. Bill, had, also, his
weaknesses. Condin located and lived on the
land now embraced in the townsite of Wilbur.
He also owned a ferry on the Columbia river,
that was operated for many years, and other col-
lateral that made him a comparatively wealthy
man. There were no white women in the land
when Condin first settled therein, and he took
unto himself an Indian wife. By her he had
several children. Eater in life he married an-
other squaw and a child was horn that developed
into a helpless cripple. In his later years the
w hi lie affectii >n 1 if the 1 »ld man was o >ncentrated
in this deformed, epileptic, speechless offspring.
His intese love for the unfortunate child was a
redeeming feature in the rough, frontier-man's
life. The manner in which S. W. Condin se-
cured the cognomen. "Wild Goose Bill," is told
by the Lincoln County 'rimes:
7°
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
"It is said that Mr. Condin received his pic-
turesque nickname when he was a callow youth
of twenty summers. The Big Bend country
was, as yet, unsettled. Condin was out on a
hunting; expedition and he wanted game. Sud-
denly he espied a large flock of geese on a lit-
tle rivulet. His heart stood still. Cautiously
he crept closer and closer to the unsuspecting
quarry. The geese rose and fell on each little
ripple, and/ with the proverbial stupidity of
geese imagined themselves in safety.
"The huntsman drew nearer and nearer.
"Suddenly the sport commenced. Condin
began shooting, and in a short time had bagged
the entire flock. Then a woman who had set-
tled on a neighboring Clearing, approached and
viewed the scene of slaughter.
"What business have you killing my pets?
she yelled in a voice pitched in C alt.
"The story got out, and the man who mis-
took a flock of tame birds for wild ones, wore
the original title, 'Wild Goose Bill,' until his
death. The virago was appeased by the pay-
ment of several pieces of silver, but the incident
came down from mouth to mouth to the present
generation."
Many years previous to the advent of white
men in the Big Bend country it is known that
Chinamen carried on placer mining along the
upper Columbia river. These Celestials have
worked the gold from the sands of that river
ever since, in a primitive way and undoubtedly
fortunes have been secured. One of many
spots visited in the early days by the Chinese
was in Lincoln county, opposite the mouth of
the Sans Poil river.
Sam Wow, an aged Chinaman and a pio-
neer miner of the Columbia bars, in this vicin-
ity, is now a resident of Wulbur. Sam claims
to have first done placer mining here about
1864, and travelers through the country ten
years after this date state that he was engaged
in work there. Sam is uncertain of the exact
date when he came to the country, but he re-
members that he was ushered in by the worst
snowstorm that ever visited the locality. Ac-
cording to his description any storm of later
years would certainly have to take second place
in the climatology of Washington. He came
in from the east and states that in places the
snow was ten feet deep and the cold terrible.
As a consequence of that first trip to the Colum-
bia placer fields Sam Wow lost the first joint
from each one of his ten fingers, and. also.
suffered the separation between himself and
several of his toes. But he was not to be de-
terred by such a calamity. He had entered upon
a prospecting tour which included a visit to the
upper Columbia, and thither he went. Age and
continual stooping while shoveling the gravel
from placer beds have imparted a permanent
twist to his body; his manner of walking im-
parts the impression of an animated corkscrew.
Captain John McGourin, an early settler
of Lincoln county, came about 1875.
June 14. 1877, Chief Joseph's band of Nez
Perces took up arms, their field of operations
being Camas Prairie, in Idaho. The United
States government at once proceeded with vigor
to suppress the uprising, but the troops did not
arrive in time to prevent the murder by Indians
of many defenseless and inoffensive settlers.
Reports gained currency that the Palouses,
Couer d' Alenes, and Spokanes had gone on the
war-path, and that Chief Moses was on his way
south to join the hostile warriors. A general
feeling of uneasiness prevailed among the set-
tlers of eastern Washington. Then the people
were thrown into a panic and the wildest and
most ludicrous excitement prevailed. Utterly
unfounded rumors of massacres and depreda-
tions were passed from person to person and,
as is usual in such cases, they lost nothing of
their hideous aspect in the course of their trav-
els. In Whitman county fear assumed the pro-
portions of a panic. Reason appeared to have
temporarily surrendered her citadel and wild
fancy ruled. The stock, which at the time hap-
pened to be in corrals, were left without food
or drink, while the animals fortunate enough
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
7i
to be at liberty when tbe "scare" developed,
wandered about at will. Settlers hastily re-
paired to Colfax. Wagons were driven down
the steep hills heading to the Whitman county
seat town at a gallop. Never before or since
have the streets of Colfax witnessed such a
scene of turmoil. Jt is certain that bad tbere
been any Indians in the vicinity disposed to
make an attack but feeble resistance could have
been uttered under the circumstances. Many
of the fugitives dared not trust even Colfax
or Palouse for protection, but pushed on until
Walla Walla or Dayton had been reached.
Rifles, revolvers, shotguns and weapons of all
kinds were hurridly made read}- for use. Men
rushed about excitedly while women and chil-
dren greeted each new report of butcheries with
loud lamentations and wailings. The Indians,
many miles away, were no doubt totally un-
conscious of the commotion they were causing,
and, as was afterwards discovered, the northern
Indians were somewhat perturbed, believing
the whites were meditating offensive rather
than defensive warfare.
Settlers on Crab creek, now within the ter-
ritory comprising the counties of Lincoln and
Douglas, like the settlers in Whitman and other
portions of eastern Washington, abandoned
their homes so soon as the first danger note had
been sounded. They set out for Walla Walla
and other points, but before proceeding far on
their journey some of the bolder ones decided
to return to their homes and brave all dangers.
Meanwhile a small band of Columbia river In-
dians on their way from the camas grounds,
had discovered that everything was deserted
and had helped themselves to whatever they
could find in the way of provisions, clothing
and stock. The returned farmers saw these
depredations, and nut remaining to ascertain
their true extent, tied in haste, circulating all
sorts of exaggerated reports. Their stories
had the effect of confirming the general impres-
sion of an uprising of the northern Indians.
Among the many settlers who rushed to Col-
fax there -were a few logical enough to desire
some certain evidence of the presence of Indians
in their section. Wont twenty of these organ-
ized themselves into a scouting party, and on
the second day of the scare set out on an expe-
dition. They -.aw no traces of hostilities. None
of the farms which they visited had been in
any way disturbed, but the cattle in the corrals
were beginning to feel the pangs of hunger and
thirst, and were endeavoring to make their
wants known by brute signals. At Fori How-
ard, Idaho, the party was informed that Joseph's
band had not crossed the Clearwater, a bit of
news which, no doubt, proved very soothing to
the friends at home. It was said by some one
that the Catholic missionary. Father Cataldo,
was being detained at his mission by the Coeur
d' Alene Indians, and two of the party, D. S.
Bowman and James Tipton, set out for that
place to investigate, while the rest returned to
Colfax. Messrs. Bowman and Tipton found
the Indians greatly excited, believing the "Bos-
tons," as they called the Americans, were pre-
paring to attack them. They had construed the
warlike preparations as evidence of hostile in-
tent on the part of the whites and were prepar-
ing to defend themselves if assaulted. The
same was true of the Palouse and Spokane
tribes. There can be no doubt that the service
of the two dauntless white men in this matter
was of inestimable value. They allayed the
fears of the red men. explaining the true situa-
tion and convincing them of the pacific dispo-
sition of the whites. The account which they
brought back to Colfax had a pacifying influ-
ence there, and as further evidence that no harm
was intended they bore certificates of peaceful
intentions from the chiefs. These had l>een
procured by Father Cataldo. The arrival of
these two men at Colfax was most opportune.
The settlers returned to their homes and found
that in some instances the Indians, far from en-
tertaining a hostile thought, had even protected
the crops from damage by loose cattle and taken
care of the deserted property.
-2
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
June 30th, Rev. H. T. Cawley, a mission-
ary stationed at Spokane Falls, wrote concern-
ing the attitude of the Indians in that vicinity :
"I hasten to give assurance of the pacific dis-
position of the Spokanes, also of the Snake
River, >Nez Perce and Palouse Indians camped
here. In public council held last Monday at the
'Falls/ they unanimously declared their friend-
liness toward the whites, and we have found
them thus far unusually careful to avoid giving
offense. The Spokanes, have, of course, been
somewhat alarmed both at the gathering of the
whites at Colfax, and at the 'Falls," but now
that all have returned to their homes every-
thing has quited down."
Itis evident that no real danger ever exist-
ed and that the scare was utterly baseless in
fact. The northern Indians never contempla-
ted an outbreak and the hostile tribes returned
east over the Lolo trail, utterly ignoring the
Palouse country. Ludicrous though the white
stampede may seem, a momentous crisis exist-
ed, for such were the conditions prevailing
among both whites and Indians that an indis-
creet act on the part either might have precipi-
tated a barbarous and sanguinary war.
In 1878 O. B. Parks, one of the pioneer
settlers of Lincoln county, came from Califor-
nia and settled one mile north of the present
site of Davenport. The same year J. G. Keth-
roe located on a homestead in the neighbor-
hood of Reardan, and Barney Fitzpatrick set-
tled on a stock ranch and engaged in the busi-
ness of raising cattle. Soon after the establish-
ment of Fort Spokane he contracted with the
LJnited States government to supply the troops
with fresh beef.
Among the very earliest to make a home in
Lincoln county were Mr. and Mrs. A. D.
Strout. They secured a homestead four and
one-half miles southeast of Davenport in 1879.
Taking the limit of the number of acres a muni-
ficient government grants to every bona fide
settler, Mr. Strout's original possession con-
sisted of 160 acres. When he settled on his
homestead his property consisted of three
horses, a dilapidated wagon and only a few dol-
lars. One of the horses was killed by an acci-
dent the first winter. His nearest neighbor
lived fifteen miles distant. After erecting a
small "shack"' Mr. Strout drove to Colfax
for his winter's supplies and seed for the fol-
lowing season. Upon reaching home he had
remaining in money just ten cents. Lhidaunt-
ed, himself and wife started in to build up a
home in the new country. Their many make-
shifts are amusing to talk of at the present day,
but were, indeed, trying at the time. They
drove a long distance to a neighbor's and made
an arrangement by which Mr. Strout took a
sow to feed and winter for half the pigs. Mrs.
Strout secured a hen, half of the brood to be
paid for the use of the bird. During the winter
the couple managed to get hold of a Mexican
dollar; in the spring it was pawned to a sheep
herder for a mutton. Mr. Strout was unable
to redeem the pledge. For flour they dried
wheat in the oven and ground it in a coffee mill.
The shifty expediences to get along were only
similar to the experience of many of the early
settlers. However, Mr. Strout never despaired.
Serious accidents he encountered, once accident-
ly shooting himself from which he barely re-
covered. He was treated by physicians from
Sprague and Fort Spokane; at another time he
suffered from a fearful kick in the face. But
adversity did not remain with him always.
Gradually he accumulated land and personal
property until he became independent.
The original settler to locate a homestead
in the "Egypt" country was Joseph M. Nichols,
who came there in 1879.
Mr. C. C. May, president of the Big Bend
National Bank, Davenport, came to Lincoln
county in the earliest days of its eventful his-
tory in 1879. At that period he was a member
of a government surveying party. He was
pleased with the country and decided to locate
here. Securing a homestead within five miles
of the present site of Davenport he erected a
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
73
small house consisting of one room, measuring
from the ground to the ceiling seven feet. A
year or two later he added a second room and
again a third. Concerning the condition of the
country at that pioneer period Mr. May said:
"Why, we could travel for weeks and not see
a white man. The only white person 1 rcmem-
her was 'Wild Goose Bill.' who was holding the
fort at what is now the town of Wilbur."
Mr. May has left his impress upon the com-
munity in which he resides, and has labored
assiduously to build up the country. In 1880
he was chosen one of the commissji fliers of Spi >-
kane county, which then comprised the present
counties of Lincoln and Douglas. Although
he has been pressed to accept many other offices
this is the only one he ever held in this locality.
In 1879 A. G. Courtright settled on a farm
a short distance east from where Mondovi now
stands. In company with his son he conducted
the stage station there for many years. It was
an inn, or caravansary, for all travelers who
passed back and forth from the Big Bend pre-
vious to the advent of railroads. Among other
early pioneers were Mr. and Mrs. L. A. Ken-
nedy who came to the country in 1879, settling
on a homestead a few miles southeast of Dav-
enport. T. M. Cooper, who became prominent
as a business man and active politician, came
also in 1879, settling near the present site of
Creston. The same year Byron Richards lo-
cated on a homestead near old Mondovi.
Among others who "spied out the country"
the same year and found it good were James
Ihuihert, who made his residence one and one-
half miles west of Davenport; Horace Parker,
locating in the Crab creek country near the pres-
ent town of Lamona ; and Mr. and Mrs. John
Oakley who pitched their tent in Egypt, coming
here from California.
Major John W'>rts. now a resident of Dav-
enport, is a pioneer of Lincoln county, having
paid his first visit to the country in 1S79. He
traveled over the greater portion of the pres-
ent Lincoln county, and his description of the
country at that early period is intensely inter-
esting. Only a few hardy pioneers had pre-
ceded him and for miles and miles he pushed
on without encountering a white man. Major
Worts states that the number of wild fowl
then in the country was astonishing, and de-
clares that he dare not make a true statement
of the facts, desiring to retain his excellent rep-
utation for veracity. April 21, [879, Mr. Worts
camped at the spring, now in the heart of the
city of Davenport, lie did not at this time
become a citizen of the town, or of Lincoln
county, hut a few years later he came back,
made a permanent location and operated a saw
mill in the northern part of the county.
The year 1880 witnessed the establishment
of a United States government military post
within the boundaries of what a few years later
became Lincoln county. The condition of the
country at this period may he described as wild.
There were a few settlers along Crab creek in
the southern part of the county and active pre-
parations for the building of the Northern
Pacific Railway had induced a iaw people to
come to what is now Sprague. The inhabitants
of the eastern upper portion of Lincoln county
could, probably, he counted on one's fingers.
The site for Tort Spokane, or Post Spokane,
as it was first called, was selected in Septem-
ber, 1880, by General (). O. Howard, depart-
ment commander, and Lieutenant Colonel Mer-
riam, of the Second U. S. Infantry. These
officers selected the site on the beautiful bench
just above the Spokane river, only a short dis-
tance from where that river flows into the Col-
umhia. It was one of the prettiest among the
frontier posts and was selected because it was
in easy striking distance of the Colville Indian
Agency, just across the river. To this newly
selected post were brought t\\c companies of
the Second Infantry and die troop of the Sec-
ond Cavalry under command of Lieutenant
Colonel Merriam. These troops were brought
from the foot of Lake Chelan, where they had
been for some time exerting a wholesome in-
74
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
fluence upon the Chelan Indians. Shortly after
the establishment of Fort Spokane Lieutenant
Colonel Merriam was removed to Fort Colville.
in Stevens county, and Major Smith became
commander-in-chief during his absence. Xo
permanent improvements were made at the new
fort until 1882. when Fort Colville was aban-
doned and Lieutenant Colonel Merriam again
assumed command, remaining until the comple-
tion of the fort in 1885. With his return the
erection of buildings was begun and the place
became known as Fort Spokane. The fort was
constructed on elaborate principles. The gov-
ernment expended thousands of dollars, install-
ing handsome quarters for officers and privates,
such store buildings as were necessary, a sys-
tem of water works and all the accessories need-
ful for a first-class military station. There
were a dozen large frame buildings on the
north side of the enclosure, utilized as
officers' quarters. There were vast bar-
racks peopled by the men in the ranks,
brick guard houses, commissarv buildings,
stables, etc. A system of water works com-
posed of a pumping station on the river and a
large reservoir on the hill side south of the
fort, carried water throughout the grounds.
In 1885 the buildings were completed and
Lieutenant Colonel Merriam was relieved by
Lieutenant Colonel Fletcher, and the Second
Infantry was exchanged for three companies
of the Fourth Infantry. The following year
Major Kent, of the Fourth Infantry, assumed
command at the fort. Other commanders in
the order named have been : Lieutenant Col-
onel Mears, of the Fourth Infantry, who died
at the fort in 1890; Lieutenant Colonel Cook,
of the Fourth ; Major Carpenter, of the Fourth ;
and Major McGoughlin, of the Sixteenth In-
fantry.
The spot is one of the most beautiful in the
state. The grounds are a net-work of sewers
and water mains. There was a double system
of water works in use at the fort ; one a reser-
voir of pure spring water on the hill, high above
the garrison, and piped down to the quarters
for the domestic use of both officers and men ;
the other source of supply was by means of a
steam eng'ine located at the Spokane river, forc-
ing water through another set of pipes for the
stables, hre and irrigating purposes.
Another prominent Lincoln county settler
of 1880 was W. H. Vandine. In the autumn
of that year he entered a homestead claim three
miles north of what subsequently developed into
the town of Davenport. Northern Lincoln
county received its first settlers, outside of a
few who have been mentioned heretofore, in
1880. Many came to Egypt that fall. The fol-
lowing year others came, nearly all settling in
Egypt and quite a colony was there in 1881.
William Yarwood was one of the first settlers
in central Lincoln county, taking up a home-
stead near Harrington in 1880. Still, it is true
that only a comparatively few hardy pioneers
had settled in what later became Lincoln coun-
ty prior to the building of the Northern Pa-
cific railroad through the southeast corner of
the count}' in 1 880-1. With the construction of
this line of road settlement began to push out
rapidly over the lands in the southern part of
the county tributary to the new railroad. The
first settler in the Reardan neighborhood was
J. F. Rice who went there in 1881. Isaac Mul-
hiem settled near Mondovi long before the
formation of Lincoln county.
The winter of 1881 was one to try the
"summer soldier, and the sunshine patriot."
Snow fell to a great depth and for many days
travel was interrupted. Most of the stock in
the country perished. Mr. Barney' Fitzpatrick,
mentioned elsewhere, and one of the earliest
settlers in the county, a number of years after-
ward told of an experience he had during that
severe winter. He was caught in the storm at
Deep Creek Falls, and realizing that the block-
ade would last for some time he struck out for
home on horseback. At that time he lived a
short distance west of the present townsite of
Davenport. There were only a few scattered
HISTORY OF Till-: BIG BEND COUNTRY.
75
houses over the route traveled by him, but he
managed to reach one every night. He was six
days making- the trip. The snow was soft and
so deep that lie had to break a path for his
animal and when he succeeded in gaining his
home he was completely exhausted.
In early days the United States government
transported all of its army supplies in Wash-
ington Territory with four and six mule teams.
So frequent were the trips from one post to
another that the trails they followed became
established roadways for all travelers in those
days. The great, heavy army wagons would
wear cuts through the prairie sod and the rains
would wash these out each season, compelling
the army trains to follow a new track along the
old one ; and these in turn would be washed
out, thus continuing this plan annually until
a well-defined and clearly marked trail would
be developed. For many years after the use of
these trails had been abandoned and even
after the advent of the railroad through
the Territory these government trails
would he referred to in describing the
topography of the country. When the
settlers came and took up homesteads in the
country they would designate their homes as
being at such a point along "the old govern-
ment trail." One of the best known of these
trails in eastern Washington traversed what
later became Lincoln count}-. It was in use
during the time when army supplies were trans-
ported from Walla Walla to Fort Spokane, and
was used not only by military men, but also by
immigrants and miners who were traveling in
this direction. A favorite camping place for
these caravans was at Cottonwood Springs, the
best water supply along the entire route. A
volume of water as large around as the huh of
a wagon wheel, and as cold as ice. continually
pours out from Cottonwood Springs, creating
quite a little stream or creek along the hanks
of which a small forest has grown. It was
this cool water and the welcome shade that in-
duced the army caravans and the immigrants
to camp here. This greatly appreciated spring-
is in the heart of the city of Davenport, county
seat of Lincoln county.
In 1882 and 1883 Lincoln county suffered
from a most peculiar pest — the cricket s
Pioneers tell us that the cricket epoch was the
most remarkable ever encountered in a new-
country. Myriads of large, black crickets,
measuring from one to two inches long swarmed
out of the earth and up through the snow, and
devastated the fields for two seasons. They
made their first appearance in 1882. Settlers
combined their forces and dug ditches, sur-
rounding their farms with pits five rods apart,
and men, women and children worked day and
night with brooms, sweeping the pests into pits
and destroying them. The hulk of their crops
destroyed, families subsisted on peas and fish
throughout the season. It people could have
obtained the means to escape, the country would
have been dep< ipulated. The scourge was w< >rse
during the year 1883 than the previous season.
The appearance of the crickets the third year
created a panic among the settlers. The peo
pie fully realized that the destruction of the
crops then meant rum. But they met the enemy
with the courage of true Washingtonians — a
courage which then amounted almost to fero-
city. Deeper were dug the ditches, their mileage
was extended, and the broom brigades fought
with the desperation of people forced to tight.
for their lives. Just as the insects were about
to conquer for the third time and the settlers
were almost ready to yield in despair, a heavy
rain set in, succeeded by frost and the crickets
tumbled into the pits to rise therefrom no more.
Great was the rejoicing when it became known
that the cricket pest was completely extermin-
ated.
Prior to the organization of Lincoln coun-
ty, in 1883, very little was known of tin
try then called "Western Spokane County," ex-
cept by those who had actually taken up a resi-
dence in the new district. There were no. rail-
roads ami n ■ stage lines. Occasionallv some
7 6
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
party would make an extended trip on horse-
back to the western country, the journey re-
quired many days and numerous hardships.
Returning he would give flowery descriptions
of the fertility of this vast region, then contain-
ing but a few scattered settlers ; hardy pioneers
who had held their place in the van of the ad-
vance of civilization. Such was the condition
of affairs when the county was organized. At
the time of the organization of Lincoln county
it was quite sparcely settled. Farms and farm
houses were few and far between. Few acres
of the fertile soil had been mutilated by the
plow. There were no luxuries; few comforts
of life. The occasional road was only an in-
distinct ribbon across the broad expanse of un-
broken plain, as erratic in its course as the
steps of a drunken sailor. Everything was in
the rude, primitive condition common to west-
ern pioneer life. Sprague was the only town,
given some importance by being the end of a
division on the Northern Pacific railroad.
Harrington and Davenport . were villages, the
rudest, cheapest looking, most uninviting im-
aginable, and Reardan, Wilbur, Almira. Ed-
wall, Odessa and other now flourishing towns
were not dreamed of.
Not without strong opposition did the coun-
ty of Lincoln come into existence. Perhaps no
other county in Washington encountered more
determined antagonism than this. Judge N. T.
Caton, at present a practicing attorney at Dav-
enport, was the author of the bill creating Lin-
coln county. At that period he was a resident
of Walla Walla county and was serving in the
Territorial Council. The settlers of the terri-
tory proposed to be cut off from Spokane coun-
ty were unanimously in favor of the bill. The
only opposition was from the Northern Pacific
Railway Company, yet it was nearly powerful
enough to defeat the bill. The reason for the
railway's opposition was this: The Northern
Pacific Company had determined that Cheney
should be the coming town of eastern Wash-
ington. Spokane Falls was to remain a village.
Cheney was the county seat and would, un-
doubtedly have remained so for many years
with the old Spokane county intact. With the
setting off of the western portion the railway
company saw that Spokane Falls would be able
to secure the county seat as it was more cen-
trally located. With the building of the North-
ern Pacific road and the location of headquar-
ters at the little town of Sprague, which came
into life with the building of the road, Spokane,
Cheney and Sprague, all of which were then in
Spokane county, entered upon a rivalry that at
times became more interesting than friendly.
Cheney had been successful over Spokane in a
county seat contest ; Spokane formed an alliance
with Sprague by the terms of which there was
to be a new vote on the county seat question,
and Lincoln county was to be organized with
Sprague as the county seat. The combination
worked, and a bill was passed by the legislature
providing for a revote in the Spokane county
seat contest. The success of the latter part of
this agreement will be seen by a further perusal -
of this history.
The bill as originally introduced in the
Council provided for the naming of the new
county Sprague, in honor of John W. Sprague,
at that time general superintendent and agent
of the Northern Pacific Railway. It did not
name Davenport as the temporary county seat,
but left the location of the county seat with the
voters. How the county came to be named Lin-
coln instead of Sprague is told by Judge Caton,
the author of the bill, and its most ardent sup-
porter ; Colonel Houghton, who had been form-
erly in the employment of the Northern Pacific
Company looking after the company's lands,
was not on friendly terms with John W.
Sprague. Colonel Houghton was a member of
the Territorial Legislature of 1883, and op-
posed the bill for the creation of Sprague coun-
ty. It appeared to Mr. Caton that much of this
opposition might arise from the proposed name
HISTORY Oh THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
17
of the new county. He sought an interview
with the ex-official of the Northern Pacific kail-
road Company.
"Colonel," said Mr. Caton, "it appears to
me that we are making' a mistake in naming
this new county after a living person. One can
never be sure in such a case that the name will
reflect credit upon the community. On the
other hand if we name it after some one who
has gone before and upon whose name there
can be no stain, we run no risk of the name dis-
gracing us. Now, as we are naming the other
counties in the Big Bend country after noted
Americans who have passed away, what do you
say to changing the name of this one from
Sprague to Lincoln ?"
"Just the proper thing," replied Colonel
Houghton, and from that time he became a
supporter of the bill.
The measure passed the Council without a
dissenting vote, but in the house it was strongly
opposed. I. X. Peyton in 1883 was associated
with J. C. Davenport in the control of the town-
site of Davenport, and through his influence the
bill was amended so as to name Davenport as
the temporary county seat. In this form, but
not without opposition, it passed the house. It
will thus be seen that the first county seat right
in Lincoln county occurred prior to the creation
of the county. Judge Caton and the supporters
of the Lincoln county bill in the Council did
not desire to have any town named as the tem-
porary county seat, wishing to leave the matter
entirely in the hands of the voters, but to fail
to promptly concur in the house amendment
would prove fatal to the passage of the meas-
ure at this session, as only a few days remained.
The Council, therefore, promptly concurred, al-
though much pressure was brought to defeat
the bill. Mr. Caton was offered $1,000 to use
his influence against concurring in the house
bill.
Concerning the manner in which Davenport
was named as the temporary county seat of
Lincoln county in the bill creating the county,
the Sprague Herald of July 2$, 1890, said:
"The bill named Sprague as the temporary
county seat and also contained a provision for
the permanent location of a county seat bj pop
ular vote of the people. When the measure
reached the house later on it was referred to the
committee on counties in that branch. Colonel
I. X. Peyton succeeded in having the name of
Sprague struck from the bill and Davenport in-
serted. The people of Cheney were opposed to
the bill because the division of Spokane county,
of which Cheney was at that time the county
seat, meant their death knell. It was thought
this change would kill the bill, for the wildest
imagination never supposed a county seat would
be located at a place thirty miles from a rail-
way and telegraphic communication, and ap-
proachable only by wagon roads which during
the winter were impassable, and that, too, a
place existing only in name. But the people of
Sprague concluded to accept the bill as amend-
ed relying on the good sense of the voters of
Lincoln county to restore her birthright, in
which she was not disappointed."
The substitution of Davenport for Sprague
as the county seat in the Lincoln county bill
came perilously near defeating the measure.
Xovember 20, X. T. Caton presented a petition
to the council signed by 420 persons, objecting
to Davenport being named as the capital of the
county "as there are only two houses in that
locality, and it is forty miles from any railroad
line."
In a later number of the Herald ap]
the following :
"When the bill finally came from the com-
mittee on counties, through some occult influ-
ence Davenport was substituted for Sprague.
It was supposed at that time that Cheney, actu-
ated bj spite, and some of the people of Spo-
kane at least, who owned property in Daven-
port from motives of profit, had brought un-
due influence to bear upon a member i<\ that
78
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
committee to make the change. When the peo-
ple of Sprague had been apprised thereof they
were justly indignant. A mass-meeting was
held which was attended by Senator White-
house and others from Spokane who endeavor-
ed to explain the change. Sprague had it in her
power to kill the bill and allow the division of
Spokane county to go by default, and that ques-
tion was under consideration. But one of her
citizens being called upon for an opinion spoke
in substance as follows :
" "It is true, fellow citizens, that we have
been betrayed and deceived. We have asked
for bread and have been given a stone. Whether
Spokane and her delegation are responsible for
this I know not, but this I know, that so long
as we remain in the same county with Spokane
Falls so long will we be dominated by Spokane
capital and Spokane influence. It is better,
therefore, for us to cut loose therefrom — accept
the bill, then, even in its obnoxious form, and
trust to the whirligig of time to set all things
right.'
"This reasoning prevailed and Spokane
county was divided. - '
The bill for the division of Spokane county
and the creation of Lincoln county passed the
house November i, 1883, by a vote of 13 to 9,
as follows : Ayes — Barlow, Blackwell, Brooks,
Clark, Coply, Kincaid, Kuhn, Martin, Miles,
Shaw, Shoudy, Young and Mr. Speaker. Nays
— Besserer, Brining, Foster, Goodell, Hun-
gate, Lloyd, Ping, Stitzel, Warner, Absent,
Turpin. The bill was passed amid much excite-
ment. There was a large audience in the gal-
leries. Jacob Stitzel made a strong speech op-
posing the measure and was followed by Mr.
Smallwood, who, upon invitation by the house,
spoke in advocacy of the bill.
Following is the text of the measure as it
finally passed :
An Act to create and organize the County of Lincoln.
Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly
of the Territory of Washington: That all that portion
of Spokane county, Washington Territory, described as
follows : Beginning at the point in Tonwship No. 27
north, where the Colville guide meridian between ranges
39 and 40 east, Willamette meridian, intersects the
Spokane river, and running thence south along said
meridian line to the township line between townships
numbered 20 and 21 north ; thence west along said town-
ship line to its intersection with the Columbia guide
meridian between ranges numbered 30 and 31, east
Willamette meridian ; thence south along said meridian
line to the township line between townships numbered
16 and 17 north ; thence west on said township line to
the range line between ranges 27 and 28 east. Willa-
mette meridian ; thence south on said range line to the
section line between sections numbered 24 and 25 in
township No. 14, north of range No. 27 east, Willamette
meridian ; thence west on said section line to the mid-
channel of the Columbia river; thence up said river in
the middle of the channel thereof to the mouth of the
Spokane river, in the middle of the channel thereof,
to the place of beginning, shall be known and designated
as the county of Lincoln.
Sec. 2. That John Bartol, Edward D. Willis and
John McGourin are hereby appointed county commis-
sioners of said county of Lincoln.
Sec. 3. The county commissioners above named are
hereby authorized within twenty days after the approval
of this act, and upon ten days notice, to qualify and enter
upon the discharge of their duties as such commission-
ers, and" are hereby empowered to appoint all necessary
county officers necessary, to perfect the organization of
said county ; and the county commissioners aforesaid,
sheriff, auditor and the other officers' appointed shall
hold their offices until the next general election and
until their successors are elected and qualified accord-
ing to law.
Sec. 4. That the justices of the peace, constables,
road supervisors and other precinct and school officers
heretofore elected and qualified, and now acting as
such, residing in that portion of Spokane county which
is by the provisions of this act included in the county
of Lincoln, are hereby continued as such officers in said
county of Lincoln until the next general election, and
until their successors are elected and qualified.
Sec. 5. That all taxes levied and assessed for the
year 1S83 upon the persons and property within the
boundaries of Lincoln county, as herein described, shall
be collected and paid to the treasurer of the county of
Spokane, and shall thereafter be paid upon demand,
according to assessment, to the treasurer of the county
of Lincoln.
Sec. 6. The county auditor of Lincoln county is
hereby authorized to take transcripts of all records,
documents and other papers on file or of record, in the
office of the county auditor of Spokane county, which
may be necessary to perfect the records of said Lincoln
county, and for this purpose he shall have access to
the records of said Spokane county without cost.
Sec. 7. The county seat of the county of Lincoln
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
79
is hereby located at the town of Davenport temporarily,
until the same shall be permanently located by a vote of
the electors of said comity at the next general election.
At the next general election the permanent location of
th county seat of Lincoln shall be submitted to the
qualified electors of said county, and the place receiving
the majority of votes shall be the permanent county
seat of Lincoln comity.
Sec. 8. The county of Lincoln shall be attached to
the county of Spokane for judicial and legislative pur-
poses until otherwise provided.
Sec. 9. This act shall take effect and be in force
from and after its approval.
Approved November 24. 1883.
By tracing the boundaries of Lincoln coun-
ty as described in the preceding act of the leg-
islature it will be found to embrace the present
counties of Lincoln and Douglas. It will,
doubtless, prove news to a large majority of
Lincoln county citizens that Lincoln county, at
one time, included Douglas county, but such is
the case. The bill creating Lincoln county was
approved by the governor November 24, 1883,
and it was four days later, or on November 28,
that the Douglas county bill was approved.
Of course there had been no county government
organized during this time, but the Douglas
county bill reads "all that part of Lincoln coun-
ty, etc."
The creation of Douglas, took from terri-
tory of Lincoln county, described in the act, the
following. All that portion of the county
bounded as follows: Beginning at a point
where the Columbia guide meridian intersects
the Columbia river on the northern boundary
of Lincoln county, and thence running south on
said Columbia guide meridian to the township
line, between townships Nos. i<> ami 17; thence
running west on said township line to the range
line between ranges 2"] and 28; thence south on
said range line to the section line between sec-
tions 24 and 25, in township 14, north, range
27 east; thence west on said section line to 1 1 ic-
mid-channel of the Columbia river: thence up
said channel of said river to the place of be-
ginning. This left Lincoln county with boun-
daries as they are today. Nearly every year
since that time some eft' it has been made to
divide the county, but as yet success has not
crowned these efforts.
The birth of Lincoln county dates from De-
cember 18, 1883. On that day John Bartol, E.
1). Willis and John McGourin, who had been
named as commissioners in the act authorizing
the organization of Lincoln county, convened
at Davenport, the temporary a unity seat. ' There
was present with these gentlemen Attorney S.
C. Hyde. Having taken the oath of office the
board at once proceeded to business. Commis-
sioner Bartol was elected chairman. Arrange-
ments were made with Barney Fitzpatrick for
the rent of a building, 24x36 feet in size, at $10
per month for the use of the o unity officers who
were named by the commissioners.
The creation of this new county was the
signal for the influx of hundreds of settlers.
People living at a distance learned of these rich,
broad acres awaiting the advent of the husband-
man and commenced floating in. Farms were
soon under cultivation, villages sprang into
existence and the region soon became known
as the great wheat belt of the state of Wash-
ington.
The month of November, [884, was accen-
tuated by the most exciting event in the his-
tory of Lincoln county; the struggle between
the towns of Sprague and Davenport for. pos-
session of the county records and the county
seat. October 10, 1890, six years subsequently,
tlie Lincoln County Times explained the condi-
tions of 1884 as follows:
"At the time Lincoln county was formed
and Davenport was made the temporary county
seat, the upper portion of the county was
sparcely populated. A considerable number of
people were collected around Davenport, better
known as 'Cottonwood Springs,' Harrington,
■ i and other points, while Sprague was
ing town of 600 or 700 population. At
the general election ^\ [884 the people were
called upon to vote upon the location of the
county seat. There were three candidates for
8o
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
the honor, Davenport, Harrington and Sprague.
The campaign preceding the election was hot
and furious. At that time women were entitled
to the ballot. As a matter of course few voters
entitled to a vote failed to exercise that privil-
ege, while considering the extent of the popula-
tion, the figures would indicate that the purity
of the ballot was not a feature of the election.
The total vote polled was 2,277. Oi tn ' s num-
ber Sprague received 1,256; Davenport, 819;
and Harrington, 202. Sprague cast 1,023
votes."
This contest was, indeed, spirited. Preced-
ing election day Davenport was hopeful ; even
jubilant. But the majority vote declared that
Sprague was to be the permanent county seat
of Lincoln county. Charges of fraud were at
once preferred. Sprague on that day cast over
one thousand votes. This, it was alleged, were
as many, if not more, than the entire roster of
the inhabitants of the town. It is a matter of
record that this number is nearly twice as many
as the town polled before or since that eventful
day. Many stories are told of how Sprague
"got out'' its vote in this election. In the heat
of another, county seat fight six years later, the
editor of the Lincoln County Times tells his
version of how the town of Sprague won the
contest of 1884 :
"By invading the holy sanctity of God's
acre, where hallowed ground is bedewed with
the tears of broken-hearted mourners and vot-
ing the names inscribed upon the marble shafts
sacred to the memory of some beloved one. By
forcing little innocent children to vote, whose
very natures, guided in the paths of probity
through the influence of the orisons whispered
at the mother's knee, rebelled against the crime.
By voting passengers on through trains who
had no more interest in Lincoln county than
the natives of Alaska, and who, without con-
sidering the responsibility of defrauding a peo-
ple, looked upon the transaction as a joke."
Concerning the fraudulent voting at the con-
test of 1884 the Wilbur Register presents as
dispassionate a view as can be secured. No-
vember 20, 1 896, it said :
"Had the election laws at that time been as
strict as they are now in the state, which was
then the Territory of Washington, the perman-
ent location would have been made to the satis-
faction of all concerned. Then a simple ma-
jority was all that was required to locate or re-
locate a county seat. Besides all persons of
either sex who had arrived at the age of twen-
ty-one years could vote for, Territorial officers
anywhere in the Territory, and for county offi-
cers or county issues anywhere in the county.
There was no secret ballot and interested par-
ties could prepare the ballot and conduct the
elector to the polling place — never leaving him
until his ticket was deposited. There was much
talk of fraudulent voting, both by residents and
non-residents of. the county; and the charge
that men who then resided in Sprague inveigled
boys and girls scarcely in their 'teens to vote at
that election has never been disproven.
"Many indictments were brought for illegal
voting, but by some hocus-pocus none of them
ever reached trial. The recollection is that they
were quashed on the ground that the grand jury
was itself illegally convened."
The people of Sprague replied to the resi-
dents of Davenport with counter charges. The
Sprague Herald thus speaks of the 1884 elec-
tion :
"In that election Davenport polled 192 votes
on the county seat question, while in 1886, two
years later, her entire vote was 79. And yet in
the face of these figures she has the audicity to
charge fraud upon the people of Sprague."
Mr. David Vinyard states :
"A number of Sprague people were arrested
on charges of illegal voting at the 1884 election,
and were tried at Cheney, then the county seat
of Spokane county, but no convictions resulted.
Feeling between the citizens of the two towns
was strong during these trials and the shedding
of blood was narrowly averted in one or two
instances."
-■# <*#!
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PEOPLE WHO USED TO DWELL IN THE BIG BEND AND
WHO OFTEN VISIT IT AT THIS TIME.
HISTORY Ul- THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
81
Following the election the board of can-
vassers reported their findings to the board of
county commissioners, and at 2:30 o'clock, en
the morning of November 13th, the heard hav-
ing been in continuous session since two o'clock
of the day before, the commissioners passed the
following order: "Whereas it appearing to the
satisfaction of the board that the city of Sprague
has received a majority of the votes cast for
county seat, it was moved, seconded and carried
that this board adjourn to meet at Sprague No-
vember 13th, at 2 o'clock p. m., and advise the
county auditor to notify the other county offi-
cers to remove their offices to that place as soon
as convenient."
In accordance with this order the commis-
sioners met at Sprague at 2 o'clock on the after-
noon of the 14th. There were present in ad-
dition to all the commissioners the sheriff, pro-
hate judge and treasurer. Attorneys were
called in to consult the board relative to procur-
ing the records from Davenport. In the mean-
time the auditor was instructed to purchase the
necessary books and papers to transact the busi-
ness of his office and the other county offices.
A few clays later a building was leased from 1 1.
\\ . Fairweather for court house purposes, at
a rental of $35 per month. At this meeting of
the 14th the board passed the following order:
"Whereas, It appears from the official count
of the votes cast at the late general election made
by the hoard of canvassers, that the city of
Sprague has received a majoritj of all the votes
cast at said election for county seat, and there-
fore, by virtue of section 9, page 20, laws ol
Washington, [883, is the lawful count) seat
of Lincoln county; therefore the county audi-
tor, the county treasurer, sheriff and judge ol
probate court are hereb) ordered to remove
their records and offices to the cit} of Sprague
in Lino 'In o >unty."
It was not within the power of the commis-
sioners to legislate the records to Sprague, how-
ever. On the 1 5th the board took official notice
that the records were forcibly detained in Dav-
enport by passing the following order.
"It is hereby ordered by the board that;
Whereas, It has come to the knowledge
of the hoard that the public records of
the county have been forcibly taken from
the possession of the different officers,
who are the legal custodians thereof, and
are in danger of being injured or destroyed, and
the public business is greatly retarded; There-
fore the prosecuting attorney is hereby ordered
to take such legal measures as may he necessary
to recover to the proper officers the po-
of the records of Lincoln county."
Meetings were held every day by the board,
at which the best methods of securing the rec-
ords were discussed. On the 18th the hoard
decided to call on the Territorial government
for aid in securing the records. Accordingly
the following telegram was dispatched to the
governor :
"W. C. Squires. Governor Washington
Territory. ( )lympia, Washington Term
"An armed mob has forcibly taken pi
sion of our count}- records and refuse to dc
liver them to the proper county officers. The
sheriff is unable to disperse the mob or re-
cover the records. Can you assist our sheriff?
Please answer. "John Bartol,
"\\. \. Busey,
"Ji ilm Mci ,. inriii.
"County Commissioners Lincoln county.
Washingti m Territory."
Sheriff John Cody also telegraphed as
lows to the gi iverni >r :
"\\ . C. Squires, < iovernor \\ asli
Territ >r\ . < Hympia, W. T.
"An armed force has seized the records oi
the county and refuse to deliver the same t<>
the proper county officers. I am unablt
sufficient aid to recover the records or disperse
the rriob. Can you assist me? 1 'lease answer.
"John Cody, Sheriff Lincoln county.
"\\. T. Sprague, November [8, 1884."
82
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
On the other hand the people of Daven-
port and the settlers in the upper portion of the
county, believing that the election had been car-
ried by fraudulent means, dispatched a mes-
senger post haste to procure an injunction re-
straining the county officials from removing
the records from Davenport until an investiga-
tion could be made. Meantime the roads lead-
ing into Davenport from all directions were
lined with men carrying muskets, revolvers,
Winchesters and other weapons of warfare, all
determined to hold the fort at Davenport. For
three long weeks night and day did they guard
and garrison the city. A ditch on the hillside
in the town, and a ridge marks the place where
breastworks were thrown up. They are pointed
out to the visitor to this day — memorials of that
perilous period. During these weeks of "mili-
tary law" the men at their posts were anxiously
looking for the promised injunction which, for
the time being, would make the records secure.
But in vain. The injunction was not secured.
Becoming weary of waiting one by one the
members of the "army" returned to their
homes. Meanwhile Sprague was awaiting her
opportunity. Suddenly a force swept down
upon Davenport from sixty to one hundred
strong and armed to the teeth. No resistance
was made. Davenport surrendered the county
records. Yet it was not a complete surrender
as is shown in a later event in the history of
this county. Martin J. Maloney was at the
head of the army of deputies who came up from
Sprague and removed the county records from
Davenport. In describing this memorable event
in the history of the county the Lincoln County
Times in after years said :
"It was a serious matter at the time, but
many is the laugh the old timers have had over
it since. Mr. Maloney marshaled his hosts on
the brow of the ridge at the head of Harker
street. The defenders of the court house had
.rifle pits along the slope of the opposite ridge
where the court house now stands. The creek
was a dead-line, and the blood-curdlins: an-
nouncement was made that the man with the
hardihood to attempt to cross this stream would
have his anatomy full of button-holes. Every-
body was in deadly earnest. But the Sprague
contigent was after the records and they got
them without the burning of powder or the
spilling of gore. It is only due to the defenders
to say that the force came down at an unex-
pected moment when none of them were on
duty. It is fortunate that the affair ended as
it did. Still there was some excitement at-
tendant on this raid. When Maloney drove
across the creek and his errand became known
the inflammable Dick Hutchinson stepped for-
ward with a pistol as long as his arm and dared
Maloney to shoot it out with him at twenty
paces. But Maloney had business to attend to
and refused to accommodate the warlike Dick
with an exchange of shots. Those were great
old days, and while a tinge of feeling may yet
linger among a few of the participants, it is
too slight to affect the friendships of longer
standing."
Among the members of the sheriff's posse
which went to Davenport and returned in tri-
umph to the county seat were H. A. Langley,
C. W. Scabron, Joseph Wormald, J. M. Hen-
derson, George Monk, George Rhein, A. Rick-
ert, William Calaran, W. O. Montgomery, A.
J. Jessup, C. E. Jones, A. Riggs, P. Dencer,
C. F. Martin, J. Dunlap, E. D. Coffee, John
Kelly, Rosengren, A. Turnbull, L. Patterson,
T. Murphy. S. W. George, L. Matthews,
Thomas O'Brien, \Y Murry, Charles Shields,
J. F. Murray, O. Lavin, H. E. Bedford, John
O. Griffin, H. S. Hughes, Frank Wall, E. G.
Pendleton. Others who took part in this his-
tory-making period of the county as deputy
sheriffs and guards of county property were
Martin J. Maloney, J. C. Burns. J. H. Fried-
lander, Lee A. Wilson, James Nelson and C. E.
Carrington.
The dramatic story of Sprague s capture of
the county records from Davenport is one
which the few now living who participated
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
83
in the historical event never tire of relating. It
must he admitted that feeling ran high at this
crucial period, and one of the most remarkable
features connected with the affair is that it
was unaccompanied by bloodshed. To David
Vinyard, who since 1880 has been a resident
of Sprague, and who was an active participant
in the removal of the Lincoln county records,
we are indebted for the following account of
the complication :
"We left Sprague about 180 strong armed
to the teeth with rifles, and revolvers and each
one with a commission as deputy sheriff. John
Cody was sheriff of the county and, naturally,
the leader of the party. The majority of us
were horseback, although a number made the
trip in carriages. I was, at the time, in the
draying business, and drove over my dray
wagon for the purpose of carrying back the
county records — and you may believe that we
were determined to bring them back. It was
no summer picnic that we were on. Of course
we knew that the people of Davenport and the
country in that vicinity had for some time been
under arms and were not likely to surrender
the records without a fight, but we were out
to get them and were prepared for any emer-
gency. On our way over we threw up en-
trenchments at different places where we could
stop and defend ourselves if attacked on our
way back. The trip to Davenport was with-
out particular incident. Arriving there we dis-
covered that entrenchments had been thrown
Up in various places, but the majority of the
defenders we found had retired to their ranches.
They had been on guard for three weeks, and
many had returned home to look after their
places.
"Our party advanced upon the trenches
and finding them unoccupied we stationed our-
selves behind the breastworks which the Daven-
port defenders had erected, and coming to the
building which held the county records and
which had served as a temporary court house
we found two men on guard on the outside.
These we quickly captured. Then we ap-
proached the court house. Sheriff Cody rapped
on the door and a man of powerful build, with
a rifle in his hand, opened the door just wide
enough to look out. The next instant the di » >r
went down with a crash and the defender was
looking into the muzzle of Sheriff Cody's six-
shooter. He was quickly disarmed as were,
also, three other men, who were on guard in-
side the building. While the rest of the posse
were on guard in the entrenchments around
the court house, about twenty of our men set
to work loading the records on to the wagon
and in a very short time we were on the back
trail for Sprague with the precious records in
our charge. On our way back and before we
had left Davenport very far behind we met two
parties of armed men on their way to Daven-
port. They had received word that we were
after the records and were coming to the rescue.
The parties were too small to show resistence,
but with threats that we would never cross
Crab creek with the books they hurried on to
Davenport for the purpose of raising a force to
intercept us before we could reach In .me.
However, we were not molested and landed
the documents safely in the new county scat."
According to Territorial Governor Sam-
ple's report for 1887 the value of taxable prop-
erty in Lincoln county in 1885 was $1,623,-
405; in 1887, $2,069,085, an increase in two
years of $445,590. November 29, 1886, the
county commissioners accepted the court house
erected at Sprague by Chris P. Nygard, the
builder. The cost of this structure was in the
neighborhood of $10,000. The Lincoln County
Times, in a reminiscent mood, wrote as fol-
lows concerning conditions from 1SS5 to 1890:
"The pioneer settlers enjoyed a few privi-
leges, and no luxuries, but they were not har-
rassed with debts. ( Government lands could not
be mortgaged and settlers were compelled to
pay as they went. They did not have money
to pay with, but they traded around so as to
balance accounts. So long as this time hon-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
ored practice prevailed the people were com-
paratively happy and contented, and did not
much concern themselves about a gold standard
or a silver standard, a high or low tariff.
There were enthusiastic partisans then as later,
but the notion had not yet taken possession of
them that their individual prosperity depended
upon directing the affairs of the national gov-
ernment upon any new plan. This became the
dream of later years. How well are the pros-
perous years betwen 1885 and 1890 remem-
bered! This was the era of money borrowing,
when mortgaging farms became a mania. Fic-
titious values were placed on property; the
speculative spirit was at its height, and there
was no limit to credit. This was believed to
be a time of prosperity, and no one stopped to
think that a day of reckoning must come. But
it finally did come and without much warning.
Many who had cansidered themselves well off
who had made partial payments on a lot of
property, suddenly found their resources for
raising money cut off. and their property grad-
ually slipping away from them."
December 29, 1899, the Times continued:
"From 1889 to 1893 the state of Wash-
ington passed through a feverish and unnatural
boom. There was not a city, town or hamlet
in the state that did not expect to become a
second Chicago, and in Lincoln county there
were several places that had aspirations. Peo-
ple were afflicted with a town lot mania. In-
flation was the order of the day ami the most
unheard of values were placed on town prop-
erty, with nothing in sight, or even prospective,
to justify such figures. Several towns of the
county were touched with the spell of this mad-
ness, and people talked of $500 a front foot
for lots, when butting up against the back doors
of the few houses of the prospective city was
a limitless expanse of almost unoccupied terri-
tory, much of which was open to homestead or.
pre-emption, with a government price affixed
thereto of $2.50 per acre. But those were great
days and the man who talked a few hundred
a foot front made himself imagine that in a
short time the same lots would reach the thou-
sands.
According to the United States census of
1890 the population of Lincoln county was
9,312. In 1900 it had jumped to 11.969, and
in 1903 to 18.571. This is an increase of 55^
per cent, in three years, the eighth largest in-
crease of any county in the state in point of
numbers. The 1903 census is estimated from
school statistics taken from the school reports
of the several county superintendents.
CHAPTER II.
CURRENT EVENTS— 1887 TO 1896.
Rather too sanguine hopes were awakened
in the minds of Davenport residents in Jan-
uary, 1887, by unfounded railroad enthusiasm.
The moving spring of this unwarranted ex-
citement was the survey of the "Sprague &
Big Bend Railroad" from the town of
Sprague to '-Wild Goose Bill's," a distance of
1 forty-two miles. It was the claim of the engi-
neer at that time that this road could be built
for $7,000 a mile. It was. also, the recom-
mendation of Major Sears that a branch road
lie built to tap the Mondovi, Fairview & Dav-
enport countries, leaving the main line at
Minnie Falls Mills, on Crab creek. This line
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
he estimated could lie constructed for $4,000
per mile. But nothing eventuated from either
of these schemes and gradually the well-ad-
vertised details of the enterprise faded from
menu >ry.
October 3, 1887, a number of towns in
Lincoln county were placed in telephonic com
munication with Spokane. W. S. Norman, a
well-known telephone expert and manager, of
the hitter city, purchased from the United
States government the telegraph line between
Fort Spokane and the "Falls," which he at
once transformed into a telephone line. Offices
Avere established at Deep Creek, Mondovi,
Davenport, Egypt Postoffice, and at the Post,
which was the terminus of the line. This was
known as the Spokane, Big Bend & Fort Spo-
kane Telephone Company. It was of incalcu-
lable benefit to towns within the system, and
the enterprise displayed by Air. Norman was
duly appreciated.
The year 1887 was one punctuated with
railroad projects. In December Northern Pa-
cific surveyors invaded Lincoln county and ran
lines for a contemplated railroad. They were
under the direction of H. S. Hudson, chief
civil engineer of the Northern Pacific Rail-
road Company, and Major J. I. Jamison.
April 2j. 1888, word was received thai
the contract for grading the first sixty miles
of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Rail-
road from Spokane Falls westward into the
Big Bend country, had been let to the firm of
Burns & Chapman, the prominent contractors.
I'lie closing of this contract was the occasion
of mutual congratulations among Davenport
citizens. Spokane Falls had been asked to
subscribe for $175,000 worth of stock. This
had been dune, the entire amount being raised
within four days from the time of opening
the stock books. One of the provisions of
this subscription was that forty miles of the
road should be equipped in time to transport
the season's crop.
May 17. 1888. the following correspond-
ence from Cheney. Spokane county, appeared
in the Portland Oregonian :
"The presence of Engineer Jamison, of the
Northern Pacific Railway Company, in this
place, and the fact that he has been quietly
purchasing rights of way for die much talked
of railroad from Cheney to Medical Lake and
thence to the Big Bend country, has again ex-
cited the hopes of the people to a high pitch,
although they have been unable to learn any-
thing official about the future. That which
apparently gives point to the action of Mr.
Jamison in the eyes of the people here is that
he should appear promptly after work had
been actually begun on the Spokane end of the
Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern railway, and
the definite location of its line, a distance >>t
forty miles in the direction of the I'.ig Bend
country. Appearances indicate that either a
big game of bluff is being played by some-
body, or there is going to be some lively work
done by these rival roads, and that, tun, in the
near future, while, as has been already stated.
there are some circumstances which the peo-
ple here think are full of suggestion."
About this time Paul F. Mohr, chief engi-
neer of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern
Railroad, said in an interview :
"Work on the line is progressing fairly
well. The contract has been let to Ryan & Mc-
Donald, of New York, and Smith & Burns, of
Baltimore, to build the entire uncompleted
portion of the line from Squak, forty-two
miles east of Seattle, to Davenport, in Lin-
coln county, which is the terminus of the fifty-
mile portion now under construction westward
from Spokane Fall-. The distance is J40
miles, and this part of the road must be fin-
ished within two years. Chapman & Burns
are building that portion of the line westward
from Spokane Falls to Davenport, and will
finish it about September 1st."
Mr. Mohr gave the following a- the course
of the road east of the Cascades:
"It will pass at. or near. Ellensburg, but,
86
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
possibly, not through it. From Snoqualmie
Pass to Ellensburg, the Seattle, Lake Shore &
Eastern will parallel the Northern Pacific.
Thence it will run southeastwardly to near
Priest Rapids, the head of navigation on the
Columbia River, thence northeasterly to Dav-
enport; thence easterly to Spokane Falls."
Such was the condition of Lincoln county
railway affairs in August, 1888. On the 27th
instant Frank M. Gray, of Davenport, re-
ceived the following wire from D. F. Percival,
Cheney :
"Grading forces commenced here on Big
Bend road (Central Washington) this morn-
ing under Contractor Hunt. Large force of
men at work ; more will be put on. Work will
be pushed as fast as possible to Davenport."
Within a few days after the reception of
this cheerful message about four hundred
graders were throwing dirt at different points
between Cheney and Davenport, and on Octo-
ber 26th Mr. Percival again wired Mr. Gray
from Cheney :
"Track layers on the Cheney & Davenport
(Central Washington) road commenced this
morning from here. Look out for the keers
when the bell rings."
Tuesday, November 27th the first train
on the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad
made its appearance at Medical Lake, Spo-
kane county. At that time Wheatdale was its
terminal point toward which it was building
at the rate of two miles a day. It was the
plan of the projectors of this road to complete
forty-five miles to Wheatdale, near Daven-
port, by December 1, 188S, and then cease
work for the winter, going forward to the
mouth of the Wenatchee river, on the Colum-
bia, the following season. At the same period
the plan of the projectors of the Central Wash-
ington road was to "construct a railroad from
a point on the main line of the Northern Pa-
cific, at or near the town of Cheney, in Spo-
kane county, extending thence in a general
northwesterly direction to a point at, or near
the town of Davenport, in Lincoln county ;
thence in a general northwesterly direction to
the west side of what is known as the middle
crossing of the Grand Coulee, in Douglas
county, in the Big Bend country, and thence
in a general westerly and south westerly direc-
tion to an eligible point on the Columbia, near
the mouth of the Wenatchee river, in the
county of Douglas, all in the Territory of
Washington."
Thus it will be readily perceived that these
two companies had thrown out surveys over
practically the same routes. But the first train
to arrive "at or near Davenport," was a con-
struction train of the Seattle, Lake Shore &
Eastern Railway Company. This was on De-
cember 3, 1888, and yet this terminus was
then several miles south of town. From this
point freight and passengers were conveyed
to Davenport by teams. At this period travel
was brisk and many hack and freight wagons
were in active commission caring for the large
volume of trade. At one time it was seri-
ously considered by the company to build a
rival town at the terminal point. Still Daven-
port possessed so many advantages in the way
of location and eligibility that this idea was
abandoned.
January 1, 1889, the Central Washington
was graded into Davenport and track-laying
was proceeding as fast as practicable. Feb-
ruary 14th this road had come within the cor-
porate limits of Davenport; the town now
had its first direct rail communication with the
outside world. Heretofore the work of track-
laying in the eastern portion of Lincoln county
had been seriously hampered by snow and
severe weather. Consequently the date of the
arrival of the initial train was somewhat later
than had been anticipated. Tuesday, February
1 2th, the working crew, the steam track-layer
and the train accompanying with material had
swung into sight around the bend, a mile or
more to the east. All day Wednesday the
crew worked steadily onward toward the depot
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
87
grounds, arriving in town that evening", the
finishing touches being given to the road on
the day following. The scene of operations
was visited Wednesday by crowds of people
anxious to witness the automatic working of
the patent track-layer. Each face was wreathed
with a smile of satisfaction, and it was the
universal opinion that this grand entree of a
railroad was destined to insure a rapid growth
of the town and increased prosperity. It was,
in fact, a gratifying realization of one of those
crowning events in the annals of a community
that invariably meets hearty approval, and often
enthusiastic commendation. Small worider
that upon this consummation of their hopes
the citizens congratulated each other.
The construction of the Central Washing-
ton railway was conducted with no grand
flourish of trumpets or noisy demonstration.
The company had decided to build into the Big
Bend, and proceeded to carry out the plan with-
out ostentation. No subsidy was voted, nor
was the progress of the line advertised abroad.
It was a business proposition, pure and simple,
and as such it was carried out to a successful
conclusion. The steady progress of the road
was only anxiously watched by that section of
country ready to reap the benefits of such a
line. The construction was done under the di-
rect supervision of Engineer C. F. Reardan,
and in every respect the work was first-class.
Inclemency of the weather occasionally
checked work for a day or two, but the means
employed for laying track were the most per-
fect that the ingenuity of man had, si 1 Ear,
produced, and with it Mr. Reardan pushed F01
ward to his objective point.
The Central Washington railroad b
running regular trains to Davenport. The
freight business of the Seattle, Lake Shore &
Eastern railway dwindled away to absolutely
nothing, temporarily, and much of the pas-
senger traffic was. also. lost. Hut the latter
road effected a coup. It arranged to deliver
freight into Davenport at the same rates
charged by the Central Washington, and. for
awhile, so successfully did it carry out this
plan that the contractor plying between the
terminus of the road and Davenport had more
business than he could conveniently handle.
An immediate result of the construction of,
a railway through a portion of Lincoln county
was a large influx of settlers, especially during
the spring of [889, and considerable land was
purchased, pre-empted and homesteaded.
June 14, 1889. General Tyner published the
following concerning the wonderful change re-
cently effected in Lincoln county:
"Think of the short time ago when Lincoln
county was an unknown quantity, as much so
almost as Central Africa, and then think what
three or four years have done. From an unoc-
cupied prairie country given up to the rever-
berating echoes of the howling coyote, or the
paths of roaming Indians, now the railroad
track has absorbed the Indian trail; the loco-
motive the coyote's yelp; new depot- and ele-
vators, steam elevators, which although but
recently completed, handled over 100,000
bushels of unsold wheat. Now the live news-
paper puhlishes the events of the world which
the cowboy formerly peddled to straggling
camps. Now families are breaking up sod on
great farms over which restless herds of stock
grazed at will but a few moons ago.
It may prove of interest to learn that in
[888, less than jo years ago, there were in
Lincoln county only 07 persons and firms who
paid taxes on over 84.000 worth of property.
The names of these and the amounts upon
which they paid taxes at that period were:
Northern Pacific Railway Company, $296,-
788; First National Bank, Sprague, S--.000;
Edward Ramm, $20,365; Harrington. Furth
& Company, $25,400; John Enos, $19,800;
Brown, Glasscock & Company, $16,095; E.
M. Kinnear. 815.045: William Bigham, 815.-
010: Gehres & Hertrich, 815.170; R. 0.
Porak, 810.444: 11. W. Fairweather, $10,245;
Hoffman & Stevens, $10,240; C. C. May.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
$9,780; G. M. & L. C. Fisher, $9,004; B. B.
Glasscock, $9,595; J. H. Lamona, $9,535;
John Balf, $8,505; Pauline Robbins, $8,555;
J. H. Shields, $8,565; William Dittenhoefer,
$8,525; William Greene, $8,110; Jensen,
Brooke & Company,' $8,650; J. H. Nicholls
and wife, $7,135: David Gunning. $7,030;
John Hogan, $7,720; George Benninghoff,
$7,890; R. M. Bacon. $6,960; C. Hartson.
$6,016 James Hubbard. $6,335; Murphy &
Burns, $6,215; Frank Ringuett, $6,135; Max
Sussman, $6,310; G. C. Turner, $6,220; Poul-
son & McKinnie, $5,025; P. Myer, $5,525;
W. J. Burrows, $5,715; A. Sawyer. $5,350;
Clay Fruit, $5,825; W. M. Stafford, $5,000;
J. Walters, $5,275; C. W. Washburn, $5,870;
E. M. Jones. $5,800; Adam Ludy. $5,040;
C. O. Lybecker, $5,410; T. H. Brents. $5,460;
W. N. Bowen, $4,420: Thomas Dawant.
84,700; B. Fitzpatrick, $4,150: A. Dowell,
$4,120; J. Harding, $4,020; D. X. Hyde,
$4,590; I. Irby, $4,680; J. W. Johnson,
$4,400; J. G. Kethroe, $4,625; Lafollette
Brothers, $4,000; Joseph Lapray, $4,870: H.
McCool, $4,525 ; H. McNeilly, $4,825 ; D. K.
McPherson, $4,555; John Nee, $4,970: L.
Popple, $4,350; I. Ravenaugh, $4,325: C.
Smith, $4,850; John Turner, $4,190; W. L.
Smith, $4,785 ; J. R. Whittaker, $4,295 ; T. R.
Moore, $4,265.
During the late 80's and early 90's the
discoveries of rich silver mines in the Salmon
River district, Okanogan, were causes of con-
siderable travel through Lincoln county. All
those going into the mines from the east trav-
ersed the county, and there were numbers of
them. The route from Spokane was by way of
Deep Creek Falls and Mondovi to Davenport.
Leaving Davenport the course was northwest-
erly, passing Brown's and "Wild Goose Bill's"
ranches where now stands the town of Wilbur,
thence on through Keller, to "Wild Goose
Bill's ferry on the Columbia river. The distance
from Davenport to Keller was about forty
miles, and from Keller to the ferrv fortv miles
farther. Crossing the Columbia river was ef-
fected by means of a steel wire ferry, carrying a
large boat. From this point the trail ran in a
northwesterly direction over the Colville In-
dian reservation, the Okanogan River being
crossed at Jones' Ferry. Through stages ran
from Spokane Falls to Ruby and Salmon City,
(the latter being afterwards called Conconully)
ami the trip required three days' time.
In July. 1889, work was commenced on
the extension of the Central Washington from
Davenport westward. To Contractor Kirkin-
dall was awarded the contract to push the road
through to a point on the western boundary
of the county known as Almira. July 26th
the Times published the following:
"The meeting of the committee from this
town ( Davenport ) and the officials of the
Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway Com-
pany was held at Spokane Falls Monday, July
2 1 st. The result of this conference was that
Mr. Mohr offered to have his road built into
Davenport in thirty days provided he received
$15,000 and right of way. A representative
meeting was held here Tuesday evening last
(July 22d), when the foregoing proposition
was presented, and the unanimous conclusion
arrived at that the money should be raised and
the right of way given. A committee consist-
ing of Messrs. Nicholls, Ratcliffe, Newman,
McAvinney, Luce, May, Finney, Edwards,
Simmons, Ramm, McMillan, O'Connor, Essig,
Drumheller and Forrest was appointed to so-
licit subscriptions."
August 1 6th the Times added the follow-
ing anent the same matter :
"A very enthusiastic meeting of the citi-
zens of Davenport was held at the offices of
the Big Bend National Bank on Monday last
(August nth) to hear the result of Mr. David
Wilson's conference with the Seattle Com-
pany's officials regarding the construction of
the road to this point. Both business and
property interests were well represented 011 the
occasion and the unanimous opinion of the
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
89
meeting was that trains would be running into
town not later than October 1st, next.
".Mr. Wilson stated that he had met Mr.
Paul F. Mohr, vice president of the Seattle
Company at Tacoma. and had submitted a
proposition to him to the effect that the people
here would give the company the right of way
from present end of track to Davenport ; would
grade the road-bed, build culverts, leave the
track ready for the ties and donate the neces-
sary depot grounds provided his company
would furnish a competent constructing engi-
neer, survey the road and supply all the rails,
ties, fastenings, switch-stands, buildings and
all other necessary materials and appliances to
complete the road. This proposition was made
by Mr. Wilson in lieu of that made by the
Seattle Company a short time ago. in which
the residents of this section were asked to
subscribe $15,000 to the stock of the road,
which is just about double the amount that will
now he required to carry out the desired object.
Mr. Wilson read a letter from Mr. Mohr stat-
ing that his company would accept the pro-
posal made.
"A committee was appointed to solicit sub-
scriptions and a list was immediately made
headed as follows: David Wilson, $1,000;
May & Luce, $500; John H. Xicholls, $250."
October 11, 1889, the Seattle, Lake Shore
& Eastern railway was completed into Daven-
port. But this had not been accomplished
without a struggle. Of this battle between
giants the Times said:
"The road bed of the Seattle. Lake Shore
& Eastern is graded into town, and by Tues-
day, October 8th, the iron was laid to the
Northern Pacific crossing, onlj a short dis-
tance south of the school house and within
the town limits, and the cars would today be
running into the depot yards at the head ol
Morgan street were it not for an impediment
that the new arrival ran into. It was nothing
less than the opposition of the Northern Pa-
cific people who are barring the crossing with
a locomotive. From an employee ol the road
we learn that the Seattle officials picked up a
frog at Medical Lake that was the property of
the Northern Pacific and had it on the ground
here ready to put in Tuesday. When Superin-
tendent Riordan, of the Central Washington,
was notified of this fact he ran an engine down
to the crossing with a force of men. loaded
the frog "ii board and carried it oft". He then
had an engine stationed across the track and
there it has remained up to the present time,
night and day. Both parties are watching
each other, the Seattle men to get across, and
the Northern Pacific men to prevent it. Of
course the crossing will eventually he made,
hut the hitch is putting the Seattle outfit to
considerable expense, besides it is the source
of great annoyance to the people of Davenport
who are anxious to see the new road in opera-
tion. Wednesday the Seattle passenger train
arrived at the crossing, and the iron could be
laid to the end of the grade in a few hours if
the impediment were out of the way. So far
the proceedings have been conducted without
any violence. Further work will lie tied up
until the strong arm of the law makes the
Northern Pacific officials give way."
It is sufficient to say that this annoyance
was of short duration, and when the Seattle
Company had provided its own frog, it was
put in without further objection on the part of
the Central Washington people.
Sunday night, August 18. 1889, at 10:30
o'clock, fire broke out in the government saw
mill at Fort Spokane, and within a short
period everything was consumed with the ex-
ception of the engine and hoiler. These latter
were slightly damaged, hut not sufficiently to
disable them. The lire originated in the en-
gine room and the damage, including the loss
of lumber, was estimated at S5.000.
The year [889 will he remembered by resi-
dents of Lincoln county as "the year of the
crop failure" — an event so unusual that it is
well worth recording. It is not often that the
90
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY
fertile soil of the Big' Bend proves recreant to
the trust reposed in it. The season was a
promise and a disappointment. In the spring
everything bore a most propitious aspect. The
broad acres of Lincoln county were beautiful
carpets of rich verdure. The grain was
healthy, vigorous and heavy, and the harvest
bade fair to be the largest ever garnered. But
Providence willed otherwise. \\ "hen the pros-
pects appeared the brightest the withering
blight of steady and excessively hot winds
came sweeping over the country, and with it
perished the hopes of the husbandman. There
followed a long siege of dry, hot weather, and
it is astonishing that therewas anything of a
crop at all left. The farmer, however, cut half
a crop, but to the many who had sowed their
fields for the first time this misfortune was
more than usually severe. The consequences
of this partial crop failure — for partial it was
— was to create a financial stringency in the
Big Bend which was severely felt.
A serious wreck occurred on the Central
Washington railroad, six miles west of 'Wil-
bur, Wednesday morning. January 8, 1890.
The road had been blocked with snow for a
long time and the first train out consisted of
engines Nos. 100 and 447, one box car and
two way cars. This train left Wulbur about
10:30 o'clock a. m., for Almira, to clear the
track. West of town a cut of eight feet deep
was encountered, full of solidly drifted snow.
The two engines made a run for the cut, but
the hard condition of the drifted snow caused
both locomotives to jump the track. The en-
gines rolled over and fatally injured the engi-
neer and fireman of 447, Messrs. Melcher and
Burroughs. Tim Raridon, the old-time con-
ductor, who was on the head engine, jumped
through the cab window before the engine fell
over, escaping- with a severe shaking up and a
few bruises. Engineer F. Gorman, of No.
100, and his fireman. McClellan, had a very
close call, but escaped with a slight- scalding.
"Engineer Melcher was the most severely
injured and died in a few days. His injuries
were internal, caused by being jammed in the
debris, and also from inhaling steam. His
fireman, James Burroughs, suffered terribly,
being held against the boiler-head among the
burning coals which had been thrown from
the fire-box, and the escaping steam from the
bursted pipes. Help was immediately sum-
moned from Wilbur and all that was possible
was done to relieve the sufferers. The cut
where this accident occurred is about 150 feet
long and the head engine, 447, had not ad-
vanced within more than 7$ feet before it left
the rails, running on the ties about fifty feet
more, when the pilot appears to have struck
some obstacle, doubled up, or buckled, torn
off the front trucks and shot the engine over
on the right side at right angles to, and almost
clear, of the track. The second engine was
keeled over on its left side and imbedded in the
side of the cut."
Fourteen years prior to the important de-
cision of the federal supreme court in the case
of the Northern Securities Company's "mer-
ger" Lincoln county found herself with some-
thing in the nature of a "merger" on her own
hands. This was in July, 1890, and of it the
Times said:
"Rumors have been in circulation here for
some days to the effect that the Seattle, Lake
Shore & Eastern Railway Company had fallen
into the hands of the Northern Pacific. The
following telegram from President Oakes, of
the Northern Pacific Railway Company to the
Spokane Falls Globe confirms the report :
" 'The Northern Pacific Company has pur-
chased a little more than a majority of the cap-
ital stock of the Seattle, Lake Shore & East-
ern — that is, about $3,00,000 out of $5,000,-
000 — and has leased the remainder of the prop-
erty upon the basis of six and three-quarter
per cent interest on the outstanding bonds, and
the further issue of bonds to complete the line
to the International Boundary, a total of about
$5,000,000. The annual rental will be about
HISTORY OF T.I1K BIG BEND COUNTRY.
9*
$8,000,000, but inasmuch as the Seattle Com-
pany has thus far earned its interest, the North-
ern Pacific is not likely to be called upon to
make good any deficit. The Northern Pacific
will enter upon the operation of the Seattle
road on the 25th of July.' "
This virtual consolidation of the two lines
was particularly unsatisfactory to both Daven-
port and Spokane. The former town had ex-
pended several thousand dollars for the pur-
pose of securing a competing line into the Big
Bend Country, while Spokane had subscribed
$175,000 in stock to the Seattle, Lake Shore
& Eastern road.
Early in January, 1890, Lincoln county, in
common with all of eastern Washington, was
visited by perhaps the worst snow storm in its
history. For more than a week the settlers of
the county were without communication with
the outside world. Railroads were blockaded
and many passengers on the various trains
were snowbound in different towns. The
worst feature of the storm was the loss of
stock occasioned by its severity. All feed was
covered by snow, and so heavy were some of
the drifts that many cattle perished in them.
It was, in fact, next to impossible for stock-
men to ride around and drive in range cattle.
However, this loss was nothing to what would
have resulted in such a storm several years
previous. Settlement of the country nad cur-
tailed the range and there were comparatively
few head of stock running at large. Farmers
had learned wisdom by experience, and in the
main, they had prepared for such an emer-
gency by keeping up their stock and winter-
feeding them. Still, the losses trom this source
were quite severe.
The drifting snow blockaded the railroad-
as effectually as though a deluge had obliter-
ated the tracks and it was only by persistent
labor that the wheels were again set in motion.
The wind began blowing January 1st. and
whirled the light snow across the country.
Every cut, no matter how deep, was piled level
full, placing an impregnable lace to the loco-
motive. Trains on the Central Washington
and Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern roads ar-
rived in Davenport from Spokane Falls.
Wedensday night. January 1, and from that
time until the 6th no train was able to make
its way through. January 3d the powerful
snow plow of the Central Washington left
Davenport, urged on by three engines, and a
passenger train followed in its wake. At
Reardan the monster plow plunged into a cut
and there stuck fast. Two other engines were
almost pulled to pieces and considerably dam-
aged in an endeavor to extricate, or force on
the plow. This condition of affairs continued
until Sunday, the 5th, when a rotary snow
plow began work out of Cheney. This mon-
ster cork-screw worked a clearing until it
reached a point a few miles east of Reardan.
when it, too, was disabled and taken back f( >r
repairs. Returning on Monday it had a track
open and traffic was resumed east of Daven-
port. The western end of the route was then
attacked and opened in the course of a few
days. The rival road, Seattle. Lake Shore &
Eastern was not so successful in opening its
track, having no snow-plow, and spring had
opened before it was in running order. The
town of Wilbur was cut off from all outside
communication 31 days.
Following this severe storm of January
the weather continued cold until March, there
being another storm the latter part of Febru-
ary. This, ti » 1, added to the woes of the st( vk -
man and the railroads. This latter storm was
particularly severe on stock, and that which
was running at large was almost completely
wiped out. while even where animal- were fed
there was considerable loss. During the
period of the February storm cattle and
that had escaped the January attack were
emaciated and in no condition to withstand
further cold weather. Settlers who had t.-een
feeding ran out of hay. and the snow remain-
ing long iiit- • the usual springtime, much of
92
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
the stock which had heretofore enjoyed the
advantage of care succumbed. In summing
up this disaster the Lincoln County Times of
March 7th said :
"Continual storms and severe weather have
put an end to all hopes of cattlemen, and the
loss among range cattle and horses amounts
almost to annihilation. A loss of eighty or
even ninety per cent, is not too high an esti-
mate. No portion of this section has escaped.
Even where the farmers prepared to feed their
stock through the winter they did not calcu-
late on so prolonged a season, and feed has
failed. YVe hear the most distressing accounts
of the losses and men who last fall were con-
sidered well-to-do are today bankrupt * *
Each day we hear the names of old
settlers mentioned who have lost about all
their stock. One instance is told of a cattle-
man whose feed was exhausted before the last
big storm. He could not witness the suffer-
ings of the animals. They were all driven into
a canyon and there left to perish. The coun-
try west of Davenport is strewn with dead ani-
mals, and their bleaching bones will long re-
main sad reminders of this terrible winter.
The effect of the season on cattle has conclu-
sively proved one thing, and that is that the
range in this section has become too limited
for large bands of stock."
During the spring succeeding the memor-
able "hard winter" of 1889-90 travelers
throughout the country reported that dead cat-
tle and horses were scattered everywhere. As
a rule these dead animals would be found in
bunches of half a dozen or more, as if the poor
creatures had crowded close together for
warmth. The atmosphere of some sections
was permeated by a dreadful stench from these
decaying carcasses. There were far too many
of them too be buried and in a number of in-
stances giant powder was used to blow the
bodies to atoms. A gentleman thoroughly
familiar with the sheep industry informed the
editor of the Spraguc Herald that before win-
ter had closed in there were 40,800 sheep with-
in the boundaries of Lincoln county, and that
10,875 perished in these two storms.
By the older citizens of Lincoln county the
spring of 1890 will be remembered as the
"hard times" period. Property was cheap :
business stagnant. Each community in the
county suffered from the baleful effects of short
crops and an unusually severe winter. But
sanguine hopes arose above this depression.
It was the belief of nearly all that it was but
temporary, and that with the customary
"bumper crop" for which the county has al-
most universally been noted financial affairs
would resolve themselves into more favorable
conditions.
In 1890, according to the government
census, Lincoln county was accredited with a
poulation of 9.312. And this wonderful in-
crease had nearly all accumulated since the
era of railway construction through the county.
While the subject of squirrels may appear
a rather unique one to occupy a place in the
history of any county, old residents of the Big
Bend country will agree with us that for sev-
eral years, beginning with the spring of 1890,
the squirrel question assumed large and omin-
ous proportions. While these pests did not
j make their first appearance this year, it was
at this particular time, however, that they
came in hordes. They were, indeed, promi-
' nent. In political conventions platforms were
' framed containing "squirrel planks," and the
j issue appeared momentous. Columns after
columns were, in the daily and weekly press,
devoted to the treatment of tne squirrel evil.
Patent exterminators as numerous and varied
as the hues of Joseph's coat were put on the
market, but each in turn was cast aside and the
scourge was only eliminated by the death of
the pests from natural causes. A correspond-
ent of the Fannington Journal wrote:
"The squirrel which proved such a pest to
the farmers of Lincoln county for several
> years was an animal indigenous to the great
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
93
basin lying between the Rocky Mountains and
the Cascades and Sierra Nevadas, and is de-
scribed by naturalists under the name of the
'whistling marmot of the great plains of the
Columbia. ' In habit it was a hibernating ani-
mal and made its first appearance in this lati-
tude about the middle of March, and in fact its
habits were so regular that they have been
known to burrow through snow-drifts of from
two to there feet deep, and it returned to its
burrow about the middle of August or first of
September. It got in its worst destructive
work in July and August, when preparing for
its winter rest, and the damage was done by
cutting down the grain and stripping it of the
leaves, as it laid up no winter store at all. At
the approach of the autumn season the mar-
mot would retire to his burrow and close the
mouth of it with earth and then roll himself
in a ball of dried grass and lie dormant until
the next spring, when he would again emerge
and enjoy life for a brief period."
Those farms in the western portion of Lin-
coln county appeared to be more seriously af-
fected by the inroads of the pestilent ground
squirrels. There the country appeared to be
literally alive with them. In some instances
farmers dug deep trenches around their fields
in an effort to keep off the squirreK Mr.
Geer, of Geer postoffice, killed i.ioo squir-
rels within the space of four days, and a
farmer near Wilbur succeeded in making away
with [o.ooo during the summer. And al-
though this slaughter continued there ap-
peared to be no diminution in the exasperat-
ing number of squirrels. Bounties and free
poison ran the comity in debt $40,000. Squir-
rel scalp bounties were offered by the county
commissioners. Commenting upon this the
Tunes said: "It is astonishing the number of
squirrels that have fallen victims this spring,
and it would seem that the ranks of the pests
must be almost annihilated by the war that has
lieen waged against them this spring. The first
week the commissioners were in session up-
ward of 30,000 scalps were cashed in and full
returns have not yet been received. Yet while
this number appears large, the mortality has
made no perceptible reduction in the squirrel
population."
During the autumn of 1890 the Central
Washington railway was completed to Coulee
City, in Douglas county. The preceding year
, it had reached Almira. Some inside history
concerning the building of this road was con-
tributed by Mr. C. P. Chamberlin, who be-
came its receiver. In his report published in
February. 1896. he said:
"In [887 a Mr. Jamieson made a survey
and located a line for the building of the Cen-
tral Washington railroad from Cheney, in Spo-
kane comity, to a point a few miles west of
Coulee City, in Douglas county, Washington,
a distance of one hundred and seventeen and
thirty-seventh-one-hundredths miles. The con
struction of the Central Washington railroad
was begun at Cheney on July 1 >. [888, and
completed to Coulee City in 1890. The road is
completed one mile and forty feet beyond Con
lee City, and grade built for about eight miles
beyond the end of the track, or nearly to the
top of Grand Coulee, on the west side.
"Starting at Cheney the road, as built, fol-
lows the Jamieson survey to a point about two
miles wc-t of Medical Lake, a distance of about
twelve nides west of Cheney. At this poinl
the road, as built, leaves the Jamieson survey
and runs almost due north for about two miles.
following down the stream known as Deep
( reek fi ir about three miles, crossing the stream
on a 44-span trestle bridge. 703 feet long and
40 feet high, built on an eight-degree curve.
The road then runs west about one mile, thence
north two miles, thence southwesterly, thence
northwesterly and westerly to point of intersec-
tion, west of Reardan, with the Jamieson sur-
vey, being a distance of eighteen miles from
where the constructed line left the Jamieson
survey, to point of intersecting it again. This
change necessitated the making of sharp curves.
94
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
deep cuts, high trestles, sags and increase of
grades and lengthened the road about four and
four-tenths miles in the eighteen miles, whereas
the Jamieson survey from section i, township
24, west, range 40 east, ran nearly on a tangent
in a west-northwesterly direction, all the way
to where the constructed line intersects west of
Reardan, making scarcely any cuts, a much
easier grade and distance shorter four and four-
tenths miles. Nearly all the grade was built
and right of way secured on the line of the
Jamieson survey before the change was made
to where the road is now built.
"At a point about one mile west of Daven-
port the road, as built, turns south and south-
west, thence west to Rocklyn, thence north-
west to Creston, a distance of about twenty-
two miles. Some ten miles of this distance
the road, as built, passes through a belt of scab
land, composed of basaltic rock, necessitating
numerous rock cuts, making this ten miles the
most expensive piece of road to build between
Cheney and Coulee City. The Jamieson sur-
vey, in covering this distance, runs west-north-
west • from Davenport until nearing the scab
land, that road, as built, passes through, when
it runs south avoiding the scab land and rock,
crossing back to where the road is now built
between Wilbur and Govan, making a much
shorter route. The advantage of the Jamieson
survey over that of road as built for above dis-
tance was a saving in distance, grades, curves,
and avoiding the rock cuts. At about the 86th
mile post, near Almira, the road as built again
leaves the Jamieson survey, runs northwest for
about two and one-half miles and thence south-
westerly for about fourteen and one-half miles,
intersecting the Jamieson survey again at about
mile post 104.
"On the Jamieson survey the grade is de-
scending the whole distance, while on the road
as built it rises to an elevation of 2,108 feet,
three and one-half miles west of mile post 86,
making this difference ; Jamieson survey,
length, 16 miles; road as built, length, 18
miles ; Jamieson survey, grades not exceeding
7 per cent.; road as built, six miles, .8 to 1.5
per cent. ; twelve miles, .4 to .8 per cent, grades.
About the only explanation that is given for
this change of the construction of the road is
that about the time of the beginning of the con-
struction of the Central Washington railroad
there was a townsite company formed and com-
posed almost entirely of the Northern Pacific
officials, who were either in charge of the con-
struction of the Central Washington railway,
or occupying positions that gave them prom-
inence in controlling and directing the affairs
of the Northern Pacific Railway Company. It
is a matter of regret both to the owners and to
the patrons of the Central Washington rail-
way that this townsite company could not have
secured as favorable terms for their purpose
along the line of the Jamieson survey as where
the road was built."
The story of the county seat contest of 1890
between Davenport and Sprague is one re-
plete with dramatic, even sensational interest.
It is a recognized truth that the residents of
the northern and western portions of Lincoln
county never considered the county seat as per-
manently located at Sprague. It had always
been regarded as a matter of course that at some
future day the question of relocation would
again be submitted to the arbitrament of the
ballot. Firm in this belief the voters time and
again elected county commissioners with the
distinct ante-election understanding that they
should swing their official influence to prevent
construction of any expensive county buildings.
The summer of 1890 appeared to be an au-
spicious time in which to reopen the burning
question of county capital removal. Construc-
tion of the Central Washington and Seattle,
Lake Shore & Eastern railroads through the
northern part of the county had caused a rapid
settlement of that portion of the Big Bend.
New towns had sprung up and each had ac-
quired quite a formidable voting strength. Ag-
ricultural and industrial conditions surround-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
95
in«- the two towns of Davenport and Sprague
were radically different from what they were
during the memorable contest of 1884, six
years previous. At that period the central and
northern portions were little more than rolling
hunch-grass prairies. Settlements were few
and far between. Now the aspect was decid-
edly changed. Nearly every district surround-
ing Davenport and trending to the southward
was occupied by thrifty farmers. Jt was pro-
posed by the citizens of Davenport to build
free of cost to the county a court house building
the expense of which should be not less than
$10,000. Three-fifths of all ballots cast were
necessary to remove the county seat, all of
which votes must be in favor of one particular
place of jremoval.
Fully 1,200 voters signed the petition to
the county commissioners, which was presented
August 5th, and permission was granted by
them for an election to be held in November.
Thus the 1890 compaign for county seat hon-
ors was fairly on, and exceedingly warm. It
was the ardent, and natural desire of Sprague
citizens to investigate the exact condition of
the promised $10,000 for court house purposes.
Davenport realized the fairness of this propo-
sition and that amount was promptly deposited
in the Big Bend National Bank. Mr. C. C.
May. cashier, made affidavit to the following
statement :
"Davenport, Lincoln County, Wash., Oc-
tober 6, 1890. — This is to certify that there
has been deposited in the Big Bend National
Bank of Davenport, Washington, the sum of
ten thousand dollars for the purpose of erecting
county buildings at Davenport, Washington,
if the county seat shall be removed from
Sprague to Davenport as a result of the elec-
tion to be held the fourth day of November,
1890. In case the county seat be so removed
the Big Bend National Bank will pay into the
count v treasury the sum of ten thousand dol-
lars '.11 the 4th day of March, 1891, for the
purpose of erecting such buildings.
"The Bi<; Bend National Hank.
"C. C. May, Cashier."
Saturday evening, October 18, 1890, a
meeting of Wilbur business men was held in
Mr. Benson's office for tin- purpose of discuss-
ing the county seat question as it affected Wil-
bur, and arriving at some positive conclusion
as to which point — Davenport or Sprague —
offered the least obstacle to the division of the
county on a north and a south line. The meet-
ing was called at the solicitation of Davenport
gentlemen who had passed the four preceding
days canvassing the town, and who personally
gave notice to all whom they desired to attend
the meeting. The deliberations were of a very
informal character, and it soon became appar-
ent that Sprague was regarded as being in a
better position to meet the wishes of the people
of Wilbur than was Davenport. Upon an ex-
pression of the meeting being taken it was
found that an unanimous feeling prevailed to
assist Sprague in the contest.
The vote of Wilbur was an important fac-
tor in this contest and to secure it Sprague put
forth strenuous efforts. On the other hand
Wilbur citizens were extremely anxious that
a county division should he effected whereby
a new county should be formed of which she
might become the capital. The Wilbur Reg-
ister joined forces with Sprague in this move-
ment and Davenport was defeated by the fol-
lowing vote by precincts:
i
Precincts. Davenport. Sprague.
Meridian id 19
Butte 30 3
Davenport 201 3
Union 51 1
Rearclan 1 .',-• 4
Condon 24 30
South Sprague <> 384
Sedalia 31
Miles 37 o
9 6
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
Brents 54 20
Earl 27 3
Grand Blnff 5 5
Willow Springs 15 9
North Sprague 7 20S
Wilbur 21 68
Mondovi 122 1
Enos 11 8
Harrington 49 18
Crab Creek 4 33
Yarwood 14 I0
Fairview 9° 4
Liberty 19 '5
Welch Creek 29 3
Grand Coulee 9 25
Sassin 13 69
Inkster 91 3
Larene 99 3
Wilson Creek n 12
1,204 992
Sprague received a majority over the two-
fifths vote required and the county seat re-
mained with her.
During the winter of 1 890-1 residents of
Lincoln county were seriously affected by an
annoving wheat blockade. It appeared impos-
sible to secure transportation for the farmers'
grain ; there was a car-famine with consequent
inactivity of the market. Many buyers had ad-
vanced money on wheat upon which they could
not realize. This condition of the local wheat
market continued until after Christmas when
plenty of cars were received and the congestion
removed.
In January, 1891, there occurred an Indian
"scare" on the Colville Reservation and in cen-
tral Okanogan county. A brief outline of this
event may not be out of place here. Cole,
a freighter plying betwen Wilbur and the
n< Tih country, was murdered by an Indian boy
named Stephen, or such, at least, was the sup-
in isition. The latter was arrested and lodged
in jail at Conconully, the county seat of Okan-
ogan county. A party of citizens from Alma,
and other sections of the county went to the
jail, removed Stephen and hanged him from
a tree a short distance below Conconully. This
act greatly ano-ered the Indians on the reser-
vation, who at once threatened to go on the
war path and exterminate all the white settlers
in the country. At this period the Dakota In-
dians afflicted with their historical Messiah
craze, were on the war path, and in conse-
quence anxiety was felt in many sections of
eastern Washington. The citizens of the upper
country petitioned the governor of the state
for troops and arms with which to defend
themselves. Guns and ammunition were at once
forwarded, but the hostile Indians were finally
induced to remain quiet without further blood-
shed. It was subsequently confessed that the
danger was more fancied than real, and certain
newspapers went to the extent of hinting that,
after all, Stephen was not the actual murderer
of the freighter. Cole. While no portion of
Lincoln county was directly threatened, con-
siderable excitement was manifested by settlers
in the northern portion, especially along the
Columbia river opposite the CoLille Reserva-
tion.
The following from the U'ilbtir Register
under date January 23, 1891, explains the na-
ture of the scare in so far as it affected Lincoln
county :
"Mr. Al Stevens, a prosperous horseman
from Grand Coulee, came in from that place
Monday last (January 19) with the startling
information that the Indians were crossing the
river in large numbers and that the settlers in
that vicinity were becoming considerably
alarmed. He imparted the news to Mayor Hay
and at the same time requested him to use his
influence in obtaining guns and ammunition
for their use. The request was immediately
complied with and the arms will, probably, ar-
rive to-night. Mr. Stevens says that the In-
dians are acting in a very mysterious manner.
They cross to this side of the river and then sud-
denlv disappear, no one knows where. Some
of the more timid are of the opinion that the
Indians are gathering in some of the canyons
along the river and some dark night will break
out and massacre the whole settlement. This
CHIEF MOSES AND WIFE
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
97
is hardly probable, however, as the Indians in
this part of the country are at present so few in
numbers that they would hardly dare attack
settlers this side of the river. If there is any
outbreak it will more than likely he in the neigh-
borhood of Ruby City, where the trouble origin-
ated. It is all very well to be prepared, tin High,
for it is hard to tell what the red devils would
not do, and a few hundred rifles distributed
among the settlers along the river would lie a
great 'inducement' for the Indians to stay at
home."
Following the temporary settlement (if the
county seat question resulting in a victor) i"i"
Sprague, the matter of county division was
taken up at the earnest demand of the people
of Wilbur. Objection was made by Daven-
port tn any division having a north and
smith line of demarcation, but the town was.
apparently, willing to allow the division quo-
tum to proceed provided an east and west line
was adopted thus separating Sprague from Da-
venport. It was Imped that by this means the
latter town would eventually secure the county
seat. Tii this proposition, however, the con-
sent i if Sprague could in it be obtained. In the
legislature two bills for county division were
introduced, one by Representative Isaac M.
Cushman providing for a north and south line
a few miles west of Davenport, designating
Wilbur as the new county seat and christening
the proposed new political division as "Big
Bend County." A second bill provided for di-
vision on an east and west line, but nothing
tangible resulted from either of these two meas-
ures. Another plan which received some eon
sideration but did not materialize was in the
nature of a compromise whereby the county
was to he segregated into three divisions, Big
Bend to be designated as the western county.
Grant that of the east and Sprague t. > remain
the count v seat of Lincoln county. But it was
destined that the county should not only re-
main intact, hut that Davenport should, eventu-
ally, secure the capital. The following sum-
mary of the complication was published March
6, [89I, by the Lincoln Comity Times.
At the opening of tin campaign last fall Uic re-
location of the county son was the all-important quest
lion of the hour, ll was believed thai a 111. ire central
location was generall} desired, and that its removal
to Davenport would result to the financial advantage of
the tax payers of the county. Davenport was regarded
a. well situated ami therefore di signated as a con-
testant for county seat honors, Sprague realizing that
'" relj upon her merits as compared with tl
Davenport was likely to result disastrously to her.
formed an alliance with Wilbur whereby that town
was to throw her vote and influence in the balance with
Sprague, in consideration of which the latter would
secure such a division of the county as that Wilbur
would he the county seat of 1I1.' new division. The im-
probability ami impracticability of the proposition was
apparent to everybodj except the Wilbur people them-
selves. rhej eagerly caught at this offer and labored
hard and faithfully in the interest of Sprague, and hy
her efforts barely succeeded in retaining that town
as the COUntj Seat of Lincoln county for another term
of years.
Having faithfully fulfilled her promises she con-
fidently expected that Sprague would redeem her pledges
hy aiding the north and south division over the Rocky
Canyon. * Very naturally Sprague could not
afford to aid such a division as it would have left her
in a helpless condition to contend with an adversary
in the evenl of another contest. It was hut natural that
she should ti> to protect herself, and if hy a reiteration
of her good will -he ran succeed in bringing Wilbur
to her support gain, when -he needs her. why. she will
do it.
It was in the latter pan of September, 1891,
that Lincoln county, in company with the Big
Bend, achieved distinction at the Tacoma Grain
Exposition and this too in a manner that ac-
corded her high standing among the grain-
growing sections of the coast as a cereal pro-
ducing country. The managers .if the expo-
sition placed Lincoln as the first county in the
state in a showing of wheat, oats and barley:
Walla Walla county the first in fruits and Ya-
kima county the first in Imps. Each county in
the state was represented by most attractive dis-
plays, and a strong effort was made by Whit-
man to carry away the laurels in the cereal ex-
hibit, but the honor was accorded to Lincoln
county.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
In March, 1892, the formal transfer of the
Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway was
made to the Northern Pacific Company. Still
the road had been under practical control of
the latter company for nearly a year previous.
The Big Bend Chief tells an interesting
tale of the discovery of the Great Northern
route down Crab Creek by the Urquhart
Brothers, the well known stockmen. Presi-
dent James J. Hill had surveyors out trying
to locate an eligible route down to the Colum-
bia river, but the grades were all steep. The
Urquhart Brothers, who were watching with
decided interest the movements of the company,
became acquainted with the difficulty exper-
ienced by Mr. Hill. Mr. Donald Urquhart,
therefore, wrote the Napoleonic railroader a
personal letter agreeing to find him a route de-
void of "toboggan slides." At first nothing was
heard from Mr. Hill, but one evening, some
weeks later, a party drove up to Mr. Urquhart's
home and desired to remain over night. The
following morning they stated that their errand
was to find the route of which Mr. Urquhart
had written to Mr. Hill. Accordingly Donald
hitched up a team and after a month or two
spent in running surveys proved the correctness
of his statement made in the letter. The en-
gineer who made the survey met the party at
Rock Island and could hardly believe the evi-
dence of the field notes. More especially was
he hard to convince as he had made several in-
vestments along the northern route for himself
and friends with almost a certainty that
the road would be constructed along that
survev. The only error made by Mr.
Urquhart was at Trinidad, where the loop
is it iw made to avoid crossing the canyon
at that point. He still maintains that the can-
yon can be bridged with safety. With-
in a year from the time that the letter was
written t< > Mr. 1 Iill the whistle of the locomotive
might have been heard in the Crab creek valley.
The Great Northern Railway was built
through Lincoln county in 1802. Preliminarv
surveys were made all over eastern Washing-
ton and many rumors were afloat as to the
probable course through Lincoln county. For
a period it appeared reasonable that some of the
towns in the northern portion of the county
would be on the line as it was thought that the
crossing of Grand Coulee would be made at
Coulee City. In fact the Great Northern Com-
pany filed their map in the Waterville land of-
fice showing this route. September 30, 1892,
the Great Northern was completed to the Co-
lumbia river.
For many years non-resident stockmen
were in the habit of driving their herds to Lin-
coln county each successive summer. Early
in the year 1892 a mass meeting of Lincoln
stock-raisers was held at Fellows station, on
the Central Washington railway and organized
the Lincoln County Stock Protective Associa-
tion. The following resolution was then
adopted: "Resolved that we will no longer suf-
fer such grievance, and we hereby give notice
to non-resident stockmen that any further at-
tempt to encroach on our ranges will encounter
the united and determined opposition of this
organization. A word to the wise is sufficient."
In the spring of 1892 the two companies of
soldiers then stationed at Fort Spokane were
called to the Coeur d'Alene mines where they
took an active part in the labor troubles at that
point. They remained during the summer, re-
turning to the fort November 17th.
In March, 1893, the squirrel pest reap-
peared, but it was ardently anticipated that it
marked the beginning of the end of the trouble.
This, however, was an error. It was reported
that these animals were emerging from their
winter quarters in large numbers and were
starving at a rate threatening total extermina-
tion. Thousands of them were observed scur-
rying across the snow in vain search of some-
thing to eat. The Lincoln County Times com-
mented on the phenomenon as follows :
"There is at least one advantage of a back-
ward spring that is likely to prove of untold
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
99
value to the grain producers of the county.
The little rodents who prey upon green wheat
fields and who scamper over a thousand hills
in countless numbers long hefore this time
most years, are making a desperate and unsuc-
cessful struggle for existence this season. It
is mure than a month since they began to peep
forth and though they are great rustlers in
dry weather they have a great aversion for
snow and cold, consequently many of them are
passing to their reward and if the balance are
properly looked after will soon join them."
Yet in March, 1894, the ravenous rodents
reappeared in large numbers in the southern
and central portions of Lincoln county. They
appeared, however, to be traveling northward
and it was freely predicted that they would
soon disappear into the Columbia river. There
was observed, also, a decrease in their numbers.
In certain portions of the county many were
drowned out by floods. Still, in the face of all
this the squirrels apeared as pestiferous as ever.
In April, 1895, the Wilbur Register said:
"The story as told by the Register two
weeks ago regarding the destruction of squir-
rels by small red lice has been confirmed during
the last few days by men who have investigated
the matter. J. F. Opitz, who lives on Lake
creek, was in town Monday and says that there
is absolutely no doubt that the lice are killing
the squirrels by the thousands. Where there
were twenty squirrels last year there is not
one now, although the lice only affect the squir-
rels in certain localities. Air. Opitz says that
his neighbors have caught a number of the
squirrels in traps, which had been attacked by
the lice, and in every instance the squirrels were
nothing but skeletons. Jack Sterretl and others
living out that way say that it is surely the lice
that are destroying the pests, and all advise
that the people living up here should try to se-
cure some of the squirrels having the lice on
them and turn them loose where they are likely
to scatter the vermin."
It is evident that these lice did some good
in the way of killing the pests, hut not until
June, 1896, was the nuisance abated. At that
period they began to die off in large numbers
from disease. July 3d the faculty of the Ag-
ricultural College at Pullman said: "The dis-
ease is one affecting the throat. It shows itself
in one or more abscesses, the outside of which
resembles a crust, or scab. Later this abscess
may ft >rm a large, ugly looking ulcer. The
symptoms are not aggravating until toward the
termination of the disease, when the affected
squirrel will turn round and round in a circle,
be thrown into spasms or convulsions, death
following immediately."
July 17th the Sprague Herald said: "The
squirrels in this section have ceased to be a
pest. They are all either dead or dying."
Thus closed one of the most pestiferous
afflictions which the farmers of Lincoln have
ever been called upon to face.
The proposed abandonment of Fort Spo-
kane met with a sturdy and. temporarily, suc-
cessful opposition from the citizens of Lincoln
county. The question was first broached in
October, 1893. At that time General Carlin,
of the Department of the Columbia, in his an-
nual report recommended this course to the
government, together with a number of other
smaller forts. General Carlin. also, advised the
establishment of a new post near the city of
Spokane. This recommendation appears to
have been anticipated, so far as it applied to
Fort Spokane, as only a few soldiers were there
in October, 1893. The Lincoln County Times
was fully alive to the merits of the question,
and October -'oth said :
"It is well known that the -city of Spokane
has had designs upon the acquisition of thi
military post for years past merely for the ad-
vantages that would grow out of government
appropriations, for the erection of necessar
buildings, to the city as a whole, and the inci
dental advantages that would be reaped from
a monthly soldierly pay roll to the bus-
ness community as a part. Why should
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
the government abandon a post conceded
to be the best planned in this division
and upon which so much money has been
expended ? It is near the border line, quite
accessible, and will most probably be on a line
of railroad at no distant day. If local advant-
ages are to be considered Lincoln county pro-
tests that she has prior claims which are en-
titled to as much consideration as any claim
that can be advanced by Spokane as a county or
city."
In November of that year canvassers were
in the field securing names of Lincoln county
settlers remonstrating against abandonment.
It was held by the signers of these petitions
that the fort was as necessary then as it had
been ten years previous. They claimed that,
as the fort was between two Indian reserva-
tions, Colville and Spokane, the post served as
a restraint upon such "bad Indians" as might
be disposed to do mischief of any description.
These Indians were always able to secure whis-
key occasionally, notwithstanding a close watch
kept upon them by the military, and when they
did so procure it they were exceedingly dan-
gerous. Removal of Fort Spokane would ren-
der it for easier for them to procure whiskey.
At that period it was one of the best constructed
posts in the northwest and upon which consid-
erable money had been expended by the gov-
ernment. For these and other reasons the citi-
zens of Lincoln county earnestly protested
against abandonment and respectfully asked
that the war department should thoroughly in-
vestigate the matter before acting upon the
recommendation of General Carlin. Nothing
was done farther in the matter at this time. In
April, 1894, several companies of infantry and
two of cavalry were added to the garrison, and
not until the breaking out of the Spanish war,
in 1898, was abandonment of Fort Spokane
effected. The troops then went to the front
and were not, subsequently, returned.
In 1894 what were known as the "lieu
lands" were thrown upon the market in Lincoln
county. Previous to this the question had been,
particularly to people residing in the north-
western portion, vexatious and unsolved. For
a number of years these residents had been
holding lieu lands by "squatters' rights," im-
proving and cultivating them, yet all the time
afraid to leave them, even for a day or so,
through a wholesome fear that they would b<
"jumped." There were several townships of
these lieu lands along the Columbia river which
were especially valuable. At last, through the
influence of the Washington delegation in con-
gress the lieu lands were placed on the market
and the actual settlers on them could "quiet
title" by purchase, which the most of them did.
The memorable Coxey Army movement
which took the country by storm did not pass
Lincoln county by in 1894. The "Common-
wealers," as they were called were then travel-
ing eastward from the Sound cities on their
way to join "General" Coxey on his march to
Washington, D. C. Sprague, being a railroad
point of prominence, secured the majority of
trouble from this source, although other towns
in the county were not unmolested. May 6th
a Sprague correspondent of the Spokane Re-
view sent in the following:
"This morning Sprague citizens witnessed
a novel sight. During the night freight trains
from the west brought several hundred of the*
industrial army. The passenger train also
unloaded about seventy-five riding on "blind
baggage" and brake-beams. After breakfast
this morning, which the industrial army re-
ceived through the kindness of our citizens,
the army attempted to board freight train No.
58 which leaves this station at 7 a. m. The
army swarmed upon the box-cars like bees.
The crew made several attempts to get them
off and started several times, but each time the
army would climb upon the cars again. Fi-
nally the train backed down into the yard and
the officials hit upon a novel and dangerous
plan. They made the train a double-header
with two powerful engines, also having the
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
switch engine as "pusher." After clearing- the
train of the army it was hacked down almost
to the lake west of town, and then made a Fast
run through our city, going at the rale of fifty
miles an hour.
"Ah nit i me hundred of the arm}- started i »ul
walking east and intended to board the train,
going up the hill, but on account of the double-
header they were fooled. A live-stock train
eastbound was brought to a halt by an indus-
trial who set an air-brake from the trucks of
one of the cars. The officials ordered the stock
unloaded and swear they will not carry the
"Commonwealers" if not a wheel turns for a
mi 'nth."
May 8th another dispatch was published, it
appearing that a temporary check was put to
the lawlessness, as follows:
"Everything is very quiet in our city today.
All the industrial army took their departure
during the night on the stock and freight train
which left here about 3 a. m. Although about
_>5 Deputy United States Marshals arrived here
from Spokane to escort the stock train out of
town the Coxeyites all caught on going up
grade east of town. There are six or seven
Deputy United States Marshals under com-
mand of Captain V. M. Massey stationed here
to keep the Commonwealers off all trains, and
some of them were more boisterous around the
saloons and depot than all of the Coxeyites
who have been visiting us for the last few days.
There are 600 or 700 of the army strung along
the railroad from Ellenshurg. who will arrive
here within the next few days "
The cattle train from Sprague was brought
into Spokane at 6 o'clock on the morning of
the 8th inst. The marshals found that the
train was in possession of the industrials who
would not move under their orders to get off
the right of way, sonic of the army telling them
that they would in >t dare si t. During the ex
citement one man was clubbed. As the cattle
train started up the marshals ran alongside t"
keep the Coxeyites off. But the latter started
to rush by them for the brake-beams and the
marshals began shooting. No one was injured,
hut the Commonwealers discovered that the
marshals meant "business."
About a dozen of the army reached I I
port Saturday noon. May [2th. At the ex-
pense of a number of citizens of the town they
lunched at the Dale 1 louse 1 since destroyed by
tire), and then continued on their way to Wash-
ington, D. C, rejoicing. They came over the
mountains from the west and succeeded in
stealing a ride over the Central Wash:
Railway to within a mile or two of town. They
did not move forward on their march until a
little recruiting had been done, ddie following
dispatch, under date of May [6th was sent in
to Spokane from Davenport :
"A man named Rippitos, of this place, en-
tertained a large number of people today with
a discourse upon the Coxey movement. After
he had finished speaking enlistment began and
within a short time nearly one hundred men
had joined the army. Quarters were offered
them by Jack Redick, who allows them to use
bis old wagon shed, where they will spend the
night. A grand demonstration took place this
afternoon, the men parading, colors living
and headed by the Davenport brass hand. They
will remain here a few days to complete re-
cruiting and will then depart for Washington,
D. C."
Thus ended Lincoln county's adventure
with the Coxeyites, hut the same month of the
same year high water was a fruitful topic of
discussion as well as in other portions of the
state. June 7th. the ll Is continuing, the
fridge at fort Spokane was carried out. Un-
der date of June 17th the Lincoln County Times
said :
"People living along the Columbia river
tell frightful tales of ruin and devastation re-
sulting from the high waters. Houses, barns,
Stacks, dead horses and cattle and even human
beings have been seen Boating down the river.
It is related that one day when the waters had
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
about reached their height a man and two girls
were seen strapped down to a floating raft drift-
ing down the current. It was impossible to
rescue them. The river was so swift and vio-
lent in most places that it was almost sure death
to venture into the current with a boat."
June 22d the waters of the Columbia and
Spokane rivers and other streams were slowly
subsiding and no further mischief was feared.
It was admitted, however, that these streams
had never been known, by the oldest residents
of the country, to rise so suddenly or to such
a height. But on June 29th Crab creek, in
the southern portion of the county, became a
mighty river, carrying away bridges, fences
and grain. This was the first time this stream
bad ever reached any extraordinary height due
to spring floods.
•The Northern Pacific Railway strike, in
1894, and under the auspices of Eugene V.
Debs and the A. R. U., which affected the en-
tire system, played an important part in the
history of Lincoln county. Directly and in-
directly to it may be traced some of the im-
portant events which transpired later, — notably
the removal of the county seat from Sprague
to Davenport two years later. It was the cause
of certain dissensions between the two ambitious
towns. One Saturday in June, 1894, a num-
ber of farmers assembled in Sprague and in
the name of Lincoln county, adopted certain
resolutions concerning the great strike then
pending. This meeting was presided over by
John Cody, and A. J. Lacy, J. C. Murray and
O. T. Terwilliger drafted the following reso-
lutions which were adopted :
Resolved, That we, citizens of Lincoln and ad-
joining counties in mass meeting assembled, in the city
of Sprague, Washington, hereby express our emphatic
condemnation of the plutocratic money powers that
have so systematically done all that could be done to
oppress 1 the poor generally, and of the management of
the Pullman Car Company who are the direct cause
of the strike on all the sections of railroads now out. and
be it further
Resolved, That we hereby extend our hearty sym-
pathy to all the unfortunate toilers wdio have been re-
duced to enforced idleness through the iniquitous and
tyrannical action of the management of the Pullman
Car Company in reducing the wages of their employees
to starvation price, and especially do we extend our
sympathy to and hereby declare our approval of the
action of our citizens who are employees of the North-
ern Pacific Railroad Company in their determination to
insist upon the equitable adjustment of the wages, and
the restoration to their positions of the employees that
have gone out, and be it further
Rcsoh'cd, That we as a body assembled hereby
pledge ourselves to do all in our power to alleviate any
condition of suffering or want, and that we are willing
to contribute everything within our power that may be
needed for the purpose of the strikers or their families.
It should be remembered that this period
was one of intense excitement throughout the
entire country. Similar meetings and similar
resolutions were held and passed in many
places. Indeed, it may be truthfully asserted
that these resolutions of sympathy were mild
in their character compared to many others of
like import. Viewed in the calm retrospection
of history they do not appear at all anarchistic
or revolutionary. But conditions at that time
were inflammable. It is this fact that tended
to bring on a strong division of public senti-
ment. And to this division must be ascribed
the intensifying of the bitterness which origi-
nated in 1884 between the towns of Sprague
and Davenport as well as between citizens of
each town. The action of this mass meeting
in Sprague was at once seized upon by cer-
tain people in Davenport to create a spirit of
animosity against Sprague. The more conser-
vative citizens of that town realized that such
a condition must be palliated. A dispatch from
Sprague, dated July 16th, will more full}' ex-
plain their position :
"This evening a large meeting of citizens
and business men was held and resolutions were
passed for law and order. The assemblage was
resolved to protect from insult and violence
all men who desire to go back to work. One
hundred citizens were sworn in as deputy sher-
iffs. It was also resolved to enforce the or-
dinance keeping boys off the streets after 9
o'clock p. m. The meeting was very enthu-
HISTORY OF Till-. VAC. lil'.Xl) COUNTRY
103
siastic and the citizens are determined that
peace shall be preserved. The following reso-
lutions were unanimously adopted :
Whereas it has come to our attention that numerous
false and misleading reports- have been published and
circulated with regard to the condition of affairs at
Sprague and the sentiments and opinions of citizens
during the strike, and
Whereas, The reports not only do Sprague and
her citizens an injustice, but are calculated to do much
harm, therefore be it
Resolved, By the citizens and business men of
Sprague in mass meeting assembled that we denounce
as false the report that Sprague is solid for the strike;
that we believe that even among railroad employees-
there are a large number who are and have been op-
posed to the strike from the beginning as unjust and
ill-advised ; that the report that Troop A of Sprague
refused to return home behind non-union men is abso-
lutely untrue; and especially is it false that the people
of Sprague — or a respectable portion of them — approved
their alleged refusal to do so. On the contrary the
citizens of Sprague are loyal to the flag and to the
laws', and are outspoken in their opinion that it is the
duty of a soldier to obey orders under any and all cir-
cumstances, and that refusal so to do should be met with
severe punishment.
We condemn the false and exaggerated reports of
the disturbance Sunday night, the Slh instant, as the
facts are : That beyond the throwing of rocks- at a train
■ and the burning of one small trestle and the partial
burning of another, no great damage was done and
there was no "howling mob" as reported. We are quite
positive that had the Tekoa militia, who were aboard
the train, done their duty there would have been no
disturbance whatever. Had they even made a show
of resistance, instead of remaining in the cars, the
hoodlums who started the row would have been iri
timidated and there would have been no trouble at
all ; be u further
Resolved, That for the purpose of indicating the
attitude of the business men in this matter, and in
order to preserve law and order and aid the authorities
in protecting the employees and property of the North-
ern Pacific, should such aid be necessary, we organize
ourselves into a law and Order league, the members
thereof to be sworn in as deputy sheriffs.
Resolved, Further, thai these resolutions be given
due publicity and especially be furnished u> papers in
Spokane, Tacoma and Seattle for publication.
Thus much for the conflicting attitudes of
the citizens of Lincoln county concerning the
great strike. As for the strike per se, two
companies of infantry were called from Fort
Spokane Sunday night, July 8th, and early
Monday morning left for Sprague by special
train to report for duty. A bridge was burned
down in front of them, however, before thev
reached there, but the train crews succeeded in
patching it up and they passed over. This
train was manned by amateurs, a saw mill en-
gineer being in charge of the locomotive.
These soldiers returned from Sprague July
25th, although the strike had been declared
off on the 21st inst. July 13th Division Super-
intendent F. W. Gilbert, of the Northern Pa-
cific, who had temporarily removed his head-
quarters from Sprague to Spokane, returned
to Sprague and opened up his headquarters in
that town, where he held himself in readiness
to act upon the application of all ex-employees
for reinstatement for duty.
July 13th the Lincoln County Times said:
"Locally there is some sympathy with the
strikers, but sentiment is practically unani-
mous in favor of the preservation of laws, the
restoration of order and against the destruc-
tion of property and intimidation of workmen
by threats of violence by organized bodies."
The Northern Pacific strike also affected
the Central Washington railway. Monday,
July 9th. a special carrying soldiers came over
the line and this was the first train into Daven-
port since the tie-up. Mail for all parts of the
count\- was brought to Harrington, on the
Great Northern and other postoffices on that
mad, which were not affected by the strike,
and distributed to the different towns by
stages. Some intended for the northern part
of Lincoln county was taken to Colville, Ste-
vens county, via the Spokane Falls & North-
ern line. then, as now under the management
of the Great Northern officials, and then
pied bj stage t" Fori Spokane, and thus dis-
tributed throughout the county. Saturday^
ion. July 14th. the first train on tb
tral Washington, in (8 days, arrived in Wil-
bur. Lincoln county. The citizens of that
town turned out en masse to welcome the de-
104
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
laved transportation. The engine was guarded
by three deputy marshals.
The last act in the interesting and sensa-
tional career of "Wild Goose Bill" took place
in the latter part of January, 1895, resulting
in his death together with that of a man named
Barton Park. Concerning this double tragedy
the Lincoln County Times in reporting the
event said :
"The shooting affair between 'Wild Goose
Bill' and Barton Park, in which both were
killed, occurred at the King ranch, about ten
miles distant from 'Wild Goose Bill's' place
on the Columbia river. There were four wit-
nesses to the deed. The whole trouble was
over a woman, Millie Dunn, by name, who
was married to a young man by that name in
Davenport a couple of years ago. but from
whom she secured a divorce several months
since and for some time had been living with
'Wild Goose Bill,' whose proper name was
Samuel Wilbur Condin.
"Condin, who had a squaw wife, induced
her to leave and soon became greatly attached
and very jealous of his young mistress. She.
however, soon tired of him and took up with
Jack Bratton at the King ranch. This preyed
upon Condin's mind and he drank heavily and
is supposed to have been well under the influ-
ence of liquor when he started upon his fatal
journey to the King ranch accompanied by
Bert Woodin. Arriving there Condin jumped
out of the wagon and went into the house and
W'oodin drove to the barn with the team. En-
tering the house Condin shook hands with all
present, Bratton, Park and Mrs. Dunn. It is
said he next asked the woman to go back and
live with him and on receiving a negative an-
swer, pulled a revolver and fired two shots at
her. both taking effect in her left arm. It is
belived that Park interfered here by firing a
shot, and the woman states that at this inter-
ference Condin turned upon Park, shot him
through the breast and started out the door.
Park, though fatally wounded, grasped a rifle
within reach and fired upon the retreating
Condin, killing him, and fired another shot at
Bert Woodin taking the heel off of his
(AYoodin's) toot. He then dropped down
and expired almost instantly. Bratton, who
had been the cause of hostilites, slipped out of
the door as the shooting began and lost no
time in placing distance between himself and
danger.
"Condin had passed through many a skir-
mish, and always come out unscathed and was
a stranger to fear. But that he anticipated
trouble and probably a fatal termination was
evidenced by the fact that he had made a new
will leaving the most of his property to his
crippled half breed child before starting out
on this last journey. Those who know Con-
din best scarcely credit the story that he began
shooting at a defenseless woman unless he in-
tended taking his own life immediately after.
The woman's left arm was badly shattered,
and it is possible that it will cost her her life.
Woodin and Bratton who escaped, the Times
is informed, have quit the country. The re-
mains of young Barton Park were brought to
town last Saturday and interred in the cem-
etery."
Tuesday, August 13th, occurred a bad
wreck on the Central Washington railroad
just east of Almira, which resulted in the
death of Fireman Prytz and serious injury to
Engineer Hobart. The train consisted of
fourteen cars of cattle belonging to W. H.
Fleet, of Coulee City, en route to Chicago,
and one car of horses owned by Griffith Jones,
consigned to Wisconsin. The train was com-
ing down grade at a rapid rate, and when the
curve was reached, near Almira, the engine
and the entire train with the exception of the
horse car, a cattle car and the caboose, went
over into the ditch twenty feet below, piling
one car of live stock upon another making a
frightful wreck. Of the 314 cattle 150 were
either killed or maimed, making their destruc-
tion necessarv. Fireman Prvtz fell under the
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
105
boiler and was killed almost instantly by scald-
ing water. Conductor Roberts, Brakeman
Downs. W. H. Fleet and tbree or four otbers
were in tbe caboose and escaped injury. ,
In May, 1896, war broke out between tbe
railroads and tbe sheepmen. On tbe 1 3th in-
stant tbe following dispatch was sent to the
Spokesman-Review, Spokane :
"Sprague, May 13. — Some time age the
Northern Pacific railroad company served no-
tices "ii all tbe sheepmen who have been in the
habit of grazing their flocks every spring with-
in a radius of 15 miles of Sprague, in Adams,
Whitman and Lincoln counties,, to keep off
their lands. Some of tbe sheepmen have
formed a combination to remove, shear and
ship their wool over the O. R. & X. railroad
and some over tbe Great Northern. The
Northern Pacific Company bearing of the
same, sent the following communication to
the stock association :
"Sprague, Wash., May 7, 1896. — To Jack
McElroy. John Graves, M. Parks, committee,
and all other cattlemen, ranchers and members
of the Stock Grazing and Protective Associa-
tion, Gentlemen: — You are doubtless aware
that the Northern Pacific Railway Company
has been sustained by the United States Court,
at Walla Walla, in its contention that sheep
cannot graze upon railroad land without per-
mission of tbe company. Of course this means
that any land owned by you need not be fenced
to prevent sheep from grazing upon it.
"Now the company does not propose to
drive sheepmen out of tbe country, but it
does wish to extend such protection to the cat-
tle owners and small farmers as is possible,
and at the same time treat the sheepmen
fairly.
'Your association in the effort to protect
yourselves from sheep depredations, might
carry the thing too far. We think you all
would prefer to accomplish the result by fair
means in conjunction with efforts of tbe rail-
road company, rather than by putting your-
selves in the attitude of law breakers. We be-
lieve that a reasonable arrangement can be
reached, and would like to meet you all at
Sprague next Monday. May tl, 1896, at 10
o'clock a. m.. and talk over this whole matter.
Tbe railroad land department desires to ascer-
tain what route can he used for the sheepmen
to pass up to Sprague ami shear and get back
immediately after shearing, doing the least
possible damage to you. I will he here to rep-
resent Thomas Cooper, the Northern Pacific
Railroad Company's land agent, of Tacoma,
and it is possible that Mr. Cooper may be here
himself. Therefore, in your own interests, we
trust you will meet us as suggested without
fail. Signed. E. F. Benson, Land Examiner
for X. 1". R. R. Co.
"The stock association bad a meeting with
Mr. Benson present, and discussed this mat-
ter and came to the following conclusion:
"Resolved, After discussing the matter of
co-operating with the Northern Pacific Rail-
road Company in its efforts to bring the sheep-
men of Adams. Whitman and Lincoln coun-
ties to Sprague to sheer, it is unanimously
agreed that we refuse our consent for them to
come north of the line running west from the
bead of Walled Lake to Rock creek,»in Adams
and Lincoln counties."
"The following dodger has been printed
and will he scattered where it will reach all
sheepmen :
"'Public Notice. — To all owners and
herders of -keep: You are hereby notified
not to herd or graze your sheep north of a
line running west from the head of Walled
Lake to Cow creek, and east from the head of
Walled bake to Rock creek. By order of the
Stock Grazing and Protective Association.
Signed, Jack McElroy, John Graves, M.
Parks.'"
The prevailing sentiment existing in Lin-
coln county concerning the lo^s ,,f the com-
peting line of railroad, the Seattle. Lake Shore
& Pastern Railway, is voiced in the following
io6
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
extract from the Lincoln County Times of
date, July 14, 1896:
"The Seattle. Lake Shore & Eastern Rail-
road, a branch of which was extended from
Spokane to Davenport during the winter of
1889, and for which the property holders of
the town put up liberally for the purpose of
inducing the management to run through, in-
stead of around the place, has just been trans-
ferred to the committee of the mortgage bond
holders and the deed placed on file in Spokane.
"This deed conveys the road, commencing
in the city of Seattle and running to Sallal
Prairie, 62 miles ; a line commencing in
Woodinville, King county, running to Sumas,
101 miles; a branch known as the Hilron
branch, and 18 miles of additional branches
and spurs; also the main line in the eastern
division, commencing at Spokane and running
west to Davenport. The transfer includes all
the rights of way, franchise, rolling stock,
buildings, etc., and 2,500 shares of stock in
the Union Depot Company, at Spokane, and
its leasehold estate for 99 years in the depot
grounds ; also the railroad company's title to
tide and shore lands in King county.
"The company was enjoying an era of un-
equaled prosperity at the time this road was
built through Lincoln county, and the people
and the railroads all seemed to have plenty of
money. Roads were being built everywhere,
and scarcely a week passed that a party of sur-
veyors did not pass through looking up a route
for some projected line. It was not hard for
them to raise the necessary money to induce
the Seattle road to build in, which was be-
lieved to be a necessary thing in order to build
up the place so that other roads could be con-
trolled that talked of penetrating the Big
Bend. These were thrifty days when people
heard little and cared less about free silver and
sub-treasury schemes. All went along smooth-
ly enough for two or three years and then a
reaction set in. Railroads quit building,
money began to get scarce ; all sorts of politi-
cal nostrums were advocated ; taking short
cuts to ease and fortune, and then the business
failures began. Xo more was heard of pro-
jected railroads, and the Seattle, Lake Shore
& Eastern line, after a hard struggle, finally
ceased to be operated altogether between Daven-
port and Spokane, and now reverts to the bond
holders. Railroads, as well as individuals,
overestimated themselves, strained their credit
and now a good many of them have valuable
experience but a good deal less money."
CHAPTER III.
CURRENT EVENTS— 1896 TO 1904.
Agitation for removal of the county seat
from Sprague was renewed the spring of 1896.
Harrington was ambitious, and in March the
Independent, of that town, announced that
Harrington would be a candidate. The town
of Edwall also listened to the buzzing of the
county seat bee. and was, for awhile, ambit-
ious to become the Hub of Lincoln county. It
was well known that Wilbur would not feel
justified in refusing the honor, and Davenport
considered herself the logical candidate. Con-
ditions were such that unless a number of
towns entered the race and thus divided the
vote, removal from Sprague to Davenport
might be considered a certaintv. The city of
Sprague which, until the year previous was,
unquestionably, the principal town of the
county, had encountered a series of disasters
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
107
from which it could not, immediately, recover.
The fire of August .}. [895, which is elsewhere
treated in this work, laid waste the town. It
was unquestioned that a new Sprague would
spring from the ashes of its desolation had not
the Northern Pacific Railroad Company de-
cided to remove their machine shops from the
town and establish division headquarters else-
where. This was a blow harder than the fire.
Davenport formally entered the county
seat contest April 6th. A mass meeting of the
business men of the town assembled in the
council chambers and it was largely attended.
The situation was exhaustively discussed and
it was the unanimous opinion of the meeting
that Davenport should become a contestant.
Editorially the Lincoln County Times said:
"In entering- the field for the county seat
Davenport does not intend to make any attack
on Sprague, the present seat of county govern-
ment. She entertains the most kindly feeling
for that place and all its citizens, and would
not like to see a single one of them suffer loss
by reason of the removal of the county seat.
However, the removal of the seat of county
government to a more central point is an
urgent public necessity, and overbalances all
private considerations as to individual losses
occasioned by the change.''
April 25th the citizens of Harrington held
a mass meeting and. also, decided to enter the
contest. Under the law each town that de-
cided to become a candidate for county seat
privileges was obliged to present to the board
of county commissioners a petition signed by
qualified electors of the county equal in num-
ber to one-third of all the votes cast at the last
preceding general election. Roth Davenport
and Harrington complied with this provision
and became contestants. It is generally ad-
mitted that Harrington was not very sanguine
of securing the prize. It was at the earnest
solicitation of Sprague and for the sole pur-
pose of dividing the vote in order to prevent
a re-location. The conditions at that period
are thus outlined by the Spokesman-Review of
date July _>o. [896 :
"Davenport has filed with the county com-
missioners a petition asking for an election for
the removal of the county seat to Davenport.
Tins petition has been acted upon by the
county commissioners and the issue will come
up at the general election this fall. Harring-
ton has also filed a petition and is on the list
as a candidate.
"The conditions have been changing ma-
terially in favor of Davenport. In the past
two years the south half of the county from
which Sprague derives its voting support has
been reduced at least five hundred votes, one-
half of the reduction being on account of the
changed conditions at Sprague alone. Besides
this it is argued by Davenport people that
Sprague is situated three miles from the south
line of the county and six miles from the east
line. Thus the county seat is in the corner of
the county and the people in this section be-
lieve it should be more centrally located. Dav-
enport agrees to replace without a dollar- (
pense to the county, county buildings similar
to those at Sprague. Harrington is not con-
sidered to have any chance at all in the fight.
The friends of Davenport are aligning them-
selves and the final result will come in No-
vember."
It was not until the latter part of Sep-
tember that Davenport mobilized her forces in
earnest for the impending campaign. From
that date the contest on her part was most vig-
orous and aggressive. September [8th Dav-
enporl citizens executed a bond in the sum of
SiS.Noo in favor of the commissioners
ditioned upon the selection of Davenport as
capital of the county, and pledging the bonds-
men in that event to erect "a court house and
county jail at a place in Davenport. Washing-
ton, satisfactory to the county commissioners
of said county, which said court house and
county jail shall be of the same size, material.
and capacity of said county buildings now in
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
Sprague, the present county seat, and contain
the same number of rooms, and apartments
similarly arranged, each said court house and
jail to be built on yards and lots of land as
large as the lots and yards on which the pres-
ent county court house and jail at Sprague are
situated ; and invest and deliver to Lincoln
county on or before the said first lay of July.
1897, good, absolute and sufficient title to said
lots, yards, premises, court house and jail
thereon : and remove from Sprague to Daven-
port, Washington, all the public records,
books, furniture, safes, fixtures and appara-
tus of whatever kind and nature now used in
and about said county buildings at Sprague,
and place the same in good and regular order
in the county buildings to be built in Daven-
port, as aforesaid."
Those who executed this bond were : C. C.
May, F. H. Luce, 'William Finney, Melissa
Finney, H. C. Keedy, Lizzie Keedy, Albert
W. Turner, Alice Turner, E. E. Plough, Mar-
garet Plough, George Oswalt, Mary Oswalt,
John H. Nicholls, Emma Nicholls, Walter
Mansfield, Mary P. Mansfield, James S. Ink-
ster, Laura Inkster, Robert Tischner, Rosina
Tischner, Fred Quehlke, Margaret A. Oueh-
lke, Herman Kruger, Dora Kruger, B. O. Gib-
son, Louisa Gibson, Peter Leipham, Pbebe
Leipham, Fred McLellan, Henry J. Whitney,
Mrs. Fred McLelland. H. Josephine Whit-
ney, A. F. Lambert, H. XV. Knapp, Ida M.
Knapp, Dennie Moylan, Lula Moylan, A. L.
Smalley, Clarence G. Snyder, Hugh H. Mc-
Millan, Fred Lauer, L. A. Inkster. W. H.
Moore, Mary E. Moore, Adam Knox, Katie
Knox.
Those who were favorable to either
Sprague or Harrington for the county seat
assumed the same position taken in the mem-
orable contest of 1890, viz: That Davenport
did not have the money required to construct
the county buildings. The bond that had been
executed was attacked and it was further al-
leged that "there were not to exceed three men
on the bond who were worth a five cent piece
over and above just debts and liabilities/'
But it appears that Davenport had the
money. This was attested by the following
sworn statement by C. C. May, Cashier of the
Big Bend National Bank :
"Davenport. Washington, October 15,
1896. — This certifies that there has been de-
posited in the Big Bend National Bank, of
Davenport, Washington, the sum of ten thous-
and dollars ($10,000) to be used only, or as
much thereof as may be necessary, for the pur-
pose of erecting a county court house and jail
of the same size, material, dimensions, and
number of rooms as the county buildings now
located at Sprague, Lincoln county, Wash-
ington, in case the county seat shall be re-
moved from Sprague to Davenport, as a result
of the election to be held on the 3d day of No-
vember. 1896. This deposit is without any
reservation whatever, to be paid out only for
purpose herein named and as a guarantee that
said buildings together with all of block 94
in Columbia Addition to Davenport, which
block is 215x250 feet, will be conveyed to
Lincoln county, Washington, free from any
incumbrance whatever, on or before August
1, A. D., 1897; and that said Lincoln county
shall not incur any expense in the removal of
the county records, offfce and vault furniture
and fixtures and jail cages, from Sprague to
Davenport.
"If Davenport fails to construct said build-
ings and deliver same together with said block
of land to Lincoln county, Washington, by
good and sufficient warranty deed with the
usual covenants, on or before the first day of
August, 1897, or foils to remove the records
aforesaid from Sprague to Davenport within
sixty days after the result of said election is
declared ; or fails to furnish suitable offices,
free of expense to Lincoln county, to be used
pending the construction of said county build-
ings, then and in that event the said $10,000,
for so much thereof as mav be necessary tc
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
109
construct said buildings) becomes due and
payable to the order of the board of county
commissioners of said Lincoln county, Wash-
ington.
"By Big Bend National BaiiK, per C. C.
May. cashier."
This certificate was deposited with the
county treasurer on the 16th day of October,
and duly acknowledged by J. J. Brown, county
treasurer. The bond in the sum of $18,800
was placed in the hands of the county commis-
sioners. The following letter explains their
action in the matter.
"'Mr. C. C. May, Davenport. Washington.
Dear Sir : — The bond furnished by the citizens
of Davenport for the erection of county build-
ings and expense of moving the records and
fixtures from this place to Davenport in the
event that the voters of Lincoln county, on the
3d day of November, declare in favor of lo-
cating the county seat at Davenport, is on file
in the auditor's office. We have examined the
above mentioned bond and believe it to be
good and sufficient for the purpose given, but
do not think it our duty to take any action
whatever in regard to the matter, as the bond
placed on file with the county auditor is just
as binding as if approved by the board. Re-
spectfully,
"L. V. Allen.
"T. G. Stevenson.
"A. E. Stookey,
Commissioners."
For the second time Wilbur held the bal-
ance of power ; she had the deciding v< ites in the
impending contest. And again Wilbur thrust
the issue of county division into the campaign.
She demanded that the representative business-
men of Davenport should pledge themselves
to assist when in some future time --he should
attempt to divide Lincoln county. Of course
such an obligation could only he binding upon
the signers. Hard as the term- were Daven-
port's leading residents were compelled to
enter into this agreement, or all their hopes
would he nullified. They did so. There was
no politics in the agreement. Republicans.
Democrat-. Populists, Prohibitionists were
combined in the movement. It was the future
of a whole community dependent upon the
promise of Wilbur, and Wilbur appears to
have lived up to the contract nominated in the
bond.
At the November general election of 1896,
the contest was settled in favor of Davenport.
The official vote was, Davenport, 1582; Har-
rington, 240; against removal, 537. Follow-
ing i- the result of the vote by precincts:
Precincts. Davenport. Harrington. Against Rem.
Reardan 153 8
Mondovi 100 1 3
Fairview 81 2 13
Lassin 29 8 41
Larene 97 o 1
Inkster 90 o o
Miles 29 o 1
Davenport 242 o o
Union 58 2 1
Harrington 59 73 ,
Liberty 5 46 11
Sedalia 4 26 2
Crab Creek 4 -3 13
Grand Bluff 4 14 16
Enos 16 3 2
Yarwood 4 26 o
Condon 62 I 1
Meridian 40 2 4
Grand Coulee 54 1 5
Wilbur 113 2 16
1 'olumbia 44 1 6
Unite 50
Brents 8g o
Welch Creek 73 o 1
Wil-011 Creek 40 I 6
N'ortb Sprague 3 7
South Sprague 7 16 225
Earl ^ S
[,582 240 537
The Davenport correspondent of the
Spokesman-Review thus described the joyous
ratification of the result:
"The citi/ens of Davenport celebrated th<
count v -eat victory last night in an enthu-
tastic and inspiring manner. At 7:30 o'clock
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
a torchlight procession was formed, which
marched up and down Morgan street several
times, headed by a traveling brass band which
added to the enthusiasm by furnishing the
liveliest kind of music. Cheer after cheer
went forth from the procession, and was re-
echoed by those who thronged the sidewalks.
Finally a halt was called in front of the Co-
lumbia hotel, a table was provided, and one,
citizen after another was carried by stalwart
hands, placed on the table, and requested to
deliver a speech, until a dozen or more short
speeches were made by as many representative
citizens. Then the procession, including the
ladies, who also took part, in a body entered
the theatre and listened to the evening's enter-
tainment. Bonfires and the firing of anvils
were the other features of the celebration.".
Preliminary steps were taken to contest
the legality of this memorable event. The
ground upon which the action was based was
that the $10,000 contributed by Davenport
citizens was a bribe to the voters by which
they were induced to vote the county record
away from Sprague. Concerning this matter
the Times said, editorially :
"There is no foundation for such a con-
test upon which any hope for success is based,
for there is no case on record where a suit has
ever been sustained based upon such grounds,
and there is not the slightest probability that
this suit will be successful. The purpose is.
evidently, an attempt to delay the removal of
the records, but it will not succeed."
But this threatening war cloud passed
harmlessly away. Monday, November 20th
the county commissioners convened at
Sprague and quietly issued an order for the
removal of the county records to Davenport
December 14th. No contest suit was actually
filed, consequently none could we withdrawn.
Thus ended the county seat contest of twelve
years standing, and which had intermittently
cropped up, surrounded by all the multifarious
bickerings and bitterness incidental to such
procedures. Davenport was officially declared
to be the county seat after 12 o'clock, mid-
night, December 14th. On the 16th instant the
county records arrived in Davenport. The
records, furniture, etc., were brought in by rail
in charge of a committee of Davenport citi-
zens. The condition of the roads made it im-
possible to bring them overland. Three cars
were required to transport these official effects
and they were three days in transit. The
county officials, on their arrival in Davenport,
secured offices in various buildings until the
court house could be constructed. In January,
1897, the citizens of Davenport paid into the
county treasury $6,000 in cash, and gave a
deed to a block of land upon which to erect
a court house. Tire commissioners decided
that $6,000 would more than pay for the
erection of a county building equal to the one
formerly used at Sprague. but decided to add
to it and erect one sufficient for present needs.
The action of the commissioners in this mat-
ter reads as follows, and was signed by all the
commissioners, Friday, January 15th:
Ordered that the $6,000 received from the citizens
of Davenport for the erection of a court house and
jail be placed in the county treasury and credited to a
fund to be known as the "court house fund," upon which
only warrants for the erection of such buildings shall
be drawn. The above matter coming on for hearing,
and the citizens of Davenport having agreed to place
$6,000 gold coin of the United States, in the hands of
the county commissioners, and a deed to block 94,
Columbia Addition to the. Town of Davenport, pro-
vided that the commissioners release the signers' of the
bond and certificate of deposit given, from all liability
in the premises, except as hereinafter stated, and the
board being fully advised in the matter and having made
careful estimate of the cost of replacing and duplicating
all buildings of the same size, material and finish as
those formerly used as a court house and jail at Sprague,
and the board being fully satisfied that said sum will
erect and build better and more substantial buildings
than those formerly occupied : It i? therefore ordered
that the said amount and the deed to block 94, Columbia
Addition to the Town of Davenport, the receipt of which
is hereby acknowledged, be, and the same is hereby,
accepted in full payment from the citizens of Daven-
port as per their bond and agreement on file in the
office of the county auditor and certified check deposited
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COl'NTRY
with the county treasurer; and it is further ordered that
the signers of said bond be, and they are hereby, re-
leased from all liability on account of the agreement
and consideration for which said bond and check were
given, except that the citizens of Davenport furnish
temporary quarters for the county officials until the new
court house is built, but in no case later than the first
day of August, 1897.
Subsequently the commissioners decided to
erect a court house at a cost of $10,000. March
1st a contract was let to Fred Baske to build
a county building at a cost of $12,119.90.
This handsome structure was completed in due
time as per contract. At Sprague, Monday,
July nth, the old court house, jail and lots
on which they were located were sold at public
auction. These buildings cost Lincoln county
over $10,000. The buildings were sold for
$300.
"The year of the bumper wheat crop,"
1897, marked the return of prosperous times.
Farmers and business men of Lincoln county
were cheerful. Mr. David Wilson, who for
many years past had been interested in the
town of Davenport and who always took a
prominent part in Lincoln county affairs, at
the close of the year 1897, wrote as follows
concerning the financial condition of the farm-
ers and the size of the year's crops :
"Careful estimates of this year's wheat
crop in Lincoln county place it at 6,500,000
bushels, which at prevailing prices, equals $4,-
500,000. Taken together with other cereals,
live stock, fruit, minerals, etc., the cash value
to the 1.500 farmers of Lincoln count}- will
be $6,000,000. or $4,000 apiece — a result un-
heard of heretofore in any county in the
United States. ***** The area
of Lincoln count}- is about 1.500,000 arn^, di
vided as follows: Grazing land (including
aboul 250,000 acre- of timber.) 700.000
acres: agricultural lands, about N00.000 acres.
Of the latter 350.000 are under cultivation,
there lining been seeded to wheat alone this
year (1897) approximately 250,000
which yielded an average of 29 bushels to the
acre, some of which sold as high as 78 cents
per bushel.- * * * * * The crop of
[897, in many instances, yielded a return that
would pay all expenses for raising, marketing
the same, pay the full market price for the
land, and leaves a handsome profit besides."
The result of this big crop was that nearly
all the mortgages in the county were paid off,
and there were many purchases of railroad and
other land. Almost every tillable quarter sec-
tion in the count}- was purchased or leased for
farming purposes the next year. Mr. Frank
M. Dallam, the present editor of the Palmer
Mountain Prospector, of Loomis, Okanogan
county, wrote as follows :
"The Lord was g 1 to the people of
Lincoln county in 1897, *****
Hard times had rattled at every door. Crops
were light, and even had they been enormous.
the market was dead and the prices did nol pay
the harvesting. A cloud was over the com-
munity; business was at a standstill; the
deadly mortgage was eating away the farm.
and lines of care and trouble were penciled
upon every face. At a time when the strain
was the greatest, and many had laid down
their burdens when faint and weary with de-
ferred hope, by surrendering their homes.
fortune lit up the gloom by a radiant smile
that brought joy and comfort and luxuries
to hundreds of households. The broad acres
laughed with the burden of golden grain and
an advance in prices lifted many into compar-
ative wealth ami set many more upon their
feet and gave encouragement and unusual
vigor to the husbandman. The touch of
fortune that made the farmer prosperous sent
new blood through the arteries of trade. The
step of man became more elastic, cheerfulness
took the place of former shadows, a feeling of
renewed life and hope animated every one. and
business felt the thrill or returning activity."
This encouraging access of prosperity
found its reflex in the daily movements of the
people. In December, [897, nearly every
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
eastbound train out of Lincoln county carried
from one to half a dozen citizens on their way
to former homes in the east to pass the winter
with relatives and friends. The majority of
these east-bound pilgrims were farmers who
had been rewarded by bounteous crops, had
paid off their indebtedness — mortgages and
other obligations — and still had left a generous
surplus. This was, by no means, the first year
favorable to the farmers throughout the
county, although the three previous seasons
had resulted in a combination of light crops
and low prices. On many of them this had
exercised a depressing effect. And while there
were many outgoing residents, on temporary
vacations bent, reports of the generous crops
of the Big Bend and the prosperity of Central
Washington reached the far east and the "mid-
dle west." The result was that hundreds of
new settlers flocked into Lincoln county in the
spring of 1898. They came from all parts of
the union ; they settled in all parts of the
county.
April 17, 1898, Companies B and E, of
the Sixteenth U. S. Infantry, who had been
stationed at Fort Spokane for two years, left
for the seat of war. Their point of embark-
ation was New Orleans. These troops were
under command of Major William H. Mc-
Laughlin, and other officers of the command
were Captains W. C. McFarland, G. H. Pal-
mer, and C. R. Tyler and Lieutenant E. C.
Carey. On their arrival in Davenport the
soldiers were given a cordial reception by the
citizens of the town. They departed over the
Central Washington, and were heartily
cheered at all the stations along the line. The
fort has never since been garrisoned.
During the summer of 1898 there was de-
cided in the superior court of Lincoln county a
causus celebre, known as the De Rackin case.
This was a suit brought by Samuel E. De
Rackin against the county for payment for
publishing the delinquent tax list of Lincoln
county. The case attracted attention through-
out the state and interested Lincoln county cit-
izens for several years. Mr. De Rackin was
for some time the publisher of the Sprague
Mail, and was awarded the delinquent tax list
for publication by the county treasurer. The
publisher carried out his part of the work sat-
isfactorily and presented a bill to the county
for $4,500. The commissioners refused to al-
low the bill and in lieu thereof, offered Mr. De
Rackin $140. Under protest this amount was
accepted by the publisher, and he immediately
brought suit against the county for the bal-
ance claimed. The lower court decided
against him, but he carried it to the superior
court and secured a reversal. At the second
trial, held before Judge William E. Richard-
son, he secured a verdict for $840.60, less the
$140 already paid. The last act in the case
took place Monday, August 29th, when a com-
promise was reached, the commissioners pay-
ing $700 rather than appeal the case. De
Rackin won, but others secured the money.
What was left after settlement of the at-
torney's fees was garnisheed by the Fidelity
National Bank.
The wheat crop of 1898 was equal to that
of the previous year. Prices ranged around
fifty cents a bushel. Owing to the scarcity of
freight cars there was some delay in moving
this mammoth crop.
The close of the year 1898 marked the re-
moval from Lincoln county of an old land-
mark — nothing less than a railroad. The Se-
attle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway, which
had created so much enthusiasm among the
citizens of the county at the time of its con-
struction, but which was operated only a short
time, was of no use to the company which
owned it and the rails were taken up and util-
ized in the extension of branches in Idaho.
The destroying hand of time has since erased
the embankments, and a few cuts through the
barren "scab land" are all that is left to indicate
that a railroad ever passed that way.
In the legislature of 1899 an effort was
A LINCOLN COUNTY WHEAT DEPOT
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
"3
made to create a new county from the western
part of Lincoln, and the eastern part of Doug-
las counties, with Wilbur as the county seat
of the new division. This project failed, and
it is still claimed that the failure is owing to
the abrogation by Davenport of its agreement
with Wilbur pending the last contest for the
county seat. There is, of course, a radical dif-
ference of opinion existing today upon this
question; and the situation may be briefly ex-
plained as follows : The citizens of Davenport
contend that the crux of the agreement be-
tween Davenport and Wilbur at the time of
the county seat contest in 1896, was, simply,
that Davenport should remain neutral when-
ever Wilbur should bring forward the county
division project. On the other hand the Wil-
bur people insist that the agreement bound
Davenport to do all in her power to assist in
the advancement of the division. And thus
the respective positions remain today. The di-
vision project was abandoned on discovering
that Douglas county did not have the required
population to leave 4.000 people in the county.
Tuesday, February 1. 1899, Lincoln
county was visited by the most sudden blizzard
in its history. For several days before the
storm broke in all its wintry fury the weather
had been so spring-like that the people had be-
gun to think that winter had actually retired
from the lap of Spring. Monday night a
couple of inches of snow fell, but Tuesday
morning was pleasant ; the wind having hauled
to the southeast. Gradually, during the fore-
noon, the light prevailing wind shifted to the
northeast. Suddenly, about noon, snow be-
gan falling, accompanied by a terrific gale.
For six hoursthe wind howled and the falling,
drifting snow was so dense that one could not
see across the street; the cold was intense.
Business in all the towns of the county was
practically suspended. By six o'clock the
snow ceased falling, but the heavy gale con-
tinued, and Wednesday morning, although
clear, was cold. Beginning with this blizzard
of the 1st inst., the county fell heir to a con-
tinuous spell of Arctic weather that surpassed
the memory of the pioneers of the county.
For several days the mercury did not rise
above zero, and from 10 to 22 degrees below
were common records. This atmospberic con-
dition continued until the 10th inst., an oc-
currence so unusual in this climate that it ex-
cited the wonderment of other states than this.
This season will be remembered as the "cold
winter," and as such is worthy of more than a
passing remark.
In April, 1899, Fort Spokone was officially
abandoned by the United States government.
Since the departure of Companies B and E, to
the Spanish War, the fort had been left in
charge of Sergeant B. Coughlin. With him
were Post Quartermaster Sergeant B. Bech-
told, Commissary Sergeant A. Smart, Hospital
Steward J. Sweeney and two privates. In the
spring of 1899 Sergeants Couglin, Bechtold
and Smart reported for duty at the new post
recently established at Spokane. Sergeant
Sweeney to Boise City, Idaho, and the two
privates to their regiments, at San Francisco.
The movable property at the fort was taken to
Fort Wright, at Spokane. Fort Spokane had
been a source of considerable income to the
people of northern Lincoln county, as much of
the produce consumed by the occupants of the
fort was drawn from the adjacent neighbor-
hood, and it was with regret that the people
witnessed its abandonment.
The epidemic of smallpox, in its mildest
form, which passed over the country in the
spring of 1899 touched Lincoln county. Sev-
eral sporadic cases were reported in June from
the southern and western portions of the
county. Stringent measures were at once
taken by the authorities. Fear of the disease
more than any grave results from it, created
consternation in certain quarters. Every
school and Sunday school was ordered closed
until further notice by the sheriff. The county
was scoured by officials enforcing quarantine
H4
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
regulations. Yaccine points were in demand,
and the "sore arm" became the rule ; its absence
the exception. There were many wila rumors
afloat; people shunned the more thickly pop-
ulated towns ; business suffered in consequence.
Places where a case of smallpox had never
been known suffered equally with those in
which the disease had appeared. Normal con-
ditions however, were soon restored, and the
panic became as a tale that is told.
But in the fall of the same year the people
were thrown into a condition of far greater ex-
citement on account of the mysterious disap-
pearance of Ruth Inman from the Watson
home, Parrott postoffice. Locally the event
created as great a sensation as the kidnaping
of young Edward Cudahy, in Omaha.
Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Inman resided at
Creston. Sunday afternoon, October 22d, ac-
companied by their children, they drove to the
home of Mr. Watson, a few miles south of
Creston. While there little Ruth played in
the yard with several other children, all older
than herself. When last seen by the older
members of the party, who were in the house,
Ruth was sitting in a buggy-; the last seen of
her by the other children she was going toward
the house, and to them it seemed she entered
the Watson residence. So far as known this
was the last seen of the little girl alive. When
Ruth was missed search was at once made, and
no traces being discovered, great alarm was
experienced and the neighborhood was sum-
moned. Throughout the night the search was
continued unweariedly. From far and near
people flocked to the scene. Time and again
each foot of ground was gone over with the
earnestness of agonized anxiety. There was
no sign of the lost infant.
November 8th, under the direction of
Sheriff Gardner, a systematic search was com-
menced. Detective Joe Warren, of Spokane,
was called upon and responded with his pro-
fessional services. Notices were printed and
distributed, inviting all who could possibly
abandon their business to join in the search.
One hundred men assembled at the Watson
farm house. Part of this force was mounted
and again the surrounding country was beaten
by footmen and horsemen. Nothing was left
unexamined ; wells, outhouses, ponds, badger
holes, indeed, every hiding place wherein so
small a body as little Ruth's might be hidden,
was carefully searched and minutely examined.
It was not a careless, perfunctory skimming of
the surface of the ground. Each member of
the part) r experienced a deep and intense in-
terest in the proceedings. They were actuated
by heartfelt sympathy for the stricken parents ;
anxious to clear up the weird mystery of her
taking off. It was in vain. Each succeeding
day's attempt proved as fruitless as that of
the first. Had she been translated Ruth Inman
could not have more completely dropped from
mortal ken. The people of the surrounding
country were not only mystified; they were
awed and astounded. It appeared certain that
had the child been killed and devoured by some
wild beast, at least a shred of her clothing
would have been found. Then belief became
strong that human agency was at the bottom
of the mystery. The most gruesome stories
were in circulation. Kidnaping was the fav-
orite theory. Another gypsies; another In-
dians. Along these lines a number of clues
were run down to end in a dead wall. A large
reward was offered for news of the little
wanderer.
A sensational incident of the search was
the part taken by Mrs. Layson, of Medical
Lake. She claimed to be a spiritual medium,
or clairvoyant, possessing the gift of second
sight. To Sheriff Gardner she made the
startling announcement that coyotes had eaten
the child, and that all that was left was a little
shoe with a foot in it. She declared, further-
more, that she could go to the spot and find the
shoe. This she would do if her expenses were
paid. Tuesday. November 14th, Mrs. Layson
visited the scene of the disappearance and after
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
spending a day going over the country ob-
served that it was a remarkably good location
for kidnapers to ply their trade.
Sunday, November 19th, the mystery of
the past month was cleared. The result re-
vealed the saddest case of infantile suffering
and death that had ever occurred in the
county. On that date Hugh Johnson and F.
M. Lynch were hunting cattle at a point some
five or six miles south of the Watson home.
They noticed what they at first supposed was
a cast off "jumper." But after riding on a short
distance the thought of the lost child came to
them and they decided to return and examine
the "rags" that had attracted their attention.
Upon close inspection they discovered that this
clothing was a child's dress. Without pausing
for further examination they rode in hot haste
to Wilbur from which place the parents of
little Ruth and the sheriff were notified.
Early the following morning Sheriff
Gardner, Deputy Sheriff Charles Gardner, De-
tective Joe Warren and Mr. Inman repaired
to the scene. What they found was horrible in
the extreme; shocking to men who had seen
death in all its forms. Only a small quantity
of the remains could be found after a long and
thorough search, and the tew fragments were
scattered over a large space. The skull, per-
fectly denuded of flesh, a few pieces of bone
and some entrails were secured. The two
outer garments worn by the child were almost
perfectly intact. The underclothing was torn
into small shreds. The shoes and stockings
could not be found. The locality where the
remains were discovered was the summit of a
high and rocky ridge about five and one-half
miles southeast of the Watson farm. It was
a mile beyond the zone encompassed by the
searching parties. The country between the
house from which the child had disappeared
and the place where the remains of the body
were found is very rough and broken. There
are small lakes, deep and rocky draws and
steep hills. It is almost beyond comprehension
how a child so young was able to walk so far,
for the trip is a severe tax on a strong man.
The back of the dress was mildewed as though
it had lain in one position several weeks. The
general opinion was that the child wandered
and tottered along until she fell from sheer ex-
haustion and died from exposure, for the night
she disappeared was very cold. It was the
opinion of the doctors that the child had met
death in this way, and had not been touched by
animals until after death.
In the spring of 1899 a dozen or more cit-
izens of Davenport interested in the project of
forming a fair association met at the store of
William Finney and perfected an organization.
Other meetings, were held and soliciting
committees appointed to receive subscriptions
for stock. Several hundred shares were sub-
scribed and a corporation was formed known
as the Lincoln County Fair Association. Land
was secured for grounds, a race track was
made, a well dug and the necessary buildings
erected. The association was incorporated, the .
capital stock being $10,000, by A. W. Turner,
I. Breslauer, William Finney, Frank M. Dal-
lam and John H. Bond. The initial exposi-
tion of the Lincoln County Fair Association
was held at the grounds Wednesday, Thurs-
day and Friday, October 19, 20 and 21. The
scope and value of these fairs increase from
year to year and interest is awakened by the
common desire of neighbors and neighbor-
hoods to excel in the special lines in which they
may be interested. Since organization the fair
has been held every season.
The population of Lincoln county, as given
by the United States census of 1909, was 1 1.
969. The same year the wheat yield of the
county was 6.750,000 bushels, or 750,000
more than ony other county in the state of
Washington ; almost half as much as the whole
state of Oregon. The cereal crop of 1901 was
one of the largest ever produced in the
county. Reports from the four points of the
compass indicated that the yield ran from 20 to
n6
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
35 bushels per acre. The acreage as well as
yield exceeded that of 1900.
During the fall of 1901 came a large num-
ber of eastern settlers to the southern pi .rtion
of Lincoln county. The light lands, which
before had been considered of small value, pro-
duced surprising crops during the preceding
year or two. This fact 'caused a rush to this
portion of the Big Bend. Lincoln and Douglas
counties, and the vast tract of land which had
been given over to grazing was rapidly taken
up in homesteads.
Sunday. April 27, 1902. Billy Gibbons,
one of the noted characters of Lincoln, was
fatally shot by Deputy Sheriff Nickell, of
Okanogan county. One week previous to the
killing a band of eight horses had been run out
of the country by Billy Gibbons, George Wild
and a third party unknown. Three of the
horses were disposed of near Almira, at which
place the trio were camped when discovered
by the pursuing officials.. Constable Phillips.
of Almira, in company with a party of ball
players, recognized Gibbons as they passed the
camp on their way out of town, Sunday morn-
ing. Phillips returned to Almira and notified
Nickell who had reached Almira considerably
ahead of the fugitives. Gibbons and Wild sep-
arated and each one came into town from dif-
ferent directions. Wild was observed entering
a livery stable and here he was rounded up,
arrested at the point of a gun. and handcuffed.
Presentlv Gibbons was seen to enter a saloon.
Nickell followed him in; two or three as-
sistant stood watch at the doors. The deputy
encountered Gibbons and ordered him to throw
up his hands, at the same time covering him
with a revolver. Instead of complying with
this order, Gibbons seized a man with whom
he had been talking, and held him between
himself and the officer, at the same time at-
tempting to back out of the door and reaching
for his own gun. Gaining it he shot at Nick-
ell, and missed, but the aim of the latter was
better; he sent a bullet through Gibbon-'
breast, which lodged in the muscles of the
back. This shot, doubtless, saved several lives,
for the subsequent fusillade by Gibbons was
not effective; he appeared dazed and never
seemed to raise his gun high enough. How-
ever, he succeeded in getting away temporar-
ilv, and partially out of the officer's range,
mounted his horse, rode to camp, exchanged
horses and galloped off. He was purused and
found eleven miles out lying on the ground ex-
hausted, having thrown his gun over the
fence. Gibbons was taken back and medical
aid summoned, but the first shot had been fatal
and at midnight. Monday, April 28th, he died.
The Gibbons family, George, Hugh, Har-
vey and Bill, were well known throughout the
county. Bill first ran afoul of the officers in
1893, and in 1894 was convicted of wheat
stealing and was sent to the Walla Walla
penitentiary for a term of years. He escaped
from jail at one time, but was subsequently
recaptured. In August, 1898, he and one Paul
had an encounter with Deputy Sheriff Mc-
Namara, near Harrington, Paul escaping after
an exchange of shots. Gibbons was taken but
afterwards released. At the time of his death
he was twenty-eight year old. The spirit of ad-
venture was strong within him. and "rustling"
horses and cattle was a business he followed,
perhaps as much for the danger and excite-
ment connected with such a life as from any
pecuniary advantage derived from it. He
was continually under the surveillance of the
officers and his death wound received in a
pistol battle with one of them was a logical
culmination of the wild career he had led.
In May, 1902. a census of Lincoln county
was taken by the assessor, and there was found
to be 15.474 inhabitants, an increase of 3.504
in two years.
Inly 12. 1902. the Lincoln County Pio-
neer's Association was organized at Crab
creek, at the conclusion of an informal picnic
of pioneers. The following officers were
elected: Jacob Smith. Sprague, president ; J. J.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
117
Brown, Edwall, vice president; W. L. Crowell,
Harrington, secretary; George E. Snell.
Sprague, treasurer. It was thrown open to
membership for all residents of Lincoln county
who had become such prior to 1890.
Monday, August 4. 1902, will be remem-
bered by the people of Lincoln county as a day
of important and unusual events. Sometime
previous elaborate arrangements had been
made for a conference between the farmers of
the Big Bend country and the presidents of
three great railway lines. We have said that
this was an unusual event, but the implication
extends no further than this section of the
country. For several years privious it had
been the practice of President J. J. Hill, of the
Great Northern Railway Company, to hold
"heart-to-heart talks" with the farmers and
stockmen of the states of the middle west;
these meetings assembling at various time--
and at various places. But to the residents of
the Big Bend this conference was an innova-
tion. It was unique, attractive, and the in-
terest excited was widespread.
Davenport had been selected as the place
at which to hold the conference between ship-
pears and the leading officials engaged in the
business of transportation. Invitations had
been extended to Presidents J. J. Hill, of the
Great Northern, C. S. Mellen, at that period
president of the Northern Pacific, and A. L.
Mohler, of the Oregon Railway & Navigation
Company. On the day named the following
distinguished gentleman connected with the
transportation industry arrived in Davenport.
Great Northern — President James J. Hill;
John F. Stevens, general manager; Louis Hill
assistant to J. J. Hill; F. S. Forest, superin-
tendent Spokane Falls & Northern Railway.
Northern Pacific — President C. S. Mellen;
Jules Hannaford, general traffic manager: W.
S. Gilbert, superintendent ; Thomas Cooper,
assistant to the president.
O. R. & N.— President A. L. Mohler, R.
B. Miller, general freight agent; B. Campbell,
assistant traffic director of the Harriman lines;
J. P. O'Brien, superintendent ; \V. \Y. Cotton,
general attorney.
At the Central Washington station these
gentlemen were met by a reception committee,
after which followed a general introduction.
The freedom of the city was tendered the
guests by Mayor G. K. Birge, which President
Hill affably acknowledged. The visiting of-
ficials who had arrived in their private car
were driven to the Auditorium in carriages at
10:30 o'clock, a. m. J. Grier Long, X. W.
Durham and R. H. Hutchinson represented
the Spokane chamber of commence. Among
other prominent visitors were Don Rvrie of
Spokane, E. J. Lake of Elk. George W. Seal
of Addy, Julius Siemens of Ritzville. Rev. W.
R. Cunningham of Ritzville, Stanley Hallett
of Medical Lake, D. W. Metcalf of Wilbur.
Howard Spiffing of Wilbur, C. G. Garrettson
of Harrington, H. C. Farrell, F. H. McKaj
and H. Morality of Spokane and a representa-
tive of the Spokane Chronicle. A delegation
from Reardan included the following: John
Raymer, Peter Fram, Clans Carstens. C.
Shannon, John Wickham, and W. B. Warren.
Farmers and stockmen from every part of
the Big Bend were present in large numbers.
Shortly after ten o'clock in the forenoon of
this gala day the crowd, constantly increasing
in size, began to gather at the Auditorium
wherein the conference was to be held, and
where the oratorical portion of the exercises
subsequently took place. Mr. James Odgers,
editor of the Davenport Tribune, presided and
introduced the speakers, of whom President
Hill was the first. He showed conclusively
that, while he was an acknowledged genius in
railway building and railway management, he
was more than this, a man fully conversant
with the various branches of diversified farm-
ing. President Hill was followed by Presi-
dent Mellen. The latter sprung something in
the nature of a surprise. He announced the
contemplated construction of what is known as
n8
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
the "Adrian Cut-off," a line of road since built
between Coulee City, the terminus of the
Central Washington Railway, and the town
of Adrian, on the Great Northern Railway,
about twenty miles in length. President Mel-
len said that the road would cost $350,000,
and that it was a gift, as the country through
which it would pass was barren and unprofit-
able, all of which is doubtless true. But he
said that this matrimonial alliance between the
Northern Pacific and Great Northern systems
would place Davenport and other towns along
the Central Washington Railway on a through
line to the coast, thus saving the haul to
Spokane and doubling back on the main lines,
west. This announcement was greeted with
cheers and other exhibitions of marked en-
thusiasm. President Mohler made a few re-
marks mainly in a humorous vein.
Following the speaking at the Auditorium
the entire assemblage repaired to the Armory
Hall. Here a banquet had been prepared to
which, in the language of the average convent-
ional newspaper, "all did ample justice."
President Hill mingled with the crowd and
touched elbows with everybody in a most
friendly spirit. In the afternoon the differ-
ent delegations met with the railroad presi-
dents in the lodge room over the Auditorium.
Here all the grievances were presented, dis-
cussed, and measures of relief promised. Mr.
T. M. Cooper presided at this meeting. Charles
Bethel. John F. Green. J. W. Fry, T. C. Lakin,
W. P. Nichols, W. H. Childs and Mr. French
presented the side of the farmers and business
men in as favorable and forcible a style as pos-
sible. They placed the cost of raising a bushel
of wheat at from 35 to 42 cents. Mr. Hill oc-
cupied the floor about half the time replying to
questions and explaining why certain rates
were maintained. The discussion was con-
ducted along the most amicable lines. There
was an absence of any bitter criticism of the
railroads, some of the farmers going so far as
to say that they had no particular criticism to
make. President* Hill, however, made no
definite promises, further than to say that af-
ter confering with the farmers in other sec-
tions, the presidents would consider the ques-
tion as to how great a reduction in freight
rates they could make. At 4 o'clock, p. m.,
the conference adjourned, and the presidents
and other visitors immediately went to the
depot and returned to Spokane the same
evening.
Shortly after this visit a reduction of ten
per cent was made on grain rates from eastern
Washington to Puget Sound, and also to east-
ern markets.
It was in Lincoln county that the great
man-hunt after the desperado, Harry Tracy,
came to a tragical close. This is not the place
to rehearse the history of his original crime,
or to feed the morbid appetite of youth with the
story of this outlaw's miserable and worthless
life. It is sufficient to say that he, in company
with one Merrill, escaped from the penitentiary
in Oregon, overpowered and killed the guard
and fled north and eastward. Having after-
ward murdered Merrill in cold blood Tracy
continued on his way east, crossed the Cas-
cades and entered the Big Bend country via
Moses Coulee. Until he reached the Eddy
farm, near Creston, Lincoln county, he suc-
cessfully evaded pursuit, although closely
harried by Sheriff Cudihee, who was hot on
his trail. Shortly after Tracy's escape, and
while he was committing his first desperate
deeds of blood, the Lincoln County Times con-
tained the following editorial. Subsequent
events proved the Times to have been right,
yet at the time it was written the editor of
the journal had not the faintest idea tha,t the
concluding act of the tragedy was to be played
on Lincoln county soil. He said :
"The Oregon convicts who have escaped
over the Washington line are, evidently, im-
pressed with the terror their names inspire.
Upon entering some farm house they an-
nounce their names and then proceed to issue
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
119
orders as though obedience would immediately
follow as a consequence. They are liable to go
up 'against the real thing' somewhere in their
travels, however."
The following concise account of the final
scenes in the life of this miserable criminal and
degenerate, Tracy, is taken from the columns
of the Davenport Tribune, and is uncolored
by prejudice:
"Two months, lacking three days, from the
time Harry Tracy killed the guards and es-
caped from the Oregon penitentiary, his re-
mains were brought to Davenport, he having
sent a revolver bullet through his brain, shoot-
ing himself in the right eye. From the day he
left the timber and took his chances in an open
country, it was only a matter of time when he
would be captured or killed.
"To George Goldfinch more than any other
person belongs the credit of hastening the end.
George Goldfinch is a young man about 19
years of age. He met Tracy near Lou Eddy's
place on Lake creek, fifteen miles southwest of
Davenport, Sunday afternoon, August 3,
1902. He came upon a man in camp on the
high divide, who invited him to take tea with
him. The boy refused, having recently par-
taken of dinner. Tracy passed himself off as a
miner and insisted upon the boy eating, stand-
ing with a revolver and rifle in his hand. The
conversation started about the crops in gen-
eral, then to the Jeffries-Fitzsimmons fight,
and finally drifted to Tracy. He asked where
Tracy was. and Goldfinch replied that it was re-
ported he was near Wilbur. Then the man re-
plied, "I am Tracy." He then demanded of
the boy to guide him to Lou Eddy's place and
coiled up a rope that had been dragging, say-
ing it was a bad sign, and accompanied him
four miles to Eddy's place and went to the
house.
"During the trip he said if the road was
obstructed by a clump of bushes or high rock,
to have Goldfinch drop behind him. as he did
not desire that he should be the one killed
should there be a posse ahead of him. When
they arrived at the house he informed Lou and
Gene Eddy who he was, and as Lou had his
team hitched up, going to Ben Hurley's, he
made Lou put his team back in the barn, and
all three go into the field and cut hay for
Tracy's horses. At the house he got Lou to
fix a holster for his revolver, sharpen his razor,
knife, and mend his cartridge belt, as the loops
were too large for the cartridges. After-
ward Tracy took a bath, shaved and ate sup-
per. He let Goldfinch depart, threatening that
if he informed as to his whereabouts he would
find the two Eddys stiff in the morning, at the
same time saying he might leave that evening
and take Lou with him. Goldfinch left for
Blenz's ranch where he was employed, and told
Blenz that evening, asking his advice as to
what course to pursue, but received no satis-
factory answer. Goldfinch, having left a let-
ter at Eddy's, returned Monday and was sa-
luted with a "hello" from Tracy, who asked
where the sheriffs were, and was answered
that he didn't know. Tracy at the time was at
work helping the Eddy boys to put on a track
to the barn door. He had no rifle and simply
had his revolver upon his person.
"Goldfinch returned home, went to Cres-
ton and called up Sheriff Gardner, asking the
operator not to make it public. A posse was
immediately formed at Creston, and Tuesday
evening, about six o'clock, Tracy was discov-
ered in a wheat field on the Eddy place and a
number of shots were exchanged. Marshal
O'Farrell met Goldfinch at Fellows, by agree-
ment, and together they went to Eddy's, where
they took up a position within forty yards of
the house, in a gulch, the only escape in that
direction. The Creston posse had the ad-
vantage in position, having Tracy at a disad-
vantage. Guard was kept during the entire
night and at the first dawn of morning all
closed in, and the corpse of Tracy was found
in the wheat field under the bluff, with the
right leg broken and a bullet through the
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
brain — the latter having been fired by his own
hand. Tracy had remarked at Eddy's that he
didn't mind being killed, if he was killed out-
right, and not burned at the stake, as he
dreaded. When found the revolver was
grasped in his right hand with his finger still
on the trigger which sent the bullet upon its
deadly mission, only one cartridge having been
fired from the revolver.
"The remains of Tracy, and his camp
accoutrements were brought to Davenport and
taken to the undertaking parlors of O. W.
Stone. Within a few minutes every man, wo-
man and child seemed to be drawn toward
Harker street. Coroner R. P. Moore impan-
eled a jury and examined the remains before
them. It was found that he had been shot
twice in the right leg, one bullet striking him
in the hip and ranging downward ; the other
bullet broke the leg above the ankle. The
missile which did the deadly work entered the
right eye, ranging upward, and coming out
near the crown. Coroner Moore called the
following jury who viewed the remains of the
dead convict, Tracy : P. W. Dillon, A. J.
Grant, G. K. Birge, William Newton, L. A.
Davies, and E. E. Lucas. George Goldfinch
was the first witness. Doctors Whitney,
Moore and Lanter corroborated each other as
to the manner by which Tracy died — from a
self-inflicted wound from a 45-Colt's revolver,
the ball entering the right eye and coming out
at the back of the head. Dr. Lanter then stated
bow young Goldfinch came to Creston and sent
word to Sheriff Gardner. A posse of five was
organized by Constable Straub, of Creston,
and they arrived at the house of Lou Eddy
about 4 o'clock that evening. They ap-
proached the house from the west side and
saw a man answering in dress and descrip-
tion to Tracy, coming out of a blacksmith shop.
Dr. Lanter had thought that they had better
take a shot, but Smith advised caution. They
were advancing with drawn guns when Tracy
•discovered them. He then dodeed behind a
horse and went toward the barn and when
within twelve feet he made a jump and landed
inside, secured his gun, came out of the barn
another way and, shielding himself behind two .
hay stacks, struck out for a large rock in the
barley field adjoining wdiere he opened fire,
which was promptly returned.
"Tracy made a good target, as every time
he rose to shoot he showed his white shirt.
After the exchange of eight shots he shifted
his position and crawled into the barley. The
posse kept shooting whenever they saw any
movement. No shots were returned, and in
the course of three-quarters of an hour a muf-
fled shot was heard in the field and that was
supposed to be the fatal one with which Tracy
took his life. Dr. Lanter and Smith fired two
shots, and then lay down to await events. This
was at 4 :30 o'clock in the evening.
"Tracy was found lying almost on his face,
his left hand holding his Winchester rifle, his
revolver in his -right, pointing to his forehead.
He had, before taking his life, dragged him-
self a distance of forty yards, indicating that
his leg had been broken behind the rock. Con-
stable Straub talked with Eddy who was mow-
ing hay, before Lanter and Smith came upon
Tracy at the house. At first Eddy denied that
he had such a person around, but admitted that
there was a visitor. Straub corroborated
Lanter as to the shooting. Sheriff Gardner ex-
hibited the Colt's revolver, and said he fired
one shot. The balance of the evidence was in
the same strain, and the jury found a verdict
that the deceased man was Harry Tracy, and
that he had come to his death from a gunshot
wound inflicted by his own hand."
Such is the repulsive story as told by a lo-
cal journal of good repute. There have been
bickerings and recriminations by the score con-
cerning the exact details of this tragedy in the
Eddy barley field ; it would be impossible for
the most careful historian to separate fact from
fiction ; to assert that he, the writer, could pose
as an impartial arbiter of questions innumer-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
able, questions still debatable at the time of
the present writing. But as reported by the
local papers of the immediate community in
which these scenes occurred we give the story to
our readers without malice and with charity
for all. During, or soon after the fight, the in-
terchange of shots between the Creston posse
and the hunted desperado, Sheriff Gardner ar-
rived on the scene. It is his testimony before
the coroner's jury that he fired once into the
field. He then sent to Davenport for rein-
forcements to guard the field until morning.
Throughout that night armed men gathered
around the battleground anxious to be "in at
the death," still unconscious that the cold hand
of death had already been laid upon Outlaw
Tracy.
It was on Wednesday morning that the re-
mains of Tracy were brought to Davenport
and taken to the office of an undertaker.
Throughout the clay crowds lingered in the
vicinity anxious to obtain a view of the dead
bandit. It was a gruesome spectacle, as he lay
on the floor in his blood-stained clothes, the
top of his head gaping open from the self-
inflicted gun-wound. He was awaiting identi-
fication by Oregon authorities who were ex-
pected in on every train. Stories grow with
repetition and travel. This is particularly
true of the many wild statements regarding al-
leged "Tracy relic hunters." In papers out-
side the state of Washington it has been pub-
lished that the remains were denuded of the
clothes ; that the hair was cut away. This was
a gross exaggeration. Relic hunters did pick
up a few buttons and other trinkets, but they
did not cut any clothes off. and the dead man's
hair was untouched. While the body lay in the
undertaker's parlors the Lincoln County Times
said :
The sensational events of the life of the
outlaw during the few days he passed at the
ranch of Lou and Gene Eddy were told to the
writer by Lou Eddy. The many reports pub-
lished about the incidents of these few days o in-
flict with each other and, in many accounts, with
the truth. The following account of the tragedy
and the events leading up to it is written from
notes furnished the writer by Mr. Eddy, and
describes the tragedy as witnessed by the man
who had more opportunity to study the char-
acter of the outlaw than any other person he
encountered in the course of his famous break
for liberty, and who was an eye witness of all
the events that transpired on his ranch.
The Eddy ranch is located in a rough and
rocky scope of country, devoted almost entire-
ly to stock grazing. Surrounding the house
and barn of the Eddy boys on nearly all sides
rise walls of rock, of similar formation of those
of the Coulee walls, but of lesser proportions.
The entire aspect is wild in the extreme. To
this place on the afternoon of Sunday, August
3. m)dj, at about 3 130 p. m., Harry Tracy, the
outlaw, accompanied by George Goldfinch,
came. Tracy had met young Goldfinch at a
point about five miles west, and they had jour-
neyed together to the Eddy ranch. He had re-
vealed his identity to Goldfinch, and just before
arriving at the ranch he said he guessed he
might as well tell the Eddys who he was.
Tracy was armed with his 30-30 Winchester
rifle and his .45 Colt's revolver, and had with
him two saddle horses.
Tracy and Goldfinch came direct to the
barn, where they found Lou Eddy. To the latter
the outlaw told who he was. He stated that he
understood that he was a stock raiser and de-
sired to procure two saddle horses to replace
the ones he had. having ridden his all the way
from Wenatchee making their hacks sore. Mr.
Eddy examined the horses and finding some
shoes loose he put these in condition. The out-
law said he would rest awhile and pull out that
evening. George Goldfinch expressed his in-
tention of leaving, hut to this, at first, Tracy
strenuously objected. His intentions were to
remain here a few days to recuperate although
he had not yet made this kn< >w n. ami he did not
wish Goldfinch to leave for fear of his giving
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
information of the bandit's whereabouts. He
told Air. Eddy that he had no money but would
work for his board during- his proposed stay
with him. The Eddys were building a barn and
inquired of Tracy if he could do carpenter
work. He said he was not a carpenter but
guessed he could make himself useful. Ac-
cordingly the following morning the notor-
ious outlaw set to work carrying boards and
nailing them on the roof. He worked all day
Monday and nearly all of Tuesday, and Mr.
Eddy says he was a first-class workman. During
these two days Air. Eddy had an excellent op-
portunity for studying the character of the man
who had forced his presence upon him. Tracy
spoke freely of his past life and. as Air. Eddy
expressed it. "he could talk an arm off a man."
He was a sociable and agreeable talker. He
stated that the newspaper reports of his killings
were exaggerated ; that he had not killed nearly
so many people as reported. He, evidently, had
no use for bankers nor money loaners. He
spoke intelligently of the issues of the day. At
night he slept in the open air, as was the custom
of the Eddy boys during the hot weather. His
sleeping place was about six feet from where
Gene Eddy slept.
Tracy was ever on the alert and continually
kept a lookout for possible posses. While at
work on the roof of the barn he would never
allow either of the other workmen to get behind
him. When it was necessary for one to pass
behind him Tracy would always turn and face
him. saying something commonplace, as though
the turning was done simply to speak and not
because of suspicion. The Eddy boys on sev-
eral occasions talked over the advisability of
attempting to capture or kill Tracy. They de-
cided to take no chances and to undertake noth-
ing of the kind unless success was assured.
Goldfinch, believing that the outlaw had depart-
ed Sunday night, as he had stated that such
was his intention, came to the Eddy ranch
again Monday to learn if anything had hap-
pened. This was late in the evening-. Sus-
picion that the boy would inform against him
had been allayed in Tracy's mind, and again
Goldfinch was allowed to take his departure.
He returned to Adam Blenz's ranch, where he
was working, and early the next morning went
to Creston, and notified the Lincoln county au-
thorities. It was 5 :2^ o'clock Tuesday even-
ing, that any one at the Eddy ranch first saw
any of the members of the Creston posse. Lou
Eddy was mowing hay about one-half a mile
northwest of the house, when Messrs. Straub
and Lillingren drove up and inquired where
Tracy was. Mr. Eddy unhitched and came to
the barn. Tracy was in the yard when Eddy
came in about 6 o'clock. Suddenly Tracy, who
kept a constant lookout, uttered an exclamation
and demanded of Eddy :
"Who are those men with guns?"
He had espied the other three members of
the posse who, armed with rifles, had appeared
on a bluff only a short distance from the barn.
Tracy sprang behind the horses and ordered
Eddy to lead them to the barn. When within
a few feet of it Tracy made a jump and was
shielded from his pursuers by the building. He
ran along the side of the barn and, entering, se-
cured his rifle. Then in a stooping position he
made a run for the large rock in the barley field,
about 200 yards northeast of the barn. He was
not seen by the posse until just before he reached
the rock and only one shot was fired before he
gained it. It was behind this rock that Tracy
brought all his cunning into play. He would
run from one corner of the rock to the other,
putting up his cap as a mark, but never in range
when his head was in it. Both sides opened
fire. Air. Eddy says the posse fired eight times,
Tracy five and Sheriff Gardner once. After
several shots had been exchanged Tracy was
seen to either jump, or fall, from the rock into
the barley field. It was then that Gardner put
in an appearance and fired a shot into the field.
Within one minute another shot was heard just
before sundown — evidently Tracy killing him-
self — and then all was still. The body of Tracy
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
123
was found at daybreak the next morning. It
was immediately taken to Davenport.
"A bitter fight is on between the Creston
posse and Sheriff Gardner — a legacy of the
bandit, Tracy, who was killed on the Eddy
farm a week ago. The Creston posse stoutly
maintain that no officer was near at hand when
the fight with Tracy occurred, that Marshal
O'Farrell, of Davenport, did not arrive on the
ground until an hour later, and that Sheriff
Gardner and his son, Charles, were two hours
behind the fight. On the contrary the marshal
and sheriff claim that they were in at the
windup. The following morning Sheriff
Gardner took charge of Tracy's remains and
brought them to the undertaker's rooms at
Davenport. The coroner, Dr. Moore, then
took possession of the dead man, held an in-
quest and appointed members of the Creston
posse to escort the remains to Salem, Oregon,
and secure the reward. Sheriff Gardner
declared that the coroner had no authority
to do anything of the kind, and announced
that he, himself, would take the remains to
Oregon the next morning. He was sup-
ported in the position he took by Prose-
cuting Attorney Caton. The Creston men
were greatly incensed over the sheriff's action,
and the most serious trouble was feared,
as they, the Creston men, were armed, and
stated that they would resist the sheriff's at-
tempts to take the body at any cost. It was at
this stage of the proceedings that Sheriff
Gardner acceded to their demands, and an-
nounced that he would allow them to go to
Oregon with the body.
"Arriving at Salem, the Creston men were
refused the reward, the governor informing
them that a message had been received from the
sheriff of Lincoln county requesting him to pay
no rewards until all claims were presented and
considered. No settlement has yet been made.
Sheriff Gardner claims that be is entitled to a
share of the reward. It is understood that a
conference will be held between the different
claimants this week, and that an effort will he
made to reach some agreement. Meanwhile
the Creston people are thoroughly wrought up
over the affair and sentiment throughout the
county appears to be strongly in their favor."
The last scene in the Tracy drama was en-
acted in the courts of Lincoln county in June.
1903. It concerned the $2,500 reward offered
by the state of Washington for the capture of
Tracy. The contest was between the Creston
part) — Dr. Lanter, C. A. Straub, Maurice
Smith, J. J. Morrison and Frank Lilliangreen
— who attacked and captured Tracy. At first
there were a number of other claimants in com-
pany with young Goldfinch, including Sheriff
Gardner, but later they all withdrew their
claims. On motion of plaintiff's attorney the
jury was instructed to bring in a verdict for the
members of the Creston posse. Young Gold-
finch, unfortunately allied himself against the
men who participated in the capture, and in the
legal contest was beaten. Sentiment, however,
was strongly in the boy's favor, and the public
would have been pleased to have seen him
share in the reward. There is one point in this
matter that, so far, has been overlooked by the
"public." It is evident to the candid reader
that Goldfinch was betrayed from the start. He
telegraphed Sheriff Gardner concerning the
whereabouts of Tracy. He did more, he re-
quested the operator to keep his secret. It was
the duty of the operator to do this. But a man
named J. J. Morrison, who was in the office at
the time, spread the news. He communicated it
to the Creston people. The posse hastily or-
ganized by Constable Straub, and, unknown
to Goldfinch, marched on the doomed outlaw.
Goldfinch had, also, made an appointment with
Marshal O'Farrell, an appointment which he
kept to the letter. All of Goldfinch's informa-
tion so far had been turned into the proper
official channels. No wonder he felt chagrined
to find how sadly his plans bad miscarried. Cer-
tainly Goldfinch has a grievance.
The ^'ashington Tracy reward, $2,500. was
124
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
paid over to the Creston men in December,
1903, thus .ending a long controversy. The
Oregon reward, $1,500 had been previously
paid.
Undoubtedly Tracy was insane. His ex-
ploits throughout Lincoln county as well as in
other parts of the state indicate a condition of
violent dementia. His reckless dalliance at a
ranch in a country alive with armed men look-
ing for him, and permitting strange people to
go and come was, certainly, taking such des-
perate chances as no man in his right mind
would have taken under the circumstances. By
this utter neglect of ordinary precaution his
pursuers were frequently thrown off tJie scent.
From the time of his escape from the Oregon
penitentiary Tracy's actions were devoid of
rationality. He failed to take advantage of the
most favorable opportunities to get out of the
country. He, at timse, exhibited cunning, and
appeared resourceful, with wit enough to es-
cape out of the state on a freight train. Or he
might have continued among the mountains,
gradually working his way to some place jf
comparative safety. But to undertake to 1 i • i e
through an open country, accompanied by a
pack horse of strikingly peculiar markings, ore-
claiming his name at every house in a bombastic
manner, was to court pursuit and certain cap-
ture or death.
Friday, December 19, 1902, an awful double
murder was committed four miles southeast of
Almira. Air. and Mrs. J. A. Lewis, residing on
their ranch, were brutally murdered by a party,
or parties, who. at the present writing have
never been apprehended. To this day the hor-
rible deed is shrouded in mystery. Judge and
Mrs. Lewis were an aged couple, well known in
Lincoln county where they had resided for
many years. They were well-to-do, so fir as
this world's goods are concerned, but robbery
does not, conclusively, appear to have been I he
object of this terrible deed. Judge Lewis was
found in the house, lying on the floor, face
downward. The bodv of Mrs. Lewis was dis-
covered out in the corral, a quarter of a mile
distant, a shapeless heap covered with stiaw.
A tenant of Judge Lewis discovered the ocad
bodies Sunday morning, December 21st. The
day before. Saturday, the tenant had been to the
place in search of some stock, but did not enter
the house and did not notice the body of Mrs.
Lewis which, as stated, had been covered with
loose straw and refuse.
Tuesday morning the county commissioners
met and offered a reward of $500 for the cap-
ture of the murder, or murderers, of J. A.
Lewis, and an additional reward of $500 for
the slayers of Mrs. Lewis. At that time it was,
singularly enough, assumed by the commission-
ers that the old couple had been killed by differ-
ent parties. However. Commissioner Thomp-
son, who visited the premises and saw the bod-
ies, arrived at the conclusion that both victims
had been slain with an old, dull axe which had
been found lying by the side of Judge Lewis,
but which previously had always been kept out
at the corral wherein was discovered the ghast-
ly remains of Mrs. Lewis. It was his opinion
that she was the first victim. Evidently she
had made strenuous resistence. Her hands and
arms were horribly cut and mangled, showing
the desperation of the poor old lady's fight for
life. There was not so much evidence of a
prolonged struggle on the part of Judge Lewis ;
the top and back part of his head had been
beaten in ; the wounds had been inflicted, ap-
parently, after he fell. The object of this brutal
crime may, possibly, have been robbery as it
might, also, have been revenge. The safe was
open and the money gone. Judge Lewis sel-
dom kept less than $500 in the safe, and at times
as much as two or three thousand dollars. He
frequently loaned money, dealing mainly with
those whose financial stress impelled them to
pay a high rate of interest, and were unable to
secure funds elsewhere. It is for this that the
theory of revenge rises superior to that of rob-
bery as an incentive. It was suggested at the
time of the tragedv that had robbery onlv been
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
125
planned different weapons would, likely, have
been used. Over this ghastly crime intense feel
ing was engendered throughout the entire Big
Bend country. It was peculiarly cruel and cold-
blooded. It is said, with every evidence of
truth, that if the guilty party could have been
located at the time, vengeance would have
quickly followed in the form of lynching'. This.
however, was denied by those who possessed
greater faith in the law-abiding citizens of the
county.
"Judge" Lewis (he had been a justice of
the peace), was a man about 76 years old, and
his wife nearly the same age, had been pioneers
of Lincoln county. They lived within them-
selves, expended little for clothing or anything
else, and had succeeded in accumulating prop-
erty to a considerable amount ; the} - were known
to be in independent circumstances. Judge
Lewis distrusted banks. He never deposited
money in them, but kept his surplus funds in a
safe in the house. At the time the crime was
committed the safe was unlocked. This fact
indicated that business of some nature was then
being transacted. In addition to the county
rewards Dr. L. Lewis, of Wilbur, offered re-
wards of $250 in each case for the capture of
the perpetrators of the crime. At the present
writing no apprehensions have been made and
the affair remains a mystery.
But Lincoln county had not yet supped full
of horrors. Closely following the Tracy trag-
edy and the murder of the Lewis family, came
the Thennes killing at the little town of Govan,
between Wilbur and Almira. Friday evening.
April 3, 1903, a masked man entered a saloon
in Govan, shot and almost instantly killed C.
F. Thennes, the only witness to the tragedy
being one Kleeb, the bartender. The latter
failed to recognize the assassin. The murderer
came through the door, revolver in hand, walked
up to Thennes, and with the declaration, "Now
I have got you," began firing. The two men
grappled and no other word was spoken on
either side. Six shots were fired, three of which
took effect. Kleeb, the bartender, lost no time
in getting out of the way, when the bullets be-
gan to fly, but saw the assailant disappear out
of the same door through which he had entered,
after he had emptied his revolver. Thennes
was still on his feet, and with the assistance of
Kleeb reached the doorsteps of the hotel before
he fell prostrate and expired. He never spoke
after being shot except to ask for a doctor.
Thennes formerly lived in Davenport and
Reardan, and was not known to have any en-
emies. The motive for this crime was not rob-
bery, whatever else it may have been. The
most plausible supposition was that the assassin
of Thennes was also connected with the mur-
der of Judge and Mrs. Lewis, the latter affair
having been shrouded in mystery, and that
Thennes was in possession of incriminating
evidence likely to lead to the arrest of the
guilty party, or parties. It was reported that
Thennes had said when intoxicated that he
could lay his hands on the Lewis murderers.
For this crime one Cyrus Victor was ar-
rested, tried and found guilty in the fall of 1903.
Nothing in the evidence, however, connected
him with the Lewis murders. In March, 1904,
Victor was granted a new trial. At this writ-
ing this is still pending.
An event in the history of Lincoln county
was the good roads convention held at Daven-
port, Friday and Saturday, June 19 and jo.
1903. From every part of the county repre-
sentatives were present, and the attendance was
flattering. Much general information concern-
ing this important exploitation was dissemin-
ated. The members of the convention assem-
bled in the court room where they were called
to order by 11. J. Maskentine. H. J. Hinckley.
of Edwall, was chosen temporary chairman and
Lee Warren temporary secretary. X. T. Caton,
Davenport. Commissioner Thompson, of Al-
mira, Ex-Commissioner Crisp, of Harrington,
Richard Riffe, of Mondovi and J. 11. Nicholls,
of Davenport, were appointed a committee on
permanent organization. Saturday the follow-
126
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
ing permanent organization was perfected : H.
M. Thompson, president ; J. H. Nicholls, vice-
president ; T. C. Lakin, secretary; John F.
Green, treasurer; Henry Jenson, of Sprague,
W. \Y. Finney, of Odessa, Michael Koontz, of
Sprague, Peter Leipham, of Davenport, and
Frank Hardin, of Larene, executive committee.
Addresses were made by Prof. O. L. Waller,
of the State Agricultural College, at Pullman,
and Mr. Thompson, City Engineer of Spokane.
In October. 1903, articles of incorporation
were filed by the Lincoln county Historical As-
sociation, which held a meeting- at Harrington.
The organization of the association was com-
pleted with the following officers : President,
N. T. Caton ; vice-president, George M. Witt,
Harrington; secretary, W. L. Crowell, Har-
rington ; treasurer, G. E. Smith, Crab Creek ;
historian, T. C. Lakin, Harrington ; trustees,
John F. Green, S. C. Kinch, Aaron Miller,
Jacob Smith, T. C. Lakin.
A second "good roads convention" was held
at Davenport Wednesday and Thursday, Feb-
ruary 10 and 11, 1904, and although the
attendance was small considerable interest was
manifested and much good was accomplished.
CHAPTER IV.
CITIES AND TOWNS.
Traversed by three railways, two of them
the main lines of great transcontinental systems,
Lincoln county is, as would necessarily be the
natural result, well supplied with thrifty, sub-
stantial cities, towns and villages. They lie
along the Columbia river, the Central Wash-
ington, Great Northern and Northern Pacific
railways, and between these four great arteries
of transportation are numerous smaller villages
and settlements supplying, in a business way,
the immediate necessities of their adjacent
farming communities. In 1903, according to
the report of the Washington State Bureau of
Statistics, there were in the county 129 school
districts and eleven towns maintaining graded
schools. At this period the number has been
increased as will be seen from the chapter de-
voted to the educational interests of Lincoln
county. Of the more prominent towns the lead-
ing one is the capital of the county.
DAVENPORT.
It is situated in the center of a wide scope of
gently rolling prairie, and it may truthfully be
said that the land surrounding it is not excelled
in point of fertility by that of any other agri-
cultural district in the United States. The lo-
cation of Davenport is a natural point of gravi-
tation from this rich section of Washington's
territory. The selection of this site would seem
simply dictated by good, common sense and
business sagacity ; it is an ideal, eligible location.
The splendid springs adjacent to the city would,
in themselves, prove strong inducements to one
seeking a townsite, but aside from these there
are many other points equally persuasive.
Davenport lies in a circular valley of level
but not low or swampy land. From the rim of
this valley rise the undulating lands that sur-
round it, by easy, almost imperceptible, ascent.
On one side of this attractive vale low hills rise
more abruptly than do those adjoining them;
natural barriers against occasional winds that
sweep over the prairies. The surrounding coun-
try is a succession of rounded knolls, the sides
of which recede in graceful curves ; the utility
of which is excellent drainage. The elevation
of the city proper is 2,470 feet, one of the high-
est points in Lincoln county. In the spring of
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
127
1902 the population of this city was 1,393, a
gain of 393 since the government census of
1900; the present population is given by the
state bureau of statistics as 1,729.
The history of the town of Davenport dates
from the year 1880. Early in that year a man
by the name of Harker took up his abode at the
head of Cottonwood creek, on the present town-
site, and surrounded by no familiar neighbors,
other than the rather unsocial coyote, solitary
and alone he began the life of an honest gran-
ger. Where now stands the thrifty, enterpris-
ing town of Davenport he was the sole inhabi-
tant ; his the homestead from which was carved
the townsite. But Mr. Harker soon disposed of
of his slender equity in the land. The large
spring near the center of the town was, at that
period, surrounded by a grove of cottonwood
trees. For several years the postoffice estab-
lished in its vicinity was known as Cottonwood
postoffice.
While Mr. Harker was the sole person re-
siding where is now Davenport, there were a
few settlers at a distance. "Harker's place"
was located on the road leading through the Big
Bend country, and there was more or less travel
continually. Those were the days of the earlier
immigrants and homeseekers in this portion of
eastern Washington. Mr. Harker was the pre-
siding official of Cottonwood Postoffice. He
might also, have been termed the pioneer busi-
ness man of the town, although he did not
carry in stock a very complete line of goods. A
few articles of general merchandise he had,
however, and these he disposed of at fairly re-
munerative prices to travelers and incoming
settlers. But it was destined that Mr. Harker
should not long remain monarch of all he sur-
veyed. According to Mr. H. H. McMillan,
to whom we are indebted for much of the in-
formation concerning- earlier Davenport, t lie
original business house was established in July,
1881. John H. Nicholls turned the first sod
and laid the foundation of the first building in
Davenport, a combination structure to be util-
ized as store, dwelling, postoffice and hotel.
At this period Davenport was known as
"Cottonwood Creek." lint with equal proprie-
ty the town might have been aptly named
"Nichollsville," for were not Mr. Nicholls and
his estimable wife for several years the life, the
inspiration, the good genii of the place? .Mr.
Nicholls' store was situated on "Harker street,"
and he hauled his goods from Cheney and Spo-
kane Falls, located on the main line of the
Northern Pacific railroad, then but recently
completed. Previous to this time provisions
and other freight had been hauled from Colfax
and Walla Walla. Mr. Nicholls was a sag-
acious, energetic business man, of fine social
qualities and strong character. He rapidly
grew prosperous but with the advent of the
Central Washington railroad he disposed of his
business interests in "Cottonwood Creek' to
Mr. William Finney.
The succeeding structures to follow the ini-
tial edifice were a feed stable and saloon, which
were, also, built by Mr. Nicholls. The latter
conducted the feed stable ; the saloon was under
the proprietorship of John Courtwright, who
subsequently became a leading Mondovi farmer.
These few business ventures rounded out prog-
ress and development of "Cottonwood Creek"
for the year 1881. The succeeding year of
1882 was accentuated by two events in the brief
history of the "Creek." One of these was the
arrival of Robert Cameron, who purchased
the saloon mentioned and at once christened it
"Bub's Place." The other event of the year
was of greater importance, being no less than
the organization, or rather, inauguration of a
rival city. Mr. Nicholls' town was located on
the lower ground where now stands the business
portion of Davenport. In [882 Mr. J. C. Dav-
enport came to the country and planned the
building of a rival town on the higher land to
the south, about midway between where the
Central Washington Railway station is located,
128
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
and the Nicholls store on Harker street. Mr.
Davenport and one or two associates erected
five buildings — an extensive store and ware-
house, a saloon, blacksmith shop and dwell-
ing. To this "opposition" village was given-
the name of Davenport in honor, of its founder
and leading spirit, but by the inhabitants of the
"lower town" it was called "Over the Hill."
This embryonic city, however bright its pros-
pects at its inception, was short-lived. It fell
a victim to the fire-fiend, two of the most
prominent buildings being destroyed. They
were not rebuilt. Richard Traul, owner and
proprietor of the saloon, quietly withdrew to
the "old town" of "Cottonwood Creek," where
he took possession of the Harker house and re-
habilitated it to such an extent that he was en-
abled to pursue his saloon business in tranquil
prosperity. But following in the wake of Mr.
Traul came the name, "Davenport," and the
waif from the rival city was captured and it
immediately replaced that of "Cottonwood
Creek." By one stroke of misfortune Daven-
port lost not only its entity but its cognomen.
The year 1883 brought to Davenport — the
new Davenport — A. Melzer, who at once erect-
ed and became proprietor of the Cottonwood
brewer}'. The pioneer lawyer of Davenport,
J. C. Small, located the same year in a build-
ing erected by him. In company with many other
pioneer professional men, Mr. Small sagacious-
ly conducted the development of his homestead
in addition to looking after the legal interests
of the community. Subsequently he formed a
law partnership with C. H. Pryor, at that pe-
riod superintendent of public instruction of
Lincoln count)-, but this association was soon
terminated by the death of Mr. Pryor. About
the same time James Rogers built a hotel which
he successfully conducted for over two years.
At this period there were many favorable in-
centives to the growth of Davenport, including
the creation and organization of Lincoln coun-
ty in 1883-4, and the temporary location here
of the countv seat. A building; to be used for
court house purposes was erected and rented
to the new county officials. In this enterprise
a prominent part was performed by Mr. Ber-
nard Fitzpatrick. To the little village of Dav-
enport the year 1884 added such staunch men-
as Henry Keedy, Colin Campbell, J. W. John-
son, Deen & Green, a general merchandise firm
and a number of others. In the fall of 1884
occurred the most important and exciting" event
in the history of Davenport — the great and
memorable county seat contest — in the course
of which all the county records were removed
to Sprague, in the extreme southern portion of
the county. The interesting and rather spec-
tacular details of this sensational event will be
found in full in the first chapter of this History
of Lincoln County.
June 12, 1884, the first issue of the Lincoln
Leader made its appearance. From a perusal
of the initial production of this journalistic
venture, which existed only a few months, one
gains a fair idea of the progress made by Dav-
enport up to that period. J. H. Nicholls was
the moving spirit of the "cross-roads village"
in those days. He conducted a general mer-
chandise store, a hotel, a livery stable and was
postmaster. The business houses consisted of
the City Hotel, Rogers & Boyce, proprietors,
J. H. Nicholls, mechant, J. W. Johnson, black-,
smith, A. Melzer, brewery, R. J. Cameron and
Dick Radcliff, saloons. White & Cameron,
hardware, J. C. Small, attorney, and M. M.
Hopkins, physician. North of the town
was a sawmill operated by Warner &
Roe. Local items stated that Cal Simmons
was about to burn a kiln of brick and C. H.
Pryor had recently opened the public school.
During the earlier portion of 1885 there
were in Davenport three substantial business
houses. Perhaps the most important acquisi-
tion to the city during this year was the Lincoln
County Times, published by F. M. Gray. Two
general mercantile stores were established the
same year, one by Kaminsky & Son, of Cheney,
and represented here by Louis Kaminsky ; the
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
129
other a branch store by the widely known firm
of Ostroski, Breslauer & Co., also of Cheney,
Mr. Breslauer having charge of the Davenport
venture. James E. Roe, at one period inter-
ested in the sawmill business near Larene, was
a resident of Davenport a short time during the
year 1885, and here he erected a building later
known as the Boyes hotel. Quite a number of
newly arrived citizens appeared upon the scene
in 1886, among them being Thomas Edwards.
Samuel Sullivan opened a furniture store. Dr.
Whitney came, and J. A. Hoople established a
harness shop. January 1, 1887, there were in
Davenport three general mercantile stores, one
saddle and harness shop, one drug store, one
butcher shop, one law and real estate office, one
lawyer, two wagon shops, two general black-
smith shops, three livery and feed stables, one
hotel, one contractor and builder, two agricul-
tural implement agencies, two saloons, one doc-
tor, nne hardware store, one school house, one
furniture store and one newspapef. Here, then,
were nearly all the representative commercial
and professional enterprises usually found in
any wide-awake, progressive western town.
The present gave promise of a flattering future
which has been fully realized. There were
many new comers during the year 1887-8 and
a number of new business enterprises were es-
tablished. Foremost among the upbuilders of
the town was Mr. C. C. May. who came in
187c;. He had at once engaged in the real es-
tate business and contributed to the practical
development of the young town by erecting a
number of substantial buildings. As said then
by the Lincoln County Times:
A new year has never dawned upon Davenporl with
brighter prospects and greater promise than does the
year [888. Through every channel of indutry that per-
tains to the general advancement of the town and coun-
try, the outlook is must gratifying. An era of railroad
building is approaching, immigration of a most sub-
stantial character will certainly commence 5,0 soon as
the winter subsides; mines Oil all sides' are being opened
and developed winch promise to be of the
source of commercial lenefil possibli to the country,
and last but not least the farmer who confidently looks
forward to the transportation of his' grain by rail next
season, has made extensive preparations for a largely in-
creased acreage from which be expects handsome profits.
Taking things altogether we are to be congratulated
upon the brilliant prospects the future has in store
for us, and while we thus rest complacently upon the
assurance of good times, we extend an invitation to
others to come and share prosperity with 11-. believing
our town and country affords superior inducements to
any one combining a little energy with enterprise to
accumulate a fair proportion of world's goods.
In addition to those already mentioned there
were, according to an article written by Mr. H.
H. McMillan, on December 24, 1888. the bil-
lowing business houses in Davenport on that
date: two hotels, Hay & Grutt, general mer-
chandise; Finney, general merchandise; Os-
borne, photographer; Jackson Brock, lawyer;
Herrin. agent for Frank Brothers, implements ;
Moore & Son, harness and shoe shop; Oliver,
drayman; Kruzer Brothers, butchers; Ralcliff,
butcher ; Turner, implement agent ; Dearling,
livery stable; Tuttle, blacksmith; Markham,
livery stable; Lee, sewing-machine agent: hud-
son, blacksmith; Olson, jewelry and watch-
making: Robinson, notions and restaurant;
Goodsell, millinery; O'Connor, saloon; Boon,
saloon; Crawford, barber; Merriam, restau-
rant. At this period there were two church or-
ganizations in Davenport, the M. E.. the earlier
of the two in its origin, and the Presbyterian.
The approach of the Seattle. Lake Shore &
Eastern railroad to its temporary terminus
within a little less than five miles of Davenport
in December, [888, appeared to be a signal for
something approaching the nature of a boom.
December 7th the Lincoln County Times said:
"( )n every side one sees new buildings un-
der course of construction and die sound of the
carpenter's hammer extends far into the night.
The new depot is among the principal buildings
now in process of erection and around it centers
most of the interest of our citizens. Freighl
from the terminus of the new railroad, hut a
short distance away, is landed in town daily.
Strangers seeking locations in all branches of
130
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
business select this town as headquarters and
all acknowledge that few places in eastern
Washington offer the inducements of the Big
Bend. The elevator is daily storing large con-
signments of grain, preparatory to shipping to
other points, and freighters' teams make this
city their destination instead of surrounding
towns. The 'boom' has struck Davenport and
will stop with us for some time."
In December of that year the residents of
Davenport began to ambitiously voice the opin-
ion that their municipal home was then larger
than Cheney, and that within six months it
would rival in size the city of Sprague. New
buildings were going up daily, the real estate
market was active and great was the volume of
general business. January 18, 1889, the Lin-
coln County Times as evidence of enterprise
and municipal energy, began agitation for the
removal of the territorial capital from Olympia
to Davenport. Truly, this was a worthy ambi-
tion if a trifle audacious. It was, however, the
concensus of opinion that Davenport "had no
more show than a rabbit." But Ralph Waldo
Emerson had long before advised his readers
to "Hitch your wagon to a star," and the editor
of the Times was simply following the advice
of the Sage of Concord.
During the early part of 1889 Davenport
was, certainly, a lively town. The real estate
men were very active in booming the place and
much money was spent in advertising. Not
only did Davenport gain a local reputation as a
coming town, but in the cities of the Sound, as
well, was it advertised as the coming metrop-
olis of Central Washington. The result was that
real estate moved freely and lots were sold at
profitable rates. Each day witnessed the arrival
of strangers in the town who either engaged in
business or sought employment. The accommo-
dations were not sufficient to care for all who
came. "People are arriving every day and are
disappointed in not finding quarters to occupy.
Any number "of cottages and business houses
could be rented at once," said the Times. "It
is to be regretted that the town is not prepared
to give immediate accommodations to those de-
siring to locate, but that deficiency will be rem-
edied in the earl)' spring. It is a most satis-
factory condition of things and is conclusive
proof that Davenport will be a scene of great
activity so soon as the weather justifies begin-
ning in earnest outdoor work."
In February, 1889, circulation was given
to a report that the title to the townsite of Dav-
enport was defective, and that purchasers of
town property were securing nothing more
tangible than a straw deed to such property as
they acquired. It was asserted by the Lincoln
County Times that this rumor had been given
wings by a newspaper published in Sprague.
At that period Mr. Frank M. Dallam was editor
and publisher of the Times and he proceeded to
investigate the conditions of real estate affairs.
February 8th he wrote as follows concerning
the matter, showing conclusively that the title
to the townsite of Davenport was perfect :
The southeast quarter of section No. 21, town-
ship No. 25, north of range No. 37, E. W. M., was
bought by John C. Davenport and associates about the
year 1882, from the Northern Pacific Railway Company,
on the contract plan, and a few blocks were platted and
recorded as the town of Davenport. The deferred pay-
ments' due the railroad company were not made, hence
the railroad company only could perfect title. However,
this does not concern those interested in the present
town of Davenport, built on Margan's, Columbia, Tim-
mons', Essig*s, Dillon's, and Hogan's additions, the
title to all of which property being legally and tech-
nically perfect. There was never but one house built
on the quarter section of land bought by John C. Daven-
port, and it was destroyed by fire in 1882, and no oppor-
tunity is offered for sale on that quarter section by any
person or corporation, hence any interest that John C.
Davenport and associates owned, then or now, does not
interest us' in the least. The title to all lots on the
market in Davenport is absolutely perfect, and every
purchaser receives a warranty deed signed by individuals
or a corporation of known responsibility and great
wealth.
Saturday, May 8, 1889, the Big Bend Na-
tional Bank, of Davenport, opened its doors for
business. This was the first banking institu-
tion in the place and it enjoyed a large and mer-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
I3 1
itoriously confiding patronage. Tuesday even-
ing, May 28th, of the same year, there was or-
ganized in Davenport a board of trade. This
result was brought about largely by the patriotic
efforts of Mr. David Wilson. Following the
decision to organize such an institution these
officers were elected: Dr. F. H. Luce, presi-
dent; J. H. Nicholls, vice-president; Frank M.
Dallam, secretary; J. Hoople, treasurer. An
executive committee consisting of the four of-
ficers named and C. W. Christie, David Wilson,
H. H. McMillan, C. C. May and Willard Her-
rorij was selected. The charter members of the
Davenport board of trade were : F. H. Luce,
J. H. Nicholls, J. H. Hoople, Frank M. Dal-
lam, C. W. Christie, David Wilson, H. H. Mc-
Millan, C. C. May, Willard Herron, William
Finney, T. L. Edwards, W. E. Ratcliff, Dr. J.
H. Whitney. J. L. West, George Oswalt, Mr.
Rowe, Thomas O'Connor, Mr. Olson, C. L.
Simmons, L. C. Keedy, Mr. Madden, J. C.
Small, Air. German, Mr. Fischner, George
Weaver, T. J. Robinson, Mr. Hader, H. Born,
D. H. Mathorn.
One of the most important enterprises es-
tablished in Davenport during the summer of
1889 was the brick yard, by James E. Roe, of
Spokane Falls. Previously, owing to the scar-
city of material, building operations had been
seriously handicapped, and the advent of this
enterprise was hailed with enthusiasm by the
residents of the town.
Wednesday evening, August 14th, the first
united efforts were made in the way of afford-
ing adequate protection from fire. At Keedy's
hall a meeting was held the ostensible purpose
of which was to organize a fire company. But
at first there was considerable apathy, lack of
enthusiasm being plainly noticeable. In its re-
port of this meeting the Times said :
"For a time it was so extremely chilly, ow-
ing to the conspicuous absence of several prom-
inent citizens, who, it was supposed ought to
take some interest in such a laudable object, that
the chances were a hundred to one that nothing
would be accomplished. But the arrival of Mr.
A. W. Turner, who called the meeting to order
and stated the object for which they were met,
caused a visible melting of the icicles."
Speeches were made by Mr. Turner, Judge
J. T. Robinson, Major Hoople, A. P. Oliver,
H. C. Keedy, E. E. Plough, Prosecuting Attor-
ney Christie and Thomas McGowan. A com-
mittee on organization consisting of Frank M.
Dallam, David Glasgow, E. E. Plough, H. C.
Keedy and Martin McGowan was named. Yet
tins was all that was at that time accomplished
in the way of organizing a fire company. A
second meeting was called for the purpose of
perfecting the inchoate organization, but only
one or two were present and the enterprise was,
for the time, abandoned. The people were luke-
warm — or cold — in regard to fire protection
and thus no company was formed until several
years later.
Work was steadily progressing on the Cen-
tral Washington railroad during the summer
of 1889, and lively times were experienced.
One thousand men were employed on the new
line by the company, and numerous buildings
were erected in town. Visiting strangers — and
possible investors — were driven about the coun-
try by industrious real estate men and shown
the various natural facilities for money making
offered by a most fertile and productive soil. It
was the claim advanced at this time that, dur-
ing the summer of 1889 the city hail made a
larger growth than any other place in eastern
Washington, aside from Spokane, and this
growth, it was urged, was of a permanent char-
acter. In the fall of this year considerable
work was accomplished in the way of street
grading.
The story of the incorporation of Daven-
port is one replete with incident. The first at-
tempt to incorporate the town was made in
April, 1S89, although the subject had been
widely discussed during the previous winter.
A petition was circulated and signed by almost
every resident taxpayer. Saturday, April 6th,
132
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
this document was placed in the hands of Judge
Nash who was vested with the power to grant
or refuse the prayer of the petitioners. This
permission, or judicial order, was issued in
May following. The first regular meeting of
the Board of Trustees of the town of Davenport
was held in the office of C. C. May on Monday
morning, May 15, 1889. Those present were
J. H. Nicholls, H. C. Keedy and Thomas
O'Connor. The absent members were A. W.
Turner and H. H. McMillan. The board was
organized by the election of J. H. Nicholls,
president, and Willard Herron, town clerk. The
following officers were appointed : J. M. Boyes
marshal ; C. W. Christie, town attorney ; A. P.
Oliver, street commissioner ; W. M. Finney,
treasurer; F. C. Lee, assessor.
The new town board did not attempt to
create a revolution in municipal affairs by the
enactment of drastic or oppressive ordinances.
They moved slowly and without immoderate
exhibition of authority and it is, perhaps, as
well that they did so as subsequent events
proved that the entire process of incorporation
so far had been illegal. However, the effects
of their work were realized by the citizens and
Davenport was greatly benefited by the (sup-
posed) incorporation.
The year 1889 was the most prosperous in
Davenport's history, before that period, and the
improvements completed in those twelve months
footed up over a quarter of a million dollars.
Let us review with Frank M. Dallam, at that
time editor of the Lincoln County Times, the
progress of Davenport during this year. De-
cember 27th, he said :
"Prior to 1889 Davenport was little more
than a cross-roads postoffice. * * * The
promised advent of railroads and the construc-
tion of the same was a material factor in push-
ing ahead the place, although before that event
a few houses had sprung up around the original
structures that had constituted the 'town.' No
one who has been absent a year would recog-
nize the Davenport of today, as the Daven-
port of a year ago. It is vastly improved
in every respect, and the people who have
since the first of last January located in
our midst are congratulating themselves that
their lines have been dropped in such a pleasant
place. One year ago today the only means of
reaching Davenport was by stage, a private con-
veyance or on foot. The distance to any point
on the railroad was long and the trip tedious.
The town was isolated. There were only a
few houses and a small population. People al-
ready here were confident and cheerful, how-
ever, for the location was such that it was only
a question of time until railroad communica-
tion would be established, and then a bright fu-
ture was assured. A year ago last summer the
construction of the Seattle. Lake Shore &
Eastern road was commenced by a comany of
capitalists. It was headed westward through a
rich farming country. The jealous eyes of the
Northern Pacific officials saw that the trade of
a vast inland empire was about to be wrested
from them by a competitor. A branch of the
great transcontinental line must be thrown out
to counteract the effect of the building of the
other road. To think was to act. Ground was
at once broken on the Central Washington, and
rapidly two ribbons of steel stretched off into
a section that had never echoed to the shriek
of the iron monster. The people of Davenport
watched anxiously the movements of the rival
companies. A year ago this month the sound
of the approaching locomotive could be dis-
tinctly heard far off to the southeast. In Feb-
ruary the Central Washington crew spiked the
iron into the corporate limits and connection
with the outside world was complete. The ad-
vent of this railroad was the cause 1 if much re-
joicing and a new impetus was given to the
place. By a great mistake the Seattle. J.ake
Shore & Eastern was built to within fi >ur miles
of town, and there the terminus remained for
some months. At last the enterprising citizens
raised the necessary amount to grade the road-
way into town and then Davenport had the ad-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
J 33
vantage of a competing line with all points east
and west, at the same time insuring for its being
a railroad center, as no road will be constructed
across the state in future years without being
compelled to pass through this place.
"With the first sign of spring, and before
the snow had disappeared from view building
operations commenced. Not only did the rail-
roads make valuable improvements, but individ-
uals vied with each other in erecting substantial
business houses and attractive homes. The
straggling business center assumed a more com-
pact appearance; the residence quarter spread
out ; new firms became established, and clear up
to the time cold weather set in, only a few weeks
ago, the trowel and hammer and saw kept up a
steady refrain, an accompaniment to the march
of improvement, and the sweetest music that
ever tickled the tympanum of an enterprising
people. We are not prepared to give a detailed
list of the improvements that have been made.
We have not the names of the builders nor the
cost figures. Everybody who possessed the
requisite capital did not hesitate to invest in per-
manent structures. Handsome brick and frame
buildings, the product of a single year, attest
the public spirit and confidence of our people.
Mr. David Wilson has done much toward assist-
ing in the development of the place. Messrs.
Luce. Christie, Squier, Small, Nicholls, Germain,
Griswold, Keedy, Plough, Turner, Oswalt &
Hughes, G. R. Oswalt, McArthur, Snyder &
Tischner, Moylan, Edwards, Mothorn, Worts,
Zuehlke, and scores of others, whose names
would be mentioned if we could call them to
mind at this hasty writing, have aided in this
building up of a town. Public and private edi-
fices have sprung up. The Hats ab< ait town that
did not contain a vestige of a habitation twelve
months ago are now thickly dotted with com-
fortable homes. Two large brick blocks and a
dozen neat two-story frame business houses
have been constructed. A hotel has been added
to the place, which, in architectural appearance,
furniture and management is second I" no hos-
telry in eartern Washington, and we bar none.
The members of the Presbyterian congrega-
tion have contributed their share by the erection
of an elegant place of worship. Altogether the
total amount of money expended in Davenport
in private, public and corporation work during
1889 will foot up to over $250,000.
"During the year the town has been incor-
porated and the advantages of this movement
have been apparent. There is better order kept
and the board is composed of progressive citi-
zens possessed of the requisite push to help on
a growing place. Considerable street grading
has been let and when completed the improve-
ment will add materially to the appearance ot
the town, making a better impressii m 1 in strang-
ers and encourage people to renewed activity."
By a decision of the state supreme court,
handed down early in 1890. it was held that the
incorporation of all towns under the Territorial
laws was void and possessed no legal standing.
Between the incorporation of Davenport and
the rendering of this judicial opinion Washing-
ton had been admitted in to the union as a state.
In company with a number of other towns in
the state Davenport was thrown out of the in-
corporated class and at once relegated to primi-
tive villagehood. Steps were at once taken to
secure legal incorporation. In March Attorney
Ayers drafted a petition to the legislature on the
part of Davenport in regard to the illegal in-
coropration. The petition was favorably acted
upon by the legislature and the prayer of the
petitioners granted. Thus the act- of the trus-
tees and officials of Davenport were made se-
cure so far as persecution of their actions done
in good faith were concerned.
At the session Hi" the commissioners of Lin-
coln county, in .May. [890, the following peti-
tion was presented :
'I,, the i [1 'i" 11 ible I '■ ■ ity Commissioners of
Lincoln County, State of Washington:
Tin- undersigned respectfully rep ur hon-
orable body 1 1 1 : 1 1 they .-in- qui
of Lincoln and Si t< of Washington at this date, and
134
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
that they are residents within the limits of the cor-
poration hereinafter prayed to be established and in-
corporated, and within the limits hereinafter mentioned.
fixed and described; that within the following described
limits are now -five hundred people as nearly as' your
petitioners can state. The above mentioned limits and
proposed boundaries of said corporation are as follows,
to-wit : Section 21, in township 25, north of range 37,
east of the Willamette Meridian, in Lincoln county,
State of Washington, and more particularly described
as follows, to-wit : Commencing at a point at the north-
west corner of section 2r, at the intersection of sec-
tions 20, 17 and 16. said township and range, thence
running east 320 rods, more or less, along the southern
boundary line of section 16, to the intersection of sec-
tions 16, 15 and 22, said town and range; thence south
320 rods, more or less along the western boundary of
section 22, to the intersection of sections 22, 27 and 28,
said town and range ; thence running west along the
northern boundary of section 28, 320 rods more or
less, to the intersection of sections 28, 29 and 20, said
town and range ; thence running north along the eastern
line of section 20, 320 rods, more or less, to the place
of beginning, according to the United States' govern-
ment survey thereof.
Wherefore, the undersigned, your petitioners, pray
your honorable body to incorporate the territory lying
within said boundaries and the inhabitants thereof as
a town under and by the name of "The Town of Daven-
port," under and by virtue of, and in accordance with the
provisions of an act of the legislature of the State of
Washington entitled "An act providing for the organi-
zation, classification, incorporation and government of
municipal corporations and declaring an emergency.''
Dated at Davenport, Washington. April 15, 1890.
This petition was signed by exactly one hun-
dred citizens. It was presented to the county
commissioners, favorably acted upon, and they
named May 20th as the date of a special elec-
tion for the purpose of voting on the proposi-
tion. Upon that date the election was, accord-
ingly, held. There was no unusual excitement
and only a slight vote was polled. Against the
regular ticket a light opposition was manifested
in certain quarters. The following was the vote
cast: For incorporation, 105; against incor-
poration, 1. For mayor, A. W. Turner, 102;
for treasurer, William Finney, 105 ; for coun-
cilmen, R. Tischner. 102; P. W. Dillon, 99; H.
D. Mothorn, 97; John Peet, 85; T. O'Connor,
88; George Oswalt, 32; J. -A. Hoople, 12.
J laving now passed through the various
processes made necessary by the enactment of
a law in relation to the organization of towns
by the first legislature of the new State of
Washington, Davenport at last succeeded in the
accomplishment of its wishes on June 9, 189O.
The following dispatch marks the. official be-
ginning of the new municipal government :
"Olympia, June 9, 1890: Certified copy
of order of county commissioners incorporating
section 21, township 25, north range 37, E.
W. M.. and the inhabitants thereof under and
by the name of The Town of Davenport, filed
this 9th day of June, 1890.
"Allen W t eir,
"Secretary of State."
July 12, 1890, a special election was held
to vote on a proposition to issue $10,000 in
bonds for the purpose of building a school house
in Davenport. There were cast 79 votes, of
which 71 were in favor of the proposition, five
against, and three votes were not counted. On
the question of material for the contemplated
edifice 70 votes were for a brick, and five for
a frame, building.
The board of trade organized in the spring
of 1889 passed into innocuous desuetude. From
a condition of inchoation it had become mori-
bund. Accordingly on Wednesday evening,
December 15, 1890, the business men of Dav-
aiport assembled for the purpose of placing'
upon its feet a new board of trade. The meet-
ing was well attended and after a number of
those present had voiced opinions concerning"
the undeniable benefits to be derived from such
a commercial organization the following offi-
cers were selected: P. W. Dillon, president;
A. W. Turner, vice-president; George Oswalt,
second vice-president ; Guy L. Smith, secretary ;
J. A. Hoople, treasurer.
November 20, 1891, the Times said: "The
city council has at last taken steps to provide
the town with fire protection adequate to its
needs, having ordered a truck and hook and
ladder outfit at a cost of nearly $700. The
town has lone been without any means of com-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
135
batting the fiery element and that she has not
suffered serious loss in consequence is owing
more to good fortune than anything else. A
lot was purchased on the corner of Sixth and
Morgan streets on which suitable buildings will
be erected in a short time."
But by the time the apparatus arrived a new
city council had taken office and the new mem-
bers declined to accept it. Thus the matter of
providing suitable fire protection was allowed
to languish, and the whole affair was side-
tracked temporarily.
Notwithstanding the fact that an unusually
light crop had been harvested, and that Daven-
port relied almost entirely on its agricultural
trade, the town forged to the front during the
year 1891. Over $60,000 worth of improve-
ments were made within that year. Among the
principal improvements were : Xew school
house, $8,000; David Wilson, brick block, $8,-
000; William Finney & Company, brick store,
$5,000; J. A. Hoople, brick store, $5,000; Rob-
ert Tischner, brewery, $5,000; McGowan's
planing mill building, $5,000, total $36,000.
January 30, 1892, initial steps were taken in
Davenport toward the organization of a Post
of the Grand Army of the Republic. Those
who assumed an active participation in the pro-
ject were Jackson Brock, J. D. Woodin, W. D.
Kipp, A. P. Oliver, F. F. Hall, T. L. Edwards,
George S. Rodgers, Emil Graf, John Wolf, W.
H. Howard, Joseph Park. H. J. Whitney, S. L.
Burrill, Archey Markham.
On the first of October, 1892, there was put
in operation a flouring mill in Davenport, an
enterprise which had for several years been
agitated. This enterprise was established by
A. A. Davis and G. W. Howard, and had a ca-
pacity of 150 per day, with a storing capacity
of 40,000 bushels of grain.
Saturday, May 6. 1893. a volunteer fire
company was organized, starting in -life with
over thirty members. This was the first organ-
ization of the kind in the history of Dav<
although, as we have seen, attempts had been
previously made to place one upon its feet. The
town had been quite fortunate in its freedom
from fire during the ten or twelve years of its
existence, never having suffered from any ci 11-
flagration of serious proportions. The follow-
ing w ere the initial officers of the new company :
William Finney, president; II. J. Whitney,
vice-president; A. C. Shaw, secretary; C. C.
May, treasurer. These were named as trustees :
F. W. McGowan, C. G. Snyder, and E. A. Ink-
ster, for the one year term, and A. W. Turner.
P. W. Dill, ,n and G. K. Birge for tin- six
months' term. D. W. Glasgow was unanimous-
ly chosen chief and was empowered to select
two assistants. Still, it was not until the fol-
lowing September that a fire engine was pro-
cured and placed in commission. It was not
long after the organization of the company he-
fore its necessity was fully realized, even before
the engine had been procured. June 17th Mc-
Gowan Brothers' hardware store was burned,
entailing a loss of $12,000, covered by insur-
ance to the amount of $7,100. The Times
said: "The town escaped destruction by a
very narrow margin. The burned building was
surrounded on all sides by frame structures, and
but for the efficient work of the newly organ-
ized c< impany the greater part of the town
would surely have gone up in smoke."
This narrow escape resulted in much good
in accelerating the procurement of suitable
equipment for the fire company. The sum of
$500 was raised by popular subscription with
which to purchase apparatus and to this sum the
town council added 8150. On May 1. 1805. oc-
curred one of the most serious fires that had yet
occurred in Davenport, resulting in the loss of
two Rosenquest residences and the one of H.
H. Plough, The total loss was about :
covered by $2,400 insurance. This fire w
lowed two weeks later by another which dis-
troyed the city mills causing a loss of about
$5,000, with insurance of 82.500. W. L. Tur-
ner''- residence burned about this time entailing
of between $2,000 and S3. 000.
136
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
An event of great importance to the town of
Davenport took place during the year 1896.
This was the construction of a wagon road
from this town to the Cedar Canyon mine in
Stevens county. The citizens of Davenport
subscribed money for the road, and in May
contracts were let for beginning the work.
These rich mines of Cedar Canyon were pro-
ducing large quantities of ore and by the enter-
prise of Davenport's citizens in building the
road this was brought here for shipment and
has resulted in considerable financial benefit to
the business men of the place. Unusual activ-
ity in the building line was witnessed during the
autumn of 1896. The prospect of securing the
removal of the county seat from Sprague was
the principal cause of business revival. In No-
vember the city council decided to erect a jail
consisting of two stories, the lower one to be
utilized as a city lockup and the upper one for
council chambers. At this period every dwell-
ing house in Davenport was occupied, and there
were inquiries every day from new arrivals in
town for this line of accommodation. While
some hasty building was done the season was
too far advanced for any immediate relief to
these house seekers, and it became a serious
question how the influx of population incident
to the town's new relationship was to be pro-
vided for.
A financial panic succeeded the feverish
boom of 1892. There was a season of depres-
sion from 1893 until 1897, and during these
intervening years the people of Davenport were
attempting to successfully soke the puzzle of
"how to get something to eat." Little time or
inclination had they to devote much attention
to building enterprises. Still, Davenport did
not suffer from this backset to so great an ex-
tent as other less eligibly located towns. True,
business dragged to a certain extent, and it was
a struggle for all classes of business men to
keep their heads above water. And yet from
year to year marked additions were made to the
young city.
The town entered upon the year 1S97 under
most favorable conditions. Future prosperity,
seemed assurred. "While no sensational prog-
ress was made in a business sense during 1896,
there was considerable advancement in the line
of growth and material development, much
improvement in trade and a better, stronger
feeling existed among all classes of business
men. The first day of January, 1897, found
nearly every house in town occupied and an
increasing demand for more.
For several weeks following the removal of
the county records from Sprague to Davenport
the most absorbing question among the busi-
ness men and citizens generally was the loca-
tion of the court house building, a topic by no
means original or unique. Apparently a ma-
jority of the citizens favored a location on the
north side of the main street, although some de-
sired it placed on the south side. This matter
was decided finally by the county commission-
ers, on Tuesday night, February 7th, by a se-
lection of a location on the north side on the
block deeded by the citizens of Davenport.
Concerning this temporary division of opinion
the Lincoln County Times said:
"Excitement ran high Sunday afternoon,
and the commissioners themselves were, appar-
ently, undecided what to do up to the time of
taking final action. It was reported that they
were favorable to the south side location, and
those friendly to the other side, who were the
dominating element in town, began to bestir
themselves to prevent the location going south.
In the evening, between 8 and 9 o'clock, after
the commissioners had met to take final action,
a meeting of the north side advocates was called
in Turner & Plough's old store room to devise
some means of prevailing on the commissioners
to adopt the originally proposed site in Colum-
bia Addition. This meeting had been called
to order .for some time and several prominent
citizens had expressed themselves quite vigor-
ously, when some one came in and announced
that the commissioners were writing out an or-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
itf
der for the location of the court house on block
94. Columbia Addition. This announcement
was greeted with vociferous and hearty cheers,
and the gathering filed out the door and down
the street to the commissioners' room t< 1 ex-
press their approval of the action taken.
"The chief worker for the south side was
P. \Y. Dillon, and had he been supported by an
equal number of the town's people would, in
all probability, have made a successful fight,
for the commissioners themselves, personally,
favored a location nearer the depot."
As a -result of abundant crops and the re-
turn of prosperous times throughout the coun-
try Davenport, in the fall of 1897, assumed a
thrifty, indeed, a jocund air. The merchants
all conducted an extensive business. Xot since
the palmy days of '89 and '90 had there been
such a volume of ready cash in circulation.
Everybody, from the capitalist down to the Si-
wash who sawed wood — or refused to saw
wood — was prosperous and happy.
The opening of war with Spain awakened
a commendable patriotic spirit in Davenport,
and this sentiment animated all classes of citi-
zens. In May, 1898, it was decided to organ-
ize a battery of light artillery, and, according-
ly, a formal petition was forwarded to Gover-
nor Rogers and Adjutant General Ballaine ask-
ing to be mustered into the state militia. En-
rollment papers were at the Big Bend drug store
and many signers signified by their acts their
intention, or desire, to become members of this
organization. If it was impossible to serve as
members of a battery the signers declared their
entire willingness to serve as infantrymen. The
company was organized Saturday. May 28,
the following officers being elected : Captain,
J. J. Sargent; First Lieutenant. Henry < ',. An-
derson; Second Lieutenants. C. II. McCourt,
J. A. Prudhomme; First Sergeant, Patrick
Corbett ; Color Sergeant, O. T. Oswalt. It was
decided to organize as light artillery, but to
serve as infantry if necessary, to be included in
the next call for troops. A few days later the
adjutant-general authorized the company to he
mustered in as infantry. The company drilled
twice a week. And thus Davenport for the
first time became represented in the military
service of the United States.
One of the most destructive fires in Daven-
port's history broke out early Thursday morn-
ing, September 8, 1898, a conflagration which
licked up a number of business houses on Har-
ker street. The ominous cry of "fire!" aroused
the slumbering population and after the first
alarm was given the cry was quickly taken up,
and within a few moments people of both sexes
came pouring down to the scene of destruction
from every direction. The sky was illuminated
by fierce flames which covered the roofs and
came streaming down out of the windows and
doors of the wooden buildings adjacent to Will-
iam Finney's large brick store. Rapidly the lire
spread from one wooden shack to another, al-
though scarcely a breath of air was stirring ex-
cept that created by the flames themselves. It
was difficult to tell in which of the wooden build-
ings the fire had originated, for flames swept
over two or three of them almost simultaneous-
lv, but it was subsequently learned that the ini-
tial point had been in the Dale house, a frame
building next to Mr. Finney's store. Within a
very few moments following the alarm the fire
engine was placed in position down by the
creek which flows along Spring street, south
and back of the row of wooden structures fac-
ing on Harker street. Here the fire had se-
emed great headway. From the first it was ap-
parent that none of the wooden buildings could
he saved, and for awhile it looked as though
tlie entire business portion of the town must be
swept away.
Had a stiff breeze prevailed it would not
have been possible for the volunteer firemen,
with the appliances at hand, to have saved a
single building along 1 larker or .Morgan streets.
Fortunately scarcely a breath of air was stir-
ring, and what little there was came from the
north, the most favorable quarter. Th<
138
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY,
house and oil room back of the Finney block
was soon a mass' of flames. The rear door
leading into the store burned out and flames
were immediately communicated to the interior.
In less than an hour after the alarm had been
sounded the entire structure was reduced to a
mass of smouldering ruins. The sheds in the
rear of Millis' store and the adjoining stores
fed the flames, and from here they seized upon
the window and door frames in the rear of the
bank and other brick buildings. The efforts of
the firemen were then directed entirely to the
work of preventing the destruction of the brick
block west, along Morgan street, from the
bank. There was no lack of willing hands and
water was laid on the superheated brick walls
with good effect. Valuable service was also
rendered by the bucket brigade. Streams of
water were poured from the back windows and
along the roof. By i 130 the volunteers had the
fire well under control. Its onward march east
across Harker street was checked by heroic
effort, although the large plate glass windows
in the Hooper block were shattered. Thus the
fire was confined to the wooden buildings south
along Harker street. The only brick building
destroyed was the large store of William Fin-
ney. The frame structures destroyed were the
Dale House. John Hanson's barber shop, the
Oleson restaurant, and the saloon building oc-
cupied by Ellsworth Shaw.
During the porgress of this fire men and
women were constantly employed transporting
goods across the street from the brick store
buildings, and some damage resulted from
breakage. The grocery store of H. D. Barber
and the millinery store of Miss Mary Moore
were destroyed. There were a number of nar-
row escapes and one man was so badly burned
that it was feared he would not recover. The
unfortunate man, Samuel Koehn. was a tailor
in the employ of Daniel Delin. He attempted
to find his way down the stairway which was
was full of flames and smoke. He rushed
through it all making his escape with great dif-
ficulty. He had been assisted out of his room
by T. Larson, a carpenter, who heard him in-
side trying to make his way out. Mr. Larson
was, also, badly burned about the face and head.
Mrs. Mahet, the proprietor of the house, escaped
with her child by jumping out of the top win-
dow at the rear of the building. A number of
others made similar escapes with scarcely a
stitch of clothing.
Following are the losses not covered by in-
surance: Dale House, owned by William Fin-
ney, $2,000; Oleson restaurant, owned by Judge
Small, $600; E. Shaw, saloon, $600.
Following are the losses of those carrying
insurance, the amounts being the amount of
insurance paid by the companies : William Fin-
ney & Company, $11,650; E. Shaw, $500: M.
Millis, $636.50; H. D. Barber, $419.35; Man-
Moore, $57; G. T. Logsdon, $6.50; S. Kruger,
§j$; Maria A. Wainwright, ^t,:,: Mrs. E. G.
Wilson, $564; C. R. Petrie, $76; H. W.
Knapp, $yS: H. C. Keedy, $289.
Following this disaster the city council es-
tablished a fire limit consisting of all of blocks
78 to 79, inclusive, and the south half of blocks
80 and 83, inclusive, of Morgan's Addition.
This limit included the blocks between Morgan
and Spring streets from the town hall to the
Times office, on the south side of Morgan
street, and half the blocks on the north side of
Morgan street.
Despite the fact that considerable building-
was done in the summer of 1898, there was a
dearth of living houses and many who would
have moved to town could not do so owing to
lack of accommodations. The destruction by
fire of the Dale House deprived many of a
place of residence. During the summer months
several families made their homes in tents.
More rapid advancement in business condi-
tions was made in the young town during the
year 1898 than ever before in its history. The
sun of prosperity that bad kissed the bountiful
wheat fields had, also, shone through the dark
cloud of depression and gladdened the hearts
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY,
139
of all. It was a season of magnificent crops
and the harvest inspired confidence and awak-
ened new hopes in almost ever}' family. The
pulse of trade was quickened, investments were
encouraged and the season was one of general
revival and convalescence from a low. financial
fever. Commenting upon these favorable con-
ditions the Lincoln County Times said:
"In this fortunately located little city it is
evident in the renewal of building, the appear-
ance of new faces in the streets, and a more
cheerful disposition among the old residents
that all are hopeful of the future. This gn iwth
of population has necessitated the construction
of new business houses and the building of
numerous residences, many of them handsome
and substantial homes. The example of those
who first started building last spring was a
spur to others to follow, resulting in a wonder-
ful growth in the place.
"It would simply be impossible to enumer-
ate separately all the buildings erected in Dav-
enport during 1898. No portion of the town
has suffered neglect. On every hand can be
seen evidence of this rapid growth. The total
amount of money invested in these improve-
ments foots up to thousands of dollars. On
Morgan street three handsome brick buildings
were added to the business blocks, two of them
erected by David Wilson and one by Dr. Whit-
ney. Ole Hair also put up a large and very
neat brick block on Sixth street. During the
year the secret societies completed the two-
story auditorium at the corner of Ninth and
Morgan streets. This is a very creditable
structure, and supplies a long felt want in the
nature of a public hall. The public school has
been enlarged by a new addition that in its di-
mensions is about the size of the orginal build-
ing. But it is in the number of new residences
that Davenport excelled during 1898, far sur-
passing the record of any previous year. Fully
fifty new residences were constructed during
the season. Among these were homes buill
l.v Fred Hulsman, H. N. Martin. David Wil-
son, J. B. Pershall, Mr. Earls, Mrs. Rogers, li.
H. Hulton ami C. E. Weyland.
The militia company organized in the spring
of 1898 disbanded before the second call for
volunteers was made. Word was received from
the authorities at Olympia in August that a
company from Davenport could he mustered
into state service. Preparations were at once
made for the forming of a battery, and Wed-
nesday evening, September 13th, the company
consisting of 28 members, was mustered in as
Battery A. by Captain Lyons, of Spokane. Fol
lowing were the officers and members of the
company :
Captain, H. G. Anderson; First Lieutenant.
O. T. Oswalt ; Second Lieutenant, Frank Dal-
lam, Jr.; Sergeant. Emil Graf; Color Bearer,
J. J. Sargent; George Bertonerer, Jalek Hop-
kins, Roy Millis, Stephen Jayne, Antone
Kotsch, Charles Smith, Fred S. Knapp, Ji fhn
H. Snyder, M. W. Miller, James A. Redick,
Ira B. Hyatt, Louie D. Todd, Lee Moore, T.
Jayne, R. P. Moore, E. D. McDonnell, J. W.
Gibson, W. Kennedy, Stephen O'Leary, H. S.
Omacht, H. L. Perry, T. Goodlad, T. R. Jayne.
The adjutant general issued a general order
consigning the various military companies of
the state to organized regiments. The Second
Regiment was composed of Company A. at
Spokane; B at Colfax; C at Goldendale; !> at
Walla Walla; E at Spokane; F at Yakima; G
at Garfield, and Battery A. Light Artillery, at
Davenport. The Davenport boys were also at-
tached to the First Battalion of the Second
Regiment, with Companies A, E, and < i. the
Spokane and Garfield warriors, commanded by
Captain E. W. Lyons, of Spokane. In Janu-
ary. [899, the Davenport Company was sup-
plied with arms. The battery was one in name
only, as the organization was armed and
equipped as an infantry company, having
Springfield rifles.
Saturday. July 2, [899, a special election
was held in Davenport forthepurpi se of voting
on a proposition to issue bonds for establishing
140
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
a system of water works. There were 239 votes
registered. No great interest was manifested
and only 176 votes were cast. Of these 132
were favorable to the proposition and 44 against
the same. These bonds were sold and in Au-
gust work was commenced on the plant.
Battery A, of Davenport, left on Saturday,
November 4, 1899, for Seattle to participate in
the welcome extended to the members of the
First Washington Volunteer regiment on its
return from the Philippines. The battery was
in charge of Captain Henry Anderson and
First Lieutenant Richard Oswalt. Forty-two
members of the battery took part in the excur-
sion.
Davenport's new system of water works
was placed in operation Saturday, December 9,
1899. This was the consummation of two
years of exertion. Several propositions had
been considered by the city authorities and there
had been some lively skirmishing over the prop-
osition. It had been at last decided that the
municipality should own the plant. Upon
reaching the next step was to decide upon the
source of supply. Several sources were exam-
ined, but the one finally selected was that
known as the "lower spring," which was pur-
chased from C. C. May for $1,000. The town
at last secured a small system, but a good one
which promises to meet all requirements. The
construction of the system is such that its ca-
pacity may be increased and the pipes extended
at any time.
The year 1899 was but a continuation of
1898 in the matter of improvements of a per-
manent nature. Two handsome brick blocks
were erected during this year and many resi-
daices. A conservative estimate places the
value of improvements for 1899 at $100,000.
June 9, 1900, a school election was held at
which it was voted to bond the district for $20,-
000. the sum of $15,000 to be applied to the
erection of a new school building, and $5,000 to
pay indebtedness. The vote was 187 for; 78
against. In December. 1900. the new high
school building was completed as a cost of about
$16,000. During the winter of 1 900-1 Daven-
port was visited by smallpox in the prevailing
mild form. Public schools were closed and
public gatherings of all kinds were discontinued
for a short period. Twenty-one buildings were
erected in 1900 at an estimated cost of $40,000.
Tuesday evening, October 22, 1901, the Dav-
enport Commercial Club was organized, a body
which has accomplished much on the lines of
betterment of the town and the settlement of
the surrounding country. C. E. Meyers was
the original president, and A. \Y. Turner, vice
president; F. W. Anderson, treasurer, E. L.
Spencer, secretary.
In November, 1901, the militia company
was disbanded. For some time previous the
company had existed as an independent organi-
zation, not being assigned to any regiment. The
muster out was made by Lieutenant John Kin-
zie, N. G. \Y.. and the arms and equipments of
Battery A were shipped to Olympia.
Concerning municipal illumination the Lin-
coln County Times of March 13, 1903, said:
"The town of Davenport was illuminated
Monday. March 9th for the first time with
electric lights. The last piece of machinery was
placed in position and the last connection was
made about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when
the switch was turned on, the same instant a
bright light beaming forth from each lamp in
the city. Not the slightest difficult}' occurred
and everything worked with complete and ex-
act precision from the start. The electric light
plant has been delayed to a late day, consider-
ing the town's size, but it is one of the latest
improved plants in existence, and it has many
advantages not offered in any city supplied at
an earlier date."
Saturday evening, June 20, 1903. the town
was scorched with one of the hottest blazes in
its history. At 5 o'clock p. m., flames broke out
from the roof of the old Mirror office, corner
of Spring and Harker streets. More than half
a eale was blowing from the southwest. All
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
141
combustible matter was as dry as tinder, and
within the space of a tew moments the entire
building was a mass of smoke and flames.
Xext to this building stood a Chinese laundry,
formerly the Cameron saloon ; then the Tripp
livery barn ; next the old store building owned
by J. H. Xicholls, and last the little building
owned by the Bowers Brothers, which was
practically destroyed. The manner in which the
fire boys fought the flames was deserving 1 if the
highest commendation. The last stand was
made at the Bowers residence where there was
a desperate fight between man and the de\ 1 Hir-
ing element. Although the firemen were pro-
tected by coats and wet blankets several of them
were badly scorched. The Tripp livery stable
was filled with horses and rigs, but the animals
and almost everything in the 1 mi Ming was
saved, yet the flames swept through it so sud-
denly that the escape of two or three men who
were working in the loft were cut off, and they
were compelled to jump through the windows.
This was the largest and best building in the
row. The large O'Leary residence on the brow
of the hill above where the fire was raging was
ablaze at one time and was saved only by des-
perate efforts.
The heaviest loss fell to J. L. Tripp, who
owned the livery barn, occupied by the Brink
Brothers, valued at about $4,000, on which only
$500 insurance was carried. The old Mirror
building was owned by Mr. Breslauer and was
valued at $400, insurance, $250. The laundry
owned by Fred Latter was valued at $600, no
insurance. The Chinaman lost several hun-
dred dollars worth of fixtures. J. II. Xicholls
lost $500 or $600, no insurance. The tire or-
iginated from fire-crackers with which some
boys were playing in the Mirror building. The
buildings destroyed were the first erected in the
town of Davenport. They formed the original
town, and were built by J. II. Xicholls and
Robert Cameron in 188 1-2.
In November, 1903, Davenport became am-
bitious to be advanced to a town of the Third
Class. A town of this class is divided into
■ wards and is entitled to seven councilmen and
all its officers become elective. The first re-
quirement is that the town must contain a popu-
lation of not less than 1.500. Tuesday, Decem-
ber 8th, an election was had in accordance with
a petition which had been circulated by Louie
Todd, and the vote was 132 for, and 4, against
advancement. A census of the town was sub-
sequently taken by Enumerators Todd and
Donahue who found a population of 1,616, an
increase of over 50 per cent since the census of
1900. The result placed Davenport in the
Third Class.
The first secret society organized in Daven-
port was that of the Odd Fellows, in 1 889, with
eleven members. The Masonic Lodge was or-
ganized the same year, with,' a membership of
seventeen. In the spring of 1890 the Knights
of Pythias organized with a membership of
thirty-five. The succeeding order was the
Good Templars who perfected an organization
in December, 1891, its initial membership being
twenty. At present the fraternal societies of
Davenport are: Columbia Lodge No. 56, De-
gree of Honor; Excelsior Lodge No. 240. 1.
O. G. T. ; Davenport Lodge No. '14. I. O. O.
F. ; Loyal Americans; Davenport Lodge No.
55, A. O. U. \V. : Arcadia Lodge No. 58, A. V.
& A. M.; Lincoln Tent No. 62, K. O. T. M.;
Davenport Chapter No. 25, R. A. M.
I >avenport was the home of the first church
organized between Spokane and the Columbia
river. It was the First Presbyterian and was
instituted in the fall of [884, chiefly through
the efforts of 11. II. McMillan. During five
year- Mr. .McMillan labored as n- pastor, hold-
ing services in the public school building. In
[889 a building was erected. Sunday, Decem-
ber 14. 1902, tin- handsome edifice was dedi-
cated. It cosl $10,126. Today Davenport is
represented by the following congregation.-:
Baptist, German Lutheran, Catholic, Presby-
terian, Christian, First German M. V... Firsl M
E.. St. Luke'- Protestant Episcopal.
142
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
In December, 1903, the public schools of
Davenport had outgrown the then commodi-
ous school building'.
Davenport is a town in which much atten-
tion has been given to the planting of trees,
cultivating lawns, and otherwise beautifying
homes. The result of such commendable la-
bors is a beautiful transformation, and the many
examples thus set will, doubtless, be followed
by others who may succeed the present genera-
tion. The first impression of the visitor to
Davenport, and after a casual glance about, is
that it is a town of churches and schools, for in
every part of the town are to be seen those em-
blems of civilization. The churches are large
and are modern in style and appointment. The
high school building, constructed of white
pressed brick, is fhe largest and finest structure
in the county. Davenport is the educational
center of the Big Bend, and students come from
the surrounding country to attend the schools,
their graduates being accepted in all the higher
institutions of learning throughout the state.
There are two commodious meeting places for
public assemblages, the Auditorium and Arm-
ory hall. The Auditorium is equipped with the
necessary scenery to accommodate drama! ic en-
tertainments of all classes, and Armory hall
serves for general entertainments. Davenport
is the trade center for a vast territory, supply-
ing the country beyond the Columbia river, a
distance of over 30 miles. A large per cent of
the Cedar Canyon mines in Stevens county
finds its outlet through this city. There are
two banks in the town, about a dozen grocery
and general merchandise stores, two large ho-
tels, a number of smaller ones, besides an
equally large representation in other lines of
business. Five doctors and ten lawyers are en-
gaged in the practice of their professions.
CHAPTER V.
CITIES AND TOWNS— Continued.
CRESTOX.
One of the most eligibly located towns on
the line of the Central Washington railway is
Creston. It is situated at the foot of Brown's
Butte, a gently sloping hill, and a prominent
landmark in this locality. It is in the center of
what is known as the Brent's country, one of
the exceptionally rich farming sections of Lin-
coln county. The elevation is about 2,500 feet
above sea level. The distance west from Dav-
enport is 30 miles. It is surrounded by a wide
expanse of exceedingly fertile farming coun-
try. The population is about 450.
Of the country surrounding Creston it may
be said that it varies in a number of particu-
lars. There are rocky canyons and "scab"
lands; there is, also, a large area of farming
land that cannot be surpassed anywhere in the
western country. Especially is this true of
the Brent's country to the north and north-
west. The "lay of the land" is ideal for agri-
cultural purposes; the soil is deep and heavy
and not subject to frosts that occasionally in-
jure grain farther west; it retains mosture
much better than the lighter soil to the south.
Still, good homes, surrounded with an air of
prosperity are found even in the canyons and
"scab" lands. Creston is, annually, the shipping
point for from 300.000 to 400,000 bushels of.
grain, varying with different seasons. In 1902
Orchard Valley marketed at Creston 8,800
boxes of berries and fruits, realizing $70,090,
and this, too, at prices below the average of
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
143
other years, or over $222 per acre for the land
under cultivation.
Creston, so named because of its elevation,
being the highest point on the Central Wash-
ington railway came into existence with
the building of this road in 1889. The
townsite was railroad land. In the spring
of 1890 this townsite was platted by
H. S. Huson ; the instrument was filed June
23, 1890. The original structure was a store
building brought down from Sherman by
Henry Yerfurth. In it he opened a small store,
the first mercantile establishment in Creston.
Mr. Verfurth became, also, postmaster when
the government decided to establish an office
at this point. Nearly synchronous with the ar-
rival of Mr. Verfurth in the prospective town
came A. H. Hesseltine, who conducted a black-
smith shop, and Henry Mangus, the latter be-
coming proprietor of the second store. The
Lincoln County Times of May 2, 1890, stated
that Creston contained at that period a depot
building, a hotel, one or two other small struc-
tures — "and prospects of some day becoming
a good town." These "prospects" have been
amply fulfilled.
But there was scant prosperity the first five
years to encourage the new comer. The own-
ers of the townsite went into bankruptcy ; a
receiver was appointed. In the town proper
•the population was limited to five or six famil-
ies. Creston was up against a dead wall — at
a standstill. Her neighboring towns were ad-
vancing; some rapidly; others more slowly.
J. J. Dodd is one of the pioneers of Creston.
He settled there in 1893 and began the practice
of law. Not until 1897 did the town of Cres-
ton come to the front. It will be remembered
that this was the year of Lincoln county's
"bumper" wheat crop. Then she awakened
from a comatose condition new settlers flocked
into the immediate vicinity, and the village.
keeping pace with its industrial surroundings.
began to grow and thrive. The incoming of
settlers with some capital was akin to the stim-
ulant of rare old wine. Xew business firms
opened up new establishments. Messrs. Philip
Laber and Daniel Worby were important fac-
tors in building up the town during this pros-
perous year. Still, it is a strange, puzzling
reflection that Creston should have lain so
long dormant while other towns in the county
were forging to the front. But the progress
she has made since awakening from her cat-
aleptic condition possesses many element- of
surprise. As a dot on the map of the state of
■Washington Creston dates back to the time of
the founding of a number of other small towns
on the line of the Central Washington rail-
road. But as a town entitled to rank as im-
portant among the Big Bend communities it
has but few years of history behind it. Less
than four years covers the period of real ex-
pansion in Creston. Of course at its inception
the town possessed no hall and no secret so-
cieties, except perhaps one or two minor or-
ganizations in a moribund condition ; it had no
bank; no mill; no prescription drug store: no
furniture emporium — in fact its circle of busi-
ness was so incomplete that the trade it should
have supplied with all things needful was
compelled to seek other towns for many
of the necessaries of life, saying nothing
about the luxuries. And while in those "other
towns" the people, of course, purchased many
articles which might have been procured at
Creston had the assortment of goods been
large enough. And thus trade was driven
away solely through lack of a few important
lines of goods. The town had few substantial
dwellings; perhaps half a dozen telephones and
no rival lines. There was not a wind pump
or tank in the village for sprinkling a lawn or
fighting an incipient blaze; there was no news-
paper to advertise the town's existence to the
outside world.
And this doleful condition lingered for
years following the platting of Creston. Then
"a change came o'er the spirit" of Creston.
The Pu.^et Sound and Seattle Wheat Compan-
144
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
ies erected two large and substantial grain
ware houses in the fall of 1900. During the
succeeding few months Laber & Worby tripled
the capacity of their building and increased
their building and increased their stock accord-
ingly. Howie's, now Fox's dry goods store
was added to the business of the town. A
strong lodge of Odd Fellows was instituted.
A newspaper appeared on the scene. All things
considered there was a transformation of the
mise en scene most agreeable and surprising
to the inhabitants of Creston. And this sud-
den manifestation of a new spirit in the town
attracted a largely increased trade; stocks of
merchandise increased in volume and assort-
ment. The absolute necessity of a hall led to
the organization of the Creston Hall Associa-
tion, and the erection of a fine, commodious
auditorium at First and D streets. Before
this was completed the Creston State Bank was
organized and made ready for occupancy and
business. R. E. "Wright's new pharmacy, one
of the most elaborate in the Big Bend, was
opened beside the new bank. Meanwhile the
family of fraternities had been increased by
the birth of the Rebekah degree lodge, and
lodges of the W. O. W. and A. F. & A. M.
Then the mill proposition was taken up — a
$35,00 plant — the Creston Roller "Mills, was
completed. A large stock of furniture and un-
dertaking goods was opened, at present mer-
ged in the partnership stock of Foster & Coup-
er. Smith & Salter 'opened a new stock of
merchandise, the firm subsequently becoming
Dodd & Salter. They added a line of farm
machinery and implements. Two skilled
blacksmiths and machinists eliminated the ne-
cessity of traveling to \\ "ilbur or Davenport
for work in their line. A new barber shop, an-
other meat market, a jeweler's and general
repair shop and the head office of a mining-
company located in town. The telephone ser-
vice increased to nineteen in September, 1903,
and eighteen in the country. At heavy ex-
pense Creston enterprise constructed a wagon
road from the town 25 miles northward into
the rich mineral belt of the "South Half" of
Colville Indian reservation and established one
of the best ferries on the Columbia river.
The new movement in home building dot-
ted the town with cottages of the substantial,
comfortable order. Nearly all these were built
as homes for new comers to the, practically,
new town, and today rental property is alto-
gether too scarce. "Within two years the pop-
ulation of Creston doubled ; the increase being
of a most desirable class of people. One new
church was added in 1903, that of the Saints,
and a M. E. class (South) was organized.
These two, with the older organizations, Pres-
byterians and Baptists, gave the town that
year four religious congregations. And while
these marked improvements were taking place
within the city, the territory surrounding was
being settled by a well-to-do, hospitable and
wide-awake people, loyal to the town and
proud of the country they have developed from
the native bunch grass.
In retrospection go back to the days of
1889. Then was built the Central Washing-
ton railway. Creston was only a small trading-
point with a postoffice, the "jurisdiction" of
which extended from the Columbia river to the
railroad on the south, with a width of perhaps
ten miles east and west. Writing August 7.
1903, the editor of the Creston News said: .
"The growth of Creston for several years
was slow, but about two years ago a new im-
petus was given to it, since which time the de-
velopment has been rapid and substantial. The
population has doubled and at the election held
in April there were 102 persons entitled to vote
in the town. New residences have sprung up
in every quarter of the town and of a better
class, and a large amount of rebuilding and im-
proving has been done. New additions have
been platted and real estate values have appre-
ciated steadily."
The only fire of any importance in Creston
occurred February 4. 1902. It destroyed the
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
145
Sumerlin House, Dr. Lanter's office and the
plant of the Creston News. The losses were.
W. B. Sumerlin, house, $600, no insurance:
Dr. Lanter, $1,000, insurance, $800: D. F.
Peffly, $440, insurance, $300. Laber & Wor-
by's loss was small.
The town of Creston became known
throughout the length and breadth of the
country in August, 1902. as the home of the
men who captured Outlaw Harry Tracy. This
sensational event is treated in a previous chap-
ter of the "History of Lincoln County."
Initial steps toward incorporation of Cres-
ton were taken early in the year [903. A mass
meeting was held January 3d, and it was de-
cided to ask the county commissioners to call
an election for the purpose. To this petition
there were 82 signers out of a total of 96 legal
voters in the town at the time the petition was
circulated. To this petition the commissioners
acquiesced and the election was set for April
4, 1903. At this election 86 votes were cast,
incorporation carried by a vote of jj to 6.
The result of the election for city officials re-
sulted as follows: For mayor. A. E. Stookey,'
79; Councilmen : Patrick Kelly. j><; J. AT.
Dungan, 74; E. W. Watson, yy; Philip Laber,
j^, ; E. Zeigier, 74. Treasurer. F. A. Duncan,
78-
At the present writing there are five church
organizations in Creston, viz : Baptists, Pres
byterians, Catholic, Saints, and [Methodists.
With die exception of the Methodist- all have
church buildings. The fraternal societies are
represented by the Creston Lodge. No. [23, A.
I ; . eV V ,\|.; Creston Lodge. No. 174. 1. O. O.
K. : Creston Star No. 13'J. Rebekah; Creston
Lodge NTo. 371, YV. 0. VV.; Blizzard Circle
No. 44-'-. A . ( ). W.. and M. W. A.
April 20. 1004. Frank M. Spain, state or-
ganizer for the Retail Grocers' and General
Merchants' Association, completed the organ-
ization of a local branch of the Inland Retail
Dealer^' Association. The firms joining this
organization were: Laber & Worby, Jump
& brizzell. Newer & Kihlen. Hough & Glover,
VV. R. Foster, G. W. Sigler, C. I'. Jenne, Will-
iam Johnson and George B.- Rees Officers
elected were: President, T. F. Frizzellj vice
president, Philip Laber; secretary, E. J. Win-
ter; treasurer, ( i. W. Sigler.
One of the most promising and enterpris-
ing towns in the Big J '.end is Wilbur. It is
situated in an oblong basin with a small clear
creek running through the center of the town,
and abrupt, basaltic cliffs, not of very great
elevation, on the north and south. At one time
this spot was. evjdently, a lake: there is still,
marshy land on the east and west ends of the
basin, some distance from the townsite.
In Lincoln county there was no town west
of Davenport prior to the construction of the
Central Washington railroad. When this line
became a reality talk flowed voluminously of
other towns, villages and cities in the Big
Bend. "Wild Goose Bill's" place, thirty-eight
miles west of Davenport, was accorded a post-
office by the department at Washington, 1 >.
C, and given the name of Wilbur, the middle
name of Samuel Wilbur Condin (Wild Goose
Bill. ) It was then considered a likelv place
for a town and the future has not disputed the
judgment of the locators. It was on the
line from Davenport to the mines m the north-
ern part of the state, one day's drive from the
county seat. Therefore, in the spring of [888
Wilbur boasted of a hotel, two Stores, two i^e<\
stables, two blacksmith simps, a saloon and a
drug store. The pioneer merchants of Wilbur
were J. M. Parrish & Company. They opened
a general merchandise store in October.
January 1. [889, Wilbur contained but six
I houses, and was small and insignifi-
cant, indeed, compared with the town of a year
later. < hitside of a radius of thirty miles Wil-
bur had scarcely been heard of. Those who
made their home in the place at that time hoped
146
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
not without some doubt and secret misgivings,
to build up a town of modest proportions. That
within a few months it would assume the sub-
stantiality and prominence that it did was be-
yond their wildest expectations. In February,
1889, 'Wilbur had three general merchandise
stores, two hotels, one drug store, two feed
stables, two restaurants, one blacksmith and
one butcher shop, one carpenter shop, one sa-
loon, and quite a number of comfortable resi-
dences. The town had been platted in April,
1889, by Samuel Wilbur Condin, (Wild Goose
Bill.) In May of that year the building of a
railroad to Wilbur had become an assurred
fact. Surveyors were put to work establish-
ing a grade through the rocky canyon and
officials high in authority in the Central Wash-
ington Company announced, without reserva-
tion, that the road was coming to Wilbur.
Authenticity was given to this information by
the activity displayed by railroad officials in
securing interests in the Wilbur townsite.
Messrs. Huson, Riordan, Ashton and other
members of the Columbia Townsite & Invest-
ment Company, composed of parties of the
"inner circles" of the railroad company, vis-
ited Wilbur and had a conference with S. W.
Condin, owner of the Wilbur townsite, and
Rolland J. Reeves, who represented Mr. Con-
din. These townsite buyers came prepared to
entertain any proposition Mr. Condin might
have to offer in consideration of the railroad
locating a depot at Wilbur. Condin left it
entirely to the gentlemen to say what the new
1 lad desired. Their proposition was one-half
interest in the original townsite and the addi-
tion, as well as in the proceeds of sales made,
and a like interest in an unplatted eighty-acre
tract of deeded land adjoining, in consideration
of which the road would locate a depot on the
original townsite before the close of the year.
Mr. Condin asked for, and received time to
consider this proposition, and, being materially
aided by lot owners in the new town, conclu-
ded to accept the terms of the railroad men.
Thus the management of the Wilbur townsite
passed into the hands of a company of ener-
getic men who possessed ample capital and
vim with which to develop the resources of the
town.
The effect that the certainty of the railroad
coming into town was soon seen in the erection
of new buildings and the inauguration of new
business enterprises in Wilbur. We quote
from the Register of May 25th :
"Notwithstanding the fact that three large
saw mills in this vicinity are kept running at
their full capacity the supply of lumber avail-
able for immediate use is inadequate to meet
the demands of the many contractors and
builders now engaged in Wilbur. Five new
buildings have been completed within the past
week; six more are in course of construction
and lumber is being hauled on to the grounds
for several others. There is no doubting the
success of Wilbur. A grand and glorious fu-
ture is already secure."
C. E. Huson, a brother of the railroad
engineer, soon afterwards arrived in Wilbur,
and assumed control of the townsite business
for the company.
The first incorporation of Wilbur was on
March 25, 1889. This incorporation was in
accordance with the Territorial law which
provided for incorporation of towns by order
of the district court. The district court of the
Fourth Judicial District, sitting at Sprague,
issued a decree incorporating Wilbur and nam-
ing municipal officers. The officials appointed
entered upon the discharge of their duties and
the town was under municipal government un-
til a decision of the supreme court declared all
such incorporations void. This was after the
admission of Washington as a State. Numer-
ous other towns throughout the state aside
from Wilbur were thrown out by this sweep-
ing decision. Nothing discouraged, however,
the citizens went immediately to work to se-
cure a lawful incorporation.
June 1, 1889, we find in Wilbur business
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
147
houses as follows : Two hotels, one bakery,
two saloons, one drug store, four physicians,
one restaurant, one newspaper, one feed stable,
one barber shop, one meat market, one livery
stable, one millinery store, one furniture store,
one lawyer, two carpenter shops, three black-
smith shops, one real estate and loan agency,
one harness store, one land, loan and insurance
agency, and three general merchandise stores,
well stocked. There were "boom" times in
February and March, 1889. Real estate own-
ers and agents were jubilant. Although forty
acres of ground had been platted the previous
fall Wilbur first sprung into prominence early
this year. June 7th the Register said :
"The boom has struck Wilbur. A class of
enterprising, rustling young men came here in
the months of February and March joining
the few others already located. A dozen build-
ings were all that could be counted on the
townsite of forty acres. Invigorated by the
breezes of spring, with all hands joined, those
having the destiny of Wilbur in their keeping
went conscientiously to work to carry out a
glorious future for their foundling. When it
was announced that the Central Washington
surveyors were in the field our people were up
and stirring. Nothing was left undone to se-
cure the entrance of that road to Wilbur. When
the officials of the company visited the town
to definitely decide the matter they were met
by a liberal spirit by the townsite proprietor,
Condin, and the people of Wilbur. The result
is before you."
The following summer of 1889 was one of
great activity. The ring of the hammer and
the hum of the saw were heard throughout
the length and breadth of the townsite. June
7th the Register editorially remarked :
"hi scarcely three months the half dozen
structures have increased until the numerous
and substantial buildings in Wilbur p
the dimensions of a large village. The Volum-
inous stocks of goods and the characters of her
business men s:ive satisfactory assurance to the
stranger that Wilbur already is a business
city."
The result of this activity on the real es-
tate market was marvellous. Cautious and ex-
perienced dealers swarmed into Wilbur and an
excellent class of business men with capital
came to the new town and expressed a deter-
mination to invest and settle. Town property
was immediately in great demand and as this
became daily more and more scarce, prices ad-
vanced until lots that a couple of months earl-
ier could have been purchased for $150 could
not be bought on June 1st for $1,000. Speak-
ing of the rapid rise in town lots during the
space of one week the Register said : "They
started in at $450 per lot last Saturday, ad-
vanced to $650 Tuesday, and as we go to press,
(Friday) for a fifty-foot lot on Main street
$800 is refused. Lots on Railroad avenue,
Cole, Knox and Ann streets have experienced
an advance of about 400 per cent, on their
price two months ago." -
Although Wilbur's hotel accommodations
at this time were by no means meagre, the rush
to the new town was such that they proved in-
sufficient. No pretentious buildings were
erected by townsite speculators and "boomers"
for the purpose of unloading property, to re-
main forever empty, useless monuments of
false pretense, but day by day and week by
week during the summer and fall of 1889, the
growth and development of Wilbur went stead-
ily on. In company with every town which
comes into existence with the building of a
railroad, Wilbur, for a few months, suffered
from the "tough" clement. The great army
of "grafters" and disreputable people who re
drawn to such towns like the magnet to the
pole, were in Wilbur, and made their pi
eeably felt. But subsequently there was
a sitting out of these characters by the law
pie, and they gradually passed away
to more congenial fields.
October 1st the roadbed had been com-
pleted; the track was laid into Wilbur, an
148
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
event of the utmost importance in the history
of this town. And the arrival of the rail mad
was the signal for renewed activity in build-
ing operations. "The railroad has reached Wil-
bur*' was the talismanic word that brought new
enterprises to the town. From far and near
throughout the Big Bend country attention
was attracted to "Wilbur on the plains." Al-
though the arrival of the road had been thor-
oughly discounted by anticipation, the most
sanguine little thought that it would cause the
stir and bustle that it did. A bank was or-
ganized, a mill started, a stage line was estab-
lished to the Okanogan mining country, a new
hotel was built and new enterprises by the score
were placed on foot. Only the scarcity of lum-
ber retarded building operations, but despite
this fact most gratifying progress was made.
In December, 1888, the towns of Wilbur
and Almira were "unknown, unhonored and
unsung." They came into existence within a
few mouths subsequently, however, and thev
are entirely worthy of the great, goaheaditive
west. Of course the construction of the Cen-
tral Washington road was the raison d' etre
of their being, and the initial point of their ca-
reers. Wilbur, especially, has grown with re-
markable rapidity. But they are both flourish-
ing towns of Lincoln county and both places
contain many large business establishments,
lively populations and most excellent prospects
of continued prosperity. Wilbur's first board
of trade was organized Saturday. January 25,
1890. On the list of members some forty
names were enrolled. Great interest was man-
ifested by the organization in the advancement
.of the town along industrial and commercial
lines. The officers of the board were: D.
Fitch, president; H. A. Johnson, vice presi-
dent; G. N. Portman. treasurer; E. F. Benson,
secretary: P. D. Oliphant. assistant secretary.
It is alleged that, while many acknowledged
the beneficent influence of the new board, half
the work d> me by it was not credited to it. Still
here are some of the actualities which it ac-
complished : It imparted a life-giving impetus
to the Storage & Forwarding Company (In-
corporated) which erected a commodious store
house near the depot; it had printed and dis-
tributed thousands of papers and circulars that
were the means of attracting considerable at-
tention, capital and some immigration to the
place; it was through their untiring efforts
that the Columbia River Milling Company was
induced to locate in Wilbur, and this in itself
shows more to its credit than any accomplish-
ment of any other similar organization in east-
ern Washington.
By the spring of 1890 Wilbur had grown
to a town of no little importance in the Big-
Bend country. Since the advent of the railroad
'its growth had been considerable and in the
amount of business done ranked well up with
the other towns along the line. Let us go back
to Monday, April 28th, and visit this town in
company with that bright newspaper man,
Frank M. Dallam. This is how Wilbur ap-
peared to him at that time :
"A great change has taken place in Wil
bur during the past two years. Just two years
ago, while on the way to the mines, we rode
down the hill into 'Wild Goose Bill's' ranch,
as it was then generally known. About three
or four houses of very primitive design occu-
pied the flat. It was an oasis to us then, for
we were weary of pounding a saddle for two
days and glad to see any kind of a shelter. We
were not prepared to see the change that has
been wrought within so short a time, the
of the advent of a railroad. A person secures a
fine view > if the place coming in from the east, as
looking directly down upon the town, the
whole place can lie taken in at a glance. Wil-
bur presents a very attractive appearance from
the cars. It is concentrated, as it could not
very well otherwise be, ami from a distance
looks compactly built. The newness of the
buildings has not had time to wear off, and one
understands at once that the town is the crea-
tion of a few months. Having half an hour's
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
149
leisure, the result of traveling on an extra
freight, we sauntered over the business portion
of the town. A nearer inspection shows many
gaps to fill in to make the streets solidly built
up, but the people are hopeful and 'there is no
g 1 reason why a much larger growth is not
possible. The town 'is laid out uniformly with
g 1. wide streets. A spasmodic effort has
been made to put down sidewalks, but some
of the property owners faltered in the good
work. .Most of the business buildings are
large and creditable structures, and show that
the owners have every confidence in the place,
or they would not put so much money in per-
manent improvements. The stores, of which
every branch of trade is represented from the
bank to the huckster shop, carry large stocks,
and from what we could learn are doing a
gi 11 id business. Like other towns along the line
Wilbur is feeling the influence of hard times
and very little building is now in progress.
However, we believe this is only temporary
and before fall we expect the place will enjoy
a considerably increased growth. A large
amount of freight is shipped from here to the
mines, which is a great advantage to the
town."
Wilbur had a serious time in securing in-
corporation. We have seen how the first act
of incorporation was thrown out by action of
the supreme court when the Territory joined
the sisterhood of states. There were other dis-
appointments in store for the ambitious town.
A petition for the re-incorporation of Wilbur
was presented to the board of county commis-
sioners in the spring ,,f [890. It was signed
by ninety-eight legalized voters. The peti-
tioners claimed that there was at that time a
population of 350. The following was
upon the record of the commissioners:
In the matter of the petition for the incorporation
of the town of Wilbur, the prayer of the petition was
granted, and the b mndai ie
tion fixed on the following lim ' ' immencing
at the northeast corner of the south west quarter of
section 8, township 26, north of range 33, E. \V. M. ;
running thence liwesl corner
luthwest quarter, thence south one-quarter milt-
to the northeast comer of th quarter of the
southeast quarter of section 7. township and
aforesaid. I one-half mile to the northwest
corner of southwest quarter of southeast quarter of said
s'ection 7 ; them to thi north-
east corner of the southwest quarter of said secti 7
. est > 4 mile to the m n I Irw t 1 >rner of northeast
quarter of southwest quarter of said section 7; thence
south one mill ithwesi corner of southeast quarter
of northwest quartet 1 t8, said town and
range: thence east three-quarters of a mile to the
southeast corner of northea q id - ction 18;
thence north one-halt utile to northeast corner said
s'ection 18; thence east one-half mile to southeast corner
of southwest quarter of section 8; thence north one-
half mile to place of beginning.
The number of inhabitants in said described bound-
aries arc found to be 350, and the board hereby orders
and appoints the following election officers: John
Thomson, inspector; R. D Reardan, Dell Hart, judges.
A mass meeting of voters was held to nom-
inate candidates for town officers to be voted
for at the time of the incorporation election.
It was decided to place two tickets in the field
by the same o inventii m. And these candidates
were named: Mayor, Dr. J. P. Tamiesie.
John Thomson; Treasurer. John Thomson, II.
A. Johnson; Councilmen, 11. A. Johnson, J.
M. Parrish. P. Lyse, A. II. Maddock, M. E.
Hay, J. H. Robertson. S. Britton, W. H. Coch-
rane. D. R. Cole and P. D. Oliphant. The
election was held Saturday. May 24th. The
result was a unanimous vote for incorporation.
The vote, however, was light, many of the citi-
zens being engaged on contract work away
from home, principal^ at Coulee City. Inter-
est was added to this election by the number
of tickets in the field, as well as by the attempt
of certain non-residents to cast ballots. The
following vote was cast: For incorporation,
02 : against incorporation, o. For mayor. A.
II. Maddock, 37; Dr. J. P. Tamiesie, 33. For
treasurer. ( i. < '•. Stambaugh, 55. For coun-
cilmen: J. M. Parrish, 69; P. Lyse, 66; W.
II. \. Johns m, 58 : S. Brit-
ton, 42.
But still incorporation was not a fact. The
i5o
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
following excerpt from the proceedings of the
county commissioners explains the condition :
The board proceeded to canvass the election returns
of the town of Wilbur for incorporation, and being well
advised in the premises, ordered the same laid over
for future consideration, assigning the following reason,
to-wit : The board of county commissioners of Lincoln
county, Washington, make this statement of their rea-
sons for declining to issue an order incorporating the
town of Wilbur, though the vote of the citizens of the
proposed town was unanimously in favor of such in-
corporation. When the board met on the first Monday
after the election, viz : May 26, 1890, it appeared that
an error had been made in the election notices, in
this; that the notices included in the boundaries of the
proposed town territory that w-as outside of, and not in-
cluded in the boundaries of said town as prayed for in
the petition for incorporation ; wherefore the board
concluded that this error was fatal to a legal incor-
poration of the town of Wilbur, and for this reason
alone declined to issue the order for its incorporation.
This ukase of the board of county commis-
sioners was met by energetic counter action.
An appeal for relief was at once made to the
superior court, with the result that the follow-
ing mandate to correct the notices of election
was issued :
"State of Washington, in the Superior Court
of Lincoln County, holding terms at Spra-
gue: Wallace Mount, Judge:
"In the matter of the incorporation of the
town of Wilbur. Order to correct an omis-
sion in the election returns. It appearing upon
affidavit of A. H. Maddock in the matter of
the incorporation of the town of Wilbur that
an error had been made in the publication of
the names and that the official ballots were not
prepared, the board of county commissioners
are hereby required to correct such error, or
show cause why the same should not be cor-
rected at my chambers on the 5th day of Au-
gust, 1890, at ten o'clock in the morning.
Dated this August 4th, 1890."
The same day the board made the correct-
ion and the town was duly incorporated as a
town of the fourth class. The following were
declared elected the first officers of the town :
A. H. Maddock, mayor; G. G. Stambaugh,
treasurer; Peter Lyse, W. H. Cochrane, S.
Britton, and W. H. Gardner councilmen. Ar-
ticles of incorporation were filed with the sec-
retary of state at Olympia, August 11, 1890,
thus giving the town of Wilbur the privilege
of enjoying municipal government once mure.
According to the United States census of
1890 Wilbur was accorded a population of
405, and it therefore ranked as third in size
in the county of Lincoln. There were quite
times in Wilbur during the year 1891. The
season was not marked by the marvelous
growth that had distinguished it the previous
year. This does not mean that it retrograded,
but the "boom" times were over and the town
was solidifying to a firmer basis. Several pro-
posed routes of the oncoming Great Northern
railroad were lively topics of discussion during
the greater portion of this year. Wilbur wanted
this road, and for a period it seemed as if she
would surely secure a competing line, and thus
become an important junction. But the Crab
Creek route was finally selected and Wilbur
was compelled to content herself with the Cen-
tral Washington spur of the Northern Pacific.
Wilbur's first disastrous fire occurred early
Sunday morning, October 4, 1891. In addi-
tion to an extensive property loss three persons
were destroyed in the flames and a fourth was
fatally burned. The fire broke out in the build-
ing of Daniel Wagner, on the corner of Main
and Knoz streets, at two o'clock in the morning,
consuming that building, Lyse Brothers' but-
cher shop, and G. M. Wilson & Company's
drug store. The fire originated from the ex-
plosion of a lamp that had been left burning
owing- to the sickness of one of the Wagner
children. The flames spread rapidly and had
gained considerable headway before the dan-
ger was discovered. Misses Caroline and Win-
nie Wagner, in whose room the fire started,
and with whom the sick child was sleeping.
were awakened by the smoke and flames. They
immediately 2'ave the alarm cries of "fire;"''
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
pistol shots brought out the town ; the work
of rescue and saving property began.
The family of Mr. Wagner, comprising
eleven persons, together with an adopted son,
Gustaf Hannss, and the cook, C. Walker, oc-
cupied the upper story of the building, and all
had narrow escapes. Three of the children.
Hannss and Walker, escaped by the rear stairs,
and Mr. Wagner and four children found safe-
ty in jumping from the windows. Mrs. Wag-
ner ran down stairs after a pail of water. Re-
turning she entered the room where the fire
originated, believing the children were still
there. The building by this time was wrapped
in flames ; she was overcome by the heat and
smoke and was burned to death. Little Annie,
ten years old, started out by the Hallway, but
got only as far as the outside door, where she
perished. In the meantime Mr. Wagner heard
the cries of Robert, six years old, in the same
n 10m from which he had escaped ; he returned
and rescued the boy by dropping him out of the
window into the arms of J. H. Robertson, re-
ceiving a severe scorching about the head while
so doing. The child had inhaled the deadly
flame, however, and died the following day.
There was still another child, Charlie, four
years old in the room, but so intense was the
heat that a rescue was impossible. Mr. Wag-
ner then quitted the building- only to learn that
his wife had perished, and the scene was touch-
ing and heart-rending.
Friends gladly cared for the homeless and
motherless children. The horrible event' cast
a gloom over the surrounding country, for Mr.
Wagner and his family were pioneers and
among the most respected people in the coun-
ty. Rapidly spread the flames and soon caught
the Lyse Brothers' butcher shop, the building
adjoining on the west, and thence on to the
next building. G. M. Wilson & Company's
drug store. Men and women worked hard to
save the stock in this store, hut the heat soon
became unbearable and only a -mall amount
was saved. The small warehouse between the
drug store and J. M. Parrish & Company's
building was torn down, which probably, saved
that store. As it was it was only after hard
work and the use of plenty of water, sail and
wel blankets that the flames were kept from
bursting out of the side exposed to the heat.
It was the same with the Yount building across
the street on the east, occupied by B. W. Fel-
der. jeweler, and Dr. [!. 11. Yount. as an office.
Wet blankets and water were freely used and
this building was saved. J. II. Robertson's
blacksmith shop was badly scorched, but was
saved from destruction. The Big I lend sa-
loon began to smoke during the hottest part of
the fire, but willing hands came to its rescue.
Had either of these buildings caught fire it is
highly probable that the entire business part
of the town would have been destroyed. There.
doubtless, never was a fire under more favor-
able atmospheric conditii ins. There was n< >t the
faintest sign of a breeze other than that caused.
by the roaring flames; had there been no one
could tell the extent of the damage which
would have resulted. The heat arising from
the burning buildings carried shingles and
cinders high in the air, depositing them almost
a mile south and wesl of town. There was no
fire organization of any description; merely
blankets and small garden hose attached to
pumps. The losses in property were about as
foil, >w ■> :
Daniel Wagner, building, $4,000. no in-
surance: Lyse Brothers' butcher shop, and ii\-
tures, $1,200, insurance, $400; (1. W. Wilson
& Company's drug store, building and stock.
$7,000. insurance. Sj.ioo.
During the "hard times" of 18(13 , " ^96
Wilbur suffered with the rest of the country at
that trying period. The harvesting of the
bountiful crop of [897 marked the end of this
depression in Wilbur. During the fall of 1807
there were marketed at Wilbur 36S.OOO bush-
el- of wheat. This grain placed in circulation
something like a quarter of a million of dol-
lars, cash. In the summer of 1890 a wagon
152
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
road was constructed between Wilbur anil the
flourishing- mining camp of Republic, now in
Ferry county. This road was built by the
state, an appropriation of $8,000 having been
made by the legislature for that purpose. The
building of this public highway, it was thought
would result in much good to the town. Re-
public, at that time, was as lively a mining
camp as ever existed in the state of Washing-
ton. There was no railroad, and only a round-
about wagon road to the camp. By the build-
ing of this road from Wilbur the trade of the
two or three thousand people who rushed into
the new "diggings," was to be thrown to the
new Lincoln county town. But the road was
in poor condition, and at different times the
people of Wilbur raised by popular subscrip-
tion $2,000 with which to repair it. And by
the time the road was in fair condition, and the
energetic business men were about to reap the
reward of their activity, two railroads were
built into Republic and the expected benefit
to Wilbur did not materialize.
The disastrous fire of 1901 is thus describee
by the Wilbur Register of July 12th:
Wilbur's record of fires would fill. a good sized book,
and in one instance tbree lives were lost. But no fire
of the past would compare in property loss with the one
which visited our little city last Friday evening (July
5, 1901). Just about two minutes after the mill whistle
blew for 6 o'clock p. m., the alarm of fire was shouted
in the street. Men ran with buckets from all parts of
town to the big store of M. E. & E. T. Hay. from which
smoke was already issuing. In some unaccountable
manner fire had started in the basement and two or
three of the clerks who had rushed down stairs had just
time to locate it in the dry goods department, which was
partitioned off at the southwest corner of the building.
Those who reached the basement were driven out by
dense smoke before they could gain the seat of the
conflagration, though Mrs. M. E. Hay and those con-
nected with the store declare that they had been within
that room not more than ten or fifteen minutes before
the fire, and had not noticed even the slightest odor
of smoke. I'll ere was a large tank full of water on a
high tower at the rear of the store, and two or three
lines of hose were quickly attached to the pipes leading
therefrom. " Hut by that time no living being could
approach near enough the seat of fire to reach it effect-
'li tlie ^mall hose. Indeed, only a few minutes
had elapsed until every occupant had been driven
to the street by the suffocating smoke and flames which
so rapidly followed. The open stairway at the rear
of the grocery department, near the middle of the build-
ing, acted as a chimney to the seething furnace in the
basement, and it was only a few moments until the
whole interior of the building was wrapped in flames.
So rapid and fierce was the work of destruction that
nothing was saved from all the big stock except a few
vehicles from the implement department, although but
a slight breeze was stirring from the southwest. It
was voon apparent that with nothing at hand to fight
tire but buckets the whole north side of Main street
was in jeopardy, and with the wind gradually rising
as the fire increased in heat and power the danger was
imminent.
Everyone owning personal property in the threat-
ened district began moving in a hurry. The streets were
soon filled with a throng of scurring humanity and all
kinds of personal effects were' tumbled out and moved
by short stages beyond the zone of fire. It was only
a short time after the flames broke out until the entire
block on the north side of Main street, facing the big
store, was. also, in flames, and a little later all else
in the block was being consumed with the exception
of Robertson's dwelling. Just as a number of other
buildings oposite of the north and east of that block
were beginning to burn the wind veered sud-
denly from the southwest to the northeast, and in ten
minutes more fully one-fourth of the town was saved,
after having been given up as lost. J. H. Robertson's
dwelling and Dr. Starr's big hall could not have with-
stood the fire more than five minutes longer, and Lewis' ■
saloon and the Register office could not have held out
longer than ten minutes. All the glass in the front
of the latter building was cracked in various directions
by the heat. On the west side of the fire the bank
and Parrish's store were protected by wet blankets
over the big windows, and the buildings, being of brick
no damage was done except the checking of one big
glass in the bank building. The old Keller building
which stands against the west wall of the Hay store,
was saved only by vigorous work. The flames lapped
around the front of the wall and fired the wooden
structure, which was saved only by the tearing off of
boards from the corner and all along the top. Fol-
lowing the change of wind came a new ganger. The
lumber yards of the Hays' was situated just across the
alley south of the store, containing, possibly, a million
feet of lumber, and the tank tower and lumber at the
northeast corner were already on fire, just where the
reversed wind could exert the greatest force in fanning
the flames. About that time the authorities decided that
the Chism building at the opposite end of the alley con-
stituted a menace to the yard and the southern portion
of town, and it was thrown to the ground with a
charge of ten pounds of giant powder. The next thing
was to save the lumber, for if that could not be done
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
153
a large portion of the town to the south and west was
surely doomed. Finally the big tank im the
tower and fell to the ground, but fire was still raging in
the tower and piles of cedar posts and stacks of lumber.
Already a bucket line had been formed which was
passing water from the creek near by, and hose at-
tached to a pump on a stationary engine was
utilized by the efforts of a half dozen l<> a dozen men
working the pump. Soon the braces of the tower had
burned asunder and the timbers came crashing down
among the men and across the piles of lumber. A man
named John McHale was struck by the falling timbers
and severely, though not fatally, hurt.
By this time the fire in the lumber became so 5«rious
that two or three dozen ladies who were anxious spec
tators, volunteered their services for the bucket brigade
and the line was extended right into the lire ami smoke,
the ladies passing the empty buckets back, while the men
passed them forward filled with water. Many a tired
man echoed the sentiment "God bless the ladies," and.
indeed, they furnished the balance of power necessary
to control that tire. Merchants and men of all occu-
pations came from Creston, Almira and the adjoining
country and worked manfully until all danger was past.
About ten o'clock another stream was turned on from
a hose attached to a pipe line that had been laid from
the mill, and from that time on it was only a matter of
extinguishing the fire that was confined to the bottom of
two or three big lumber piles'. About midnight the
bucket line was disbanded and the ladies went home,
but the lire was not entirely' subdued until four o'clock
Saturday morning. Several persons were slightly in-
. jured and H. G. Coonse, of Hesseltine. received quite a
shaking up by falling from Dr. Starr's building, al-
though he was' able to go home on Saturday morning.
It was not dreamed that a single life had been lost
until about one o'clock p. m., Saturday, when a casual
sightseer passed among the ruins, and noticed a human
skull in the vault of a closet which had stood in the rear
of Carpenter's saloon. That discovery created wild ex-
citement for a time, and an examination made it evi-
dent that someone had perished there, though th< n
but a small mass of bones and charred flesh remaining.
Inquiry soon developed the fact that a man named Jack
Madigan, known among his associates as "Coyote Jack.''
had been about the saloon in the afternoon of Friday,
but had not been seen nor heard of since. Me \\a^ at
\lmira on the Fourth of July, where lie was drinking
pretty freely, and his acquaintances say that he was
always sleeping after a spree. where
and at any time. He came over with - >me Wilbur
boys, arriving just before noon on Friday, bill bad quit
drinking though not yet quite himself.
The total loss reaches somewhere in the 11.
hood of $155,000, of which amount M. E. & E. T. Hay
'estimate their los, at $135,000. J II. Roberts >u. black-
smith shop and a detached building containi
amount of bard wood, $3,500; \ B Walker, barber
ter, 1 lotel Wil-
bur and furniture and Vestibule saloon, $7,000: Finne-
gan & Peterson, Hermitagi ock, $4,500: M.
000; \ h t ole, livery barn, $1,500; 1
son. hoi: j j n Hotel Wilbur.
$600. To offset till th ed $7,000
on building and stock, besides a sepi rati policy to cover
all damage to lumber; J. II. Robertson, no insurance;
A. B. Walker, $600 ; C. M. Carpenter, $4,500 ; Hermitage,
$1,500; 1 1; Cole, no insurance; Pederson,
$300.
The energetic character of the citizens of
Wilbur was prominently displayed following
the disastrous blaze. New buildings at once
took the place of those destroyed. In the
spring of 1903 a system of water works was
established in Wilbur at a cost of $12,000. In
October of the same year an elaborate lighting
system was installed by the Wilbur Electrical
Company. The churches of Wilbur are rep-
resented by the Presbyterians, Baptists, M. E..
and M. E. South. Catholics, Evangelical Luth-
eran and German Lutheran. Of fraternal so-
cieties there are many, including Tuscan
Lodge No. 81, A. F. & A. M., Tuscan Chapter
No. 64, O. E. S., Wilbur Lodge No. in, K.
P., Wilbur Lodge, No. 74. A. 0. U. \\\. R. L.
McCook Post No. 39, G. A. R.. Wilbur Camp
No. 415, W. O. W.. Columbia Tent Xo. 65,
K. O. T. M., Big Bend Lodge No. 161, I. O.
O. F., Danish Brotherhood, Charity Lodge I.
O. G. T.. M. W. A.. Loyal Americans. El Mo-
dello Rebekah Xo. 130. 1. ( ). O. 1\. and But-
tercup Circle Women of Woodcraft.
The land upon which is located the town of
Almira was pre-empted in the 80' s by C. C.
Davis, several years before the construction of
the Central Washington railroad. Here Mr.
Davis erected a building and carried a small
stock >if mixed merchandise for the accommo-
dation of the few settlers then in the vicinity.
( ionsequently Mr. Davis is entitled to the rank
as the pioneer merchant of Almira.
154
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
One of the events pregnant with import-
ance in the history of a town is its christening.
Messrs. Odgers and Reed had completed ar-
rangements with Davis for the purchase of a
part of his interests and, also, for the estab-
lishment of a town. But the name had been
left open for suggestion. Xo decision was
reached until Mrs. Almira Davis, wife of the
original owner of the land, was in the act of
signing her name to the deed. The two gen-
tlemen purchasers had not before known Mrs.
Davis' given name, and it appearing a pretty
and euphonious cognomen to those interested
in the prospective town, one of them collo-
quially observed :
"What's the matter with calling the town
Almira?"
Nothing whatever appeared to the "mat-
ter," and thus it was unanimously christened.
Previously the farm had been known as "Dav-
isine." July 26, 1889. the Wilbur Register
said : "That place may make a town in the
future. There is considerable vacant land for
it to grow on. If you desire to learn of the
'glorious future' in store for the town, just
confer with 'Tom' Hodges, the resident town-
site agent. He never tires of reciting it."
It having become a settled and authentic
conclusion that a railroad would pass in the
immediate vicinity of the Davis ranch, a town-
site was laid out and platted, and everything
prepared for the building up of the town of
Almira. The status of the place on August 2,
1889, as told by the townsite owners in an ad-
vertisement in the Wilbur Register is as fol-
lows :
"Almira is the new townsite. fifteen miles
west of Wilbur, and it will be the terminus of
the Central "Washington railroad. It is sur-
rounded by magnificent agricultural and stock-
raising lands, and will be the commercial cen-
ter for a radius of thirty miles and railroad
freighting terminal for the far west. Almira
lias excellent openings for all classes of
business and business men seeking loca-
tions should by all means visit Almira.
There is an abundance of good water
to be had at the depth of from 15 to 30
feet. Town property placed on the market
less than a week ago has alread\' experienced
an advance and desirable locations are being
rapidly sold and are now in the hands of sec-
ond parties. Builders and contractors are al-
ready there in large numbers erecting business
blocks for parties who stake their faith in the
future of the town and have determined to
locate and enter business at Almira. Real
estate investors are offered a golden oppor-
tunity in Almira town property."
Six weeks after the platting of the town
it was conservatively estimated that there were
$15,000 worth of improvements. Among the
first business men in the new town were Odgers
& Reed, townsite owners, Joseph Simeno, Perry
Barker, Tony Richardson, E. Grutt & Com-
pany. G. N. Watson. F. Irwin, John Hartline,
Frank Lingie, Robert Strutt, Skee & Walford,
J. C. Keller and C. C. Davis. The Central
Washington railroad reached .Almira in ine fall
of 1889 and the place opened up with bright
prospects. But cold weather came, accompan-
ied by snow as building operations were com-
menced, and nipped its ambition in the bud.
Had the road reached this point a few months
earlier, Almira would, doubtless, have been
a good-sized town by the time winter set in.
A*s it was it did not assume metropolitan ap-
pearances that fall. It became a typical rail-
road town. It was known that the road was
to be extended westward the following sum-
mer, and the buildings erected in the main were
of a temporary character, the absence of paint
being a striking feature, yet adding somewhat
to the picturesqueness of the village. Until the
road was completed to the Grand Coulee Al-
mira remained the terminus. All trains ran to
this point, connections by stage being made to
points westward. These facts made me town
furiously active, but it was treely predicted that'
the construction of the road to the Coulee would
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
'55
prove a death-knell to the hopes of Almira.
But such was not the result. More buildings
were erected in the spring- of 1890, and there
were quite a number of people transacting busi-
ness in the new town. Among other enter-
prises was a mercantile establishment owned by
Barker & Madden, a newspaper published by
Harry Hubler, and a hospital in charge of Dr.
L. M. Willard. James Odgers, one of the
owners of the townsite, was a busy man in Al-
mira during this transition period, disposing of
ti iwn lots.
The location of Almira was on the m irth-
east cpiarter of section 32, township 26, north
range 31 east, fifteen miles west of Wilbur, and
commanding one of the finest agricultural belts
of the Big Bend country. Paradise Valley, on
the west ; Wilsoncreek, Douglas county, on the
southwest; Voorhees, Lincoln and the Califor-
nia settlements on the north and northwest. It'
was the nearest railway point to Waterville,
Lake Chelan and the Okanogan country ; the
natural keystone of supply. This was in Sep-
tember, 1889. So fast as material could be
secured substantial buildings were erected of
which the following were in existence on the
ab >ve date: ■
J. C. Keller, of Hesseltine. general mer-
chandise, 26x60, two stories; Watson & Irwin,
general merchandise, 22x56, two stories ; Tony
Richardson, store, 20x42 ; Barker & Madden,
saloon, 16x60; Joseph Simons, butcher shop,
and residence, 20x36, two stories; Reed & Od-
gers, one story building. 18x36, used for a
printing office and store; Robert Strutt's black-
smith shop, 26x40. A Mr. Jennings, of Wil-
bur, was preparing plans and specifications for
a hotel on a large scale. Hartline & Tingle's
hardware store was just completed. Watson
& Irwin had a commodious livery barn and
corral in course of construction, together with
a fair stock of rough lumber. Twenty thou-
sand dollars' worth of real estate had recently
changed hands. In 1890 the population of A!
mint was 15''. In November of that year Al-
mira became a town in the prohibition class.
I he last saloon had closed its doors; the active
prohibitionists had said that it "must g
Almira was. temporarily, the only town in the
great Big Bend country without a saloon.
Sunday. January 3, [892, Almira was
ited by a tire which burned out several of the
principal business houses of the town. Hart-
line & Lingle. hardware merchants, sustained
a loss of $5,000, covered by $2,500 insurance.
This lire is supposed to have originated from
a lamp that had been left burning in the store.
From this building the flames rapidly spread \<>
the adjoining general merchandise store of J.
W. & E. E. Hartline. and in a short time only
heaps of smouldering ashes remained to tell the
tale. The loss of the latter firm was $5,000
covered by $3,000 insurance. D. C. Johnson
lost a building valued at Si. 000 upon which
there was no insurance.
Four years later, January 17. 1896, three
people lost their lives in a fire at Almira: John
Lewis, aged 16; Henry Lewis, aged 11. and
William Taylor, aged 21. The Lewis boys,
whose parents had separated some years before
and left Almira. were living alone in a small
shack in the town. The Taylor boy was
ing the night with them. Efforts to save these
young men were unavailing, and when the em-
bers had cooled their charred remains were
found.
In February, 1903, the Almira Outlook
editorially said ;
"'Three years ago 1 beginning of 1900), the
town of Almira was. practically, at a stand-
still. At that period it had. perhaps, one hun-
dred inhabitants. Many of the buildings were
beginning to look old and worn. A small
amount of business was done compared with
what is now transacted. Nearly three-fourths
of the townsite was not on the market, most of
it having against it delinquent taxes of from
six to ten year- standing. The remainder was
not considered as valuable, but was held by
parties from outside whose prices were n
LS6
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
tractive to purchasers. To all this, soon after,
was added a rumor that the title to the first
mentioned property was not clear, it being said
that competent authority had made a report to
that effect. This, however, proved to be erron-
eous."
During the years 1900 and 1901 Almira
took on a new life. Fresh enterprises were
inaugurated in the town, the population in-
creased, and from a country village it began
to merge into a prosperous town. The Big
Bend Outlook of January 17, 1902, said:
"Almira is still growing. If you don't be-
lieve it, come and see for yourself. During
the past twenty months activity in building has
scarcely diminished at any one time. There
has been no sudden impetus, no 'mushroom
growth," in a single night, a day, or even six
months, but there has been a steady increase.
With the exception of a short period last win-
ter, from one to six buildings have been in prog-
ress of construction during all seasons of the
year."
In April, 1902, the assessor's population
was given as 289. This included only resi-
dents on the platted townsite.
The first steps toward incorporating Al-
mira were taken Monday, April 30, 1903. A
mass meeting was called to discuss the matter.
About sixty residents were present and the sub-
ject was warmly debated by nearly all of the
leading citizens. There was manifested to the
enterprise some opposition. A vote was taken,
and at that time only five present registered
themselves as opposed to the proposition. Then
it was decided to circulate a petition asking
permission of the county commissioners to vote
on the question. Saturday, May 23d, was
named as the date for holding the special elec-
tion. To the petition there were 67 signers.
The special election was held on the day named
by the commissioners. There were cast a total
of 85 votes, of which 43 were against the meas-
ure, and only 39 in favor of incorporation. Had
the majority been the other way the officers
chosen would have been as the vote shows be-
low. Two tickets were in the field, the "Citi-
zens," and the "Peoples."
For Mayor — J. C. Johnson, C, 65 ; D. W.
Potter. P., 20.
For Councilmen — E. J. Burke, C, ~2; C.
F. Deets, C. 53; H. M. Thompson, C, 46;
Frank Irwin. P., 42: J. Zimmerman, C, 40;
A. Nichols, P.. 40; W. E. Hersperger, P.. 35;
W. H. Ever-. P., 35; W. A. Kolfe, C„ 30: J.
W. Henley, P.. 12.
For Treasurer — Van Howard, C, 62 ; C.
M. Phillips. P., 23.
This defeat for incorporation was, doubt-
less, compassed by divergent views regarding
the complexion of the ticket carrying candi-
dates for municipal officers. There •was, also,
considerable wrangling over the limits of the
territory proposed to be incorporated.
The first destructive fire, involving great
property loss, occurred Thursday morning.
March 21. 1903. It originated in the office of
the Almira News, edited by Lee McCarty. Mr.
Dallam, the printer, had started a fire in the
office and stepped out for a few minutes. Far-
ther than this nothing is known of its inception.
The building was owned by J. C. Keller. It had
recently been remodeled, with an addition
which was used for a lodge room. The wind
carried the flames to the east, across the street,
but despite this the proximity of the two
Thomas Mackler buildings to the printing of-
fice, proved their destruction. One of these
buildings was occupied by N. O. McKee. as a
saloon. The ice house of C. Rust, which stood
close to these buildings, was, also, in the path
of the fire as was the Rust barn. The latter
was saved only by the great exertions of the
fire-fighters on that side. Meantime good work-
was being clone on the east side of the street.
A large number of men carried water in buck-
ets from nearby wells. Blankets were spread
to partially protect some of the plate glass in
the stores, especially in the new Keller brick
block. Yet in spite of these precautions all but
HISTORY 01 ; THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
^57
two lights "ii the fire side of the building were
ruined.
For a time the Hotel Almira was threat-
ened. This edifice was situated on the north
side of the street. Copious showers of water
and wet blankets alone saved it. Some of the
buildings to the southeast were in danger for
awhile, but little injury resulted. The prin-
cipal losses were the buildings of Messrs. Kel-
ler. Mockler and Rust, and the printing plant
of the Almira News. The totality of the loss
was estimated at $6,000.
In October of the same year another de-
structive fire visited the city. On the evening
of the Jjth instant the residents of the place
were startled by the alarm of '"fire!" voiced by
a number of people. A few rushed to the bell
of the Baptist church where the tolling hammer
was utilized to warn the inhabitants of the im-
pending disaster. This fire had originated in
the kitchen of the Hotel Almira. on the north-
west corner of Alain and Third streets, during
a brief absence of those who had been in the
room. Opinion was divided as to whether
the fire was caused by a gasoline lamp or the
stove. This portion of the building was old,
well seasoned, and it burned fiercely. When
discovered the conflagration was bey ".id con-
trol. Mr. Pangborn, one of the proprietors of
the lintel, rushed up stairs, musing the guests
as he went and dragging children from their
beds in their night clothes. The cook was com-
pelled to jump from a window. From the ho-
tel the fire ate its way west and northward
against an almost imperceptible breeze, to the
adjoining apartments and buildings, w iping 1 nit
Dean Brothers' and Chris Walter's saloons, ami
Knox's meat market. Potter's grocery and
Xort. McKee's saloon. It then jumped across
the street to the east, destroying the postoffice
building, but here the flames were, for the first
time, held in check. The mosl desperate bat-
tle was that made to save the Palace barber
shop, a short distance north of the postoffice on
the east side of Third street. Several ladies
here distinguished themselves by their timely
efforts in fighting lire. The private system of
water works in connection with the barber shop
materially aided 111 saving this property Had
it taken fire it is highly probable that several
other buildings would have been destroyed. As
is was $100 covered the loss in this quarter.
Other buildings that required herculean
work to save were the combined residence and
shop of Peter Peterson, the Hughes & King
store, on the east, Hughes' blacksmith shop. on
the west. Blinn's warehouse, Felder's jewelry
store and Hays' implement addition on the
north and the Mitchell & Salter livery barn on
the southwest. The plate glass in Hughes &
King's store, the Palace barber shop and Kel-
ler's store was badly damaged. Among the
heaviest losers from this lire were Postmaster
McCleary, A. H. Knox, and Pangborn &
Aldridge. The postoffice building belonging
to J. C. Keller, was without insurance, but this
loss was light. Xot an article of I). \\ . pot-
ter's grocery stock was saved, ami it was with
great difficulty that he secured his books. He
carried about $1,200 insurance. The Hotel
Almira. owned by Mrs. F. Heft'enish. was in-
sured for something over Sj.ooo, a figure much
below cost. Mads Peterson owned the build-
vupied by Henry Knox, as a meat mar-
ket ; they were insured. .Yearly all of the
buildings destroyed by this blaze were prompl
ly replaced by better structures.
Incorporation of Almira was finally effeel
ed. The second election to vote on the propo-
sition was held Friday, January 22, 1904.
Quitea little opposition was manifested, in fact.
for a while, sufficient to cause some of it. sup-
porters to fear defeat al the polls, lb
position was greatly exaggerated, and it
served 1 : idating a largi
among the friends of the project. There were
cast 70 * oR-s, 5*. for, and 20 against incorpor-
ation. Only one ticket for municipal officers
was in the field, following were the officials
Mayor, I. C. Johnson; treasurer. Van
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
Howard; councilmen, Charles T. Deets, A. \Y
Blinn, J. C. Keller, F. E. Kunz and N. O. Mc
Kee.
There are three church organizations in Al-
mira, Baptists, Methodists and Congregational-
ists. Of fraternal societies there are Almira
Tent No. 82, K. O. T. M. ; Almira Hive No.
49, I. O. T. M. ; Almira Camp No. 9.204, M.
W. A. ; Almira Lodge No. 192, I. O. O. F. ;
Almira Lodge No. 127, A. F. & A. M., and
the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. At
present the population of Almira is about 400.
HARRINGTON.
On the main line of the Great Northern
railway, fifty-one miles west of Spokane, fif-
teen miles from Davenport, the capital of Lin-
coln county, and twenty-five miles from Spra-
gue, is Harrington. It is an important railway
point with a population of 650, an increase of
200 within two years. There are in the town
six large grain warehouses and one flouring
mill, and the combined capacity of these cereal
depots is considerably over one million bushels.
On all sides of Harrington the country may
be said to be solid wheat land with an occas-
ional pasture tract that is continually in requis-
ition. Although in some places a number of
sections are owned by one party the greater
number of farmers are located on half and
quarter sections, and they find this amount of
land adequate to earn them a good livelihood.
The town proper is well platted, both as to
drainage and eligibility for building operations.
On the east is School Hill, a most attractive
and desirable residence location. Third street,
the main business thoroughfare, runs directly
north and south, with a gentle slope northward.
Through the town, coursing diagonallv. is -a
small creek the bed of which will, undoubtedly,
in the future, become the main line of a sewer-
age system. Of the many fine business blocks
and residences within her limits Harrington is
justly proud. The usually conceived idea of
the eastern visitor to the west is that its towns
are composed of clusters of rude huts thrown
hetrogenously together without regard to com-
fort or attractiveness. But with Harrington
this is far from being the case. All the brick
blocks are artistic and substantially construct-
ed. The city has been built with an eye to sym-
metry in its future growth. No buildings now
standing in Harrington would look outre, or
misplaced in a city of many thousands of in-
hibants. Harrington is the commercial center
of a most extensive wheat belt, and within a
short distance of the geographical center of
Lincoln county. It lies near the head of Coal
Creek Valley, at an elevation of 1900 feet above
sea level.
Its early history is replete with interest. In
1879 Adam and Jacob Ludy came to the point
immediately adjoining the' quarter section
where Harrington now stands, and here they
homesteaded property. The}' erected a small
building in which to house themselves, the pio-
neer structure of Harrington, and among the
first habitations of Lincoln county. The fol-
lowing extract from a prize essay written by
Miss Gertrude Adams, is of historical interest:
"A traveler in the year 1880 who chanced
to be wandering through Lincoln county, in thd
Territory of Washington, would have seen
what at first appeared to be a barren tract of
land, but on closer observation he would have
discovered that the soil was very fertile and
would be productive if cultivated. Near the
present site of Harrington the first thing that
attracted the eye would have been huge masses
of rocks, piled up in picturesque attitudes, and
a small stream winding its way between them.
In the surrounding country might be seen a
few shacks, nothing more, where certain cow-
boys camped and herded their cattle.
"Of course in new countries towns are laid
out certain distances apart. There was noth-
ing unusual about the site chosen for this city
of Harrington to make it any better than any
other. First a few shanties, one of which was
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
159
used as a postoffice, while the mail was carried
by a mail carrier in what was denominated r,
'stage.' And while the town grew quite rapid-
ly, it was all the time growing- to stay."
It was during the earliest days of Lincoln
county's history that the establishment of Har-
rington was accomplished. In 1882 the firm
of Harrington, Furth & Robinson, all residents
of Calusa county, California, purchased 1,500
acres of land in what was at that period the
most unsettled portion of the Big Bend, and
near the present site of the town of Harrington.
This company's property was, in 1892, deeded
to the California Land & Stock Company.
Nearly all of the earlier residents came from
Yolo or Calusa counties, California. These
pioneers had faith in the country. They began
the cultivation of wheat, at first in a small and
inconsequential way. The initial movement in
the project of building a town was made in
1882. Mrs. Horace L. Cutter secured control
of the property, purchasing it from the North-
ern Pacific Railway Company, and surveyed a
townsite which, in honor of \Y. P. Harrington,
was given his name. The townsite plat was
not placed on record until May 12, 1883. O 1
course there was a raison d'etre for this move-
ment in behalf of a townsite project. It was
this: In 1S82 the Northern Pacific Railway
Conpany ran a survey through one corner of
the quarter section of land upon which the town
of Harrington is now located. Positive in the
belief that the new road would be built on this
original survey, Mrs. Cutter purchased from
the railway company this quarter section of
land. But the project to run the line over this
survey was abandoned; Mrs. Cutter did not
succeed in disposing of any of the l"ts.
Although the townsite had been laid out in
[882, it was imt until the spring of the year
following that the town contained inhabitants.
Then Edward Willi- ami Charles Billings
erected a small store building in which they dis-
played a modest stock of general merchandise
and thus launched the first store in the town
Harrington. All of their g Is were freighted
in fnun Sprague; consequently the price of
them remained rather high. In 1890 they dis-
1" ised of the business to Fred Graft". In the fall
of 1883 a postoffice was established; Edward
Willis was postmaster; Harrington was entitled
to a place on the map of the state of Washing-
ton. As the nearest railway point at this time
was Sprague. on the Northern Pacific, twenty-
five miles away, it is obvious that settlement
shi mid take place slowly. Even had it been dis-
covered at that time that wheat would grow
here in luxurious abundance, shipping it to mar-
ket was not practicable. The few settlers were
contented to raise a little stock, thus earning a
meagre livelihood. But the following year saw
the business enterprises of the youthful town
considerably augmented by the establishment
of a blacksmith shop and a hotel, although it
is candidly confessed that the latter was idle
the greater portion of the time. In June of the
same year the Lincoln County Times was first
thrown to the breeze at Harrington by F. M.
Gray. And this was the signal for the ambi-
tious and go-ahead town to enter into com-
petition for county seat honors. This forma-
tive period of her history is told in the first
chapter of Part II, of this work, lint Har-
rington was never, really, in the race, ami Mr.
Gray removed his printing plant to Davenport
in [885. There was a saloon in Harrington,
doing business a portion of the time, and in
[886 the citizens of the town voted on the pro-
hibition question with the following result:
For prohibition, 22: against prohibition, ^2.
With illy increasing its business
enterprises the town continued to exist barren
of startling events to mar the even tenor of its
truction to this point of the
Great Northern railway in 1892. Preceding
this momentuous epoch the population of Har-
iri was quite limited, there being only live
or six families residing in the town at the time
work was commenced near there on the Great
Northern grade. When it became known that
i6o
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
the company hail selected the Crab Creek route
through Lincoln county, and that the town of
Harrington was listed as one of the stations on
the new road, the heretofore comatose settle-
ment took on new life and animation. This
was early in 1892. Airs. Cutter, the owner of
the town-site, disposed of a portion of her in-
terest to Messrs. Glasscock, Moore and others,
who formed the Harrington Townsite Com-
pany. F. M. Lighthizer was employed as
agent and during the summer of that year a
number of lots were sold to those coming to
the new town to engage in business. During
this period Harrington enjoyed its most excit-
ing, if not most prosperous times. Hundreds
of railroad graders made the town headquar-
ters. As is invariably the case there came in
their wake all classes of the genus homo, in-
cluding those who virtuously desired to engage
in legitimate business, and those who did not.
Boarding and lodging houses, restaurants, sa-
loons, dance halls and gambling hells sprung
up in short order to entice from the railroad
laborers their hard earned dollars. On No-
vember 1. 1892, track-laying was completed to
Harrington.
There was, undoubtedly, a "boom" of mag-
nificent proportions in Harrington during this
period of railroad excitement. Crowds of pros-
pective settlers flocked to the town : hotels were
overrun ; beds could not be secured at any
price and a "shake-down" on the floor with
blankets was at a premium. Several new b iwn-
site additions were laid out and platted, and one
ci irrespondent writing from Harrington de-
cleared that f( irtv carpenters were then at work
on new buildings. However, the greater por-
tion of these improvements were temporary.
With the departure of the railrood laborers a
number of the business men closed their stores
and went elsewhere. The permanent growth
during this year was not large. A number of
lots were sold, however, and plans made for
extensive improvements the following year.
One of the most important factors in the
building up of the country around Harrington
and one that has resulted in much good to the
t< >wn was the operations of the California Land
& Stock Company, whose headquarters had
been established at Harrington. This company
was organized in 1892 with a capital of $300,-
000. Previous to this a number of non-resi-
dents owned about 3,000 acres of land in the
vicinity of Harrington. They combined their
property at the time' and added to it until it
now it controls more than twenty-five sections.
The officers of the company are Jacob Furth,
of Seattle, president; W. P. Harrington (after
whom the town was named), of Calusa, Cali-
fornia, vice-president ; Luke Robinson, San
Francisco, treasurer; John F. Green, Harring-
ton, manager. Many thousands of acres of
land in this vicinity are sown to wheat each
year, and several hundred head of horses are
employed to take care of the crops.
Fire visited Harrington Friday morning,
March 2, 1894, causing a loss of about $25,000,
nearly all covered by insurance. The principal
sufferers were the owners of the Wilson build-
ing, valued at $4,000; proprietors of the Great
Eastern Clothing Company, $15,000; King &
Reeves, druggists. $3,000. These buildings
were of brick, and among the best edifices in
town. This conflagration was the work of an
incendiary.
Friday, May 11, 1894. the coal sheds of the
Great Northern Railroad Company were de-
stroyed by fire, involving a heavy loss.
From the building of the railroad in 1802
until the spring of 1898 the growth of
Harrington, while not of "boom" pro-
portions, was steady and sure. The mam-
moth cereal crop of 1S97 produced a
reaction from the heavy depression of
the preceding five years, and," in common
with all the other towns in Lincoln county,
Harrington enjoyed the benefits of this revi-
val. In the spring of 1898 there were in town
four general merchandise stores, a harness
shop, hardware and furniture store, drug store,.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY
161
and Airs. Laugtnour; Air. and Mrs. Gun-
r; Mr. and Airs. Haves; Air. and Miss Or-
two hotels, livery stable, blacksmith simps, meat
market, barber shop and two saloons. During
the summer and fall of this year the town en-
joyed a most substantial growth. Quite a
number of new residences and business houses
were erected, and Harrington was on the crest
of the wave of prosperity.
January 18, 1899, the First Presbyterian
Church of Harrington, was dedicated. This
was the first church edifice to be erected in the
place, and cost $2,600. The initial steps to-
ward holding religious services in Harrington
were taken as early as 1884, when the citizens
built a public hall to be used for church, school
and 1 ither assemblies. For ten years this build-
ing supplied all the demands in this line in the
village. During the autumn of 1894 the Pres-
byterian Church Society was organized by Rev.
Norman McLeod, with a membership of nine-
teen. These were Air. J. Brace, elder, and wife ;
Air.
ning
nan: Air. and Airs. Durie and two daughters;
Airs. Alargarett Plough; Airs. W. F. Glasscock;
Aliss Eva Thomas; Airs. John Harding and
Airs. Thompson. Dr. X. AIcLeod was pastor
at large for the Spokane Presbytery, but served
the church at Harrington for more than two
years, holding services in the school house.
Plough's hall and the German Methodist church
building. At the end of that time the work in
the Harrington field stopped, no regular preach-
ing services being held for about two years,
with the exception of such services as were
given by C. A. Phipps and Dr. T. M. Gunn,
synodical missionary.
January r, 1899, the business houses of
Harrington included three general merchan-
dise stores, a harness shop, live hotels and res-
taurants, three confectionery stores, two livery
stables, two blacksmith shops, two lumber
yards, a bank, new -paper, gn icer) st >re, butciier
shop, and a hardware, implement and furni-
ture store. April 6, UK" 1 , the Harrington Cit-
izen s:iid :
"It is doubtful if any other town in Eincoln
county has done si , much toward material de-
velopment in the past year as has Harrington.
The principal enterprise carried to a successful
consummation during the past twelve months
was the erection, at a cost of $25,000. of the
handsome flouring mill of the Harrington Alill-
ing Company. This magnificent manufactur-
ing plant was built almost exclusively by local
capital during a dull year, and bespeaks vol-
umes for the enterprise and energy of the peo-
ple. To illustrate the amount of business done
during the years 1898 and [899, the following
table showing receipts and shipments of goods
via the Great Northern railroad is given :
R eceif Is.
1898. [899
Merchandise, all kinds 1.500 tons 6,000 tons.
Agricultural implements 3 cars 7 cars
Wood 31 cars f>4 cars
Lumber and shingles 9 cars J> cars
Wheat o cars 72 cars
Machinery o cars .} cars
Brick and cement o cars- I car
Forwarded.
[898.
Merchandise all kinds 25 tons
Wheat 400.000 bush. 720.1 1
Cattle ' "> cars
Flour and feed o cars 4,5 car>
The first school in Harrington was organ-
ized in a small, one-room building, and the
school was taught by one teacher for terms of
varying length. The number of pupils in-
creased, but it was not until tStij that a Large.
two-room building was erected to meet the in-
creased demands for educational privileges.
Two teachers were then employed, tn 1900
there were [38 pupils enrolled in the Harring-
ton schools and a third teacher was engaged
and another building rented. In [90] a brick
school house was erected at a cost of $7,00 •.
containing six rooms.
1 luring the autumn of 1901 the people of
1 62
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
Harrington began taking active steps to incor-
porate the town. There had been considerable
increase in the population during the past two
years, and many new buildings were erected.
Naturally incorporation was the next thing in
line. Harrington, being one of the oldest towns
in the county, and having been outstripped in
the race for supremacy only because there were
not enough county seats to go around, had now
come to the front in excellent condition.
November 12, 1901, agitation for incorpo-
ration begun in earnest. A mass meeting of citi-
zens was held that evening at which 47 citizens
were present and discussed the advisability of
having a municipal government. A vote was
taken and thirty votes were favorable to the
proposition; seventeen against. "A committee
consisting of A. C. Billings, Dr. Steters, A. G.
Mitchum, S. L. Blumaner and Wallace Crowell
were appointed to secure signers to a petition
asking the county commissioners to name a
date for a special election to vote on the ques-
tion. To this petition there were sixty-four
signers. The election was held Friday, April
4. 1902. A convention for the purpose of
nominating candidates for municipal officers
had been held Monday, March 31st, with the
following result : Mayor, A. C. Billings ; treas-
urer, A. R. Graham ; councilmen, Thomas Han-
sard, W. A. Moore. John A. Chisholm, Dr. M.
F. Setters, George Wilson.
One hundred and nine votes were cast at
this election : 64 for incorporation and 45
against. The only ticket in the field was the
one nominated at the citizens' convention the
preceding Monday and the gentlemen named
thereon served as Harrington's first municipal
officials. The election had actually been antic-
ipated by the convention.
The present church organizations in Har-
rington are the Presbyterian, Baptist, Evangel-
ical and Catholic. Of fraternal lodges there
are five: Harrington Lodge No. 160. I. O. O.
F. ; Harrington Lodge No. 122, K. of P. ;■
Harrington Court, No. 8;, F. of A.; W. O.
W. and Women of Woodcraft; Rebekahs;
Rathbone Sisters; A. F. & A. M.
The city hall was completed in 1904 at a
cost of $9,000. The city is provided with an
excellent fire department. The water supply is
abundant and of exceeding purity. There are,
in fact, two water systems, and cool, crystal
well water may be tapped in rock veins at a
depth of from twenty to thirty feet.
This village is one of the newest in Lin-
coln county. It is on the Great Northern rail-
road, fourteen miles west of Harrington, fif-
teen miles east of Odessa, and twenty-eight
miles southwest of Davenport, the county seat.
Although Downs was not established until
early in 1902, it has gained a population of 200
people and has outstripped many of its older
rivals. Its buildings are all new and substan-
tial, and visitors to Downs are favorably im-
pressed with its appearance. The remarkable
growth of the town and the many public im-
provements which one sees here are the direct
result of concerted action on the part of the
citizens and all business men generally. It
would be hard to find in the length and breadth
of the Inland Empire a town of 200 inhabi-
tants in which the business men are more ener-
getic or more keenly alive to the interests of
their home community.
In the summer of 1901 where now stands
the town of Downs was the ranch of H. S.
Anion. This land consisted of a sage-brush
tract and scab rock was very much in evidence.
A person journeying through this part of the
country on the Great Northern train at that
time would hardly predict that inside of a year
a flourishing town would there make its appear-
ance. But such was the case. It was during
the trouble between the Great Northern offi-
cials and the Yarwood brothers, at Mohler, that
it was decided by the railroad authorities to
find a new location for side trackage and the
HISTORY OF THE Bid BEND COUNTRY.
163
possible site for a new town. H. S. Anion
quickly grasped the opportunities and offered
the officials all the land needed for extra im-
provements free of charge, provided they
would build their tracks at the present loca-
tion of Downs. This was quickly done by the
railroad company ; side-tracks were extended
and the station was named "Downs" in honor
of the late assistant general superintendent, P.
I. Downs, who with his only sun, was killed
near Xyack, Montana, in a railway wreck in
August, 1 90 1. Downs was platted January
14, 1902, by Howard S. Anion.
After the company had decided to establish
the new station a town was quickly built. The
first building erected was the Great Northern
warehouse. Immediately after George Easson,
one of the leading merchants 1 if Mohler, erected
a store building at Downs and opened a general
stock of merchandise, later selling the business
to O'Connor & Sherman. A postoffice was es-
tablished and George Easson was made post-
master. D. W. Dahl built a hotel building and
was Downs" first landlord. The next business
house was the Ivy saloon, conducted by Lee
Wats. in. S. Page and J. Salvay built the first
residences and they were soon followed by sev-
eral others. The depot was completed in De-
cember, 1902. Other business enterprises that
were soon started in the new town were one of
the largest hardware stores in Lincoln county.
by H. L. Anion, a restaurant by George Ingalls,
and a blacksmith shop by M. Gallagher. The
town was still very young when Mr. Anion sold
the remaining townsite land to John O'Connor.
The latter at once began a system of improve-
ments. He established a lumber yard in the
village that would be a credit to a large city,
later selling it to Hansen Brothers. Mr.
O'Connor and D. Sherman purchased George
ti's stock at Downs and Mohler. and
erected a substantial store building. 1
dating the two stores at Downs. Another ad-
dition to the town when it was in its infancy was
a drug store In- Dr. Freer.
For some time Mohler, two and one-half
miles above Down-, was an important rival of
the new town. But Downs had the backing of
the railroad company. In the spring oi
the sidetracks at Mohler were taken up and the
town which had incurred the enmity of the rail-
road capitulated. Some of the business houses
and most of the business men came to Downs.
During the autumn of 1902 there was organized
what was known as the Downs Business Men's
Association, an organization which has brought
about practically all the improvements that have
made the municipality the progressive city that
it is. The officers selected to guide the opera-'
tions of the association were Dr. F. X. Freer,
president ; T. O. Ramsland. secretary ; and T.
D. Slosson, treasurer. This organization is
still in existence and doing everything in its
power to advance the interest of the town.
Among other things this business men's ass< ici-
ation accomplished during 1902 was the es-
tablishment and editing of the !>":^ns Dispatch,
the building of sidewalks throughout the town,
and the bringing to Downs of a number of busi-
ness enterprises. The succeeding year witnessed
many more improvements. A system' of water
works was put in by John O'Conner, the town-
site owner, at a cost of $8,000. The citizens de-
sired a suitable school house and public funds,
not being available, three of Downs' energetic
citizens, S. Page. D. C. Hansen ami Frank
Couples, erected a handsome building at I
of $4,100, and took chances of being reim-
bursed later. To the credit of the vote-
said, that when the matter of voting bonds to
pay for this building came to an i>sue, tin
not one dissenting vote against issuing Iwnds
to the amount 1, all that could at that
period be legally voted. The school now has
an enrollment of 78, and two teachers -ire em-
ployed. A local telephone exchange was es-
tablished in April, 1003. and three separate
barb wire telephone lines penetrate the
country surrounding Down-. The Bank of
Downs was another institution established in
164
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
the spring of 1903, through the efforts of the
Business Men's Association. Total improve-
ments fi ir the year footed up $38,000. A Meth-
odist Church is now being built at a cost of
$1,700. There is a lodge of the M. \Y. A. and
a brass band of seventeen pieces.
The first settler in the country of which the
town of Edwall is the center was Peter Ed wall,
who came to the then uninhabitated country in
1881. He took up a ranch near the present
site of the town that bears his name and en-
gaged in farming. Sometime after Mr. Ed-
wall settled here Mr. William Spence, of Medi-
cal Lake, homesteaded the land upon which was
afterward built the town. This land was pur-
chased by Mr. Edwall in 1887.
When the Great Northern Railway built
through central Lincoln county the right of
way crossed Mr. Edwall's land. Forty acres of
this land he platted into a townsite which he
named Edwall. The county records show that
this filing of the plat was made May 19, 1892.
The railroad erected a water tank and other
buildings at the station. Friday night, Decem-
ber 7, 1893, occurred a disastrous wreck on the
line of the Great Northern Railway at Edwall.
Train No. 16 was standing at the water tank.
Train No. 15, expecting a clear track, came
along from the east and dashed into the stand-
ing train. Engineer Joseph Shinski and Fire-
man Wallace were instantly killed. When one
hundred yards away Shinski saw the train
standing in his way and whistled for "down
brakes." It was too late. The two engines
piled up and were thrown twenty feet from the
track. Two oil cars were immediately behind
the tender of No. 15. The oil caught fire and
the wreck was soon in flames. Shinski's body
was found under the wreck. The fire immed-
iately surrounding him was extinguished and
the body recovered, the upper part having been
burned beyond recognition. Wallace's body
was not scorched by the flames. The oil tanks
burst and the fire consumed five cars.
Eve witnesses of this terrible accident say
that when the oil cars took fire a terrible ex-
plosion followed, the flames shooting up nearly
200 feet. The blaze appeared to spread out
over the sky, and for a few moments it ap-
peared that the entire town was about to be
enveloped by the consuming flames. Fortun-
ately they spent themselves before reaching the
ground. It was a lurid sight and resulted in
the destruction of railroad property probably
to exceed $50,000.
To the credit of the people in the Edwall
country be it said the first building erected on
the townsite was a church. A number of farm-
ers had in 1893, settled in the vicinity, and
these people raised money and erected a place
of worship — a church of the Methodist (South)
persuasion. The same year the first store build-
ing was built by a gentleman named Enlow,
from Medical Lake. Owing to lack of funds
Mr. Enlow did not complete this building, but
disposed of his interest to Mr. Edwall. The
latter finished the structure and the following
year Messrs. Gill and Moffatt opened the first
store in this building. This firm was the only
business house in Edwall until the following
year, when Lemly & Randall erected a building
and engaged in the saloon business. In 1897
the second mercantile house was starred by
Thomas Campbell. He came from Medical
Lake with a stock of goods. Commencing with
this year Edwall began to grow* and its ex-
pansion since has been of a substantial nature.
Today it is a town of about 275 inhabitants. It
has a number of general merchandise stores,
warehouses, bank, a newspaper, and many
other business establishments. The Methodist
(South), German Methodist, Catholic and
Baptist churches have organizations, the three
first named having church buildings. Fra-
ternal organizations are represented by the
Masons and the Woodmen of the World. Fifty
scholars are enrolled in the public schools,
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
165
which employ two teachers. Edwall is on tin-
main line of the Great Northern Railway,
twenty miles east of Harrington, eighteen
miles from Davenport and seventeen miles from
Sprague.
.Most of the land in the vicinity of Edwall
is devoted to wheat raising. It is a volcanic ash
and contains great strength and richness. It is
in these fields that the great amounts of wheat
are produced, the yield running from twenty lo
forty bushels to the acre. Many of those now
farming here came into the country with little
or nothing, and today these are the men of af-
fluence. The whole of the country around the
town is in a progressive condition, and the farm
houses are among the best in the state. Among
the prominent business houses are the Bank of
Edwall, of which Mr. Frank Carpenter is
cashier; the mercantile house of Gill & Com-
pany, doing an excellent business and the larg-
est establishment of its kind in the town ; the
feed mill and creamery of S. P. Hay, which
does an excellent business in the farming coun-
try thereabout; a hardware and implement
house, a blacksmith and tonsorial artist and
other enterprises, as well as a first-class hotel
conducted by Butler Brothers.
When the Great Northern Railroad Com-
pany built its line through Lincoln county in
1892, what were called "stations" were estab-
lished at regular intervals along the line. \'
first these consisted generally of a sign-board
upi m w hich w as painted the name of the statii in.
One of these was Moscow, a few miles west ol
the other signboard called Edwall. In the sum-
mer of 1894 Moscow fell heir to something in
the nature of a boom, principally through the
efforts of Mr. Wells. \ postoffice was estab-
lished and Mr. Thomas Denson was made the
government official there.
And yet this postoffice was destined to
be of temporary benefit only. Owing to some
difficulty between Postmaster Denson and the
train postal clerks the office was discontinued.
So near as the facts can be ascertained the
trains were oftentimes irregular ; the pi istmaster
was not always on hand, and occasionally the
mail pouch was thrown off either above or be-
low the platform, where on several occasions il
was permitted to remain over night. Thus the
mail clerks and postmaster acquired the habit
of reporting each other to departmental head-
quarters, until the officials finally tired of the
constant friction and ordered the office discon-
tinued. However, another otYu-v was subse-
quently established.
It was not until the autumn of 1898 that
a townsite of Moscow was platted by Mr. X.
S. Long. Settlers in the vicinity desired to
make this place their shipping point and a small
village made its appearance. December 4. [903,
the Lincoln County Times said :
"The townsite of Mo-cow was purchased a
short time ago by I". W. Anderson, of Daven-
port, from John ( )'Connor, of Downs. The lit-
tle city has taken on new life and promises to
share the prosperity being enjoyed by the vari-
1 iiis t iwns throughout the county. A neat fi lur-
room school house has been erected; a new de-
pot has been promised. The old school build-
ing will be remodeled and utilized as a church.
A state bank will be started and a lumber yard,
a hardware store ami other enterprises will be
added to the business portion of the town.
What is now the main street of Moscow is to
be abandoned to mercantile establishments and
occupied by warehouses. Hereafter the main
business street will run north and south, just
west of the business center of the town."
The population of Moscow is aboul 175.
Considered a- an enterprising western town
Odessa has a most desirable location. It lies
in a broad, productive valley, with Crab creek,
a fine stream, traversing the place. It is lo-
1 66
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
cated on the Great Northern Railway, twenty-
five miles from Harrington, and the same dis-
tance from Ritzville, in Adams county, on the
south. It is a Russian settlement and named
for the celebrated wheat shipping point of the
Muscovite empire.
Although one of the youngest tows in Lin-
coln county Odessa has come into prominence
within the past few years and is rapidly taking
its place in line with the most progressive mu-
nicipalities in the Big Bend. Unlike the earlier
settled portions of Lincoln county, where
single individuals control and farm several sec-
tions, the agricultural population adjacent to
Odessa is closely clustered and there are two or
three settlers to the section. They are mostly
German-Russian or Bohemian farmers. George
W. Finney was the founder of the town of
Odessa and he is the earliest pioneer of this
portion of the county, having homesteaded the
land upon which now stands the town. It was
platted by Mr. Finney in the summer of 1899
in generous lots of 50x125 feet. Of Mr. Fin-
ney and his brother, Richard, the Big Bend
Chief, published at Wilsoncreek, Douglas
county, said :
"George and Dick Finney came to the Crab
creek country from Missouri at an early day,
and engaged in stock raising, the only line of
business represented here. Dick located as a
homestead what is now Odessa, but later re-
linquished it for the purpose of filing on a tim-
ber claim. George homesteaded a piece of land
in the same locality. Later the brothers came
into possession of the Odessa tract and when
they dissolved partnership George, rather re-
luctantly, took possession of it. He attempted
to raise wheat on the townsite of Odessa, but
made a failure of it and decided that he had
nearly a worthless ranch* A change came,
however, and he platted a portion of it."
The Odessa Record continues the story of
the birth of the town :
George W. Finney may properly be called the father
of Odessa. He settled in this part of Crab Creek valley
in 1886, filing on the land where the greater portion of
Odessa now stands, as a timber culture claim. There
were only a few settlers up and down the creek in
those days and it was not until the year 1892 that the
Great Northern Railway was built through this part
of the country to the coast. Houses were miles apart
and Ritzville and Harrington were the nearest trading
points'. Up to six or seven years ago (1897) stock
raising was carried on quite successfully in the valley
and for years Mr. Finney's cattle roamed at will over
the ground now occupied by the growing young town
of Odessa.
It was in the winter of 1897-8 that Mr. Finney
first conceived the idea of building a town here, and
he set about to interest others' in the project. The Great
Northern then had a sidetrack here and the place was
known as Odessa siding. In the month of January,
1898, Roy E. Trantum, W. N. Schoonover, and J. B.
Ziegler landed here, driving across country from Ritz-
ville to investigate the possibilities' of opening a general
merchandise store. They were well pleased with the
location and believing that it would some day make a
good town, Messrs. Tantrum and Schoonover decided to
erect a store building. Mr. Finney, furnished them with
a site and they employed Mr. Ziegler to build for them.
By May the building was' completed and their stock,
consisting of general merchandise and lumber having
arrived, they commenced business.
In June the Odessa postoffice was established and
Air. Schoonover was appointed postmaster. Others*
had arrived on the scene by this time and a few build-
ings were put up and another store s'tarted by Gust.
Zabel. In the fall Mr. Ziegler was appointed justice of
the peace and notary public and opened a real estate
and insurance office. It was then evident that there
would be a town, so Mr. Finney employed J. W. Strack,
then city engineer of Spokane, to survey and plat the
town. (The town was platted July 17, 1899, by George
W. Finney.) The following spring L. G. Nuelsen and
George Unsoeld bought Trantum & Schoonover's stock
of merchandise and Mr. Nuelsen succeeded Mr. Schoon-
over as postmaster, which office he held until February,
1901. when Dr. Connell, the present postmaster, was ap-
pointed to succeed him. In the fall of 1899 I. T. Whistler
came here as agent for the Great Northern Railway Com-
pany. The depot was not built until the early part of
the year 1900. and he transacted the company's business-
in Adams & Company's grain warehouse, now owned
by the Seattle Grain Company.
At this time the population consisted of between
fifty and one hundred people. During the year others
came and several new business enterprises were started.
In October Trantum & Schoonover's addition to the
town was platted and they sold several lots. But it was
not until the summer of 1901 that the town began to
show rapid growth. During that year the population
increased very rapidly and before the year was out it
HISTORY OF THE EIG BEXD COUNTRY.
167
numbered over four hundred soul?. In May, Finney's
First Addition was platted and about the same time
Mr. Ziegler laid out another addition to the town on
the west. These two additions now constitute the
greater part of the residence portion of the town. The
Odessa State Bank was established in April. 1901. with
George A. Kennedy, our present mayor, as' cashier.
The Odessa Record made its appearance on May iotb.
with the name of M. F. Devlin at the masthead. Last
year (1902), the town was incorporated, the mill, the
new brick school house, and several brick blocks were
erected and numerous new business enterprises' estab-
lished. In the fall another new addition to the town
was laid out and platted, by Messrs. George \V. Finney
and J. J. Pattee.
During the summer of 1903 Mr. Roy E.
Trantum, one of the prominent business men of
Odessa, contributed the following personal
reminiscence to the Odessa Record:
Five years ago the 7th of last January (1898),
J. B. Ziegler, W. N. Schoonover and myself landed in
Crab Creek valley at a point known as Odessa sidetrack,
on the main line of the Great Northern Railway, coming
across the country with a team and wagon from Ritz-
ville. the county seat of Adams county, to inv<
the possibilities of opening a general merchandise store.
The land tributary to Odessa, which is now fenced and
producing the finest kind of wheat, was then a vast
rolling prairie, and not a cabin or fence to greet the eye.
but it was nevertheless, a magnificent picture. We were
so well pleased with the location and believing that there
was a glorious future for the country surrounding.
Mr. Schoonover and myself decided at once to erect
a store building and forthwith employed Mr. Ziegler,
then a contractor, to erect a building 24x50 feet.
We had to wait about two months for our build-
ing material, and in the meantime Mr. Ziegler tiled a
homes'tead right on a vacant 40-acre tract a short dis-
tance from our location, and built a cabin thereon. The
tract is now known as Ziegler's addition to Odessa.
During the construction of our store buildinj
appeared upon the scene C. V. Drazan. an enterprising
young immigrant agent, and he was so well pleased with
the country, and foreseeing the grand opportunities to
be achieved, he at once secured the agency of the North-
ern Pacific Land Company, acting as their resident
agent, and commenced advertising the country and its
possibilities, and to him .1 ' of praise is to
be given for the number of industrious farri
surround our busy little burg. By May we had a very
good stock of general merchandise, lumber and
In June W. N. Schoonover was duly ;■
master, which office was much appreciated by the people
in our locality. Previous to this time we had to go to
Lamona for our mail, a distance of twelve mile- cas;
and it was a great inconvenience. It was evident that
we would have a town, and Mr. Finney emplo
of J. \\\ St rack, a surveyor from Spokane, to
lay out about ten acres in blocks and lots, and Mr.
Finney then gave us a deed to one lot 50 x 100 on which
our store was built. Id so well that since
that time Mr. Finney has had several additions staked
Out. Joe Jilk and Frank Ardolf were the next to erecr
a building for a hotel and a saloon. Mr. C. V. Drazan
then built an office and in the fall Gus. Zabel built a
and put in a stock of general men I
At about this time J. I'.. Ziegler was appointed justice of
the peace and notary public, also securing th
of the American Central Fire Insurance Company. Mr.
Ziegler has been very prosperous, which he deserves
for his integrity and earnest work for the welfare of the
town.
The Great Northern Express Company app
the writer express agent the same fall which was another
felt want in our neighborhood. The following spring
L. G. Nuelsen and George Unsoeld succeeded the firm
of Trantum & Schoonover in general merchandise, L. G.
Nuelsen succeeding W. N T . Schoonover as postmaster.
At about this time the Odessa school district was laid
out and a school hotis'e built which has lately been re-
placed by a modern four-room brick structure that is a
credit to our community. Odessa has progressed much
more rapidly than any of its neighbors, and there is room
in plenty for those who desire to locate in a prosperous 1
locality.
In 1900 tbere were five business bouses in
Odessa and a census of the town would have
disclosed a population of only 30. But the ad-
jacent country was beginning to be well settled
and 600,000 bushels of wheat were shipped
from the town. Of the rapid growth of < )dessa
the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in June, 1902,
said :
"Just west of Lamona on the Great North-
ern Railway is one of those surprises which
meet the traveler who comes through tin- sec-
tion for the first time in two years — the town of
Tbere was no Odessa beyond a sign
post and a water tank in 1900. There is quite
.! good deal to Odessa now, and every bit tbere
is lively. The wheat and grain shipping and
the trade of the fanners in the surrounding
country made this town. It has three hotels,
more have been built during tbe past
week. It has two business streets well lined
with stores. It has a number of brick business
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
blocks and several really handsome residences
among its houses. Everything is very new but
everything is well established. The place is
growing as fast as material can be secured for
buildings and men to erect them."
The first steps toward incorporation were
taken June 9, 1902. On that date a mass meet-
ing of citizens was held at Smith's Hall. Senti-
ment was almost unanimously in favor of the
proposition and a committee was appointed to
secure signers to a petition to the county com-
missioners asking the privilege of voting on the
question. Seventy-two signatures were ob-
tained and the petition was presented Jul}' 28th.
The date set for election was September 13.
1902. Fifty-seven votes were cast, of which
fifty were for incorporation and one against.
Following is the vote for municipal officers :
For Mayor — George A. Kennedy, 45 ; L.
G. Xuelsen, 8; J. B. Ziegler, 1.
For Councilmen — Joseph Kriegler, 55 ; J.
B. Ziegler, 51 ; J. P. Weber, 51 ; S. S. Barney,
48; A. Bigham, 48; Roy E. Trantum, 4; Julius
Krinkle, 4 ; Paul Alten, 2 ; F. Logsdon, 1 ; L.
P. Zimmer, 1.
For Treasurer — E. J. Kriegler, 54.
The first meeting of the new city council
was held October 1st.
The memorable Crab creek flood and its
effect on the town of Odessa is thus described
in the Record of date March 11, 1904:
"Odessa passed through the worst flood
in her history this week. The oldest settler in
this vicinity of the Crab creek valley has never
witnessed its equal. The water, which had been
unusually high this season, began to rise rap-
idly Tuesday morning and about 8 o'clock a.
m., a telephone message was received from
Barney Minard that the worst was yet to come
and warned all to be prepared for it. Though
living but a few miles from Odessa, it requires
about six hours for water to traverse the space
from Minard's to town, and preparations were
at once begun to save our city bridges. Every-
body worked with a will; in a few hours all
were anchored and none too soon, for when the
work was completed the water was up to their
stringers. The old Finney flume, one of the
landmarks of Odessa, was next threatened, and
on account of the decayed condition of the same
it was decided to anchor one side and cut out
the part across the main channed for the preser-
vation of the bridges below. Shortly after noon
the water was out of its banks and flooding
parts of the town, especially the southern and
western portions. About this time the water
had lifted Bob Smith's shop from its founda-
tion but no further damage was done to that
building. The people of Ziegler's addition were
compelled to leave their homes and seek refuge
on higher ground. By four o'clock nearly the
entire town, except the north side and main
street was covered with water. Later some of
the Main street cellars began filling up and at
7:30 p. m., there were eight inches of water
flowing through Main street and from six to
twelve inches over every bridge in the city,
with the water still slowly rising. Many of our
people had left their homes and were spending
the night with friends more fortunately situ-
ated. It is said that Henry Sieler's home ac-
commodated about fifty people that evening.
At midnight the water began to recede and has
been falling steadily ever since.
"When one recalls the immense body of wa-
ter which swept over the flat on which our city
is located the small amount of damage done ap-
pears hardly credible. Not a bridge left its
foundation, although some of the approaches
and a few perpendicular and batter posts were
washed out. The county, however, did not fare
so well. Commissioner Kellum informs us this
morning that there is not a bridge left on Crab
Creek east of Odessa. From all parts of Lin-
coln county come reports that bridges have
been washed away and roads rendered unfit for
travel. The Great Northern roadbed between
this place and Wilsoncreek has been greatly
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
169
damaged by the flooding of the tracks ami traf-
fic has been practically at a standstill since
Tuesday evening."
The present school district of Odessa was
organized in December, 1897, and on January
10, 1898, the directors of the newly formed dis-
trict held their initial meeting. George W.
Finney donated the present beautiful site in
the southeastern portion of the town, and a
school building was erected. The growth of
this school has been rapid. The single room
frame building soon became too small and an
addition was erected and another teacher em-
ployed. Early in 1902 it was found necessary
to again increase the school facilities of the
town, and the old building was disposed of and
in its place was built a handsome four-room
brick structure, provided with modern equip-
ments, at a cost of $7,000. Those who have
taught in this school and rendered most efficient
service are Miss Anna L. Johnson. Mrs. F. J.
McKay and Miss Carrie B. "Weir. There are
eight grades taught in the schools.
Municipal improvements are still progress-
ing in Odessa. In October. 1902, a flouring
mill was completed with a capacity of 400 bar-
rels, and a total warehouse capacity of 60,000
bushels. In 1904 a system of water works was
installed costing $14,000. For this purpose
$12,000 in bonds were voted, in May, of that
year, there being 45 votes in favor of the bonds
and 5 against them. Odessa has four grain
warehouses shipping from 750,000 to 900,000
bushels of grain annually.
The churches of Odessa comprise the Pres-
byterian. German Lutheran. German Congrega-
tional, Baptist and Catholic. Of fraternal so-
cieties there are. the A. O. U. W.. I. O. O. F.,
D. of H. and F. of A. In May, 1902. the
population of the town had increased to 436
and it is at present estimated at 800.
The present population of the lively little
city oi Reardan is approximately six hundred.
It is located fifteen miles east of Davenport,
twenty-three miles wot of Spokane by wagon
road and forty-one miles by rail, and only two
miles west of the division line between I
and Spokane counties. Reardan is, indeed, a
prettily situated town and surrounded by an ex-
tensive area of rich farming country contribut-
ing to its importance as an eligible trading
p< lint. Grain is delivered to Reardan for ship-
ment from miles around, especially from that
garden spot, the Crescent country, which sup-
ports a large population and where as s^reat im-
provements in the line of handsome country
houses may be found as in the same extent of
territory elsewhere in the county.
For a number of years before the construc-
tion of the Central Washington Railway in
1889, there was a town on the present site of
Reardan. Jt was known as Fairweather. that
being the name of the village originally laid out
just east of the present townsite of Reardan.
Fairweather was platted September 23, 1882, by
William F. Hooker and John W. Still, residents
of Cheney. But during this time Fairweather
was, practically, a town in name only, although
in its palmiest days it boasted of a store, a hotel
conducted by M. Olson, and a blacksmith shop.
In the earlier days a postoffice named Capps was
located on the ranch of J. S. Capps, one mile
north of the present site of Reardan. "Capps'
place" was on the old Fort Spokane stage road.
With the completion of the railroad to this
point Fairweather took on a new ambition and
became a hustling little business point. But
this event in its history was followed by the loss
of us name, Fairweather, and the substitution
of two names in its place. The postoffice was
moved down from Capps', and for a time the
new ••burg" assumed that name. On the rail-
way time tables, however, the station was
designated as Reardan. in honor of Engineer
of Construction C. F. Reardan. Within a
short period that became the generally accepted
name of the town.
170
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
During the summer and fall of 1889 quite
a lively business point sprung up supplanting
the original town of Fainveather. Of course
the completion of the Central Washington
Railway was the cause of this sudden access of
activity. The first building erected was a ware-
house 1 20x30 feet in size, put up in June by the
Northern Pacific Elevator Company. The rail-
way company built an elegant depot and Mr. C.
A. Pearce became the local agent. During the
autumn of the same year he erected a residence,
the first in the town. The original store build-
ing was erected in August by M. Olson, who
moved his stock of goods down from the old
town of Fainveather. Shortly afterward the
postoffice of Capps, was discontinued and Mr.
Capps, the postmaster, occupied the same posi-
tion in the new town, the office for a period
thereafter being known as "Capps'." The same
fall James Brand opened the second store in
town ; A. W. Childs established himself in the
drug business and A. Lutzhoft opened an imple-
ment house. These were the only business
houses introduced in Reardan during the year
1889. Possibly not to exceed twelve or fifteen
people passed the winter in the town of
Reardan.
By the United States census taken June 1,
1890, we find that the town had gained a pop-
ulation of thirty-one. Two new firms started
in business in 1890, Mr. Wickham and J. M.
Warren. By the summer of 1891 Reardan had
improved wonderfully, supporting four gen-
eral merchandise stores, a drug store, harness
shop, furniture store, saloon, two hotels, barber
shop, two butcher shops, blacksmith shop and a
boot and shoe store.
It may be said that from 1892 until 1899
there was, practically, no growth of any dis-
tinctive importance to the town of Reardan.
But the country in the immediate vicinity was
thickly settled anil the town depended entirely
upon its agricultural resources. The "hard
times" through which the entire country was
passing produced its effect on the new town
and business was stagnant. With the develop-
ment of the country and enormous cereal crops
accompanied by good prices of the late 90's
Reardan came rapidly to the front. It may be
remarked that the year 1899 was the most pros-
perous one in her history. One of the import-
ant enterprises of this year was the erection of
a flouring mill by the Washington Grain <x Mill-
ing Company. The original capacity of this
mill was 125 barrels; this has since been in-
creased to 400 barrels. In November of this
year the Reardan Exchange Bank was organ-
ized by local capital.
In February, 1901, a petition for the in-
corporation of the town of Reardan was thrown
out by the board of county commissioners. The
cause assigned for this failure to incorporate
was an insufficient number of petitioners, prim-
arily, and secondarily, to the opposition, or at
least, indifference, of several leading property
holders in the town. But the project was not
doomed to failure; only temporary delay. In
June, 1902, the population, according to the
census returned by Assessor D. M. McRae. was
378. This was a fine showing and greatly en-
couraged the friends of incorporation. Another
petition was circulated and presented to the
commissioners. This was in 1903. This ac-
tion had been preceded by a mass meeting held
January 31, at which the sentiment was almost
unanimous in favor of incorporation. The pe-
tition was signed by 79 voters and the election
set for April 4th. There were cast 1 1 1 votes, of
which 68 were for and 34 against incorpora-
tion, nine not voting on the proposition. The
first municipal officers were M. Moriarty,
mayor ; T. G. Stevenson, John Wickham, John
Raymer, C. S. Warren and J. C. Driscoll,
councilmen ; Frank Garber, treasurer; L. A.
Dale, marshal and W. D. Barnhart. police
judge.
During the fall of 1903 the people of Rear-
dan undertook and carried to a successful con-
clusion a work that is destined to result in much
good to the town. The citizens subscribed $5,-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY
171
000 to build a wagon road from the falls north
of Reardan to the Cedar Canyon mines in Stev-
ens county. With this road completed Reardan
now enjoys an excellent trade from that dis-
trict which formerly went to Davenport and
Springdale.
August 21, 1903, the Reardan Gazette said :
"Reardan has five general merchandise
stores, two hardware and implement stores, two
lumber yards, two drug stores, one bank, two
livery stables, two barber shops, two butcher
shops, one jewelry store, one confectionery
store, one millinery store, three blacksmith
shops, three saloons, five large grain ware-
houses, a 400-barrel flouring mill, two doctors,
one lawyer, one newspaper, one real estate of-
fice, one hotel, one restaurant, a handsome aud-
itorium and lodge room. There are also three
churches and a fine school building. Fra-
ternal societies comprise the Odd Fellows, Re-
bekahs. Woodmen of the World, Women of
Woodcraft, Maccabees, Fraternal Army of
America and Grand Army of the Republic.
There is, also, a public park adjoining the town
on the east owned by citizens or Reardan, con-
taining a ball ground and grand stand. So
rapidly as possible this 'breathing space' is be-
ing beautified and in time will become one of
the greatest attractions of the town."
The territory north of Reardan is supplied
with the free rural postal delivery. The neigh-
boring farming country is connected by a barb
wire telephone system. So far in her history
Reardan remains one of the few towns that have
never received a set back by any serious con-
flagration.
MONDOVI.
Two and one-half miles northeast of the
town of Mondovi in the early So's was estab-
lished a postoffice known then as Mondovi, but
later as "Old Mondovi." This was the first
jtostoffice established in northern Lincoln
county. It was on the old Fort Spokane stage
line and was the stopping place for travelers
over that route. A gentleman by the name of
Christian was postmaster ; he also carried a
small slock of goods which he disposed of to
the very few settlers in his vicinity. Old Mon-
dovi passed out of existence with the birth of
New Mondovi, or Mondovi proper. The pros
pect of the Central Washington Railway being
built through this territory gave an impetus to
the later town. In its issue of January 1, iNN<,.
the Lincoln County Times contributed the first
intimation that a town was in existence at that
point as follows :
"Mondovi is experiencing a boom in a small
way. John Raymer is erecting a mill near the
ranch of Isaac Mulberin and will soon be ready
to do custom sawing. The railway is graded
into that burg and they are patiently waiting
for track-laying to reach that point. The ware-
house now being built at that point will receive
grain on and after January 7th. and the farm-
ers are holding their grain until then. Consid-
erable building will be done early in the spring."
This "boom" mentioned by the Times was
a rather limited affair. No business houses
made their appearance in 1S89 nor in
1890. However, during the latter year a post-
office was secured and J. Wolverton became
postmaster. According to the United States
census of 1890 Mondovi was credited with hav-
ing a population of sixteen. It was in 1891 that
Mondovi enjoyed its first and only "boom."
D. I'". Percival and Stanley Hallet. of Cheney,
purchased a half section of land at that point
and attempted to build a rival to the town of
Reardan. J. II. King, who had been living at
Deep Creek, for some time previous, was se-
lected by the townsite owners to push the fur-
tunes of the new enterprise. Mr. King estab-
lished a blacksmith shop, a restaurant and liv-
er}- stable and became postmaster. For quite
a period he was the only business man in town,
but later a gentleman from Cheney opened a
store, which he sold after a few months to his
clerk. John M. Siegman, who has conducted
172
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY,
the first and only store in Mondovi ever since.
For several years the town made no growth of
moment, but being in the center of a rich and
extensive wheat country much grain is shipped
from this point and Mr. Siegman enjoys a sub-
stantial and lucrative trade. January 15, 1897,
the Times again touched upon the subject of
Mondovi :
Mandovi was born during "boom" days in the great
west and provision was made for a mighty city. Profit-
able farms were abandoned for agricultural purposes
and converted into town blocks and lots and placed
on the market at figures that promised fortunes in re-
turn. They were well advertised abroad and many sales
were made ; all went w r ell for a time. Many lots were
sold but no brick blocks sprung up or even wooden
ones. In fact the boom was confined entirely to the
sale of real estate, and as time passed and taxes became
due. with no sign of material growth in sight, the air
castles began to vanish. Sales ceased and taxes upon
highly valued town property became burdensome. Grad-
ually town additions began to revert into good farm?
until only a small but sufficient portion of the original
townsite remained. The idea conceived that a great city-
could be built up in such a way was, of course, an idle
dream, yet it was a natural product of "boom" times
when any kind of speculation seemed to prosper. It
was a fair sample of the enterprise that contributed to
the "hard times" in the west in the early 90's — enter-
prise that ruined credit.
Mondovi is surrounded by a fertile farming coun-
try, but she was hopelessly handicapped from the
start in the contest for commercial importance by
the presence of larger and well established .rivals on both
sides, so she could not reasonably have been expected
to develop into anything but a small country town.
Early in January, 1897, by action of the county com-
missioners, the town was reduced in area to just a few
Hocks, nearly the entire townsite reverting to the owners
as farm lands.
The fire record of Mondovi is confined to
one conflagration. Monday evening, Febru-
ary 5, 1894, the large warehouse owned by Sen-
ator R. A. Hutchinson was burned. The build-
ing contained 16,000 bushels of wheat, and of
this amount 12,000 bushels were destroyed.
The loss was large and only $4,500 insurance
was carried. This fire was supposed to have
been the work of incendiaries.
At present Mondovi is a town of about 100
people. There are several warehouses, a gen-
eral store, a saloon, hotel, blacksmith shop, and
feed mill. There are two churches, Alethodist
and United Brethren. Mondovi is seven
miles northeast of Davenport.
Govan is a town of about 100 inhabitants,
situated on the Central Washington Railway,
six miles west of Wilbur. As a place on the
map Govan (named in honor of one of the
Northern Pacific civil engineers) came into ex-
istence in the autumn of 1889, with the build-
ing of the railroad. But it was several years
afterward before it gained the distinction of
being called a "town." For some little time
after the railroad was built Govan was quite a
lively camp, although, in a business way, but
little progress was made. One of the principal
causes of Govan being lively during the spring
of 1 890 was the fact that a large sand bank was
located in its immediate vicinity. Wood, Lar-
son & Company, railroad contractors, made
Govan their headquarters and a large force of
men were employed there engaged in digging
sand for railroad work. There was a steam
shovel and four gravel trains were utilized in
this work. Chief Dispatcher Stitson had a car
here during the time this work was in progress,
and handled the movements of all trains. Frank
M. Dallam visited Govan April 28, 1890, and
made the assertion that Govan had nothing to
recommend it. and that it would never be any-
thing more than a station. While Mr. Dallam's
prediction has not been entirely substantiated
his prognostication was comparatively correct,
as Govan has been outstripped by nearly all its
rivals.
According to the United States census of
1890 Govan was credited with a population of
thirty-three. Ten years later its population
was twenty-one. Since then, however, the town
has advanced and has become a trading point
and is improving. A postofnce was established
in 1895. The townsite of Govan was platted
June 24, 1899, by Carrie A. Hesseltine.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
l 73
Sprague, the second in size of the present
towns of Lincoln county, lies in a deep valley,
in conformation so narrow that it might be ap-
propriately denominated a coulee. This entire
valley is bordered by steep ledges of black, vol-
canic rock. In 1889 there were neither trees
nor gardens within the, then, busy and compact
city. And what little could be seen beyond the
basaltic rocks certainly did not suggest agricul-
ture as a very important asset. But were one to
Srive northward he would have come out on a
fine, high, rolling plateau ; the soil consisting
of a rich, brown loam. At the present writing
handsome shade trees line most of the streets,
especially in the residence portion of the town,
which is noted for its fine lawns, well dressed
and in excellent condition.
in compiling this History of Lincoln O lunty
it has seldom been necessary to refer to dates
prim- to the latter part of the 70's. It was then
that the very earliest settlers came to the coun-
try. Before that period it was something of a
lltopia — unknown except to a comparatively
few explorers. However, we learn that as
early as 1839 a party headed by that earnest
pioneer missionary. Rev. Cushman Eells. vis-
ited the site where now stands the city of
Sprague. L ndoubtedly this was the first com-
pany of white people to camp on Lincoln county
soil. The data for this interesting history is a
letter written by Rev. Eells to a lady in
Eprague, under date of January 12. 1892: Fol-
lowing is an extract from this epistle:
"On the afternoon of the 14th of March.
1839, Rev. Elkanah Walker, wife and baby
boy, Mrs. Eells and myself camped at the vvest-
femmost of three springs near the present site
of the city of Sprague. On the next morning
as the animals were being caught, Mr. Walker
was injured by the kick of a horse. The result
was camp did not move that day. The
weather was line. 1 walked in the direction of
the present city. The occasion was favorable
tor meditation and the prayer-fitting prepara-
tion for the work we were soon to enter upon.
Please take a leap over h irty-three j ear- and one
month. If 1 mistake not. on the 14th of April.
[882, 1 conducted a preaching service in
Sprague. The chapel was the dining room of
a small hotel presided over by Mrs. Baker. My
understanding is that that was the first service
of the kind ever held in that city."
Patrick Cumasky, who took up a homestead
in 1869. was the first settler in the locality of
Sprague. He was followed in 1871 by Patrick-
Wallace and in 1872 by William Burrow, col-
loquially known as "Hoodoo Billy." When a
small settlement began to spring up in 1879, in
anticipation of the advent of the Northern Pa-
cific Railway, the place was given the name of
"H looville." in honor of Mr. Burrow. Dur-
ing 1870-0. many parties were attracted to the
vicinity of Sprague and by them much specula-
tion was indulged in as to the prospective
towns to be built along the line of the oncoming
railroad, then represented by grade stakes.
Among the first of these parties was one in
which I.. E. Kellogg, at that period a resident
of Colfax, Whitman county, was a member.
At present Mr. Kellogg is auditor of Douglas
county.
Prior to the construction of the Northern
Pacific Railway through the Territory of
Washington, the country surrounding the spot
where the town of Sprague later made its ap-
pearance was inhabited by only a limited num-
ber of settlers. The only place of any im-
portance in the vicinity where these hard}- pio-
neer could secure provisions was the then
small town of Walla Walla. There the United
States government had established a military
post, garrisoned by a fair complement of regu-
lar soldiers. They were stationed there to
guard settlers from Indian depredations and
als! 1 t< 1 keep open channel- 1 if communication be-
tween them and the outer world. But the town
of Sprague was not fairly launched on munic-
ipal life until the summer of [880. The work
174
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY,
of grading the Northern Pacific road was be-
gun at Ainsworth, at the mouth of the Snake
river, in 1879; the work of completing the road
to the spot where Sprague is located required
over a year. .
One of the exemplary rules established by
the Northern Pacific Company at the time it
was building its road through Washington was
that no liquor should be sold within one mile of
the proposed line of track. In June, 1880, E.
M. Kinnear and Patrick Wallace opened a sa-
loon to accommodate the men employed in
grading the road, at a point just one mile north
of where Sprague now stands. To this day
the place is known as "Whiskey Rock." At
this point the saloon nourished until the ban
against such resorts in Sprague was removed.
The first building erected upon ground which
is now within the corporate limits of Sprague
was put up by the Northern Pacific Company
for the storage of grain and commissary stores.
This was in June, 1880. Later this building-
was utilized for a number of years as a livery
stable. It was located on Railroad Avenue.
The commissary store was conducted by Edwin
Dane, who was a time-keeper in the employ of
the railroad company. Shortly afterward he
engaged in business for himself and opened a
second store, but did not long remain
thereafter. The railway commissary storehouse
was merely a temporary affair, intended to sup-
ply the wants of the graders in the company's
employ. To E. M. Kinnear belongs the honor
of being the pioneer business man of Sprague.
In Jul)-, 1880, he erected a store building and
stocked it with a small assortment of goods.
Mr. Kinnear came from Colfax, where, it is
said, he operated a peanut stand for a short
period. His Sprague business expanded until
he had an establishment of mammoth propor-
tions within a few years. Until the railway
came he freighted his stock in from Colfax.
The same year Willis Misner opened a black-
smith shop.
The year 1880 did not witness an abnormal
growth in the town. The railroad graders were
about the only people from whom to derive sup-
port, the country not yet being settled to any
appreciable extent. Still, even the graders con-
trived to add to "the gaiety of nations," and
they livened up the town. During this year the
townsite was surveyed by Dr. Miller and the
plat was filed with the auditor of Sp< >kane
county December 27, 1880, by the Northern
Pacific Railway Company, per Walter Sprague.
The new town had been named in honor of
General John W. Sprague, who from 1879 to
1883 was in charge of the Northern Pacific
Company's interests on the Pacific coast, as
general superintendent, assistant treasurer and
land commissioner. Mr. Sprague died in Ta-
coma, December 24, 1893. Among those who
settled in the new town in 18S0, or who had
previously come to the vicinity, were Patrick
Wallace, William Burrow, Commodore Downs,
H. L. White, James N. Campbell, Patrick
Cumasky, Frank Sturgis, David Vinyard, Ed-
win Dane, E. M. Kinnear, Dr. Miller and
others.
The spring of 1881 witnessed the arrival of
new enterprises in the young city. The railroad
became a finality. The rails were laid into town
Sunday, May 16th. Shortage of material had
considerably delayed the arrival of the road and
during the winter work had been interrupted.
Let us glance at the town at this date. There
were then the two small general stores of E. M.
Kinnear and Edwin Dane, a livery stable con-
ducted b*y Patrick Wallace, a boarding house in
a tent presided over by a Mr. Brown, and an-
other of which Mrs. O'Toole was the land-
lady, two saloons, one owned by Patrick Dillon;
the other by Alfred Rickett. conducted by Wil-
liam H. White, and a blacksmith shop owned
by Willis Misner.
During the construction of the Northern
Pacific Railway, and for some time subse-
quently, Sprague was a typical western city;
high carnival ruled at all hours; the town grew
like Jonah's gourd. The prominent factor in
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY,
175
this "boom" was the location there of r;
headquarters. Handsome residences and sub-
stantial business houses were erected; prosper-
ity was in evidence on every side. With the
■wonderful development of the surrounding
country business expanded; Sprague devi
int.i a city of prominence. The advent of the
railroad was the signal for increased activity.
Residents of Sprague at that transition pei I
tell us that the amount of stock shipped from
the town during 18S1 was something enormous.
Sheep raising was carried on to some extent by
a number of parties in the vicinity, and all
seemed to be seized with a desire to patronize
the new railway. The company immediately
erected its depot and selected Sprague as the
location for the railway shops for the Idaho
division. Work on these was at once com-
menced and about 350 men were employed on
the shops, round houses, etc. Officials of the
road looking after its interests built handsome
homes for themselves, thus contributing to the
town an appearance of permanency. The erec-
tion of these beautiful residences by the railway
officials enters largely into the history of
Sprague and a chapter might be written profit-
ably on this one subject. But many of these
officials were subsequently placed on trial
charged with appropriating the company's ma-
terial for their homes. It was alleged that the
lumber which was supposed to have been used
in the company's buildings had been surreptit-
iously utilized by employees. Northern Paci-
fic stone was used in the foundations; Northern
1'acilic bricks for chimneys; Northern Pacific
paint found its way on to the outside and inside
of buildings while men drawing pay from the
Northern Pacific Company were employed in
the construction of private buildings. It is
claimed that from ten to fifteen houses were
thus constructed; the trial of the predatory of-
fii was a landmark in Sprague's
j. et no nne was convicted.
As with many other towns one of the
ind institutions in Sprague was the brewer}'.
established in 1881. In that year R. O. Porak
and Charles .\l. Rasch came overland in a
prairie schooner from The Dalles, ( >regon, and
both at once entered into business. Air. Rasch
engaging in a saloon enterprise while Mr.
Porak directed his attention to the brewing
of beer. "The Kettle," which at this time
composed this primitive brewery, was placed
between two rocks; the institution was in work-
ing order. The product of this little establish-
ment met with a ready sale and the owner, care-
fully husbanding his profits, enlarged the plant.
Within a few years he was established in a
stone and brick building.
\\ bile there was considerable activity in
the new town it was not until about May, [882,
that the postal authorities saw- lit to grant
Sprague a postoffice. J. J. Burns was made
postmaster. The second general store 1 .Mr.
Dane having gone out of business) tobei ipened
in Sprague was one owned by Gehres & Hert-
rich. These gentlemen had selected a lo-
cation during the winter of 1881 -2, and in
March they arrived with their goods, opening
up for business on the 28th of that month.
When they arrived the snow had melted ; the
townsite was covered with water. Unloading
their stock near the present depot site they
packed them through the inundation to the
store building. Victor Hertrich, alluding to the
opening of their business, says that the first
sale made was that of a suit of clothes to David
Vinyard.
April 20. [882, the new railroad shops were
opened by an elaborate ball. Pioneers of the
town well remember this momentous event.
On that day the town was visited by a "cold
snap." The ground was covered by four inches
of snow; the thermometer registered ten de-
below zero. There is no disputing the
fact that these shops were responsible for the
future prominence of Spraguje in Lincoln
county. Else Sprague would never have been
recognized in the 80' s and early 90's as the
town in eastern Washington." Several
176
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
hundred thousands of dollars were expended
by the Northern Pacific Company in improve-
ments in this young city. In the extensive shops
repair work for the entire Idaho division was
done; for a certain period all cars were con-
structed at this point ; old cars and engines over-
hauled and rebuilt. From the date of the es-
tablishment of the shops until 1895 the pay-
roll of the Northern Pacific Company here av-
eraged fully $30,000 per month.
The first celebration of Independence Day
ever held in Lincoln county occurred in
Sprague, July 4, 1882. Hon. W. H. Small -
wood was orator, and George S. Brooke, presi-
dent, of the day. W. PI. Carr served as chief
of police. Prayer was offered by Rev. G. W.
Shaw. Even at this early day Sprague boasted
of a brass band and a competent glee club. In
1882 the first hotel — the National — was erected
by Brown & Dane. This year also witnessed
the establishment of the first school with a mil
of about thirty scholars, and the first church,
the Episcopalian. This house of prayer was
built by popular subscription, led by Y. W.
Sanders. Its erection amply demonstrates the
proverbial push and energy of the citizens of
Sprague. R. R. Jones was the contractor. The
timbers were framed on Saturday evening, and
on Sunday morning all the able-bodied men in
town worked on the building. That forenoon
the edifice was completed and in the afternoon
services were held. During the latter part of
1882 the first newspaper, the Sprague Herald,
was established. December 13th, of the same
vear a volunteer fire department was organized.
It was a hook and ladder company, the first of
the kind in the Territory of 'Washington north
of the Snake river, and east of the Cascade
mountains. John Bartol served as the first
president and for, many years he remained at
the head of the Sprague fire department, and
was, in fact, for a number of vears the oldest
fire department president in the Territory. This
pioneer, and now historic, organization, before
the hose carts and other appartus were added,
consisting solely of a hook and ladder truck,
and a small band of determined men, success-
fully combatted two fires in the early history
of the town which threatened the total destruc-
tion of the place. Upon the organization of the
department Master Mechanic Jonathan Evans
was elected chief and J. N. Campbell, assistant.
No active part was taken by Mr. Evans as he
was prevented from doing so by his duties with
the Northern Pacific Company. Full responsi-
bility fell upon the shoulders of Mr. Campbell.
The company organized December 13,
1882. The following month the hook and lad-
der truck was puchased from the Portland. Ore-
gon, fire department, the members of the com-
pany assisted by a few other citizens, paying
for the apparatus. Its cost in Portland was
$450 ; the freight to Sprague, $50. Later, upon
the complete organization of the company of
fire fighters, it was presented to the city. A
complete list of the members of this company
is not in existence. Eight of them, who for
a number of years were closely identified with
the organization, were John Bartol, J. X.
Campbell, A. S. Hughes, Ed. Pendleton, Benja-
min Ettleson, C. M. Rasch, David Vinyard and
W. F. Murray. Other members who served
with distinction during the So's were H C.
Smith, C. M. Samson, W. J. Slattery, P.
Beardsley, George Beardsley, Fred Cooper, T.
Foley and T. X. Murphy. With the growth of
the town it became necessary to add other ap-
paratus, and two hose carts were purchased,
thus completing the organization of Hose Com-
panies Nos. 1 and 2.
The city of Sprague was incorporated under
a charter enacted by the Legislative Assembly
of the Territory of Washington. It was ap-
proved by the governor November 28, 1883.
This charter provided for the government of
the city by a mayor and six councilmen to be
elected by the people for a term of one year,
to serve without pay. It provided, also, for
a marshal to lie elected by the people, and a
justice of the peace and assessor to be chosen
A GLIMPSE OF ORCHARD VALLEY, LINCOLN COUNTY.
LOOKING DOWN THE COLUMBIA.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
177
by the city council. The officials named in
the act \vere George S. Brooke, mayor; E. M.
Kinnear, William A. Fairweather, R. O. Porak,
B. B. Glasscock, L. A. Conlee and Patrick Wal-
lace councilmen. That year the city govern-
ment was organized. Martin J. Maloney was
elected the first marshal and Frank Wilson was
selected to serve as justice of the peace. At the
time of this incorporation the city contained a
population of about five hundred people. Of
the town at about this period (1882) the
Herald said, under date of May 25, 1892 :
"Although Sprague in the early 8o's was
the largest town and the best business point in
northern Washington, still it enjoyed for a
long time the unenviable distinction of being an
undesirable place for residence; of having the
worst site and environments; and being the
poorest built and most shaggy place this side of
the mountains. And all this was true to a con-
siderable extent, fur railroad officials, having
no other object in view, fixed upon the site as
the most advantageous and best adapted one
for division headcpiarters and the location of
their machine shops, and not being troubled
with any aesthetic taste, they were oblivious to
the picturesqueness of the shores of Lake ( '< il-
ville, and quite indifferent about the once rug-
ged surface of the town site in this coulee, or
its craggy surroundings. W r hat tended fur-
ther to excite such comment in connection with
the natural disadvantages we had to begin with
was the general aspect of the place when nearly
a thousand people were swarming about the
busy hive; for aside from there not being a
green tree, or shrub or flower, or blade of grass
within the corporate limits, the streets of this
at one time 'City of Rocks' were all ungraded
and in horrible condition, and outside of the
then imposing headquarters, the huge machine
shops and a few business houses, nearly all
places of resilience were one-story frame struc-
tures of most unprepossessing appearance, and
well calculated to evoke a broad smile from the
passersby, as well as the unfavorable impres-
sii his which were so common."
Beginning with the establishment of the
railroad shops in 1882 there had always existed
an element of uncertainty in the growth and
prosperity of Sprague. arising chiefly from
doubt and speculation concerning the perma-
.nence of division headquarters. Yet despite
this quasi-uneasiness the town improved, grew
and prospered until it became, as said by the
Herald, the best town of its size in the Terri-
tory of Washington, and probably unsurpassed
by any other city of 2,500 inhabitants on the
Pacific coast. Its enterprises were always
directed by a class of business men who never
contemplated defeal in any undertaking to
which they might put their hands. The mo-
mentous county seat light of 1884 has been
voluminously treated in another chapter of this
work. Of Sprague, as it appeared to him in
1884, Mr. Frank M. Winship, for many years
editor of the Sprague Herald, writing in Jan-
uary, 1889, said :
We landed in Sprague early in 1884, shortly after
the days of tents and "dugouts," ami at a time when
her citizens were beginning to think of something more
than a mere camping outfit. Some good, substantial
buildings were then taking the places of temporary
structures, ami it seemed as though Sprague was des-
tined 10 make rapid strides toward becomil
metropolis of eastern Washington. I'.ut as timi
by and we failed to see improvements in the business
portion of the city, which her growth and natural sur-
roundings demanded, we were at a loss to know how
it was that firms doing the immense amount of business
that many of tin m wen' should he contented to transact
their liiisiness in old shells that would hardly shield
ils from inclement weather. We have some-
times been amused while standing in front <4 some of
our business houses carrying stocks of go, >d~ worth
from $50,1 O0 to note what little attempt was
advertise the business of these tirms. We have
seen from time to t inn- in the show windows of these
us a beautiful conglomeration of disorder in
the matter of displaying their goods. For instance, wc
have noticed hoots and shoes, gaudy heads, do.
appli -. potatoes and onions all together on one string.
Was this because the proprietor- supposed that only
i 7 8
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
Siwashes would see their display, or was it lack of taste
and enterprise on the part of our business men ?
We have solved this query as follows : Many of
our business men came here when Sprague was only
a railroad camp and started their enterprises on a
small scale and built up large commercial interests
and were satisfied to ply their avocations in buildings
wholly at variance with the growth and demands of their
trade, and making the prosperity of their city a secondary
consideration, content while they, themselves, were ac-
cumulating fortunes, to let the city take care of herself.
Some of these same old fogies have even gone so far
as to discourage parties desiring to locate here by tell-
ing them that business was dull and everything was
being overdone, when in truth there was not a business
man in the city who was not making money. We are
glad to note that within the last two years this great
evil has been, in a large measure, overcome. Some of
the old fogies have left and men of enterprise have
come in, and those of the old ones who remain see
the necessity of keeping pace with the times. Many
new buildings have been erected that would be a credit
to any city, and with those in contemplation, in another
year the business portion of the town will wear quite
a metropolitan air.
June 28, 1886, the city of Sprague voted on
the question whether or no intoxicating liquors
should be sold within her corporate limits. The
result was favorable to the "wet" element, the
vote being: For prohibition, 90; against, 283.
Lincoln county's original flouring mill was
erected at Sprague in 18S7. Pledges from
farmers were secured by the promoters to fur-
nish 50,000 bushels of wheat. A considerable
portion of this pledged wheat came from a dis-
tance of 35 or 40 miles. Huffman & Stevens
were the proprietors of this enterprise. It is
averred that every bushel of wheat grown in
1887 between the Columbia river and Rock
creek was marketed at this mill, totaling ex-
actly 52,000 bushels. In this connection it is
interesting to note that this same territory in
1 90 1 yielded at least 12,000,000 bushels. Dur-
ing the spring of 1887 a cavalry company
known as Troop A was enrolled, an organiza-
tion destined to play an important part in the
town's history, and one in which the people of
Sprague took great pride. Following were
the members, officers and privates of Troop A,
as furnished by Sergeant Bartol shortly after
organization :
E. G. Pendleton, captain ; R. G. Paddock, first
lieutenant ; Thomas O'Brien, second lieutenant ; John
Bartol, first sergeant ; J. N. Campbell, second sergeant ;
M. P. Murphy, third sergeant; Wallace Mount, fourth
sergeant ; W. T. Murray, first corporal ; W. F. Brown,
second corporal ; Thomas Meagher, third corporal ;
Charles A. Hagen, fourth corporal.
Privates— B. F. Burton, G. S. Brooke, A. B. Brooke,
J. J. Burns, John Bracken, Thomas Block, S. A. Conlee,
John Cody, George Case, Len Curtis, George Cosgrove,
James Dillon, J. P. Deredesheimer, P. Dencer, H. W.
Fairweather, James Fairburn, F. M. Gray, David Hig-
gins, J. J. Harris, W. Hinshaw, A. S. Hughes, S. G.
Jackson, O. C. Jensen, John Palmer, A. Schneider, W. S.
Specklmire, J. S. Smith, Thomas Smith, W. J. Slattery,
George M. Fray, G. A. Wood, L. A. Winney, T. A.
Wickham, P. Wallace, B. B. White, H. W. Brooke,
G. S. Johnson, G. R. Klnick, J. W. Kelly, W. B. Lott-
man, I. G. McGinnis, H. T. Murray, J. J. Maloney,
J. W. Miller, M. S. Weeks, S. Newman, R. M. Porter,
William Pea, W. F. Robertson, Frank Ringuit. Knox
Johnson, Charles' B. Johnson, Willis Kinder, H. Mc-
Ginnis, S. P. McGinnis, M. Mullett, M. J. Maloney,
S. G. McMillan, Ira G. Nelson, ■ W. H. Olds, W. P.
Putman, F. M. Quinlan, L. P. Reardon, T. S. Roodman,
R. D. Rairdon.
In the election for officers of Troop A, in
May, 1888, the following candidates were suc-
cessful : Charles B. Johnson, captain ; B. B.
Glasscock, first lieutenant ; Dr. Smith, second
lieutenant. In this capacity Captain Johnson
served for many years.
A Sprague citizen, writing of the improve-
ments in his town in September, 1887, said :
I want to have a little general talk about our im-
provements under way and prospective, to show that
our sister city, Spokane Falls, hasn't got it all her own
way. To start with is the new mill, the brick and stone
foundation of which is already up. The building will '
be 36X4S feet in size, three stories and basement. The
capacity of this mill will be 75 barrels per day. The
warehouse already up is 30x70 feet. An engine room
will be built, the engine to be 35-horse power. The
town council is receiving plans for putting in a system
of water pipes and sewers. Plans are also being re-
ceived for establishing a system of electric lights. An-
other industry talked of here is a foundry. As a
shipping point Sprague stands second between Helena,
Montana, and Wallula Junction. Transactions at the
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
179
depot average about $25,000 per month, and this season
over one-half million pounds of wool were shipped from
here, and this business is increasing yearly. Building
improvements are very brisk. Three dwellings, those
of Messrs. J. H. Shields, Frank Gheres and William
Dittenhoefer, will cover $14,000 finished. It is safe to
place the amount at $75,000 which is being spent in
building operations.
Saturday morning, November 13, 1887,
Sprague was visited by a fire whicb destroyed
four buildings. The losers were Miss Callan,
millinery; Thomas McAllister, harness store;
Jones & Nygard, furniture, and Mclnnis, pho-
tographer. All carried insurance with the ex-
ception of Mr. Mclnnis. In addition to the de-
struction of her store Miss Callan lost consider-
able money which was in a trunk that was
burned.
In the beginning of the year 1889 Sprague
was a busy town of 1,600 people. She exhibited
positive evidence of prosperity in the improve-
ments of her streets ; the erection of brick busi-
ness blocks ; in her large public school and court
house. Here was located a Catholic school (St.
Joseph's Academy), and many men found
lucrative employment in the railroad shops.
Sprague was the principal headquarters for the
Idaho division of the Northern Pacific Railway
Company, and the company had a large, hand-
some building for the use of its officials. A
brewery using the barley grown in the sur-
rounding country and hops from Puyallup Val-
ley brought considerable money to the town and
the neighboring farmers. The same year wit-
nessed many improvements, public and private.
These included an electric light plant and a sys-
tem of water works. New business houses were
erected ; a creamery established and. taken alto-
gether, it was a year of great advancement for
the town. Aside from the improvements men-
tioned a new brick city hall was built. Prior
to the erection of this edifice the city council had
been meeting in a woodshed.
During the first decade of Sprague's history
the town never experienced what might In' cor-
rectly denominated a "boom." It had no oc-
casion for one nor did it attempt to manufacture
one with the usual ingredients of "hot air" and
imagination. But up to the period of its great
and almost incalculable disaster through fire it
enjoyed a steady growth. Many of the towns
in eastern 1 \Yashington coming into existence
in the 8o's bought advertising space in the Port-
land Orcgonian, the Minneapolis Tribune and
other papers for the purpose of attracting atten-
tion to them. But this was not the case with
Sprague. It permitted its own steady march to
interest the stranger within, or without its
gates. From the time of its inception its course
was one of uninterrupted smoothness. It made
such improvements as time and circumstances
would permit. Nearly all the streets and ave-
nues were graded; its public buildings consisted
of a commodious opera house. Masonic Tem-
ple and city hall. Up to a certain eventful date
no floods nor fires nor blizzards marred the
city's progress during the first decade.
But the year 1890 began with a "boom"
of colossal proportions. Never before in the
town's history had there been such marked
activity in real estate as was witnessed in March
of this year. Business lots that had been
on the market for months at merely nominal
figures were now snapped up quickly .and
eagerly. All descriptions of property advanced
rapidly. The underlying cause f< r all the "com-
mercial tumult" was the announcement that
the Northern Pacific Railway Company would
at once begin the work of doubling the capacity
of its car shops, round houses, etc., and would
expend $-'50,000 in improving its property. It
was on the wings of rumor, also, that the Ore-
gon Railroad iv Navigation Company was about
Wish a new railroad east anil wesl of
Sprague. and that Sprague would be headquar-
ters for the construction work. The possibility
of the erection of a smelter here affording em-
ployment to 2,000 men did not in the least
diminish the enthusiasm of the citizens. A fran-
chise was granted by the city council for the
construction of a street car line to be completed
i8o
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
within ninety days. A choice and sightly tract
of land in the suburbs was platted. The city pur-
chased twenty acres more to be used as a public
park. In its issue of March 27th the Sprague
Herald said :
The past week has been one of unusual activity,
there having been eighty-two transfers in the city. As
yet prices are held at an advance of about twenty-five
per cent, over last week. Still, real estate in Sprague is
lower than that of any other city of importance in the
state. Choice business locations may be purchased
at from $2,000 to $5,000. Residence lots are selling at
prices varying from $75 to $600. Our people are in no-
wise excited but are simply awakening to the fact
that Sprague has advantages which warrant her in
taking a more conspicuous place among Washington
cities.
Sprague, at this period, .was certainly enjoy-
ing a "boom" of magnificent proportions. Real
estate agents received orders by wire to in-
vest in Sprague properties from capitalists.
"Sprague real estate not for sale at any price,"
was a common telegraphic answer to inquiries
received by people who owned property in the
town which was apparently to become a city.
April 3d the Herald said :
Sprague is the scene of a very busy season. Build-
ing operations are developing rapidly and as soon as each
structure is finished it is at once occupied. Calls are con-
tinually being made for workmen. Not enough laborers
can be had to carry on the work necessary to the rapid
growth of the city. Sprague in the infancy of its
growth resembles Spokane during its miraculous ad-
vancement of a couple of years ago. This week two
real estate offices have been established and the trans-
fers number over one hundred. With all its advantages
Sprague is destined to become one of the foremost cities
in Washington. At any rate the confidence of those
who have been purchasing real estate must be very
great or they would not invest so heavily.
This boom, however, was of short duration.
The new railroad was not built ; the proposed
improvements in the shops did not materialize ;
the smelter was not constructed ; the street rail-
way system gained the "survey" stage and went
no farther. By the official census taken by the
government in 1890 the population of Sprague
was given as 1.722.
Washington was now a state. During the
summer of 1891 the question of reincorporating
the city of Sprague was taken up. Experience
had demonstrated that there were many defects
in the old charter, some of which limited the
powers to such an extent that the growth and
advancement of the city was greatly retarded.
The legislature of the new state at its first ses-
sion under the constitution, among other acts,
provided by a general law charters for cities,
including a charter for cities of the third class.
To remedy the defects of their city charter the
people of Sprague desired to reincorporate un-
der this law. Accordingly they circulated for
signatures a petition and the same was pre-
sented, asking for some action toward securing
a new charter. Originally Sprague had been
incorporated under the old Territorial law.
Washington was now a state. The supreme
court had decided all such incorporations void,
and issued a mandate authorizing special elec-
tions for such purposes. The result of this
election, called by the county commissioners,
was an almost unanimous verdict in favor of
re-incorporation. Under the new dispensation
the following municipal officers were elected, all
Democrats with the exception of Councilman
O. C. Jensen :
George S. Brooke, mayor ; John Bartol,
treasurer; George Maguire, assessor; R. M.
Houck, health officer; T. M. Cooper. F. J.
Gehres. John Garvey, T. N. Murphy, W. P.
Putman, James Stewart and O. C. Jensen,
councilmen.
As illustrating the laxity of railroad, land
office and other officials it is stated that not until
June, 1895, did the Northern Pacific Railway
Company receive a patent from the government
to the land comprising Sprague's townsite.
Meanwhile the real estate had been sold and
resold many times and passed around among
many parties. In December, 1892, the Sprague
Herald said: "All that is definitely known is
that the city is floating around somewhere in
the east half of section 2^, but whether its
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
181
point of beginning' is at the north or south
corner stake, or somewhere in the middle of the
east half, is something that no man can find
out from the records. So the question. 'Where
is Sprague at?' is a very pertinent one."
In March, 1892, by a vote of 182 to 46, the
city decided to issue bonds in the amount of
$35,000 to purchase the properties of the water
works and electric light companies, both of
which had heretofore been operated by private
individuals. The first election held for this
purpose was declared illegal. June 17 another
election was carried for the proposition by a
nine-tenths vote, and a transfer of these proper-
ties procured.
March 18, 1894, Sprague was visited by the
greatest flood hitherto known in her history.
This unusual rise began on the 17th; and on
the evening of that day the high water line had
been reached ; on Sunday morning it was "out
of sight." During a period of seventy-two
hours that portion of the city between the rail-
road and an alley near the old opera house was
inundated, the average depth on a level being
about eight inches. The low land lying east of
the railway shops was totally submerged, as was
the tract west of the mill. Three boats plied
the waters which surged through the business
portion of the town. The floors of many sti >res
and saloons were covered with water.
April 25th the Herald said: "Bradstreet's
Commercial Agency gives Sprague the best
rating of any city in the state. In effect, it says,
it is the soundest and safest city in which to do
business in the state of Washington. There
has never been a business failure of any signifi-
cance in the city."
The great strike of the Northern Pacific
railway employes in the summer of 1X04 is
exhaustively treated in another chapter. But
this industrial imbroglio played such an impor-
tant part in the future of the town that we deem
it best to here reproduce some of the more
salient features. July 8th the strike assumed
threatening proportions. Concerning the acts
of lawlessness on this date the Sprague Herald
of July 1 ith said:
Everything pertaining t" the strike- has been going
on in the same even tenor that ii started with and
nothing occurred to injure the cause of the A. R. I".,
until last Sunday night (July 8th), when the train
bearing Company K. National Guards Wa hing
Tekoa, came in manned by "scabs." Hoodlums threw
rocks at the engineer and the scab crew, and two box
cars were on the main track in front of the train.
The engineer opened the throttle and got down out of
sight owing to fear, and the next instant crashed into
the cars. In the meantime a car loaded with engine
oil was run down the track to the second brid
of town and set on fire, burning ear. oil and trestle t" tin-
ground. This wa- not all The large trestle east of
town had also been tired by unknown parties, though
it was discovered in time to extinguish the flames before
much damage was done, only about fifteen feet .if the
trestle being burned. This is supposed to be the work
of hoodlums or sympathisers, but there are many who
will make the A. R. U. hear the blame. Is it no
mental to their cause? To be sure it ts. Citizens of
Sprague generally regret this occurrence. Company K
was detained the remainder of the night and nearly all
Monday, leaving in the afternoon as soon as the trestle
was repaired, \lmni n o'clock Monda} forenoon a
train bearing a company of regulars from Fort Spokane
came in from the east and repaired the trestle which
checked their progress. A train from the west bearing
Company B, First Infantry. Seattle, came in shortly
after noon and they were compelled to repair tli
west of town to get into Sprague. The soldiers used
rails to pry off the car trucks. They were nearly live
hours making the necessary repairs. Had not tin-
burning of these bridges occurred our city would not
have had to submit to and be placed under martial law.
There arc two companies of United State- Ri
from Fort Spokane encamped on the lawn around the
headquarters building under Command of Major Car-
penter, viz: Company II. with fifty-on( men. com-
manded by Captain Webster, and Company G, fifty-two
men, commanded bj Captain O'Brien.
The various meetings held in the city anent
this industrial disturbance have been fully
treated in the '"Lincoln County History" of
this work. Opinion was divided, and while
there was considerable undercurrent of sym-
pathy for the strikers, few were found who de-
sired the railway company to remove it- -hops
and division headquarters from the city. Yet
all this was done in the future. July JJ,
[894, the Lincoln County Times said:
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
"The division headquarters of the Northern
Pacific have been moved from Sprague to Spo-
kane, and Superintendent Gilbert is quoted as
saying that the shops would in all probability
be moved also. This would prove a severe
blow to Sprague and a loss to the entire county.
The taxes derived from the location of the
shops in the count)- is by no means inconsider-
able and their removal would be unfortunate.
This action of the railroad company has been
hastened, if not entirely precipitated by the ap-
parent sympathy for, and the support given to,
the strikers in most they have done, by the
citizens and business men of Sprague. If the
public meetings recently held there denouncing
unlawful acts and pledging support to the laws
had taken place at the beginning of the trouble
as they should, it is not probable that the head-
quarters or anything else would have been
moved."
But temporarily there was a lull in the
strained anxiety of the citizens of Sprague.
The blow did not fall immediately in the full
intensity of its force. Since Sprague became
a town rumors would periodically make their
appearance to the effect that the shops were to
be removed to Spokane. Following the strike
these rumors gained in volume. Frank M.
Winship, editor of the Sprague Herald, was
in St. Paul. Minnesota, shortly after the trouble
and interviewed General Manager Kendrick
concerning these rumors. July 23d he wired
his paper as follows :
"To Herald. Sprague, Washington. — I
have just interviewed General Manager Ken-
drick. of the Northern Pacific Railway Com-
pany. He says there is no foundation what-
ever for reports that the railroad shops at
Sprague were to be removed. The headquar-
ters removal is permanent. Agitators will not
be re-employed. Frank M. Winship."
August 8th the Herald congratulated its
readers thus : "The shop whistle never sounded
more musical than it did this morning in sum-
moning a number of the railroad shop em-
ployees to work again, after the six weeks'
lay-off caused by the strike. Although the
whole force has not yet been assigned to duty
it is believed it is a question of only a few days
when the shops will again be swarming with
men anxious to make up for the time worse
than lost."'
To this the Lincoln County Times added:
"Everything appears serene at the county seat
again, work in the car shops having been re-
sumed, although business is still quiet among
the merchants. The strike has necessarily been
injurious to trade, and the town is only recov-
ering from the bad effects."
Following the A. R. U. strike Governor
McGraw appointed a court of inquiry to inves-
tigate the conduct of the Spokane, Tekoa and
Sprague militia during the trouble. The court
reported September 15th. It found Company
G, of Spokane, guilty of mutinous conduct at
Tacoma on July 7th, and that all the members
then present, except Charles E. Nelson, par-
ticipated or acquiesced in the mutiny. The
court recommended that the company be dis-
banded and would favor the dishonorable dis-
charge of the mutineers, but for the fact that a
courtmartial would be necessary to impose this
sentence. The court found captain J. W.
Stearns, of Tekoa, in permitting his company
to be stoned by a mob at Sprague, absolutely
wanting in proper knowledge of his duty, and
recommended his discharge.
Concerning the Sprague company the court
found that while a considerable number of
Troop A were in sympathy with the strikers,
there was no disloyalty, except on the part of
its sergeant, W. H. Evans, who organized a
squad of men to cheer the Spokane mutineers
at Tacoma. and Sergeant A. P. Sully and Pri-
vate Kennedy, who deserted at Tacoma. The
discharge of Evans, Sully and Kennedy was
recommended. Governor McGraw approved
the findings and at once issued orders to carry
them into effect.
In October, 1895. Troop A disbanded. The
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
183
primary cause of this was the disastrous fire
that swept the town. It had ever been a popu-
lar organization.
One of the tragic events in Sprague's his-
tory during the year 1895 was the murder of
Constable L. A. Coulee by Alfred Symes.
which occurred June 25th. The constable had
arrested Symes, an alleged stock thief, in
Sprague, and both prisoner and officer set out
on horseback for Ritzville. Sprague people
were informed that Conlee had been murdered
on the following day, his body having been
found about four miles above Ritzville. Later
information showed how the victim had met
his death. He had been shot six times through
the body and head. The exact details of the
crime remained a mystery, but it was surmised
that Symes, who was riding just behind Con-
lee succeeded in jumping on behind the con-
stable, overpowering him and securing his re-
volver with the above result. Shots had been
distinctly heard by two or three parties and
some boys saw Symes dragging the murdered
man away from the road. It was learned that
Symes went immediately to his cabin, got sup-
per, and then left a marriage license lie had
taken out the day he was arrested. Sprague
business men offered a reward of S500 for the
apprehension of Symes dead or alive.
The latter was locally known as "Jesse
James." and possessed an unenviable reputa-
tion. He had boasted that if Conlee ever at-
tempted to arrest him he would kill him. He
had come to Lincoln county about eight years
previous. August 11, 1895. Symes was cap-
tured in Missoula county. Montana, by Sheriff
Thompson, of Adams county. Washington,
and E. D. Gibson, of Ritzville. Admitting the
killing the prisoner set up the plea of self-de-
fense. He was tried in Adams county, found
guilty and sentenced to death. In January.
1896, Judge Upton, of Walla Walla, commuted
the sentence to nineteen years in the peniten-
tiary. An appeal was taken to the supreme
court, but the sentence of the lower court was
affirmed in June, 1899. During the sprii
1903 Symes was released <>n parole.
Saturday. August 3. 1895, is a date that will
not be forgotten by any living person who was
in Sprague that disastrous day. For one of the
most destructive conflagrations that ever de-
vastated Eastern Washington reduced the busi-
rtion of the city to ashes; rendered hun-
dreds of pe >ple homeless and destitute of food
and made absolutely necessary the solicitation
of aid from outlying towns. An an
ing 320 acres wa^ burned over; every building
in the tract destroyed, and entailing a monetary
loss of $1,250,000. At noon a lire alarm was
rung for a blaze in Bryant's chi p and feed mill,
corner of Railroad avenue and 1) street. And
thus the destiny of Sprague — the history of
Lincoln county — was changed by the careless
use of tire in the chop mill on an exceedingly
windy day. Quickly the department responded
to the call, but far more rapidly was the blaze
fanned by the strong gale into a roaring fur-
nace. The most determined fire fighters — and
there were none better in the state — were driven
back almost as soon as they arrived upon the
scene. From one building to another leaped
the fire and within five minutes it was apparent
that the entire town was threatened. At one
corner of C street the flames forked ; one branch
reaching out north of the railway track, con-
suming in it^ way the Northern Pacific grain
warehouse, the National hotel and the entire
row of wooden buildings at a corner of B street.
From this point it leaped to the Pacific hotel
and the string of frame structures in the rear.
Thence it jumped to the railway headquarters'
building and Porack's brewery. These were
totally destroyed as was the residence of Mr.
Porak.
Meanwhile the southern wing of this fiery
onslaught -wept into ruins the building
Railroad avenue and First and Second
including the Commercial hotel, the city hall,
the store of R. Newman & Company and the
Masonic Temple. From here the flami
1 84
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
their way to the buildings west of the car shops,
and in another minute they were melting into
ruins. It was impossible to do anything to
save the railroad building owing to the fact
that the water-pipes had burst in this portion of
the city. A few moments later a terrible explo-
sion occurred as the oil tanks burst, and timbers
and flames rose high in the air. The fire was
checked on the west side by the brick buildings
of the First National Bank and Jensen, King
& Company, the occupants placing wet blankets
over the windows and fighting the flames des-
perately. Mayor Sanderson at this time ar-
rived from Medical Lake and ordered the
building of Ben Ettleson, corner of C and First
streets, blown up with dynamite. This was
done and the entire row of business houses on
C street, between First and Second streets,
were saved. From this point the flames pur-
sued a southeasterly direction and destroyed
the drug store of W. P. Putnam, the Masonic
Temple, the county jail, the old opera bouse,
and the residences of R. R. Jones and E. H.
Stanton. Here the flames were checked by the
use of more dynamite. The fire swept east as
far as the stock yards, completely obliterating
every residence and business house in that por-
tion of the city.
Eye witnesses testified subsequently that
the flames of this fierce oncoming volume of
fire reached a block in advance of the burning
buildings, spreading in every direction with
the rapidity of a whirlwind, driving people be-
fore it in all possible haste unable to save any-
thing from their burning houses and flying
panic stricken to places of refuge on the out-
skirts. It is estimated that there were over 200
buildings in flames at one time. While the fire
was about a block away from the county jail
the prisoners were released. It is said they did
excellent work assisting the neighboring busi-
ness men to save their goods, but disappeared
when the flames were under control. Among
the first buildings to encounter destruction was
the Northern Pacific railway station. Operator
Young removed his instruments to a field east
of town, made new wire connections and sent
and received messages as rapidly as possible.
Scenes at the burning of the round house were
sensational. Flames rose to a height of one
hundred feet, bursting from every portion of
the roof. Engine after engine was run out
only to be met by advancing flames that drove
engineer and fireman from the cabs. Twenty-
four locomotives were destroyed ; seven only
were saved.
Within four hours of the inception of this
disaster Sprague presented a scene of utter
desolation. Smoldering ruins marked the spot
where once stood a prosperous city. Not over
half a dozen business houses were left stand-
ing. These included Gehres & Hertrich's
general merchandise store, the Sprague roller
mills, the First National Bank. Jensen, King
& Company and E. Redding & Company. All
the newspaper offices of the city with the excep-
tion of the Herald were burned out. The post-
office was among the first buildings to go. One
of the unfortunate features of this disaster was
the comparatively small amount of insurance
carried by the business men. Many carried
none at all and some of them were ruined. Fol-
lowing were the losses sustained by the dis-
aster :
Northern Pacific Railroad Company. $700,-
000, made up as follows : Twenty- four loco-
motives and fifty-four freight cars. $325,000;
shops, machinery, etc., $50,000: headquarters'
building, master mechanic's office, passenger
station, $50,000; freight and freight ware-
house, ice house and ice, grain warehouse and
oil and oil house, $75,000. There was also
half a mile of track destroyed and about 7,000
tons of coal and 5,000 cords of wood, together
with the coal bunkers and wood sheds, all of
which brought the loss up to nearly, if not
quite three-quarters of a million dollars. Other
losses :
J. W. Bryant, chop feed mill, $1,000;
Archie Mcintosh, blacksmith shop. $500;
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
185
Gehres & Hertrich, $300, insured ; Sprague In-
dependent, $2,000; Dr. Jacobs, dentist, $500,
insured ; Murphy & Burns, four buildings,
$10,000; stock. $5,000; Stooke & Amery, stock
of hardware, $10,000, insurance, $5,000; va-
cant livery barn; Davis & Gray, grocers, $10,-
000, insurance, $5,000; Mrs. M. Heard, build-
ing and millinery stock, $5,000 insured; \Y. A.
Buckley, $200 ; Knights of Pythias building,
$300 ; James Coy, laundry, $500 ; R. Winters,
saloon, stock and fixtures, $500; Commercial
Hotel, building and contents. $30,000: J. W.
Littlefield, bakery, $3,500. insurance $1,500;
Sprague Packing Company. $10,000; C. W.
Littlefield, grocer, $5,000; J. F. Hall, general
merchandise. $8,000, insured ; Cooper & San-
derson. $300. insured; E. M. Kinnear, capi-
talist, $30,000, partially insured. His loss in-
eluded two rows of buildings; one on
B street and one on First street, about
ten in all ; Merritt & Salisbury, law-
yers, $200, insured; H. X. Martin, law-
yer, $200, insured ; Fred Stipes, shoemaker,
S400; T. F. Meagher, postmaster, $1,000. in-
surance $500; J. J. Burns, saloon, $800; C. F.
Eckhart. cigarmaker, $500; Frank Parker,
shoemaker. $100; George Troy, restaurant,
S500,. insured : "YY. P. Murray, two store build-
ings, $500; Model Restaurant, $600, insured;
E. H. Peterson, barber, $400 ; J. H. Finder.
tobacconist, $1,200; J. \Y. Reed, jeweler,
$1,000, insured; Hugh McOuaid. fish, $200;
Charles Hagen, carpenter, $800, insured ; Mrs.
Moore, $300; H. P. Hicks, tinsmith, $150;
J. W. Ryan, saloon, $5,000, insured lor $4.51 k i :
R. Newman & Company, general merchandise.
$20,000, insurance $12,000; city hall and jail.
$6,000, insurance, $5,000: Sprague Journal,
$500; Palmer & Rey, tw<> presses, $300; A.
Lowe, household goods. $300; L. F. Williams.
household goods, $500: R. B. Morrison, house
and contents, $1,200: Judge X. T. Caton,
building, $250, insured: Daniel Winter, house
and contents, Si.ooo: Methodisl Church.
$2,000, insured; R. R. Janes, house and con-
tent-. $800, insured: Masonic Hall. $4,000. in-
sured; county jail. $2,500, insured: W. I'.
Putnam, drugs. $3,500. insured; Pacific Hotel,
$5,000; National Hotel, $3,500, insured; Otto
Arnold, $800: A. Van Allen, blacksmith, $400;'
Williams Brothers, second hand goods, $600;
A. W. Holland, building. $500, insured; James
Culross, tailor, $300; Herbring Block, $24,000.
insurance $18,000; W. H. Olds, drugs, $4,000,
insurance $2,000: G. II. Gilpin, dry goods,
$15,000, insurance $7,000; Chicago Store,
$10,000, insurance. $7,000; Hen Ettleson, sa-
loon, $3,000: John Kirk, butcher, $2,500: W.
A. Peters, harness. S500. insured; George Cos-
grove, saloon, $2,000. insured: W. R. White,
tailor, $1,000; R. L. Wells, jeweler. $1,000;
Lee & Astrup, saloon. $800; Joseph Wormald,
building. $500: Paul Herold, barber, $800: E.
Weyer, boots and shoes, $1,000; Thomas
Smith, vacant building, $300.
The day following the fire was the Sabbath,
but for the stricken people of Sprague it was a
day of unceasing labor instead of rest. And
there were throngs of people upon the street
viewing the scenes of the recent conflagration.
No new fires originated, but throughout the
burnt district embers were still smoking and in
a few places the fire had not diminished t<> any
appreciable extent. The forenoon was passed
in tearing down dangerous walls and removing
every possible structure which might cause a
recrudescence of the flames. The Northern
Pacific coal bunkers were still burning at a
lively rate. With the exception of an old hand
car house the company's property was com-
pletely wiped out in Sprague. This was fitted
up fur a depot and telegraph office and Super-
intendent Gilbert at once began the construction
of a temporary building for railroad use. Sun-
day morning found the city without a saloon,
hotel or restaurant or eating house of any de-
scription, and but three stores. But so fast as
workmen could nail boards together new
structures were run up. By evening a number
of business houses were established in sheds,
1 86
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
tents and in the limited number of residence
houses left standing.
The morning of November 22, 1896, Spo-
kane became the terminus of the passenger and
freight division of the 'Northern Pacific Corn-
pan}-, under Superintendent Gilbert. Between
forty and sixty families removed from Sprague
within ten days, many of them following divis-
ion headquarters to Spokane.
For a number of years following the great
fire Sprague was, indeed, a stricken city. Peo-
ple who had previously done all in their power
toward building up the town became discour-
aged and apathetic. The fire, the removal of
the railway shops, the loss of the county seat,
desertions of business men and erstwhile influ-
ential citizens were severe blows to a once
prosperous and energetic city. A heavy debt
contracted by the city in palmier days was left
to the new Sprague. Two years of exceedingly
stringent times followed, and the town which
contained 2.500 people August 3, 1895, num-
bered hardly 400 during the succeeding few
years. Then came a most gratifying change.
Agricultural pursuits began to pay better and
new life was infused into those who had re-
mained and faced the storm. Speaking of the
condition of Sprague in 190 1 the Times of
March 29th said :
"Today we can look upon our city with a
feeling of extreme pride, as few places have
ever overcome so many obstacles and prospered
as has Sprague during the past four years.
Signs of prosperity are all around us. Resi-
dence property offered for sale in 1896 for $50
with no buyers is now greedily purchased for
$200. More than 200,000 acres of farm lands
in this immediate vicinity have been purchased
and improved. Thousands of dollars have been
invested by men of means who have energv
and push inestimable in value. Not a vacant
dwelling house stands within the city limits.
Good sidewalks, good streets and a splendid
water system are sustained by the city with
funds to spare. While working on a local
paper shortly after the fire the editor of the
Times penned these words : 'Phoenix-like, from
the ashes of the old Sprague will arise a new
Sprague that will be greater than Sprague has
ever been." And he still hopes to live to realize
the truth of that statement."
The Sprague Roller Mills were burned at
an early hour Saturday morning, January 18,
1902, entailing a loss of $60,000 fully covered
by insurance. They were erected in 1887 with
a capacity of 350 barrels per day.
Church societies are represented in Sprague
by the Baptist, Methodist Episcopal, Free Meth-
odists, German Lutheran and Catholic. The
fraternal institutions comprise the A. F. & A.
M., K. P.. I. O. O. F., United Artisans, Mac-
cabees, W. O. W., M. W. A. and Foresters.
CRYSTAL CITY.
One of the youngest towns in Lincoln coun-
ty is Crystal City. It lies on the bank of the
Spokane river just above the site of old Fort
Spokane. It is understood that the owners of
the Crystal mine are to install a smelter near
their property and this has, doubtless, proved
the incentive for the existence of Crystal City.
The townsite was laid out December 23, 1903,
by B. \Y. YYolverton at which time the plat
was filed. There is considerable ore taken from
the Cedar Canyon district which is tributary to
to the new town. January 1, 1904, the Lincoln
County Times said:
"The long looked for Crystal City has made
a start, and several new buildings are going up,
but the scarcity of lumber is retarding opera-
tions. Mr. Kennet, formerly salesman for Ben-
ham & Griffith, wholesale grocers of Spokane,
is erecting a store and it is reported that Grutt
& Sons have purchased the old O'Shea build-
ing and are going to put in a store. Mr. Kennet
is also putting up a livery and feed stable. J.
H. Gardner is putting up a building supposed
to be a blacksmith shop. Lots are going like
the proverbial hot cakes, and Captain Gray
s-ivs the smelter is a sure thing."
HISTORY OF THE EIG BEXD COUNTRY
187
The new town appears to be the outgrowth,
or successor, rather, of Grayville, which came
into existence in May, 1899. It was located
some 600 feet from the Crystal mine. But July
[Oth, of that year, fully one-fourth of Grayville
went up in smoke and ashes. The only store
in the place owned by W. M. Stevens and G. J.
Neumeister was destroyed entailing a loss of
about $3,000 upon which there was $1,400 in-
surance. Since that event Grayville appears to
have languished until it was supplanted by the
new town of Crystal City. The postoffice,
known as Miles, was established in the early
The pioneer general mercantile store of La-
mona was opened in 1896 by J. M. Newland.
This establishment was subsequently disposed
of to J. H. Lamona who became, practically,
the founder of the town. It is a pretty site for
a village lying about midway between Mohler
and Odessa, on the main line of the Great
Northern railway. Mr. Lamona is at present
a resident of Spokane.
Where stands the town of Irby is one of the
oldest settled portions of Lincoln county. The
Irby ranch was taken up by Mr. I. Irby about
1878 and he held it continuously until 1902
when it was sold to A". A. Johnson. In 1903
it was sold to the Babcock-Cornish Company.
Writing of Irby in 1903 the Spokesman-Review
said :
"The company that will handle the prop-
erty has been incorporated under the name of
the Babcock-Cornish Company. One of the
principal stockholders is E. J. Babcock, of Dav-
enport, Iowa, the secretary and manager of the
Security Fire Insurance Company. There is a
large wheat belt contiguous to the ranch, but
the farmers have been compelled to haul to
Krupp or Odessa because the railroad hereto-
fore has not been able to acquire sufficient
ground for a commercial siding. Ground for
this purpose has now been obtained ami within
a short time the siding will be built. Work will
soon be commenced in the erection of wheat
warehouses, and it is believed that the first year's
haul to them will amount to between 300,000
and 400,000 bushels. The corporation will es-
tablish a bank at the place early in the season,
and plans have also been drawn for the erection
of a Hour mill. On the property there is a fall
on the creek that gives 60-horse power, and the
mill will be placed here this summer. At pres-
ent there is nothing at the station of Irby save
the ranch and station house. Many attempts
have been made to secure ground for ware-
houses but the former owners would not sell.
The department at Washington, D. C. has
granted a postoffice for the place and it will
31 on he established and a -lore opened."'
In March. 1893, it was a consensus of opin-
oin that in the town of Mohler, on the Great
Northern railway and a few miles east of I I
sa. Harrington had a formidable rival. August
24, 1894, the Lincoln County Times said :
"Yarwood Brothers have just opened a gen-
eral store at Mohler station, and the people of
that vicinity arc pleased to have the convenience
of such an enterprise. The new store will cer-
tainly prosper and bids fair to become an im-
portant factor toward the establishment of a
flourishing little town. The next thing wanted
at that place is a postoffice."
But in December. 1900. the Spokesman-Re-
view supplemented the above with the follow-
ing:
"The de.atli knell of the prosperous little
town i<\ Mohler. situated eight miles southwest
of Harrington, has been sounded by one of the
two parties interested in its dissolutii in. Mi ihler
is on the main line of the Great Northern rail-
way and is an important wheat station on that
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
road, some 500,000 bushels of grain having
been marketed there this season. There are two
stores, saloon, meat market, hotel, blacksmith
shop, five warehouses and other business estab-
lishments, and a large amount of trading was
done between these different business men and
farmers who live in the surrounding country.
The Great Northern in laying out improvements
for the coming summer decided to add another
sidetrack to its yard at Mohler, provided the
necessary ground could be secured. Yarwood
Brothers, owners of the townsite demanded
$1,000 for the land on which to build a siding,
but this was considered entirely out of reason
by the officials. The Great Northern is making
preparations to tear up the siding already at
Mohler, and will move the same two miles
north, where a station will be erected and side-
tracks put in. To make doubly sure of the case
another station and siding will be located four
miles southwest of Mohler. This action will
cause a removal of the five warehouses now lo-
cated at Mohler to these new towns and thus
effectually shut out all trade with Mohler. Two
warehouses belong to the Great Northern, one
to the Orondo Shipping Company, one to Yar-
wood Brothers, and one to Crowley & Will-
iams."
These drastic measures were taken by the
railway company, and Mohler passed into his-
tory. Following the removal of the sidetracks
Great Northern trains ceased to stop at the
station. In May, 1903 the Lincoln County
Times sounded the following requiem over the
death of the once lively little burg:
"The town of Mohler, on the Great North-
ern road, has gone out of business. The few
little business houses that were there were a
short time ago loaded on to flat cars and carried
over to Downs, a distance of four miles. The
sidetrack at Mohler, it will be remembered, was
taken up by the railroad company a few weeks
ago, since which time the trains have been pass-
ing through without stopping. This abandon-
ment of the town by the company is believed to
have been inspired by a desire on the part of the
officials to punish the townsite owners who a
couple of years ago refused to part with some
of their property at figures agreeable to said
officials. Since that time it was given out that
the place was to be wiped from the map — and
it has come to pass."
OTHER TOWNS.
In 1881 a postoffice was established a few
miles north of where now is Creston, and it was
called Brents. This was the only postal station
west of the old Mondovi postoffice. Pioneers
of northern Lincoln county tells us that the resi-
dents had a hard time to preserve the existence
of this office as no one desired the honor of
serving as postmaster. Nearly all the people
in the vicinity at one time 011 another held the
position. For many years Josiah Cole kept
a small grocery store at Brents Postoffice. He
disposed of his business about the time the Cen-
tral "Washington railroad was built through
the county and subsequently removed to Wil-
bur. Brents postoffice was discontinued in 1890,
when a postoffice was established at the station
of Creston.
Hellgate is a postoffice situated on the Col-
umbia river in the northern part of the county.
It was formerly known as Layton postoffice,
but in 1894, by petition of patrons of the office,
the name was changed to Hellgate. The change
was made on account of the weakness
of the average penman for flourishes. Fre-
quently addresses were so written the mail went
to Dayton instead of the proper destination,
Layton.
Rocklyn is a station on the Central Wash-
ington railroad west of Davenport. The place
is quite an important grain shipping point.
There are three warehouses and a general store
in the place. Two or three families comprise
the town. The postoffice was established in
Spetember, 1898. During that year the first
warehouse was erected and the German Evan-
gelists built a church edifice.
HAWK CREEK FALLS, LINCOLN COUNTY
HISTORY OF THE BIG BFXD COUNTRY,
189
Waukon is a postoffice and station on the
Great Northern railroad in the extreme eastern
part of Lincoln county. It is a grain shipping
pi nut anil maintains one store.
Gravelle was platted May 18, 1889, by A.
M. Gannon and Alphonse Gravelle. The place
was mi the line of the old Seattle, Lake Shore'
& Eastern railroad and was quite a grain ship-
ping point during the short time the mail was
operated. There was a store there.
Other postoffices in the county at tin
cut time are Tipso, Plum, Clark, Sherman. 1 [es-
seltine. Teach, Egypt and Larene, in the north-
ern part <if the county, and Earl, Crab Creek
and Latt in the southern portion, none of which
are located on railroads.
CHAPTER VI.
DESCRIPTIVE.
To write a history of the Big Bend coun-
try without the prefatory introduction of Lin-
coln county would he like the play of "Hamlet"
with Hamlet ten thousand miles away. If one
will consult a map of the state of Washington
he will see that, to the Great Bend of the Col-
umbia, from the southwest corner of the Spo-
kane Indian Reservation to Pasco, near the
confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers.
Lincoln county is the door-way from the east.
Within this territory, recognized as the Great
Bend, are embraced a close approximation of
10,014 square miles. Practically it includes
the counties of Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and
Franklin. But a writer in the Spokesman-
Review has more particularly generalized this
limitation as follows :
"The purpose of this sketch is to define just
what part of the state comprises the Big Bend
country, and to call attention more especially
to thai part of the bend beyond the Grand Cou
lee and nearest .-mil closesl within the embrace
of the great Columbia river.
"People speak of it as anywhere west of
Spokane city to the Columbia, which is rather
indefinite. Neither would a line drawn from
where the Columbia coming down from Can-
ada veers westward at the mouth of the Spo-
kane river, to a little below the mouth of the
Snake river at Wallula, enclose all of the land
that belongs to the bend. Such a line, though
it would touch both horns of the great crescent
formed by the Columbia, would yet leave out
vast areas that are part and parcel of the land
in question. The line for instance would
pass miles west of Davenport. And would you
ask a man of Davenport his nationality he
would aver he was a Big Bender. And he
would be right. In point of fad all of Lincoln
count}-. Adams. Franklin, "Where the Bade)
Grows," Douglas of course, and parts of Spo-
kane and Whitman counties make up this pe-
culiar country. A Spokane county man living
east or north of the city of Spokane will tell
you he lives in the Inland Empire; and of course
he does. ( io we^t . ir in nth 1 if 1 )eep I 'reek in the
same county and he will tell you he lives in the
Bend. And though geographically he may not
so far as lines and boundaries go. yet according
to the character of the country and the nature
of the soil he does.
"(io south of Spokane city and you are on
Moran prairie: which in itself is an enviable
distinction as the Moran Prairieites will care-
fully explain to you, though they will not easily
allow ymi to become one of their chosen num-
ber — except at a price — the market price of
Moran prairie land. * * * Whitman
190
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
county is given over to the Palouse, and
all within range of Steptoe Butte be-
longs to it, as all within sight or ken
of Pilot Rock, on the west wall of the
Grand Coulee, belongs of right to the Bend.
So should the northwest corner of Whitman,
by virtue of the character of the soil, even as
the southeast portion of Adams is of the Pa-
louse. But all of Lincoln and all of Douglas
is Bend country. Franklin is given over to
the powers that be in irrigating ditches, and so
is between the Palouse and much water.
"So the Big Bend country of Washington
comprises all that land lying within the bend
of the_Columbia river proper, which is west of
a line drawn from the mouth of the Spokane
river southwest to Wallula, a little below the
mouth of the Snake river. And besides this, all
that land lying west of Deep Creek and south
of Spokane river, from the mouth of the former
to the mouth of the latter. It is a high rolling
plateau, much diversified by butte and coulee
and draw, and two thousand feet above the
level of the sea. A land of lost creeks and blind
springs, rich in a lava soil that has the knack
of growing crops with the aid of a minimum
rainfall. A drive straight west from Spokane
will bring you through a series of well appoint-
ed farms that have long ago passed the home-
steading stage and have all the earmarks of
prosperity. Davenport, Creston, Wilbur, Go-
van, Almira and Hartline are towns along the
Washington Central railway that thrive under
the stimulus of the backing of farms whose soil
is as good as any in Washington. You will be
struck with the business activity of these towns
no less than by their neat appearance. The
man fresh from the smoky east is startled, to
say the least, at the newness of — say Almira, for
instance. She looks as if just from the hand of
the workman. Like an easter bonnet just out
of the bandbox. A peculiarity of the climate
is that a house looks new for years even though
not painted. And whereas, in the smoky cities
of the east all houses attain a uniform color in
so long a time — which is short — though the
colors be ever so varied, here in the Big Bend
color is color, and remains blue, green, yellow
or red, as the case may be, until the pigment
itself has lived the term of its natural life. The
effect is one of indescribable neatness, and you
can't help but believe but that the artist of the
'spotless town' famous in the trolley cars, came
here for inspiration and a model.
"North of Almira and extending to the
Columbia, and from Creston in the east to the
wall of the Grand Coulee, is the Ridge country.
This section is claimed to be the best wheat
land in the state. Here is the "California set-
tlement," of men who found better lands than
those in the Golden State. Working with a
threshing outfit there last fall, the writer has
seen an output of twelve hundred sacks a day,
and an average of one thousand sacks for thirty-
six days running, and the machine never got
beyond a distance of two and one-half miles
from the spot where it threshed the first stand.
This was Tipso, and it was not a good year for
wheat either. West from Davenport you will
drive through a long stretch of rocky land —
"scab rock," as it is called. Much of the land
here it fit only for grazing. But from Creston
on to the Coulee you will be traversing the best
wheat lands in the state, and will also be within
striking distance of the famed Wilsoncreek
country, south of Almira, and Hartline, in
Douglas county."
That vast semi-circle or liquid periphery,
the Columbia river, was immortalized by Will-
iam Cullen Bryant in his poem "Thanatopsis,"
as "The Mighty Oregon." From the point
mentioned, on the Spokane reservation, it
makes a bold sweep to the westward. This
great turn made by the swiftly flowing river
on its way to the sea, if closely examined, will
be seen to form the profile of a human face, of
aspect stern, yet dignified, and looking intre-
pidly across the Cascade Range to the wave-
swept western limits of the state. It is with the
territory bounded in the main by the Columbia
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
191
that this history has to deal and describe, as
candidly and fairly as the ability of the writers
and facts carefully collated will permit. Natur-
ally, owing to its geographical position, Lin-
coln county will be first considered. There has
been much written so far in this work concern-
ing its impressive history. It becomes the pro-
vince of this chapter to describe its topography,
boundaries, general agricultural and industrial
classification and resources.
Lincoln county is reached and penetrated
from Spokane by three railway lines, the Great
Northern, Northern Pacific, and the Washing-
ton Central, a branch of the Northern Pacific.
What is known as the Spokane & Seattle branch
of the latter system, a line fifteen miles and
961 feet in length, was completed out from Dav-
enport, the county seat of Lincoln county, to
the southeast, but is not at the present time in
operation. The proceedings of the State Board
of Equalization for 1903 gives the lengths of
the line in operation in the county as follows :
Great Northern, 64 miles, 4.964 feet ; Wash-
ington Central, 66 miles, 375 feet; Northern
Pacific, 16 miles, 2,025 feet. The equalized
rate of taxation was fixed at $6,600 per mile.
Lincoln is bounded on the north by Ferry
county and the Spokane Indian reservation,
separated by the Columbia and Spokane rivers;
on the west by Douglas ; on the south by Adams
and a portion of Whitman counties.'and on the
east by Spokane county. Its area is 2,299
square miles, or about 1,471,360 acres. The
mean elevation of the county is about 2,000 feet
above sea level. One of the highest points is at
Davenport, which is 2.470 feet. Geographi-
cally illustrative of the size of Lincoln county
General Tyner said: "If a single county in
Delaware or Rhode Island should be enlarged
to the dimensions of Lincoln county, then the
balance of either of these states would not af-
ford room enough on which to hold a world's
exposition."
East and west across the county the distance
is 54 miles; north and south an average
miles. Of this area four-fifths is rolling prairie ;
the remainder timber land lying along the
streams in the canyons of the Columbia river.
The soil is a decomposed volcanic ash of vary-
ing depth, exceedingly fertile, and while it is an
ideal soil for wheat culture it is equally adap-
ted to nearly all descripti* ms of agricultural
products indigenous to the temperate zone. Of
the entire area of the county about 750,000
acres are agricultural, 400,000 grazing and
about 300,000 acres timber lands. A writer in
the Northern Pacific Railway Bulletin say- :
"The agricultural lands are rolling, undul-
ating prairies, and for the most part produce
equally well throughout the county. Occ 1
ally, however, in some of the lower altitudes
the rainfall is deficient and on this account the
agricultural lands are graded, first, second and
third class. The first-class lands are quite well
settled and under cultivation, and here but little
opportunity exists for cattle raising, which is
one of the great industries of the county, but
in the second and third-class districts there is
sufficient "open range" contiguous to enable the
farmer to graze his cattle on the range during
eight or ten months of the year, and pasture
them on his stubble and feed at his straw stacks
in the winter. Thus it is that examples of the
most thrifty and industrious farmers in the
county are found upon these second and third-
class lands. The yield of wheat varies from 14
bushels on the third-class lands to 45 bushels
per acre on the choicest lands. While the staple
crop of the county is wheat, oats, barley and
rve yield equally well on the rolling f< •- -t lands.
The wheat fields of the Big Bend country find
no competitor- outside of the state of Wash-
ington, and here their only rivals are t' E
the far- famed Palouse country, which is sim-
ilar in character and soil. The harvesting of
the crop is always >n under thi
favorable conditions. No rains prevail to dis-
color the grain, nor winds to shell it. The
threshed wheat lies in piles on the field 1
railway platforms, sacked, and ready for ship-
192
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
ment without danger of injury by the elements.
"Fruits of all kinds also thrive here, such
as apples, pears, peaches, apricots, cherries,
plums, prunes, grapes and all sorts of berries.
Peaches, apricots and grapes grow only in deep
canyons. By diversifying his products, includ-
ing stock-raising, the farmer of Lincoln county
finds himself prosperous."'
The report of the Washington State Bureau
of Statistics, Agriculture and Immigration, for
1903, published at Olympia, states that the total
number of acres of land in Lincoln county, ex-
clusive of town and city lots, was 1.140,392,
and that the total number of acres of improved
land was 373.159 at the date of publication of
the report. Since then these latter figures have
been materially increased. The valuation of
real and personal property in the county for
1903 is given as follows :
Valuation of land, including city and town
lots, exclusive of improvements, $5,941,325;
valuation of improvements on land, town and
city lots, $969,589 ; valuation of land, town and
city lots, including improvements, $6,910,914;
valuation of personal property, $2,399,981 ;
valuation of railroad tracks, $955,610; total
valuation of real and personal property includ-
ing railroad tracks, $10,266,505.
Assessors' returns for the same year show
18,414 horses, mules and asses of an average
value of $25, and a total value of $406,350;
20,310 cattle, of an average value of $16 and a
total of $324,960; 1,174 sheep at a valuation, of
$2 a head, and totaling $2,348; 6,840 hogs of a
total valuation of $19,440. But it should be re-
membered that all these figures have wonder-
fully increased since the date of the publication
of the report. Yet at the present writing they
are the only late authentic reports obtainable.
The claim is made, and authentically sus-
tained, that Lincoln is the largest wheat pro-
ducing county in the United States, raising in
1900 and 1901 more bushels of this standard
cereal than any other one county within the
limits of the union. The two principal varie-
ties of wheat grown here are Little Club and
Blue Stem, the latter ranging higher in price
than the former. The average yield per acre
will range in the neighborhood of twenty bush-
els. Yet in many instances crops have been
marketed that gave returns to the producer of
from 50 to 60 bushels to the acre. Fall and
spring wheat are both sown and do equally
well. In size farms range from 80 to 3,000
acres. The bulk of the crop is harvested with
headers and threshers and combined harvesters.
These latter machines are operated by ^2
horses, simultaneously reaping, threshing and
sacking the wheat. Harvesting usually begins
about the latter part of July, continuing through
August and into September. During these
months there is but little precipitation, they be-
ing the dryest of the year.
The governmait records for a period of ten
years show that the annual precipitation of rain
and snow in Lincoln county was 13.06 inches,
and the mean monthly temperature, as recorded
by the government observators at Fort Spo-
kane, Lincoln county, for 1895, shows that Jan-
uary was the coldest month, with a mean of
23.8 degrees above zero, while July was the
hottest, with a mean of 67.5 degrees, the mean
temperature for August being 67. The county
may be said to be as near absolutely free from
cyclones and tornadoes, or violent atmospheric
disturbances as any other in the world. The
air is clear, bracing and invigorating, with an
unusual number of sunny days continuing
through the summer months, with cool nights.
Rarely does the thermometer indicate a tem-
perature below zero or above 80 degrees. The
water supply of the county is ample. On its
northern boundary flow the Spokane and Col-
umbia rivers. There are many smaller streams
flowing through the territory and the county is
dotted with lakes. Bituminous coal of the most
desirable description is mined east of the Cas-
cades which is laid down here at a fair price,
but it is not in great demand owing to the gen-
erous quantities of wood in the county. The
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
193
question of grasses is treated by the editor of
the Lincoln Times as follows :
"One of the domestic grasses grown with
most success in Lincoln county is what is km iwn
as brome grass. It roots deeply, forms a tough
sod, withstands the drought and also thrives
under tramping and pasturing. It appears to
be the only grass particularly adapted to this
soil. Clover and timothy are cultivated with
some success on bottoms where there is more
moisture, and those who have had experience
with these grasses in Minnesota and Wiscon-
sin claim that they were not any more of a suc-
cess in those states in early days, but that in-
crease in the rainfall, together with the fertiliz-
ing of the soil, enabled the farmers to produce
both clover and timothy with great success in
late years. It is claimed that the same will he
tme of our upland farm lauds after a few vears
of fertilization. The native bunch grass indi-
genous to Lincoln county, while very nutritious,
will not endure close pasturing, matures the first
of July, and, therefore, does not grow any more
that season. Stock like it however, better than
other grass and they fatten on it. Even after it
bleaches out with rain and snow stock seek
after it and thrive on it. But as before stated,
it will not stand steady pasturing, so that other
grasses are being introduced to take its place
on stuck farms."
The '"barbed wire telephone"' in Lincoln
county is unique, although it has no monopoly
in this particular district. It is a net work of
telephone lines extending throughout the coun-
try districts, the farmers utilizing their barbed
wire fences for lines. The only expense in-
curred is the purchase of instruments which en-
able them to become connected, not only with
the outside world, but what is in reality a super-
ior advantage, with their immediate neighbors,
some of whom may reside many miles distant
so large are the farms in some localities.
Wherever these country telephones have been
introduced, and they may appear extremely pri-
mitive, they are regarded as an indispensable
convenience. The barbed wire telephone has
robbed farm and ranch life of its former isola-
tion. The farmers' wives can call up their neigh-
bors at pleasure. The family physician ma) In-
summoned by wire at critical moments. It is
unnecessary to dispatch a hurried messenger
boy on horseback. The farmer who breaks any
of his machinery may converse with lws dealer
in town, ora machine factory hundreds of miles
distant. In many other ways he finds this prim-
itive service of the greatest benefit to him.
Orchard Valley, a district entirely .1.
to fruit culture, is situated near the mouth of
Hawk creek. In this it resembles the farms
along the Columbia and Spokane river bottom-.
Orchard Valley, in common with these river
fruit farms, comprises sandy bottom lands,
more than one thousand feet below the upland
wheat fields, that can lie irrigated and will pro-
duce almost every variety of fruit aside from
those of a purely tropical nature. Each recur-
rent season the Orchard Valley fruit 1
ship car-loads of strawberries, apples, peaches,
and pears. The first crop of strawberries is
marketable in June and July; in October a sec-
ond crop matures. These fruit farm- are all
irrigated, and the land is valuable. A few-
acres of fruit-bearing orchard are all that one
man. or the average-sized family can success-
fully manage. The Orchard Valley bottom, on
which s.mie forty families reside, resembles a
large village. There is yet considerable fruit
land along the river and canyon bottoms, more
elevated and difficult to irrigate than the im-
proved farms lower down, but in time this, too,
will be supplied with irrigating ditches, and
planted to fruits and berries. These fruit farm-
ers are in comfortable circumstances. Their
land has become quite valuable. A large por-
tion of the fruit product is shipped to Sppkane
and other outside points at a distance. Peaches
usually retail on the market from 50 to 60 cents
per box, apples from 50 to 95 cents, prunes
from 40 to 50 cents per crate, plums from 40 to
j^, cents, pears from 50 to 90 cents and for
1 94
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
strawberries the producer generally receives
$1.50 per crate.
The last half dozen years has witnessed the
greatest development in the fruit industry of
Lincoln county. Mr. Robert Neal was the first
to engage in it about fifteen years ago, on the
Columbia river. Not many years since the
Orchard Valley flat was an open waste on which
horses and cattle ranged the year round. It is,
and was then, a beautiful spot. It overlooked
the river and was sheltered on both sides by
timbered hills and grassy glades, over which
roamed large bands of horses and cattle. Its
beauty has been still further enhanced by ele-
gant homes and fruitful orchards — scenes of
thrift and enterprise. In the midst of this ely-
sian scene is a fine school house building, and
though it is situated several miles from a rail-
road the community is supplied with a telephone
system connecting them with the surrounding
towns and cities. Altogether it is one of the
most prosperous and happy neighborhoods in
the county.
Nearly all the rich bottom lands along the
Spokane and Columbia rivers and the deep can-
yons that lead down to them from the upland
prairies are devoted, almost exclusively, to the
cultivation of apples, pears, peaches, plums,
apricots, cherries, strawberries, blackberries,
etc.. and these lands are very valuable. The
river channels lie about one thousand feet be-
low the level of the prairie land, the descent in
many places being quite steep, and occasion-
ally the slopes are covered with forests and
brush. In ether places the hillsides are rocky
and rough, and again the descent is formed by
a series of plateaus, or terraces, covered with
more or less timber or brush, over which stock
ranges both summer and winter, the locality
once being the retreat of deer and other wild
animals.
Concerning the cultivation of fruit the
Northern Pacific Bulletin says in 1897, and
quite conservatively :
"While Lincoln countv has never claimed
to be a fruit country (which statement would
not at present be borne out by the evidence),
there is hardly a farm to be found which has
been occupied for any length of time, which
does not possess its orchard sufficient not only
for supplying the wants of its owners, but also
to enable him to add to his income by sale of
fruit. Certain localities are especially famous
for their fruit, the warm, sandy river bottoms
where irrigation can be easily applied, being
utilized almost exclusively in this direction. *
* * As many as 10,000 quarts of strawber-
ries have been taken off a single acre. Lincoln
county is especially famous for its apples, which
possess keeping qualities of a very high order.
It is not unusual to find Ben Davis apples and
Newton pippins from Lincoln county on the
markets in good condition in June and July.
Aside from its grain and fruits the county is
noted for its dairy products, the native grass
being extremely nutritious, while alfalfa is a
very profitable crop. Poultry, also, is raised
quite successfully, and the farmers are learning
that the poultry yard can be counted upon to
furnish a very considerable addition to their
revenues. The farmer who knows how to
handle bees is also sure of a handsome income
from this source."
It is interesting to watch the evolution of
any new county. Each successive year it pre-
sents a new aspect. The editor of the Lincoln
County Times thus describes that portion of the
county under consideration lying between
Sprague and Davenport, as it appeared in 1 888 :
"The road runs up hill and down, the face
of the country everywhere being decidedly un-
dulating. On the rounded summits of the hills
one can see far off, north, east and west, over
vast stretches of the same hilly prairie. On the
southern horizon lies the long, pine timber belt.
This woody district terminates about ten miles
east of Sprague. The highest elevation sur-
mounted during our drive from Sprague to
Davenport affords a pleasant view down the
valley of Crab creek, and also into Lord's Val-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
195
ley which, it is claimed, is the finest agricultural
region in this vicinity. On the far northern
horizon, 60 or 70 miles distant, you see the blue
summits of the mountains lying north of the
Big Bend of the Columbia river, between the
mouths of the Spokane and Okanogan rivers.
The prospect affords a striking impression of
an immense fertile region, rich in possibilities
for agricultural development and very sparsely
occupied as yet by settlers. All this region be-
longs to what is known throughout the state of
Washington under the general name of the
'Big Bend Country.' It contains more good land
still in possession of the United States govern-
ment, and open to homestead entry, and pre-
emption claims, than can be found in any other
region west of the Rocky Mountains."
Surprising, indeed, is the change that has
taken place in the physical aspect of Lincoln
county since the above lines were written. Six-
teen years have elapsed and there is no more
government land open to homestead entry. The
absence of settlers noted has been supplied with
a thrifty class of solid, substantial farmers, and
the wide waste of rolling prairie — virgin soil —
is now dotted with farm houses, cattle and or-
chards. It is a transformation worthy the en-
terprise and business sagacity of the inhabitants
of Lincoln county, and one upon which it is
good for the eye of man to dwell.
The mining industries of Lincoln county,
while not approaching in importance those of
the northern tier of counties in the state, are
not unworthy of serious consideration. Within
its limits there are no large deposits of mineral
bearing ore or numerous "flattering prospects."
Still, Cedar Canyon, in the southern portion of
Stevens county is, practically, contributary to
Davenport, and this city transacts considerable
business with that district in the way of mining
and other supplies. According to the report of
the Washington Geological Survey, "Lincoln
County lies, practically, altogether within the
domain of the Columbia basalt, a formation in
which metalliferous veins do not occur." A.li mg
the northern boundary of the county, however,
especially near the confluence of the Columbia
and Spokane rivers, metamorphic rocks appear
which were never covered by the lava, and in
these veins of ore occur. For several years
mining has been carried on in this section and
many ledges prospected, some of which prom-
ise to become valuable producers in the future.
The contemplated erection of a smelter at the
new town of Crystal City has renewed activity
in mining circles. The formation of the ( irys-
tal City district is granite, traversed by feldsite
and blue porphyry dikes and innumerable
quartz veins. Rhyolite, andisite, and phonolite
dikes are also in evidence. Pitney llutte, one
of the heaviest mineralized buttes in this section,
has been the scene of considerably activity.
In 1889 a large tody of high grade ore was
exposed on the Pennsylvania. A shaft was
sunk to the 100-foot level and two drifts run on
the vein. Two cars of ore were shipped during
development. In the fall of 1901 the shaft
house and other buildings were swept away by
fire since which time nothing but assessment has
been done. L. N. Miner and associates are driv-
ing a tunnel on the Nettie M., and are now in
150 feet with ore in the face showing brittle sil-
ver carrying gold. These people also run the
Silver Cup No. 1 and 1 1 , Big Bend and Great
Western. Several hundred feet of tunnels and
drifts have been run on the Silver Cup No. 1 1,
several shoots being encountered carrying val-
ues of from $4 to $40. A picked sample from
the surface of this property assayed 230 ounces
of gold, and 278 ounces in silver. The Big
Bend has a 30-foot ledge averaging $14. This
property has been developed by a 40-foot shaft
and a 30- foot drift. The Great Western is a
promising property showing free gold. James
Young is working on a feldsite dike carrying
free gold.
C. Grutt and sons are pioneers in this camp
and have done considerable development work
on their several properties among which are the
Cupid. Independence and Storm King on Pit-
196
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
ney Butte and White Faun, Blushing Morn and
Lone Cabin on Grutt's Butte. The Cupid is on
the Pennsylvania lead and carries the same
grade of ore. This property is equipped with
a large shaft house, bunk house and blacksmith
shop. The Lone Cabin was the first location in
the camp, then 'known as the Egypt. It is de-
veloped by several tunnels and shafts. The ore
averages about $35 in gold, copper, silver and
lead. Clarence McCullough and associates are
doing assessment work at Carp Lake and are
taking out some high grade gray copper ore
running as high as $85 to the ton. Mr. Mc-
Cullough is one of the pioneers of this district
and has unbounded faith in its ore bodies. ,
Drs. Turney and Kelley have a finely equip-
ped property in the old LeMarch. A 100-foot
shaft on the ledge has opened showing a shaft
of fine ore. The latest strike is on the Thomp-
son property, situated on the river road. High
grade chloride ore has been encountered in the
150 foot tunnel. Perhaps this is destined to
become one of the big mines of the northwest.
A crew of men have been at work to determine
the extent of the ore body. The Drum Lom-
mond, a recently incorporated company, has a
fine ledge showing and has a force of men at
work developing the property.
The Crystal mine is located about a quarter
of a mile east of the old Fort Spokane buildings,
on a slight ridge, somewhat above the flat
stretch of bench land upon which the govern-
ment buildings are located. A ridge that is
one of a succession of raises that piled up to-
gether make the bluffs that mark the course of
the brawling Spokane river, that, through cen-
turies of erosion, has eaten an erratic pathway
far down below the level of the plateau. The
Crystal mine is not a recently discovered prop-
erty. Away back in 1 88 1 . when Fort Spokane
was first selected as a site for an army post, J.
W. Nicholls and another party located the
claim and did upon it a vast amount of work.
Two shafts were sunk on the lead to a consid-
erable depth, but the owners did not have the
means to push the work. At one time Frank R.
Moore, who conducted a store near the post,
contributed means towards opening the ledge.
An expert was imported who declared there
was nothing in it, and consequently the sinews
of war were not forthcoming. The property
has seen many changes of ownership and there
has been considerable litigation over it. In the
spring of 1896 the Crystal Mining Company of
Spokane, began work upon two ledges one and
one-half miles to the eastward of the mouth
of the Spokane river. One of these ledges is
nine, and the other eight feet in width. Each
has a northeast and southwest strike. In the
development of this property three shafts have
been sunk an aggregate depth of 425 feet ! drifts
have also been driven to the extent of 540 feet.
The average assay value of the ore is about
$40 per ton, in silver and lead. The company
has a 32-horse-power hoisting engine and a
50-horse-power boiler. The total cost of all
development work in 1902 was estimated at
$28,000. The manager was John Gray, of
Spokane.
In addition to the Crystal, in the same vi-
cinity, are the Gray Eagle and Spokane mines,
upon which a great deal of development has
been done. A short distance north of there, on
the Pitney Butte mountain, are the Pennsyl-
vania, Pitney Butte. Silver King and Egypt
properties, which show ore, and upon which
some development was done a few years ago.
The work on the latter properties has been
nearly all done by Davenport parties.
Egypt, lying twenty miles north of Daven-
port, is one of the most familiar localities in the
county. Very fertile are the lands of this sec-
tion, timber; is abundant, and Egypt was one of
the first places to attract the attention of pros-
pective settlers. The district to which the name
of Egypt is applied is about ten miles long and
from two to four miles in width. Along the
east side a range of low timbered hills skirt
the body of farming land. Nearly 1.000 feet
below Hows the Spokane river, from three to
AS HELLGATE, COLUMBIA RIVER, APPEARS
FROM AN ELEVATION OF 1,000 FEET.
PICKING STRAWBERRIES, LINCOLN COUNTY.
11,595 POUNDS OF LINCOLN COUNTY WHEAT
GOING TO MARKET.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEX I J COUNTRY,
197
six miles east, and from this range of hills
the country falls off suddenly into a series
of benches, or rough, timbered hills, with an
occasional valley threading down between them.
To the west is Hawk Creek canyon and tribu-
taries. This huge canyon which debouches into
the Columbia river has its source just below
Davenport, perhaps two miles distant, and its
depth ranges from a few, to over 1,000 feet,
increasing in depth as it approaches the Colum-
bia. Egypt lies between this mammoth can-
yon on one side, and the basin of the Spokane
river on the other. This makes the approach
from either way quite steep, and through which
vehicles can proceed in a few places only. It
forms one of the most picturesque sections in
Lino 'In county. There is an abundance of
timber on either side. To the east and north
lie the great Spokane and Columbia river
basins ; beyond are the timbered mountains and
fertile valleys of the Colville Indian Reserva-
tion.
The first settlers of Lincoln county were at-
tracted to this district because of its dark, rich
soil and the generous abundance of timber, sup-
plying them not only with ample quantities of
fuel, but enabling them to build log houses and
fences at a period when lumber was not to be
had at any price. In Egypt all the tillable land
is now under cultivation; its grain fields have
added wealth and comfort to the thrifty, pros-
perous population. Nearly every quarter sec-
tion of land is supplied with commodious barns
and comfortable residences. Still, a productive
soil is not the only resource of Egypt. The
pine forests that mantle the hill slope down to
the river banks have provided employment for
many sawmills during the past ten or fifteen
. years; its mines are an added resource, the im-
portance of which cannot be even approximately
estimated at the present time.
Allusion has been made previously to Or-
chard Valley. The visitor to this spot is re-
minded of a village in the midst of beautiful
surroundings. This locality, sometimes called
Orchard, and sometimes I 'each Valley, is at the
month of Hawk Creek canyon, just above its
confluence with the Columbia river. This land
is devoted to the cultivation of fruit, but as yet
only about 320 acres are irrigated and planted
to orchards. It is a neighborhood of neat, hand-
some residences and well-to-do citizens. This
community has a postomce, store, church build-
ing, a large, two-story school house, a public
hall and a fruit dryer. These Orchard Valley
fruit lands are worth from $150 to S500 per
acre. There is very little on the market at these
prices. There are about. 800 acres of unirri-
gated fruit lands adjoining, ami on a higher
elevation. Doubtless these will be equally valu-
able in the future after the construction of an
irrigating ditch. Orchard Valley Irs more
than 1,000 feet below the prairie farming lands,
and is so completely sheltered that the temper-
ature is mild and it is free from late and early
frosts.
One of the noted scenes of Lincoln county's
many natural attractions is Hell Gate. Of this
locality George W. Curtis writes as follows:
"Hell Gate is where the waters of the Col-
umbia river dash down through a rocky gorge,
whose perpendicular walls rise hundreds ol
feet above the water's level. Here in the ecu
ter of the stream are two giant pillars of rock.
grim and foreboding; they stand like evil sen-
tinels over this angry flood that sweeps irresist-
ably through the narrow gate at their feet. With
a ceaseless roar the river forces its way through
these gaps, tearing its waters into froth and
foam and bearing the flakes like silent sails on
toward the sea. Ere the confines of these spec
tral rocks are reached, the water, like a troubled
spirit, recoils, leaps, bounds, circles and eddies
— then, like a maddened beast, springs against
the immovable walls of rock and loses itself in
the seething maelstrom below."
The appended interesting statistics concern-
ing the growth and development of Lincoln
county are from the Wilbur Register of Octo-
ber. 1901 :
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
"The earlier records of the county are im-
perfect, and the first year's reports in which we
could find a record of the number of acres of
land under cultivation is for 1886, when the
total was given as 42,665. From our own
knowledge of the rapid strides in improvement
during those early years, we are positive that
the first assessment in 1884 did not show over
20,000 acres under cultivation. Indeed, we be-
lieve it was much under that figure. In 1892
the assessors' returns showed 125,626 acres.
For the year 1901 the figures have jumped up
to 397,258, and the probability is that the
amount broken this year will bring the aggre-
gate fully up to a half million acres. In as-
sessed valuation -for each year the records are
more perfect, though the total is given for the
original assessment in some years and in others
the total of the equalization by the state board.
Following is the valuation for each year:
1884 $1,107,871
1886 1,752,807
1888 2,338,043
1S90 5,138,597
1892 5-399.897
1894 5-555-545
1S96 5-235-734
1898 5.671,832
1900 6,497,070
1885 $1-623,395
1887 2,060.936
1889 3.39i,88o
1891 5.632,439
1893 6.147,636
1895 5.512,251
1897 5,399,8i5
1899 6,322.542
1901 5.839.883
"This, as equalized by the state board, was
$9,539.35^
"The total assessment for 1902 was $7,940,-
158; for 1903, it was $7,089,357.
"These figures show a rapid and uniform in-
crease with two exceptions. The first was in
1900 when the lieu lands were assessed for
the first time, which made an unusual and fic-
tional increase in the total valuation. The other
break was due to shrinkage of values caused by
the financial panic of 1893. The recovery was
slow, the figures of 1893 not being reached un-
til 1899. In 1897 when the tide had fully
turned, the figures are almost identical with
those of 1892. Since that time the increase has
made the same steady growth of former years,
with the exception of 1901, when the "bumper"
wheat crop incited the state board of equaliza-
tion to make quite a heavy raise in the assess-
ment."
Crab creek is an erratic stream which flows
through the southern portion of Lincoln and
Douglas counties, in a torturous course 150
miles before reaching the Columbia river. The
source of the main stream is near the town of
Reardan in the extreme eastern portion of Lin-
coln county. In certain localities Crab creek
is a large, deep stream and again it sinks from
sight to reappear miles beyond, until far west-
ward, and south, the thirsty sands of the desert
drink it up, and it finds its way to the Colum-
bia underground. A few miles east of the
source of Crab creek is the source of Deep
creek, which flows eastward and northward,
and becomes a stream of respectable size before
contributing its contents to the turbulent Spo-
kane river.
CHAPTER VII.
POLITICAL.
By the legislative act creating Lincoln coun-
ty, John Bartol, E. D. Willis and John Mc-
Gourin were named as county commissioners.
They were empowered to appoint the other
county officials, and were to serve until the sec-
ond Monday in January. 1885. At the first
meeting of the board, December 18, 1883, the
commissioners appointed officers as follows :
Auditor, James H. Robertson ; Sheriff, John
Cody; Treasurer, C. C. May; Assessor, R. A.
Hutchinson; Probate Judge, W. H. Small-
wood; Surveyor, J. E. Ludy; Coroner, J. S.
Smith; Superintendent of Schools, C. W. Wal-
ters; Sheep Commissioner, J. R. Whittaker.
Mr. May, the appointee for county treas-
urer, declined to serve, and William Yarwood
was appointed to this office. Dr. Smith re-
moved from the county, and the office of coro-
ner was first held by Dr. W. H. Olds. Mr.
Whittaker declined the office of sheep commis-
sioner and W. F. Glasscock was elected to the
position. In the fall of 1884 Commissioner
Willis died and on November 3d W. A. Busey.
of Crab Creek, was elected for the unexpired
term.
For a number of years the political com-
plexion of the candidates cut a small figure. Of
the first officers John Bertol, chairman of the
board of county commissioners, was a Demo-
crat. A majority of the county officials, how-
ever, were Republicans.
For the first few years in Lincoln county
election returns were not retained on tile. 1 [ow-
ever, we find the following officers serving, be-
ginning the first of January, 1S85, having been
chosen at the November election of 1884:
County Commissioners, J. H. Lamona. chair-
man; Horace Haynes; R. O. Porak; Auditor,
P. K. Spencer; Probate Judge, E. F. Benson;
Superintendent of Schools, C. H. Pryor; Sher-
iff, John Cody ; Surveyor, J. E. Ludy ; Treas-
urer, William Yarwood.
At the election of 1884 — the first — nearly
the whole Republican ticket was elected, many
of the officers who had been previously ap-
pointed being continued in office.
The election of 1886 was devoid of sensa-
tional features, and resulted as follows : Audi-
tor, P. K. Spencer; Sheriff, R. D. Riordan;
Probate Judge, William M. Chandler; Asses-
sor, D. K. McDonald; Surveyor, A. (I. Mit-
chum; Superintendent of Schools, C. H. Pryor,
who was succeeded by .Mrs. Pryor after his
death; Coroner, J. S. Smith; Treasurer, T. M.
Cooper; Commissioners. John [nkster, Sr.,
Charles Schroeder and G. Garber. Inkster was
elected chairman of the board.
At the election of 1886 the political status
of the county administration was completely re-
versed, and nearly the entire Democratic ticket
was successful.
The Democratic county convention was
held at Davenport Saturday. August 4. [888.
R. A. Hutchinson, chairman of the county
central committee, was named for presiding of-
ficer, and D. K. McDonald was made secre-
tarv. The event of this convention was the
deadlock forsheriff. T. X. Murphy, of Sprague,
R. 1 >. Riordan, of Sprague. and Charles Bethel,
of Wilson Creek Precinct, were placed in nom-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
ination. Thomas Ledgerwood, of Larene, and
V. W. Brooks, of Davenport, were then placed
in nomination and Bethel withdrew in favor
of Ledgerwood. Two more ballots resulted in
no selection, when Riordan withdrew in favor
of Ledgerwood ; then Brooks and Murphy did
the same, and Ledgerwood was chosen by ac-
clamation. Otherwise the convention was har-
monious.
Wednesday, August 15th, the Republican
county convention was held at Sprague. There
was a good representation of delegates from all
parts of the county. Major Boyd, retired, of
Fort Spokane, chairman of the Republican
county central committee, called the convention
to order, W. A. Fairweather was made per-
manent chairman and Guy Smith secretary.
This convention was sensational and exciting,
there being a number of candidates for nearly
every office. There was a lack of harmony in
Republican ranks, and many accusations of
"jobbery" were bandied to and fro.
The election was held. Despite the coolness
of the day the largest vote heretofore cast in
Lincoln county was polled November 6, 1888.
The result, although a surprise in certain par-
ticulars, proved satisfactory to the residents of
the county. The difference in size of the num-
ber of votes cast for the different officers can
only be explained by the fact that many of the
voters did not cast a full ballot. It will be seen
that the Democrats and Republicans each had
representation at the court house for the suc-
ceeding two years. The vote :
For Congressman: — John B. Allen. 908;
Charles S. Voorhees, Democrat. 713; Judge
Green, 1 1.
For Adjutant General: — Hillory Butler,
Democrat, 892; R. C. O'Brien, Republican,
872 ; Brown, 4.
For Brigadier, General : — J. J. Hunt, Demo-
crat- 753 ; A. P. Curry, Republican, 969 ; Broo-
man, 4.
For Joint Councilman : — Clay Fruit, Demo-
crat, 749: J. M. Snow, Republican, 870; Wal-
ters, 4.
For Joint Representative : — Frank M. Ouin-
land. Democrat, 635; P. K. Spencer, Repub-
lican, 992.
For Prosecuting Attorney : — N. T. Caton,
Democrat, 731: Wallace Mount, Republican,
895-
For County Auditor: — T. M. Cooper,
Democrat, 862; W. B. Lottman, Republican,
747 : Sanderson, 12.
For Sheriff : — Thomas Ledgerwood, Dem-
ocrat, 715; Richard Fish, Republican. 906.
For Treasurer : — R. H. Chilton, Democrat,
864; Guy Smith, Republican, 7^8: Willough-
by, 1.
For Assessor : — D. K. McDonald, Demo-
crat, 893: C. E. Willoughby, Republican. 744;
Chandler, 1.
For Probate Judge : — C. H. Hannum, Dem-
ocrat, 785 ; Jackson Brock, Republican, 847.
For Surveyor: — A. G. Mitchum, Demo-
crat, 829; Jerry Rockhold, Republican, 793.
For School Superintendent : — S. R. Wesp,
Democrat, 597; Mrs. C. H. Pryor, Republican,
1,001 ; Smith, 12.
For Coroner: — H. J. Whitney, 1632; Olds,
27.
For County Commissioners : — Matthew
Brislawn, Democrat, 718; Gotlieb Garber, Dem-
ocrat, 769 ; Charles Schroeder, Democrat, 787 ;
John Inkster, Sr., Republican, 864; T. B. Ca-
rey, Republican, 866 ; Matt Breeze, Republican,
972.
May 14, 1889, an election was held in Lin-
coln county to choose delegates to the Wash-
ington Constitutional Convention. The state
was about to be admitted into the union. The
district comprised all of Lincoln, and a portion
of Douglas county. The Democrats met in
convention at Davenport and named H. L.
Frost, of Wilbur, and B. B. Glasscock, of
Sprague, as their nominees. The Republican
convention was held at Sprague. and Frank M.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
Dallam, editor of the Lincoln County Times,
and Hon. H. W. Fairweather, of Sprague, were
selected as candidates. The restdt of the elec-
tion was in the nature of a grand surprise. It
resulted in the election of one Democrat, Glass-
cock, and two Republicans, Fairweather and
Dallam, to serve as delegates in the constitu-
tional convention. In the following result, by
precincts, the vote of a few precincts in Doug-
las county,. which was in the district with Lin-
coln county, is not given, but they did not
affect the general result in the least :
Precincts Fairweather Dallam Glasscock Frost
Sprague 299 51 304 47
Davenport 61 109 35 21
Mondovi 55 58 10 5
Miles 23 21 4 2
Inkster 15 12 14 10
Harrington 10 4 26 18
Larine 15 21 10 3
Yarwood n 1 12 2
Crab Creek 14 6 22 10
Hinshaw 10 8 14 8
Sa-^ni 26 10 19 2
Fairview 15 14 8 5
Spring Creek 24 23 20 1
Welch Creek 6 8 13 18
Sedalia 21 19 16 6
Grand Coulee 3 12 8 3
Grand Bluff 12 o o 12
Earl 3 4 4 3
Condon 16 18 u 33
Wilson Creek 17 84
Union ' 3 11 9 7
Butte 11 16 6 5
Rrents 23 44 9 39
Enos 20 1 19 o
Meridian 9 II 3 2
706 489 604 26s
These figures show that hardly more than a
third of the vote of the county was polled. Local
preferences and indifference in others tended
to influence voters to such an extent that no po-
litical significance could be drawn from the
result. The question of party was ignored
throughout the territory, and this election was
no criterion of the comparative strength of the
two political organizations.
The first election after the admittance of
Washington into the union was held October 1,
1889. The first named in the following table
are Republicans; the last Democrats:
I'm- Governor: — K. 1'. l-'erry. 1.104: Eu-
gene Semple, 863.
bur State Representatives: — E. K. Spen-
cer. 1,063; C. T. Blackfan, [,032; II. W.
Brpoke. 966; ( '. II. Schroeder, 847.
For Superior Judge: — W. .Mount. 1.033;
X. T. Caton, 922.
lor State Senator: — II. \V. Fairweather,
972 ; C. C. May. 961.
For State Senator Fourth District: — F. H.
Luce, 1,169: H. F. Smith. 788.
For County Clerk: — H. Spining, 1,035: J.
W. Anderson, 919.
For Constitution: — 1,477.
Against Constitution : — 293.
For Woman Suffrage: — 487. Against
Woman Suffrage. 1 . 1 79.
For Prohibition: — 674. Against Prohibi-
tion, 1,082.
For State Capital: — North Yakima. 767.
Ellensburgh. 999. Olvmpia. 82.
The political atmosphere of the spring of
1890 was highly charged with the Farmers'
Alliance sentiment. Many organizations were
perfected throughout the county, and the tidal
wave swept nearly every farmer into one or an-
other of these camps. July 12. 1890. there was
organized at Davenport a Lincoln Countj
Farmers' Alliance. Previously local orders
bad been organized in eight different localities
in the county. As this organization was to play
an important part in the political history of the
county for some years to come, an account ol
this initial meeting will prove of interest. W.
E. Allison, county organizer, called the meet-
ing to order and was elected temporary chair-
man. George M. Witt was -elected for tem-
porary secretary. Following is a list of the
several alliance orders in the county at the time,
and the members who participated in the organ-
ization of the county bead center.
Harrington Alliance; Frank Glasscock, Wil-
liam Yarwood, George M. Witt. J. L. Hall.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
Union Alliance ; James Lower} - , John Saw-
yer, Peter Leipham, W. P. Nichols.
Reardan Alliance ; J. S. Capps, Fred Gar-
ber, W. H. Capps.
Libert_y Alliance ; T. C. Lakin, Jacob Smith,
Miller, Kruger.
Crescent Alliance; M. S. Taylor, Joseph
Boyd.
Bald Ridge Alliance; A. W. Plummer, L.
Rowse, George Smith, Levi Rouse.
Mondovi Alliance; John Mowyer, John
Glazebrook, W. E. Allison.
Lincoln Alliance; G. W. Stuart, H. N. Mar-
tin, I. Minnick, R. A. Hutchinson.
The officers of the Lincoln County Farm-
ers' Alliance elected were R. A. Hutchinson,
president; John Glazebrook, vice president;
Jacob Smith, treasurer; H. X. Martin, secre-
tary; W. H. Capps, Inner Doorkeeper; Fred
Garber, Outer Doorkeeper.
As illustrative of the strength of the Farm-
ers' Alliance movement in Washington, it may
be said that there were 186 organized local al-
liances in the state in 1891. Whitman county
headed the list with 49. Next came Spokane
county with 25; then Lincoln, 22; Garfield, 17;
Walla Walla, 15; Columbia n, etc.
In the general election of November, 1890,
party lines were not drawn very closely in any
of the various precincts in Lincoln county. Few
straight tickets were cast on either side. But a
faint idea of the politics of the county could be
gleaned from the vote cast this year. But, in the
main, the Democratic ticket prevailed over that
of the Republicans. There was, however, con-
siderable sectional feeling displayed. Append-
ed is the official vote of Lincoln county for 1890,
as compiled by Auditor Cooper, Judge Brock
and Commissioner Breeze, while sitting as a
canvassing board :
For Member of Congress: — John L. Wil-
son, Republican. 875 ; Thomas Carroll, Demo-
crat, 812. Wilson's plurality, 63.
For State Representative: — Frank Atkin-
son. Democrat. 850: J. S. Capps, Republican,
711; L. N. Cushman, Republican, 867; R. A.
Hutchinson. Democrat, 1,022. Hutchinson's
plurality, 155; Cushman's, 17.
For County Attorney : — J. W. Merritt, Re-
publican, 1,029; T. A. Wickham, Democrat,
1,001. Merritt' s majority, 28.
For County Clerk : — Howard Spining, Re-
publican, 1,134; John Thomason, Democrat,
853. Spining's plurality, 281.
For County Auditor : — J. W. Anderson,
Democrat, 1,220; B. A. Knapp, Republican,
804. Anderson's plurality, 416.
For Sheriff : — Richard Fish, Republican,
1,026; A. G. Mitchum, Democrat, 1,006. Fish's
plurality, 20.
For County Treasurer: — R. H. Chilton,
Democrat, 1,139; W. H. Howard, Republican,
847. Chilton's plurality, 292.
For Assessor : — D. K. McDonald, Demo-
crat, 12 17; W. H. McOuarrie, Republican,
656. McDonald's plurality, 561.
For Surveyor : — C. H. Hannum, Democrat,
1,096; R. J. Reeves, Republican, 620. Han-
num's majority, 476.
For School Superintendent : — H. N. Mar-
tin, Democrat, 954; Mrs. C. H. Pryor, Repub-
lican, 1,103. Mrs. Pryor's majority, 149.
For Coroner : — J. P. Tamiesie, Republican,
930; B. H. Yount, Democrat, 870. Tamiesie's
plurality, 60.
For Sheep Inspector : — James Lowery, Re-
publican, 1,077; W. L. Smith, Democrat, 918.
Lowery's majority, 159.
For Commissioner, District No. 1 : — C. F.
Bassett, Republican, 693 ; B. Ettleson, Demo-
crat, 824 ; S. A. Gibson, Independent. 484.
Ettleson's plurality, 131.
For Commissioner, District No. 2. — John
Inkster, Sr., Republican, 1.030; J. F. Nee, Dem-
ocrat, 916. Inkster's majority, 114.
For Commissioner, District No. 3 : — H.
McManis, Republican, 860; A. J. Stookey,
Democrat, 1,029. Stookey's majority, 169.
For Bonding the County, 394 ; against,
1-237-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
203
For County Seat: — Davenport, 1,212;
Sprague, 956.
Sprague's majority over the three-fifths
necessary for removal of the count)- seat was
88.
The birth of the Populist party was nothing
more nor less than the Farmers' Alliance or-
ganization entering politics. This propaganda,
introduced in the count)' in the winter of 1889-
90, was organized to advance the interests of
agriculture. Enthusiastically it was taken up
by many energetic farmers, and some politi-
cians. The latter, after the organization had
been thoroughly completed, began agitation for
a political union and the formation of a new
party. At first the results were anything but
encouraging, especially to the advocates of po-
litical reform. But they were far from being
discouraged, and after a number of futile at-
tempts the alliance voted to enter politics. The
success of this new party during the succeed-
ing few years may be gleaned from the results
of the elections.
Saturday, May 14, 1892, marks the date of
the advent of the People's Party into Lincoln
county politics. On that date a large number
of farmers from all parts of the county gath-
ered at Davenport to participate in the initial
ceremonies taken in the organization of the new
party. T. H. Burns, organizer of the F. A. &
I. U., was present and was the leading spirit
of the affair. W. A. Grant was made perman-
ent chairman and George Witt secretary. All
present who were willing- to renounce allegiance
to the old parties and endorse the platform of
the St. Louis Industrial conference of Febru-
ary 24th, were allowed to participate in the
organization. Some twenty-eight signified
their intention of becoming members of the new
part\-. Executive and county central com-
mittees were appointed, a date set for the coun-
ty convention, and the People's Party was born
— in Lincoln county. July 13th the party met
at Davenport and placed in the field a full coun-
tv ticket.
June 15. [892, Lincoln count)- was honored
by a state convention within the limits of her
boundaries. The new-born People's Part) o n-
vened a't Sprague on that day and chose dele-
gates to the National Convention at Omaha,
July 4.
The election of 1892 was hotly contested.
There were four count)- tickets in the field —
Democratic, Republican, People's Party and
Prohibition. For the first time in her history
one of the citizens of Lincoln count)- received
a place on the Republican state ticket, or any
other state ticket, for that matter. F. H. Luce,
of Davenport, was the unanimous choice of the
state convention for Lieutenant Governor, and
he was elected.
Following is the vote in detail :
Presidential Electors : — Harrison. 015:
Cleveland, 933; Weaver, 559.
For Governor: — John H. McGraw, K.,
858; Henry J. Snively, D.. 866: C. W. Young.
P., 687.
For Members of Congress: — William II.
Doolittle, R., 863: John L. Wilson, R, 872;
Thomas Carroll, D., 902; James A. Mundey,
D., 832; J. C. Wan Patten, P., 609; M. F.
Knox, P., 594.
For State Representatives: — T. C. Lakin,
R.. 834; W. X. McNew, R.. 842; John I-'.
Green, D., 916; Isaac II. Long, D., 800; Will-
iam Priest, P., 617.
For Joint Senator: — Rollin J. Reeves. R..
050; R, A. Hutchinson, D., 1,185.
Lor Superior Court Judge: — Wallace
Mount, R., 1,041 : X. T. Caton, D., 852; Jack-
son Brock, P., 529.
For Prosecuting Attorney : — J. W. Mer-
ritt, R, 1.046; C. LI. Xeal. D.. 1.134.
For Auditor:— E. W. Watson, R.. 838; J.
W. Anderson, D.. 1.090; R. D. Duffield, P.,
500.
For County Clerk: — J. 1'.. Gray, R.. 1,015;
J. W. Hartline, 1).. j<<j ; Frank Garber, 1'..
594-
For Sheriff: — T. P. Donahue. R.. 1.044:
204
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
D. K. McDonald, D., 767; W. A. Grant, P.,
574-
For Treasurer: — Howard Spining, R., 957;
R. H. Chilton. D., 860; J. J. Brown, P., 613.
For Commissioner. First District : — L. V.
Allen, R., 1,011; B. Ettleson, D., /2T,: C. A.
Belfre. P., 636.
For Commissioner, Second District : — C.
P. Turner, R.,779; John Moylan. D.. 837;
Peter Leipam, P., 669.
For Commissioner, Third District : — M. F.
LaFollett, R., 844; A. J. Stookey, D.. 842;
Luke Hale. P.. 539.
For School Superintendent : — A. S. Mel-
cher. R., 858; H. N. Martin, D.. 1.000: C. C.
Gibson, P., 549.
For Assessor: — J. E. Yest, R.. 884: Ferd
Brislawn, D., 834: E. \Y Thorp. P.. 663.
For Surveyor: — Jerry Rockhold, R., 1,030;
Josiah Cole, D., 1,030. There two candidates
drew lots and Rockhold won.
For Coroner:— W. H. Olds, R.. 911 ; B. H.
Yount, D., 895; R. A. Burge, P., 596.
The general election of 1894. in this county,
may be regarded as a landslide lor the Popu-
lists. There were three tickets in the field,
Republicans, Democrats and Populists. The
campaign conducted by the latter party was ag-
gressive. Still, the vote was close, and the
Populists won mainly through a most perfect
organization, backed by intense enthusiasm.
The official vote in the county was as fol-
lows :
For Congressmen : — W. H. Doolittle. Re-
publican. 860; S. C. Hdye. Republican, 925;
N. T. Caton. Democrat, 589; B. F. Hueston,
Democrat, 432 ; W. P. C. Adams, Populist,
1.020: J. C. Yan Patten, Populist. 1,030.
For Judge Superior Court : — R. O. Dun-
bar. Republican. 926; M. J. Gardon, Republi-
can. 882: T. N. Allen. Democrat. 481: B. L.
Sharpstein, Democrat, 447: H. L. Forrest,
Populist, 1,031; J. M. Ready, Populist, 980.
For Representatives to the Legislature : —
J. B. Irvine, Republican. 871 : C. E. Meyers,
Republican. 884: J. F. Green, Democrat, 637;
J. W. Johnson, Democrat, 385 ; P. K. Spencer,
Populist, 985; G. M. Witt, Populist, 1,063.
For Assessor : — J. E. Vest, Republican,
926; John Moylan, Democrat, 708; H. L.
Amine, Populist, 868.
For County Attorney : — \Y T. Warren,
Republican, 802: A. C. Shaw, Democrat. 744;
Jackson Brock, Populist, 916.
For Auditor: — E. W. Watson, R., 902; G.
F. Kennedy. D., 599; John Gunning, P., 980.
For County Clerk: — J. C. Martin. R., 1,-
016; John Hartline, D., 499; S. E. DeRackin,
P., 920.
For School Superintendent : — E. F. Elliot,
R.. 1,025 : W. W. Hutton, D.. 473; E. F. Scar-
borough, P., 968.
For Sheriff: — T. P. Donahue. R.. 1,131 ;
S. A. Stanfield. D., 209; William Williams,
P.. 1,159.
For Surveyor: — Jerry Rockhold, R., 1,-
008; Josiah Cole, D.. 455; J. W. Scwarer, P.,
941.
For Treasurer : — J. J. Inkster, Republican,
999; A. G Mitchum, Democrat. 443; J. J.
Brown, Populist, 1,011.
For Coroner : — L. Lewis, Republican, 952 ;
O. B. Parks, Populist, 1,119.
For Commissioner, Second District : — J.
Inkster, Sr., Republican, 321 ; T. M. Snyder,
Democrat, 158: T. G. Stevenson. Populist,
381.
For Commissioner, Third District : — M. F.
LaFollett. Republican. t,2>7' J- Grimm, Demo-
crat. 138: A. L. Stookey, Populist, 423.
On the tenth day following this election,
the last allowed by law for the filing- of an
election contest, the few defeated populists, and
the Republicans both entered contest suits. The
Populists contested the entire Sprague vote,
alleging- illegal registration. The Republicans
contested the vote of several precincts, alleg-
ing illegal voting. S. E. De Rackin, Populist
candidate for county clerk, filed a contest
against J. C. Martin, the Republican clerk elect,
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
205
alleging that the registration in the city of
Sprague was ilk-gal. and that the three Sprague
precincts should he thrown out. This would
have given the election to the plaintiff. On the
same grounds Harry Amine, Populist candi-
date for assessor, filed a contest against J. E.
Vest, and Oliver Terwillager brought suit
against E. F. Elliot, candidate for school super-
intendent. Following the filing of these con-
tests T. P. Donahue filed. contest against Will-
iam H. Williams, Populist sheriff elect, claim-
ing that in Harrington, Yarwood, Columbia,
Reardan, Grand Coulee, Fairview, Mondovi,
Sassin. Willow Springs, Sedalia, Liberty and
Crab Creek precincts, votes were cast for him-
self and counted for Williams, and that the
ballots were not officially stamped in some of
the precincts. J. J. Inkster, also, filed a con-
test against J. J. Brown, Populist treasurer
elect, taking the same legal position as Don-
ahue.
These contest cases were all withdrawn by
the middle of December. The Lincoln County
Times said :
"This was, doubtless, the best thing to do.
Any changing of the result, whatever good
reason there might have been, would have
been resisted by many people who would have
expressed their disapproval on the first op-
portunity presented."
During the year 1895 political affairs in
Lincoln county were kept at concert pitch by
sundry efforts to remove Sheriff S. E. De
Rackin from office. De Rackin was the editor
of a People's Party paper, published at
Sprague, and had been made sheriff by the
board of county commissioners upon the resig-
nation of William Williams, who had been
elected at the election of 1894. It is claimed
that De Rackin was quite unpopular, not only
with his political opponents, hut with members
of his own party, as well. His bondsmen were
released from liability, and being unable to
procure others, he was deposed bj action of the
commissioners. Sheriff Rackin. however, re-
fused to vacate, and for nearly a year the con-
test waged warmly. The matter found its
way into court and De Rackin lost. An ap-
peal was taken to the supreme court, but in
January, 1896. De Rackin voluntarily resigned
the office of sheriff and wound Up the contest
which had been long drawn out. hitter and ex-
pensive. But he still continued to mix in mat-
ters political. February 2, 1890. he caused the
arrest of County Commissioner Steven-
a charge of having overdrawn his salary. The
trial of Stevenson was held in March, and he-
was promptly acquitted. Following is the
record of the commissioners' proceedings in re
Rackin :
"In the matter of the resignation of S. E.
De Rackin, the board having declared the of-
fice of sheriff vacant and appointed Frank
Garber as sheriff to fill said vacancy, and said
De Rackin having been contesting the appoint-
ment of said Garber, and said resignation hav-
ing been filed by way of compromise, the same
is hereby accepted."
The political raid on Sheriff De Rackin by
members of his own party could have hut one
result. It split the People's Party asunder.
The campaign of 1896 commenced under a
cloud. The antagonists were known as the
Martin-De Rackin, and the McMillan-Conway,
factions. The Populist county convention was
held at Davenport. June 18th, and resulted
in the seating of the McMillan-Conway forces
and the complete humiliation and overthrow of
the opposing faction. A full Populist ticket
was nominated.
August loth the Republican count) con-
vention was held at Wilbur, and another ticket
placed invitingly before the people for their
franchise. The fusion forces. Democrats, free
silver Republicans and a number of recalcitrant
Populists gol together in county convention at
Harrington and placed a third ticket in the
field. The general election of [896 was held.
A canvass of the votes developed the fact that
the Populists had a plurality of from 800 to
2o6
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
1,000 on the state ticket, and from ioo to 500
on the county ticket. The Republicans cast
nearly 800 votes. The Populists from 1,000
to 1,400 and the free silver people from 100 to
600. The silver ticket did not have the
strength with which it had been credited. Fol-
lowing is the vote in Lincoln county :
McKinley electors. 779; Bryan electors, 1,-
700.
For Governor : — P. C. Sullivan, Republi-
can, 816; John R. Rogers, Populist, 1,613.
For Joint State Senator : — S. H. Chase, Re-
publican, 795; F. M. Baum, Populist, 1,640.
For Representatives : — G. W. Stewart, Re-
publican, 774; H. C. Anderson, Republican,
785 ; John Wickham, Free Silver, 5 59 ; George
Witt, Populist, 1.584; C. T. Irvin, Populist,
1,141.
For Judge Superior Court : — Wallace
Mount, Republican, 1.066; C. H. Neal, Popu-
list, 1.444.
For Sheriff : — W. H. Yarwood, Republi-
can, 744; T. M. Cooper, Silver, 682; O. G.
Devenish, Populist, 1,098.
For County Clerk : — J. C. Martin, Repub-
lican, 1,062; J. L. Alkire. Populist, 1,406.
For Auditor : — J. E. Vest, Republican,
699; John W. Siegman, Silver, 592; J. W.
Gunning. Populist, 1.257.
For Treasurer : — J. H. Nicholls, Republi-
can, 829; E. E. Shafer. Silver, 100; O. G.
Griffith, Populist, 1.283. .
For Prosecuting Attorney : — Llewellyn
Davies, Republican, 844 : A. W. Salisbury,
Silver, 644; Jackson Brock, Populist, 1,044.
For Assessor: — A. S. Campbell, Republi-
can, 813; P. H. Wolford, Silver, 368; P. M.
Lyse. Populist, 1,341.
For Superintendent of Schools : — E. F.
Elliott, Republican, 1,066; Alice Neal, Popu-
list, 1.443.
For Surveyor : — Finch, Silver, 445 ; Ludy,
Populist, 1,528.
For Commissioner, First District : — Au-
gust Dawell, Silver, 568; F. G. Crisp, Popu-
list, 1,356.
For Commissioner, Third District : — I. N.
Cushman, Republican, 835 ; W. L. Robinson,
Silver, 433; A. E. Stookey, Populist, 1,201.
County Seat Removal : — For Davenport,
1,582; for Harrington, 240. Against removal,
537-
The sweeping victory of Populism in 1896
inspired an enthusiasm that carried the party
into the campaign of 1898 apparently vig-
orous and confident. Their convention was
held in Davenport Thursday, June 23d. It
proved an interesting convocation. W. M.
Priest, of Fairview, was made chairman and
I. J. Minnick, secretary. Early in the day ani-
mation was imparted to the affair by the with-
drawal of the Reardan delegation from the
convention hall, the reason assigned being that
all their delegates had not been seated. Some
time before the convention was called to order
a committee of Populists had investigated the
acts of the county commissioners in regard to
the county's settlement with the railroads con-
cerning the payment of delinquent taxes, and
had reported that the railroads had secured the
best of the agreement. As a result the Popu-
lists incorporated in their platform the follow-
ing plank :
Whereas the people's party has been a strenuous
advocate of the imperative mandate, claiming it would
be a great safeguard against corrupt and insufficient
office holders, and in harmony with free institutions and
would secure more competent and faithful servants as
office holders, and whereas the commissioners of Lin-
coln county have proven themselves* incompetent to care
for the best interests of the people of this county by their
unbusinesslike methods of compromising the railroad
taxes whereby the county suffered great loss.
Therefore we ask s'aid commissioners to resign their
offices on the ground of unbusinesslike methods, thus
putting in practice what we preach so far as we have
the power.
Instead of resigning in accordance with this
singular request the commissioners came before
the convention and explained their acts con-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
207
cerning the taxation of railroads and other
matters. The Populists then turned their at-
tention to the nomination of a full county ticket.
The Lincoln county Republicans gathered
in ci invention at Davenport Wednesday, July
27th, and placed in nomination a county ticket.
J. F. Hill was selected chairman and J. P.
Lawrence, secretary of the convention, which
was harmonious throughout. The Democratic
convention was held at Davenport Thursday.
September 1st. T. M. Cooper was chosen
chairman and Henry Anderson, secretary.
The election of November 8, 1898, was pre-
ceded by a long campaign. The three tickets
in the field contained, each, candidates for all
the various offices. Fusion between the Demo-
crats and Populists did not materialize, al-
though an attempt was made to defeat the Re-
publican candidate for representative by com-
bining the vote of the Democrats and Popu-
lists on two of the candidates, one Populist and
one Democrat. But a great change had oc-
curred in the complexion of Lincoln county
politics within two years. The Populists who
had proved so strong in 1896 were completely
overthrown in 1898. Not one of their candi-
dates was elected. The cause of the Populists'
defeat was the voluntary support given Repub-
licans by Democrats. The county went strong-
ly Republican; every candidate, with the ex-
ception of prosecuting attorney and auditor, be-
ing elected, the two latter offices being cap-
tured by the Democrats. The official vote of
the county is appended :
For Members of Congress : — F. W. Cush-
man. Republican, 1.055; W. L. Jones, Repub-
lican, 1,016; J. Hamilton Lewis, Populist, 805;
W. C. Jones, Populist, 742; A. C. Dickinson,
Prohibitionist. 34; C. L. Haggard. Prohibi-
tionist, 25 : Walter Y\*alker, Socialist Labor,
27; M. A. Hamilton, Socialist Labor, 33.
For - State Representatives : — IT. A. P.
Meyers, Republican, 1.076; James M. Parrish,
Republican. 1.093: Charles W. Bethel, Demo-
crat. 428; Byron W. Richards, Democrat, 298;
George M. Witt, Populist, jjt>; \\". M. Priest,
I '' ipulist, 415.
For Sheriff: — J. II. Gardner, Republican,
903; John Moylan, Democrat, o_>5 ; O. G. De-
Vinish. Populist, .{• i< >.
For County Clerk: — William II. Yarwood,
Republican, 932 ; R. P. Short, Democrat. 342 ;
J. 1'. Alkine, Populist, 721.
For Auditor: — George W. Weaks, Repub-
lican, 819; J. W. Anderson. Democrat. 840;
E. J. Holland, Populist, 354.
For Treasurer: — S. S. Shipherd, Republi-
can, 891 ; P. H. Dencer, Democrat, 386; C. G.
Griffith, Populist, J7,y.
For Prosecuting Attorney : — Llewllyn Dav-
ies, Republican, 747; N. T. Caton, Democrat,
881 ; Joseph Sessions, Populist, 399.
For Assessor : — George G Grimes, Repub-
lican, 976; J. W. Mann, Democrat, 418; I. J.
Minnick, Populist, 598.
For Superintendent of Schools: — Lena
Bemis, Republican, 883 ; Mrs. Dora Morgan,
Democrat, 337; Alice E. Neal. Populist, 789.
For- Surveyor : — Jerry Rockhold, Republi-
can, 1.008; J. E. Ludy, Democrat, 852.
For Coroner: — C. M. McKinley, Republi-
can, 985; M. T. Setters, Democrat, 550; Daniel
Winters, Populist, 429.
For Commissioner, First District: — Hugh
S. McNeilly, Republican, 1.005 ; Jacob Smith,
Democrat, 506; L. Y. Williams. Populist, 458.
For Commissioner, Second District: — Eli
1). Kellogg. Republican, 854; Frank Hardin,
Democrat, 053; J. B. Pershall, Populist, 1^3.
The Republican county convention of 1900
was held at Davenport, Tuesday, July 10th.
Lieutenant Governor F. II. Luce was elected
chairman, and H. J. Xeilly. of Wilbur, secre-
tary. Nearly every precinct in the county was
nted and the convention moved without
. A full county ticket was nominated.
Throughout the county, at this period, many
McKinley and Roosevelt and Bryan clul re
organized. The Democrat-- and Populists held
their conventions at Davenport Wednesday,
208
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY,
July 1 8th, and the resulting movement was
complete fusion of the two parties which, practi-
cally, sounded the death knell of the Populist
party. The candidates nominated all went on
the ticket as Democrats. Still, the Populists
named candidates for one representative, com-
missioner for the second district, sheriff, treas-
urer, clerk and assessor. The Democrats
named candidates for one representative, com-
missioner for the third district, auditor, prose-
cuting attorney, school superintendent, sur-
veyor and coroner. Of the Populist conven-
tion T. G. Stevenson presided as temporary
chairman and E. A. Hesseltine as temporary
secretary. George M. Witt was made perma-
nent chairman and E. A. Hesseltine was con-
tinued permanent secretary. The Democratic
convention was presided over by John Bartol,
chairman, and Edward Sharp served as secre-
tary. The campaign was spirited, but one of
the cleanest ever known in Lincoln county.
Personalities were conspicuous by their ab-
sence. There were polled in Lincoln county
3.184 votes.
For Governor: — J. M. Frink, Republican,
1,130; John R. Rogers, Democrat, 1,851 ; R. E.
Dunlap,' Prohibition, 62; William McCormick,
Social Labor. 6; W. C. B. Randolph. Social
Democrat, 27.
For State Senator: — M. E. Hay, Repub-
lican. 1.390: Gotleib Garber, Democrat, 1,621.
For State Representatives : — A. L. Smaller,
Republican, 1.355: J. A. Talkington. Republi-
can. 1. 261; John Raymer, Democrat, 1,610;
J. J. Cameron, Democrat, 1,536.
For Superior Court Judge : — H. A. P.
Meyers, Republican, 1,286; C. H. Neal, Demo-
crat. 1,740.
For Sheriff : — J. H. Gardner, Republican.
1,632; L. A. Kennedy, Democrat, 1,389.
For County Clerk : — W. H. Yarwood, Re-
publican, 1.573; C. C. Gibson, Democrat,
1 .460.
For Auditor: — R. D. Anderson. Republi-
can, 949; J. W. Anderson, Democrat, 2,099.
For Treasurer: — S. S. Shepherd, Republi-
can, 1,388; I. J. Minnick, Democrat, 1,616.
For Prosecuting Attorney : — W. T. War-
ren. Republican, 1,211; X. T. Caton, Demo-
crat, 1,838.
For Assessor : — G. G Grimes, Republican,
1,403; D. M. McRea, Democrat, 1,612.
For Superintendent of Schools : — Lena
Bemis, Republican, 1,486; Alice Neal, Demo-
crat, 1,556.
For Surveyor : — E. C. Davis, Republican,
1,361 ; George R. Sawyer. Democrat, 1,642.
For Coroner : — C. P. Richards, Republican,
1.203; R- P- -Moore, Democrat, 1,716.
For Commissioner, Second District : — E.
D. Kellogg, Republican, 1,331: J. R. David-
son, Democrat, 1,700.
For Commissioner, Third District: — Will-
iam Gemmill, Republican, 1,361 : Henry
Thompson. Democrat, 1,625.
The Lincoln county Republican conven-
tion of 1902 was held at Wilbur, Thursday,
July 10th. C. E. Meyers presided over the
convention and R. M. Dye was elected secre-
tary. The Democrats convened at Harring-
ton Tuesday. July 15th. and placed in nomina-
tion a full count}- ticket. P. W. Dillon presided
over the convention and Frank Garber served
as secretary. During the two years previous
there had been a considerable influx of popu-
lation in Lincoln county, and this added vote
seems to have materially aided the Republican
party. The remarkable splitting up of the vote
shows that there was a strong independent
sentiment to be reckoned with which neither
of the two parties was able to control. We ap-
pend the vote :
For Congressmen : — F. W. Cushman. Re-
publican, 1.553: W. L. Jones. Republican,
1,531; W. E. Humphrey, 1,512; Cottrill,
Democrat, 1.252; Holcomb, Democrat. 1,258;
Cole, Democrat. 1,249.
For State Representatives : — George E.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
209
Smith, Republican, 1,421; J. E. Howard, Re-
publican, 1,460; J. J. Cameron, Democrat, 1,-
433-
Eor Sheriff: — J. J. Inkster, Republican,
1,579; J. F. Hall, Democrat, 1,372.
For County Clerk : — W. W. Downey, Re-
publican, 1,528; F. B. Squires, Democrat. 1,-
358.
For Auditor: — W. H. Yarwood. Republi-
can. 1.364; A. S. Brown, 1,570.
For Treasurer: — C. G. Hettman. Republi-
can, 1,269; I- S. Minnick, Democrat,
1,648.
For Prosecuting Attorney: — R. M. Dye,
Republican, 1,554; T. M. Maxwell, Democrat.
i»345-
For Assessor: — S. G. Noble, Republican,
1,508; David McRea, Democrat, 1,409.
For Superintendent of Schools : — Charles
Deets, Republican, 1,425; Alice Xeal, Demo-
crat, 1,500.
For Surveyor: — Jerry Rockhold, Republi-
can, 1,445; George R. Sawyer, Democrat,
[,469.
For Coroner: — Freer, Republican. 1,461;
: Dr. Setters, Democrat, 1,421.
For Commissioner, First District : —
Charles Kellum, Republican, 1.473: Charles
Bethel, Democrat, 1,399.
For Commissioner, Third District : — J. P.
Martin, Republican, 1,574; Bishop,
Democrat, 1,293.
CHAPTER VIII.
EDUCATIONAL.
In the Territorial days of 1884 the first
board of education of Lincoln county convened
at Davenport Wednesday. August 13th. The
members were C. R. Walters, Superintenden',
C. H. Pryor and Jessie M. Harvey. The board
organized by electing Mr. Pryor, chairman,
and Jessie M. Harvey, secretary. The purpose
of this meeting was to examine applicants
for teachers' certificates. Only three were pres-
ent; Miss Maude Brace. Miss Edna Benson
and Mrs. M. A. Markham. Each of these
cam Dilates for pedagogic distinction having
passed the examinations successfully was
granted a third grade certificate.
At Sprague, February 11. [885, was held
the second meeting of the educational board.
There were eight successful candidates for cer-
tificates, viz: First Grade — Marian 11. Parker
and Dell Turner: Second grade — Addie
Turner, Sadie McGourin, J. W. Shearer, Lottie
A. Bartlett, Maude Brace and Miss F. T. Ben-
son. At the following meeting the same vear,
in August, there were nine successful candi-
dates for certificates.
The first teachers' institu'e ever held in the
county convened at Sprague August 4th . ..>
nth, inclusive, 1885. Those present were:
Carrie Vest, A. G. Maxey, Carlotta A. Bart-
lett. J. L. Medium. Mrs. Kate Devenish,
Maude Brace. Edward Davis. George \\ .
Jackson, Sr.. Dora Hinshaw, Lizzie Yarwood,
L. S. Brooks, Minnie Keaton, Anna Hughes,
William Yarwood, Rosa Hughes, J. L. Rea-
sonet, M. H. Barker, J. W. Shearer. Mis- I. I..
Walters, C. R. Walters, A. G. Mitehum. C.
11. Pryor, Dell Turner, Addie Turner. Sadie
Me* iourin.
Since then these highly beneficent institutes
have been held annually.
In 1883 the few who had cast their lot
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
within that portion of Washington in which
Davenport is located organized the first school
district and built a frame building which, at
that period, was considered quite pretentious.
The board of school directors comprised O.
B. Parks, J. D. Woodin and L. A. Kennedy.
Mrs. Bond was clerk of the district. Mr. C.
H. Pryor, who afterward became county super-
intendent of schools, was the first teacher in
Davenport. With the construction of the Cen-
tral Washington railroad, quickly followed by
a voluminous increase of population, more
school room to accommodate the children was
found absolutely necessary. In 1890 the old
school building was vacated and a new one
containing four rooms was erected on the plat-
eau south of the business portion of Davenport.
But even this commodious building soon
proved inadequate to accommodate the number
of pupils seeking instruction; two additional
spacious rooms were added. From this period
the growth of the Davenport school district
was rapid. The succeeding years culminated
in 1 89 1 in the erection of the handsome, mod-
ern two-story and basement brick building ; the
Davenport High School. It contains nine
rooms, is heated by a furnace and provided with
the latest improved system of sanitary drain-
age.
In 1898 Professor J. H. Perkins was prin-
cipal of the Davenport schools. Aside from
the eight grades of the common schools, a
high school course was added, requiring four
years for graduation. The first to graduate
under this improved and augmented curri-
culum were Minnie M. Level, Bertha John-
son. Nettie Hale and Kate Rogers.
For the purpose of comparison with later
data the school report of County Superintend-
ent C. H. Pryor for 1S87 is given:
Value of all school property in county $14,405
Nttmber of scb ol houses in county 40
Number of districts in county 55
Number of schools maintained 47
Teachers' salaries —
.Male— $39.
Female — $31.
Children enrolled — 1,020.
Average attendance — 827.
Since the organization of Lincoln county the num-
ber of schools has increased from 25 to 55. It is true
that most districts supplied but a short term of school,
and comparing our schools' and pay with that of older
counties, it seems, at first glance to be discouraging,
but when we realize that the count} is yet in its in-
fancy and note the progress that it has made in the
past three or four years, the prospect is' most encour-
aging. Few new counties contain as much.
December 20, 1889, closed the first term
of the Cortland Academy, at Sherman. It was
considered very successful. There were in at-
tendance 25 pupils. August 15, 1890, the Wil-
bur Register said :
"The chief objection to the Big Bend is
removed. A good education can now be re-
ceived at home. At the Cortland Academy
and Business College, near Sherman, there is
the commercial course which prepares for busi-
ness, the normal course for teaching, the classi-
cal course for college or practical life, also the
course in the common branches which affords
instruction in the elementary studies, for both
children and adults. Rev. Arthur B. Cort is
principal and E. M. Bogart, of Omaha, business
college associate principal, assisted by Mrs.
Cort and others."
It was proposed to build a town to be called
Cortland at this college. Forty acres were to
be platted and placed on the market. The lots
were to be sold to families on the following
plan. Those paying $100 tuition to the academy
and erecting a building at a cost of $150 were
to be given a warranty deed for a lot. No
saloons or immoral houses were to be allowed
to operate with the the limits of the proposed
college town. Of the Cortland Academy the
following officers and trustees were elected :
A. B. Cort, president; M. E. Hay, treasurer;
John Thomison, secretary ; J. P. Tamiesie and
J. M. Parrish. In June, 1891. the Lincoln
Coftntv Times said :
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
"Cortland is a place of which many have
heard, and some have a vague idea as to what
it is and where it is. but few understand what
the real purpose and character of the place
is. It is situated about eight or nine miles north
of Wilbur, and at present consists of Cortland
Academy, a number of lodging houses for
pupils and a few residence buildings. It takes
its name from Rev. Cort, a Presbyterian min-
ister who located on the land some two or three
years ago, and conceived the idea of laying the
foundation of important future work by begin-
ning in a small way to build up a school. He
diligently set to work and built a large log
structure in which he began teaching, first with
only a few scholars who later increased in num-
bers. He succeeded in awakening great in-
terest, not only among the pupils who attended,
but among the people of the Big Bend in gen-
eral who are interested in its success. Today
he employs three assistant teachers, including
his wife, and is now arranging to erect a large
frame building which will be as well equipped
for academic work as any academy in the
state. Mr. Cort is enthusiastic in the work
he has begun, and expects to see the time when
Cortland will be an important place, known far
and wide for its educational advantages."
Despite this flattering endorsement and the
conscientious work of Mr. and Mrs. Cort. the
academy was not a financial success, and in
1892 it ceased to exist.
The long-heralded school for the Indian
children of the Spokane and Colville reserva-
tions opened Monday, April 2, 1900, at old
Fort Spokane, Miles postoffice, Lincoln coun-
ty, with 135 pupils on the roll. The post build-
ings, or such as were fit for the purpose were
turned over to the Department of Indian Af-
fairs by the War Office soon after the abandon-
ment (if the place as a military post, following
the Spanish war. This is perhaps one of the
nmst interesting institutions in Lincoln county,
or in this portion of the state. For school pur-
poses the location is an ideal one; claimed by
inspectors and other supervising officials to be
about the finest that is occupied by any Indian
school in the United States.
In February, 1903, Superintendent F. F.
Avery published the following description of
the school in the Lincoln County Times:
"The Fort Spokane school though not
strictly on an Indian reservation is classed as
a reservation boarding school for the reason
that it draws its pupils directly from ra-
tions, not from other schools, and is under
general supervision of an Indian agency.
"About 22^ pupils were enrolled last year
(1902). Each year those who are enrolled
are gathered in as early as practicable in the
fall and remain until the end of June, the
months of July and August being a vacation
period during which they are allowed to go
home, and during which employees, also, al-
ternate in taking leaves of absence, thirty days
with pay being allowed for ten months" contin-
uous service. As nearly as possible the school
is made a comfortable and pleasant home for
the pupils, and they are in every way reasonably
provided for. In clothing each boy is allowed
three suits and extra pair of pantaloons per
year, one of the suits being a substantial and
handsome uniform. Each girl is allowed one
dress of all wool dress flannel, and four other
dresses, none of them of less desirable material
than an ordinary quality of gingham. For
both boys and girls the allowance of shoes, un-
derwear, etc.. are also sufficienty liberal
pupil has a single bed properly furnished. Each
has three or four clean towels per week; and
in every possible way well being is provided tor
and correct tastes and habits are cultivated.
This is regarded as being, perhaps, the most
important part of Indian education.
"The pupils range in years froni live to
eighteen years. About one-half are full ;
tndians, many of whom entered school unable
ik a word of English. The remainder
are of mixed blood. Both clashes average
fairly well in natural intelligence and both are
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
more easily controlled than average white chil-
dren. The primary and intermediate grades
of an ordinary common school education are
given, and the best text books and appliances
are supplied and good teachers employed. But
more stress is laid upon domestic and other
industrial training than upon class work. Each
pupil goes to school one-half of each class-day
(from Monday until Friday, inclusive), and
works one half of each day from Monday
to Saturday inclusive. Only the little ones
are omitted from this program, and for them
a kindergarten is provided. The boys rotate
through the carpenter shop, the bakery, the
farmers' department and the industrial teach-
ers' details, which latter include all kinds of
miscellaneous chores. The girls rotate through
every department of domestic work, the
kitchen, the laundry, the sewing room and mis-
cellaneous work. In the sewing room, for ex-
ample, they are taught to cut and fit as well as
to make their own clothing, and to do all
kinds of repairing neatly and properly. The
same general method is followed in each de-
partment. And, as a rule, the results are rea-
sonably satisfactory. The girls who receive
this training for a few years go out and make
a good deal better homes than those who do
not receive it. The boys as a rule do very much
better than those who grow up in ignorance
ami without forming any habits of systematic
industry. The force of employees is such as
is necessary for a school organized on the lines
indicated. There is a superintendent ; a nrj -
tron and two assistant matrons; a seamstress,
a cook, a baker, a laundress, a farmer, a car-
penter, an industrial teacher, four class-room
teachers, and a few miscellaneous employees
most of whom are assistants of those men
tioned. All of these are expected to be, and
required to be, not only workers, but instruc-
tors; and no position in an Indian school is
easy to fill satisfactorily. Yet the service us-
ually becomes attractive to those who remain
long enough in it to become thoroughly ac-
customed to it, and the civil service commis-
sion usually has ample lists of eligibles from
which to certify applicants for most classes of
positions.
"Visitors with any intelligent interest and
with tact enough to realize that the pupils are
simply human, and do not care to be looked
upon and talked about as though they were
wild animals, are always welcome. There is a
story told of one visitor at an Indian school,
who, with more curiosity than tact, stopped a
little Indian boy with the inquiry : 'Say ! Are
you civilized?' To which he very promptly and
pertinently replied, 'Yes; are you?' And this
story is quite illustrative, as well as properly
vouched for."
November 27, 1903, the School Bulletin, an
eight-page monthly educational journal, edited
and published by Miss Alice Neal, County
Superintendent of Public Instruction and de-
voted to the interests of Lincoln county, made
its initial appearance. Following is the annual
report of Miss Neal for the year 1903 :
Number of children 5 to 21 years old 5.449
Enrolled in public schools 4,923
Average daily attendance 3-°S l
Number of departments maintained 153
Average monthly salary ; male $48.6S
Average monthly salary ; female $45-86
Pupils graduated from common schools during year. .94
Number of s'chool houses in county 121
Of these 115 were frame buildings, one log and 5 brick.
Total seating capacity 5,8oi
Estimated value of county's school property. .$154,244.50
Total number of districts in county 12S
Teachers holding state or territorial certificates.... 2
Normal department state university I
Elementary certificate state normal 6
Advanced cours'e state normal 2
First grade certificates T 9
Second grade certificates 86-
Third grade certificates 16.
There are graded schools at Sprague, Reardan. Dav-
enport, Harrington, Wilbur, Almira, Creston, Peach,
Edwall, Mohler, and Odessa. The Davenport school is.
a high school.
From Monday, April nth, to the 15th.
inclusive, 1904, there was held at Davenport
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY
213
one of the most interesting and instructive
teachers' institutes that ever assembled in the
state. The program arranged by Miss Neal
was one calculated to prove of great benefit
ti 1 every teacher in the county. The exercises
were attended by Professor A. E. Winship,
of Boston, one of the most prominent educators
in the United States, and throughout the week-
he delivered daily addresses which were listened
to with profound attention.
Following is the complete roster of the
school teachers of Lincoln county, January 1 ,
1904:
Alice Lang, Mrs. J. A. Rife, Nellie Lan-
gan, Eva Switzer, Frank Beck, of Mondovi ;
Cbjoe Wilcox, Belle Baldwin, P. T. Mellon,
Elnora Strong, May Baldwin, \Y. H. Scott,
of Edwall; Earl Yule, C. A. Hersey, T. A.
Davies. Marva Frink. Louise Kirkpatrick; Gert-
rude Cosgrove, Ella Craig, Margaret Craig, E.
McDonald, Robt. Simmons, Maggie Orlowski,
Mrs. J. A. Gee, Katie Xeilly, Edith Mills,
Alice Bartlett, J. X. Moore, of Sprague;
Brooks Livingston, W. H. Padley, Kate Wol-
ford, Maude Clifford, Oma Hamilton, 1). M.
Smith. Anna L. Evans, Daisy Kenworthy, of
Reardan ; Lillian Mackey, George E. Craig,
Sadie Hettman, Alice Brookings, W. D. Mof-
fatt. Minnie Level, Josie O'Leary, Mrs. E. S.
Graf, Grace Donnell, Bertha Johnson, Bertha
L. Powell, Eloise Knowles, Carrie B. Weir.
Kathryn Lentz, B. E. Mower, C. W. Jarvis,
J. R. Williams, Bernice Jones, Jennie Heald,
Ora Pershall, of Davenport; Blanche Switzer,
Florence Samis, Andrew Brown, of Egypl :
Stella Cheeley. Mrs. J. A. Hall. Ida L. Will-
iams, F. E. Emmett, F. E. Stokes, Louise
Peffley, Anna L. Cole, Mabel M. Moody. Har-
vey Jones, of Creston ; Leonard Heaphy, La-
Dona Williams, Harry W. Davis, Alvan
Clarendon, Bernetta Stookey. Bessie Robert-;,
Bessie M. Agnew, Pearl Owen, Delia E. Green,
Ella Davies, E. C. Bierbaum, Mary Waltman,
Abigail E. White, Emilie R. Mode, Addie
Saxe, Ida Hankel, L W. Falkner, of Wilbur;
Mrs. J. Childs, Grace Berner, of Rocklyn; Ora
M. Seidell, Elfleda Graves, C. W. Crippen,
Mary Dew, of Mohler; W. A. Cummings,
Mrs. C. Mapes, of Tyler; Blanche Shane, Jo-
seph Rung, Edgar Hopkins, Mrs. Hendryx, of
Sherman; Frank Thomas, C. C. Hiker, Mar-
tha Samuels, Bessie Fox, Margaret Scott, Lil-
lian Scott, Delia E. Wilson. James A. Braden,
Mollie I. Swing, S. R. Wesp, Minnie Kerr, of
Harrington; F. E. Hoskins, Effie 1.. Jackson,
of Moscow; M. L. Cory. Edgar Allison. May
Ryan, of Larene; W. J. Phipps, of Hesseltine;
Xettie Williams, of Clark; Robert Pitzer,
Charles Deets, Elsie 1. Turley. Nellie John-
son. ( '. L. Goodyear, Rosa Sanford, of Almira;
Maude Bennett, W. (i. Hardy, of Govan; 1).
Dallas, Sarah Williams, of Peach; W. J.
Beaghley, Marjorie Nichols, of Waukon; Irene
Hennessy, of Lamona ; Nettie Lang, of Curby;
Caroline Clements, Clara Weisgerber. Sara R.
Howard, Grace Austin. Alice C. Dorman, Mar-
tha Kottke, Eura J. Snow hill, Ida E. Wilson,
J. G. Wardin, Agnes J. Lambert, of Odessa;
Dulce Wallace, of Griffith; Ida Grinn, of
Knipp; E. H. Gipson, Estella V. Hinckley, of
Downs; Segrid Lehn. of Manila.
St. Joseph"s Academy is a convent and
school instituted at Sprague in 1S86 — at first
on a limited scale — but is at present quite a
prominent educational institution along re-
ligious lines. It is attended by scholars from
all parts of the state, and even from outside
the boundaries.
The object of the academy is to impart
a thorough and refined Ghristian education to
young ladies. Simplicity and solidity are com-
bined in the methods of instruction. Care is
taken to strengthen and develop the character
by the triple culture of the mind, heart and
body: and thus make of the students pr
young women ami useful members of
— an honor to themselves and a benefit to their
fellow creatures. As regards religious instruc-
tion no distinction is made in the reception of
pupils on account of their religious opinions,
214
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
and no interference is made with the religious
convictions of non-Catholics ; but, for the main-
tenance of good order, all are required to con-
form to the regulations of the house.
The preparatory department aims at im-
parting a thorough English education. This
object is obtained by careful instruction in
Christian doctrine, reading, spelling, etymology,
elements of rhetoroic, arithmetic, civil govern-
ment, geography, grammar, sacred history,
composition, elements of algebra, United States
history, physiology, national literature. A thor-
ough knowledge of these branches are required
for promotion to the academic department, and
a certificate of proficiency is granted on com-
pletion of the grammar course. The academic
department is commercial, literary and scienti-
fic. The first year is devoted to Christian doc-
trine, Bible and church history, higher arith-
metic and algebra, general history, classical
literature, rhetoric and composition, science,
physics and botany and bookkeeping. The sec-
ond year to Christian doctrine, geometry, as-
tronomy, literary analysis, logic, rhetoric, and
composition. The third year to church his-
tory, geometry, rhetoric, literature, criticisms,
review common branches. Drawing and men-
tal arithmetic are taught in all the grades.
LEROY FURGESON
MR. AND MRS. HENRY S. WYNHOFF
WILLIAM ROBERTSON
FREDRICK S. KINER
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
LINCOLN COUNTY
LEROY FURGESON is a farmer re-
siding two miles east of Larene, and eight miles
north of Davenport. He is a native of Putnam
county, Indiana, born October 15, 1848. His
father, also Leroy by christian name, was a
native of North Carolina, and his mother,
Lavina (Condray) Furgeson, was born in
Knoxville, Tennessee. Mr. Furgeson has one
brother, Thomas T., residing at Sweet Home,
Linn county, Oregon, and he served twenty-
two months in the Union army during - the Civil
War, and was wounded in the battle of Pea
Ridge. Later he was honorably discharged
and returned to the duties of the civilian.
When a child, our subject removed with
his parents to Marion county, Iowa, during the
early days of that commonwealth, was brought
up there on a farm, and married, October 1 1 .
1868, to Sarah A. Pope, a native of Oskaloosa,
Iowa.
Mrs. Ferguson's father, William Pope, was
a native of the state of Xew York, and died in
California at the age of seventy-seven. His
father, Benjamin, was a soldier of the Revolu-
tion, and died in Iowa at the advanced age of
ninety-four. The mother of Mrs. Furgeson,
Dorcas (Lathors) Pope, was born in Adams
county, Ohio, and is now living with her
daughter in her eighty-fourth year.
In 1873 Mr. and Mrs. Furgeson came to
Santa Clara county, California, and five years
later they drove overland to Linn county,
Oregon, where Mr. Furgeson engaged in fann-
ing. They came in a wagon to their presenl
home in 1888. Having brought from Oregon
with them a small herd of stock, they took land
and engaged at once in farming and stock raw-
ing. They now own a section of land, about
500 acres of which are choice tillable soil; They
have good buildings; improvements, et cetera,
plenty of line water, and a quantity of timber.
Mr. Furgeson now makes a specialty of raising
grain.
Both Mr. Furgeson and his wife are active
members of the Methodist Episcopal church at
Larene.
Mr. and Mrs. Furgeson have been parents
of seven children, two of whom. Amy M. and
Bertie M., have departed this life. Those living
are: William T., married to Mollie Ledger-
wood; James Edmund, married to Myrtle
Hubler; Floyd, married to Ella Howard:
Frances, wife of W. L. Slater, of Douglas
county, and Mildred.
Mrs. Furgeson's three brothers. George
James, and Edmond, served in the Union army
during the Civil War, the last two in the
Seventeenth Iowa.
Mr. Furgeson is one of the substantial,
well-to-do and influential citizens of his lo-
cality.
HENRY S. WYNHOFF. John II.
Wynhoff, a native of Germany, together with
his two brothers. Anthony and Jacob, all con-
cert players, and his wife. Dora (Appledorn)
Wynhoff. a native of Holland, came to the
United States in 1S54. and settled near Mil-
waukee. Wisconsin. With them came their
family of children, of which our subject. I Icnry
S.. was a member. His brothers and sisters
2l6
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
are : John. Herbert, Mrs. Fredrika Look, Jacob
and Mrs. Dora Ritchie. The following mem-
bers of the family are dead, Mrs. Johanna
Hage, Mrs. Mary Verfurth, who owned the
first store in Creston ; Theodore, who died in
service during the Civil war, and Henry, who
died in Germany prior to the parents coming to
America.
Henry S. Wynhoff lived with his parents
on a farm near Milwaukee, until he grew to
manhood. November 8, 1870, he was married
to Mary O. Haas, born in Racine county. Wis-
consin, July 22, 1 85 1. Her father, Phillip
Haas, and mother, Rosa (Seitz) Haas, both
native Germans, came to the United States in
1844. and settled in Wisconsin. She is the
third of nine children, Mrs. Alice Moritz.
Jacob. Joseph. Phillip, deceased, Peter B., Fer-
dinand, Henry. Rosa and August.
In 1876 Mr. and Mrs. Wynhoff removed to
Kankakee county, Illinois; in 1881 to Bremer
county, Iowa; in 1888 to Spokane. Washing-
ton, and thence to Hell Gate on the Columbia.
In this sparsely settled country they took a pre-
emption claim, kept a store, and raised fruit.
Selling all their land except forty-four acres,
they moved in the spring of 1898 to their pre-
sent home six miles south of Peach. Here they
have 800 acres on the banks of Hawk creek,
300 acres of which are hay land, a good home,
a barn of two hundred and fifty tons of hay
capacity, an orchard, and a large berry patch.
Mr. Wynhoff makes a specialty of raising hay,
cattle and horses.
Mr. and Mrs. Wynhoff have been parents
of nine children, Theodore, Anna, Addie, wife
of Charles Cole, with the Spokesman-Review,
Spokane; Veronica, wife of Frank Young,
with the Spokesman-Review, Spokane; Leo,
attending Blair Business College, Spokane;
Ottile Mary; Frank J., and Walter S. On
August 25, 1890, occurred an event of great
sadness to this family. Anna and Ottile
Mary, aged sixteen and six, respectively, were
accidentally drowned at Whiteshore, on the
Columbia.
WILLIAM ROBERTSON, one of the in-
trepid pioneers, whose labors have made the
Big Bend the garden spot of Washington,
dwells now about two miles northeast from
Sherman, where he has a magnificent estate of
about twelve hundred acres of choice wheat
land. This holding he secured partly by gov-
ernment rights and partly by purchase. The
improvements are in keeping with the value of
the place and Mr. Robertson is one of the
wealthiest men of this portion of the county.
He has gained this enviable position by reason
of real worth and by manifestation of marked
industry, wisdom and thrift. Seeing the value
of the country, he purchased and improved land
which in turn has produced bounteous returns.
William Robertson was born in Aberdeen,
Scotland, on July 11. 1852, the son of Charles
and Elizabeth ( Mutch) Robertson, natives of
Scotia's fair hills, also. In 1861, the family re-
moved to Ontario, where the father farmed.
There our subject completed his education
which was well begun in his native land, and in
1875 he journeyed to the Golden State and
soon thereafter went north to British Columbia,
where he did sawmilling. Thence he returned
to Ontario and farmed for some time. In 1882,
he came west a second time, this journey end-
ing temporarily in Dayton. Washington, but
during the same year, he found his way to
Lincoln county and selected a homestead where
he now resides. Since then, Mr. Robertson has
continued in wise labors here and is one of the
leading and substantial men of the region.
In 1S79, Mr. Robertson married Miss
Catherine Galloway, who was born in Ontario,
on June 25. 1861, the daughter of Mathew and
Jeannette (McKay) Galloway, natives of On-
tario, and of Irish and Scotch parentage, re-
spectively. To this marriage the following
named children have been born, Mrs. Annie E.
Carpenter, Mary C, Charles M., William H.,
Grace J., Archie M., David M.. Tames G, and
John H.
FREDRICK S. KINER. For more than
a decade the subject of this article has been
one of the energetic and substantial agricul-
turists of Lincoln county and has certainly
done well his share in the development and up-
building of the country. He was born in Iowa
on January 24, 1863, the son of William H.
and Sarah A. (Wheeler) Kiner, natives of
Ohio. The father followed coopering and
farming. Our subject was educated in the
common schools and spent the interims in
working on the farm. After the days with
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
217
school books were over, he remained with his
father until twenty-two, being engaged on the
farm. Then he went to farming for himself
and continued with success there until 1892,
when he came to Wilbur, taking a homestead
about sixteen miles southwest of Wilbur. Later
he bought a quarter section about five miles
southeast from Wilbur, where his home is at
present, and here he has devoted himself to
farming and stockraising since that time. Dur-
ing these years, Mr. Kiner has been adding to
his estate, until he now has four hundred and
eighty acres of fertile wheat land, which is
laid under tribute to produce annually divi-
dends in excellent crops.
In 1886, Mr. Kiner married Miss Idella J.,
daughter of Levi A. and Mary J. ( Latta )
Courtney, natives of Iowa. Mrs. Kiner was
born in Iowa on January 28, 1865. She has
one sister, Mrs. Anna Greenhard, at Birming-
ham, Iowa; two half sisters, Mrs. Amelia
Kuhn, in Washington, Iowa; Mrs. Clara Peter-
son, in Batavia, Iowa; and one half brother,
Alvin Cassidy, of Fairfield, Iowa. Mr. Kiner
has the following brothers and sisters : James
M., Rosa A., deceased, Joseph L.. Frank S.,
Edward A., Rebecca J., and Mary E. Mr.
Kiner has prospered well since coming to Lin-
coln county owing to his energy, skill, and
sagacity in handling the resources of the coun-
try. He stands well among the residents and
is a man of good ability. Fraternally, he is
affiliated with the W. W.
Five children have been born In Mr. and
Mrs. Kiner, Iva P., Maida M., Glenn !•'..
Lilla I., and Blanche H.
BRUNO W. FELDER. in his chosen oc-
cupation, that of jeweler, has done creditably
as is evidenced constantly by his skillful and
careful work. He has a fine establishment in
Wilbur and handles a thriving business.
carries a large stock of g< m ids and he does much
repairing.
Bruno W. Felder was born in Missouri, in
1853, being the son of Abraham and Kather-
ine (Mettler) Felder, natives of Switzerland.
Bruno W. Felder's ancestors came from the
country whence hail the finest jewelers and
mechanics the world has ever known. The fa-
ther came to Missouri when thirty-five years
of age and followed his profession, being a
physician of very high reputation. He re-
ceived his degree from Heidelberg university,
Germany, as well as from some of the other
leading universities of the world and started
very high in the profession, lie died in 1883.
The mother's father. Dr. Mettler, was one of
the most prominent and skillful physicians in
Switzerland. After a primary training in the
public schools, our subject received a college
education in Weston. Missouri, after which he
took up the jeweler business, becoming very
skillful and proficient, for five years, he was
thus engaged in St. Louis and in 1871 went to
Atchison, Kansas, continuing there in the same
business for four years. After that, he did
business in Alton, Illinois, for a short time,
and then spent eight years in Colorado. Fol-
lowing that, we find him in the jeweler business
in Los Angek^. and on January 13. 1890, he
located at Wilbur. Washington. Here he
opened a jeweler store and has since continued
steadily in business. He has a handsome resi-
dence in Wilbur besides other property and also
half a section of land in Yakima county. Wash-
ington.
In January. [891, at Los Angeles, Califor-
nia, Mr. Felder married Miss Emma Fleshman.
who was born in Humboldt county. Califor-
nia, on October 2, [866. Her father. Herman
Fleshman, was a wealthy merchant of Hom-
boldt county. Mr. Felder has the following
brothers and sifter-. Zeno, Harry. Louis,
Nina, Eliza, Paulina. Gussie and May. To Mr.
and Mrs. Felder one child has been born. Her-
man A.
Mr. Felder is affiliated with the A. < >. U.
W., the W. W., and the K. O. T. M. He is
a substantial member of society, wealthy and
well esteemed.
FLOYD HUDKINS resides one mile
south from Sherman where he has a large es-
tate of eight hundred acres, the same having
been cleared through his industry ami wise
ement. The farm is well improved with
buildings, fences and so forth and supplied
with plenty of stock and machinery. Mr. 1 lud-
kins came to the Big Bend six years ago and
he had fifteen hundred dollars in cash. He
went into debt for one half section of land and
raised enough wheat the first year to pay for
2l8
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
the same, two thousand eight hundred and sev-
enty-five dollars. He then bought another half
section for five thousand dollars and paid for
that in two years. He has added more by pur-
chase having his fine large estate.
Floyd Hudkins was born in West Virginia,
on February I, 1847, being the son of Elisha
and Rachel (Mearns) Hudkins, both natives
of West Virginia and people of substantial
wealth and excellent standing. Our subject
came with his people to Illinois when a boy
and there received his education. When he had
arrived at his majority he emigrated to north-
west Missouri and took up farming. For fif-
teen vears, he toiled there and then went down
to southwest Missouri where he farmed for a
time. In 1897, Mr. Hudkins came to Oregon
and remained for a shor'. time traveling thence
to his present location in Lincoln county, be-
ing one mile south from Sherman.
In 1874, Mr. Hudkins married Miss Mar-
garet, daughter of Daniel and Emily (Thomp-
son) Diamond, natives of Pennsylvania and
Delaware, respectively. Daniel Diamond was
descended from Irish and Holland Dutch an-
cestors, who settled in Pennsylvania in very
early days. He was a pioneer in Iowa, where
he opened up a farm. About 1861, he traveled
to Nodaway county, Missouri, where he en-
dured the rigors of a pioneer life, having to
transport all his supplies for seventy-five miles
by wagon. For twenty-one years he resided
there. Mrs. Hudkins was born in Iowa, in
1854, and has the following named brothers
and sisters. Walter, Arthur, Abe, Hugh, Mrs.
Jessie Patrick, and John. Mr. Hudkins has
brothers and sisters named as follows. Walker,
Andrew. Mrs. Lea Brant, and Mrs. Mary Mc-
Call. Mr. Hudkins has an enviable standing
in the community and is recognized by all as a
man of ability and integrity. He is always
found on the side of those principles which are
for the advancement and benefit of all.
THORN E HOUSTON is one of the
substantial and wealthy farmers of Lincoln
ci unity. He resides about one-half mile east
from Sherman where he owns a fine farm of
nearly four hundred acres. He acquired title
to the same by purchase, having gained all he
possesses, since coming to Lincoln county.
through his own industry and wise manage-
ment.
Thome Houston was born in Smith coun-
ty, Virginia, on December 20. 1875, tne son 0I
Robert and Mattie (Cole) Houston, both na-
tives of Virginia. The father was occupied in
farming and mercandising during his life. The
'common schools furnished the educational
training of our subject and with his mother,
one brother, and two sisters he came to Lin-
coln county in 1885. They settled near Sher-
man and owing to the fact that their financial
assets were very low, the boys were forced to
work out to get the means to improve their
homesteads. They believed in the resources
of this country and soon began to purchase
land. In 1897, our subject bought one-half
section just one mile east from Sherman. He
has made various other purchases since, hav-
ing given his entire attention during these years
to farming. He has made an excellent record,
and the skill with which he has improved his
farm and made it productive has shown him
to be a capable and wise man.
In 1899, Mr. Houston married Miss Nellie,
daughter of Frank and Carrie ( Shane) Hop-
kins, who now dwell three miles east from
Sherman. Mrs. Houston was born in Asotin,
Washington, on January 15, 1878. She has
two brothers, William and Edgar, and one sis-
ter, Ruth. Mr. Houston has one brother, Wal-
ter and two sisters, Mrs. Maude Jones and Mrs.
Bertha Graybill. To Mr. and Mrs. Houston
one child. Esther, has been born.
FRANK ARTHUR HOPKINS is one of
the pioneers of Lincoln county and has so suc-
cessfully wrought here that he is the possessor
now of four hundred acres, well stocked and
improved, which lies about three miles north
from Sherman. Mr. Hopkins has shown com-
mendable industry and wisdom in his efforts
in this county and is classed as one of the in-
fluential and substantial citizens. He was
born in Iowa on May 6, 1855. His
parents were Miles S. and Laura A.
(Culver) Hopkins, natives of New York.
The father came to Council Bluffs. Iowa,
in 1852 and there engaged in mercantile
business. Later, he went to Nebraska and fol-
lowed merchandising in that state. He was
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
219
descended from Stephen Hopkins a signer of
the Declaration of Independence. The family
is an old and prominent one, having many mem-
bers of literary distinction, both in the profes-
sions and in commercial life. Our subject was
educated in Iowa and Nebraska, then learned
the printer's trade, being engaged on the Burt
Comity Pilot and The Burtonian, both news-
papers in Burt county. Nebraska. He contin-
ued in this occupation until 1877, when he came
to Walla Walla. He immediately took the
contract of freighting military supplies during
the Bannock and Nez Perce wars. In 1878,
Mr. Hopkins took a pre-emption in the Palouse,
which, however, he sold in 1880, coming thence
to Sherman, Lincoln county. Thus we see that
for nearly a quarter, of a century, he has de-
voted himself to improving and building up
this party of the country, achieving a success
commensurate with his efforts. In 1884. Mr.
Hopkins settled on a portion of his present es-
tate as a homestead and has since added until
he has now the large farm mentioned above.
On March 15. 1887, Mr. Hopkins married
Miss Caroline A., daughter of Henry and Mar-
tha ( Taylor) Shane. The mother was born
in ( )hio where also Mrs. Hopkins was born on
September 13, 1856. The father was a native
of Ohio also and came to Nebraska in 1874.
The grandparents of Mrs. Hopkins were early
pioneers of Ohio and among the first settlers
of that now thriving state. Mrs. Hopkins has
one brother, Stanley and six sisters. Mrs. Ellen
Crabbe, Mrs. W. jack. Mrs. Martha Wallace,
Airs. Esther Clark, Mrs. Margaret Rogers, and
Blanch Shane. To Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins the
following children have been born, Mrs. Nellie
Houston, Stanley, who died at the age of seven,
Edgar A., William H.. Ralph, who died when
an infant, and Ruth E.
PETER MARTIN is one of the venerable
residents of Lincoln county. He has wrought
here since 1888, with marked industry and sa-
gacity and has gained as a result of his labors
a fine estate, well improved and productive. He
resides about four miles north of Sherman and
is one of the respected and esteemed citizens.
Mr. Martin is a descendant of the old Norse-
men whose explorations are among the most
wonderful of any nation on the globe. He is
possessed of the vigor and progressiveness of
his people and has manifested the same during
a long and useful career.
Peter Martin was born in Norway, on 1 >e-
cember 15. [832, being the son of Martin and
Dorotha (Paulson) Hanson, natives of Nor-
way. They came to Minnesota in 1854. which
state was then an unsur.veyed vastness of prairie
with no railroad connections nearer than Chi-
ago. Our subject received his education in
the common schools of Norway and when twen-
ty-one came to the United States, settling with
his parents in .Minnesota in 1N54. For thirty
four years, he was an industrious tiller of the
soil there and then lie decided to sell his prop-
erty and cmue to Lincoln county. This was in
[888 and since that time, Mr. .Martin has been
one of the well known farmers here. In 1S74.
Air. Martin married Miss Alete. daughter of
Martin and Carrie 1 Peterson 1 Thompson. The
following children have been born to our sub-
ject, Martin, Andrew, John. Marie. Albert,
Clara D., Peter, M. Lizzie. Henry, and Emil.
Mr. Martin is now seventy-one years of age
and is entitled to pass the closing years of his
well spent life in the quiet enjoyment of that
competence which his industry and success have
amassed for him. He has held many offices of
public trust in this country and has ever shown
himself worthy of the confidence of the peo-
ple. Mr. Martin's spirit may be discerned from
the fact that when he came to this country, he
immediately set to work to master the English
language and soon became a very proficient
English scholar.
D. FRANK PEFFLEY was born near the
little town of Bainbridge, Putnam county. In-
diana, on May 5. 1854. I lis father owned a
sawmill and a small farm, and in work in anil
on these possessions, the youthful days of our
subject were spent. Peffley Pere believed in
the strenuous life for hoys and followed his
theories rather severely.
At the age of seventeen, Frank quit the pa-
rental roof and began life for himself. He did
various work and then learned the carpenter
trade. Having always been inclined toward
books, he began work in earnest t,, acquire a
good education, and sought it until he was the
proud possessor of his first certificate tor teach-
ing. Then he taught, went to school, and did
private studying for some years.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
In the spring of 1880, he turned his face
Avestward for the last time, having previously
sojourned in trans-Mississippi territory and
returned each time to his native place. Loca-
tion was made in Bourbon county, Kansas, and
the following sixteen years were spent in or
near Fort Scott, with the exception of one and
one-half years in New Mexicco. He taught
but gradually relinquished his hold on that
profession for newspaper work, taking up
reportorial and editorial labors on the Fort
Scott dailies. Later he mastered the mechanical
portion of the business. He also had some of
the unusual experiences of the novice as pub-
lisher of a weekly. In the spring of 1896, he
left Fort Scott, which for years had been the
scene of his labors and hardships, together with
some degree of success. He engaged in teach-
ing and in newspaper work in Iowa until the
fall of 1899, when he journeyed on west to
Lincoln county. Locating near Wilbur, he took
up teaching for a year and then went to Cres-
ton, where he filled the principal's chair for
one year.
In August. 1901. Mr. Peffley began the
publication of the Crcston News, a venture of
"his own.
Mr. Peffley was married in 1883, at Fort
Scott, Miss Susan Martin becoming his bride.
Two daughters have been born to this union,
Louise and Sara, now grown to womanhood.
Mr. Peffley has written much of a literary
character, both in verse and prose, besides num-
erous contributions to school journals and on
political and other, topics. He handles the pen
with ease and fluency and many of his produc-
tions have received the recognition of compe-
tent literary people. But he has- never had the
ambition to write for money and has made no
effort to get before more than his own little
world in letters.
JAMES P. TUFTS dwells about four
miles northwest of Sherman. He came to
Lincoln county in 1885 and has been instru-
mental in opening up the country and building
up the county, which is one of the leading ones
in the great state of Washington. From the
time when Mr. Tufts settled in Lincoln county
until the present, he has given his attention to
farming and also to stock raising. In the form-
er occupation he has made an excellent success
and is known as one of the substantial and in-
dustrious agriculturists of the region.
James P. Tufts was born in Springfield,
Illinois, and there gained his early education
from the city schools. After, that, he went to
farming and continued steadily in the same in
that section of the country until he came west
and took a homestead where he now resides.
In 1902, Mr. Tufts married Mrs. Artie
Penix, daughter of James and Katherine
(Benn) Unsell, natives of Missouri. Mrs.
Tufts was born in Missouri, on December 2,
1862. Mr. Tufts has always taken an active
interest in politics and has held a number of
offices of trust, always discharging the duties
encumbent upon him in a capable and faithful
manner.
WILLIAM H.HOWARD is a well known
business man of Creston, being at the head of
a prosperous real estate and insurance business.
He has demonstrated his ability to make a suc-
cess of the enterprise and is considered one of
the most capable men of this section.
W. H. Howard was born in Monmouth,
Illinois, on September 5, 1840, being the son
of Henry C. and Cynthia A. (Bonner) How-
ard, natives of Kentucky. In 1843, tne father,
moved with his family to Missouri and there
was judge of Barry county, besides holding
other offices of trust. After attending the pub-
lic schools of Missouri, our subject completed
his education in the Cherry Grove Seminary
of Abingdon. Illinois. When rebels invaded
Springfield, Missouri, our. subject was thrust
through with a sabre and left weltering in his
own blood for dead. His father and brother
were taken prisoners and desolation reigned on
every hand. Fate decreed that Mr. Howard
should not end his existence in that untimely
way. Recovering from his wound he enlisted
in the Seventy-first Illinois Infantry. For
three months, he was in active duty and re-
ceived his discharge, his time being out. He
immediately re-enlisted in the One Hundred
and Thirty-seventh Illinois Infantry for one
hundred days and served the time with great
credit to himself. As soon as those days were
done he again enlisted, this time in the Seventh
Illinois Calvary where he served with distinc-
tion until the close of the war, then he gave his
attention to farming in Iowa and South Dakota
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
until 1880, when he came to what is now (.'res-
ton, Washington. This time stamps him as
one of the early pioneers of this favored region
and for nearly a quarter of a century, Air. How-
ard has devoted himself steadily in faithful la-
bors in this county. He did general farming
and stock raising until 1900, when he sold a
portion of his interests and devoted himself to
real estate and insurance. Mr. Howard has al-
ways been a prominent man in this section, has
held many offices, and at the present time is
police judge.
In 1872, Air. Howard married Miss Mari-
etta J. Wilson, of Sidney, Iowa. In 1881, he
was called to mourn her death. In 1894, Mr.
Howard married Mrs. Desdemona Dearling
of Davenport, Washington. By his first wife,
the following named children have been born to
Mr. Howard : J. Edgar, an abstractor in Dav-
enport, Washington, and representative to the
legislature for his district; Mrs. Ena Fergu-
son, living on the ranch; George L., a profes-
sor in the Western Iowa College at Council
Bluffs, Iowa. Mr. Howard is secretary and
part owner of the Silver Hill mining company.
NATHAN E. WALKER. This respect-
able and esteemed citizen, who is also to be
classed as one of the early pioneers of Lin-
coln county, is now dwelling just south from
Sherman where he has four hundred and eightv
acres of land. As early as 1886, he settled in
this vicinity and has since given himself to
the basic art of agriculture. He has always
labored for those measures which have tended
to upbuild and improve these sections and is
known as a progressive man. He is an advo-
cate of good schools, better roads and all those
things that make an enlightened and advanced
community.
Nathan E. Walker was born in Virginia, on
February 26, 1857, being the son of Garrett
B. and Adeline Y. (Skinner) Walker, natives
of Virginia and tillers of the soil. The first
twenty years of our subject's life were spent
in his native state, during which time he gained
an education, then he journeyed west to Kan-
sas. For about six years he remained in that
country then came on to the more favored sec-
tion of Washington, taking his present place as
a homestead.
In 1887, Mr. Walker married Miss
ence M., daughter of John W. and Alary 1-:.
1 ECees) Highland, natives of Iowa. Air. and
Mrs. Walker are highly respected people owing
to their uprightness and real worth.
CHARLES A. STRAUB is proprietor of
the O. K. livery stables at Creston, Washing-
ton. He has a nice assortment of rigs, keeps
line horses, and does a good business. Mr.
Straub is known as a man who never leaves
undone anything that will enhance the comfort
and safety of his patrons and is ever alert in
the interest of his business.
Charles A. Straub was born in Ohio, on
October 1, 1861, being the son of George and
Elvina (Coffman) Straub, natives of Ohio.
The father was a wagon maker and followed
that business during his life. He was a vet-
eran also of the Civil War. Our subject re-
ceived a good common school education in his
native state and resided there until 1890. when
he turned to the west and traveled in every
state and territory west of the Mississippi val-
ley. Having thoroughly satisfied himself as
to the resources of every portion, he finally se-
lected Creston as his stopping place, settling
here in 1891. He took a homestead just south
from town which he proved up on. In 1898.
Mr. Straub built the O. K. Stables and since
that time has been engaged in the livery busi-
ness.
In 1893, Mr. Straub married Miss Ida Gol
lur. a native of Illinois. They are highly re-
spected people having hosts of friends in this
part <>f the coiintr.3 .
FRED E. WATSON is owner and man-
ager of the Creston roller mills. This is one
of the important industries of Lincoln county
and has been built by the subject of this article.
Tlie plant is fitted with all the latest improved
milling machinery and has an output capacity
of four hundred barrels per day. Air. WatSOll
is a practical business man ami has demon-
strated his ability to handle large industries,
being possessed of the happy faculty which en-
ables him to grasp the outlines of business yet
allows no details t> escape bis notice
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
Fred L. Watson was born in Michigan, on
March 5, 1862, the son of J. B. and Kate
(Fryant) Watson, natives of New York. The
father was a prominent and influential citizen
in Michigan and held various offices of trust.
Our subject received his education at Valpa-
raiso, Indiana, there gaining the degree of
Bachelor of Arts in 1885. After finishing his
college course he went to the farm in Michigan
and turned his attention to the cultivation of
the soil until 1892, when he came to Wash-
ington. He soon located at Creston and com-
menced buying wheat. In this business he was
prospered until 1892, when he erected the mill
spoken of above and continued in buying wheat
and handled the milling business also.
Mr. Watson is one of the well known busi-
ness men of Lincoln county and has established
for. himself a very enviable reputation.
In 1895, Mr. Watson married Miss Anna,
daughter of August Lillengreen, a native of
Minnesota. To this union one child, Beatrice,
was born in 1899.
E. C. LANTER, M. D. Creston is to be
congratulated in securing as a resident this tal-
ented and skillful physician. Just entering the
prime of life, Dr. Lanter has demonstrated him-
self to be a thoroughly proficient man and mas-
ter of the arts of medicine and surgery. The
high standard demanded by the public in phy-
sicians is fully met in every particular in Dr.
Lanter. A man of integrity and uprightness,
thoroughly imbued with a high sense of honor
and the deep responsibility of his stewardship,
the doctor, has inspired in the public a confi-
dence in his wisdom and ability as a success-
ful physician. In addition to this, Dr. Lanter
is a thorough student and possessed of a keen
perception and force which he brings to bear
in his studies. This has marked him as a man
of excellent ability. In fact, Dr. Lanter is a
man who is thoroughly abreast of the advanc-
ing times in medicine. He has one of the finest
equipped offices in the county and as is to be
expected is handling a large practice.
E. C. Lanter was born in Green Forest, Ar-
kansas, on June 16, 1878, being the son of C.
F. and Mattie (Ross) Lanter, natives of Knox-
ville, Tennessee and Dardanelle. Arkansas, re-
spectively. The father was mayor of Vernon
City, Texas, and held other offices of prom-
inence, being an influential man. The mother's
father was a professor in the Arkansas Indus-
trial university. After graduation from the
high school in Green Forest our subject en-
tered the Marion Simms college at St. Louis.
Due time was spent in training there and in
1896 he matriculated in the Vanderbilt Uni-
versity of Nashville, Tennessee. He received
his degree of Doctor of Medicine and at once
entered upon the practice at Green Forest. He
soon had a very large practice on his hands
but in July, 1900, he determined to come west
and accordingly in that year, located in Creston.
From the beginning, Dr. Lanter had a good
practice and is now considered one of the lead-
ing physicians of this part of the county.
In 1903, Dr. Lanter married Miss Ella Vi-
vian Frazer who was born in Slayton, Minne-
sota, on May 30, 1879.
ALFRED E. STOOKEY is at the present
time at the head of a lumber business in Cres-
ton, where he has prospered as he has done in
all his efforts since coming to the west. Mr.
Stookey is one of the best known business men
in Lincoln county. So well has his ability and
wisdom been appreciated that he was chosen by
the people for county commissioner of Lin-
coln county, and served for six years. In all
of this public service he has manifested the same
wisdom, integrity and uprightness that charac-
terized him in his private enterprises.
Alfred E. Stookey was born in Illinois, on
March 4, 1845, being the son of E. and Jane
(Parker) Stookey, natives of Ohio. The fa-
ther was a farmer and settled in Illinois when
a young man. Alfred E. was reared and edu-
cated in Illinois and engaged there in farming
until 1S68 when he journeyed to Kansas and
continued in the same occupation. He returned
to Illinois in 1874 and farmed until 1882 when
he came to Lincoln county, taking up govern-
ment land. He gave his attention to the culti-
vation of the soil and bought and sold land,
having now an estate of five hundred and twen-
ty acres of first class wheat land. Mr. Stookey
was prospered in his labors in Lincoln county
as a farmer and in 1898 bought a half interest
in a general merchandise establishment at Cres-
ton. He was ensaeed in this business and in
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
223
overseeing his estates until 1903, when he sold
the store and opened a lumber business in which
he is engaged at the present time. Mr. Stook-
ey has a beautiful and commodious residence
in Creston and other property in -addition to
what has been mentioned.
In 1868, Mr. Stookey married Miss Mary,
daughter of M. F. and Elizabeth (Harrison)
Wooley, natives of Illinois. Mrs. Stookey was
born in Illinois, on March 7, 1852. To this
union the following children have been born;
Mrs. Lenora Wilcox, in Seattle; Mrs. Lizzie
Huddleston, living at Creston; Elgin M. ; and
Edward B.
In 1892 Mr. Stookey was called to mourn
the death of his beloved wife. She had always
lived a devout Christian and died soothed and
sustained by the faith which had been her,
guide throughout life. Mr. Stookey is a con-
sistent member of the Baptist church and a
man of excellent standing.
JAMES ELLIOTT is proprietor of the
Big Bend stables and city marshal of Creston,
Washington. He is one of the progressive
business men of this town and is always allied
with the cause of advancement and progress,
having demonstrated his ability in many lines of
endeavor. Mr. Elliott has always been dwell-
ing on the frontier and most of his life has been
spent in sections where there were no railroads.
In his career he has shown those stanch qualities
of the true pioneer and has assisted materially
in opening many sections that are now well
settled.
James Elliott was born in Ontario, Canada,
on October 28, 1859, being the son of Robert
and Sarah J. (Young) Elliott. The father
was a native of Ontario and a prominent citi-
zen there, having held various offices of import-
ance. The mother was born in Ireland and
came to Canada when a child. Our subject re-
ceived his education in the world-famous
schools of Ontario and then came on West to
North Dakota. He soon journeyed from there
to Coeur d' Alene and just after Col. Wallace
had completed his cabin in what is now Wal-
lace, Idaho, Mr. Elliotl completed the second.
This was in jS8=;. Mr. Elliott operated the
first pack train into Wardner and wa
known throughout northern Mali'). In iS.-'o.
he came to the I Jig I lend country and
up a farm. for three years he was ei ,•
in Freighting into the Okanogan country. In
1891, Mr. Elliott first located in Creston and
operated from that place as his headquarters.
Later, he took up the hotel and \eut\ stable
business and has continued in the same since.
in 1890, Mr. Elliott married Miss Bettie
J., daughter, of S. R. and Amanda (York)
Comer, natives of Kentucky and Tennessee, re
Spectively. The father was a veteran of the
Civil War and was one of the earliest pioneers
to California. To Mr. and Mrs. Elliott, two
children have been born. Harvey L. and Carl
V. Mr. Elliott is a member of the W. W.
JAMES J. DODD is one of the well
known professional men of Lincoln county.
On March 13, 1894. Mr. Dodd was admitted
to practice law in the superior courts of the
State of Washington. In January. 1899, he
was admitted to the supreme court and to the
United States district and circuit courts. At
the time of his admission the Lincoln county
papers contained the following paragraph: "J.
J. Dodd, of Creston, one of the best known
citizens of Lincoln county, successfully passed
his examination for admiss : on to the bar on
Monday and was ordered admitted by Judge
Mount. The examination was conducted by C.
H. Neal and Judge Caton. and Mr. Dodd an-
swered every question correctly with one excep-
tion. He was highly complimented by Judge
Mount who said that Mr. Dodd had passed the
best and highest of any applicant ever admit-
ted to practice law in Lincoln county."
J. J. Dodd was born in Jacksonville. Illi-
nois, on February 8, 1831, the son of Uriah
and Ally D. (Hutchins) Dodd. natives of Vir-
ginia. The father went to Kentucky when a
1m iv and later to Illinois where he fi
farming. He had two uncles of the Dodd fam-
ily and three uncles on his mother's side, who
foughl in the Revolutionary war. The latter
were named Cook. The two oldest were killed
at the battle of Hunker Hill. The mother had
two uncles also in the war of Independence.
Our subject had very scanty opportunities to
gain an education in his youthful days and the
little log school house in Hancock county. Illi-
nois, was the scene of his studies until four-
teen when In 'lit to meet the 1
22 4
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
sibilities of life. In 1857 he commenced read-
ing law under Judge Thomas S. Richardson,
of Memphis, Missouri, having in previous years
given himself to arduous personal research in
literary lines. During this study his health
broke down and he desisted to crossed the
plains in 1859 to California. He remained at
St. Helena. Napa county, until 1862, then re-
turned to Illinois and in 1865 to Missouri. In
1876 he went to Kansas. In 1880, we find him
in the Cherokee nation and in 1888, he came on
to Lincoln county, with teams. Here in 1890,
he again commenced the study of law under
Judge J. Brock of Davenport and was admit-
ted to the bar as stated above.
In 1 85 1, Mr. Dodd married Adeline A.
Browning, who was a very scholarly lady. She
was born in Tennessee, on December 31, 1830.
In 1868, Mr. Dodd contracted a second mar-
riage, his former wife having died, and Miss
Mary A. Moss of Kentucky, then became Mrs.
Dodd. The following children have been born
to Mr. and Mrs. Dodd ; Uriah E., Mrs. Adelina
Ettenborough, Mrs. Allie L. Covey, John B.,
George H. and Moxey M. Mr. Dodd voted
for, Franklin Pierce in 1852 and has voted for
every Democratic president since. He is one
of the stanch and stable men of the party and
has ever manifested a keen interest in political
matters. Mr. Dodd has certainly gained a
marked distinction in fitting himself for the
practice of law at the stage of life in which he
did, as well as in having the successful practice
he has conducted since.
HENRY HILLS resides about five miles
south from Creston, where he owns a nice
large estate, a part of which was secured
•through the government rights of homestead,
preemption, and timber culture, and the bal-
ance by purchase. He has labored faithfully
here for more than twenty years and now has a
good showing to demonstrate the wisdom and
energy he possesses.
Henry Hills w : as born in Minnesota, on
March 12, 1859, being the son of James L. and
Minerva (Thomas) Hills, natives of New
York. The other children are: Adella Amoaii,
Charles C. and Mrs. Hattie Harmon. The
father came to Minnesota in the early fifties
and began to open up a farm. In 1862, during
the famous Sioux Indian raid, he and his fam-
ily were driven from the home and were forced
to flee to save their lives. In 1882, Mr. Hills
came to Walla Walla and resided in different
parts of Washington for a year. Our subject
was educated in Minnesota, Nebraska and Kan-
sas, where the family lived previous to coming
to Lincoln county. Owing to the fact that thev
were on the frontier most of the time, opportun-
ity for education was scant, and young Hills
had to gather as best he could from the early
district schools and home study. In 1883, he
came to Lincoln county and settled where we
find him today. He was forced to make annual
pilgrimages to the Palouse and Walla Walla
countries to earn money during harvest seasons
to purchase food supplies for the ranch. His
labors were trying and his path beset with
many hardships and obstacles, but he succeeded
in spite of all opposing forces and now has a
splendid estate in a fertile and rich country.
Such reward to the sturdy pioneers is certainly
very becoming and one is pleased to see those
who bore the burden and heat of the day now
enjoying the fruit of their labors in this favored
region.
In 1880, Mr. Hills married Miss Rosetta,
daughter of John P. and Eliza (Thompson)
Harris. The father was a pioneer to Sullivan
county, Indiana, and the mother was born in
that state. They w^ere the parents of the follow-
ing named children : William, James, deceased,
Nannie, Tyra, Herbert, John, and Elizabeth.
From Indiana, the parents came to the Big
Bend country and have materially assisted in its
upbuilding. Airs. Hills is a native of Indiana.
To Mr. and Mrs. Hills one child has been born,
Mildred, now living and three deceased in in-
fancy.
THEODORE D. GEER is not only a pio-
neer but a descendant from ancestors who made
worthy records in this land. He is closely re-
lated to some of the leading men of the west
and has done a lion's share in the development
of the country. He now resides in Wilbur.
Washington, and came to> what is now Lincoln
county, in 1880, nearly a quarter of a century
ago and since that time has has been a progress-
ive, prominent and capable citizen.
T. D. Geer was born in Illinois, on October
13, 1843. His father, Frederick W. Geer. was
HENRY HILLS
MRS. HENRY HILLS
THEODORE D. GEER
MRS. THEODORE D. GEER
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
225
born in Columbus, Ohio, and crossed the plains
in 1846, settling in Oregon, where he engaged
in lumbering. Later, he gave his attention to
the mercantile business and also operated a hotel
at Butteville, twenty miles from Portland. He
died in 1900, aged eighty-one. The mother of
our subject was Mary ( Prentice) Geer, a na-
tive of New York. She shared her husband's
journey across the plains and other pioneer
labors and was a noble and faithful woman.
Her death occurred in 1892. Our subject
was three years of age when he came with his
parents on the western trip and in Oregon he
grew up and received his education. In ad-
dition to working on a farm, he also labored
with his father in the store and when twenty
years of age went to farming for himself. For
four years he conducted his father's estate and
in 1867 went to the. mines at Warren, Idaho.
Fie labored there nine months and in 1868,
went to work on a steamboat on the Willamette
river. In 1876, we find him in eastern Oregon
engaged in the stock business. Then he went to
western Oregon again and finally came to what
is now Lincoln county, settling about seven
miles southeast from where the town of Wilbur
now stands. He owns four hundred and forty
acres of fine, well improved land, a good resi-
dence in Wilbur, and a block of lots in the same
town.
In 1863, occurred the marriage of T. D.
Geer and Philomane Matthew, a native of St.
Louis, Oregon. Airs. Geer's father, Francis
X. Matthew, was born in Montreal, Canada.
and came to Oregon in 1842. He is still living
on the old donation claim that he took that
year, being aged eighty-six. It is right near
Portland and he is one of the early pioneers
of that now thriving state. During his earlier
years, he was employed by The American Fur
Company and was closely identified with the
early history making incidents of Oregon. He
was a very active participant in the settlement
of Oregon and a strong and patriotic American.
Mr. Geer is a full cousin of ex-governor
Geer of Oregon and also of Davenport, the
great cartoonist. Ik- was the second posl
master in Lincoln county and is well known to
all the old timers. His firsl vote was cast for
Abraham Lincoln and he has been a stanch Re-
publican since.
I o Mr. and Mrs. (leer the Following named
children have been born, Fred I'"... Henry R.,
Stella May, Walter T., Charles V., Eva A.,
Ida R., Hattie F., Lester G., and Annette A.
By way of reminiscence it is interesting to
note regarding the worthy pioneer, Francis X.
Matthew, that, in the trying times of the strug-
gle between the Hudson's Lay Company men
and the American settlers as to who would
have the supremacy in the early days, he was a
stanch worker f ir the American interests.
When the curcial test came in the meeting called
in the Willamette valley, it was found tl
hundred and two were there, fifty for the es-
tablishment of a provisional government by the
Americans and fifty solidly for the J I nelson's
Bay Company, which was trying to hold the
territory for the kingdom of Great Britain, and
two who were doubtful. Mr. Matthew was
successful in influencing these two for the
American cause and so the day won, in the
glory of which he should receive no small
share.
EDWARD DUNHAM, M. 1).. is well
known in Lincoln county, having been identi-
fied with its interests for years. During his
stay here, as well as before, he has been occu-
pied in the practice of medicine together with
dispensing drugs and at the present time he
stands the owner and operator of a good drug
store and a large practice in medicine.
Edward Dunham was born in Xew York,
on October 17. 1827, being the son of Daniel
and Harriet (Sturdevant) Dunham, natives of
Connecticut, and both active and prominent
members of the Baptist church. Our subject
received his education in Michigan whither the
family moved when he was a child. Upon com-
pleting school life he gave himself to the study
of medicine, operating under different precep-
tors until he received his degree. In 1N71, he
began the practice in Michigan and continued
there successfully until iocX<). when he came to
Lincoln county. In 1898, he settled in Creston
and established a good practice besides hand-
ling a first clas-, drug store and the doctor is
well known throughout this part of the coun-
trj and has shown himself to be a strictly pro-
fessii mal gentleman.
In [882, Dr. Dunham married Miss Emma
Schram, a native of Canada and the daughter
of William and Sarah Ann Schram.
In [849, Dr. Dunham was united in mar-
226
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
riage to Miss Susan ' Ellis, a native of New
York and the daughter, of James and Triphosa
Ellis, also natives of New York. To this mar-
riage were born Mrs. Addie Jones, of Dayton,
Washington, and Mrs. Francelia J. Green, of
Canada.
WILLIAM H. EVANS is master of the
king of trades, blacksmithing, and has so con-
ducted his labors that he has wrought out a
first class success. He has shown himself a
natural mechanic and in addition has so closely
followed the art, that he has gained a skill
which places him in the lead in all kinds of
work turned out of a blacksmith shop. At
present he owns a large shop, twenty-five by
seventy feet, on Second street in Sprague, and
it is well equipped with a full supply of all
kinds of tools and appliances for modern black-
smithing. He has secured and holds a large
patronage and has the reputation of being as
fine a workman as there is in the country.
William H. Evans was born in Dodge coun-
ty, Wisconsin, on September, 7, 1866, the son
of Robert T. and Annie (Prichard) Evans, na-
tives of Wales and immigrants to the United
States when young. The father is now living
retired in Columbus, Wisconsin. The mother
died in 1889. William was sent to the common
schools until he had acquired a good education
and then gave his time to the assistance of his
father on the farm until twenty. At that age
he came to Sprague and for a time wrought
in a dairy here, after which he worked in the
railroad shops. Six months later, he returned
east to attend the funeral of his mother. He
remained there for some time and then re-
turned to Sprague and entered the blacksmith
shop of Snider Brothers, and after learning the
trade worked at it until four years had
passed by. The next year was spent in the rail-
road shops, after which he bought a half in-
terest in the shop of Gill, Jack & Company,
where he wrought until the fire swept this un-
fortunate town. Following that he wrought in
the shop of Van Allen until 1898, when he
started a shop of his own. Here he has con-
tinued steadily until the present, increasing his
equipment and patronage all the time. Mr.
Evans is one of the good citizens of the town
and has the confidence of the people.
At Spokane, on July 19, 1892, Mr. Evans
married Miss Gina, daughter of James A. and
Christina (Peterson) Sievertsen, natives of
Norway. The father was a sea captain and
died thirty-one years since. The mother is
now dwelling in Minneapolis, Minnesota. To
our subject and Iris wife, four children have
been born, Annie, Ethel. Nellie, and Raymond.
Mr. Evans has a pleasant and comfortable
home on Second street and other property be-
sides what has been mentioned. He came -here
without capital of any kind and has made every
dollar he now possesses, besides winning his
success by dint of hard and honest labor, and
his anvil sings out each day the merry chimes
of honest industry. Mr. Evans is a member
of the K. P. and' the M. W. A. He is also
chief of the fire department and was first ser-
geant of the National Guards, Troop A., during
the Northern Pacific strike in 1886.
JOSEPH E. BITTNER, M. D., is a prac-
ticing physician of good repute in Sprague,
who has won the esteem and confidence of all
because of his meritorious work and kindly
qualities. In addition to being possessed of a
natural ability of high order, fitting- him es-
pecially for the work that he has taken up, he
had fortified himself in the best courses before
he began action and in addition thereto keeps
thoroughly posted in the times by careful and
extensive reading. Dr. Bittner has had ample
experience in practice in addition to the pre-
paration mentioned above and this combined
with his other chances, places him high in the
school of physicians in the state of Washington.
Joseph E. Bittner was born in Quebec. Can-
ada, on October 10. 1862. being the son of
Joseph G. and Domitilde (Ioncas) Bittner, na-
tives of Quebec. The father was in the em-
ploy of the Canadian government until his
death, in July, 1894. The mother, died in
1903. Joseph E. was first placed in the Que-
bec seminary where he graduated with honors,
receiving the degree of B. A. in 1881. Imme-
diately subsequent thereto, he had matriculated
in the college of physicians and surgeons at
Quebec, from which institution he was grad-
uated in due time, having followed the most
extensive course in the curriculum. Then Dr.
Bittner removed to Newport, Tennessee, where
he entered general practice and was physician
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
227
for a large company for some time. A fter that,
he entered into partnership with Dr. R. G
Smith in Newport and together they practiced
until February, 1889, when our subject came
to Pasco, Washington. That was the scene
of his labors until 1896, when he removed to
Sprague where he has been ever since. He re-
ceived excellent patronage here, and now has
as much work as he can handle. He has shown
himself a man of ability and in addition to his
general practice is medical examiner for the
local insurance orders in Sprague, for the New
York Life Insurance Company, The Mutual
Life of New York, The Etna of Hartford, The
Fidelity .Mutual of Pennsylvania. The North-
western of New York and The Banker's Life
of Des Moines, Iowa.
On November 25, 1886, at Newport, Ten-
nessee, Dr. Bittner married Miss Minnie T-
Clark, who died in 1892, leaving one child,
Godfrey E., now attending Gonzaga college in
Spokane. In 1894. Dr. Bittner contracted a
second marriage, Miss Lillian M. Henry becom-
ing his bride at this time. Her parents are
Marshall M. and Mary (Ottinger) Henry,
both deceased. By the second marriage,' Dr.
Bittner, has two children, Joseph E. and Ber-
tha D.
The doctor owns a beautiful residence at
the corner of Third and D streets, which is sur-
rounded with a lovely lawn, supplied with or-
namental trees, shrubs and so forth. The house
is modern in every respect. He has recently
furnished more extensive offices and operating
rooms, which are supplied with the most up-to-
date appliances known to the science.
ELLSWORTH M. THORP, who now re-
sides about nine miles east from Sprague, is
one of the first pioneers to the Big Bend coun-
try. His labors here for thirty years have been
commendable, both in improving the country
and in making for himself a comfortable for-
tune for the golden years of his life, now soon
beginning to run apace. He is also to be highly
commended as one of those brave men who
hazarded their lives that there might be pre-
served to those who now enjoy them, the free
institutions of our. beloved country, and save
unsullied from treason's minions, the
and stripes, which now. thanks t<> those same
brave men and their fathers who fought be-
fore them, float over the proudest and grand-
est nation the sun ever shone on.
Ellsworth M. Thorp was born in Boone
county, Illinois, on December 6, [846, the son
of Edward and Phoebe (Ellsworth) Thorp.
The father was burn in Manchester, England,
came to this country with his father when
twelve, and died in Kansas, in 1809. The
mother of our subject died when he was nine
years of age. She was burn in Indiana. Flls-
worth was educated in the public sell..,,], in
Iowa and when only seventeen enlisted in Com-
pany F, Thirty-eighth Iowa [nfantry, being
mustered in at West Union, [owa, in' March,
1862, for three years or until the war closed.
He was at the taking of Yickslmrg, fought at
Yazoo Pass, Fort Morgan, Fort Blakely, then
was at Mobile, and later was on duty at Gal-
veston and Houston. At the expiration of his
time, he was mustered out, having served as a
faithful private in arduous and trying places
for the entire time. He was mustered ouf at
Keokuk, Iowa. After the war. he settled in
Iowa for a time then went to Kansas, remain-
ing there until 1S68. In that year, he en ssed
the plains with an immigrant train, landing
in the little mining town of Helena, Montana.
For two years he sought the precious metal in
that section, being in company with 1 )r. At-
kinson, who is said to be the first discoverer
of gold in Montana. His brother was with him
and about 1870. they came to the Big Bend
country. The brother stopped on Crab creek
and our subject went on to the sound. Win-
tering there and in the Willamette valley, he
decided to return to this side of the mountains
and accordingly came to Walla Walla. In the
fall of 1873. Mr. Thorp came thence to Crab
creek and took a piece of land. He cultivated
the same but did not file on it. In 1875. he
went thence to Los Angeles county, California,
with an immigrant train, and there met his
future wife. Seven years were spent in that
country and in 1SS2. he came back to the Big
lie landed here with a four-horse team
and twenty dollars, lie homesteaded a place
near where he now lives and bought mi ire. I lis
estate consists now of eight hundred and forty-
acres of choice hay land, which is well im-
proved with excellent seven-room residence,
barns, and other buildings, besides fences, and
everything needed to make the place first class
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
and up to date. Mr. Thorp has been school
director and road overseer at different times
and he evinces a keen interest in the welfare of
the country and its progress.
At Los Angeles, California, in 1876, Mr.
Thorp married Mrs. Elizabeth Knight, the
daughter of Simon and Deborah (Daily)
Feeler, natives of Virginia and North Carolina,
respectively. The father followed farming in
Missouri, and there remained until his death.
The mother also died there. To Mr. and Mrs.
Thorp the following named children have been
born, Mrs. Eva Puis, who is the mother of two
children and is living in Lincoln county; Ed-
ward, in Montana; Alice Gibson, with her par-
ents ; and Mrs. Frances Bogle, in Lincoln coun-
ty. Mr. Thorp is a cousin of Colonel Ells-
worth, who was said to be the first man killed
in the Rebellion.
LOUIS V. ALLEN, who resides about five
miles southeast from Harrington, is one of the
well known and highly respected citizens of
Lincoln county. He owns a half section of
choice wheat land where he resides and his in-
dustry and thrift have improved jt in fine shape.
His residence is a tasty cottage, beautifully sur-
rounded with elegant shade trees and his em
tire place bears the stamp of the man. Commo-
dious buildings are in evidence and all machin-
ery and other accoutrements necessary on a
first class farm are supplied in abundance. He
also raises some stock.
Louis V. Allen was born in Moore prairie,
Jefferson county, Illinois, on April 19, 1841,
the son of Able and Prudence (Wilkes) Allen,
natives of Kentucky and South Carolina, re-
spectively. The father was a pioneer of Illi-
nois and a man of prominence, being especially
interested in school matters. He died in the
Prairie State in 1863. The mother died in Illi-
nois in 1866. She was descended from the pa-
triot stock which furnished fighting men for
the Revolution and the War of 1812. Our
subject received his education in the public
schools of his native place and labored with
his father on the farm until twenty. At that
time, he was one of the young men filled with
patriotism and love of country, so that when
the call came for, men, true and brave, to beat
back the hosts of treason, he promptly stepped
forward and offered his services, and life, too,.
if such need should be, to save our beloved in-
stitutions and the land of the free. He was
enrolled at McLeansboro as private, in Com-
pany D. Sixth Illinois Cavalry, in General
Sherman's command. Words are not needed
to describe his service, as an outline of his ca-
reer there is better encomium than words could
possibly be. We append herewith a partial list
of the engagements participated in by Mr. Al-
len ; Dyersburg, Olivebranch, Coffeville, Boli-
ver, Ripley, Covington, Belmont, an expedition
for sixteen days in the midst of the confeder-
acy, Port Hudson, Clinton Plains, Byhalis,
Granada, Salem, Oxford, Pulaski, Franklin
and Nashville, besides others. He was dis-
charged on March 18, 1863, re-enlisted on the
same day and was later promoted to the rank of
first lieutenant. His honorable discharge oc-
curred on October 16, 1865, at Salem, Ala-
bama. Following that he came to Illinois and
farmed there until 1869, then moved to another
portion of the state and dwelt until 1872. Next
we see him in Jasper county, Missouri, whence
in 1877, he went to Salem, Oregon. It was in
1879, that he came to Waitsburg, Washington,
that being his first trip to this state. One year
later he journeyed to the territory now occu-
pied by Lincoln county and located where he
lives today. It was his lot to land here with-
out capital, except a good stock of determina-
tion and hands willing to labor. The success
he has the privilege of enjoying at this time,
is the result of his labors and of it, Mr. Allen
may well be proud. In political matters, he
has always taken a lively interest and has served
the county as commissioner, for five years. His
name appeared on the Republican ticket, the
principles of which party he supports. He has
also been school clerk.
At Spring-field, Illinois, on February 15,
1864, Mr. Allen married Miss Ruth M. Knox,
who is the daughter of Thomas J. and Mary
(Danley) Knox. The father was born in
Wheeling. Virginia, and later removed to Illi-
nois and for, many years was treasurer of San-
gamon county and also served as justice of the
peace. He died in 1857. The mother was
born in Lexington, Kentucky, and died in Illi-
nois, in 1861. One child was born to them,
Mrs. Estella Howard, who resides in Daven-
port, Washington. Mr. Allen is a member of
the G. A. R. and takes great interest in it.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
229
NOAH B. McKY has for eighteen years
been a section foreman on the Northern Pacific
railroad. He is a man of real worth and sub-
stantial qualities, and his long service in this
important capacity is abundant proof of his
ability to handle successfully the labors en-
trusted to him. His stand in the community
is of the best and the nice property that he has
accumulated shows his success in faithful en-
deavors.
Noah B. McKy was born in Fayette coun-
ty, on April 1, 1852, being the son of John and
Sarah (Jackson) McKy, natives of Ohio. The
father was sheriff of Richland county. Wiscon-
sin for a time and served in the Civil War in
the Twenty-fifth Wisconsin Volunteers, being
an orderly sergeant. He died in Richland
county, Wisconsin, in 1896. The mother died
in Wisconsin, in April, 1898.
Our subject was educated in the schools
where he lived and resided with his father on
the farm until twenty-one years of age, then
began independent action, taking up stock buy-
ing. He bought for one firm for five years
then purchased a farm for himself and oper-
ated the same until 1880. when he came to
Ritzville, Washington. Shortly after, he en-
tered the employ of the Northern Pacific and
later was transferred to Sprague, having charge
of the yards here and the section. His faith-
fullness and reliability have won for him the
confidence and good will of his employers and
he has done well in the line for promotion.
In 1880, at Richland, Wisconsin, Mr. McKy
married Katie A. Halin, who is the daugh-
ter of Bernard C. and Guenney (Davis) Halin.
The father was a marble cutter and also did
farming. He served as auditor of Richland
county, Wisconsin for some time and during
the Civil War, was captain in the regiment.
He died in the Badger State in 1890. The
mother was born in Wales and came to Ohio
with her parents when young. She died in
Wisconsin, in 1895. O ur subject has the fol-
lowing brothers and sisters. John, Newton,
Jasper, Jerome. Mrs. Mary J. Conkals, Mrs.
Julia Ewen. and Mrs. Lucy Berrett. ^Nlrs.
McKy has nine brothers and sisters; Thomas
J.; Harry; Arthur; John; Edward: Emmett,
with the United States army in the Philippines ;
Mrs. Alice Person, in Chicago; Mrs. Lucy
Costello in Richmond. Wisconsin; and Mrs.
Bertha Gunniner, in Lincoln county.
To Mr. and Mrs. McKy the following
named children have been born; Gertrude,
teaching instrumental and vocal music in Whit-
man college; Gwen, teaching music in Sprague;
and Oscar, at home. Mr. McKy's daughters
have shown marked talent in music and are
building a fine reputation for themselves in
this art. The family home is a beautiful seven
room cottage, tastily surrounded with lawn
and shade trees on the corner of Fourth avenue
and C street. The good taste of Mrs. McKy
is manifested in the furnishings of the beauti-
ful home and she is known as a lady of refine-
ment. Mr. McKy owns in addition to the prop-
erty above mentione'd, a section of wheat land,
all under cultivation. Mrs. McKy is handling
a fine dressmaking and millinery business in
the building next to the postoffice in Sprague
and has much patronage.
They are estimable people and have won
their position in society by reason of their
worth, uprightness and industry.
Mr. McKy is a member of the I. O. O. F.
and has served on the city council for five years,
being in office at this time.
WILLIAM BRADLEY is one of the well
known pioneer citizens of Sprague. At the
present time he holds a responsible position on
the Idaho division of the Northern Pacific. He
has risen to this position and held it for many
years by reason of real worth and ability. An
account of his life will be interesting and en-
couraging to many who are laboring to obtain
success and it is with pleasure that we append
the same.
William Bradley was born in Ireland, in
[859, the son of William ami Mary 1 Feeley)
Bradlev. both natives of the Emerald Isle.
where also they remained until the time of
their death. The common schools of his na-
tive country furnished the educational training
for young Bradley and when twenty he started
for the Yew World, sailing for New Y. >rk
where he arrived in due time. After three
months in that metropolis, he came on to Min-
nesota where he worked on the Northern Pa-
cific. He was in the constructii n department
for three years and in the spring of 1883, came
to Sprague, taking a position in the same de-
partment and on the same road. For three
230
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
months, he was an ordinary hand on the sec-
tion, then was promoted to the position of sec-
tion foreman. For six years he faithfully dis-
charged the duties of that position before the
next step of promotion came and during this
time as during all the years of his service for
the company, he had been making an especial
study of everything connected with the con-
struction department of the railroad. There
was no detail too small to escape his notice nor
was there any problem too great but that he
ultimately solved it and the result was that
when he was fully competent for his promotion,
he was called to take up the responsible and im-
portant position of road master. He was duly
installed in this position and since that time,
has continuously served on the Great Northern
Pacific railroad with ability and execution that
have made him a very important factor on this
division. Mr. Bradley has not only displayed
a thorough knowledge of everything connected
with his department but is also well acquainted
with the railroad in general. In addition to the
happy faculty of handling men to the best ad-
vantage, he is a man of excellent judgment and
very keen in observation. Very nearly a quar-
ter of a century has elapsed since he first en-
tered the employ of the Northern Pacific rail-
road and he is practically the only one of the
old railroad men with the company now who
were here with them when he came to Sprague.
It is not merely chance that Mr. Bradley has
won and held the position that he occupies but
it is the result of painstaking labor and stanch
attention to business in every detail and those
who would emulate such a career must banish
the idea from the mind forever that it is "luck"
and a "pull" that bring success in the indus-
trial world. On the contrary it is merit and
ability and a man who is handling large inter-
ests today, learned yesterday to care for every
detail of the affairs that were under his super-
vision however small they might be. All of
which is proof of the old proverb, "He that
is faithful in the least is faithful in much."
On November 6, 1894, Mr. Bradley married
Miss Mamie, daughter of Frank and Helen
(Morey) Wilcox, the wedding occurring in
Sprague. The father was born in Wisconsin,
followed merchandising, and now lives in Port-
land. The mother died in Portland a number
of years ago. Mrs. Bradley has the following
brothers and sisters, Guv R., Paul D., Gert-
rude, Elmer. Mr. Bradley was one of a family
of five children, those besides himself being,
James, Robert, Mrs. Norah Finan, and Mrs.
Annie Mahoney.
Mr. and Mrs. Bradley are both members of
the Catholic church and are devoted and sub-
stantial people. They own a handsome brick
residence on the top of the hill near the Catholic
church in Sprague and the grounds are beauti-
fully laid out and supplied with lawn, flowers,
shrubbery, trees and so forth. Mr. Bradley
also owns a half-section of wheat land which
is well improved and the land rented. He
came here with no capital and is now a man
of means.
To Mr. and Mrs. Bradley, three children
have been born, Robert, Marie, and Loretta,
all at home and attending school.
CHARLES HOFFMAN has won a suc-
cess in the Big Bend country of which he may
justly be proud. He is to be classed as one
of the pioneers of this section, as well as many
other portions of the west, and the real pioneer
spirit has been manifested in him during these
days of labor and self denial. Intimately ac-
quainted with mining in the well known camps,
being associated there in the days when much
lawlessness existed, Mr. Hoffman has seen
much of the hard side of mining life.
Preferring the quieter life of the farm, he
turned to that occupation and has worked with
gratifying success which will be mentioned
hereafter.
Charles Hoffman was born in Saxony, Ger-
many, on January 14, 1846. His father,
Charles Hoffman was a butcher and was born
in Saxony where also he died. The mother,
Teresa (Leudhoff) Hoffman, was a native of
the same country and died when our subject
was born. Charles received a fine education in
the schools of Germany during eight succes-
sive years, under the best of training, then was
accepted as a reserve in the army but was never
called into the service. In 1873, he started
from Hamburg to New York and went thence
to St. Louis, where he followed butchering for
a year and half. Next we see him in Denver,
Colorado, in the same business, then he went
to the mining districts of Colorado and the
adjacent territories, and was especially ac-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY,
231
quainted in Leadville in the early days of its
excitement. Then he started for the Coeur d'
Alene country, but owing to the heavy fall of
snow, had to stop at Thompson Falls. There
he followed butchering for three months then
came on through to Washington. As Sprague
was the more lively and promising of the two
towns of Spokane and Sprague, he located there
and opened a butcher shop. Two years later,
he sold out his shop and bought a place where
he now resides, eight miles northwest from
town. Then he gave himself to stock raising
and finding the hills productive of wheat,
turned his attention to that and thus he has
continued since.
At Denver, Colorado, in 1875, Mr. Hoff-
men married Miss Aggie, daughter of David
and Edith Schaufler, natives of Germany,
where they remained until their death. To Mr.
and Mrs. Hoffman the following children have
been born ; Edward, deceased ; Albert, living
in Portland, Oregon; Rose Miller, in Lincoln
county; Carl, Anna, Marie, George, Frank
and Walter, all at home and Maudie, deceased.
Their home is a nice two story, nine room
residence provided with all modern conven-
iences. It is situated in Crab Creek valley, in
beautifully laid out grounds, surrounded by
handsome shade trees and fine orchards. Mr.
Hoffman has provided a fine waterworks sys-
tem which brings water to every portion of the
house and grounds of the lawn. He has a fine
windmill and pump house surrounded by a fine
orchard. He owns eight hundred acres of land
together with a lease of four hundred and
eighty acres of school land. He raises many
thousands of bushels of wheat each year in ad-
dition to handling considerable stock. At the
present time he has some well bred cattle and a
good band of horses. The place is provided
with all machinery, buildings and other im-
provements that are needed on a first class farm
and Mr. Hoffman is to be commended upon
the magnificent success that he has won.
JAMES MACDONALD dwells about
fourteen miles southeast from Sprague and is
occupied in farming and stock raising. Like
many of the leading men of the Big Bend coun-
try, Mr. Macdonald came here without any
means. By careful attention to business and
making much of the resources here given, he
has (-Mine to he a wealthy and prosperous man.
His home is a fine story and one-half, eight
room cottage, well supplied with every con-
venience and surrounded with everything that
makes a place comfortable and attractive. It
is the center of an estate of one thousand and
furty acres of excellent wheat laud. In addi-
tion t<> this. Mr. Macdonald owns a section and
one-half of pasture land and handles a sectii n
and a half to wheat. He owns nearly two hun-
dred head of cattle, plenty of horses for the
carrying on of his large estate and all machin-
ery necessary.
James Macdonald was horn in county An-
trim, Ireland, on December i_\ [848, tin- son
of Alexander and Isabella (McCapin) Mac-
donald, natives also of that county, where they
both died, the father in 1807 and the mother
in 1894. James received his educational train-
ing during the first thirteen years of his life
then assisted his father on the farm, after which
he went to the city of Belfast and engaged as
clerk in a grocery store, retaining that position
for nine years. In April, 1870, he sailed from
Glasgow, Scotland, to New York by way of
Quebec, Canada. For a time he operated in a
lumber yard in the metropolis of America, then
went to Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and
wrought in the iron works for six years. After
this he journeyed to Nashua. New Hampshire,
and wrought two years in the machine shops.
Then he determined to come west and accord-
ingly journeyed to the Big Bend country via
San Francisco. For two years, he was fireman
on the Northern Pacific here then took a home-
stead where he now resides. Mr. Macdonald
has one brother and two sisters, Isabella and
May, living with him, and Thomas A., de-
ceased, who was a machinist on the Northern
Pacific for fifteen years. In addition to the
property mentioned, Mr. Macdonald owns a
half interest in a threshing machine outfit which
does a good business each year in the adjacent
country.
Fraternally, he is a member of the Masons,
while in religious persuasions he belongs to the
Episcopal church. Mr. Macdonald has great
to take pride in the labors he has per-
formed in this country and tin- success which
In- has achieved, while also he has so conducted
himself that he has won the good will I
who know him and is considered one of the
leading men of this part of the country.
232
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
HENRY C. STANLEY, born August 27,
1838, in Edwards county, Illinois, was the son
of William and Maria (Gum) Stanley, pio-
neers of Edwards county. William Stanley
was born in Washington county, Ohio, re-
moved at an early age to Edwards county,
where he held the office of justice of the peace
for twenty years, and where he died, February,
1892, being at the time of his death in his sev-
enty-seventh year. His wife was native of
Wabash county, Illinois, lived for a time in
Ohio, and died about five years ago in the same
county as did her husband, and at about the
same age.
Mr. Stanley grew to manhood in the county
of his nativity, where he attended school held in
a primitive log house, one of his schoolmates
being Elmina Gould, to whom, August 30.
1859, he was married:" Mrs. Stanley's father
was Philander Gould, born in West Virginia,
but reared in New York. At the age of nine-
teen he removed to Edwards county, where he
spent the remainder of his life, dying in his
seventy- fourth year, in 1890. Mrs. Stanley's
mother, Sarah Knowlton in single life, was
born in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 181 6.
raised a family of ten children, to whom she
was ever a faithful and devoted mother, and
died in 1876. Both she and her husband were
ambitious, energetic and relentless workers
throughout their lives.
Soon after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs.
Stanley migrated to Clay county, Illinois, and
in 1877 to Murray county, Minnesota, where
they continued to make their home until coming
to Lincoln county, Washington, in 1892. Ar-
riving here they at once settled on their present
farm, seven miles north and two miles east of
Mondovi, which at that time was unimproved
railroad land. With the scanty means at his
command, Mr. Stanley at once began earnestly
to improve his land, and as times permitted
added to his original holdings until he now has
four hundred acres, for the most part agricul-
tural land, adorned with a good seven-room
house, commodious barn, outbuildings, etc., all
of which represent the work of his own hands.
Besides his home, he has a quarter section of
land near Fruitland, Stevens county.
Nine children, six of whom are living, have
been born to Mr. and Mrs. Stanley. The
names of those living are: Ira P. and William
T., of Stevens county; and Edson G, Elmer
C, Florrie E. Reynolds, and Rollo C, all of
Lincoln county.
Both the parents are devoted members of
the United Bretheren church and are actively
interested in educational matters.
Mr. Stanley served in the Civil war, en-
listing in Company F, One Hundred and Forty-
third Illinois Regular Infantry, in April, 1864,
and was given an honorable discharge in the
fall 1 d the same year, his service having been
chiefly in the states of Tennessee and Arkansas.
Mr. Stanley cast his first vote for Abraham
Lincoln, in i860, and has since been an un-
swerving Republican.
OLE S. HAIR has resided in Davenport
for a number of years and owns considerable
property here at the present time. He also
operates the Granite saloon and is well known
throughout the county. He was born in
Thorndhjem, Norway, the son of Simon and
Martin (Nilson) Hair, natives of Norway.
The family is one of the old and prominent ones,
dating its history back for four hundred years.
The members of the family are all long lived.
The grandfather lived to be one hundred and
eighteen. Some of them own vessels on the sea
and others follow various industries. Our sub-
ject was one of five children, Caroline, Sophie,
Annie, Matilda, and Ole S. His education was
secured in his native place and at the age of
fifteen, he started to work for himself. He
learned shoe making and followed that trade
until nineteen, then came to America in 1880.
He wrought in Minnesota for two years, then
went to Winnipeg and did railroading for four
years and later, we find him in Port Arthur,
Ontario, where he started a saloon. In 1889,
he was in Tacoma, later in Sandpoint and
finally, about 1892, he came to Davenport
which has been his home place since. He
bought a saloon and has operated it until the
present. Mr. Hair owns various city property,
among which is a brick block where he con-
ducts his business, and a tree claim which has
two million feet of fine pine timber. It is in
Klickitat county. He also has considerable
mining property, which is considered very
good.
In political matters he takes a keen and
active part. Fraternally, he is a member of
HENRY C. STANLEY
OLE S. HAIR
WILLIAM L. SMITH
GEORGE E. DARBY
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
233
the F. A. and in 1899 was appointed deputy
grand chief ranger, having heen appointed
twice since. He also belongs to the Red Men,
having passed the chairs in that lodge.
WILLIAM L. SMITH is one of the largest
property owners of Lincoln county. His suc-
cess in the financial world has been achieved
through his careful and devoted labors and the
wise handling of the resources of this country.
From the time of his settlement here, he was
one of the foremost among the progressive men
and every one who knows him can testify to his
uprightness and ability.
William L. Smith was born in Santa Clara
county, California, on December 8, i860. His
father, Laurence S.. was born in Ireland and
came to America when a young man. He lo-
cated on a farm where Sacramento now stands,
being one of the pioneers of California. Fie is
now a wealthy and leading citizen of the Sacra-
mento valley. The mother of our subject was
Ann (Kits) Smith, a native of Ireland. She
was married in her native country and came to
America with her husband. Our subject re-
ceived his education in the district schools of
California, and then came on to Oregon, where
he took up freighting. He is well acquainted
by experience with the different phases of fron-
tier life and has had many thrilling adventures.
In 1882 he took government land in western
Oregon and farmed for one year. It was one
year later when he located his place, six miles
m irtb from where Odessa now stands and en-
gaged in stock raising and general farming.
He continued to purchase land at various times
until he now owns over four thousand acres
throughout the county, besides one of the finest
residences in Odessa, property in Ritzville and
much other property. He has beetr devoting
his attention largely to feeding stock, horses.
cattle and sheep, and is one of the best known
stockmen in this portion of Washington. He
has brought some fine Mom led stock into the
county and has done much to improve the
grades here. Recently, he sold his sheep and is
handling cattle almost exclusively. Mr. Smith.
like many of the worth v men here, began life as
a poor boy and everything that he now pos-
sesses is the result of his own efforts. It seems
that he has been especially favored by Dame
Fortune, as he can nut remember any enterprise
in which he has started wherein he h
gained success. To the observant eye, the main
reason for all this is the ability and close atten-
tion to business manifested by Mr. Smith, lie
now dwells in ( Idessa and owns a very line
1 usiness block there. No man of the iunty has
done more to build up the country than has our
subject. In educational matters and local af-
fairs he has always been deeply interested and
has been very liberal in public donations.
Mr. Smith was married in 1883 to Ella I.
Despain, a native of Oregon. To this couple,
seven children have been born: Charles M.. a
business man of Odessa; Anna M.. Ruby,
William P.. Hazel. Mark and Joseph. On
December 10. 1901, Mrs. Smith was called
hence by death. She was a noble woman, be-
loved by all.
In fraternal affiliations, Mr. Smith is a
member of the I. O. O. F.
GEORGE E. DARBY, who resides about
four miles south from Downs, is one of the
leading stock men of the Big Bend country and
owns one of the largest estates in central Wash-
ington. He was born in Hartford. Connecti-
cut, on August 19, t86o. being the son of
John E. and Sarah (Bradshaw) Darby. The
father was born in Connecticut and followed
carpentering. He journeyed to Chicago in the
early seventies, where he remained the balance
of his life. His ancestors came to the United
States in 1650 and some of them participated
in every war of the colonies and of the United
States. The mother of our subject was the
daughter of an English officer. She was born
in Quebec and came to New England when a
girl. George E. went with friends of the fam-
ily via the Isthmus to California when a mere
boy and received his education from the com-
n " mi sell, .. 4- . if lint frontier country. 1 le lived
chiefly in Santa Cruz. For a time, he worked
in a California powder manufactory and in
[883, came to Portland. The following year,
he was in Spokane and also joined the rush of
prospectors to the ( )oeur d' Alene country. I r
sometime he continued prospecting and mining
in that section and northern Washington and
was the first man on the ground of the Old
Dominion mine. located near Colville. Wash-
234
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
ington. He also prospected some in the Okan-
ogan country. Mr. Darby has interests in the
Slate creek mines and in other places. He
owns a part also of the Mammoth group. Af-
ter sometime at mining, he went into business
in Spokane and continued there until 1896, in
which year he bought a three- fourths interest
in what is known as the Lamona ranch. This
ranch is said to be the first one taken on Crab
creek. John H. Lamona located it in 1871. It
consists of twenty-four hundred acres of land
beautifully situated on Crab creek. The creek
at this point is plentifully supplied with trout
and the location of the place and its environ-
ments, make it one of the most beautiful in this
whole country. A number of hundred acres
lie on the level bottom while considerable is de-
voted to pasture and wheat raising. Mr. Darby
has supplied the place with excellent farm
buildings and every convenience known to a
general stock farm. Two years since, he
bought the other quarter interest and now owns
the entire estate. He has a great many cattle
and horses and has made a good success in his
labors.
ANSEL BALDWIN is one of the men to
whom Lincoln county may point with pride, as
he has not only gained a nice competence for
himself and family, but has so conducted him-
self in his pilgrim way that he has the confi-
dence and good will of all who know him. He
is now in the golden years of his life and is
spending them amid the surroundings which he
has seen built up and with friends and relatives
who made the journey a pleasant one.
Ansel Baldwin was born in Chautauqua
county, New York, on April 21, 1835, the son
of Aaron and Permelia (Chamberland) Bald-
win, natives of Warren county, New York, and
Litchfield, Connecticut, respectively. The fa-
ther died in Crawford county. Pennsylvania,
in 1882 and the mother died in the same county
in 1873. Ansel was educated in the public
schools and when twenty we find him in Iowa
operating a blacksmith shop. In 1857, he went
to Kansas as a freeman, and in 1859, took the
dangerous and trying trip across the plains, to
California. Learning of the discovery of oil
in Pennsylvania, he returned thither and be-
gan the business of manufacturing drilling
tools which he continued until 1870, when he
became an oil producer himself. In 1880, he
came to Walla Walla and seven years later he
journeyed to Lincoln county and bought his
present home ranch. It lies about five miles
west from Sprague and consists of four hun-
"dred acres. For a time he operated it as a
dairy ranch, and then turned his attention to
raising wheat. In this labor he has been very
successful and has accumulated a fine property.
In addition to the home place, he has a farm in
Adams county and also another in Lincoln
county. At the present time, Mr. Baldwin is
more retired from the activities of life and is
enjoying the competence that his labor has pro-
vided.
On September 3, 1874, in Pennsylvania,.
Mr. Baldwin married Miss Adelia A. Cauvel.
Her father, John Cauvel, was born in Center
county, Pennsylvania, and there followed farm-
ing until retired from more active life. He is
now residing there. He has served several
terms as commissioner and assessor. He is
aged seventy-seven. His wife is still living,
aged seventy-four and she, also-, is a native of
that county. To Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin four
children have been born, Howard S., John A.,
and Orvin C. all deceased, Arthur A., who is
now at home. He has taken a course in the
college in Pullman. Mr. Baldwin came to this
country with very little means and has gained
his property by care and labor, always guided
with excellent wisdom. He has won and re-
tains the esteem and confidence of his fellows,
and is a man of good qualities. He is a mem-
ber of the I. O. O. F. and the K. P. Mrs. Bald-
win is a member of the Rathbone Sisters.
GUSTAVE A. HENKEL was born in
Lancaster. Wisconsin, on October 15, 1866,
the son of Henry M. and Wilhelmina (Hoff)
Henkel, natives of Germany. They came to
the United States in i860. The father followed
farming and hotel keeping until 1885, when he
died, being in Wisconsin at that time. The
mother is living in Cassville, Wisconsin, now
aged seventy-three. Gustave was educated in
the common schools of Wisconsin and as early
as seventeen began work for himself. He went
to Dakota and wrought on a farm until 1888,
in the fall of which year he landed in Spokane.
He operated at different things until 1897
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
235
when lie located in Sprague and opened a liquor
store, which has occupied his attention since.
He owns the building where he does business
on Alain street and also a cottage in the resi-
dence portion of the city. Air. Heukel was
chosen a member of the city council in 1900,
which position he has held continuously since,
being in that office now. He has the following
brothers and sisters, Jacob C, Mrs. Elizabeth
Alenziner, Airs. Ann Jeide, Louis \\'., John J.,
and J. C.
On November 9, 1898. Air. Henkel married
Miss Jessie AIcDonald. Her parents, John A.
and Agnes (Irving) AIcDonald were natives
of Scotland. The father died on June 7, 1900.
The mother was in Canada at the time of her
death. Mrs. Henkel has one sister and two
brothers, Mrs. Mary Sirginson. John A. and
William. To our subject and his wife three
children have been born, Alerle G., Gustave E.,
and Arta G.
Air. Henkel is a member of the F. A. and is
an industrious and progressive man.
AUGUSTUS DAWELL is to be classed
as one of the earliest pioneers of the territory
now embraced in Lincoln county. He resides
three miles northwest from Sprague, on a
fine estate of eight hundred and eighty-five
acres. Over seven hundred acres are choice
wheat land and are cropped annually to this
cereal. His residence is a six-room cottage,
beautifully located in a fine artificial grove and
close by a large living spring; while commo-
dious barns, outbuildings and so forth are
clustered around, and this estate is a valuable
and beautiful one. Air. Dawell has plenty of
stock and machinery and is one of the wealthy
men of this portion of the county. He came
here in 1880, bought railroad land, and added
to the estate as the years went by until it has
reached its present proportions. During the
hard times from 1893-96, ATr. Dawell succeed-
ed very well and all the time has been attended
with prosperity.
August Dawell was born in Prussia, Ger-
man)-, on October 22, 1834, the son of John
and Elizabeth (Wise) Dawell. natives of Ger-
many. The father died in his native land and
the mother in Nebraska. Our suhject received
a good common school education in the
Fatherland and in 1852, sailed from Ham-
burg to New York. After landing, he
learned the blacksmith trade, following
the same in Chicago, then crossed the
plains in 1855, to California. He was mining
in Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Washingti n
and in various other places in the years subse-
quent. He was first in Washington, in 1862.
He participated in the Salmon river gold ex-
citement, then came to Walla Walla and finally
in 1880, located where he now lives. Air. Da-
well remarks that there were less than a dozen
settlers within ten miles of him when he lo-
cated and all supplies had to be brought from
Walla Walla. He labored along faithfully,
however, and his reward is due to his industry.
Air. Dawell has two brothers, William and
Ernest.
At Salt Lake City, in August, 1872. oc-
curred the marriage of Air. Dawell and Aliss
Hannah Jensen, the daughter of Peter and In-
geborg (Peterson) Jensen, natives of Schles-
wig Holstein, Germany, where they both re-
mained until their death. Airs. Dawell has two
sisters and one brother, Alargaret Schus, So-
phia Stevens, and Harry. To Air. and Airs. Da-
well. five children have been born, Gus E., Os-
car W., Charles, Harris B., and Lulu. Air. Da-
well located and worked some fine mines, and
one. the Ontario, which he located near Salt
Lake and sold in 1861 for thirty-one hundred
dollars, has been worked all the time since and
is one of the ereat mines of the country.
SAAIUEL C. KINCH is one of the lead-
ing men in Sprague. That he is a thoroughly
self made man will he evident to any one read-
ing the account of his career. I le has achieved
abundant success in the lines of endeavor pur-
sued and is certainly to he commended for the
marked industry and energy manifested
throughout. Air. Kinch is handling a nice drug
trade in Sprague. having a well equipped and
stocked store.
Samuel t'. Kinch was horn in Grindstone
City, Michigan, on August 31, [867, the son
of Samuel and Augusta M. 1 Lemman) Kinch.
natives of Canada and Lockport, New York,
respectively. The father was a merchant in
Grindstone City and died there in 1S78. The
mother is now dwelling in Seattle. ( hir sub-
236
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
ject received his education in the common
schools and at the age of eighteen, secured a
third grade certificate and commenced teach-
ing. By personal investigation and careful
study while he was teaching, he fitted himself
and secured a first grade certificate. For five
3-ears he gave his attention to teaching in Wash-
ington and in 1890 and '91 was principal of
the Medical Lake schools of this state. During
odd moments, he studied pharmacy and later
took a course in the National Institute of Phar-
macy, in Chicago, and in 1897, opened a drug
store in Sprague where we find him doing a
nice business at the present time. He had come
to this state in 1888 and soon after arriving
here, bought the relinquishment of a party in
Rattlesnake Flat and homesteaded the place.
He taught school, worked at day's labor and
kept up his studies until he fitted himself for
the position that he now occupies and accumu-
lated also, during this time, a magnificent es-
tate of thirty-five hundred acres of excellent
wheat and grazing land. A portion of the es-
tate is irrigable and he also has on his home-
stead, a fine water power. Mr. Kinch owns a
nice residence of eight rooms, tastily surround-
ed with trees and lawns, in Sprague, and other
property, in addition to what we have mention-
ed. He certainly has made a most excellent
success in his labors for his entire holding has
been gained through his own endeavors since
coming to this state.
In September, 1898, at Sprague. Mr. Kinch
married Mrs. Emma Bracken, whose parents
were John and Elizabeth (Watson) Lucas, na-
tives of Iowa and Ireland, respectively, and
now deceased. The father was a miner in Cali-
fornia in early days. Mr. Kinch has one broth-
er, Frank, and two half sisters, Mrs. John
Copeland and Mrs. C. F. Cunningham. Mrs.
Kinch has the following brothers and sisters ;
John, George, Mrs. Louisa Harker, Mrs. Eliza-
beth Cameron. To Mr. and Mrs. Kinch two
children have been born, Frances, aged four
and Samuel C, Jr., an infant.
OSCAR J. FAHLEN, a leading business
man of Sprague and now at the head of the
city brewery, is a native of Munich. Bavaria,
and was born on November 3. 1864. His par-
ents, Andrew and Elizabeth (Schutle) Fahlen,
were born in Munich, Bavaria, on September
12, 1818, and at Leisku, Madgeburg, on Oc-
tober 19, 1820, respectively. The mother died
in 1878 and the father served in the Danish
and German wars in 1848-49 and is still living.
He retired from business in 1886. Our sub-
ject received a good education in the public
schools and then attended the Heidelberg uni-
versity. He learned brewing from his father
and in 1884, sailed from Bremen to Norfolk,
Virginia. Thence he went to Philadelphia and
worked at his trade and soon came to Tacoma
where he entered the services of John Schull,
proprietor of the only brewery in that city at
that time. Later, Mr. Fahlen enlisted in the
United States army and served in the cam-
paign against Sitting Bill in 1890-91. He also
served in the Spanish-American war with the
Third Artillery. He was honorably discharged
and returned to San Diego, California, and fol-
lowed his trade until 1893, when he came to
Sprague, and leased the Sprague brewery from
R. O. Porak. He has remodeled and over-
hauled the same, putting in all modern brewery
appliances needed, and has the plant now in
excellent shape and is running it at full ca-
pacity. If the trade he has worked up contin-
ues, he will have to double the capacity of the
brewery in a very short time.
At Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on May 28,
1899, Mr. Fahlen married Miss Bertha Becker,
the daughter of a prosperous farmer. Her
parents, Frederick and Christina B., are still at
Sioux Falls, South Dakota. To Mr. and Mrs.
Fahlen three children have been born, Elouise,
Hellena and Oscar G.
Mr. Fahlen belongs to the I. O. O. F., the
F. A. and the Sons of Herman. He is a thor-
ough and energetic business man and stands at
the head of a very prosperous business. He
has one of the finest breweries in the state and
superintends it himself, turning out the finest
product to be found in this part of the country.
J. FRANK BRISLAWN resides about six
miles north from Sprague on an estate of four
hundred acres which he purchased' in 1897.
The place is provided with a tasty two story,
five room residence, barns and other buildings,
plenty of farm machinery and stock, and he is
one of the leading farmers in this portion of the
country. Mr. Brislawn gives his entire atten-
tion to farming' and has made an excellent sue-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
237
cess of it. He was born in Linn county, Iowa,
on September 3, 1874. His parents, Mathew
and Mary E. (Caranaugh) Brislawn, were
born in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, on
October 20, 1850, and in Pittsburg, Pennsyl-
vania, respectively. They are now living in
Lincoln county. Our subject was four years
of age when he came with his parents to Day-
tun, Washington, and the next year the family
moved to Lincoln county. He received a good
common school education and labored with his
father until twenty-three, then bought a farm,
where he now resides, and started for himself.
Thus far in life he has made a commendable
success, while the wisdom and energy he lias
shown in the past bespeak excellent things for
him in the future.
At Sprague, on November 25, 1897, Mr.
Brislawn married Miss Elizabeth, tbe daugh-
ter of John and Mary | Clark) McGough. The
father was born in Ireland and died in Lincoln
county, in 1899. The mother was also born in
the Emerald Isle and now lives in Sprague.
Mr. Brislawn has the following brothers and
sisters; John H., Michael T., Joseph W., Mar-
garet E., Matthew P., Mary A., Lewis A.,
Anastasia A., Ellen, Mark G. Mrs. Brislawn
has five brothers and sisters, namely, Peter E.,
Rosa A., Mary J., John, and Mrs. Almira Mc-
Glade. To Air. and Mrs. Brislawn four cbil-
dren have been born, Francis G, Paul G, Guy
M., and Maurice J.
Mr. Brislawn belongs to the Catholic
Knights of America, while he and his wife are
members of the Roman Catholic church.
A. ROBERT FRAXSEEX, like many of
our best citizens, came to us from Sweden. He
now resides about nine miles north from
Sprague. where he owns something over a half
section of land, and devotes his energies to
farming. He has accumulated his property
almost entirely since coming to this country in
1893 and the fact that he is owner of a half
section of good land, well improved with plenty
of stock and implements, indicates his indus-
try and thrift.
A. Robert Franseen was born in Smalland
Province, Sweden, on April 1. 1865. being the
son of Frank and Johanna ( Josephson ) Fran-
seen, natives of Sweden and now living in
Smalland. Our subject worked on his father's
farm in Sweden until twenty-two, having
gained his education in the meantime. Then
he sailed from Malmo, Sweden direct to Phil-
adelphia. From that metropolis, he journeyed
tu .Minneapolis, where he worked on the rail-
road construction and in the woods of Wiscon-
sin For over two years. Then he journeyed to
(■reat Falls, Montana, whence he came t" Spo-
kane. In 1803, he came to this country and
three years later rented land. In 1899. he pur-
chased his present place. Since he had no cap-
ital whatever to start with, upon arriving here,
he was forced to undergo the hardships
dent to a settler in a new country and ha
so well in his endeavors, that he ranks with the
substantial men of the community.
At Smalland. Sweden, on December 18,
1886, Mr. Franseen married Miss Adrina
Johnson, and one child has been born to them,
Ernest, who has spent most of his life in Swe-
den, and is now attending school in this coun-
try.
.Mr. Franseen is a member of the I. O. O.
F. and M. \Y. A. lie and his wife belong to
the Swedish Lutheran church. Mr. Franseen
has six brothers and sisters. John, Carl, Anna,
Edward, Mrs. Olevia Swenson, and Esther.
ANDREW" W. HARRISON resides about
four miles southwest from Edwall, in Lincoln
county. He has spent over twenty-five years
of his life in this county and is well entitled to
be classed with the earliest pioneers. He has
given his attention largely to farming' since
he has been doing for himself, has made a
success in his labors, and owns one hundred and
sixty acres all cultivated. He has a nice two-
story residence, large barn, plenty of build-
ings, and other improvements. His farm
equipments, stock and so forth are first class
and lie is one of the most progressive and broad
minded men of the section.
Andrew W. Harrison was born in Mont-
gomery county. Iowa, on September 9, [871,
and his father. Hon. Andrew Harrison was
born in Ohio and later n* ved to Indiana, thence
t<> [owa, and from there tu California in [875.
Four years later, he came to the territory now
embraced in Lincoln county, bringing his fam-
ily in wagons. He took the place where our
subject now resides as a homestead and en-
gaged in farming and st< ck raising, but now re-
238
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
sides near Cheney. In 1898, he was elected to
represent the fifth legislative district of Wash-
ington, his name appearing on the Republican
ticket. He received a very handsome majority
and did excellent service for his constituents.
Our subject's mother, Alary (Babb) Harri-
son, was born in Iowa and now dwells with her
husband in Spokane county. Our subject came
to this section with his father in 1879 and ow-
ing to the scarcity of schools, received a very
limited education, which, however, he has sup-
plemented by careful reading until he is a well
informed man. He engaged in handling stock
on the range for some time and when twenty,
went into the sawmill business. This con-
tinued for a short time, then he turned to
farming.
On September 13, 1893, Air. Harrison
married Miss Stella, daughter of Leroy and
Christine (Ault) Ableman. The father was
born in Wisconsin and came to Lincoln county
in 1890 and still resides near the home of our
subject. The mother died in 1894. He has
the following brothers and sisters; Mrs. Anna
Tucker, Mrs. Nelson, Ethel, Mrs. Estella Wal-
lace, Mrs. Belle Vaughn. Mr. and Mrs. Har-
rison both belong to the Modern Brotherhood
of America and also to the Evangelical church.
They have six children, Eva, Prudence, Har-
vey, Orville, Pearl, and Florence. Mr. Harri-
son is a thorough westerner, having spent most
of his days on the Pacific coast and the suc-
cess that he has achieved is such that he may
well take pride in it. He stands well in the
community, is a very progressive man and
very alert to forward those measures which
are for the benefit of all.
ELMORE A. McKENNA, who is now
holding the position of agent for the Northern
Pacific, at Sprague. is a man of varied and
extensive experience and well known ability.
He was born in Kingston, Nova Scotia, on
May 20, 1 863, the son of Joseph L. and Eunice
S. ( Felch ) McKenna, natives of Nova Scotia,
the father of Kingston, and the mother of Tor-
brook. The father is of Scotch-Irish ancestry
and is a highly respected man in his commun-
ity. He is deacon of the Baptist church and
has shown himself a man of real principle and
worth. At present he is eighty-four years
of age and the mother, two years younger,
died October 30, 1904. The father is still
hale and hearty for his age. The mother was
of English ancestry and her grandfather, Ma-
jor Parker, was in the king's army at the time
of the Revolution. She is also a relative of
Marcus Whitman, of fame in the northwest.
Our subject was favored with a good educa-
tion, partly gained before he left home and
finished by his own efforts after commencing
teaching, which he did when sixteen. When
eighteen he learned the art of telegraphy and
was at Halifax in the Western Union office.
In 1884, he landed in Boston, and two years
later was in St. Paul. Thence he was sent
by the Northern Pacific to Mandan, Dakota,
and in September, 1886, he came to Sprague,
still in the employ of that company. He con-
tinued with the company until 1893, holding
various stations throughout southeastern
Washington and in Idaho. Then he resigned
his position and entered into business with the
well known financier, John P. Yolhuer, ac-
cepting the position of bank cashier at Genesee,
Idaho. During this time he was lieutenant
colonel of the Idaho' National Guards, First
Regiment. L T pon the breaking out of the Span-
ish war, he enlisted as a private in Company
B, First Idaho Volunteers and at San Fran-
cisco was appointed captain in the First United
States Volunteer Signal Corps. June 16,
1898, they sailed from San Francisco and from
the time he landed in the Philippines, he was
in the most active and arduous service. He
was the senior signal officer in the field. They
built many lines of telegraph and laid many
cables, and much of it was in the fiercest
weather and under galling fire. Mr. Mc-
Kenna was in sixteen engagements with the
natives and also participated in taking Manila
from the Spaniards. He was under Generals
Anderson and Lawton and was especially as-
sociated with the unfortunate Lawton in his
brave career. In June, 1889, Mr. McKenna
came home and the second day of the follow-
ing September he was honorably discharged.
He then went to work for the Northern Pacific
again and after a time at Lind. he was sta-
tioned at Sprague. where he is at the present
time rendering first class service to his com-
pany.
At Genesee, Idaho, on June 19, 1899, Mr.
McKenna married Miss Isabelle, the daughter
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY,
239
of John and Thalia L. (Kruro) Owen. The
father was born in England, served in the
Civil War, and is now postmaster at Genesee.
The mother was born in Ohio and her father
was one of the pioneers of Ashtabula county
in that state, and also of the state of Ne-
braska. For a time he was a sheriff in Illi-
nois. To Mr. and Mrs. McKenna three chil-
dren have been born, Beatrice H.. Raymond O.,
and Douglas E., all at home. Mr. McKenna
belongs to the K. P., the A. F. & A. M.. and
the W. \Y. At the present time he is wor-
shipful master of the masonic lodge in Sprague.
In [896, Mr. McKenna was candidate for state
auditor in Idaho on the Republican ticket, but
owing to the silver issue, he went down with
the balance of the ticket.
The home place in Sprague is a tasty cot-
tage on Third street, where Mrs. McKenna
presides with gracious dignity and makes it
the center of refined hospitality. Mr. Mc-
Kenna owns a quarter section of land north
from Sprague, another quarter south of town
and a half interest in four hundred and eighty
acres near the town. The farms are well
improved and produce annually bountiful crops
of wheat.
» » »
JAMES POWELL is one of the earliest
settlers in Lincoln county and is now one of
its substantial citizens. He resides about one
mile east from Sherman on land which he se-
cured by government right nearly twenty-two
years ago. During those lone years, Mr.
Powell has labored steadily and faithfully in
the one line of industry and has succeeded
well.
James Powell was born in England, on
July 30, 1857. His parents, John and Eliza
( Hobbs) Powell, were both natives of Eng-
land. The father was a skilled gardner and
followed that vocation all his life. The public
schools of his native land gave our subject
his educational training and at the early age of
seventeen, he bade farewell to England and
friends and came to the United States. Later,
he went to Canada and for a number of years
thereafter, he was engaged in railroading in
various portions of that o mntry and the United
States. In 1880, Mr, Powell came to Cali-
fornia and in May, 1881, he embarked at San
Francisco, en the steamship, Republic, for
Portland. At the mouth of the Columbia,
while a terrific storm was raging, the ship
parted, and he lost all his effects. One boat
with thirteen in was lost. Much heroism was
displayed by the officers of the ill-fated ship,
but nothing was more striking than the bravery
of the stewardess. She calmly assisted the
officers, and refused to leave the wreck until
the last minute. Mr. Powell went to Lewis
county, Washington, and in 1882 came to the
Big Bend country with a surveying party in
charge of Major Truax and Mr. Snow, chief
engineer of government survey, lie was so
taken with the fertility and beauty of this
country that he immediately secured land
where he now lives. Shortly thereafter he
went to Walla Walla and engaged on a farm
for some months then returned to his preemp-
tion where he has resided since.
EDWARD F. STANG resides about four
miles northwest from Moscow and is engaged
in farming. He owns one quarter section of
fine wheat land and cultivates one entire sec-
tion. He came to this country about five
years since, with very limited means, and is
now the owner of the land above mentioned,
a good many improvements, a band of cattle,
and sixteen horses. He also has plenty of
equipments for his farm work, besides other
property. All this has been gained in the Big
Bend country through his labors ami wise
management.
E. F. Stang was born at Lemon, Wyoming
county, Pennsylvania, on September 11. [867,
the son of William and Catherine ( l.eipham)
Stang. natives of Germany. They came to the
United States when young and the father fol-
lowed cabinet making and carpentering until
his death, on the farm in Wyoming county,
Pennsylvania. The mother still resides there.
Our subject was reared in his native county
and there received a good education, llis first
work in life was on a farm and later he oper-
ated as teamster. In the Spring of [899, he
came on west from Pennsylvania to Lincoln
county. Washington and the same summer
purchased the land that he now owns. ] le his
given himself entirely to farming
raising since coming here and has 1 '1' red with
energy which has brought about excellent re-
240
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
suits. He expects soon to erect a tasty resi-
dence upon his land and otherwise improve it.
Mr. Stang has the following brothers and sis-
ters, William H., Richard J., Mrs. Pena
Thompson, George P., Mrs. Lena Brown, Mrs.
Mary Bush, Louis P., and Mrs. Jennie Amey.
At Skinners Eddy, in Wyoming county,
Pennsylvania, on March 3, 1897, Mr. Stang
married Miss Eva Carney. Her parents are
Daniel and Sabina (Leipham) Carney. The
father was born on June 20, 1824 at Carney
Flats, Pennsylvania, where his ancestors had
resided for over one hundred years. He died
on December 1, 1896. The mother was born
in Wyoming county, Pennsylvania, and is now
residing at Davenport, in Lincoln county. She
has one brother, J. E. Carney, who lives in
Davenport.- Mr. Stang has shown himself a
first class citizen, progressive and public minded
and is always interested in the welfare and
improvement of the country.
DANIEL L. PORTCH dwells about one
mile north from Sherman where he has a good
estate and devotes his attention largely to farm-
ing. He has also followed other vocations as
will be noticed by the following.
Daniel L. Portch was born in Chicago, Illi-
nois, on August 25, 1850, being the son of Ed-
ward M. and Hannah Lally, natives of Eng-
land and Ireland, respectively. They both
came to Chicago when children and there were
married. The father was a ship owner and
trafficked on the great lakes. The common
schools of Chicago furnished the education of
our subject and at the age of sixteen, he en-
tered the employ of the Western Union Tele-
graph Company, continuing in the same until
nineteen, and became a thorough master of
telegraphy. He was holding a responsible posi-
tion at the time he resigned. In 1872, Mr.
Portch moved to a farm some sixty miles
northwest from Chicago where he operated in
company with his father for five years. In
1878, he entered the service of the Chicago
Telephone Company, where he remained until
1883. During those years Mr. Portch was
foreman of their construction department,
traveling in various sections of the south. In
this capacity, he was brought into a very re-
sponsible position and met face to face some
of the hardest problems in handling electricity.
He became very proficient in this art and is
today a thorough and practical electrician. In
1884, Mr. Portch came to Sherman and took
land, whence four years later, he went to Spo-
kane and engaged in the employ of the Spokane
district telegraph company. He was in charge
of their entire construction department and did
commendable work in building and rebuilding
their system after the fire. After that, Mr.
Portch was engaged in handling electric wires
for a street car system in Helena, Montana.
In 1890, he returned to Spokane and entered
into partnership with his brothers, John H.
and William A., in farming, preferring that
to the life of an electrician. Mr. Portch has
two other brothers, Giles M. and Edward A.,
and also' the following sisters, Mrs. Frances
N. Rogers, Mrs. Annie Crosby, and Mrs. Julia
W. Byrne. Mr. Portch has gained distinction
not only as a substantial business man but also
by his attainments as an electrician, having been
counted one of the most skillful and- best
posted men in this line in this part of the
country.
HARRY B. FLETCHER, a well known
Lincoln county farmer, is equally prominent
both as a school and church worker. He has
a choice three hundred and twenty acre farm
near Sherman, all under cultivation and well
improved, where he makes his home during the
summer months, but during the school year
he lives in Wilbur in order to afford his family
better educational advantages than can be had
in the country.
Mr. Fletcher was born August 23. 1856,
in Muscatine county, Iowa, and is one of three
children. He has a sister, Mrs. Mary E.
Gristey, of Miami, Indian Territory; and one
brother, William Henry, of Prescott. Wash-
ington. His father, Samuel D., was born and
reared in Wheeling. West Virginia, and was
one of the pioneer settlers of Muscatine county,
Iowa, where he lived forty years, going thence
to Kansas in 1872. In 1877 he came to Walla
Walla, and at the time of the Indian outbreak
was at Camas Prairie. He then returned to
his Kansas home. In 1884 he again came west
on a visit to his son, the subject of this sketch,
and while here died, being at the time in his
sixtv-third vear. Mr. Fletcher's mother,.
HARRY B. FLETCHER
MRS. HARRY B. FLETCHER
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
241
Susan (Overman) Fletcher, a native of High-
land county, Ohio, also is dead.
Air. Fletcher is a man of educational at-
tainments, having received his training in the
grammar schools and Mohaska College, at Os-
kaloosa, Iowa. He went with his father to
Springhill, Johnson county, Kansas, and in 1880
he went to Leadville, Colorado, and engaged
in mining. On October 21, 1SS1 , he was mar-
ried to Miss Carrie Allen, whose birthplace was
in Waverly, Iowa. Mrs. Fletcher's grand-
father, Samuel Fisher, went to California in
1849 anc l after a short stay returned home.
Fater he went from Wisconsin again to the
gold fields of California and there remained till
his death which resulted from disease of the
lungs. He had married Miss Annie Marie
Wodard, a native of Batavia, Xew York. She
died at Homer, Iowa, where she was an early
settler. She had been a devoted Christian all
her life and did much for the poor and sick.
At her death, loving and grateful friends
erected a monument to her memory. Mrs.
Fletcher's father. Thomas C. Allen, was born
November 5, 1829. and died November 24,
1862, at Benton Barracks, St. Fouis. He was
a marble cutter and married Harriett M. Allen,
who was born March 23, 1839, near Laporte,
Indiana, and died at Wilbur, October 28, 1903.
Their marriage occurred November 8, 1855,
and to them three children were burn. Henry
A., Mrs. Fletcher, and Francis M.
In the spring of 1882 Mr. Fletcher removed
to Waitsburg, Washington, and engaged in the
hotel business, and the following year he
bought his present farm near Sherman. He
has besides this property a handsome home in
Wilbur, two choice lots in Spokane, and a
half interest in a paying mine, known as the
FeRoi, near Keller. Washington.
To Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher have been born
eight children. — Clarence. Blanche D., Samuel
D. Byron, Zella, Josie, Clifton, and Florence,
Mr. Fletcher is a member of the W. of W.
fraternity, and elder in the Presbyterian church,
of which bis wife is also a member. Upon
coming to Sherman, the Fletchers found neither
church nor school there, so the} - opened their
own house to both. They organized a Sunda)
school, of which Mrs. Fletcher was superin-
tendent, and later they were instrumental in
the erection of a twelve hundred dollar church.
built in 1897, with a present membership of
seventy-five. The church was organized by
Rev. Arthur B. Coart, with an original mem-
bership of ten. The church now has a V. I".
S. C. E. with a membership of seventy-live.
Mr. Fletcher is one of the useful and sub-
stantial citizens of his county.
GEORGE W. SHERMAN who at the
present time is a leading merchant of Sherman,
is a man of substantial qualities and wealth
as is evidenced by a review of his career which
is appended herewith.
George W. Sherman was born in Jackson
county. West Virginia on the banks of the
Ohio river. His parents were Isaac I'.. and
Samaria (McClenathan) Sherman, nal
Massachusetts. The mother was born on No-
vember 1, 1805, in Palmer, of the Old Bay
State. The father went to Virginia with his
family and bought land for twelve "and one-
half cents per acre and became verv wealthy.
He followed farming all his life. The 113. thcr
was a school teacher when sixteen years 1
being engaged thus in Ohio. Our subject went
with the balance of the family to Obi,, when
eight years of age and there received his edu-
cation in the common schools. He came to
Kansas in 1870 and for five years was occupied
in tilling the soil. In 1875. we find him in
Seattle and later he went to Walla Walla where
he again gave his attention to farming for a
time. As early as September, [881, Mr. Sher-
man came to Lincoln county and after due
search, settled where Sherman now stands. Ik-
established the postoflice and was the first in-
cumbent of the office. His attention was largely
given to farming for a time and later he
launched into the commercial world. For
fourteen years, he was the 1 bliging and popu-
lar postmaster and in addition to these duties
continued to improve In- farm and handle his
merchandise. Ik- is now one of the wealthy
men .and has the confidence and g 1 will of
all.
Mr. Sherman has one sister, Amanda M.
and two half sisters. Sallie and Elizabeth. He
also bas two half brothers. Lyman Stedman
and lleur\ C. Sherman. Mr. Sherman has al-
ways taken an active interest in building up
Lincoln county and in political matters is found
allied with those principles which are for the
242
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
development and protection of all. He has
never embarked on the matrimonial sea, being
content with the quiter joys of the celibatarian.
THEODORE BODEAU is a very pros-
perous hardware merchant of Govan, Wash-
ington. He has a most excellent trade on ac-
count of his industry and uprightness and has
the respect of every citizen in the community.
Theodore Bodeau was born in the Grand
Dukedom of Luremburg, on April 10, 1854,
the son of Charles and Mary Bodeau, natives
of Luxemburg. The father was an agricul-
turist there and a man of excellent standing.
The schools of Luxemburg furnished the edu-
cational training for Theodore and when of the
proper age he was apprenticed to learn the
carpenter trade which he followed after that
for a number of years. In 1872, he came to
Minnesota, where he engaged in farming. In
1 881, he settled in what is now Lincoln coun-
ty, being one of the very first pioneers of that
section. He took a preemption and later added
by purchase until he now owns nine hundred
acres of excellent wheat land. This large prop-
ertv makes a handsome income annually. Mr.
Bodeau is one of the wealthy and influential
citizens of the county. In 1891, he retired from
the farm, rented the same, and moved to Govan
where he established a large hardware store.
He has a large and well assorted stock and does
a thriving business.
In 1889, Mr. Bodeau married Miss Kath-
erine Ney, a native of Luxemburg, whose pa-
rents dwell now on the farm. To this union
four children have been born, Alfred, Ernest,
Blanche, and Orlando. Although Mr. Bodeau
has never attended an English school, he is
very well posted in English literature and is
a master of the language.
THOMAS CONNERY resides in the
north suburbs of Wilbur., where he has the
valuable estate of three-fourths of a section.
He is considered as one of the most substantial
men of the vicinity and has certainly merited
the approval and commendation of his fellows,
both on account of the ability shown in
achieving success in financial ventures as well
as in manifestation of uprightness and un-
swerving integrity, a characteristic of his walk.
Mr. Connery has done much railroad work and
invariably he has received especial comment
and approval from the officials on account of
his excellent and thorough work. His is the
motto, "What is worth doing is worth well
doing."
Thomas Connery was born in Ogdensburg,
New York, the son of Michael and Catherine
(Meagher) Connery, natives of .the good old
Emerald Isle, whence they sought a home in
the new world. The date when Mr. Connery
first saw the light was May 14, 1854, and the
good inheritance of the true Irish blood was
his legacy, which has brought him many a
success in his varied career. Our subject re-
ceived his education in the schools of Milwau-
kee, Wisconsin, and succeeding those days, he
began his life's work in the capacity of farmer.
Then he took up railroad work, and to his
credit it may be said that although he has
wrought in this capacity in many states of the
union and on many roads and in many differ-
ent departments, still he has never held a posi-
tion in which he did not receive especial praise
from the officials in charge. In the Centen-
nial year, 1876, Mr. Connery came first to what
was to be the Evergreen State, but his stay at
that time was not long. He returned to his
work in other parts of the country and again
in 1882, he came to Washington. In 1893 he
purchased a quarter section of land just out-
side of Wilbur and settled to build a home. He
has succeeded admirably and now has the fine
estate mentioned above. In addition to this,
Mr. Connery has property in Tacoma, Port
Angeles, Puget City, and in other localities.
He has seen much of the world and has been
wise in his investments in various sections.
In 1889, at Tacoma, Mr. Connery married
Miss Nora, daughter of Darby and Ellen
(Quinn) O'Leary, natives of Ireland, and both
deceased. Mr. Connery has two brothers,
Patrick and John. On Mr. Connery's place
is located the only plant for the manufacture
of brick in the surrounding country. There
is a large deposit of fire and tile clay on his
farm, which is supposed to be the only bed
in the Big Bend country.
ALMON J. SMITH is now the efficient
and popular postmaster at Govan, which is one
of the desirable sections of Lincoln county.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
2 43
He handles also a good mercantile establish-
ment, carrying a well assorted stock of gen-
eral merchandise, such as is called for in the
surrounding country. Mr. Smith's wisdom in
the commercial world and his skillful buying
have placed before his patrons the best that
can be procured at the price which competes
with the large centers of commerce. He has
had many years of experience in the mercan-
tile world and the result is that he is well posted
and a master in his business.
Almon J. Smith was born in Michigan, in
1850, the son of T. P. and Sallje (Woods)
Smith, natives of New York. The father was
a minister in the Baptist church a*nd preached
the gospel for years, being highly esteemed
and a man of influence. Our subject was edu-
cated in the common schools of Michigan and
after the days of that training were done, he
engaged in farming in the Wolverine State.
Later we see him in Minneapolis where he
filled the position of salesman in one of the
large department stores. Two years were thus
spent, and in 1888 Mr. Smith came west to
Lincoln county, being one of the pioneers of
the county. He soon selected land and took
a homestead and then turned his attention to
commercial life again. He was engaged in
one of the stores of Wilbur for a number of
years, and in 1897, he opened his present busi-
ness in Govan. His was the first store in the
town and 
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