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GENEALOGY COLLECTION
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3 1833 01149 7986
AN ILLUSTRATED
HISTORY
OK THE
RIG BEND COUNTRY
ElVIBRACINQ
LINCOLN, DOUGLAS, ADAMS '™' FRANKLIN
COUNTIES :^.
STATE OF WASHI NGTON
Westkhn IIistouicai. Puri.isiiing Comi-anv
PUBLISHERS
1904
PART III.
HISTORY OF DOUGLAS COUNTY
CHAPTER I.
CURRENT HISTORY— 1871 TO 1886.
15^3478
The white man's history of Douglas county-
begins with the year 1871. It was at this pe-
riod that the first white settler took
up a residence in what is now Doug-
las county, but which, at that period,
was still a portion of Stevens coun-
ty. The fact that what is now Douglas county
was inhabited by a white man so early is, we
believe, not generally known throughout the
county, it being generally believed that George
Urquhart and Philip McEntee were entitled to
the honor of being the first to make their homes
in the county.
John Marlin, who had a family consisting
of a wife and ten children, in 1871, came to the
place where the town of Krupp now stands.
Here he built a log house and engaged in rais-
ing stock, making his home on what was then
the frontier until 1876. Although during these
five years Marlin was the sole resident of Doug-
las county, he had a few neighbors who were
engaged in stock raising along Crab Creek far-
ther to the east. These were a man named Irby,
the Walter Brothers and John Enos, colloquial-
ly known as "Portuguese Joe." In 1876 George
Urquhart came to the country and purchased
Mr. Marlin's interests, the latter going to South
America. The town of Krupp now stands on
the land upon which Marlin first located, and
later occupied by Mr. Urquhart, the latter hav-
ing resided here since 1876. Donald Urquhart
came to his brother's place in 1877, where he
has since made his home. The Urquhart
Brothers are the oldest living settlers in Doug-
las county.
But among the earliest to come to this coun-
try were the Chinese. Placer mining was the
fruition of their most sanguine hopes. Up and
down the Columbia and its numerous tributar-
ies they wandered, and panned and rocked out
a satisfying, if not an enormous, volume of
auriferous deposits from the various bars and
creeks. A majority of these celestials came,
originally from California, following the trails
of Indians, fur dealers and miners. And thus
it chanced that all along the banks of the big,
roaring, treacherous stream, wherever wash
soil could be found on which water could be
obtained, or to which it could be carried, one
finds today the abandoned prospect holes of the
original Chinese placer miner. It developed a
fruitful field; for many years it was worked
industriously; frequently with wonderful
profit.
Opposite the mouth of the Chelan river,
where it debouches into the Columbia, from the
west, are the ruins of a Chinese village within
the limits of what is now Douglas county. The
522
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
remains of this early settlement may be seen
from Chelan Falls across the river, half a mile
away. It was built mainly from cedar boards
split from the log like shakes pegged
against upright posts and roofed with
logs and brush. At present nothing but
the shells of these huts remain. In this
early settlement there was a store. It was
the first business enterprise in the country, and
the proprietor was a Chinese merchant. To the
Chinese workers along the river he supplied
goods, and he made considerable money. A
pack train of forty horses he owned with which
he brought in his miscellaneous assortment of
English, American and Chinese merchandise.
It is stated that no stranger ever appeared at
his store who was not made welcome by the
old Chinese merchant.
A tragedy, tinged with romance, is con-
nected with this Oriental settlement. On one
side of the site there was a garden, now over-
grown with mustard plants and weeds. It was
enclosed by a low picket fence and a gate led
inward. It was a token of advanced civiliza-
tion. The proprietor of the little kitchen gar-
den was a moon-eyed youth with a voice like
a muffled bell. He was in love with a dusky
maiden who lived across the Columbia on the
banks of Lake Chelan. But this celestial had
made a peculiar vow never to declare his love.
And this vow had been registered before the
great Joss of the little Chinese community.
Hence he was moody and became "cjueer,"
unsocial, melancholy and distrait. While others
flocked to the gaming house he remained soli-
tary and alone in his garden. He would sit
there and brood over his unspoken love, until
"Night hung her sable curtain out.
And pinned it with a star."
So he sighed and dreamed away his life.
Everyone sympathised with him in accordance
with the old, old adage, "All the world loves
a lover." But his friends could do him no fur-
ther good. One morning he was found dead in
the little kitchen garden. No one knew when
or how death had come to him. Some of his
comrades spoke of a broken heart, and then
they buried him in the little patch he had so
assiduously attended. When the village was
deserted no vandal hand disturbed his garden.
Many years ago this settlement was aban-
doned. The finances of the old Chinese mer-
chant were running low, for he had "grub-
staked" too many of his countrymen in then"
precarious search for gold. In a big mine up
on the Okanogan river he had an interest, and
there he moved taking his lares and penates,
his goods, his horses and even the number of
his store with him. One b}- one others fol-
lowed him, and wandered awa)-, up or down
the trail. The "diggings" are deserted ; the
village is a ruin ; the cabins the abode of snakes
and rodents. With the progress of civilization
in the Columbia valley these old placer marks
will disappear; the cabins will be torn down
and real prosperity will sweep grandly over the
scene.
All this was in 1875. It was, practically,
an Indian war against the Chinese that drove
them away, but at the time this was not gen-
erally known. Along the Methow river the In-
dians began attacking the Chinese of whom
they killed several. The news rapidly circu-
lated among their comrades. When the Si-
washes came to the settlement intent upon its
demolishment, they found nobody save a few
stragglers. There were several sharp skir-
mishes in which some were killed on both sides.
A correspondent of the Spokcsinaii-Rcviczi'
says :
When the Indians reached a point on the Columbia
a few miles below where Chelan Falls now stands they
dist:overed a number of Chinamen at work on the
benches three hundred feet above. The savages advanced
cautiously and surrounded the celestials on three sides,
leaving only the steep bluff unguarded. Then began an
uneven fight. The Chinamen were unprotected and
unable to escape; they proved an easy prey to their
savage antagonists. How many were massacred was
never known, but it is positive that not one was left to
tell the tale. It was an awful fight that sent terror into
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
523
the hearts of the other Chinamen along the river. After
that there was little placer mining done for months ;
then one by one the celestials returned, but never could
one of them be induced to go on the bench where
the massacre occurred and open up the diggings' again.
Today they are in exactly the same condition as that
in which they were when the workers were slaughtered
by the Indians.
One of the very earliest settlers of Douglas
county was Philip McEntee. He came to
Washington first in 1877, being a member of
a .surveying party which was establishing the
boundary line between the United States and
British Columbia. He made considerable
money while in the employment of the govern-
ment and upon the completion of the survey
invested his earnings in cattle and located where
Coulee City now stands, building in the spring
of 1 88 1 the first house in that part of the coun-
ty. During the winter of 1880-81 he lost heavily
in cattle, but with indomitable energy started in
to retrieve his lost fortune. From the time
Mr. McEntee first came to Washington, he had
been acquainted with the spot where he after-
ward built his home.
Mr. McEntee's life was a romantic one, full
of lights and shadows; made up of adventure
and hardships such as but few, if any, of the
present generation will ever experience. He
was one of those unflinching, energetic char-
acters who made the history of the west — ac-
cepting no defeat and perservering where other
weaker spirits relinquished hope and turned
back to civilization. No' privation was too
great, no reverse of fortune sufficient to sub-
due the iron will of this man, who did more
than is realized by most people toward convert-
ing a wilderness into one of the leading states
in the union.
In the early days when this portion of the
' state (then a Territory) was uninhabited ex-
cept by Indians and an occasional white man,
Mr. McEntee would start from where Coulee
City now stands with a band of cattle, drive
them across several hundred miles of unbroken
wilderness away up into British Columbia,
where he would sell them, together with his
pack horse, and make the return journey on
foot, swimming rivers, sleeping on the snow-
covered ground with only a blanket to protect
him from the inclemency of the weather, and
no companion within a hundred miles.
Among other early pioneers of this part of
the county who shared in the hardships of the
wilderness, were Dan Paul, John R. Lewis,
Tony Richardson, Charles Sprague and others(
who, however, did not arrive until several years
after Mr. McEntee. The latter died July 8,
1 90 1, at Coulee City, where he had lived for
over twenty years.
During the winter of 1879-80 some of the
companies of the Second United States Infan-
try were stationed at the mouth of Foster Creek,
and it is said they passed a very uncomfortable
winter. In the spring of 1880 these troops re-
moved to Lake Chelan, and Camp Chelan was
established where is now the town of Chelan.
Later the soldiers were taken to the mouth of
the Spokane river, and Fort Spokane was es-
tablished.
While it was not until 1883 that the first
settlers, with the exception of the four cattle-
men mentioned, arrived in what later became
Douglas county, during the years 1879 and
1880 Lieutenant Thomas W. Symon's Corps
of Engineers, Chief Engineer, Department of
the Columbia, traversed the county from one
end to the other, and laid out a wagon road
from Ritzville, in Adams county, by way of
White Bluffs in the southern part of Douglas
county, through the county to the foot of Lake
Chelan. Here was then established a United
States military post. We here append Lieuten-
ant Symon's report of his trip through the
country locating a route made to the chief of
engineers in 1 880 :
In August, 1879. I left Walla Walla and proceeded
to Wallula, and thence up the Columbia to the White
Bluffs. At the head of the long Island we left the river
to look out for a practicable route for a wagon road
to the military camp, then in the vicinity of the mouth
524
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
of the Okanogan, on the supposition that it was to be
permanently located there.
We reached the top of the bluffs', which are here
about 540 feet high, by going up through a long gulch
greatly beaten by cattle. The soil is dry and is ground
to powder by the feet of the cattle wherever they make
a path, and is not well suited for a road. We, however,
found a short distance down the river, a gulch up which
to ascend to the top of the bluffs, easy and gradual.
From the summit the country spreads out gently roll-
ing, as far as' the eye could reach to the northeast and
east. To the north and northwest a small mountain
chain, devoid of timber stretched itself from east to
west across our way. It is called Saddle Mountain. The
country was covered with a luxuriant growth of bunch
grass, with here and there a tract of sage brush. The
soil is of firm and excellent quality. Quite a large
number of cattle were seen, all of which had to descend
to the river for water. Proceeding somewhat to the
northeast to skirt Saddle Mountain, we soon found our-
selves getting into a country more sandy and more
rolling, and our mules and horses had greater difficulty
in getting along. In the afternoon, being on the look-
out for water, we made for a green looking spot off to
the east, hoping it was a spring. In this we were dis-
appointed, and we continued on our way until nine
o'clock at night, when, not finding any water, we un-
loaded and made ourselves as comfortable as possible
without it. The next morning before daylight we took
up our laborsome march through the sands of the desert
and traveled until about two in the afternoon, when,
as our animals were suffering intensely, from thirst,
and as we were uncertain about what lay before us,
we concluded to strike to the westward, as from all the
indications it was more likely to give a supply of water.
About three o'clock we came to the old road, which
gave indications of having at one time been well trav-
eled, and we turned and followed it to the northward,
trusting that it would take us to water.
At five o'clock our animals seemed utterly unable
to carry their packs any further, and so we unloaded
them and piled up our baggage, and kept on without it.
About nine o'clock that night we came to a small alkali
pond which, vile as it was, seemed like nectar to us
and to our poor horses and mules. The country we
had traveled was covered partly with sage brush, bunch
grass and weeds, and was utterly waterless and lifeless.
Not even the cheerful coyote lived there, for not one
lulled us to sleep, or molested our abandoned provisions
and camp equippage. The next day we found the fine
spring which feeds the alkali pond above mentioned.
I afterwards learned that it goes by the name of Black
Rock Spring. Here the face of the country changes
to a certain extent and becomes more broken up. Black
Rock Spring is at the head of a coulee which extends
off to the southwest, and, probably, as far as Moses
Lake. From Black Rock Spring we kept to the north,
and in about nine miles came to Crab Creek, which is
here quite a stream, flowing through a rich bottom
half a mile wide: Up the stream the bottom narrows
and becomes a chasm, formed by the perpendicular and
overhanging walls of basaltic rock. Lower down the
bottom becomes a marsh, entirely filling the space be-
tween the basaltic walls in which the creek sinks to
collect again further below. Where we crossed it the
bottom was good and the descent and ascent from the
great table land were comparatively easy. A goodly
number of fine, fat cattle inhabited this valley and the
adjoining high grounds, and no doubt fine gardens could
be made and nearly every garden vegetable raised.
Leaving Crab Creek we went nearly northward,
taking as a guide Pilot Rock, a mass of rock about thirty
feet high, but which, on account of the general features
of the country can be seen for a great distance in every
direction. Soon we crossed Kinewaw Run, the dry
bed of a winter stream, now containing a scanty supply
of water in lakes and springs. Leaving this we crossed
shortly afterwards Wilson Creek, a fine little stream
flowing through a rich bottom. It and Kenewaw Run
are deeply embedded below the general surface of the
Great Plain of the Columbia, have fine soil and abundant
grazing in the bottom and the adjacent hills and upper
plains for great numbers of cattle or horses. The
scarcity of timber of any kind for fuel and building
purposes is, and must always be, a great drawback to
the settlement of this section. Keeping on over the
part of the great plain lying between Wilson Creek and
the Grand Coulee, a rich, rolling country covered with a
luxuriant growth of bunch grass, we descended by mis-
take into the Cold Spring Coulee, down which runs the
great trail of the Indians from the Spokane country to
the Wenatchee and Moses Lake countries. We climbed
out of this coulee and passing over the broken and
rocky summit between the two coulees, we descended
by a long, gradual slope of about three miles into the
Grand Coulee. The Pilot Rock was right above us, on
the western bank to the north. Here in this vicinity is
the best place to cross the coulee for a road going east
and west. The bottom of the coulee is uneven and
more than a thousand feet above the present level of
the river. The sides show no water marks. We went
north through the coulee, its perpendicular walls form-
ing a vista like some grand old ruined, roofless hall,
down which we traveled hour after hour. The walls
are about 300 to 400 feet high. At about seven miles
from the river a trail crosses the coulee and we turned
her and went to the west until we struck Foster Creek,
down which we kept, following the wagon road made by
the troops which preceded us, to the winter camp,
and which crosses the coulee at its juncture with the
Columbia river.
Some good ranching land lies along Foster Creek,
and all over the southern portion of the Great Plain
bunch grass grows in the greatest luxuriance. There
are numerous little ponds which, fed by springs, keep
a supply of water all the year, and also numerous springs
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
525
of excellent water. Pursuant to instructions from Gen-
eral Howard, Lieutenant Merriam and I began a search
for the most s'uitable location for the new post. We
examined both sides of the river from the mouth of the
Okanogan to Lake Chelan, and decided that the most
advantageous site, taking everything into consideration,
was at the outlet of Lake Chelan, the plateau on the
north side of the lake and river.
In a later report, made in 1881, Lieutenant
Symons, who during these years had become
quite well acquainted with the western Big
Bend country, tells of its condition before the
advent of the settlers. In regard to the Crab
Creek and Grande Coulee sections he said :
This is a portion of the country which is and has
been very little known. Its remoteness has deterred
settlers from going to it. Before I went into the section,
in 1879, I could obtain but little information in regard
to it. Then all the inhabitants were three or four
cattle raisers living along Crab Creek — "Portugese Joe,"
living on Kenawaw Run, and "Wild Goose Bill," on the
headwaters of the Wilson Creek. The establishment in
1879, and abandonment in 1880, of the military post at
Camp Chelan, caused many people in the capacity of
teamsters and other government employes, as well as
the military, to go over the country, and a knowledge of
it has been thus acquired and disseminated, and now
there are quite a number of settlers who have gone into
the country to make themselves homes. Of course it
cannot become much of an agricultural country until a
market for its products is afforded by the construction
of a railroad into it. This section has never seemed to
enter into the minds of people except as a broken and
almost desert land, but I speak from a knowledge ac-
quired by traveling over nearly the whole of it, and I
shall not hesitate to characterize it as a very fine agri-
cultural and grazing section. The country between
Crab Creek and the Columbia is well watered by streams
heading along the divide already mentioned, which lies
quite near the Columbia ; these streams flow with more
or less water, according to the season of the year
through valleys of varying width, in a southwesterly
direction, to Crab Creek. The land about the heads of
the creeks and that lying between the creeks along
their lower course is of the finest quality, growing the
most luxuriant bunch grass and giving every evidence
of being a magnificent grain country.
In 1880 I laid out a wagon road from Ritzville, on
the Northern Pacific railroad, to Camp Chelan, a dis-
tance of one hundred and seven miles. Over nearly the
whole of this' distance I found the bunch grass growing
strongly and well, and the soil of undoubted fertility.
The rolling hills to the south of Crab Creek for a dis-
tance of from five to twenty miles are of the same ex-
cellent quality as those to the north. Of course there
is some poor land in the area east of the Grand Coulee,
but as a whole it is scarcely to be surpassed.
The Grand Coulee is the most singular, prominent,
and noted feature of this portion of the country. It
commences on the Columbia between the mouths of the
Sans Poil and Nespelim rivers and extends in a south-
westerly direction for fifty-five miles, when it merges
into the boulder-covered, prehistoric Columbia Lake.
Except at one point it is a deep chasm, with vertical,
impassable walls', averaging about 350 feet in height.
About midway between its extremities these walls are
broken down, entirely so on the east, and so much so
on the west that a wagon has no difficulty in ascending.
The coulee here is partially filled up by the broken down
hills. The cause of this break seems to have been a
flood of water or ice coming in from the northeast and
flowing off down through the Coulee chasm. Many
rounded boulders are here found in the soil, and great
rocks of large size, which could only have been trans-
ported by the agency of ice. To the north of this mid-
dle pass the bottom is quite level ; it has some springs
and small ponds and can be traveled without difficulty.
It is in some places nearly four miles wide. The south-
ern portion is very narrow, and the bottom is filled with
a succession of lakes, the northern ones being of clear,
white, sweet water filled with fish ; toward the south
the lakes become more and more strongly impregnated
with alkali, until the one at the end of the coulee is of
the most detestable, unpalatable nature. At its junc-
ture with the Columbia the Coulee is crossed by a very
bad wagon road, and a trail crosses it about s^ven
miles from the Columbia. The only other place where
it can be crossed is at the middle pass mentioned above.
I first called attention to this middle pass in 1879,
and located a wagon road across it in 1880. It is the
only place where, by any means, the Coulee can be
crossed by a railroad from the Columbia to its end
near J^Ioses Lake. The southern portion of the Coulee
from this point cannot be crossed or traversed owing to
the lakes and steep walls. To the west of the Grand
Coulee there is another running nearly parallel with it,
known as Moses, or Little Coulee. This has a number
of springs and much good land in it. The land between
the two coulees is mostly rich and covered with bunch
grass. This Moses Coulee comes to an abrupt end,
enclosing a little lake. Foster Creek, with its many
branches and fertile soil lies to the north. Many springs
and little lakes exist throughout this portion of the sec-
tion under discussion. There is every inducement in
the way of natural advantages for thousands of settlers
in this portion of the country. West of Moses Coulee
there is a considerable area of timber land, and the vege-
tation indicates a rich soil, but water is not plentiful.
It may be obtained by digging, but this has not been
tried. In the southwestern portion of this section lies
Badger Mountain. This could only be called a moun-
tain in a country as flat as the Great Plain, and does
not deserve the name. It is a long, rolling divide, whose
526
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY,
sides are cut by gullies, in many of which springs are
to be found. The soil of this mountain appears to be
exceedingly rich and, indeed, if I were asked to name
the richest, most fertile area in the whole Columbia
basin, I know of none that I would name before Badger
Mountain. The vegetation is indicative of it? fertility,
being, besides bunch grass, rose bushes, choke-cherry
bushes, willows, etc., all growing thick and strong. The
country is well watered and will in time have an easy
outlet by the Columbia river, and deserves the attention
of everybody having the great transportation and other
interests of the country in hand.
The following clipping taken from the Columbia
Daily Chronicle, published at Dayton, Washington, of
April 2, 1884, voices the poor opinion held by some
people concerning the value of the Big Bend soil in the
earlier days of settlement :
"Thomas Smith, of this place, returned from the
Badger Mountain country yesterday, bringing with him
a s'ample of the soil. It is of very poor quality and of
a yellowish cast, full of dry lumps and alkali. Mr.
Smith thinks he does not want any of it for farming
purposes. He reports that the section of the coimtry
which goes by the name of Badger Mountain is a level
plateau, or elevated table land, covered with a low
growth of sage brush with some bunch grass. It might
do for a summer range for stock, but for farms will
likely prove a disappointment. It is situated in the
'Big Bend' of the Columbia, and is, no doubt, greatly
overrated, though it is settling up quite fast."
Throughout this section of the Great Plain lies
about 2,000 to 2,500 feet above the river level, and it is
extremely difficult to get from one to the other. West
of the Grand Coulee, the only practicable railroad route
to the Columbia, that I am sure of, is by way of Foster
Creek. By this route an excellent grade can be made
to the river. It is possible that by way of Moses Coulee,
or the southern side of Badger Mountain, an easy way
to the river may be discovered. The commercial center
of this section will probably be somewhere in the vicin-
ity of the middle pass of Grand Coulee. Another, and
greater center will be located near the mouth of the
Okinakane.
Speaking of tlie I\lo,ses Lake, or as lie de-
scribes it, thei "de.sert"' .section. Lieutenant
Symons said :
This last one of the four sections which I have been
considering, can be dismissed with a few words, and
those almost entirely of condemnation. It is a desert,
pure and simple, an almost waterless, lifeless, desert.
A few cattle exist along the Columbia, where they can
reach the river for water, and some more along the
lower Crab Creek below Moses Lake. This section is
much lower than the rcmaiiulor of the Great Plain and
evidently was a lake for luuulreds of years, forming
deposits several hundred feet in thickness, and which
are plainly shown at the White Bluffs and Crab Creek
Coulee. A large portion is covered with boulders em-
bedded in a loose, light, ashy soil ; other portions are
covered with drifting sands, and, taken all in all, it is
a desolation where even the most hopeful can find noth-
ing in its future prospects to cheer.
Crab creek sinks soon after receiving the waters of
Wilson creek and rises just above Moses' Lake, of
which it is the only feeder. At this point the water is
passably gqod to drink. JVIoses Lake is stagnant, alka-
line and unfit for any use. At its lower end are great
sand dunes and sandy wastes. The water seeps through
the sand and rises again a few miles to the south and
flows southwesterly to Saddle Mountain," where it is
turned to the west, sinking and rising several times'. I
do not thing that now it ever reaches the Columbia.
Below JNIoses Lake the creek water is alkaline, filled
with organic matter and unpalatable.
The first survey of western Spokane, now
Douglas county, was made in 1880. Anticipat-
ing the intention of the government to obtain
a survey of the country, a party of surveyors
in 1880 made a private survey, but contrary
to expectation of the surveyors their survey
was not accepted. During the years 1880-81
and 1882 Mr. J. M. Snow was engaged as sur-
veyor in surveying the modern Douglas county.
There was no settlement in this part of the
country at that time, but during his work here
Mr. Snow decided that this was the best agri-
cultural region in the territory open to settle-
ment. .With a view to the probable rapid dcr
velopment of this region Mr. Snow, in the surn-
mer of 1885, made settlement on a homestead
near the present town of Waterville, and be-
came an honored citizen of the county, being
elected Territorial councilman in 1888. The
survey made by Snow and others resulted in
some changes from the former one. This sur-
vey was accepted by the government, but it
was not until 1888 that settlers could obtain
title owing to delays of the Department at
Washington. Prior to this date settlers held
land simply by "squatter's rights."" Although
they were squatters the land had been surveyed
and the survey awaited only the approval of the
government, and the settlers had no difficulty
when the official survey was accepted.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
527
The Columbia, the greatest river of the
west, is one of the most remarkable streams in
the world. Situated, as it is, hundreds of feet
below the level of the surrounding country, it
can be reached only in places where deep can-
yons lead down to the ri\'er. The upper Colum-
bia is broken by rapids and eddies and is very
treacherous. It is fitting that that part of the
Columbia which makes the boundaries of the
Big Bend country should be considered at some
length
The Columbia river was first called the
Oregon, from the mention of the name by Car-
ver. In 1575 it was called Assumption Inlet,
by Heceta. In the charts of his voyage, soon
after published, it was called Ensenada de
Heceta, and Rio de San Roque. In 1789 it
was called Deception Bay, by Meares.
It was in 1792 that Gray called it the Col-
umbia. Captain Clarke asserts that in 1805
the Indians called it the Shocatilcum, and an-
other tribe called it Chockalilum, both being
the same name differently pronounced, in all
probability. This Indian name is, quite prob-
ably, Waterfriend, of Friendly Water. In the
Chinook language. Chuck signifies water, and
tillicum, friend. Hence the name Chuck-tilli-
cum, or Shocatilcum.
During the months of September and Octo-
ber, 1 88 1, Lieutenant Thomas Symons, corps
of engineers, Chief Engineer Department of the
Columbia, and Alfred Downing, Topograph-
ical Assistant United States Army, accompan-
ied by five Indians, made a trip of exploration
down the Columbia river from Fort Colville
to the mouth of Snake river. Of the prepara-
tions for this perilous trip Lieutenant Symons,
in his report to the chief engineer, says :
I was fortunate enough to procure from John
Rickey, a settler and trader, who lives at the Grand
Rapids, a strongly built bateau, and had his assistance
in selecting a crew of Indians for the journey. The
bateau was about thirty feet long, four feet wide at
the gunwales, and two feet deep, and is as small a boat
as the voyage should ever be attempted in, if it is con-
templated to go through all the rapids. My first look-
out had been to secure the services of "Old Pierre
Agare" as steersman, and I had to carry on negotiations
with him for several days before he finally consented
to go. Old Pierre is the only one of the ancient Hud-
son's Bay Company's Iroquois voyageurs' now left 'who
knows the river thoroughly at all stages of water from
Colville to its mouth. In the palmy days of the fur
traders he came with them from Canada, and made
many voyages down and up the Columbia, married and
settled at Colville, and now has a large family of chil-
dren, grandchildren and great-grandchildren about him.
The old man is seventy years' of age, and hale and
hearty, although his eyesight is somewhat defective,
which is almost a certain accompainment of old age
with an Indian.
The other Indians engaged were Pen-waw, Big
Pierre, Little Pierre and Joseph. They had never made
the trip all the way down the river, and their minds
were full of the dangers and terrors of the great rapids
below. It "was a long time before we could prevail
upon them to go, by promising them a high price and
stipulating for their return by rail and stage. Old
Pierre and John Rickey labored and talked with them
long and faithfully to gain their consent, and I am sure
that they started off with as many misgivings about get-
ting safely through as we had who had to trust our
lives to their s'kill, promptness and obedience. When
all was ready we entered the boat and took our sta-
tions. Old Pierre in the stern at the steering oar; next
our baggage, upon which I took my station ; then came
the four Indian oarsmen and ini the bow Mr. Down-
ing, topographical assistant. Mr. Downing and myself
worked independently in getting as thorough knowl-
edge of the river as poss'ible, he taking the courses with
a prismatic compass, and estimating distances by the
eye, and sketching in the topographical features of the
adjoining country, while I, also, estimated the distance
to marked points and paid particular attention to the
bed of the river, sounding whenever there were indica-
tions' of shallowness.
The party safely made the trip to the mouth
of the Spokane river. The following extracts
from Syinons report of the trip from the latter
point to the mouth of the Snake river, estimated
a distance of 3093^ miles, describes that por-
tion of the Columbia which bounds the Big
Bend country.
Having finished work about Camp Spokane on
October 3, at II 145 a. m., we pushed out from the
Spokane river and took our course down the Columbia.
At 12:15 we had run the five miles to the mouth of
Hawk Creek, and the ranch and trading post of Will-
iam Covington, generally known as "Virginia Bill."
Hawk Creek heads at Cottonwood Springs, on the old
528
mSTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
White Bluffs road. It is about 25 miles long and flows
for the greater part of the way through an extremely
deep and precipitous canyon. "Virginia Bill" has con-
structed a wagon road from the great plain near Cot-
tonwood Springs' to his ranch, which is an excellent
road and the best way to reach the Columbia from the
upper plain with which I am acquainted. There is an
easy grade and a firm soil all the way, and I believe
a practicable railroad route could be laid out to the
river in the vicinity of this road. The river between
the Spokane and Hawk Creek is very swift and strong,
the current running from six to eight miles an hour.
A couple of miles further on we passed the mouth
of Welch creek, so named from a settler on its banks in
the valley about four or five miles from the river. Some
of the prettiest country in the world is situated upon
Welch Creek and its branches. There are beautiful
little valleys nestled in among the rolling timbered hills,
and beyond, up on the Great Plain, mile after mile of
bunch grass covered gently sloping prairie. The river
now becomes very deeply encanyoned with steep, rocky,
and in swrne cases, perpendicular, bluffs, on one or both
sides. The canyon is in many places very beautiful;
the rocks composing the bluffs are many colored, black,
brown, pink and white, and have many patches of bright
red and yellow moss. To this must be added the green
of the trees of which all shades, from the darkest to the
brightest appear, the bright autumnal tints of the
brushes and beyond, above, and about all, the old gold,
of the withered bunch grass shining in the sunlight.
The rocks take all imaginable forms, showing up as
pinnacles', terraces, perpendicular bluffs, devils' slides,
and giants' causeways, the whole forming one of the
grandest, most beautiful sights in the universe. The
material of which the rock is composed is all, apparent-
ly, of igneous origin, trachyte and basalt. With this,
especially on the north s'ide of the river, there is a
great deal of volcanic tufa in a more or less friable
condition.
About eight miles further on we come to the
Whitestone, a noted landmark, consisting of a gigantic
grayish white rock, 500 feet high, standing perpendicu-
larly up from the water, on the left bank of the river,
and being partially detached from the rocks to the rear.
It is split down the middle by some great convulsion.
The Indians have a legend concerning this' rock of
which the skunk is the hero. It would seem that in the
long ago a skunk, a coyote, and a ratlesnake each had
a farm on the top of the Whitestone. These were the
days before the skunk was as odorous as he is now,
but was' esteemed a good fellow and pleasant compan-
ion by other animals. As in some other small communi-
ties jealousies, dissensions and intrigues arose in this
one. The result wa? that the coyote and rattlesnake
took a mean advantage of the skunk one night when he
was asleep, and threw him off the rock away down into
the river. He was not drowned, however, but flfiated
on and on, far away to the south and west, until he
came to the mouth of the river where lived a great med-
icine man and magician. To him the skunk applied
and was fitted out with an apparatus warranted to give
immunity from, and conquest over, all enemies. Back
he journeyed along the river to his old home, where
he arrived, much to the surprise of the rattlesnake and
coyote, and commenced to make it so unpleasant for
them with his pungent perfumery apparatus, the gift of
the magician, that they soon left him in undisputed pos-
session of his rocky home, which he has maintained
ever since.
Oppos-ite the Whitestone comes in Whitestone
creek from the north. Near here we came to a trad-
ing post on the left bank of the stream, occupied by a
man named Friedlander, who carries on quite a trade
with the Indians and Chinamen along the river. He
reaches his place by a wagon road from the Great
Plain above. He informed me that it was an excellent
road and one of the best ways of getting to the river
that there is. We remained with him until 3:10, in-
quiring about the country, the Indians, etc., and at a
distance of two miles from his place we reached Hell
Gate. At the head of the rapids a great jutting point
sticks out from the left bank narrowing the channel ;
below this, in the middle of the river, is a great rock
island, with the channel to the left ; below and nearer
the right bank are two other rock islands. These islands
form a partial dam to the water and cause rapids which
commence between the jutting point and the first great
island and continue for a cons'iderable distance below
the last rock island. The channel is very crooked.
.Although a bad place it seems to me that a good steamer
would easily ascend the rapids and go through if the
proper course was taken. This course, I should say,
would be to hug the north bank until nearly to the is-
lands, then cross over the south bank and steam well
up to the jutting point of rocks, and then cross over be-
tween this jutting point and the first islands, and then
around the jutting point. The only danger that a
steamer would encounter coming down would be that
something might happen to the steering gear. During
a high stage of water the jutting point mentioned above
becomes an island, and the currents are changed, and
it probably would be a much worse place to go through
than during low and medium stages.
Three miles below we passed the mouth of the Sans
Poil river. This comes in from the north, rising in the
mountains nearly due west of Kettle Falls, and flows
through a region in which there is much good farming
land. This word has been variously spelled but the
above I believe is correct, as it seems to be a French
name applied to the Indians living along its banks on
account, either of the scarcity or shortness of their hair,
and beard, or from the fact that they were very poor
and had no furs to sell to the traders. Old Pierre told
me that the latter was the origin of the word.
.■\fter passing through two ripples we went into
camp at 4:30 p. m., on the left bank near an immense
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
529
spring which came pouring out from the rocks about
fifty feet above the river. This day we made about
twenty-three and one-half miles.
Without going more fully into the details
of this rather uneventful trip down the Colum-
bia made by Lieutenant Symons, it is sufficient
to say that the journey was successfully accom-
plished and the mouth of Snake river reached
Sunday morning, October 9th. While this
portion of our history might, naturally come
under the head of "descriptive," it is historical,
in fact, because it describes the existing condi-
tions of Douglas county and the Columbia river
in 1881.
For a few years Philip INIcEntee and the
Urquharts were the only white men whO' lived
in eastern Douglas county. In 1880 a man
named Bibi had a bunch of cattle in the Wilson
Creek country, but in 1883 he sold his stock
to George Popple. In iS^L- Dan Paul canie to
the country and raised stock. He recognized
the possibilities of the coulee and settled down
to await for the incoming of settlers. When
they came his honesty and personality won their
warmest respect and in 1896 he was elected
senator in which position he served until 1900.
Others who dated their settlement in this part
of the county in 1883 were John O'Flaherty,
Charles Yungck, P. J. Young, Anthony Rusho,
Frank Rusho, F. H. Bosworth and Frank Day.
In the extreme eastern portion of Douglas
county among the very first settlers were Kerby
and Sherlock, who in the fall of 1882 did their
first work toward establishing their residences
a few miles southwest of what is known as the
California settlement, which is just over the
line in Lincoln county, both Douglas and Lin-
coln counties then being part of Spokane coun-
ty. These were immediately followed by James
Fulton, James Heathman, John O'Niel, Will-
iam Scully, Edward Schrock, James Schrock,
James Jump and eight or ten others.
In 1883 a few more settlers came to the
coulee portion of the country, among them
John R. Lewis, who arrived in the spring of
that year. From Mr. Lewis we learn that when
he came there were in the whole of eastern
Douglas county the following people: Jack
Harding, near Steamboat Rock, Philip Mc-
Entee, where Coulee City now stands, Dan
Paul, Tony Richardson, George and Donald
Urquhart, George Popple and "Bub" Duffield,
in the Wilson Creek country. These men were
all stock men and the thought that crops could
be raised in this soil never entered their heads.
An interesting item in the history of Doug-
las county during the year 1883 was the prairie
fire which took place the latter part of June.
Stockmen who lived in the country at that time
tell us that the prairie country east of Grand
Coulee was covered with a rich growth of
grass, such as was never seen after that time.
The fire was originated by Indians in the coulee.
It got beyond their control and before the
flames could be checked the entire territory east
of the coulee as far as where Almira now stands
was burned over. The few stock raisers in the
country turned out, fought the fierce flames,
and finally succeeded in stopping their ravages.
No damage was done except to the grass. A
prairie fire in June may appear peculiar in the
east, but those who took an active part in sub-
jugating these flames say that the grass burned
like dry hay.
It was also in 1883 that the pioneers of
Douglas county passed through the incipient
stages of an Indian scare. The population of
the entire territory now embraced in Douglas
county would not much exceed one hundred.
The Indians did not take kindly to the arrival
of the few stockmen who came in 1 883 and for
a time it looked as though there would be seri-
ous trouble. A few became alarmed and bury-
ing what treasure they had moved to Sprague
until the trouble should have blown over. Five
hundred soldiers were sent to the threatened
district and during the summer of 1883 they
were stationed on Foster Creek, near the pres-
ent site of Bridgeport. These troops held the
hostile Indians in check and no outrages were
530
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
committed. The supressioii of the contempla-
ted outbreak was assisted by the report of Chief
IMoses who "returned from his trip to \\'ash-
ington, D. C. about this time. The Indians
of this vicinity ditl not reahze the strength of
the whites in numbers, and beheved that the
white race consisted of the people with whom
they came in contact, or of whom they had
heard from the tribes in the vicinity. Chief
Moses on his trip was compelled to realize the
overwhelming numbers of the whites, and his
report to his followers is said to have been sen-
sational. His people were mobilized on the
banks of the Columbia river. Seizing a hand-
ful of sand he exhibited it to the braves and
said :
"Siwashes." Then waving his arm in the
direction of the nmuntains, he continued :
"Boston men!"
The hint was taken, and upon the advice
of Moses the threatened outbreak was quelled
before the Indians were made to feel the power
of the whites, which were as mountains to a
handful of sand in comparison with the red
men.
So far we have spoken only of the settlers
of eastern Douglas county, or that portion lying
east of the Grand Coulee. We have found that
while, practically, the first settlers came in 1883,
there were a few stockmen in the county prior
to that time.
In that ]3ortion of the county west of the
Grand Coulee we find that before 1883 there
had never been a white settler. To Mr. Piatt
Corbaley belongs the distinguished honor of
being the first to locate west of the coulees. He
came in April. 1883, and took up his residence
just north of Badger Mountain, and only a
couple of miles southwest of the present town
of Waterville. With Mr. Corbaley were his
wife and wife's mother. Mrs. Mary Jefferson.
An interesting bit of historical data is a list of
names written by F. M. Alexander in Decem-
Ijer, 1883, the list being a census of those who
passed the winter of 1883-4 in the Badger
Mountain country. Being taken at the time,
it is, undoubtedly, correct, and in any case
more reliable than if the list were prepared from
memory at this late day. The names are :
Piatt Corbaley, Helen Corbaley, Ida Cor-
baley, (one year old), Mrs. Jefferson, Al Pier-
pont, O. H. Kimball, Peter Bracken, John Ban-
neck, Hector Patterson. Ferring, Charles Fer-
ring, Benjamin Ackers, F. M. Alexander, Her-
bert Corson, William Gould, Henry Calkins,
Captain H. A. Miles, J. W. Stephens, Robert
Halfhill, W. R. Wilson, Ed Hall, 'Major E. D.
Nash, Arch Borrowman, George Kneever, wife
and two children, Mr. Cooper, David Ford,
Smith Hardin, John Buzzard, Morris Buzzard,
Thomas Paine, wife (now Mrs. Akers), John
Paine, James Melvin, A. E. Cornell, Sam
McCoy, Peter Scott, James Cunningham, Mc-
Arthur, wife and two children, Burton, wife
and three children, (D. J. Titchenal, Louis Tit-
chenal, Frank Greene, Frank Kaufman, J.
Crawford, Howard Honor, Walter Mann,
Wright and family of nine, Taylor and wife.
In addition to these Mr. Alexander append-
ed a list of those who were in the country dur-
the summer, and fall, but who went out to spend
the winter. These were : H. N. Wilcox, Will-
iam Walters, Isaiah Brown, William Mitchell,
J. W. Adams, Hadley Barnhart, and Dickey.
This census which, practically, represented the
whole of the western portion of what is now
Douglas county, shows a population at that
time of less than eighty people.
That year will be remembered by all those
pioneers as one of privation and hanlship. It
was these people who demonstrated that the
country beyond the coulees was susceptible of
supporting a population. It was this handful
of early settlers that laid the foundations of
society, morality and commercialism upon
which others builded.
It was the timber on Badger Mountain that
encouraged the brave pioneers to attempt the
experiment of trying to build homes in western
Douglas county. But it was a tedious task to
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
531
hew out timber and liaiil it miles for houses.
Consequently Nash & Stephens undertook the
bold enterprise of hauling in a saw mill and lo-
cating it on Badger Mountain in 1883. As a
business investment the enterprise was a fail-
ure. The cost of keeping up repairs, freight-
ing in provisions and horse feed exceeded the
receipts for lumber. Settlers were glad of an
opportunity to work, and many secured the
lumber for their buildings by exchanging
work at the mill.
J. H. Christianson was one of the 1883 set-
tlers in Douglas county, taking up his residence
in Moses Coulee. In a recent interview Mr.
Christianson said :
"Great changes have taken place in the'
county since I located here in 1883. At that
time Waterville was not on the map, but we
came to Okanogan City instead. In driving
from my place in the coulee to that town there
was not a single fence or road to guide travel-
ers. The only landmarks were distant buttes.
I was a bachelor the first few years of my resi-
dence in Moses Coulee and it is unnecessary to
say that I found it a lonely life. Many is the
time that if I could have conveniently arranged
it I would have deserted the country. But now
I am not sorry that I remained."
The first white child born in Douglas coun-
ty was Nellie Rusho, born November 24, 1883,
the daughter of Frank and Magdalene Rusho.
It was in 1883 that the first religious serv-
ices were held in Douglas county. Rev. Charles
Yungck, who settled in eastern Douglas county
that year, began holding services in German at
his house upon his arrival and for many years
thereafter held services regularly every week.
West of the Grand Coulee the first religious
service was held at Mr. Shannon's house and
conducted by Elder Richard Corbaley on May
8, 1884. There were present about twenty-
five people.
Pioneers of the Badger Mountain country
tell us that at quite on early date, presumably
in the fall of 1883 or spring of 1884, a small
store was located about one and one-half miles
south of the present site of Waterville on what
is now known as the William Fitch place. It
was continued until 1887, when the enterprise
was abandoned. This store was conducted by
W. S. Crouch. Only a small stock of goods
was carried.
The bill creating the county of Douglas was
approved by the governor November 28, 1883.
We shall now discuss the conditions of the
county on this date and the causes that led to
the formation of the county.
At the time of the organization of the coun-
ty the population was small, dififerent authori-
ties placing the number at figures ranging from
50 to 150. R. S. Steiner, who arrived in the
county in the spring of 1884 places the number
at about 50, while ex-Sheriff S. C. Robins, who
arrived at the same time says, possibly 60.
Others estimated the number from 100 to 150.
From the list of names of persons who passed
the winter of 1883-4 in western Douglas coun-
ty, prepared by F. M. Alexander, we find that
he has nearly eighty names of men, women and
children in that portion of the county. There
certainly were not that many in the eastern
part of the county, but we believe there were
enough to bring the total to something over
100.
On the date the governor signed the bill
authorizing the creation of the county it con-
tained but one town. This was Okanogan,
which had been platted for the express purpose
of having a place to designate as the county
seat. This town consisted of one tent, and the
sole inhabitant was Walter Mann, who had
undertaken to "hold down" the site. There
was not a store, postoffice, saloon, or black-
smith shop, a railway train or a stage line in
the whole territory to be subsequently known
as Douglas county, a territory as large as the
state of Connecticut.
In a previous chapter the dififerent county
formations and divisions of eastern Washing-
I ton have been traced from the act of 1846, au-
532
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
thorizing the creation of Walla Walla county,
to 1883, when Spokane county was divided,
the western portion becoming Lincoln and
Douglas counties. We find at the 1883 ses-
sion of the Washington Territorial Legislature
that the territory which now embraces Lincoln
and Douglas counties was cut off from Spo-
kane county and given the name of Lincoln
county. But before the session adjourned the
western portion of Lincoln was cut off and
authority given for the organization of a new
county to be known as Douglas. The question
naturally arose, "Why?" Under what kind of
a spell were the Washington legislators brought
that they should authorize the creation of a
county containing, say, only 100 inhabitants,
counting men, women and children ?
The answer in three words is. "J. ^^'.
Adams." It was through the influence of J.
W. Adams that the county of Douglas was
formed ; that Okanogan was named as the coun-
ty seat, and that several other things connected
with the early history of the county occurred.
Mr. Adams was a professional townsite boomer
from Kansas. He was a man with a knack
of doing things, and having aft'airs go his way
politically whenever they jumped with his
plans. Mr. Adams came to the Territory of
Washington and was pleased with the country.
The legislature which was in session at the time
appeared to him to have gone mad on county
division schemes. He conceived the idea of
having a county all his own formed. He asso-
ciated with him Walter Mann, and H. A. Mey-
ers under the firm name of Adams, Mann &
Company, and having placed script on land in
the western part of the proposed county, six
miles east of the present town of Waterville,
the company platted the townsite of Okanogan.
Of this firm Mr. Adams was the prime mover
— the mainspring of the combination. He re-
mained in the county until the autumn of 1886.
when, his plans having failed, he left the coun-
try. Walter Mann remained in the county and
became a respected and influential citizen,
leaving only a few years ago to take up his resi-
dence on the Sound. Mr. ]\leyers was a resi-
dent of Illinois and although he was named as
one of the commissioners of the new county
and was present at the first meeting, he was
never a resident of the Territory.
Following is the organic act which ]\Ir.
Adams and his associates succeeded in having
passed by the legislature :
"An Act to organize the county of Doug-
las.
"Sec. I. Be it enacted by the Legislative
Assembly of the Territory of Washington :
That all that portion of the county of Lincoln
described as follows, towit : Beginning at the
point where the Columbia guide meridian in-
tersects the Columbia river on the northern
boundary of Lincoln covmty; and thence run-
ning south on said Columbia guide meridian to^
the township line between townships Nos. 16
and 17; thence running west on said township
line to the range line between ranges 27 and 28 ;
thence south on said range line to the section
line between sections 24 and 25 in township 14,
north ; range 27 east ; thence west on said sec-
tion line to the mid-channel of the Columbia
river, thence up said channel of said river to
the place of beginning, shall be known and
designated as the county of Douglas.
"Sec. 2. That J. W. Adams, H. A. Mey-
ers and P. M. Corbaley are hereby appointed
commissioners of said county of Douglas.
"Sec. 3. The county commissioners above
named are hereby authorized within ninety
days after the approval of this act, and upon ten
days notice by said commissioners, to meet at
the county seat of said county, to qualify and
enter upon the duties of their ofifice; and the
said commissioners are hereby authorized and
empowered to appoint all county officers, in-
cluding a county attorney and justices of the
peace and constables and all precinct officers.
And said county commissioners, and the county
and precinct officers, so appointed by them,
shall hold their offices and discharge their du-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
533
ties therefore until the next general election,
and until their successors are elected and ciuali-
fied. And the said county and precinct officers
shall receive for their services the same fees as
are provided by the statutes of Washington
Territory for other counties.
"Sec. 4. The county seat of the county of
Douglas is hereby located at the town of Okan-
ogan, until the next general election, at which
time the permanent location of the county seat
shall be submitted to the qualified electors of
said county, and the place receiving a majority
of all votes cast at said election shall be the
county seat of said county.
"Sec. 5. The county of Douglas shall be
attached to the county of Lincoln for legisla-
tive and judicial purposes until otherwise pro-
vided by law.
"Sec. 6. All acts and parts of acts in con-
flict with this act are hereby repealed.
"Sec. 7. This act shall take effect from
and after its passage and approval.
"Approved November 28, 1883."
February 28, 1884, Colonel H. A. Meyers,
and Captain J. W. Adams, two of the commis-
sioners named in the act creating the county,
met at Okanogan, which had been named as the
temporary county seat. It is doubtful if the
initial meeting of any law-making body was
ever held under more, inauspicuous circum-
stances. Okanogan, the county seat was a
platted town. Here, in a tent, since the pre-
ceding fall, had lived Walter Mann who was
''holding down" the location. This tent was
the only "building" in the town, and in it the
first session of the board of commissioners of
Douglas county was held. P. M. Corbaley,
the other commissioner, was not present at the
meeting which was adjourned without trans-
acting any business, the two commissioners
awaiting the arrival of their colleague. On the
29th all three of the members were present and
the organization of Douglas county was per-
fected. The board appointed the county offi-
cials, a list of whom will be found in the poli-
tical ciiapter devoted to Douglas county. The
commissioners" journal in reporting this initial
meeting of the Douglas county board states that
Colonel Meyers was elected chairman, but his
removal from the county created a vacancy. His
place was filled by the appointment of David
Soper at the succeeding meeting of the board,
which was not held until September 6th. At
that time J. W. Adams was elected chairman
which position he continued to hold until the
beginning of 1885.
The formation of the county government
created a "boom" in the vicinity of the place
named as the county seat, and it was a wild
one. The entire country contiguous to the
scanty settlement was staked solid. Okanogan
City was to be a metropolis. Literature de-
scribing the resources of the country was scat-
tered broadcast. One circular contained the
statement that every quarter-section of land
had at least one good spring and that there was
living water all over the country. But this
water was a myth. When it was discovered,
with dismay, that water could not be procured
in this vicinity the locators drifted to other sec-
tions of the county where it could be found and
not one claim in ten was proved up by the ori-
ginal locators.
As the town of Okanogan was the only one
in the county at this time, and as the history of
the county was centered here for the next few
years, we shall gWe a short sketch of the place
which Adams, Mann & Company tried so hard
to convert into a city. The townsite was platted
in the autumn of 1883. Then Mr. Mann
erected his tent and there passed the winter.
But in the spring of 1884 more permanent im-
provements were made at the county seat. It
was in April that Mr. B. L. Martin was in-
duced to cast his lot in the new city. At that
period he completed a store building 24x36
feet, the first edifice in town, and this he stocked
with goods. While Okanogan remained the
county seat this building was used as a court
house and Mr. Martin was made auditor. It
534
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
was during the summer or fall of the same year
that the second building was erected. This was
a hotel and is said to have been a first-class
hostelry, all things considered. About the same
time Mr. Mann erected a dwelling house. One
or two other residences were put up and these
completed the town of Okanogan. It was not
until the fall of 1884 that a postoffice was se-
cured for the county seat. B. L. Martin was
appointed postmaster. Prior to that time mail
for Douglas county residents was secured by
way of Spokane Falls and it was brought in
quite irregularly by freighters who occasion-
ally made trips to the Falls city for supplies.
For this service settlers paid thirty-five cents a
letter.
Okanogan continued to hold a place on the
map until the spring of 1887, when, losing
the county seat, it lost its identity as a town.
B. L. Martin closed his store and he, Walter
Alann and F. H. Bosworth, the only bona fide
residents of the place sought other localities.
With one exception all the buildings were sold
to ranchers living in the vicinity, who utilized
them for farm buildings. The one exception
was the residence of Walter Mann which re-
mained to mark the spot where once was Okan-
ogan until a few years ago, when Mr. Mann
moved it to Waterville and used the material
in the construction of a new home. The down-
fall of Okanogan was entirely due to lack of
water. When J. \V. Adams and his associates
came to western Spokane county and like Cecil
Rhodes, started in to "build an empire," they
neglected to ascertain if water could be pro-
cured. It was a fatal mistake. Only after the
script had been placed on the land, the townsite
platted and the "town" designated as the county
seat was an effort made to secure water. Then
to the chagrin of these boomers was it found
that water was not easy to obtain. One or two
holes had been dug to a depth of 60 or 80
feet but not a sign of water was discovered.
Affairs looked desperate. In the summer of
1885 a last and thorough attempt was made to
secure water. A well-drilling machine was
brought in by Jack Lockwood and throughout
the summer this was at work in Okanogan. A
hole 285 feet deep was the result and no water.
From that time on Okanogan was doomed.
Where before settlers were pouring into the
country in response to the glowing accounts of
the country as advertised by Adams, Mann &
Company, they now would come, gaze down
into the earth 285 feet, and then leave the coun-
try. Prospective settlers who came to the vi-
cinity of Okanogan with the expectation of
finding things as advertised, were led to believe
that the whole country was in the same pre-
dicament and many did not stop to investigate
in other portions of the county, but immediately
pulled out, and doubtless gave Douglas county
considerable free advertising as the result of
their trip. One of the stories these disappoint-
ed homeseekers would tell in all seriousness
was to the effect that it was a customary sight
to see posted on the doors of settlers' cabins,
the sign: "Gone for water; will be back in a
week."
The year 1884 did not witness many excit-
ing events in Douglas county. A number of
new settlers came most of whom located in the
Badger, Mountain country. It was during this
year that the first postoffice in the county was
established. It was at Piatt Corbaley's house,
near the foot of Badger Mountain. It \vas
called Badger postoffice and Mr. Corbaley
was postmaster. The first mail route into
Douglas county was opened in 1884, Badger
postoffice being the western terminus, and
Brents, an office in western Lincohi county the
eastern terminus.
The first death to occur in the county was
that of Harvey Day, living east of Grand Cou-
lee, June 26, 1884.
March 15, 1888, the Big Bend Empire said :
"Rev. Richard Corbaley returned from Spo-
kane a few days ago where he had passed the
winter. He made us a pleasant call Tuesday.
During the conversation he infonnecl us that
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
535
he conducted the first reHgious service, preached
the first funeral sermon and married the first
couple in Douglas county — in 1884. Some-
time in the misty future the searcher of histor-
ical reminiscences will come across this item
which will contribute to the pages of Dogulas
county historical lore."
It will be remembered that the act creating
Douglas county provided for the temporary lo-
cation of the county seat at Okanogan, and that
at the next general election the qualified elec-
tors should decide where the permanent county
capital should be located. The failure of the
Okanogan crowd to make good, in the matter,
of water, led to the establishment of another
town in the Badger Mountain country, which
should become a candidate for the county seat.
This was at the November election of 1884.
This town was named Nashland, in honor of
Major E. D. Nash, one of the pioneers of the
county. Mr. Nash during the early days was
engaged in freighting goods from Spokane
Falls to the Badger Mountain country. At
this period he was financially embarrassed and
was often compelled to borrow money with
which to make the trip. Occasionally he would
purchase some of the necessities of life on his
own account and dispose of them to the settlers,
making a fair profit on each lot. It was in the
autumn of 1884 that Mr. Nash built a small
building near Mr. Piatt Corbaley's place (which
building still stands), and established a store.
Thus Mr. Nash becomes distinguished as the,
pioneer merchant of the Big Bend. Here he
laid the foundation for his future success as a
merchant. By fair dealing and accommoda-
tions to his fellow pioneers he made, and re-
tained, many friends.
The Badger postoffice was transferred from
Mr. Corbaley's house and Mr. Nash became
postmaster. This initial ofifice of Douglas
county continud to exist until April, 1890.
Synchronous with the opening of Mr. Nash's
store a gentleman named Huff started a black-
smith shop near Mr,. Nash's place of business.
It was here that the Badger Mountain settlers
decided to locate the permanent county seat.
Accordingly Nashland was platted in the fall
of 1884, being the first townsite platted
in the county following its creation. It
was laid out October 27, 1884, by Lucian
B. Nash and Laura Nash, his wife. The
townsite consisted of sixteen blocks. The
streets were First, Second, Third and
Fourth, and the avenues Jefferson, Curry,
Armstrong and Corbaley. The plat was not
filed for record until November 3, 1886, just
before the election for the removal of the county
seat. Nashland remained a townsite until Feb-
ruary 4, 1889, when on petition of Piatt Cor-
balej', and others, is was ordered vacated by the
county commissioners.
The only contestants for the county seat
at this election were Okanogan and Nashland.
Data relating to this election is unobtainable.
The county records are silent upon the subject.
But from a number of residents of the county
at the time we learn that a lively contest was
waged and that Okanogan was successful by a
majority of one vote only.
The very earliest pioneers of eastern Doug-
las county devoted their whole energies to
stock growing, not believing that the soil would
produce a crop. John R. Lewis, in 1884, mere-
ly in the nature of an experiment, sowed ten
acres of wheat, the seed of which he had pro-
cured the preceding 3'ear from east of Daven-
port. Mr. Lewis' account of the harvesting of
this, the first crop ever raised in Douglas coun-
ty east of the Coulees, is interesting. Follow-
ing the cutting of the grain he stacked it and
built a corral around the stack. Into this he
turned a small band of cayuses, and the thresh-
ing of the grain was accomplished by the ani- '
mals treading upon it, which from time to time
was thrown to the ground from the stack in
small quantities. In course of time the entire
crop was threshed. Then came the more diffi-
cult task of cleaning the grain. This was ac-
complished by utilizing the wind, the grain
536
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
being spread out on a smooth surface, and after
several weeks labor it was perfectly clean and
ready for market. Mr. Lewis disposed of the
yield to settlers in the Voorhees country. That
was the genesis. Thereafter others tried their
"prentice hands" at grain raising, at first on an
exceedingly small scale, but it was demonstrat-
ed beyond a doubt that what had before been
considered only a stock-raising country, would
certainly produce excellent crops of grain. Sub-
sequently the flail came into use for threshing
purposes; this was followed by horse-power;
threshers ; then steam ; and then came the grand
achievement of the present, the combination
harvester and thresher. Truly, a wonderful
advance from Mr. Lewis's cayuses.
In 1885 a few more adventurers were added
to the settlement in western Douglas county.
Among these were Judge J. M. Snow, the
Brownfield Brothers, O. Ruud, A. T. Greene,
Edwin Wallberg, T. N. Ogle, and W. H. An-
derson and some others. It was during the
summer of this year that the first marriage
ceremony in Douglas county was performed.
The contracting parties were Jesse Wallace
and Jessie Soper. The ceremony was per-
formed by Elder Richard Corbaley. The year.
1885 also brought Jacob Bunger, a representa-
tive type of a prosperous German farmer. He
settled near the old town of Okanogan. Mr.
Bunger was instrumental in attracting a colony
of German citizens, who settled near Okan-
ogan, and formed one of the most thrifty set-
tlements in eastern Washington Territory in
the early days. Nat James and the Ernst
Brothers came in 1885. There are undoubted-
ly others whose names should have Ijeen en-
rolled on the pages of early history of Douglas
county. During this year the first death to
occur west of the coulees was that of Thomas
Jerdon, who passed away May 3d. Funeral
services were held by Elder Corbaley.
There were two settlements in the Badger
Mountain country in the pioneer days. One
was known as "Sour Dough Flat," and the
other "Thieves' Gulch." F. M. Alexander is
quoted in the Douglas County Press as follows
concerning these settlements :
"You have doubtless heard of 'Sour Dough
Flat.' All the old timers know of it. This
name was applied to the settlement around
Waterville and was occasioned by the bachelor
habit of making the celebrated sour dough
bread. We were the 'sour doughers,' and in
retaliation the settlement on the mountain
toward Titchenal's was called 'Thieves' Gulch.'
A. T. Greene, James Melvin, the Wilcox
Brothers, Colonel Cornell, William Walters,
Buzzard Brothers, Al. Pierpont, Boise Broth-
ers, Smith, Hardis, Sanford Hundley and my-
self were members of the 'sour dough' fra-
ternity. The first census taken showed seven-
teen single men and one single woman."
On of the pleasing incidents of early days
in Douglas county, a sharp contrast to the un-
eventful life led by the pioneers of this new
country, was a Fourth of July celebration held
on Badger Mountain in 1885. The exercises
were held under the trees at Nash &
Stephens saw mill. R. S. Steiner was orator
of the day, and he delivered a very able
address. There was vocal and instru-
mental music. One of the settlers possessed a
little organ, whose strains accompanied the
sweet voices of the singers. The singing of
Mrs. B. L. Martin was one of the pleasing
features of the days' entertainment. Follow-
ing the exercises the company dined, each one
having brought lunch. This was, undoubtedly,
the most generally attended meeting ever held
in Douglas county up to date. Although the
number present was estimated at less than 100,
it is said that every one living in western Doug-
las county was present. Two men were at w(irk
part of the day putting up hay, but a com-
mittee waited on them, and later they made
their appearance on the festive scene, thus mak-
ing it unanimous.
The assessment rolls of Douglas county for
the year 1S85, the first taken 'in the county,
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
537
show that an even 239 residents were assessed.
The number of acres of land in the county
represented on the rolls was 8,250, and of these
but 191 acres were improved. Of course the
bulk of the land had not yet been patented and
therefore was not assessable. The total cash
value of all the land assessed was placed at
$20,447.50, and the cash value of all improve-
ments was $920.00. The aggregate cash value
of all personal property was $117,332.80,
making a total valuation of all property as-
sessed of $138,700.30. The total amount of
taxes for the j^ear amounted to $3,421.57. Fol-
lowing is the list of all names appearing on the
rolls and the amount of taxes paid by each :
J. W. Adams $061
Jordan estate 3 8°
Benj. Akers 6 30
F. M. Alexander 6 14
W. P. Baldwin 13 5°
S. Banihart 4 22
W. E. Barber 3 45
George Bechtoed 2 04
G. INI. Bowker ig 82
F. H. Bosworth 2 74
R. W. Bonwell 3 42
A. W. Borrowman 2 99
Ed Brockhausen 25
J. M. Brownfield 5 67
C. D. Bradshaw 25
Peter Brackin 2 84
Eva C. Brown 25
I. Brown 1303
Thos. Burke & Sons 12 12
M. W. Buzzard 4 5i
N. O. Carter 11 50
J. H. Christianson 481
Chang Syig Yuen 14 62
John Clawson 11 53
Orville Clark 7 01
Collins & Davis 4 05
Caleb Cooper 2 27
N. M. Corbaley 64 57
W. G. Corbaley 8 55
Richard Corbaley 90
A. L. Corbaley 2 78
S. A. Coyle 3 69
E. A. Cornell 4 04
W, T. Henne 9 So
J. E. Heathman 9 27
W. B. Holbert 25
J. E. Hetley 42/
Joseph Heoshnier 25
John Huff $242
H. H. Huff I 01
Smith Harding i 67
S. Hundley 7 70
John Hardy 126 61
W. F. Hall 6 23
R. H. Hoernig 4 74
Captain John H. Jack 27
James Jump 10 69
Alice E. Jones 3 32
John Jetneck 6 00
Jamison & Leach 42 75
Frank Kaufman 3 67
Patrick Kelley 6 40
O. H. Kimball 5 64
Robert Kirby 4 75
J. H. Kincaid 5 94
George Kunever 3 54
Earnest Komer 61
F. B. Lewis 61
Lilley 48
J. W. Livers 2 37
James Lammon 7 13
Daniel E. Leahy 27 64
G. C. Alexander 3 55
L. W. Armstrong 64 61
R. M. Bacon 10 45
J. A. Banneck 18 37
H. F.Gowley 14
J. Coby 2 72-
Eli Collins II 50
W. S. Crouch 19 61
O. A. Dale i 47
William Davis 25
B. F Dewey 5 59
Joan Delvy 61
Frank Dickey 9 SO
John Dickey 14
Frank Day 831
Robert Dunn 107 74
L. F. Dutwiler 2 35
William Domese 3 85
R. F. Duffield 8 32
John Ennis 53 45
Ole Erlands'on i 20
J. E. Erwin 6 05
John Eddon 6 54
Robert Fresher 25
Thomas B. Fulton I7 01
Walter France 48
D. H. Ford 61
W. H. Greenburg 25
L. C. Gandy 4 52
Gillispie & Snow 3 61
J. E. Hall 3 22
W. Hadley 9 50
.A.. ;\I. Horton 9 50
Walter ]Mann I7 30
538
HISTORY OF THE EIG BEND COUNTRY.
D. W. Martin . . $o 37
B. L. Martin 26 72
H. A. Meyers 2 74
James Melvin 4 29
H. A. Miles 481
Richard Miles i 50
W. W. Mitchell 5 19
M. :Miller 8 40
John F. Mohr 14
Charles W. Mohr 14
Samuel McCoy 6 17
Hugh McCool 35 63
Philip McEntee Iii 02
C. H. McCollaugh 2 62
H. K. Newland i 19
Newland, Druinheller & Co 362 10
E. D. Nash 6 28
Nash & Stephens 57 90
John O'Neil 16 96
Osborn Brothers II 59
Stephen Olney 60 13
Edward Owens 8 58
R. B. Okner & Bro 5 67
John O'Flaherty 6 86
O'Neil & Scully . . . ; 4 05
H. Patterson 6 94
George Popple 161 16
Dan Paul 71 25
L, Lyon 95
M. Lambert 5 25
Alfred Pierpont 5 93
D. R. Peeler 14
Thomas Payne 4 72
David Richard? 2 ^2
Frank Rusho 36 26
Anthony Rusho 17 06
O. Ruud 5 90
H. A. Powell 9 05
R. R. Rounds 2 99
George R. Roberts 6 95
R. B. Roberts i 67
S. C. Robins 2 76
Robins & Steiner 3 25
H. P. Reeyes 48
Tony F. Richardson 23 38
Richardson & Bowker 7 94
Oscar Redfield 2 70
R. S. Steiner 2 87
F. S. Steiner 4 89
Israel Sanford 5 46
Lilley Sanford 4 89
Schuster i t^2
Thomas Snyder 2 yz
Snyder & Richards 3 80
J. W. Stephen* 76
John Stephens 2 38
William Savage 216 13
J. II. Sutherland 15 73
E. F. Shrock $15 50
James P. Shrock : 7 70
Charles A. Wilcox g 54
G. L. Williams 149 40
M. W. Wi.xson 7 55
W. A. Whir.rey 4 72
William B. Whitmore 20 92
W. H. White 3 69
Woolen 61
A. H. Youngk 2 15
P. J. Youngk 15 74
Charles F. Youngk 8 13
Jacob F. Youngk 38
Frank Zeigler 14
John Zimmerman 5 95
Frank Zuchlke 7 00
Michael Buckley 9 50
Charles J. Biesner 9 50
James F. Bybee 9 50
John Biesner 9 50
iNIary Day 9 50
Lewis Griffith 9 50
James Day 9 50
Robert Kirby 9 50
George W. Long 9 50
Gabriel Justice 9 50
Thomas H. Marshall 9 50
Horace Parker : 56 05
F. A. Powers' 3 3S
J. W. Shannon 8 80
Charles M. Sprague 4 88
David Soper 3 34
James Skey 2 61
John H. Smith 5 09
H. B. Thompson 54
Williain Tipler 2 85
William Tipler & Co 6 15
Louis Titchenal 12 '>fi
Norman Titchenal 72
D. J. Titchenal 10 37
C. G. Tibbits 54
Donald Urquhart 10 97
Urquhart Brothers 263 99
J. R. Kent .*. . 7 70
A. Wallace 2 99
J. C. Wallace 4 05
William Watters 2 56
R. J. Waters 3 94
R. P. Webb I 48.
Edward Walburg 6r
Webb & Thompson 4 81
David Wilson II 39
A. Wilson 13
Wilson Brothers 4 28
G. C. Wilson 13 12
J. D. Wilson 6 53
L. G. Wilson II 98
William Wilson 3 90
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
539
H. N. Wilcox %7 22
John Norton 9 50
Thomas Mockler 9 50
Tony F. Richardson 9 50
Thomas F. McGowan 9 50
A. P. Cornell 9 50
J. H. Smith 9 50
Charles H. Stafford 9 5o
William Scully 9 50
Frank M, Rayburn 9 5°
Margaret McCann 9 50
Frank M. Wesley 9 50
Andrew Flynn 9 50
Eugene Whitney 9 5o
Thomas J. Wampler 9 50
John Lynch 9 39
Greene 95
John Burgland 2 99
H. L. Burgoyne i 20
E. Cornell 9 5°
Jeff Gilmer 9 5°
Joseph Hopp 9 50
Benedict Jannasson 9 50
Joseph W. Mitchell 9 5°
Joseph Murray 9 50
The first attempt to remove the capital of
Douglas county from Okanogan was made in
the spring of 1886. This plan was originated
by Commissioner Miles. His scheme was to
move to the lake near where the town of Doug-
las now stands, by action of the board of coun-
ty commissioners without consulting the wishes
of the people. This proposition was immed-
iately voted down by the other commissioners
who, evidently, were aware that tlie removal
would not be in accordance with law no matter
how badly they were in need of water. The
story IS briefly told in the report of the com-
missioners' proceedings for May 3, 1886:
"On motion of R. Miles, that the county
seat be moved to the lake, two and one-half
miles west and south to the lake, motion not
carried. R. Miles, yes (i), and F. H. Bos-
worth and Charles A. Wilcox, no (2)."'
An interesting incident in the history of
Douglas county was furnished in 1886. This
was trouble between sheep men and settlers
in the vicinity of Badger Mountain. In the
spring of that year George Popple and Jack
Walters, sheep men from the Crab Creek range,
drove into the Badger Mountain country a band
of 4,000 or 5,000 sheep. , Prior to this no
sheep had been in the vicinity and the settlers,
who invariably had a small band of cattle or
horses, did not take kindly to the invasion, and
were not at all modest in making their hostility
known. This was first displayed by the oc-
casional killing of sheep by shooting, with the
evident desire of discouraging the continuance
of the Badger Mountain countijy as a sheep
range.
This did not have the desired effect and
finally an indignation meeting was held by the
settlers at Nash's store, in "Nashland." A
committee was appointed to wait on the sheep-
men, requesting the removal of their flocks to
other pastures. This was done and the sheep
owners drove their flocks from the country.
Simultaneous with their departure there ap-
peared at different points on the mountain and
along the foothills fires which threatened to
destroy all the timber on the mountain. This
would have been a fatal disaster to the in-
terests of the country, and the fires also en-
dangered much other property. The disap-
pearance of the sheep men and the starting of
these fires is invariably told in one story by
the residents of the county who participated in
this exciting event. All the settlers turned out
and only after hard work were the fires over-
come, the damage that was done amounting to
many thousands of dollars. Never since that
period has western Douglas county been
utilized as a sheep range. Official notice was
taken of the starting of these disastrous fires
by the passage of the following resolution by
the board of county commissioners on May
6, 1886:
"Whereas, certain lawless persons, or per-
son, have willfully and maliciously set out fire
on and in the vicinity of Badger Mountain,
Douglas county, with intent to injure and de-
stroy the property of many of the citizens of
said coimty, and by reason of the setting out of
said fires not only thousands of dollars' worth
540
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
of personal property belonging to divers in-
dividuals was burned and more or less in-
jured, also destroying large quantities of tbe
standing timber on said mountain, being the
principal in said county upon which the citi-
zens rely for firewood and fencing, therefore
be it resolved that the board of commissioners
of said Douglas county do hereby ofTer a re-
ward of three hundred dollars ($300) to any
person or persons who will secure the appre-
hension and conviction of the person or per-
sons setting out the aforesaid fire, to be paid
out of the county treasury from any funds not
otherwise appropriated."
The offer of this reward did not result in
throwing any light on the matter. The inci-
dent is shrouded in the same mystery that pre-
vailed in 1886.
It was not until 1886 that the Foster Creek
section of the Big Bend received settlement.
Mr. and Mrs. Downey were the first couple to
locate on South Foster Creek. This was in
October, 188$. In October, 1887, W. H.
Knemeyer and wife located on the place now
owned by them. On East Foster Creek Mrs.
Patrick Haynes was the first woman. Those
were lonely, trying days to the new, struggling
settlers. All supplies were brought from
Ellensburg. At that period there was no
thought that Foster Creek could possibly be-
come the prosperous, thickly settled section that
it is today.
There may be a few counties in Washing-
ton that have not passed through a county seat
war. But they are not many. Douglas coun-
ty's came in 1886, and at the time created con-
siderable bitterness between the settlers on the
east side of Grand Coulee and those on the
west. This was caused by what the east Doug-
las county settlers termed the high-handed
methods of the county commissioners in throw-
ing out most of the east side votes. All bitter-
ness has now, however, disappeared, and lioth
factions can discuss the matter in an impartial
and unbiased manner. Whether the commit
sioners exceeded their authority in taking the
action they did we shall not attempt to say,
simply confining ourselves to the facts as they
they occurred. The reader must judge for
himself.
The fact that no water could be found in
the vicinity of Okanogan made it highly prob-
able that the county seat would not long re-
main in that place. And far-sighted people
were not long in laying plans for the impend-
ing removal. Through the influence of parties
in the Badger Mountain country the legisla-
ture of 1885-6 passed the following special
law :
"An act to provide for the location of the
county seat of Douglas County, Washington
Territory, by the vote of the qualified voters
of said county.
"Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly
of the Territory of Washington :
"Sec. I. That the qualified electors of the
county of Douglas are hereby aiithorized to
vote at the next general election for delegate
to Congress in the Territory in the year 1886,
for the location of the county seat of saidi
county, and the ofiicers of election shall re-
ceive said vote and make return thereof to the
county commissioners who shall canvass thel
same and announce the result in like manner
as the result of the vote for county officials.
"Sec. 2. That the place receiving a majority
of all the votes cast at said election in favor
of the location of the county seat is hereby
declared to be the county seat of Douglas
county.
"Sec. 3. All acts and parts of acts in con-
flict of this act are hereby repealed.
"Sec. 4. This act shall take effect from and
after its passage and approval by the gov-
ernor.
"Approved January 16, 1886."
It was during this year that A. T. Greene
and J. M. Snow planned the building of the
town of Waterville, so called because there
was water in the wells where it was proposed
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
541
to build the new town. Of course the removal
of the county seat to the new town entered into
their calculation and plans were laid to secure
it. Following the platting of the town of
Waterville by Judge Snow, in 1886, the spon-
sers for the new town announced that they
were going to remove the county seat. This
statement was made at the Democratic conven-
tion at Okanogan. All the friends of the new
town were on hand and a feature of the conven-
tion was a barrel of water hauled from Water-
ville to Okanogan, showing conclusively that
the boasted water of the new town was no
myth. The board of trustees of Waterville,
Judson Murray, John Bronwfield, and J. H.
Kincaid, announced that should Waterville be
selected as the capital of the county, they would
see that the county should have a free building
for two years. This was a bombshell in the
Okanogan camp, and the point was made in the
convention that this offer was a proposition to
bribe the people and in violation of Territorial
law.
This point is invariably raised in all county
seat contests, but the contention is, of course,
never sustained. Besides Waterville there were
interested in the race Douglas City, the cross-
ing of Grand Coulee, where the town of Coulee
City now stands, and Okanogan. On election
day there was a large vote and great interest
was taken in the contest. The vote on the lo-
cation of the county seat, at the regular elec-
tion of November, 1886, was not canvassed by
the old board of county commissioners, or at
least the result of the canvass was not officially
made, they, doubtless, desiring to shift the
responsibility onto the shoulders of the incom-
ing board. The new board made this their
first official act after their organization on May
2, 1887, a petition having been presented ask-
ing that the canvass be made. Following is
the official record of the findings of the board
in this exciting and sensational incident in the
history of Douglas county :
"Upon the presentation of a petition ask-
ing that the vote cast for county seat at the
general election held in Douglas county on the
2d day of November, 1886, be canvassed and
the result announced by the board of com-
missioners in accordance with section i, pages
454 and 455, session laws of 1885-6, it was
ordered that the record of commissioners' pro-
ceedings be examined to determine whether the
former board of commissioners had or had not
canvassed said vote as provided by law. Noth-
ing appearing upon such record showing that
the said vote had been canvassed, it was there-
fore ordered that the canvass be made forth-
with. After an examination of all the election
returns and the papers relating thereto, it w&s
announced by the board that the vote for coun-
ty seat of Douglas county at the above men-
tioned election was, and is as follows : "Water-
ville, 112 votes; Douglas City, 56; Okanogan,
7; Oneida, i; section 3, township 24, range
28, east, 5."
The "section 3, town 24, range 28 east,"
accredited with five votes, in the commission-
ers" canvass, was the Grand Coulee crossing
location. In addition to this vote counted by
the canvassers there were 75 votes cast for
"Grand Coulee" and a few for "Grand Coulee
Crossing," which were thrown out. This
action of throwing out this vote was defended
by the commissioners on the ground that the
location of a county seat according to law
must be at a place with definite boundaries.
Waterville, Okanogan and Douglas City were
platted towns and their vote was counted.
Section 3, town 24, range 28, east was held
by them to be a definite location and the few
votes for this place were counted. But the 75
votes cast for Grand Coulee was a different
proposition. Grand Coulee, as popularly in-
terpreted, was a huge gash in the earth some
50 miles long and of indefinite width. A
county seat located at "Grand Coulee" might
be anywhere in that territory. The vote for
"Grand Coulee Crossing" was thrown out on
similar grounds. The commissioners main-
542
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
tained that there were a number of Indian
trails across Grand Coulee and that they could
not determine which one of these was meant.
The total vote for the Grand Coulee loca-
tion, if all had been counted, would not have
been a majority, which was necessary to remove
from Okanogan. But had these been counted
neither would Waterville have had a majority
and the county seat would have remained at
Okanogan, a consummation not devoutly
wished. By throwing out all the "indefinite
and uncertain" location votes Waterville had a
majority.
After certifying to, and signing the result of
the canvass, the board passed the following
resolution May 2d, ordering the removal of the
county records.
"County Commissioners' Court, Douglas
County, Washington Territory: It appearing
from an official canvass of the vote for county
seat, cast at the general election held in Doug-
las county, Washington Territory, on the 2d
day of November, 1886, that Waterville has a
majority of all votes cast for county seat;
therefore, we, the county commissioners of
Douglas county, in conformity with an act en-
titled 'An Act to provide for the location of
the county seat of Douglas county, Washington
Territory, by the vote of the qualified electors
of said county." pages 454 and 455, session
laws of 1885-6, do hereby declare that the
county seat of said Douglas county is removed
from Okanogan and established at Waterville,
county and territory above written ; and it is
hereby ordered that all county officers required
b\' law to have and keep an office at the county
seat remove their said offices from Okanogan to
Waterville forthwith — and furthermore, re-
move all papers, records and other matter be-
longing to said county offices to the same place
above declared to be the county seat of Doug-
las county, Washington Territory.
"Seal. J. W. Stephens, P. J. Young, H.
N. Wilco.x."
The following day. May 3d, the board met
at Waterville. Their action in declaring Water-
\'ille the county seat was far from meeting the
approval of many residents of the county.
Among those who did not approve of the
action of the board was County Auditor R. S.
Steiner, who, w'hile he desired the county seat
to be removed to Waterville, did not consider
that a proper canvass oi the votes had been
made. He presented to the board at its first
meeting at Waterville the following letter :
"Okanogan, Washington Territory, May
3d, 1887 — To the Honorable Board of Com-
missioners of Douglas County, Washington
Territory : Gentlemen — I hereby decline to
comply with your order of May 2, 1887,
relative to the removal of the auditor's office
and the records therein from Okanogan to
Waterville, county and Territory above
written.
"R. S. Steiner,
"Auditor Douglas county."
This action of the auditor was met by the
commissioners by the following resolution :
"Board of County Commissioners, County
O'f Douglas, Territory of Washington : Where-
as, on the 2d day of May, 1887, by virtue of
the canvass duly made according to law of the
vote cast for the location of the county seat
of said Douglas county, said county seat was
declared removed to, and established at Water-
ville, in said county and Territory, and
"Whereas, R. S. Steiner, the auditor of
said Douglas county, did on the 3d day of
May. 1887. decline to comply with the general
order of removal issued by the board of county
commissioners to county officers, and does now
hold his office and keep the records thereof at
Okanogan, contrary to law and the order of
this board, to the great detriment of public busi-
ness, and especially the business of tlie board
of county commissioners, who are without
records or files, therefore,
"Be it ordered by the board of county com-
missioners in session assembled at Waterville,
in said Douglas county, that H. N. Wilcox, a
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
543
member of this board, proceed forthwith to
make apphcation to the Honorable Judge of
the District Court of the Fourth Judicial Dis-
trict, Washington Territory, for a writ of
Mandate to compel said R. S. Steiner, auditor
of said Douglas county to remo\"e his office
records and files forthwith to said established
county seat of Douglas county at Waterville,
or show cause why such removal should not
be made.
"Witness our hands and the seal of the
board of county commissioners of Douglas
county, Washington Territory, this 3d day of
May, A. D., 1887.
"J. W. Stephens,
"H. N. Wilcox,
"P. J. Young.
"County Commissioners."
The next meeting of the board was held on
May 23d, Mr. Wilcox reported that in com-
pliance with the order he had proceeded at once
to Sprague, the point at which the court for
the Fourth Judicial District held its terms, to
find that the said court had adjourned and that
the judge thereof had proceeded to Spokane
Falls. He thereupon interviewed the prose-
cuting attorney of the Fourth Judicial District,
who instructed him to return to Waterville and
issue an order to the sheriff, by authority of the
board, requiring said sheriff to remove the
county records, files, etc., from Okanogan tO'
Waterville. This order was issued to the sheriff
and that official executed the same.
During this sensational period the rival
factions kept a close watch on one another.
It was deemed best by the Waterville parties
to keep the mission of County Commissioner
Wilcox, a secret, and he left ostensibly, to
visit his timber claim, which was in another
direction from the road to Sprague. Mr. Wil-
cox, after making a trip out in the direction of
his claim, changed his course and headed for
Sprague. He was well on his journey when
he met one of the Okanogan sympathisers, who
was returning from a trip to Spokane Falls.
Greetings were exchanged and each proceeded
on his journey. The Okanogan man had his
suspicions aroused and when he reached home
he saw A. T. Greene and in an off hand way
stated that he had met Mr. Wilcox and won-
dered where he was going. Mr. Wilcox was
credited with intending to get married at an
early day, and Mr. Greene, not desiring to in-
form his questioner of the true mission upon
which the commissioners were engaged, turned
the attentions of his neighbor to good account,
in suggesting a probable reason for his visit to
Sprague. Mr. Greene thought a moment, and
then imparted the doubtful information that
Mr. Wilcox, being a county officer, it would be
natural for him to obtain a marriage license
from the clerk of the district court whose office
was at Sprague, and that perhaps was his mis-
sfbn to the Lincoln county capital.
"Why, of course; I might have thought of
that before," exclaimed the Okanogan sym-
pathiser, and he at once spread the news that
H. N. Wilcox had gone to Sprague to secure
a marriage license.
Sheriff Robins, in accordance with his in-
structions, went to Okanogan, loaded the coun-
ty's possessions on a wagon and brought them
to Waterville. The outfit consisted of a stove,
a home-made table, the commissioners' journal
and a very few books and papers of record.
This removal to Waterville was the ^.duse
of the passage of an act by the Territorial
Legislative Assembly in 1888. The legality of
the acts of the county commissioners and other
county officers was brought into question be-
cause of the alleged irregularities in counting
the vote for county seat location and the subse-
quent removal of the capital of Douglas county.
The act of the law-making Ixidy of the Terri-
tory regarding this matter was as follows :
"An Act legalizing the acts of the county
officers of Douglas county, Washington Terri-
tory :
"Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly
of the Territory of Washington :
544
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
"Sec. I. That all acts of all county officers
of Douglas county, Washington Territory,
done either at Okanogan or Waterville, in said
county, since the second day of November, A.
D., 1886, so far as said acts affect, or are af-
fected by the location of the county seat of
said Douglas county, be, and the same are
hereby declared and made legal.
"Sec. 2. This act shall take effect and be in
force from and after its passage and approval.
"Approved January 31, 1888."
This legislation was secured through the in-
fluence of Judge J. M. Snow, one of the most
ardent supporters of Waterville in the contest,
and who upheld the action of the commission-
ers in every particular. He repaired to Olym-
pia as a lobbyist and laid the matter before the
legislature in this light:
"Our commissioners have put us in a box.
They have moved the county seat from Okan-
ogan to Waterville, possibly without proper
authority. But at any rate, all kinds of trouble
is brewing for us unless the acts of the county
commissioners while in session at Waterville
are legalized."
The act was passed and, undoubtedly, saved
the county much litigation and expense.
When the county records were brought
down to Waterville from Okanogan the county
officials were confronted with the problem of
securing a court house. Buildings in Water-
ville at that period were not so plentiful as they
might have been, and had a newspaper been
published in the shire town of Douglas county
it could have said with hearty truthfulness,
"There is not a vacant building in the town."
But preparations had beenmadefor just such an
emergency. Isaac Newhouse had been induced
by J. M. Snow to erect a building which the
latter had agreed to rent, ostensibly for a real
estate office, but in reality to use as a court
house should the county seat be removed. This
was the second building erected in the town.
In this edifice the county business was trans-
acted until the handsome new court house was
presented to the county.
This little building when die county took
possession was roughly put up, without battens,
and daylight could be seen between the boards
in many places. A dry goods box was used as
a desk for the auditor and the commissioners
sat at a table made by placing boards on saw
horses, and in place of chairs the commissioners
sat on the ends of the "horses." Of course
better accommodations were added later, but
for some time the condition above described'
prevailed. This building was, also, the post-
office, and Judge Snow used the rear portion
as an office. During this period of the county's
history business was not rushing. No deputies
were allowed, nor were they necessary. On
one occasion, so we are reliably informed, all
the regular county officers went off on a vaca-
tion of several weeks. R. W. Starr, then a resi-
dent of the county, for only about six weeks,
was deputized as auditor, clerk, treasurer and
probate judge, and creditably performed the
duties of all four offices until the return of the
regular county officials. One can imagine the
consternation that would be created by an act
of this kind at the present day. But then con-
ditions were vastly different. The tax payers
of the county had their affairs managed in a
manner satisfactory to them, and the slight
irregularity of a resident of the county of only
a few weeks' standing presiding over most of
the county offices for a period of a few weeks,
more or less, did not cause a ripple of protest.
^^g^gfg^!m^m^^
ROUNDING UP HORSES IN DOUGLAS COUNTY
BRANDING HORSES IN GRAND COULEE, DOUGLAS COUNTY
CHAPTER II.
15;^3478
CURRENT EVENTS— 1886 TO 1904.
Following the advent of the first settlers in
Douglas county in 1883 there was for several
years little immigration. But during the
years 1886, 1887 and 1888 there was an inflow
of settlers who came in advance of the Central
Washington railroad, which it was thought
would build through the county. No one be-
lieved that the road would not push on to a
destination in the heart of the rich, virgin terri-
tory, and the railroad promoters, to all intents
and purposes, themselves entertained the idea,
vmtil complications arose and financial diffi-
culties appeared which blocked progress and
the railroad stopped on the eastern edge of the
county.
Many settlers came in 1887. That was the
banner year up to that period. Nearly all
came into the county by way of Ellensburg,
that being the nearest railroad point prior to
the building of the Central Washington a few
years later. There were lively times in Coulee
City during the summer of 1888. The Central
Washington, backed by the Northern Pacific
Company, and the Seattle & Lake Shore were
each striving for the supremacy — sparring for
position. Approaching from the east there
were scarcely two equally accessible points of
entry, and going out on the west side the task
was still more difficult for parallel lines, and
at a point about one and one-half miles west
of town the problem was most discouraging for
two to "pass through the gate at once."
Each company had a large crew of men at
work and considerable ill-feeling arose during
the grading at the east side of town — each com-
pany striving all the time to hold the right of
way on the best ground. At one point, just
outside the yard limits the Seattle, Lake Shore
& Eastern graded squarely across the other
track, raising their roadbed some six or eight
feet above that of the Central Washington.
It looked as if a collision was certain to come
whenever the S. L. S. & E. filled up the gap
over the other track with either earth or trestle
work. That time of trouble was postponed
owing to the forces being hurried forward to
the more inaccessible spot west of the town of
Coulee City. There a rocky barrier arose in the
form of a ridge which the lines must pierce,
while there was one low gap just beyond an
opening in the rocks, scarcely wide enough for
two lines to be laid parallel without one, or
both, being forced to excavate a cut on one or
both sides, well into a rock wall ten to fifteen
feet high. There was room for one track
which would require only a shallow cut. Both
companies hurried forward with feverish haste,
each striving to gain the gap, and pre-empt the
passage, and the superintendents of the work
took no greater interest in the race than did
their men. White man and dago each felt a
personal interest in the outcome, and each crew
of workmen looked upon the other as an inter-
loper — an antagonist to be beaten by any
means, fair or foul.
The Central Washington line runs direct
from town to that rock cut, while the route
of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern swung
around from the north side and approached
the cut at an acute angle, coming from the
northeast. As the two grades approached
closer together and nearer the objective point,
546
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
the feeling grew intense; the situation became
critical. Each party sought to gain possession
of the whole ground, and neither dared vacate
for a moment. Each worked a double shift
night and day. There was only a narrow back-
bone of rock left between the two cuts and
soon the S. L. S. & E. would strike into the
other which had kept a slight lead. The work
in progress was on ground inside of Senator
Dan Paul's homestead and the time was just
in haying season. Senator Paul was making
hay in the field close by, and he and his men
were witnesses of performances daily for some
time which fall to the lot of few to see in
a lifetime. Each crew was doing all in its
power to interrupt the labors of the other, and
watching for an opportunity to take possession
of the whole ground. One would drill a hoie,
tamp in a shot of giant powder, light the fuse
and shout "fire!" Of course everybody had to
run, but they all scrambled back before the
rocks had scarcely ceased falling, and the other
fellows had their shot in ready to fire before
ven,' much work could be accomplished. That
kind of work could not long continue, of course,
but the climax came without culminating in a
general riot, though it missed it only by a
hair. Much of the excavated rock was carted
back and dumped o\-er the low wall into the
lower ground — in fact the Central Washington
Company completed the fill and trestle clear
back over the swamps, and track was laid nearly
to the cut.
When affairs had reached an extremely
high tension a jnan named Malone, working
with the S., L. S. & E. gang, backed his horse
and cart against two or three of the Central
Washington workmen, and pushed them over
the little hill. The foreman of that side stepped
up quickly, catching the horse by the bridle and
remonstrated with Malone, telling him that he
was taking an unfair advantage. The fore-
man's action was the signal for a big rush of
dagos and whites from the S.. L. S. & E. cut.
all brandishing picks, shovels, and other im-
provised weapons and all chattering angrily.
The Central Washington foreman was just as
quickly backed up by the workmen from his
side, and for awhile it looked like war. Every-
body was ready for a fight, but somehow the
crisis was passed without bloodshed. After
consideration convinced the foreman that fur-
ther operations were dangerous in the present
humor of the men, so they reported conditions
to headquarters at Spokane, but as the only
means of communication was a messenger on
horseback, they called a truce and sat down to
await orders. Neither dared vacate, so the
day and night shifts of the two companies sat
in their respective cuts and held the fort. The
haymakers down in the field could hear the men
telling stories and singing songs any time of
the night. Plenty of rest, three meals a day
and wages drawn regularly put the men all in
good humor, and animosities were all forgot-
ten. After weeks of waiting and guard duty,
the camp was vacated; all the men were called
ofY. The companies had arrived at some kind
of a compromise ; work was suspended and re-
mains so to this day. The rock cut is just as
it was when those men were pushed off the
grade and marks the peaceful ending of what
came perilously near being a bloody riot.
By an act of the Legislative Assembly of
Washington Territory, approved January 28,
1888, the district court of the county of Doug-
las was created. On the loth day of Septem-
ber, 1888, the first court convened at Water-
ville. The officers in attendance were Hon.
L. B. Nash, associate justice of the supreme
court of Washington Territory, and judge of
the fourth judicial district; N. T. Caton, prose-
cuting attorney for the counties of Douglas,
Adams and Lincoln ; R. S. Steiner, clerk of
court: and L. C. Robins, sheriff. Nat James
and E. A. Cornell were made bailiffs.
The following citizens were chosen to
serve as the first grand jurors : Edmund Burke,
J. P. Schrock, Frank Rusho, William Scully,
W. P. Thomson, Patrick Haynes, R. J. Waters,
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
547
D. H. Ford, William Crisp, Judson Murray,
I. Taylor, F. M. Strieker, A. T. Greene. S.
Brenesholz, Thomas Butler and Edwin Fitz-
gerald. Those who served as petit jurors were
John Salmon, H. C. Godlove, James Jump,
William Condin, B. Liversay, Charles Osborn,
Edward Owens, M. M. McDermitt, Thomas
Powers, George Dick, H. B. Lovejoy, M. S.
Holland. C. A. Powers and William Jamieson.
The year 1888 will be remembered by set-
tlers of the county on account of a strange
epidemic which proved fatal to many of the
inhabitants. The malady made a sudden ap-
pearance and as suddenly disappeared. The
disease was known as typhoid malarial fever
and its fatality was the wonder of all the old
settlers who had endured the hardships inci-
dent to a pioneer life for several years and had
always enjoyed the best of health. The direct
causes of the great number of deaths in 1888
were traceable to no unhealthful conditions of
the county, but were generally accepted among
physicians as an epidemic such as visits all
countries periodically. Nothing of the kind
was e\-er before known in the county previous
to that period, nor has it since made a reap-
pearance. There were about thirty deaths. It
attacked in various degrees of severity nearly
every man, woman and child in the county.
According to an enumeration of Douglas
county's inhabitants by Assessor John E.
Hoppe on June i, 1889, the population was
2,651. These were divided among the pre-
cincts as follows : Okanogan, 467 ; Waterville,
442; Grand Coulee, 276; Midland, 254; Fair-
view, 245; Mountain, 205; Beaver Creek. 165;
Foster Creek, 129;. Paradise, 126; Columbia,
113; Chester, 71; Havod, 61; Moses Coulee,
38; Moses Lake, 7,^: Crab Creek, 29. This
population was otherwise divided as follows :
Males. 1,642: Females, 1,009; whites, 2,-
632; Indians and half-breeds, 6; Chinese, 13;
males over 21, 994; females over 21, 459; mar-
ried, 955; single, 583; males over 21 single.
497; females over 18 single, 96; over 15 who
could not read or write, 22.
June 2j, 1889, the Big Bctid Empire said:
"There can be no real advantage in attempt-
ing to conceal the fact that crops in the Big
Bend have been damaged by a protracted per-
iod of hot, dry weather. Added to this the
country has been greatly damaged by ground
squirrels. In many places these little pests
have destroyed whole fields of grain. Six
weeks ago the Big Bend promised to have a
larg'e surplus of everything in the way of grain
and vegetables, but heavy rains immediately
followed by unusually warm weather have
caused a great deal of grain to 'burn' or mature
before the berry has attained its growth. This
misfortune will not only be a loss to farmers,
perhaps compelling them to look to some other
source other than a large crop for their winter's
subsistence, but will be generally felt by all
branches of business."
On Saturday, the 23d inst., the board of
county commissioners met in adjourned session
to open and consider proposals for building a
court house. Having opened and read four or
five bids the clerk came to that of Mr. Greene,
in which he proposed to erect on block 31 in
his second addition a court house to cost not
less than $3,000, and to give the county a deed
in fee simple to the block and building when the
same shall be completed and accepted, for the
sum of one dollar. It is needless to say that
the board at once accepted the proposition and
the contract and bonds were drawn and signed
at once. It was the opinion of Mr. Greene at
the time that the building would cost fully
$4,000.
Friday e\-ening, September 6, 1889, the
formal opening of the court house presented
to the county by A. T. Greene and wife took
place. \ Nearly every resident of Waterville
was present; the new building was crowded.
R. W. Starr presided and introduced Mr.
Greene, who, in a few well worded remarks.
548
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
presented the court house to the county.
Toasts were responded to as follows : "Wash-
ington," — Rev. J. M. C. Warren; "Our Pio-
neers," — Rev. Richard Corbaley; "Douglas
County." — J. W. Stephens.
According to an itemized statement the
cost of the court house to Mr. Greene was $4,-
046.70.
For several years beginning wath 1889
Douglas county experienced the same trouble
as Lincoln county w'ith squirrels. In place of
offering bounties for their scalps Douglas
county used strychnine which was furnished
free of charge to ranchers. Five hundred dol-
lars' worth was distributed. March 15, 1893,
the county purchased $2,000 worth of this
poison wdiich was sold to the farmers at cost.
January 9, 1895, the last lot was ordered,
1,000 ounces, and this was disposed of at cost.
During the year 1890 the Central Wash-
ington railroad was built a short distance into
Douglas county from the east and this was fol-
lowed by an influx of settlers in the country
east of the coulees. February 27, 1890, the
Big Bend Empire published the following:
"Tomorrow, February 28, according to
standard time, is the close of the winter 1889-
90. It has been a memorable one for the entire
west and northwest, and one that will be long
remembered by the people of the Big Bend.
The ground has been covered with snow since
the loth day of December, some of the time to
a depth of from two to three feet. The coldest
the thermometer has registered is 17 degrees
below zero, February 24th. The winter has
been severely felt, especially by new settlers
who were not yet provided for a protracted
period of severe cold. In the settlement of a
new country there are many things to be done
to get in readiness for such a winter as the
past, which we all hope is about to be changed
for a bright spring. But the calamity which
enlists the deepest of human sympathy is the
suffering and loss there has been to stock. It
is impossible at this time to arrive at anything
like a correct estimate of the per cent of the
loss of horses and cattle. Some ranges have
suffered more than others, but it is certain that
the loss of range horses will be 20 per cent and
cattle 40 per cent. Many usually well-to-do
farmers who have fed their animals up to the
present time, have fed out everything they
have, including their grain for spring sowing,
and unless the grass is soon uncovered through
the influence of the 'chinook' many of these
animals must perish from cold and hunger.
"This is a gloomy but truthful side of the
picture. There is another more encouraging
view of the case. The Big Bend has for years
been known as a great 'stock country.' By
that is meant that stock will winter without
feeding. A stockman's investment ordinarily
is a cabin, a saddle horse or two, and perhaps
a little rye grass hay for his saddle animals —
the balance is his herd of horses and cattle.
The average 'stockman' as applied to here
would scorn the idea of putting up hay for his
stock and sincerely thinks that it will not pay
to raise stock and feed. Large herds have been
brought in from adjoining^ ranges until the
range here has been eaten out. A hard winter,
such as might be expected in a northern latitude
has come, and the stock business as carried on
at present suffers seriously. The effect will be
to cause an entire transformation in the busi-
ness of farming and stock raising in the Big
Bend. Instead of large herds every farmer
will have a few well kept animals that will sell
at any time at a good price. Stock raising will
be conducted as it is in the east, in connection
with farming. And while our winter, abouf to
leave us, will undoubtedly be a damage to the
country for the present, w-orking a great loss
and hardship to the many, it is well demon-
strated that it is not safe to attempt to winter
stock here without providing feed, and that
in summer is the time to prepare for winter.
The country is all right and in time will contain
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
549
much more wealth than if it were purely a
'stock country," as the term has been used on
the Pacific coast."
This was supplemented by the Empire
January i6, 1890, as follows:
"A gentleman just in from Mr. Gilbert's
place on Grand Coulee reports deeper snow
there than in the vicinity of Waterville. Stock
was beginning to die when he left there a week
ago. A great many cattle have drowned in
attempting to get water from the lakes, which
are covered with snow. Our informant was
told that one lake contained 500 dead cattle.
The animals in attempting to find water would
break through the ice, and as the water was
<leep it was impossible for them to get out.
Messrs. Philip McEntee, Dan Paul, Clarence
Grimes and Jimmy Burden are heavy losers."
The spring following this hard Avinter
found many places in the country covered with
carcasses of dead animals that had perished
from starvation during the severe winter. The
stench from these was unbearable and threat-
ened an epidemic. This spring found the set-
tlers of western Douglas county in a sad plight.
Most of the stock had died and there was no
seed grain in the country; money was scarcer
than that, if possible. These conditions were
overcome only by diplomatic measures. A
note for $2,500 was made out and signed by
residents of the county. This note was placed
in the hands of A. L. Rogers and to him was
given the task of raising the money and getting
the grain back to the settlers. In the early
spring Mr. Rogers started out on snow shoes
for the east. In due time he reached Almira,
to which point the Central Washington railway
had won its \\-ay, and thence he proceeded by
rail to Davenport. Here he was successful in
securing the $2,500 from C. C. May's bank,
and in due time returned with the grain. This
note, which was paid upon the harvesting of
the next crop, is now in possession of R. S.
Steiner, and is an interesting memento of the
early days.
The war between the sheep and cattle men
in 1890 is thus described by a Ritzville corre-
spondent of the Oregonian :
"February 28, 1890, occurred a bloody bat-
tle in the vicinity of Moses Lake in wdiich four
men were seriously wounded. The particulars
are about as follows :
"L. G. Wilson claimed to have purchased
a stack of hay of Messrs. Urquharts, which
was situated on a Mr. Lyons' place. Mr.
Blythe had a bill of sale from Mr. Lyons for
the same stack, which contained about 50 tons.
Blythe forbade Wilson taking or selling any of
the hay. A bad feeling arose in consequence
and Wilson continued using the hay and is
said to have guarded it with a Winchester. .
This angered Blythe who sent three men on
the morning of February 28th, armed, to take
possession of the hay. They arrived on the
ground before Wilson and his men. When the
latter arrived fire was opened with disastrous
results. L. G. Wilson was shot in the ab-
domen, Virgil Wilson, a brother, was shot in
the back, Dick Garlick was shot in the breast
and a German was shot in the head and hand.
The two last named were men working for
Blythe. Two others were engaged in the affray,
but escaped unhurt. Having fired all the loads
from the guns the men came to close quarters
and used their weapons as clubs. When the
fight was finished all crawled into a sleigh
and drove to the Blythe ranch and sent for a
doctor.
"Dr. Burroughs, of Ritzville, went to the
scene of the battle and upon his return gave
the following graphic account of the fight :
" 'It seems that Mr. Blythe had purchased
the hay of Mr. Lyons and had sold the same to
the sheep men and went down on the morning
of the 27th to where it was stacked with the
parties to show them the stack and give posses-
sion. There they found the Wilson boys, who
ordered them to leave, or at least the sheep
men, and one discharged his revolver in order
to frighten them. Others say he gripped the
5 so
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
pistol so tightly, it being' self-acting, that it
was discharged accidentally. Mr. Blythe and
the purchasers of the stack of hay went away
leaving the Wilson boys in possession. The
following morning the sheep men and another
person went to the stack and were loading the
hay onto a Avagon when tlie Wilson boys com-
menced shooting. Virgil was armed with a
41 -calibre Colt's revolver and a double-bar-
reled breach-loading shot gun loaded with
buck shot. He discharged one barrel, missing
his aim; the second charge taking efTect in
Dick Garlick's left shoulder; one near the nip-
ple and ranging up ; one through the flesh of
the shoulder blade and one ranging upward
from the shoulder. L. G. Wilson then opened
fire on Dutch Ben, firing four times, one shot
making a slight scalp wound over the left ear
and three piercing his hat. The men closed
in on the shooters. Garlick, who was a heavy-
set German, disarmed Virgil Wilson, who was
a small man, broke the shot gun and, obtaining
possession of the Colt's revolver, it seems, he
shot Virgil through the right lung from the
back, the ball lodging near the right nipple;
then turning his attention to L. G. Wilson, who
was wrestling with Dutch Ben for the posses-
sion of the Winchester.
" 'Both were stout, and it seems that W'il-
son was getting the better of his man when
Garlick came to the rescue and fired two shots,
one entering the small of the back, on the right
side, ranging downward, the second entering
the right arm. The Winchester was broken
and twisted, showing the desperate struggle
that had ensued for the supremacy. An eye
witness several rods distant saw the weapons
flash in the sunlight and could hear the dull,
sickening thuds as they fell on the heads and
bodies of the men. The Wilson boys under-
stood that the hay belonged to them, and they
were fighting for their own and wanted the
feed for their cattle. A bad feeling usually
exists lietween the sheep and cattle men, and
there mav have existed such between the ^^'il-
sons and the sheep men. This fight occurred
20 miles from any town.' "
The United States Land Office was estab-
lished at Waterville in the autumn of 1890, J.
C. Lawrence, register, and Frank M. Dallam,
receiver. It was opened for business Novem-
ber 6th. Previous to this important event all
settlers in this vicinity were compelled to repair
to Yakima to transact business connected with
their homesteads. The history of the creation
of a new United States Land District in east-
ern Washington, with headquarters at Water-
ville in 1890, is told by the Big Bend Empire
of February 27th, of that year :
"A land ofiice to be located at Waterville
has been desired by our citizens for the past
year, but it was not until Charles Liftchild got
after Senator Snow, then on his sick bed, that
the first step was taken to secure it. Though
Judge Snow pleaded sickness Mr. Liftchild
brought legal cap and ink into the sick room
and insisted upon his writing to his friend.
Congressman Wilson, of our desires, with
reasons for the establishment of a new land
district. This letter was kindly copied by our
genial minister. Rev. Warren, on his type-
writer. Thus armed Liftchild pulled from the
wall of his office liis map of Washington, and
outlining the proposed district, enclosed it with
Snow's letter and sent it to Congressman Wil-
son. Not contented with this action, he later
inti-oduced a memorial to our senators and
congressmen favoring the establishment of this
district, in the Douglas County Board of
Trade, which was passed and a copy sent to
each of these gentlemen by J. P. Moore, Esq.,
chairman of the legislative committee. A day
after the passage of the memorial M. B. Howe
and Charles Liftchild composed a plea, show-
ing every reason why the new land district
should be created, and why Waterville should
be the seat of the land office. This, with a
sworn statement of Douglas county's propor-
tion of the land business of the Yakima Land
District, furnished bv the kindness of R. W.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
551
Starr, was sent to Congressman Wilson. The
result of this rustling has practically brought
about the establishment of the new Columbia
Land Office at Waterville."
In September, 1891, there was great activ-
ity among the government officials in their en-
deavors to suppress the cutting of government
timber. September 3d, of that year, the Big
Bend Empire published the following account
of the prosecution of Mr. Harris, the Badger
Mountain saw mill man :
"The EUensburg stage arriving Tuesday
evening, August 25th, brought among its pas-
sengers a Mr. C. E. Bayard, of Seattle. Wed-
nesday he made his appearance at C. A. Harris"
saw mill, on Badger ^Mountain and made
known the object of his visit to Waterville.
He was a special land agent from the United
States government and had a direct commission
from Washington to investigate and act upon
complaints against J\Ir. Harris made to the
Interior Department. ***** ifhe mill
was not ordered closed down. United States
Commissioner Pendergast fixed Mr. Harris'
bond at $500, which was promptly furnished
with H. N. Wilcox, as security. 3>Ir. R. S.
Steiner and Mr. Wilcox, both of whom had
accompanied the agent up the mountain, un-
wittingly, not knowing his designs upon Mr.
Harris, were subpoened as witnesses and or-
dered to appear at the same time and place as
the defendant. Mr. Bayard took his departure
the following- day. He is reported as having
said that in his report to the government he
should apprise them that Nash & Stephens were
in the same boat with Mr. Harris, and equally
liable to prosecution. News of the arrest of
ls.lv. Harris cpiickly got abroad. Much alarm
was manifested at the prospect of the lumber
supply being cut short. The outcome of Mr.
Harris' trial became at once the general sub-
ject of discussion, and fears were expressed
that not only one but Ijoth mills would be
obliged to stop their saws. That such a con-
tingency would be in the nature of a public
calamity was the universal opinion. 'It will
practically amount to closing our land office,
entirely stopping our immigratioin and par-
alyzing out trades, said a prominent business
man. A consultation was determined upon
and the office of ^Matthews & Loucks selected
as a place for the meeting. Nearly every busi-
ness and professional man in Waterville was on
hand. A number of speeches were made, and
the following resolutions were unanimously
adopted :
"Whereas, it has come to the knowledge
of the people of Douglas county, Washington,
that a special agent of the Interior Department
has caused the arrest of one, C. A. Harris, a
sawmill man, charging liim with cutting timber
from government land in this county, and
"A\'hereas, it has been further learned that
prosecutions are about to be instituted against
all mill owners operating saw mills on govern-
ment land in this county,
"Therefore, be it resolved that in view of
the fact that the cutting of said timber and the
manufacturing of it into lumber is absolutely
necessary for the continued development of
Douglas county, that all of said lumber is used
for domestic purposes and is applied by settlers
in making needed improvements upon their
lands thus enabling them to fulfill the require-
ments of the law and obtain title to their homes.
"There being no means of transportation
from such places where other lumber is manu-
factured, except at excessive cost to the settler
for hauling the same for a distance of sixty to
eighty miles, and being compelled to pay almost
double the price of the lumber manufactured
in this county.
"That Badger Alountain lumber is of in-
ferior quality and would have no market value
were there any transportation facilities from
lumber markets.
"That it is believed that the complaints en-
tered againgt the said sawmill men were act-
uated by selfish motives and that if the Interior
Department were informed of the true state
552
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
of affairs and of the needs of the settlers, these,
or any prosecutions would never have been iii-
stituted.
"Therefore, be it further resolved that this
meeting view with apprehension the action of
the government in this matter and are unani-
mous in determining to use all honorable means
to secure the dismissalof the prosecutions."
The following affidavit was circulated and
unanimously signed by residents of Douglas
county and forwarded to Congressman Wilson
with a view to having the cases against Badger
Mountain mill men stopped.
State of Washington, County of Douglas, ss. :
We, the affiants, whose names are hereunto s'ub-
scribed, on our several oaths, do depose and say : That
we are residents of Douglas county, Washington; that
we are weH acquainted with the topography of s'aid
county, which is 60 miles' wide and 100 miles long, and
consists almost entirely of rolling bunch grass prairie;
that there is no timber in this county except in the ex-
treme western portion upon the summit of what is
known as Badger Mountain, 4,000 feet above sea level ;
that this' timber is 50 miles distant from the nearest
railroad point; that there is but little timber in the
counties west of Douglas county and east of the Cas-
cade mountains ; and what there is, with the present and
previous facilities for transportation, is absolutely in-
accessible to the residents of Douglas county from the
fact that to reach it it is necessary to cross the Colum-
bia river, which is 1,800 or 2,000 feet lower than the
table land which comprises Douglas county; that there
is no timber near enough in any other direction to be
available for building or fencing purposes ; that without
the use of timber from Badger Mountain it would have
been impossible to have settled the lands in Douglas
county west of Grand Coulee, and will be absolutely im-
possible to further develop it; that there has been taken
up by settlers, up to the present time, 300,000 acres of
land west of Grand Coulee, in Douglas county, Wash-
ington, and that the settlers of all these lands have
drawn their supply of timber and lumber from Badger
Mountain ; that if each individual settler had taken his
supply of timber necessary for his building in the shape
of logs, he would not have as good and valuable improve-
ments as he now has, and each and every settler would
have used so much greater an amount of timber that
the timber on Badger Mountain would by this time
be exhausted, and none left for future improvements,
and in all cases, except that of settlers living in the im-
mediate vicinity of Badger Mountain, he was enabled
to make his improvements at a much less cost to him-
self by purchasing the lumber cut on Badger Mountain,
than had he expended the large amounts necessary to
haul the timber in the log to his respective claim.
We further state that the timber cut on the lands
upon which the alleged trespass was done has been an
indiscriminate cutting by the settlers and the saw mill
men, and" that much of it has been done by the settlers
living near Badger Mountain for the improvement of
their claims, and much of it done before the saw mills
came into the country and' that the tops of trees cut
have been almost all used for fuel.
We further state that none of the timber cut
and manufactured into lumber on Badger Mountain
has been exported from the country, but it has been
used in the country adjacent thereto for domestic pur-
poses, for the building and improvement of the coun-
try; that the lumber manufactured from the timber on
Badger Mountain is of a very poor quality, and that it
could only be used in the pioneer periods of the country;
that as soon as transportation facilities are such that
other and better lumber can be obtained, that the lum-
ber from Badger Mountain will be driven from the
market ; that because the timber is so scattering and of
so poor a quality few individuals can be found who are
willing to sacrifice a timber right in order to obtain
title to the land.
And we further depose and s'ay, it is our firm belief
that, as the timber is indispensible to the development of
Douglas county, as above represented, any action by the
United States, either civil or criminal, against so-called
timber trespassers on Badger Mountain would be harsh,
uncalled for and oppressive, and that such persecutions
would be in pursuance of a mistaken policy, and without
full knowledge of existing conditions, and would result
disastrously to this community.
Meanwhile the criminal prosecution
against C. A. Harris was disposed of temporar-
ily by the finding of the grand jury which re-
turned "Not a True Bill." The civil action
instituted against alleged timber trespassers
were carried over until the next sitting of the
United States district court. The following
correspondence wound up the whole afifair :
"September 22. 1892.
"Register and Receiver U. S. Land Office,
"Waterville, Washington.
"Gentlemen : My understanding of what
are known as the Badger Mountain cases is
that they were measurably excused by the local
necessities of a pioneer neighborhood and that
the trespasses were not for the purpose of
shipping timber to other points and did not
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
553
amount to a profitable speculation in govern-
ment property. I have decided to dismiss the
pending civil cases and unless the public good
demands a criminal prosecution, no further
action will be taken. I desire your views on
this subject and also wish to know whether the
parties sued — ^Messrs. Cannon, Harris, Rogers,
Howe, et al., have ceased to trespass on the
lands in question. If so, then the whole busi-
ness will be dropped. Please notify me of your
opinion at once. Yours truly,
"P. H. WiNSTOX, U. S. Attorney."
To this I\Ir. Dallam replied as follows :
"Hon. P. H. Winston,
"U. S. Attorney, Spokane, Washington.
"Dear sir : We are in receipt of your letter
of the 22d inst. In reply we will say that the
depredations have been discontinued on
Badger Mountain for more than a year. As
a matter: of fact, as indicated in your letter,
depredations were excused by local necessities.
***** A dismissal of the criminal
cases would be an act of justice and appreciated
by the whole community. Please notify us
when the cases are dismissed, that parties may
be saved the necessity of an expensive trip to
attend court.
"F. ^I. Dallam, Receiver.
"J. C. Lawrence, Register."
In 1892 the Great Northern Railway Com-
pany extended its line through the southern
portion of Douglas county. At this period
that part of the county was considered worth-
less as an agricultural country and no settle-
ment was added by reason of building of the
road until several years later.
The year 1893 was a severe one for Doug-
las county — as well as the rest of the country.
The conditions which wrecked financial, com-
mercial and manufacturing industries through-
out the length and breadth of the land necessar-
ily left their mark in Douglas county by pro-
hibiting public and private improvements and
almost totally stopping immigration. Early
in the spring the prospects seemed good for
the addition of a large population to the county,
but the arrival of homeseekers ceased and the
progress' for the year, so propitious in the
spring, was nullified by the "hard times." It
was, indeed, a trying time for the residents of
the county. It proved to be a set-back which
was not overcome for several years. Yet con-
ditions in Douglas county were not worse than
elsewhere. In fact we have the best authority
for the statement that the depression for the
few years in the middle 90's was felt less in
the Big Bend country than in most portions of
the west. But many settlers became discour-
aged. In times of financial distress and de-
pression the idea invariably prevails that some-
where else one can do better. Some A\ho had
cast their lot with Douglas county disposed of
their holdings or abandoned them and sought
other fields. On these accounts little progress
was made for the years between 1893 and 1896.
This condition was relieved by the immense
wheat crop of 1897 and the prevailing high
price for that cereal.
The June floods of 1894 will not be for-
gotten by pioneers. The following accounts
are from the Spokane Rcz'iciu and the Empire.
The Reviezi' correspondent, writing from
W^aterville under date of June 6, says :
"The Columbia river is higher than ever
known by white men and at last reports was
still rising. Some orchards along the river are
badly damaged. A Mr. Sparks, living a couple
of miles below Orondo, is a great sufferer. He
had one of the finest orchards on the river.
The water covers every acre, and Sunday,
June 3, his residence was washed away. Not
a ferry is in operation on the river and cross-
ings are made in skiffs. A brief, but severe
storm, in the nature of a tornado, struck here
Sunday, the 3d. Chimneys were wrecked, out-
houses blown down and fences prostrated. In
some localities hailstones as large as hickory
nuts fell. No such blow was ever liefore ex-
perienced."
554
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
The Empire of June 14th said:
"The rapid rise of the Columbia the past
three weeks lias rather changed the face of
nature along the river bottoms and considerable
damage has been done near here. The Orondo
Shipping Company's warehouse stands in about
tweh'e feet of water anchored down with three
tons of potatoes and fastened to the bank with
ropes ; all the grain was saved. W. Z. Cooper's
house stands in nine feet of water and is fasten-
ed with ropes. In all probability both of these
houses will stand the flood. All the wood from
the \vood}-ard has gone out and a great many
logs' have followed the procession. Captain
Knapp had quite an experience with his steamer
in trying to bring in a house which was sailing
past. After trying in vain to secure it he was
compelled to cut loose and, drifting upon a
rock, broke a fluke from the screw of the
steamer. He landed about five miles down the
ri\-er. Fortunatelv he has several extra screws
at the ferry and the accident has been repaired.
All along the river to Orondo the orchards
have suffered and a great many fine bear-
ing trees washed away. The fine nursery of
Stephen Konkel is flooded and in all probability
entirely destroyed. This will be a great loss ;
for the condition of it was at the point of
where his years of patient industrv were Ijeing
rewarded."
At Orondo a warehouse and stable went
out. The warehouse was loaded down with
rocks and sand, but the current was too strong
for even this stout resistance. Many rods of
fence belonging to Messrs. Kunkle, Thompson,
Howe and Miles were carried away. A raft
of logs broke loose from a steamer near Oron-
do. and went down the river with two men
aboard. It was finally landed at Sparks'
orchard.
The giild excitement of 1894 is thus de-
scribed by the Empire.
"It has been known for years that the banks
of the Columbia river contained fine gfild.
Almost anv of the dirt will show color, but the
best showing is taken from a yellow sand and
clay streak that can be found on both sides of
the river above general high water mark. This
strata runs all the way from a few inches to
two or three feet in thickness, and in places will
pan out several hundred colors, but the colors
are so infinitesimal as a rule that they can hardly
be seen with the naked eye. The high water
of tliis summer in many places has exposed
this old pay streak, or rather washed off the
top sand and dirt until it is uncovered. It was
while prospecting one of these uncovered de-
posits that Mr. S. A. Pearl's attention was at-
tracted to the Banty process, then being
operated in Oregon, and he at once made a trip
to that state, met the inventor, induced him to
come up here and finally purchased three of
the machines, ^^'hat they will really do is yet
to be proven by a thorough test. The Pearls
have not been able to secure a retort that would
work and hence are not in a position to state
what wages can be made working Columbia
river dirt. The writer has seen the process in
operation and is satisfied that it will save gold.
The inventor claims that it will save 90 per
cent of the g"old and we think it will. The only
question to be settled is, is there sufficient gold
in the dirt to pay for working? If the dirt runs
only from 50 cents to $1 a ton the process will
not pay. big for the simple reason that its capac-
ity is limited. With such low grade dirt the
problem of returns reduces itself to the quan-
tity that can be handled. * * * * Until
Mr. Pearl can give the process a thorough and
complete test the public is at sea as regards its
value as a gold saving invention."
Continuing, the Empire said on August
30th :
"Mr. Banty, of Oregon, who has a new
chemical process for saving flour gold tried the
experiment on the river at Troy, last Saturday
(August 15), and it seems to have proven a
success. The work of shoveling the pay dirt
and carrying the water in buckets to the sluice
l)oxes occupied an hour and a half and at the
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
555
cleanup it was found that the process had saved
something over $4 worth of gold. Parties
present being satislied with the work done
bought several machines, the Pearl boys pur-
chasing three. The excitement for the past
week over placer mining claims has been at
fever heat and claims have been taken up all
along the river from Wenatchee to Virginia
City and, probably, some above that point.
Should the process continue to be a success,
which we hope it will, the country here will
soon be flooded with gold. Air. Banty, after
making the experiment, left Tuesday for
Alaska, where he had promised to go. Another
trial will be made by the Pearls next Saturday,
and if successful they will sell several
machines."'
While for a time there was considerable
excitement over the machines, it was found to
be a slow process of extracting wealth from
mother earth, and gradually conditions resolved
themselves into the normal, and again attention
was turned to the surer methods of agriculture
and stock growing.
The year 1895 "^vitnessed the beginning of
the end of hard times. In its resume of the
progress of the county during this year the
Empire said, December 26th :
"With the weight of disaster in financial
centers yet bearing with crushing effect upon
development and progress ; with all the distress
of 'hard times,' so much about which has been
heard throughout the breadth and scope of the
nation, shutting up manufactories and reducing
wheat and farm stuffs to the minimum ; with
disadvantages in transportation and marketing
facilities such as no other country of like size,
fertility and development was ever known to be
so long without — with these disadvantages to
meet and difficulties to overcome — the year
1895, now about to close, has brought greater
prosperity to the people of the western Big
Bend and leaves them in better shape, freer
from debt and with more money on hand ac-
cording to population than ha\-e the people of
any other agricultural section in the Pacific
Northwest. Indeed, the year has been full
of material benefits. Wheat advanced in the
spring and farmers unloaded their hold-over
supply, at saving figures and went ahead to
grow more of it. A broad acreage was sown
and vast fields of peas, beans and potatoes were
planted. Corn, barley, oats went in all over
the country for feeding purposes, and the live
stock interests experienced a boom by the
branching out of agriculturalists into beef, pork
and dairying. In this way the foundation was
laid on the plains for a season of abundance at
harvest time, while along the valley of the
Columbia orchards were budding with the
promise of a sure yield of the fullest weight the
frail branches might bear.
"The growing season, it is true, might
have been more propititious, as the summer was
phenomenally dry, and there were fields upon
which no rain fell after planting, yet the crop
yield generally was wonderfully abundant. The
harvest time was a splendid period, and from
early fall to a week ago no weather could have
been better suited."
It was not, however, until the "bumper"
crop of 1897 that conditions began to regain
their former bright hue.
The first Douglas County Industrial Ex-
position was held October 3d, 4th and 5th, at
Waterville. There were fully 2,500 or 3,000
people present. They came early and remained
late. They swarmed the streets and pushed
and jostled and jammed the exposition grounds.
The stock parade took place at noon and the
free barbacue was an immense success. The
people assembled at the grand stand and Con-
gressman S. C. Hyde, of Spokane, delivered
an address. He was introduced by Mr. R. S.
Steiner. The exposition was in every respect
a grand success financially and socially.
A mass convention of Douglas county
citizens held at Waterville, February 14, 1896,
was a step taken toward securing immigration
and it resulted in much good to the de\'elop-
556
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
ment of the county that year. It was attended
by 200 citizens and every section of the county
was represented. W. H. Anderson, of Moun-
tain View, was chosen president and Fred
IMcDermott, of Waterville, was made secretary.
A'aluable papers were read by Messrs. P. D.
Sutor. of Fairview ; R. H. Thomas, of Pleasant
Hill ; Judson Murray ; A. L. Maltbie ; John R.
Morgan and John Wilson. A permanent or-
ganization \\;as effected, and owing to plans
originated at this convention a large immigra-
tion was subsequently brought to the county.
The year 1897 was the most prosperous
ever witnessed in Douglas county up to that
date. There was a large wheat crop, high
prices, every body made money and all were
prosperous. From this year until 1902 the
county continued to enjoy a steady growth,
although not in such proportion as in the later
9o's. The financial depression had left the
county in poor shape, and these were the years
of reconstruction. In the spring of 1902 many
eastern settlers came to the county. There was
plenty of good government land at that period.
The Coulee City Ncn's on March 28, 1902,
explained why the county was behind its
neighbors in the matter of settlement as fol-
lows :
"Ever since the boom this town experienced
when the Central Washington Railway built
in here ten years ago Douglas county has lain
dormant. Last spring an exodus of settlers
from the east gave a slight impetus to the real
estate market, but the effect on the condition
of affairs was only temporary. While the sur-
rounding counties which had ordinary trans-
portation facilities went ahead, Douglas county
remained in the same old rut, and all because
the management of the Northern Pacific made
the huge mistake of making an alkali flat situ-
ated in a coulee i ,000 feet below the surround-
ing country, its terminal point. This town being
the only egress for grain shipment from a
wheat belt several thousand square miles in
area, it is no wonder, although our soil is first
class, settlers have given Douglas county the
goby and located in other and less fertile dis-
tricts where a shipping point could be reached
without ascending and descending a hill five
miles long and in places nearly perpendicular.
Douglas county's present influx of population
can be regarded as a natural course of events."
But despite this gloomy outlook in 1902'
e\'ery train and every stage brought men and
their families to the county seeking investments
and homes. Parties who had for several years
lived in the county, but who had never taken
the trouble to file a homestead, now commenced
to hustle and file on land before all the choice
selections were taken. The following figures
illustrate the rapid settlement of the county and
other territory in the Columbia Land District
during the year 1902 : In the year ending July
1st, there were 2,166 filings in the Waterville
land office. During the first ten years the office
was opened there were only 2,170 filings, and
the one year's business came within four of
being as large as the whole of the first ten
years' business. These filings represented
320,428 acres divided by counties as follows:
Okanogan, 58,271; Chelan, 28,181; Filings;
Douglas, I, 588; Chelan, 198; Okanogan, 380.
The Coulee City-Adrian "cut-off" was com-
pleted in 1903. This is a connection by rail
between the Central Washington and the Great
Northern railways, between Coulee City and
Adrian. As a piece of engineering there is no
road in the state that can surpass it. For many
miles it is a tangent cutting through obstruc-
tions however formidable. Every cut found a
depression nearby which was filled, making a
roadbed of solid rock and gravel. In the
twentj^-two miles there is little curvature and
but few bridges, and these are to be found at
the southern end, where the ground is almost
level and material to make the fill not so con-
venient. Mr. Mellen's estimate of cost of con-
struction, off-hand at the time of construction
was first announced, was $250,000. It has cost
nearlv twice that sum, because when thev made
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
557
the preliminary and final surveys they carried
the line straight as possible and allowed no
rocky wall to turn them a hair's breadth.
When the engineer and contractor had com-
pleted their work in a scientific and conscien-
tious manner, those who passed on the rails
failed. In a number of instances there are
found rails that have seen hard service, splin-
tered and worn, turned for the wheel flange.
The adjoining rail, most likely, is a 70-pound,
serviceable one, while the next one is fit only
to remain in the scrap heap from which it was
taken. Someone, through incompetency, ren-
dered this fine piece of construction a useless
commodity, as those who were called upon to
pass on the road refused their consent to per-
mit heavy wheat trains to run over the defective
rails. Under these conditions there is only one
proper recourse; replace the condemned
material with good. To do this will require
some time.
January 3, 1904, there was organized at
Waterville a society known as the Douglas
County Old Settlers Association, composed of
settlers who have lived in the county before and
during 1890. The following offic'ers were
elected : A. T. Greene, president ; A. A. Pier-
pont, first vice president ; Charles F. Will, sec-
retary; M. B. Howe, treasurer; Ole Ruud,
recording secretary; S. E. Jordan, marshal;
Mrs. S. C. Robins, librarian; Trustees: A. L.
Rogers, three years ; H. N. Wilcox, two years ;
J. A. Banneck, one year. Following is a list
of the names of the charter members and the
date of their arrival in the county :
Mrs. J. H. Kincaid, 1889; Agnes Jordan,
1888: Al Enrich, 1889; Sarah Owens, 1890;
Belle Patterson, 1888; Ethel Pearl, 1886; John
Shearer, 1888; Christina Jansen, 1887; John
McLean, 1888; Charles Kellogg, 1888; S. E.
Jordan, 1888; Joseph Ogle, 1888; A. N.
Gormley, 1888; Mrs. Fitzgerald, 1889; John
Hall, 1888; A. T. Greene, 1885; R. J. Waters,
1884; Elmer Thompson, 1890; J. M. Johnson,
1888; Al Pierpont, 1883; Mrs. W. W. Fitch,
1888; Charles Cumbo, 1888; E. C. Ogle, 1886;
J. F. Metlin, 1886; Fred Carpenter, 1888; T.
N. Ogle, 1886; M. B. Howe, 1888; Orville
Clark, 1884; J. D. Logan, 1888; Mrs. Etta M.
Jordan, 1888; Mrs. Hattie Waters, 1884; Mrs
Teddy Enrich, 1889; Lizzie C. Hall, 1887
Mrs. Alice Speed, 1888; Mrs. S. A. Pearl
1886; Gerde Jamison, 1887; F. C. Tyler, 1886
Hattie C. Kellogg, 1888; C. W. Hensel, 1887
Edward Ownens, 1883; J. N. Gormley, 1888
J. J. Fitzgerald, 1889; George Bradley, 1887
C. F. Will, 1885; G. W. Philbrick, 1887; G.
M. Cumbo, 1888; J. A. Banneck, 1883; W. W,
Fitch, 1887; O. Ruud, 1883; F. M. Alexander
1883; S. A. Pearl, 1886; James Pattie, 1885
H. N. Wilcox, 1883; J. S. Withrow, 1888; T,
A. Power, 1883; T. J. Cusick, 1889; C. H
Wilcox, 1886; J. F. Hunt, 1887.
According to a census taken by the assessor
during the summer of 1892 it was shown that
the population of Douglas county was 4,284.
The commissioners therefore, on December 12,
1892, raised the county's class from the 25th
to the 23d. January 15, 1902, it was raised to
the 2 1 St class, having, a population of over
5,000. July 6, 1903, it was raised to the i6th
class, the assessor's census showing a popula-
tion of 9,183. According to a census taken
by Assessor Will and his deputies in the spring
of 1903 the population of the county at that
time was 10,168.
CHAPTER III.
CITIES AND TOWNS.
COULEE CITY.
Although not the largest village within the
limits of Douglas county, Coulee City is, cer-
tainly, the most picturesque and, perhaps, the
most interesting from a historical view point.
It is situated in the bed of the Grand Coulee
and almost overshadowed by its lofty, imposing-
walls. W^ith no large area of agricultural land
in the immediate neighborhood one might at
first blush be led to doubt that there was a
reasonable excuse for the existence of Coulee
City. But a more careful investigation reveals
the fact that the town is admirably located. It
is on a level piece of ground. The view of the
coulee walls is an inspiring sight. Here the
town lies in an opening of that wonderful
creation of nature, the Grand Coulee, and one
never tires of gazing at the towering walls of
the portion of the coulee which extends to the
north\\ est. A few minutes" walk to the south
reveals other marvelous sights unfolded. Sur-
rounding the town are a number of springs of
pure water which furnish the town with its sup-
ply. Around these springs which are just out-
side of the original platted townsite, are groves
of trees at whose roots cluster the lovliest
flowers imaginable, covering the banks of the
springs and the tiny brooks which flow from
them — a veritable oasis in the "scab rock"
country which surrounds Coulee City for sev-
eral miles.
The site where now stands Coulee City was
for many years known as IMcEntee's Crossing
of the Grand Coulee. Here for an extended
period lived Philip ]\IcEntee, the pioneer of
Douglas county. In 1881 he erected a log
cabin on what would now be the outskirts of
the town. During the following few years
other settlers came to the \-icinity, but it was
not until 18S8 that enough of them had come
into the country to warrant the establishment
of a store. In June of that year Mr. George
R. Roberts, who had come into Douglas county
in 1883, opened a general mercandise store
about three-quarters of a mile north of the pre-
sent business portion of the town of Coulee
City. A postoffice called McEntee, in honor
of the first settler, was established, and I\Ir.
Roberts was named and ser\-ed as the first post-
master. In November of the following year
i\Ir. Roberts took his brother-in law, Mr.
Thomas Parry, into partnership with him. The
business was subsequently conducted under the
firm name of Roberts & Parry. The "town"
of McEntee was enlarged in the fall of 1888
by the establishment of a second store and a
blacksmith shop, both enterprises being financed
by Le^•i Salmon. Mr. Salmon conducted the
blacksmith shop, and his son, Arthur, was in
charge of the store. Dan Twining also con-
ducted a saloon in McEntee.
The town of McEntee lost its identity with
the platting and building up of the town of
Coulee City in the spring and summer of 1890.
Roberts & Parry engaged in business in the
new town, and here, too, Mr. Salmon moved
his shop, but closed out his mercantile business
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY,
559
in McEntee. The postoffice of McEntee was
transferred to the new location and was there-
after known as Coulee City.
But its history really dates from the build-
ing of the Central Washington railroad to that
point, or more properly, from the contem-
plated construction of the road to the crossing
of the Grand Coulee. Let us examine the
prospects for a town at this point before the
road reached the spot where Coulee City after-
ward appeared, from the viewpoint of that
veteran editor, Frank ]\I. Dallam. April 28,
1890, he said:
"It is confidently expected that trains will
be running- into the coulee by the first of July.
This point will be the end of a division and
the railroad company will make extensive im-
provements. Round houses, shops and all the
buildings necessary at a division will be con-
structed. The company will spend thousands
of dollars in this work, and a large force of men
will be employed. It is proposed to build the
round houses of brick, opening a profitable
industry to some one. Quite a town is bound
to spring up at this point. It will be by far
the most important place between Davenport
and the , Columbia river. Already arrange-
ments have been perfected for putting up a
large number of buildings. A gentleman was
on the way to the place Monday for the purpose
of constructing a large hotel. A paper will be
issued at Coulee City before the road is com-
pleted. A very large number of lots have been
sold in the town and the demand for property
is so great that the price of lots is soon to be
advanced. No town has ever been started on
the road with brighter prospects than Coulee
Citv, and in time it will become a very impor-
tant place. The public will hear more of Coulee
City in a few weeks, as it is already attracting
a large number of people."
The town was platted and dedicated April
13, 1890, by Levi Salmon. Reed's plat of
Coulee City was filed April 17, 1890, by G. K.
Reed. Additions to the town have been platted
since as follows: McEntee's First Addition^
May 29, 1890, by Philip McEntee. South
Side Addition September 24, 1892, by L.
I\IcLean, as trustee. First Addition July i,
1892, by H. S. Huson and C. C. May.
Following the advent of the railroad the
growth of the new town was something phe-
nomenal. Its history during the first few weeks
of its existence is told in the initial issue of
the Coulee City Nez^'s which appeared June 30,
1890, under the guidance of that veteran pub-
lisher, James Odgers :
"George R. Roberts is the pioneer mer-
chant, having located about one mile north of
the present townsite two years ago. He has
been postmaster of McEntee ever since the
office was established. One year ago he took
Thomas Parry, his brother-in-law, as partner.
Roberts & Parry carry a full stock of general
merchandise and enjoy the fruits of squai'e
dealing in a good, prosperous trade. John J.
Thomas was, also, one of the first to see in
the head of the coulee a good business site and
an opening for a hotel and feed stable. He
erected a building close to the store of George
R. Roberts and has enjoyed an excellent pa-
tronage from the traveling public. He has just
completed one of the best hotel buildings be-
tween Spokane Falls and the Sound. The long
acquaintance of himself and estimable wife in
this section will enable them to know and meet
the wants of the traveling public.
"Barker & Madden erected the first build-
ing on the present townsite. which was followed
shortly by another built by Michael Fredo.
Both places were used for saloons and they
still cater in that capacity. The townsite com-
pany held out inducements for a first-class hotel
to be erected in short order. E. A. Foreman,
of Medical Lake, agreed to have a hotel of
twenty rooms completed and furnished in thirty
days following the contract. Mr. Foreman ful-
filled the agreement to a dot, and the Central
Hotel is the result. James Hunter, formerly of
Cloverdale, North Dakota, in looking for a
56o
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
location for a general store, settled here when
the town was first located. He immediately
erected a large tent and commenced business.
His stock is large and new and consists of
almost everything that is called for in the mer-
chandise line. He is daily adding to his large
stock as his fast increasing trade demands.
Tony F. Richardson & Company have erected a
large and commodious livery barn that is a
credit to the place. They immediately stocked
it with good driving- and saddle horses, and
several new carriages and buggies. They also
run a lumber yard where all kinds of building
material can be had at current prices.
"Adron & Thurman also have a livery and
feed stable where they take pleasure in giving
the best care to all stock entrusted to them.
'Billy,' as "Sir. Adron is commonly known, has
run a hack between this place and Almira ever
since the town has been established, and being
a rustler he still gets his share of the partonage.
John Brown, our restaurant keeper, is one of
those good-hearted, whole-souled pioneers who
have seen the country grow up and develop for
years. His tables are always supplied with the
best the market affords and to feed at the City
Restaurant is to fare sumptuously. Frank A.
Losekamp, of the 'Blue Front,' is always on
deck to sell you a suit of clothes or fit you with
a pair of nice shoes. Frank has had consider-
able experience in the gents' furnishing line
and knows the needs of the western trade. Mr.
Losekamp and wife are a worthy addition to
our fast growing city. Hill & Evans, dealers
in lumber, sash, blinds, coal, etc., are men of
good business principles and will make it a
point to deal in first-class building material
and we predict for them a good trade. Bisbee
& Cooper have just finished a substantial build-
ing on Main street and opened up a well-
ordered saloon. Both managers are well
known along the line of the Central Washing-
ton. For the past year both have been located
at Wilbur. Davis & Raridon, formerly of Wil-
bur, are now located here. They have a well
equipped shop and we are able to recommend
them as first-class general blacksmiths and
horseshoers.
"M. Gilfoil & Shook are the proprietors of
one of the Main street saloons. They occupy
a good building, and the R. R. is always popu-
lar. Both gentlemen are former residents of
Davenport. In a rapidly growing town like
this there are always scores of carpenters.
Prominent among them is the contractor and
architect, Thomas East. He has superintended
the erection of some of the best buildings in
town and they are monuments of his skill. Mr.
East is an excellent mechanic. A Chinaman
has already found his way among us and put
up a wash house. He is, of course, prosperous
and happy. A meat market will soon be opened
here by Dan Paul whose experience recom-
mends him to all.
"A bakery has just been opened and is
doing an increasing business. A jeweler, we
are told, has come among us, although his
shingle has not been swung. A building has
just been completed on Main street by a gentle-
man from Wenatchee, which we are informed,
is soon to be opened as a short order restaurant.
A large double building is being erected on
Main street near the depot which will be occu-
pied on one side as a barber shop, while the
other will, doubtless, be opened as a saloon."
Such were the business conditions of Coulee
City in 1890, the outcome of but a few short
years of municipal existence. And aside from
this business activity there was considerable
"life" of another description. The town was
overrun with railroad laborers and, incident-
ally, a number of rather sanguinary cowboys.
Personal encounters were frequent and con-
siderable disorder reigned for a few months.
This was a condition, however, that could hard-
ly be averted and one not unusual to nearly all
new railroad towns. But there was a brighter
side to the picture. June 27, 1890, the Coulee
City Ncics said:
"Only surprise is pictured on the faces of
ITHEY WILL RAISE WHEAT BYE AND BYE.
ONE OF THE FIRST LUMBER HOUSES OF
DOUGLAS COUNTY. A LANDMARK ON
THE FRANK RUSHO ESTATE.
MOSES COULEE FALLS AT LOW WATER.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
561
those who visit out city after a few weeks
absence. They hardly reahze that in so short
a time such substantial business houses could
be constructed so far from the base of supplies.
Where a few weeks ago bare crust, grease wood
and ungainly knolls were to be seen, today are
broad, graded streets and avenues. With the
advent of the railroad in a few days the rush
will begin and we may look for a still greater
improvement. A model railroad yard is here
waiting for the finishing touches. A round
house of six stalls, built entirely of brick, black-
smith and repair shops of the same material,
sand house, material house, coal bunkers, t\\o
water tanks, turn table, a large, artistic depot
and station house will all combine to make
Coulee City resemble a railroad center of im-
portance."
The Central Washington railroad was com-
pleted to Coulee City and in operation in the
fall of 1890. Between this time and the
"boom" of 1892 the population rose to nearly
300 people. The town was on a most sub-
stantial basis. But during a portion of the
year 1892 Coulee City was on the anxious
seat. Her condition might aptly be termed
feverish. It then appeared probable that the
Great Northern railway would cross the Grand
Coulee at that point. In fact it was considered
by many that this was the only available point
where a crossing could be made. We have told
in a previous chapter how the route along Crab
Creek was finally selected. But the rumor
that the road might, and probably would, cross
at Coulee City precipitated a boom that could
not have been surpassed had the road actually
passed through the heart of the town. Material
for the construction of the greater portion of
the road through Southern Lincoln and Doug-
las counties was shipped over the Central
Washington via Coulee City. During the sum-
mer of 1892 the town was a typical railroad
camp. Residents of that year tell us that the
place had a population of 1,200 to 1,500. Tem-
porary buildings were run up and all kinds of
business, good, bad and indifferent was added
to the town. The class of people who follow
the building of railroads were there in all their
commendable or pernicious activity. Coulee
City gained a reputation that summer for
"toughness" which was only equalled later by
Wenatchee and Cascade Tunnel, at the time
the army of railroad builders made those places
their headc|uarters. But with the removal of
these railroaders Coulee City resumed its nor-
mal condition — that of a town possessing a
class of most estimable citizens. The buildings
erected for temporary use were torn down, or
sold and removed to adjacent ranches. For
the succeeding decade the town remained a
country village, being the trading and shipping-
point for a vast but thinly populated territory.
Between twelve and one o'clock, Sunday
morning, July 14, 1895, the six-stall, brick
round house was discovered to be on fire.
The flames had spread to such an extent that it
was impossible to check them with the water
facilities at hand, and all the wood-work was
rapidly consumed. Locomotive Xo. 119 was
in the house and was nearly ruined.
The growth of Coulee City during the
decade from 1892 to 1902 was insignificant.
Still, it was the terminal of the Central Wash-
ington railway, and this fact made for the bet-
terment of a business that, otherwise, would
have been stagnant. The town also drew trade
from an immense expanse of territory. How-
ever, there was very little settlement during the
term of years mentioned. But there was
destined to be a revival. In No\-ember, 1902,
the work of grading for the Coulee City-Adrian
cut-off was commenced, and business of the
town improved perceptibly in consequence.
Trains entering the town were loaded with
laborers consigned to work on the cut-off, a
piece of rocky road bed twenty-two miles in
length extending from Coulee City to Adrian,
on the Great Northern road to the south.
Again the little to\^•n assumed the appearance
of a bustling mining camp. Se\-eral hundred
562
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
laborers were at once set to work on the new
road. The resuh was the erection of many
new buildings in the town to be used for saloons
and lodging houses.
In June, 1903, according to the assessor's
returns, the population of Coulee City was
placed at only 122. It is at the present writing
June, 1904, about 300.
Late in 1S88, when the Central Washing-
ton and Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern rail-
roads were running their surveys through west-
ern Lincoln and eastern Douglas counties, there
sprung into existence, in Douglas county, a
town known as Parnell. It was on the survey
of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern railroad,
and was four and one-half miles soittheast of
the present town of Hartline. Here, in the
spring of 1889, D. F. Reeves and E. J. Brower
established a store under the firm name of
Brower & Reeves. This was the only business
house in Parnell, and Mr. Brower soon after-
ward severed his connection with the enter-
prise. J. \\\ Hartline was interested in the
building of a town at this point, and had not
the construction of the Seattle road been aban-
doned quite a thriving village, doubtless, would
have made its appearance at Parnell. The fol-
lowing from the W^ilbur Register of June 14,
1889, supplies an account of one incident in the
brief, ephemeral history of the town of Par-
nell :
"J. \y. Hartline, of the promising town of
Parnell. situated about ten or twelve miles west
of Davisine, was in town Tuesday to get some
posters announcing a celebration of the Fourth
to take place there. If I\Ir. Hartline is a repre-
sentative, with the amount of push and enter-
prise which he possesses, of the population of
that infant city, and from previous knowledge
and reports from that community we believe
his neighbors are alike progressive, the place is
sure to come to the front as one of the sub-
stantial trading points of this section. There
are about ten or fifteen miles of first-class farm-
ing land between Parnell and the coulee, and
about twenty-five west of Wilbur, giving ample
room for a good station. They expect to have
a ver}^ pleasant time the Fourth and have an
interesting program arranged."
Although the town of Parnell never con-
sisted of more than one store, preparations were
made for the building of a city, and with the
characteristic energy of the western townsite
boomer, those interested in the building of the
town sent out enthusiastic reports of its pro-
gress. The following Parnell notes are taken
from the issue of the Big Bend Empire of
December 27, 1888:
"A meeting of the citizens was held at Par-
nell Saturday, December 7th, to take action on
matters relative to the welfare of the town, G.
K. Reed in the chair and John Hartline, sec-
retary. All present expressed themselves ready
to rush matters, and the future prospects are
bright. Such was the enthusiasm raised at the
meeting that the cry was not, 'my kingdom for
a horse !" but 'a kingdom for a shower of lum-
ber with a sprinkling of shingles !' so that the
building could go on to completion, as the mills
cannot supply the demand."
"Isaac Deeter, of Terre Haute, Indiana, is
now home closing his affairs to engage in the
merchandise business here. Messrs. Hartline
& Lingle will soon complete their livery and
feed stable. A. L. Ross, of Nebraska, bought
three residence lots and a business lot for a
home and drug store.
"W. R. Urnley will erect a suitable building
for hotel purposes, while D. D. Utt will erect
two more substantial business houses, and
Parnell will be on the road to prosperity, and
with the coming of spring will he the second
city in the Big Bend, and will make an effort to
reach her sister city in the west."
It was not until September that a postoffice
was established at the new town with E. J.
Brower as postmaster. Shortly afterward the
HISTORY OF THE BIG CEND COUNTRY
563
store, which constituted the town, was removed
to tlie present site of Harthne and ParneU
■ceased to exist. The reason for the abandon-
ment of Parnell and the upbuilding of the town
•of Harthne was the faihire in construction of
tlie Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern railwa}'.
A railroad was the great desideratum and the
boomers gave up their project at Parnell and
transported their lares and penates to where a
railroad was sure to come.
In the spring of 1889 John W. Hartline
took up the quarter section of land upon which
Hartline is now situated, having been located
on the same by James Odgers. This homestead
Mr. Hartline commuted. Here he erected a
small shack just east of where the Hartline pub-
lic school building now stands. This cabin
was the first edifice on the Hartline townsite.
Mr. Reeves, who had conducted the store at
P^arnell, in 1890 erected a store building on Mr.
Hartline's land and moved his stock of goods
up from his former place of business. This
action was taken by Mr. Reeves because it was
considered certain that the Central Washing-
ton railway would extend w^est earlier than the:
Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern, and the new-
site was on the surveyed line of the former
road. A postoffice was secured at the time of
the removal to the new place and named Hart-
line in honor of the homesteader of the land
on which the postoffice was established. Mr.
Ree\'es \\as named as postmaster. Hartline
that same year enjoyed an era of prosperity.
P. J. Young erected a dwelling house and a sec-
tion house was built by the railway company.
Grif Humphrey came down from Broad Ax
Springs, in Lincoln county, and established a
blacksmith shop. P. J. Young put in a small
stock of lumber and in the fall of the year,
there being severaj families in the new town
and in the vicinity, a school was established.
This pioneer educational institution of Hartline
was held in the J. W. Hartline shack, and con-
sisted of eight scholars who were instructed
by Miss Alice Cope.
The town was platted June 5, 1890, by John
W. Hartline. Additions to the town have been
platted since as follows : Hammerly's Addi-
tion, April 7, 1902, by John Hammerly. Hill's
First Addition, October 8, 1902, by James H.
Hill.
The coming of the railroad did not bring
with it an abnormal prosperity as was the case
with so many other places along the line.
George R. Roberts erected a platform along the
track before the railroad was in operation and
bought wheat in the new town, thus distin-
guishing himself as the pioneer grain dealer.
He did not, however, locate here permanently
at this time, and soon disposed of his business.
Late in the year 1891 was established the sec-
ond store, by D. C. Johnson, which continued
in operation two years.
In 1891 the town of Hartline contained
the following people : D. F. Reeves and wife ;
P. J. Young, wife and three children; Grif
Humphrey, wife and two children. Within a
radius of a mile or two of the town lived Carey
Carr, William Bundschue, James Hill, H. H.
Ames, Charles Ames, D. F. Ames and ^Villiam
Hart. In 1893 John and George McDonald
established themselves in the grain business in
Hartline and Coulee City, building a warehouse
in each place. John looked after the firm's
interests at Hartline; his brother attended to
the Coulee City business. In 1894 Mr. Reeves
died and the store building and goods were pur-
chased by McDonald Brothers, who continued
the business for eight years. The next store
to be opened in Hartline was erected by Patrick
Kane in 1898.
Lentil 1902 Hartline did not accomplish
much in the way of improvement. It was a
trading point for the few settlers in the vicin-
ity; only this and nothing more. Two ware-
houses conducted by John McDonald and
George R. Roberts took care of the wheat
raised in the vicinity, while the stores of Mr.
McDonald and Patrick Kane comprised the
business houses of the place. In the year above
564
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
mentioned the town received an impetus that
advanced it to one of the more prosperous vil-
lages of eastern Douglas county. The most
important enterprise of this year was the erec-
tion of a large brick store building bv ]\I. E. &
E. T. Hay, of Wilbur, an edifice that would
be a credit to a city of several thousand inhab-
itants. Other enterprises of this year were the
establishment of the Hartlinc Standard by
Spining & Bassett, of Wilbur; the building of a
hotel by R. S. Faubion, erection of a public
hall and lodge room and several other business
houses, the Hays' lumber yard, Dr. Harris'
drug store, etc. These improvements were
the result of rapid development and settlement
of the surrounding territory. The improve-
ments of 1902 were supplemented the follow-
ing year by others, notably the establishment
of the Hartline State Bank.
The population in June, 1903, as given by
the county assessor, was 140, but the increase
since then has been considerable and Hartline
is today a town of about 300 population. It
is one of the principal grain shipping points in
the Big Bend, supporting five warehouses. In
point of population it is the third town in
Douglas county and contains many wide
awake and enterprising citizens, public-spirited
and entluisiastic in behalf of their locality. No
town on tlie Central Washington railway is
more beautifully located, and no other is blessed
with a more plentiful supply of pure water.
Three miles to the north rises quite a majestic
ridge, comprising exceedingly fertile soil. To
the east is another slight raise, more properly
a wave or roll of earth, which trends southeast,
passing eight miles south of town. All the ter-
ritory lying between the two is comparatively
level, and the view in a southwest, or westerly
direction is, practically, unobstructed for fifteen
or twenty miles. Hartline enjoys a perspective
more extensive, perhaps, than any other town
in eastern Washington. The townsite proper
is situated on nearly a dead level. That por-
tion of territory north of Hartline known as
the "ridge country," was first settled in the
8o's'with the first rush of immigration into the
Big Bend. The earlier settlers who came were
informed by the few pioneer stockmen that the
lighter colored soil south of the ridge was
worthless except for stock range. People from
tlie Mississippi Valley states were easily per-
suaded to avoid the light colored land. The
darker soil of the ridge was what they were
more accustomed to, and so long as there was
land to be had in the darker soils no one would
settle farther south. Gradually the ridge land
was taken and a few took homesteads on the flat.
The enforced hasty and crude methods of farm-
ing during the earlier history of settlement did
not yield satisfactory results in that locality. In
pioneer farming the ridge had a great deal the
best of it, and the knowledge that the lighter
soils could be made just as profitable as the
other came as a gradual revelation. The differ-
ence between the two soils is this : the heavier,
darker soil of the ridge packed or settled down
more rapidly and the wild nature disappeared
more rapidly than it did from the lighter, dryer
soils. But the slightly better average moisture
is offset by the advantage of much earlier seed-
ing in the spring for the lighter lands, which
enables them to avoid an occasional risk which
the ridge cannot escape. But both the ridge
and flat produce immense crops of wheat and
their productiveness has been the principal, in-
deed, the material cause of Hartline's acknowl-
edged prosperity.
WATERVILLE.
Waterville, the county seat and metropolis
of Douglas county, is situated in the north-
western part of the county, distant about nine
miles from the Columbia river to the west. It
is an inland town, 28 miles east from Wenat-
chee, the nearest railway point. Daily stages
run from Waterville to the steamboat landing
on the Columbia river, and also to Coulee City,
the western terminus of the Central Washing-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEXD COUNTRY.
565
ton railway, 45 miles to the east. \Yaterville
is 2,600 feet above sea level. The townsite is
as lovely as one could have selected within this
scope of the country, the table lands gradually
sloping to the south and affording easy and
natural darinage to the place. Says the Big
Bend Empire, published at Waterville :
"Talk about scenery! What's the matter
with the view that may be had any day from
Waterville? To the south skirt the Badger
Mountains. Farther away to the west extends
the Cascade range with their snow-capped
peaks rivalling one another in their ambition
to reach the skies. As the eye follows along
to the north it will see Mount Chelan, the home
of every wild animal known to a north tem-
perate zone climate, and a landmark for all
tribes of Indians to the northwest. Next the
beholder views the rugged mountains of Okan-
ogan county, their bosoms filled with gold and
silver, and rivers glistening with mountain
trout. When this interesting panoramic view
has been satisfied let the eye rest on the great
expanse of rolling prairie of thousands of acres,
here and there dotted with the cabin of the im-
migrant, where peace, happiness and content-
ment dwell as nowhere else in the Big Bend.
"In the midst of this scene is the mighty
Columbia river winding its way through the
center of diversified resources as though to
serve as a medium to float the overproductions
of the country to the sea. When an observa-
tory has been erected at Waterville no city in
the world can excel her in extent and variety
of natural scenery."
The quarter section of land which is now
known as the original townsite of Waterville
and Green's First and Second Additions, was
taken as a squatter's claim by Stephen Boise
in 1883, the year that witnessed the arrival
of the first settlers to Western Douglas county.
At this period the government had not accepted
the survey of this part of the country and Mr.
Boise could only secure a squatter's right. A
private survey had jjeen made, however, and
this was, practically, the same as the one aft-
erward made by the government.
Here ^Ir. Boise built a log cabin, a log
barn, and dug a well. He passed the winter
pf 1883-4 here and the following year fenced
about fifteen acres of land where the court yard
is now. Ten acres of this land he had under
cultivation. These pioneer buildings have long
since been removed, but the place where stood
the cabin is marked by a depression in the
ground which served Mr. Boise, and later Mr.
Greene, as a cellar. They were located near
the center of the quarter section, the cabin be-
ing just south of what is now \\'alnut street ;
the barn near the Big Bend Hotel and the well
being in the middlg of Walnut street.
In the summer of 1883 H. N. Wilcox came
with the vanguard of pioneers to the western
portion of the Big Bend country. They settled
on the quarter section of land just north of the
Boise quarter, and what is now Wilcox's addi-
tion. ]\Ir. ^^^iIcox remained on the place dur-
ing the summer and fall. He then returned
to Cottonwood Springs (later known as Da-
venport) to pass the winter. It was currently
reported that Mr. Wilcox had abandoned the
place, and the following spring the land was
"jumped" by Howard Honor. The outcome of
this act was told by Dr. J. B. Smith, one of the
pioneers of the ^^'aterville country, in the first
issue of the Orondo Nci^-s, in July, 1S89:
"In the latter days of March, 1884, we met
Howard Honor hauling a load of lumber from
Xash & Stephens', Badger Mountain, saw mill.
^^'e were invited to get aboard and go out with
him to 'Jumpers' Flat', (now the site of Water-
ville), as he had jumped the ranch of H. N.
Wilcox. * * .* We helped Mr. Honor
put up a cabin and stopped with him at the
ranch of Mr. Charles Hall, ^^'ithin a few days
^Ir. ^^'ilcox pulled in to occupy his ranch, and
current report of those days said there was a
parley between the Wilcox and Honor parties
in which the use of Winchesters was proposed,
but reason prevailed and Howard Honor re-
566
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
tired from the contest and took up his present
ranch. It is worthy of mention that in the
early days of the settlement, although the coun-
try was, practically, without officers, or law,
breaches of the peace very seldom occurred.
This speaks volumes for the excellent character
of the early settlers of the Big Bend."
The building of a town on the location of
the present W'aterville was conceived by A.
T. Greene, who is known as the "Father of
Waterville." Mr. Green first came to the
Big Bend country in 1884. Land in the west-
ern Big Bend was then unsurve3^ed, but in the
spring of 1S85 Mr. Greene came out from
Davenport and purchased the Boise claim.
During the summer of 1865 he remained on
his claim and sowed a crop. It was during this
period that he decided to build there a town.
To the writer Mr. Greene has stated just how
there happened to be the town of ^^'aterville,
and the circumstances which combined to bring
about the founding of a town in a country
which at that time, certainly, was not very
promising. Ever since chiklhood, when Mr.
Greene li\-ed with his parents in New England,
his ambition had been to either engage in lit-
erary work or to become the founder of a city.
These ideas clung to him when he had arrived
at manhood. When first he came to the west-
ern Big Bend it was not with the intention of
carrying out his early dreams, however. But
this identical idea came strongly upon him one
night, during the summer of 1885, as he lay
by his hay stack, where he slept during the
heated term. Here he was in possession of a
claim to which he hoped some day to secure a
clear title. Why not lay out a townsite and
realize his ambition ? Stranger things had hap-
pened than the building of a town in a new
country like the one in which he had cast his
lot. But ]\Ir. Greene did not at once reveal
his plans to his neighbors, yet from that time
out tlie fnunding of the town of \\'aterville
was assured.
During the month of June. 1904, the writer
enjoyed the pleasure of a drive in company
with Mr. Greene from that gentleman's ranch,
four miles northwest of W^aterville, into the
city for which preparations for building had
been planned just nineteen years previous. As
we arrived at the summit of an elevation, and
the beautiful city of Waterville burst into \-iew,
and the "Father of Waterville" pointed out the
various landmarks, reminscences of the early
days, it certainly must have been with a feel-
ing of pride. Where nineteen years before he
had lived, the sole inhabitant, he now gazed
down upon a little city of 1,000 people; a city
of which he was the founder and a city whose
welfare has ever engaged his best attentions.
Mr. Greene returned to Davenport in the
fall, and in November, 1886, he was married
to Miss Dell Turner. Immediately upon the
arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Greene plans were
made for the platting of a townsite. Being
unsurveyed land it was necessary to lay it out
as a government townsite.
A few days after their marriage Mr. Greene-
and his bride had started for their new home.
The possessions of the newly married couple
consisted of a span of horses, a second-hand
wagon, a supply of provisions and a firm de-
termination to build a city on the young hus-
band's land. Waterville at this period, the
fall of 1886, consisted of Mr. Greene's log
cabin, and what was a rarity in those days, a
fine well of water.
Mr. Greene interested J. M. Snow, a sur-
veyor, in the building of a town here, which
should become a candidate for county seat
honors. Mr. Snow surveyed the townsite and
these two gentlemen laid their plans for secur-
ing inhabitants for the town, and, incidentally,
the county seat. The settlers in the immediate
vicinity of the proposed town at this period
were A. T. Greene and wife, Harmon Wilcox,
H. N. Wilcox. J. M. Snow. James H. Kinciid,
wife and three children. .\1 Pierpont, Alorris
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUi\TRY,
567
Buzzard, John Buzzard, William Wilson, John
Barrowman, Arch Barrowman, E. A. Cornell,
James Melvin, Frank Silvea.
In October, 1886, Mr. Greene relinquished
40 acres of his ranch to be used as a govern-
ment townsite. If this action had not been
taken by Mr. Greene at that time, it is doubtful
if Waterville or a town by any other name
would be in existence there today. It was
proposed to build a town that would become a
candidate for county seat honors. The town
was named ^Vaterville in consideration of the
fine well which was a sharp contrast to the
dry well of Okanogan, the county seat. There
is said to be nothing in a name, liut there was
something significant, in the naming of this
town. People in the neighborhood for several
miles around would come to ]\Ir. Greene's
place for their supply of water and his ranch
began, at an early day, to be called "Water-
ville." And yet visitors to the capital of Doug-
las county marvel at the name applied to a
town which is miles from water, other than
wells.
The town was platted by a board of trus-
tees. Following is the dedication of the Water-
ville townsite :
"Territory of Washington,
"County of Douglas, ss.
"Know all men by these presents that we,
John Brownfield, James H. Kincaid, and Jud-
son Murray, ti-ustees, all of Douglas County,
Washington Territory, desiring to locate a
townsite under the laws of the United States
government, governing the location of towns
upon the pubic lands of the United States, have
caused to be surveyed and platted upon the
northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of
section 21, in township No. 25, north of range
22, East Willamette Meredian, W. T., in the
county of Douglas, the town of Waterville as
herein shown. And that we hereby dedicate
to the use of the public forever the Park Square
and all streets and allevs herein shown ; also
that we hereby dedicate to the county of Doug-
las, to the town of Waterville, to the Free Ma-
sons, to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
and to the public schools, and to their suc-
cessors, assignees and trustees fore\-er, those
several tracts respectively marked for them on
the herein plat and map. \Vitness our hands
and seals this 26th day of October, A. D., 1886.
"John Brownfield,
"James H. Kixcaid,
"JuDsoN Murray,
"Trustees.
"In the presence of Emily D. Brownfield
and J. M. Snow."
To the town of Waterville additions have
since been platted -as follows: Greene's First
Addition, December 22, 1888, by A. L. Greene.
Greene's Second Addition, February 20, 1889,
by .\. L. Greene. Kincaid's First Addition,
February 25, 1889, by James H. Kincaid.
\\'alter's First Addition, Februarv 26. i88(),
by William Walters. Park Acre Addition,
August 26, 1889, by H. C. Thomas. Attorney
in fact for Enos A. Cornell. Cornell's First
Addition, April 24. 1890, bv E. A. Cornell.
Cornell's Second Addition, April 24, i8go. by
E. A. Coi-nell. Cornell's Addition, Jan-
uary 12, 1891, by E. A. Cornell. Walter's
Second Addition, January 5, 1891, bv William
M. Walters. Walter's Third Addition, Jan-
uary 19, 1891, by William M. \\'alters. Edd-
son Addition, February 2. 1891, bv David
Orr, Gus Pagel, T. R. Busteed, J. B. Bliss,
Walter Guson. Kincaid's Second Addition,
January 26, 1891, by James H. Kincaid. Wil-
cox's First Addition, February 28, 1891. by
H. M. Wilcox. Columbia Park Addition,
March 14, 1891. by C. M. Stephens. ^lel-
vin's First Addition, April 2. 1891, liv James
Melvin. Kellogg's First Addition, November
28, 1903, by L. E. Kellogg.
The platting of these additions during the
years 1889-91, many of them of liberal pro-
portions, resulted in extending the town of
568
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
Waterville over a generous territorj^ Illus-
trative of the extent of these plattings a story
is related of a citizen of Waterville who ap-
peared on the streets of Spokane one day. The
gentleman from Waterville was accosted by a
friend with the remark: "Well, I thought you
belonged in \\'aterville; what are you doing
here?"
"Oh," replied the Douglas county citizen,
"I had to make a trip to one of our newly plat-
ted additions, and being so close thought I
would drop in and see you."
When the Waterville townsite was sur-
veyed by Judge Snow the only building on the
proposed location, was the cabin of Mr. Greene.
Until the spring of 1887 Waterville remained-
without improvements. That spring, however,
a building was run up. Sometime previous a
blacksmith. E. E. Stowell, had come to Bad-
ger mountain settlement with his tools and
there located. Under the influence of Mr.
Greene and other settlers Stowell located at
Waterville on the new townsite. As an in-
ducement to do this all the neighbors turned
out and hauled lumber to the townsite and as-
sisted the blacksmith in erecting the first build-
ing in Waterville. This original edifice is still
standing.
The second building was erected, also, dur-
ing the spring of 1887. This was put up by
Isaac Newhouse for the ostensible purpose of
being- utilized as an office by Judge Snow. It
was, however, subsequently utilized as a court
house. Judge Snow occupying but a portion of
the edifice. This building occupied the site
where now stands the Piper brick store, on
Walnut street. It was remo\-ed to another
part of town and is now used as a residence.
The same summer Mr. Newhouse erected an-
other small building and put in a stock of
goods, thus becoming the pioneer merchant of
Waterville. Here Mr. Newhouse conducted
business until the spring 1889. Mr. Newhouse
had been the first to build his campfire on tbe
present site of \\^ater\-ille and to tread down
the thistles for those who followed later. It
was his money and his energy that contributed
to a large degree to the present success of the
town. Mr. Newhouse died near \\^aterville,
February 12, 1901.
Following the platting of the town the em-
bryo city at once waged a warm county seat
contest an account of which will be found in
the current history chapters of this work.
Judge J. M. Snow did much of the head work
that secured an early boom for the town.
The removal of the county seat to Water-
ville, which was accomplished on May 3, 1887,
did not create any undue excitement. While
Waterville had secured the honor of being the
county's capital, it was without a postoffice.
It was not within the province of the board of
county commissioners to legislate the Okano-
gan postoffice to Waterville, and for some time
following the removal of the records Okanogan
was a town with a name only — and a postoffice.
To this postoffice it was necessary for the
county officials to go for their mail. Some
people had their mail directed to Badger posl-
office. The official trip for mail was made by
Auditor R. S. Steiner on horseback, once or
twice a week. Of course this plan was quite
unsatisfactory. But in December. 1887, a post-
office was secured for Waterville and A. T.
Greene was named as postmaster. In point
of fact Mr. Greene was the only bona fide resi-
dent of the new town, and legally entitled to
hold the office. The county officers who con-
stituted the balance of the town's population
were all residents of other places in the vicinity
where they were "holding- down" claims. Au-
ditor R. S. Steiner was made deputy postmaster
and one corner of his office was set apart as the
postoffice. This condition of affairs continued
until the spring of 1888. Then Rogers &
Howe opened a mercantile business and the
postoffice was taken in by them, Mr. Howe
becoming postmaster.
During the fall of 1887 George Bradley
came to \\'ater\-ille and erected the first per-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
569
manent building, and one that was, certainly,
pretentious for that period. The- upper story
was arranged for a public hall, the lower por-
tion being utilized for store purposes. But it
was not occupied in this line until the spring of
1889. The building was completed Christmas,
1887, and was dedicated by a grand ball, the
first ever given in Waterville. Following this
event the sale of town lots became quite brisk.
Preparations were made for lively times in the
spring and the results fully justified the
preparations.
Speaking of these pioneer days the Big
Bend Empire of date January 30, 1896, said:
"Mail in those days (1887-8) was received
at odd times from Spokane, about 150 to 160
miles by stage line east, and from Ellensburg,
75 miles across the Columbia and over the Kit-
titas mountain to the southwest. Provisions
■and supplies of the settlement were freighted
from these points at rates ranging from $40
to $60 per ton. Flour, bacon,, feed and grain
brought enormous figures. Few luxuries were
then known to pioneer's table; necessaries only
were handled by the one grocery shop, (New-
house's), and the want of these at times — flour,
meat, salt and lard, the writer recalls, threat-
ened periods of famine, forcing the settlement
to halt rations, while the arrival of wagon
trains was awaited from the far away stations."
The Empire states that in the spring of
1888 only eight buildings could be found on the
Waterville townsite. This condition of affairs
did not long continue. Building operations
began and in a few short months Waterville
was a town of some size. Nearly all branches
-of business were represented. Fred McDer-
mott, who came to Waterville in the spring of
1888, describes conditions prevailing in the lit-
tle town at that period as follows :
"The writer well recalls that e\-en then
'there were but few prairie cabins and no fences
teyond a distance of six or eight miles from the
•embryo city of the county seat. Waterville
•was only a hamlet, and on the day, particularly
that we arrived after a long journey across the
southern deserts from the Dalles, in Oregon,
there \\ere but two stores in operation and
neither of these had on hand as much as a side
of bacon or a sack of flour. In fact a tempor-
ary famine was imminent and want of bread
stared the few citizens in the face until, luckily,
an accidental outfit, laden with flour and meat
for the Okanogan mines, appeared on the 'off-
ing' outside the townsite, shortly following the
writers arrival. It cost them at the rate of
$60 per ton to get anything into Waterville
from the railroad at Spokane Falls. Ritzville
or Ellensburg, though it was not until the first
of June of that year, 1888. that wagon naviga-
tion opened on the Kittitas mountain so as to
admit of the import of supplies from that point.
Spokane was about 150 miles distant by the
freight road: Ritzville 9i and Ellensburg 75
miles. The rush to the Okanogan, or Salmon
river mines, was great at that time and for a
year following there were scores of packing
outfits going through Waterville every week
bound for the north. Money was plentiful,
too, in those days, and twenty dollar gold pieces
appeared to he as freely circulated as the nickels
are todav. A marvelous develonment began
that summer and continued into the next year
throughout the whole country. Cabins snrung
up p11 over the plains and during; the fall and
winter — the Ifitter beinc: remarka1-ily ooen and
mild — over a hundred laree and substantial
business and residence buildings were added to
the cHv of Waterville."
Julv -L, 1888. was t1ie first Tndenendence
Dav celebration lield in \\'atervi1I'^. The fol-
lowing- account is taken from the file of the Big
Pe»d Fmpire^
"TI1P neonle of t'^e P.is' P-^'-id n^ay well fe-1
proud of their celebrat'on of July 4. 1888. It
1 marks the era of a new and grand existence
that has dawned noon the heretofore almost
isolated resrion west of the Grand Coulee that
is destined to become a great commonwealth.
Although the day was made disagreeable by a
570
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
heavy wind which made it almost impossible
to go out of doors those who had the manage-
ment of the exercises were not to be discour-
aged and the program was carried out almost
exactly as arranged. At an early hour in the
morning the streets were thronged with people
and the town was beautifully decorated with
evergreen trees and national flags. The pro-
cession started from Bradley Hall, and was of
such imposing splendor as would have done
justice to much older and larger towns. The
Liberty Car gotten up exclusively by our enter-
prising citizen, Mr. G. W. Philbrick, was the
admiration of all. !Much praise is also due the
ladies, Mrs. E. E. Stevens, Mrs. G. W. Phil-
brick, Mrs. Phillips, and Mrs. Harden, for their
success in finding the 38 little girls for the
Liberty Car.
"The exercises at the grand stand were of
more than usual interest as was shown by the
marked attention of the people who were able
to secure seats. ]\Iiss Eunice Derifield did
herself credit for the excellent manner in which
she rendered the Declaration of Independence.
Orator Bradley acquitted himself well, as was
indicated by the frequent bursts of applause.
His speech was prefaced by interesting al-
lusions to our own new country ; then he re-
viewed the history of our government and the
theory of our free institutions. He rose above
political parties and interested his hearers with
the grander thought of American liberty. H.
Hilscher responded to a call from the G. A. R.
boys and made an off-hand speech that was
heartily applauded. His reference to the Re-
bellion and to those who fought on the other
side was especially well received. Judge Snow,
as president of the day. proved himself equal
to this, as all other occasions, by his dignified
bearing and many winning ways.
"The vocal and instrumental music ren-
dered by Miss Frankie Whaley, as organist,
Mrs. Rounds, Mrs. Van Alstine and Messrs.
Murray. Corbaley, and Clark, was one of the
most enjoya])le features of the day. The wind
did not blow too hard to plainly hear the sweet
notes of the organ in perfect time with the
clear voices of the singers. At the conclusion
of exercises at the stand the multitude repaired
to dinner, after which the program of sports,
was witnessed, when dancing was commenced
and was continued till sometime the next day.
There \A-ere many strangers and new comers-
present and all agreed that it was the most suc-
cessful and every way agreeable Fourth of July
celebration they ever witnessed. The crowd
in attendance was variously estimated from
1,200 to 1,800."
It may be justly said that the merchants of
Waterville, during the infancy of the town,
were devoid of one fault too common with the
business men of nearly all new towns. There
was no jealous rivalry among them. All were
on friendly terms; all worked for a common
object, the welfare of Waterville. The same
is true today, there being few towns where
such goodwill and unanimity of purpose pre-
vail among the business men.
One of the notable improvements in ^^'ater-
ville during the year 1888 was the establish-
ment of a brickyard by J. C. McFarland. He
secured a contract for 75,000 brick in the town.
He immediately set to work under all the dis-
advantages that confront such enterprises in a
frontier country, but in July he opened his first
kiln and produced a. fine product. This enter-
prise was continued two years.
During the fall of 1888 considerable
trouble was engendered by jumping of lots on
the townsite. Waterville was located on a gov-
ernment townsite dedicated to the public use.
Consequently the lots were the property of the
persons who chose to take possession of them
for the purpose of making homes or engaging
in business and were held somewhat as other
unoccupied lands were held, by actual use or
occupancy. For the purpose of liberality to
the public and enlisting as many as possible-
toward the townsite enterprise, which at the
bep-inning of the vear 1888, was little else than
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
571
a "site," certain lots had been dedicated for re-
ligious, educational and benevolent purposes.
The town was laid out similar to other towns
with streets, alleys and a public square.
This condition went well until the summer
of 1888. Then the surging tide of immigration
brought all classes of people who engaged in
various lines of business and people de-
siring lots were far more plentiful than
were the lots. Some maintained, logic-
ally or otherwise, that the townsite be-
ing on government land, even the streets
and public scfuares were convertible to private
use by occupancy. It was, perhaps, owing to
such chaotic condition of affairs in the status
of the townsite that led to several cases of lot
jumping, or less harshly, "conflict of titles."
Concerning a well-remembered case of lot
jumping' the Big Bend Empire of October 11,
1888, said :
"But the climax was reached last Saturday
(October 6), when it was whispered that some
individual was about to take possession of the
lot dedicated to the Masonic order. This lot
has now become quite valuable, and who the
greedy one could be that would attempt to ap-
propriate the property that by common consent
had been dedicated to a benevolent institution
was a matter of some conjecture. In due time
the parties came in sight and proceeded to dig.
Ever and anon they would turn up their
weather eyes as though wondering if it were
going to rain. It was also learned that teams
had gone to the mill for lumber. About this
time several of our well-known business men,
members of the mystic tie, appeared in a body
and commenced remonstrating with the bold
intruders. But it appears the latter reckoned
on at least a wordy combat, and they stoutlv in-
sisted on proceeding with their improvements.
During the day operations were quite lively in
that neighborhood, and by sundown the build-
ings were well under course of construction ;
one of which, we are informed is designed as a
Masonic hall. Our night editor is, also, of the
belief that he could plainly see figures of indi-
viduals passing to and fro at the bewitching
hour of midnight, 'when graveyards yawn,'
but upon visiting the scene the apparitions van-
ished. All parties are now uninterruptedly-
building and will, probabl)-, occupy the lot un-
til the question of title is finally adjudicated.
"For the information of our readers abroad
it is proper to add that the difficulty concerning
the title is owing to delay of the government
in accepting the surveys ; that the surveys have
never been accejjted, and settlers holding claims
adjoining the townsite will in a few days be
prepared to give good titles, and the days of
'jumping' will be remembered simply as other
pioneer incidents."
To this the Empire added :
"It will be remembered that Waterville is
a government townsite : that is. that lot claim-
ants acquire title to their lots through the gen-
eral land office at Washington, D. C, by a pro-
cess similar to that pursued by homestead or
pre-emption claimants. Owing to work being
about two years behind in the general land of-
fice lot owners on the original townsite have
had no shadow of title to their lots except the
improvements which, as might naturally be ex-
pected, have been of such a character as would
answer the demands of their business."
May 29, i8go, the Empire said :
"The patent to the original townsite of
Waterville has been issued to Joseph M. Snow,
the duly constituted trustee, who will in due
time convey to claimants and occupants of lots
good and sufficient deeds. Thus ends a source
of much uneasiness and doubt regarding the
final titles to lots on the government townsite
of Waterville. The seeming long delay has
been caused by the overwhelming accumula-
tion of business in the general land office at
Washington, and the matter has been hastened
beyond its regular order by R. W. Starr, Esq.,
of this place and his associate counsel at Wash-
ington, D. C.
"The question of deeds to lots in the orig-
57-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
inal townsite has retarded the growth of the
town to a great extent as well as to greatly
lessen the number of real estate transactions,
not only in the 'old,' or original townsite, but
addition property as well, for the reason that
government townsites are generally little un-
derstood here and people who have not taken
the trouble to examine the subject have been
inclined not to meddle with property they could
not see a perfect title to. But those who have
examined the prospects for titles to the original
townsite, and among them our able local at-
torney, have been satisfied all the time that no
titles in the world could be better than those of
W'aterville town lots, and the formal accept-
ance of the proof by the department of Wash-
ington confirms the correctness of their posi-
tions."
It was not until December, 1890, that the
lot owners secured deeds to their lots. The
patent to the townsite was received in May,
i8go, by J. M. Snow, trustee, and the deeds to
the lots were made out by Mr. Snow.
The first church edifice erected in Water-
ville was begun in November, 1888, a Method-
ist Episcopal church, 28 by 40 feet in size. Sub-
scriptions were taken and several hundred dol-
lars secured for this purpose.
Waterville in 1888 was willing to become
the capital of Washington Territory. The
Empire in its issue of December 27, of that
year, told why the town was qualified to become
the capital city of the commonwealth as fol-
lows :
"Waterville is approximately the geograph-
ical center of the Territory; it is so accessible
from all parts of the Territory that three differ-
ent railroads are breaking their necks to get
here first ; it is midway between the Queen City
of the Sound and the 'Minneapolis of the West,'
Spokane. Three months ago Waterville was
pothing, now it is a booming city with over a
liundred fine buildings the shingles of which
are not discolored by wintry storms. Among
the enterprises under contemplation for spring
are a system of waterworks, street cars and
electric lights. It has the most wideawake mer-
chants and greatest number of beautiful women
of any town in the United States. It is a
boomer ; it is a bird ; it's going to be the capital."
In the vote for the location of the capital in
1889 Waterville was not a candidate, but re-
ceived a few votes in Douglas county.
At the beginning of the year 1889 the pop-
ulation of Waterville was estimated from 300
to 350. There were two general merchandise
stores, three hardware stores, four grocery and
provision stores, two hotels, one restaurant,
three blacksmith shops, one drug store, two
butcher shops, four saloons, five attorneys,
three physicians, one undertaker, one news-
paper and two bakeries.
Following is the opinion of Mr. Sam Vin-
son, agent of the general land department, con-
cerning Waterville, voiced while paying the
town a visit March, 1889:
"It is the best town in the Big Bend coun-
try, and I regard it as the second Spokane
Falls. All that are lacking are transportation
facilities. It is ten miles from the Columbia
river in a beautiful and productive valley.
Water can be obtained from the springs in the
Badger Mountain, with a fall of 300 feet, that
will supply a population of 20,000. In all my
travels over Washington I have never seen a
better location for a city — with the exception
of Spokane Falls, of course."
During the fall of 1888 agitation for the
incorporation of the town was begun. Water-
ville at this time was the recognized metropolis
of an immense territory and during the pre-
ceding summer Iiad enjoyed a rapid growth.
But the town was not incorporated until the
following spring. The growth of the town
and its increasing importance made a city gov-
ernment imperative. A petition was circulated
and it was signed by nearly e\ery tax-paying
citizen in the town praying that the district
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
573
court issue an order granting the incorporation
prayed for. Following is a copy of the peti-
tion.
"To Hon. L. B. Nash, Judge of the Fourth
Judicial District of Washington Territory, and
holding terms of court in and for the county of
Douglas :
"We, your petitioners, being taxable inhab-
itants of the town of Waterville, in said county,
respectfully pray that said town may be incor-
porated and police established for the local gov-
ernment thereof. Your petitioners desire that
said incorporated town of Waterville shall in-
clude the following territory, to wit : The east
half of the southeast quarter of section 21, in
town 25, north of range 22, east of the Willa-
mette Meridian; in Douglas county, Washing-
ton Territory.
"Signed : H. R. Hilscher, \Y. F. Allender,
W. M. Crisp, Ivirk Whited, Geo. A. Allen, D.
Woods, F. M. Strieker, G. W. Hollingshead,
Albert T. Greene. L. E. Kellogg, D. F. Riggs,
C. M. Stephens, S. W. Phillips, D. C. Johnson,
C. Gilchrist, Colin Campbell, William Fergu-
son, J. M. Willis, Henry Lieurance, C. H.
Abel."
March 22, 1889, the petition was granted
by the following order :
"In the District Court of Washington Ter-
ritory, Fourth Judicial District, holding terms
at Waterville, in and for the County of Doug-
las :
"In the matter of the incorporation of the
City of Waterville.
"A petition having been presented to the
court praying that the inhabitants of the follow-
ing described tract of land situated in the coun-
ty of Douglas and Territory of ^^'ashington,
and more particularly described as follows, to-
wit : The east half of the southeast quarter of
section 21, township 25. north of range 22, east
of the W. M., be incorporated under the name
of the town of W'aterville, and police be estab-
lished for their local government ; and it appear-
ing to the court that said petition has been
signed by a majority of the taxable inhabitants
of the tract of land aforesaid, and sought to be
incorporated as such town ; and the court being
fully advised of the premises, it is ordered,
adjudged and decreed that they are hereby duly
incorporated under the name of the town of
Water\ille within the limits of the tract of land
above described, and that they are henceforth
declared to be a body corporate under the said
name of the town of \\'aterville.
"And it is further ordered that C. N.
Stephens, Albert T. Greene, W. F. Allender,
L. E. Kellogg and S. W. Phillips be, and they
are, hereb}- declared to be the trustees of said
town, and to continue in said office until their
successors shall be elected and qualified.
"And it is further ordered that said petition
and this order be entered in full on the records
of this court.
"Done in chambers this March 22, 1889.
"L. B. Nash.
"Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of
\\'ashington Territory, of the Fourth Judicial
District thereof."
In pursuance with this order the gentlemen
named in the decree met at the office of Snow
& Greene on Thursday, March 7th, took the
oath of office before R. S. Steiner, clerk of the
district court for Douglas county, and formally
organized as board of trustees for the town of
Waterville. A. T. Greene was the unanimous
choice for chairman of the board. Kirk ^^'hited
was appointed clerk of the board and city at-
torney; M. B. Howe, treasurer; W. Z. Cooper,
marshall. The only business transacted was
the calling of an election to be held on Monday,
April I, to select town officers. F. M. Strieker
was named judge of the election, and Charles
Peach and A. M. Tenny, clerks. At this elec-
tion A. T. Greene, M. B. Howe, P. J. Knight.
S. W. Phillips and John Robb were elected
trustees.
In District Court, Judge W^ H. Calkins
presiding, on June 17, 1889, the following ter-
ritory was added to the corporate limits of the
574
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
town : Greene's second addition, Kincaid's
iirst addition and the southwest quarter of the
southwest quarter of section 22.
An organization that did much to advance
the interests of the town was the Waterville
Board of Trade, organized in April, 1889. Fol-
lowing were the first officers of the board : A.
T. Greene, president; P. E. Berry, secretary;
C. M. Stephens, committee on finance; W. F.
Allender, committee on immigration and public
lands ; R. W. Starr, committee on manufactures
and public improvements.
This organization was shortly afterwards
■christened the Douglas County Board of Trade
and was a lively factor in the settlement of the
county as well as the town of Waterville.
The first fire company in Waterville was
organized Wednesday evening, May 8, 1889.
There were 26 members. A. H. Murdock was
foreman.
Writing to the Tacoiiia Globe in May, 1889,
a correspondent said :
"They are hustling, bustling, go-ahead fel-
lows, these business men of Waterville.
Nothing is too good for their pretty little city
and they all pitch in for the common purpose
of beautifying and benefiting the town. One
donates a town lot for this, another puts his
hand down deep in his pocket to help that en-
terprise, and so they pass the work around the
ring, no one shirking responsibility or refusing
aid."
October 10, 1889, the Empire stated that
there were 246 buildings in Waterville, an in-
crease of 238 in a little over a year.
People who were residing in Waterville
during the winter of 1889-90 relate interesting
tales of how they passed several weeks in the
town completely isolated from the outside
world. For more than two weeks the town was
completely cut ofi by a heavy fall of snow ; no
mail was received or sent. January 30th a
mail was received from Ellensburg. The stage
had become blocked with snow at the mouth of
Corbaley canyon and a Waterville rescue party
went to his assistance with shovels and tobog-
gan, and hauled the mail in by hand. The fol-
lowing day mail went out on 'the toboggan as
far as the stage had come the day before. Feb-
ruary 5th another party started' out on snow
shoes to meet the stage at Orondo. This party
comprised A. T. Greene, Sheriff Gillespie, M.
B. Howe, R. W. Starr, C. A. Carpenter,
Eugene Woodin, A. M. Tenny, Henry Smith,
A. L. Rogers, Elder J. M. C. Warren, and W.
M. Walters. A portion of this party returned
the same evening with the news that the mail
had not come over the mountain. The follow-
ing day W. R. Wetsel headed a party of snow
shovelers to relieve the stage. The following
day the stage came in, but without the mail, as
the late snow on the mountain had put a stop
to all travel.
One of the results of this blockade was the
prevention of a regular meeting of the board of
Douglas county commissioners. Commissioner
Stephens was the only member on deck. After
"Assembling" and "adjourning" from day to
day for a time, waiting for his colleagiies,
Messrs. Godlove and Lewis, Stephens, too,
abandoned the field. As there was much im-
portant business to be transacted a special meet-
ing was called later. February 12th mails
arrived from both east and west. The eastern
mail consisted of letters only and was brought
in from Grand Coulee on snow shoes. The
western mail consisted of letters and papers,
the latter being rather aged so far as the news
features were concerned. This serious block-
ade was not entirely raised until the following
April. In the issue of the Empire, March 27th,
we find these items :
"Provisions are getting scarce in town.
Our merchants are out of meat, lard, sugar,
baking powder, and flour is getting low. And
there is not a pound of hay or grain for sale in
town. It will be several days before teams can
get to Almira.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
575
"Many of our merchants are temporarily
out of business — sold out — pending the arrival
of goods from the railroad."
At a regular meeting of the board of. trus-
tees April 14, 1890, a petition signed by 30
residents of Waterville was presented asking
for a special towii election to vote on the pro-
position of the town of Waterville being organ-
ized and incorporated under the general laws
of the state, such incorporation to take the
l^Iace of the old incorporation which was accom-
plished under the Territorial laws. Washing-
ton was now a state, and the old corporation
had been declared void by the state courts.
This petition was granted and Saturday, May
3d was named as the day for holding the special
election. The following persons were named
as officers of this new election : Judge, A. C.
Porter ; inspectors, W. H. Calkins, Robert Gil-
liland ; clerks, C. C. King, William Crisp.
Although the vote was light there was no op-
jjosition to the proposition to reincorporate.
Under the new organization the first officers
were: Mayor, A. J. Davis; councilmen, P. J.
Knight, C. M. Stephens, Joseph Lovett, M. D.
Smith, C. F. Abel. Police magistrate, A. C.
Porter ; clerk, D. C. De Galia ; city marshall, J.
B. Valentine.
The first flouring mills in operation in
Douglas county were the Waterville Roller
Mills, of 50 barrel capacity. They were placed
in operation Tuesday, December 20, iSgo, by
D. J. Herstine.
The fall of 1890 and spring of 1891 were
prosperous times for Waterville. Among other
enterprises which served to add to this pros-
perity was the creating here of a United States
Land Office, the building of the flouring mill,
the establishment of two banks. First National
and Douglas County Bank and the building of
a $10,000 school house.
In December, 1890. steps were taken by
prominent citizens to interest Seattle capital in
Waterville. The result was the establishment
of the First National Bank bv Seattle men and
the formation of a company among Seattle
capitalists known as the Waterville Improve-
ment Company. About 600 acres of fine agri-
cultural land adjacent to town was donated to
this company conditional that the company
should place in Waterville a system of water
works and' electric lights. Success attended
these efforts and both the water works and
electric lights were installed in 1892.
,A militia company was organized and mus-
tered in as the First Unattached. Company Na-
tional Guard of Washington, Wednesday
evening, October 26, 1892, by Captain E. ^V.
Lyons, of Company G, Second Infantry, of
Spokane. The officers of this company were
W. J. Canton, captain; F. M. Dallam, First
Lieutenant ; A. E. Case, second lieutenant. Mr.
Dallam soon after resigned, Case was made first
lieutenant and J. M. F. Cooper, second lieuten-
ant. The complete roster at the date of muster
was as follows: W. J. Canton, Frank M. Dal-
lam, A. E. Case, J. C. Lawrence, A. T. Greene,
J. M. F. Cooper, George A. Newsalt, P. A.
Snyder, O. D. Porter, J. H. Dickson, S. L.,
Behon, Edward Johnson, C. O. Steiner, Perry
^^'ilcox, Charles W. McDermott, Will Day,
Henry Lieurance, H. C. Hupe, M. S. Crisp, J.
W. Pearl, Charles J. Nokes, Philo M. Crisp, J.
R. Pearl, C. H. Kirkland, Robert Beyers,
Lewis Wetsel, Charles ^^'. Hudson, Charles
Harris, August Hupe.
This organization retained its individuality
three years and was highly esteemed by the
citizens of Waterville. July 1895, the First
Unattached Militia Company was mustered out
of the service. The reason for the disbandment
is told in the following letter :
"Olympia, June 29, 1895 — Captain W. J.
Canton, Waterville, Washington — Sir: I am
directed by the commander in chief to inform
3'ou that the disbandment of the First Unat-
tached Company has been announced in Gen-
eral Order No. 7, in pursuance of the provisions
of Section 59, of the military code.
"The disbandment of your company car-
576
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
ries with it no reflection in the shghtest degree
upon your patriotism or efiiciency. The mil-
itary code in providing for a reduction in the
Guard requires that companies shall be station-
ed in such localities as the necessities and ad-
vantages of the service require, with reference
to the means of rapid concentration^ The mus-
tering out of your company was wholly due
to the fact that a careful consideration of all
the existing circumstances has forced the con-
clusion that your location is not so accessible
nor of such strategic importance as that of
other companies.
"The commander-in-chief desires to ex-
press for himself personally, and the citizens of
Washington, his appreciation of the valuable
services rendered by your company. Your re-
cord has at all times been most excellent, and
your severance from the guard was determined
with regret.
"Yours respectfully.
"E. C. MacDonald,
"Acting- Adjutant General."
Up to, and including the year 1892, there
was great activity in the bustling town of
Waterville. Business houses were erected and
new enterprises inaugurated. Preparations
were made for great events. A railroad was
expected to arrive at almost any time — in fact
at one period it looked as though three different
railroads were striving to get to Wateville.
Additions were platted which extended far out
into the country. But all this was changed.
"Financial depression" which has so often been
recorded in this history, effected a marvelous
change in the prosperity of Waterville. Build-
ing operations were brought to a standstill ; for
many years the young city which started out
with most flattering prospects, was suddenly
halted in its once rapid progression. The latter
part of the 90's witnessed a slight change for
the better, but it was not until the season of
1902 that the old time prosperous gait was
again reached. This, of course, was brought
about by the rapid settlement of the county at
that time.
At all times since the reincorporation of the
town of Waterville there had lurked in the
minds of the people a suspicion that such action
had not been valid. The citizens decided to
make a third attempt to set matters right. This
occurred March 25, 1894, The people had,
gone to the city council for permission tO' re-
incorporate. A palpable error. Now they
made application to the board of county com-
missioners. The population of the territory
according to a census taken by order of the
commissioners just prior to the election which
was called by them was 503. The result of the
election was : votes cast, 105 ; For incorporation,
65 ; against incorporation, 28, 12 not voting
on the question. For mayor— P. E. Berry,
republican, and endorsed by the democratic con-
vention, 89.
For councilmen — A. L. Maltbie, rep., 65 ;
E. W. Porter, rep., 56; W. J. Stanley, rep., 67;
M. S. Holland, rep., 53 ; C. M. Stephens, dem.,
54; G. E. Steiner, dem., 40; J. H. Brockman,
dem.. 35 ; C. C. King, dem., 41 ; W. R. Wetsel,
dem., 35.
For Treasurer — H. C. Thomas, dem., 44;
George Hollingshead. rep., 42.
Even after the town had voted thrice on
the question of incorporation complications
arose. Doubts were expressed concerning the
validity of the last election. The matter found
its way into the courts. In September, 1894,
Judge Wallace Mount, of the superior court,
held that the old, or second incorporation, was
good, and that the old council should be re-
seated, and that the new incorporation was null
and void. The case was carried to the supreme
court. A dispatch from Olympia dated Novem-
ber II, 1895, said:
"The supreme court in the case of the State
of Washington ex rel, George Bradley, prose-
cuting attorney, respondent, vs. P. E. Berry et
al., appellants, affirms the judgment of the
lower court. This is a proceeding involving
A DOUGLAS COUNTY WHEAT SCENE.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
577
the validity of the organization and existence
of the town of Waterville as a municipal corpo-
ration. The question has been fully decided
several times before by the supreme court, and
they decline to entertain further discussion."
Thus the Gordian knot was cut, and the
second incorporation stood.
Dtiring the Spanish-American war Water-
ville was represented by a company of her
young men and officered by Waterville citizens.
A number of Wenatchee boys also joined this
company. The company departed for Tacoma,
the muster-in point, July 8, 1898. Here they
were mustered in as Company D, Twenty-sec-
ond Washington Volunteer Infantry. July
2 1 St Company D moved to Vancouver Bar-
racks. Early in September orders were re-
ceived to muster out the company, which was
accordingly consummated October 30th. The
officers of Company D were Captain P. G.
Maltbie ; First Lieutenant, Edward Johnson ;
Second Lieutenant, J. N. Kiesling.
The United States census of 1900 gave
Waterville a population of 482.
The year 1902 was, perhaps, the most pros-
perous one in the town's history. The arrival
of new settlers from the east and the rapid
filling upi of the country in the Waterville
neighborhood caused the county seat town to
assume many of the features of a "boom."
New brick blocks replaced frame buildings
which had done service since the days of 1888
and 1889. In June, 1903, the assessor's census
gave a population of 760. The population of
Waterville at the present writing (July, 1904)
is fully 1,000. Religious denominations were
represented by the Methodists, Presbyterians,
Baptists, Church of God, Catholics and Chris-
tians.
The fraternal societies number eight," viz :
Masonic. Odd Fellows. Maccabees, M. W. A.,
W. O. W., Eastern Star. Rebekahs, and Grand
Army of the Republic.
Waterville is destined to become one of the
leading cities of Central Washington. To
every one who has visited the place this is
patent. It is situated in the midst of one of the
richest agricultural sections of the state. Bar-
ren of transportation and against great odds it
has risen to a town of 1,000 people, a town
which for progressiveness and enterprise can
not be excelled. When a railroad builds
through the country and the land surrounding
Waterville is occupied by settlers, many of
whom it is able to support, then will Waterville
become a city of importance.
WILSONCREEK.
Wilsoncreek is the second town in size in
Douglas county. Aside from Waterville it is
the only one incorporated. It is on the Great
Northern railroad, a minor freight division
point of that line. Here are located an eleven-
stall round-house, a large coal chute and other
buildings common to railroad division. Some
of these buildings were erected in the early 90's,
shortly after the advent of the road. It was
many years later before the town of Wilson-
creek came into existence. While there was
much homestead land in other portions of
Douglas county, that lying along Crab and
Wilson Creeks was not considered worthy of
being termed farm land. But the rush of im-
migration in 1902 induced people to examine
these lands, then experiment, and the result was
that the land was discovered to be "agricul-
tural" in every sense of the word. Towns be-
came numerous throughout the south country
and Wilsoncreek easily distanced all competi-
tors.
A postoffice was established in December,
1894. Previous to this the stock men of Doug-
las county were compelled to go to Lind, in
Adams county, for their mail. Concerning
the earlier history of Wilsoncreek, the Big
Bold Chief, of December 27, 1901, said:
"Some three years ago, (1898) one Moltke,
(whether he was a relation of the late count is
not certain) was induced to open a small store
578
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
near where Gentry & Goldsmith's lumber yard
now stands. It is said that there were various
articles of merchandise and stomach bitters for
sale there. W. T. is an authority for the state-
ment that one bottle of those bitters was suffi-
cient to make a man steal from one pocket and
put it in another. However, the count sold
the shop to one Sanders who, in turn, disposed
of it to R. L. Playfair. Playfair thought it a
white elephant and coaxed Nichols Brothers to
take it off from his hands. The Nichols
Brothers closed out to G. D. Miller. In the
meantime George Swanson had opened up a
merchandising store just west of the bank."
Practically, this was the inception of Wil-
soncreek. Almost the entire trade of the
pioneer store was from the neighboring stock-
men and cowboys. Old timers tell us of the
high jinks of the "buckaroo," at the place where
the town now stands. The gaming table was
the principal recreation and money and bitters
flowed as free as water. On January i, 1900,
seven people would complete the census of
Wilsoncreek. One small store sufficed to more
than supply the demands of the adjacent coun-
try, and the Wilsoncreek hotel had recently
been completed by William Blanchard. The
guests were like angels' visits, few and far be-
tween. But they soon became more numerous.
According to the United States census taken at
that time the population was 26. With the
opening of the year 1901 Wilsoncreek con-
sisted of a school house, one small store, the
Wilsoncreek hotel and the Great Northern
buildings.
The town was platted January 31, 1901, by
Robert L. Playfair. The following additions
have since been made. Playfair's First Addi-
tion, April 3, 1902, by R. L. Playfair.
Taggart Addition, April i, 1902, by W. H.
O'Larey, F. E. Taggart and A. A. Mclntyre.
First Addition, September 10, 1902, by
Jesse Gentry and A. A. Goldsmith.
Schroeder's College Addition, October 25,
1902, by J. P. Schroeder.
School lot addition, April 25, 1903, by
Zack Finney, W. H. O'Leary, Julius L. Stuart,
directors, and A. J. Miles, clerk.
Urquhart's First Addition, August 12,
1903, by Donald Urquhart.
October 20, 1901, the Big Bend Chief said :
"A train load of immigrants from Jackson
county, Minnesota, came to Wilsoncreek. Some
of these engaged in business in the town and
the majority settled on land in the vicinity.
This was the signal for a big growth of the
town. At this time there were in the village
only a part of the Douglas hotel building, the
old Wilsoncreek hotel, Stapp's restaurant, three
stores. Goldsmith & Bagley's, G. D. Miller's
and the People's Trading Company (Swanson
Brothers), a blacksmith shop, butcher shop,
the Big Bend Land Office, R. J. Armstrong's
livery stable and two saloons. Gentry & Gold-
smith's and Finney & Patees' lumber yards."
But the last two months of the year 1901
witnessed a marvelous growth in Wilsoncreek,
The Chief stated that during the montb of
November and December sixty actual residents
were added to the town and many others took
up residence in the surrounding country.
Friday night, January 20, 1902, fire de-
stroyed the coal chutes of the Great Northern
railway, causing considerable loss to the com-
pany. The fire originated near the west end
of the chutes and within ten minutes the entire
structure was a mass of seething flames. Six
car-loads were stading on the track near by,
together with two cars of lumber. All were
burned. This was a serious disaster, yet the
destruction of these chutes marked the begin-
ning of considerable improvement in the rail-
road buildings at Wilsoncreek. Another con-
flagration is thus described by the Big Bend
Chief of date August 29, 1902.
"Wilsoncreek's most disastrous fire occur-
red last Friday morning, (August 22d). At
3 :45 o'clock, just as No. 16 was pulling into
the yards the engineer noticed what looked like
a bright light in the general store of J. H.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
579
Benson. It flamed up, and he blew the whistle
to awaken the people. Many heard it but sup-
posed it was for cattle rather than a fire. Night-
watchman, William Astell saw" it about the
same time and when the watchman and
Engineer Dygon reached the store the lower
floor seemed a mass of flames. J. H. Benson
and wife were in Seattle, and E. E. Benson,
Mrs. Miller, Miss Grant and J. H. Benson's
little son were sleeping over the store. They
barely escaped in their night clothes. E. E.
Benson had taken the precaution to convey the
books to his room and saved them, but forgot
to take a wallet which he had placed under his
pillow. William Lair and Watchman Astell
made the rounds and awakened the citizens.
As quickly as possible every one in the village
was at work. The flames soon spread on the
east to the drug store of Lee Brothers, and but
little of the stock was saved. P. J. Wegele's
pump establishment was the next to go, but
nearly all the stock and tools were taken off
before the fire reached it. Strenuous efforts
were then made to save the livery stable and
shed across the street and with wet blankets
and water this was accomplished. The Wilson-
creek hotel, occupied by Dr. J. M. Corpening
and owned by A. V. Swift, was also burned
with the shack just back of it, which was the
property of Thomas Kemp. To the west of
Benson's store the war against the flames was
just as fiercely waged. G. D. Miller succeeded
in saving about $i,ooo worth of his stock, and
Maltbie, Friel & Maltbie managed to remove
close to $800 worth of their hardware stock
before the fire ran them out. J. W. Enimert's
dwelling was the next to go, but the household
goods had all been taken out before the fire
had reached the house. Then came the tug of
war with the bank. Albert Nelson stood in the
hottest of it throwing water when older men
had failed. With prompt and constant work
the fire was held here, but Mr. Swanson, the
cashier, had succeeded in removing all of his
household goods and everything of value in
the bank had been put into the vault or moved
across the street to places of safety. It was a
wild time, and by 5 :30 o'clock a. m., there was
not a stick left standing in the burned district.
"Every possible effort was made to save
the buildings and the citizens did good work in
rescuing stock from the flames. Jesse Gentry
and J. F. Moore stood at their posts in R. J.
Armstrong's shed with wet blankets on their
heads to permit them to work at all. A. A.
Goldsmith and A. V. Swift were on top of the
livery barn, while scores of men, boys, women
and girls were carrying water so soon as the
bulk of the stocks had been got to safety. At
the bank Albert Nelson, Floyd Miller, Sam
Fader and many others were fighting the flames
with all their strength and cunning. They all
unite in giving Mr. Nelson credit for saving
the bank building, as he seemed not to feel the
scorching heat which was driving others back.
The losses of this fire are as follows :
"J. W. Emmert, house and carpets, about
$500, with insurance of $300 on house and
$400 on furniture.
"Joseph Mitchell, building, $750, no insur-
ance.
"Alaltbie, Freil & Maltbie, stock $2,500,
with insurance of $1,000.
"Nichols Brothers, building, $600, no in-
surance.
"G. D. Miller, stock, $3,000, with insur-
ance of $1,000.
"J. H. Benson, building, household furni-
ture and stock, $6,850, with insurance of $2,-
300.
"Lee Brothers, building, stock and fixtures,
$3,300, with insurance of $2,375.
"P. J. Wegele, building, $300, with insur-
ance of $200.
"A. V. Swift, the old Wilsoncreek hotel
building, $350; no insurance."
The rapidity with which the town recovered
from this serious disaster is thus voiced by a
correspondent :
"Wilsoncreek merchants are rustlers. This
58o
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
is well illustrated by the rapidity with which the
business men who were burned out by the big
fire of August 22d, have rebuilt their places of
business. Every merchant who shared in the
$20,000 loss only a month ago, is now doing
business at the old stand, but in a more com-
modious structure."
The first steps toward incorporation were
taken at a mass meeting held February 23,
1903. It was almost unanimously decided to
arrange for a special election to vote on the
proposition. A committee consisting of A. A.
Goldsmith, J. H. Benson, W. H. O'Larey, R.
H. Lee, and L. M. Dow was named to circulate
a petition. It received 67 signers. The county
commissioners granted the request of the peti-
tion and named April 24th as the day for hold-
ing said election. There were 49 votes cast
with the following result : For incorporation,
40; against, 3.
For Mayor — G. F. Goldsmith, 40; B. E.
'Butler, I.
For Councilman — J. W. Emmert, 45 ; D.
O. Freil, 47; W. H. O'Larey, 45; A. A. Gold-
smith, 41 ; R. H. Lee, 22 ; William Newlove,
27; Jesse Gentry, 2; P. J. Wegele, 2; William
Schumacher, i.
For Treasurer — A. J. Swanson, 42.
The first meeting of the newly elected city
council was held April 28th. The incorpora-
tion of Wilsoncreek at this time illustrates the
swiftness which marks the growth of western
towns. Two years prior Wilsoncreek consisted
of a postoffice, a depot and one residence.
The population in June, 1903, according to
the returns of the assessor, was 246. The edu-
cational facilities include a handsome, four-
room brick school house erected at a cost of
$7,000 during the summer of 1903. There is
one Presbyterian church edifice. The fraternal
societies are represented by the Royal Neigh-
bors of America, Modern Woodmen of Amer-
ica and the Foresters.
BRIDGEPORT.
Bridgeport is located near the northern part
of the county near the junction of Foster Creek
with the Columbia river. It is favorably sit-
uated to command the trade of the surrounding
country. It lies fifty miles northeast of Water-
ville.
Business men of Bridgeport, Connecticut,
were largely interested in building the town.
It was proposed to make Bridgeport a com-
mercial center for the northern part of Douglas
county. The town was platted November 30,
1 89 1, by Butler Liversay. Quite substantial
improvements were made in the spring of 1892.
Energy and enterprise, backed by unlimited
capital were at work to make Bridgeport a city
worthy of the name. The principal streets were
graded and a steam ferry was put on the river.
The peculiar configuration of the ground
where the new town was located made it appear
that the expected railroad to the Okanogan
country would be compelled to build to the town
and cross the Columbia near this point. It was
expected at this time that the Northern Pacific
railway was about to build to the Okanogan
country. The forks of Foster Creek at this
point converge as they reach the Columbia and
afford ^a natural and feasible highway for a
railway. At the mouth of the creek is a long
and level plateau, and here it was that the new
town was laid out.
The company responsible for the establish-
ment of Bridgeport was the Western Land &
Improvement Association. The store of Boyd
Teter was opened for business in July, 1893.
Shortly after the inauguration of the town of
Bridgeport some trouble arose in connection
with financial matters which came perilously
near causing an abandonment of the project.
August 2, 1892, a correspondent writing from
Bridgeport said :
"The new town of Bridgeport is again on
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
581
the top wave of excitement. The townsite
company dug up a few thousands and paid off
the brick yard contractors and hands. The out-
side walls of the brick hotel are up, about four
feet, and a raft of lumber is expected this week.
Teams are busy hauling lumber, iron, etc, from
Coulee City for the steam ferry boat that is to
make daily runs from Bridgeport to Port
Columbia, and all around is the busy hum of
an embryo city."
In January, 1894, Bridgeport consisted of
the big, $15,000 hotel, one store, the postoffice
and a newspaper. During the summer of 1894
F. J. Eitel put in operation a brick flouring
mill with a capacity of from 75 to 100 barrels
a day.
While Bridgeport did not succeed in be-
coming the city that its builders intended, it
has, since its establishment, been an important
trading point for the rich country in which it
is fortunately situated. It is a thriving, pros-
perous town. The census of 1900 accredited
it with a population of no, which has been
materially increased. The religious denomina-
tions comprise Presbyterian and Methodist
churches.
QUINCY
Is located on the Great Northern railway,
thirty-two miles esat of Wenatchee. Until the
latter part of 1901 Quincy was simply a siding
on the Great Northern. The Big Bend Chief
of December 27, 1901, said of this place:
"One of the towns to the west that is certain
to be of some importance in the near future is
the siding on the Great Northern known as
Quincy. A. V. Swift, W. T. Nichols and Ray
Crothers are interested in the development of
the country thereabouts and report a large in-
flux of population at that point in the last two
months."
. The town was platted February 28. 1902,
by Richard Coleman. The following additions
have been made :
Richardson's First Addition, August 18,
1 90 1, by David Richardson.
Central Quincy, September 3, 1902, by
Quincy Land & Improvement Company, by H.
S. Kergsley, president, and Charles H. Ross,
secretary.
March 28, 1902, the Big Bend Chief said
"A few weeks ago Quincy, Washington,
was simply an unused sidetrack on the Great
Northern, in the desert. Now, however, the
plain is taking on the appearance of a village
and people are coming in and breaking up the
bunch grass, preparatory to growing crops.
The town at present consists of a hotel under
the management of R. Coleman, a general store
in charge of J. Muellerleile, a hardware store
conducted under canvas until lumber can be
obtained, by John Stambaugh; a lumber yard
and a livery stable in charge of R. WilHams and
D. C. Crosby represents the real estate end of
the enterprise. A petition has been in for some
time for the establishment of a postoffice and it
is expected that Quincy mail will be delivered
from the railway within a month."
In June, 1903, according to the returns of
the county assessor, the census was 140, which
entitled it to rank in company with Hartline,
as the third town in the county in point of size,
Waterville and Wilsoncreek only having larger
populations.
EPHRATA.
This town is situated on the Great Northern
railway, 123 miles west of Spokane. It has a
bank, several warehouses, hotel and several
general stores. It was first settled in September,
1 90 1. Ephrata is beautifully located on a high
flat, with ample drainage in three directions.
\\'ith an excellent spring one-fourth of a mile
from the railway station the town is abundant-
ly supplied with clear, cold water. For many
years stockmen used the site where now stands
Ephrata as a camping ground in time of round-
ups, on account of the water in that vicinity.
582
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
At that period the place was known as Beasley
Springs. The townsite was platted Jul)' lo,
1901, by Jesse Cyrus. The following additions
have been made:
Cyrus' First Addition, September 9, 1901,
by Jesse Cyrus.
Cyrus' Second Addition, September 9, 1901,
by Jesse Cyrus.
Third Addition, May 31, 1902, by Jesse
Cyrus.
Although Ephrata did not gain much of
a standing as a town until 1902, for several
years before that period it had been quite a
grain shipping point. Then the rush of settlers
to the "south country" changed the condition
of affairs in this neighborhood, and a town of
considerable importance made its appearance
as if by magic. The following relating to the
early hislpry of the place is taken from the Big
Bend Chief of July 18, 1902 :
"Ephrata is one of the new towns to the
west which betoken marked improvement.
Eighteen month ago Uncle Jesse Cyrus, the
'Farther of Ephrata,' was sleeping securely in
his cabin, free from cares and worriments more
common to neighbors in a village. But immi-
gration came thick and fast to this neck of the
Big Bend and last summer he found it was
necessary to plat a town. Even then Mr. Cyrus
was doubtful whether his tranquility was great-
ly to be disturbed, wnth his stock, and located
as he is, with a beautiful spring of water at his
door, he had arranged to irrigate sufficient land
to provide feed for his stock through
the winter; had planted an orchard for
his own use, and contracted to supply
the railroad company with water. But
the little plat of ground soon passed
into the hands of tradesmen, and as if by magic
a town sprung up with all its tributary evils
and advantages. Uncle Jesse, although he had
come to believe he would pass his days in com-
parative solitude at the foot of the bunch grass
hill, was not slow to get himself in line with
the march of progress and some months ago he
installed a system of water works by means of
which he could serve the purest water in the
second stories of the buildings in the village,
and now in addition to his other duties he makes
his monthly round and collects the rent."
In June, 1903, the population of Ephrata,
according to the returns of the assessor, was
87. Since then these figures have been ma-
teriallv increased.
About six miles east of Wilsoncreek, on
the Great Northern railway, and just within
the boundaries of Douglas county, is located
the pleasant little town of Krupp. Situated as
it is in the valley of the beautiful stream known
as Crab Creek, surrounded by most picturesque
scenery, it presents a pleasing sight to one who
has ascended the westerly divide and pauses
to take a survey of the little town nestling in
the valley below. Krupp is in the center of a
grain and cattle country which guarantees for
the future a good and increasing business.
Here the first settler who ever came into Doug-
las county located away back in 1871.
Impressed with the idea that as the country
filled up there must be a place where the sur-
rounding settlers might market their products
and purchase their supplies, Geo'rge Urquhart,
who for many years had made his home on
this spot, platted the town of Krupp July 14,
1902. He gave it his earnest support in its
development. The first business house in the
new town was a general store erected in the
summer of 1901 by F. A. Windgate. It was
platted July 14, 1902, by George Uruquart.
The population in June, 1903, as reported by
the assessor was only 45, but the past year has
witnessed a wonderful improvement.
Five miles southeast of Waterville, on the
Waterville-Coulee City stage road, is the little
town of Douglas, a village of about 75 popula-
tion. The business houses of this town com-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
583
prise a general store, a hardware and imple-
ment store, a feedmill and two blacksmith
shops. One church graces the place, of the
German Lutheran faith.
Douglas is one of the oldest towns in the
county, and at one time occupied a position of
importance in a political and commercial way.
It was in 1884 that the site of Douglas was
taken up as a place of residence by Ole Dale.
In 1886 the townsite of Douglas was platted
and the town entered the race for the county
seat honors, and polled a number of votes. It
is claimed that Douglas would have become the
commercial center of the western Big Bend
country and occupied the position now enjoyed
by Waterville, had it not been for the over-
confidence and nearsighted policy of the town-
site proprietors. The first business enterprise
in Douglas was a blacksmith shop instituted
by Henry Thompson in the fall of 1885. In
1887 a general store was opened by S. Barn-
hart and the same year O. O. Wright put in a
drug store, afterward for many years engaging
in the general merchandise business. Follow-
ing the county seat removal from Okanogan,
and when that town had become but a memory,
its place was taken by Douglas, and in 1887 it
fell heir to the Okanogan postoffice.
Douglas is situated at the intersection of
the Ritzville and Spokane Falls road, and was
the nearest route from Ellensburg to the Sal-
mon River mines of the Okanogan country.
The rush to those mines in 1887-88 made the
little town of Douglas an important one as a
stopping point. Sunday morning, October 11,
1891, lire destroyed the general merchandise
store of O. O. Wright. It was with great
difficulty that the entire town was saved from
destruction, owing to the prevailing heavy
gale. The loss was about $4,000, insurance
being carried for about one-half the loss.
STRATFORD.
This Shakesperian hamlet is located on the
Great Northern railway, eight miles west of
Wilsoncreek. Of this village the Big Bend
Empire of date of September 16, 1897, said:
"J- C. Atwood, Leonard F. Spear and many
other settlers upon the public lands in town-
ship 22, north ranges 27, and 28 east, on the
line of the Great Northern railway in Douglas
county, Washington, have petitioned the
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General for the
establishment of a postoffice at Stratford sta-
tion, to be known as Stratford, and for the ap-
pointment of Swen Kerr, of that place as post-
master. The nearest office at the present time
is on the Great Northern railway at Wilson-
creek, eight miles east of Stratford station.
The only other postoffice in that section of the
county is at Coulee City, twenty miles north,
and there is no wagon road between Coulee City
and Stratford station.
"The petition states that owing to the
rapid construction of the Co-operative Com-
pany's irrigating ditch, and the consequent ir-
rigation of the land there is certain to be a large
community at Startford in the near future.
Some of the signers of the petition live at a
place known as Adrian, and these are compelled
to travel sixteen miles for their mail. There
is no wagon road, and they are obliged to follow
the most convenient route along the railroad.
For two months, this year, it is stated, these
settlers could secure their mail at the Wilson-
creek postoffice only by crossing the flooded
streams on railroad bridges. For these reasons
immediate action has been urged on the part of
the postoffice department."
William Stevens was the pioneer merchant
of Stratford and he was alone until the sum-
mer of 1902, when Young Brothers put in a
store and lumber yard. J. T. Gollehon also
established a lumber yard a few months before
the Young Brothers. In 1903 Mr. Gollehon
also built a hotel. Moore & Company are
proprietors of a livery stable, blacksmith shop,
flour and feed store and implement warehouse,
all of which might be termed "diversified com-
584
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
mercialism." A fine church has been erected
and a number of dwehings completed.
The town of Stratford was platted January
17. 1903, by J. T. Young.
Riverview Postoffice, or as it is more gener-
ally called, Orondo, is a little town on the
Columbia river, ten miles southwest of Water-
ville. This is a landing for the steamers which
ply the Columbia river and is Waterville's port
of entry. Stages meet all boats and several
trips a day are made between the river town
and Waterville. At Orondo are a general store,
a hotel and three grain warehouses. But the
Orondo which enters more particularly into
this history was the one a mile and a half above
the present place, and which, at one period,
was heavily boomed.
The townsite of Orondo, "the town which
held the key." was platted by J. B. Smith, June
10, 1887. It was laid out along the river
front. The streets were First, Second, Third
and Fourth, and the avenues were Riverside,
Orondo and Columbia. The first addition to
Orondo was platted May 19, 1888, by Mr.
Smith. The second addition, May 29, 1889,
by the same party. The following is the copy
of an advertisement which appeared in the Big
Bend Empire February 16, 1888, showing that
this Orondo was to be no common town :
"Orondo has a boom in town lots and the
era of building and industrial development has
commenced to call that attention to her natural
position and advantages that she is entitled to
as the coming commercial and industrial em-
porium of the Big Bend. A glance at the map
of Washington Territory will convince the
eagle eye of the business man that Orondo
holds the key to the future of great magnitude.
A history of the Big Bend cannot be written
without Orondo unlocking her stores of wealth
contained in the rolling water of the mighty
Columbia river in her long journey from the
Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. A line
drawn eastward from Puget Sound, near the
Sixth Standard Parallel, will pass almost
directly through Seattle, Orondo, Davenport
and Spokane Falls, the four depots of industry
that stand at the gateways of Puget Sound, the
Columbia river and the Rocky Mountains that
by virtue of their natural positions will control
the commerce and manufactures of Central
Washington.
"Orondo is located on the east bank of the
Columbia river, about one and one-half miles
below the confluence of the Entiat river with
the same, and is within five miles of the great
wheat fields of the Big Bend. Her gardens will
produce peaches, grapes, tomatoes, apples,
pears, sweet potatoes and peanuts in semi-
tropical luxuriance. Her splendid water power
is now being improved so that power will be
furnished for a roller mill to grind the flour
of the Big Bend and the new steamer can trans-
port it to the Salmon River mines and the upper
country. The majestic cedars of the upper
Columbia and the aspiring pines and firs of
the Columbia and its tributaries can be sawn
into lumber and manufactured into windows,
doors, tubs, pails, furniture, pen holders,
matches, etc., etc., while the wool of the thou-
sands of sheep that graze on the hills can be
manufactured into fabrics to keep the people
warm.
"The ore of the miner can be crushed and
smelted and manufactured into implements of
industry and the uses of man. It is con-
templated to furnish water from the Columbia
river to the citizens of Orondo to drink and
irrigate their gardens. These are a few of the
industrial fields open to practical men. Orondo
was laid out in July, 1887, and already the
proprietor has disposed of a half interest in
the water power, and 1 50 town lots. A store has
been running full blast for a few months, a
hotel is to be built in the early spring and the
water power is now being improved. A new
steamer is to run from Rock Island to near the
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
Salmon mines in the spring. Power and lots
will be rented or sold for industrial and other
purposes. For further information call on or
write to J. B. Smith, Orondo, Badger Post-
office, Douglas county, Washington Territor}^."
A later advertisement in the Empire stated
that "a warehouse, newspaper, flouring mill,
tannery and blacksmith shop were to be added
to her store."
The altitude of Orondo, being only 665 feet
above the ocean, the climate is grand and the
productions almost semi-tropical — the growing
of tobacco, sweet potatoes and peanuts has been
fully tested with success, and the plum, prune,
apricot, pear, cherry, grape, peach and apple
mature to perfection without irrigation.
In 1899 a rival town was started at what
was known as McMillan's Landing, and called
Riverview. A correspondent in the Empire of
January 25, 1900, facetiously wrote that "the
booming new town of Riverview has caught
up with Orondo — has three inhabitants and two
vacant buildings."
RIVERVIEW.
- About all that can be said of this place is
embraced in the following: The postofiice was
established in 1901. By order of the depart-
ment it was remo\'ed from Orondo and the
name changed. J. H. Mason is postmaster.
PORT COLUMBIA.
All towns which come into existence do not
succeed in becoming the metropolis which their
sanguine promoters plan. Some, in fact, are
very short lived, but their brief careers often
contain a modicum of history. Such a place
was Port Columbia. July 23, 1891, the Big
Bend Empire said :
"A company styling itself the Port Colum-
bia Townsite & Land Company has recently
■been organized. Its capital stock is $25,000, all
of which is taken. It officers are H. W. Bonne,
president ; Walter Gerson, secretary ; J. P. Car-
vette, treasurer. These gentlemen are from
Spokane. Frank R. Loucks, of Waterville, is
general manager. The directors are H. W.
Bonne, Walton Gerson, and I. W. Matthews,
the latter also of Waterville. This company
has purchased 400 acres of land on the banks
of the Columbia river, about 40 miles from
Waterville, and propose to there start a town
to be called Port Columbia. The site chosen
is opposite the mouth of the Okanogan river, on
a long stretch of the south side of the Colum-
bia river basin. They have put over $8,000 in
cash into the enterprise and evidently mean
businenss. Eighty acres is to be platted and
cut up into business lots, the plat to be filed
this week and the property put on the market
at once. The company claims they have re-
served eight blocks for a railroad at the request
of the railroad officials ; that they will build a
$3,000 hotel in about a month; that Port
Columbia will be the Columbia river terminus
for the steamboat now being built by Birch
Brothers, for Okanogan river service ; that they
will build a road to Central Ferry and also put
in a propeller ferry at the town landing, and
lastly that they have building stone directly
south of the proposed townsite. They say
further that that portion of their land which
abutts the river is subirrigated, and as fine land
as there is in the world."
Port Columbia was platted July 24, 1891,
by H. W. Bonne, Walter Gerson and I. W.
Matthews, trustees Port Columbia Townsite &
Land Company. Columbia Park Addition was
platted December 28, 1891, by Ella Manntell,
and Mantell's Riverside Addition, by Ella Man-
tell, the same date.
OTHER TOWNS.
Adrian is fifteen miles west of Wilsoncreek,
on the line of the Great Northern railway, the
junction of the Great Northern and the Adrian-
Coulee City cut-off. It is simply a station con-
taining a few railroad buildings.
586
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
Bonita is a new postoffice in the northern
part of the county.
Hammond is another new office and flag
station across the Cohimbia river from Rock
Island.
Pittsburg postoffice has recently been estab-
lished in the southern part of the county, across
the line from Lind, Adams county. Mr. Peters
is postmaster.
Barry Postoffice is on the Columbia river
in the northwestern portion of the county, 65
miles northeast of Waterville, and 35 miles
northwest of \\'ilbur, which is its shipping
point. It has one general store.
Brays is a postoffice at a landing on the
Columbia river, 12 miles northwest of Water-
ville. It is a grain shipping point.
Bright is a country postoffice between
Grand and Moses Coulees, 25 miles southeast
of Waterville, and 17 miles north of Ephrata.
Dye Postoffice is 38 miles northeast of
Waterville, and 8 miles west of Bridgeport.
There are many other postoffices scattered
throughout the county, in fact, Douglas county
is very conveniently supplied with postal fa-
cilities.
Rock Island is a flag station on the Great
Northern railway, where it crosses the Co-
lumbia river eleven miles southeast of Wenat-
chee. In 1892-3 Rock Island was a town of
considerable importance and for a time sup-
ported several stores and other enterprises.
For a few weeks a newspaper was published
at this point. These lively times in Rock Isl-
and's history were due to the building of the
railroad and the bridge across the Columbia
river. Prior to the construction of the bridge
the trains were ferried across the river by a
steamer, the Nixon. In the spring of 1893 the
mammoth bridge was completed and the first
train crossed on Thursday, May 2, of that year.
This event marked the downfall of the town of
Rock Island. The laborers who had been em-
ployed at this point moved away and the busi-
ness houses were discontinued. J. E. Keane
was the founder and proprietor of the once
flourishing town.
CHAPTER IV.
DESCRIPTIVE.
Douglas is exclusively an agricultural— it
might be said — a wheat county. Geograph-
ically it is located nearly in the center of the
state of Washington. The greater portion of
it consists of high, rolling prairie, 2,800 feet
above the sea level. With the exception of the
Columbia Guide Meridian which forms its
eastern boundary between Lincoln and Adams
counties, it is circumscribed by the Columbia
river on the north, west and extreme southern
portions. It lies in the "bight" of the Big
Bend, Okanogan county being on the north,
Chelan and Kittitas on the west, and Yakima
county on the south. Its agricultural industries
embrace general farming and stock', raising.
The soil, a volcanic ash, is pronounced by ex-
perts the most fertile and durable soil known
to geologists. Like many portions of Cali-
fornia Douglas county possesses two distinct
climates; first, that of a high, rolling plateau,
which is temperate and adapted to all agricul-
tural pursuits, with abundance of moisture for
the growth and maturity of crops. , No irri-
gation is required. It is but recently that a
gentleman from Illinois observed with marked
astonishment, "This is the first countrv I ever
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
heard of where one could raise a full crop of
wheat without a drop of rain." This has been
done in Douglas county, but the fact by no
means implies that it is a rainless climate. Far
from it. Hot winds, such as sweep the corn
plains of Nebraska, Kansas and portions of
Iowa never occur. The summers are not so
warm nor the winters so cold as in the same
latitude in the Mississippi valley. Four months
is the average length of the winters, which are
accompanied by very little extreme' cold
weather, the mercury seldom dropping below
zero_, usually registering only a few degrees
below freezing. In the climate of the plateau
small fruits, currents, raspberries, gooseberries
and strawberries, and hardy varieties of large
fruit, apples, pears, prunes, apricots and cher-
ries are grown, likewise a great variety of
"garden truck."
Quite different is the climate of the Colum-
bia valley, which forms a semi-circle more than
half way around Douglas county. This is a
semitropical climate. The soil is light and
sandy, producing the finest of all varieties of
fruit, with irrigation, and immense crops of
alfalfa hay. All conditions considered the cli-
mate of the Columbia valley is, probably, un-
excelled in the world. Among the numerous
varieties of fruit grown on the Columbia river
are peaches, prunes, pears, plums, apricots, and
all kinds of figs can be cultivated. Nearly all
varieties of farm products are successfully
grown in this country in large quantities. Po-
tatoes and other root crops are brought to per-
fection and with but little work, comparatively.
The seed of potatoes is plowed in and the crop
plowed out, with, perhaps, one harrowing dur-
ing the season. So far potato bugs and other
insects detrimental to crops have not made
their appearance.
The following extract is from a paper read
by Mr. A. L. Rogers before the State Immi-
gration Convention held at Seattle, January
13, 1896:
"Topographically and geologically consid-
ered Douglas county is a region of much inter-
est. The northern part is a high, rolling
plateau of fertile prairie land, broken here and
there by canyons of greater or less size, the
approaches of which are often covered with
scattering timber, convenient to the settlers on
the adjoining prairie. Many springs of the
purest water abound in these localities, and the
rough land in the immediate vicinities affords
excellent pasturage for numerous bands of cat-
tle and horses. If the walls of these canyons
are perpendicular, as frequently happens, they
are called coulees.
"The southern half of the county dift'ers
much from the portion described above. Con-
siderably lower in altitude it has a warmer
climate, the soil is a sandy loam and possesses
many of the characteristics of the bench lands
of the Columbia, so prolific in fruit growing.
There can be no doubt that with proper irri-
gation facilities for the southern part of the
county it will become one of the greatest fruit
producing regions in the world. To date no-
thing has been done in this direction, and the
country is utilized as a great winter range for
horses and cattle."
Writing September 22, 1903, the editor of
the Lincoln County Times said :
"A Times representative recently had occa-
sion to make a trip into Douglas county, beyond
Coulee City, where the stream of new settlers
has been pouring for the last two years. A
remarkable and rapid transformation is being
wrought in that magnificent farming country,
extending from Grand Coulee to the Colum-
bia river on the north and west. Hundreds of
new settlers have located there in the last
eighteen months — rriany of them during the
past six months. Those who have not had oc-
casion to travel over the county mentioned have
little idea of its extent and productiveness or
its prospective value. The government land
has been exhausted, and the work of convert-
ing the prairie into wheat fields is in progress
on almost every quarter section. Here and
588
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
there may be found old settlers who have lived
there three, eight, ten or twelve yars, who have
well improved farms and who are in comfort-
able circumstances, but the majority of set-
tlers are new comers who have little or no
means, but who are getting their places in shape
to become profitable. The land in most places
lies better than it does here in Lincoln county,
and when well improved will be fertile and in-
viting as well as a very attractive wheat section.
There are two reasons why that country is not
already under as high a state of cultivation as
any other part of eastern Washington : One is
its comparative isolation, and the other is the
dreary aspect that confronts the traveler when
he drops off the train at Coulee City and looks
at the sand, sage brush and rocks over which
the road winds before reaching the top of the
hill, three or four miles beyond, where the good
lands again appear.
"The prospect of early railroad building
has filled the country up with settlers, however,
and when connected by rail with the markets
of the world it will be a delightful country in
Avhich to live. It broad slopes fall away gently
and even, and away to the west rise the snow-
capped peaks of the Cascades, and below lie the
forest clad foothills, sloping downward.
Nearer, and to the southwest. Badger Moun-
tain, with its scattered woods, appears in view,
and the steep cliffs near Chelan, and also the
chain of timbered hills beyond the Columbia,
to the north, add interest and charm to the
scene. A large city will spring up somewhere
between these two Coulees with the building of
the first road across the country, in the near
future. The country from Grand Coulee to the
Columbia river includes a great many town-
ships of fertile land that will quickly be reduced
to a high state of cultivation, and we venture
the assertion that one or two large towns will
spring up within a year after the survey for a
railroad has been definitely located.
"The Walla Walla country had its bonm
da\-s : later the Palouse had its turn ; then Lin-
coln county had its boom with the building of
the Central Washington railroad, but the last,
and perhaps the biggest boom of them all will
occur in Douglas county when the first railroad
builds across from Coulee City to the river,
which will, doubtless, be inside of two years.
One, if not two roads, will build across, and
Douglas county, one of the best of the great
agricultural counties of eastern Washington,
will fill up with settlers ; owing to its isolation
it will be the objective point of a great army of
homeseekers who will overrun it the moment
railroad building begins."
As has been noted, Douglas county is an
extensive open prairie country with a gently
rolling surface, almost every acre of which is
susceptible of a high state of cultivation. A
most peculiar feature of this favored county is
the two great Coulees, Grand and Moses. They
are vast gorges extending north and south.
Evidently at one period, aeons ago, they were
beds of majestic rivers, possibly one of them
being the old basin of the Columbia. The alti-
tude of this region is about 2,800 feet, or 2,200
feet above the valley of the Columbia river.
Compared with Grand, Moses Coulee is an
infant. Still, it stretches for many~ miles and
can be crossed only at a few points, and pre-
sents rugged outlines only a small degree less
striking than those so conspicuous in Grand
Coulee. The word Coulee is taken from the
French, Coulcr, meaning to flow. It was with
this thought in mind that the name was, evi-
dently, applied to these stupendous gorges.
Concerning these Coulees the report of the
W^ashington Geological Survey says :
"In some parts of the Columbia plain, nota-
bly within the Big Bend of the Columbia river,
the country is much cut up by old river courses,
now wholly abandoned by streams, and known
locally as Coulees. Of these Moses and Grand
Coulees are good types. The Coulees are often
500 or 600 feet in depth, with precipitous walls,
and represent the course of streams which have
now sousrht other channels, or which ha\-e with-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
589
ered away because of a decrease in the amount
of rainfall. Each Coulee now has within it
usually a chain of small alkali lakes."
The Grand Coulee is justly entitled to the
name. When one stands in the center of this
great fissure and gazes on the towering walls,
from 1,000 to 1,500 feet high, and notes the
different strata of each, he can distinctly see
that at one time they were joined. Although
the great depression extending from the Co-
lumbia river in the northeastern part of Doug-
las county to the Columbia river in the south-
western part of the county is frequently men-
tioned as Grand Coulee, still it is also stated
that Grand Coulee proper commences at Coulee
City and runs in a northeasterly direction to the
Columbia river, the river running through the
gorge 400 feet below the bottom of the Coulee.
While the Coulee in itself is a whole panorama
of natural wonders, it has its special features,
one being Steamboat Rock. This gigantic
basaltic mass stands in the center of the Coulee
and in area covers about 600 acres. Here the
earth, when cooling, created two great fissures,
instead of one, and left a formation that would
strike a nautical eye with its resemblance to
great steamboats. West of Steamboat Rock
is a canyon leading from the plateau above,
known as Hall's. Here would be a study for a
Humboldt or a Darwin. On one side of the
canyon is the cinder like basalt ; on the other a
wall of the purest white granite. How this
beautiful deposit of the purest of granite passed
unscathed when within less than 100 yards its
surroundings were a seething mass is a problem
worthy of the attention of our greatest natural-
ists.
Blue Lake Coulee, a continuance of Grand
Coulee, to the southwest, is worthy of a visit by
any one who wishes a treat in gazing on a
wild, weird piece of scenery, accentuated by
some lakes of unknown depth. Blue Lake
Coulee is another depression of over 400 feet
below the Grand Coulee, and is surrounded by
a basaltic rock formation, torn and rent into
fantastic shapes. The lakes are three in num-
ber and extend from Coulee City to within
two miles of the Great Northern railroad. The
most clever word painter will fail to do justice
to these surroundings. They must be seen to
he appreciated.
Writing of the Grand Coulee of Washing-
ton, Harry Jefferson Brown says :
"The Grand Coulee is a huge crack in the
earth, and it is safe to say that it's the biggest
thing of its kind in nature. It starts at the
Columbia river where Lincoln, Douglas and
Okanogan counties join, and runs in a double
curve entirely through the length of Douglas
county to the Columbia again, at the head of
Priest Rapids. And Douglas, you will remem-
ber, is about the biggest county in Washington.
One hundred miles is an estimate well within
the limit of the length of this freak of nature.
The walls average twelve hundred feet high in
the north half, from Coulee City to the Colum-
bia. These, at least, are the figures given by
those who live there. They look to be all of
that height. It is claimed, too, that the lower
half of the Grand Coulee is not so deep or wide.
This sketch concerns the upper, or north half,
only, for this alone has the writer seen. But
it was enough.
"Whatever desire for the grand in nature
one may have is here amply filled. No one
could walk between these towering walls or
peer down from their dizzy heights without
feeling something of awe for the greatness
that made them. In its way the Grand Coulee
is more wonderful and awe inspiring than
mountain or cavern. Chiefly, perhaps, because
of its mysterious origin. Mankind is afraid of
the unknown and unexplainable. You approach
a mountain by degrees. You see it afar off and
you approach it generally all too slow. You are
prepared for the sight, and you anticipate.
And lucky for you if you are not disappointed
in size and grandeur, of cliff and canyon by
that very anticipation. Witness, Niagara. So
with a great cave. You know somewhat of it
590
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUxNTRY.
before you enter. You have already an idea
of the nature and scenery of a cavern. Some
of the things you see are the expected. And
then again it unfolds itself to view only by
degrees. You see but the part illuminated by
your candle — pardon me — electric light. But
you meet the Coulee under quite dif-
ferent circumstances. It is evening and
you are on the prairie among the bunch grass
and sage brush. Perhaps you are peering about
for a jackrabbit or the wily coyote. You
saunter along, noting the rolling of the plains
and marking a few low ridges of basaltic rock
here and there, and guessing, perhaps, at their
distances in the deceptive atmosphere. You
ascend a gently sloping 'rise' whose top has
cut the horizon, shutting out the view beyond.
As you near the top of the 'rise' you observe
a low line of clifflike rocks ahead, that may
be a mile away and may be ten, and that un-
accountably grows taller as you walk, increas-
ing in size so rapidly that you suspect the effects
of a mirage. This suspicion brings with it a
sense of relief, which, however, is very short-
lived, for there at your feet is the edge of the
Coulee wall, the beginning of a sheer drop of
a quarter of a mile.
"Another .step or two and you would be
over. So suddenly have you come upon the
precipice that you have no time for fear. You
are only startled. If your nerves are good they
will steady themselves presently and you may
advance, putting your foot part way over the
very edge and stopping, lool<: down. How-
ever, I don't think you will do this. You will
be too busy wondering how it all happened.
Where had this immense canyon been hiding
that you did not see it sooner ? You didn't even
suspect its existence. So intent were you
watching the opposite wall that you supposed
was a low line of cliffs of uncertain distance
that you looked clear across the chasm and did
not distinguish 'empty space and nothingness'
from tlie surrounding prairie. And the shad-
ows of evening helped in the deceiving. While
you are figuring all this out you have made
another startling discovery. The bottom of
this huge crack in the earth is inhabited. Away
down — down so far that homesteads look like
squares on a chess board — and houses, not
shacks, mind you, and 'ten-by-ten-shanties,' but
homes, two stories with attic, look like toy
blocks, you discover another world; a whole
community underground. They are as com-
pletely cut off, so far as you can see, from the
upper earth as Symme's Hole was supposed to
be in the famous Symme's theory of the con-
centric circle formation of the earth. Double
teams hauling wheat in trail wagon trains look
like beetles crawling along earth-worn tracks.
Individuals you can scarcely discern. What
seems but a small potato patch proves to be a
large orchard when examined with the glass.
"You note the opposite wall. It does not
seem far away if you forget for a moment what
you have seen below. Naturally you pick up
a stone and essay to throw it — well, perhaps not
entirely across, but at least some distance out,
enough to give an intelligent idea of how far
away the other side of the Coulee is. You
throw your best and out goes the stone. Now
you are going to be surprised some more. That
stone, seemingly contrary to all the laws of
nature, comes back to you in a graceful curve
and passes whizzing apparently under your feet
into what must, as you suppose, be a hollowed
part of the wall. Instinctively you lean for-
ward to see what becomes of the stone and to
learn why it acted so queerly — and you are
brought suddenly face to face with the fact that
you are leaning over 1,200 feet of empty space.
It does not take long for a realization of this
to soak into you. You remember then how
soon that stone began to whiz. You have
looked the precipice in the eye and it was not
hollow but sheer. You know then that those
laws and forces of nature are immutable and
.that it was your own malinterpretation of ap-
pearances that made things look so queer'
And when vou have sat down at a safe distance
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
591
from the brink to do a little pondering, from
away across the Coulee you catch a faint echo of
the fall of the stone you threw. That wall was
all of three miles away and you were foolish
enough to attempt to measure the Coulee with
a little of man's strength exerted on a small
stone hurled across . But you laugh at
the matter and dismiss the feeling of smallness
that has crept over you, supplying its place with
a gratifying sense of discovery. Here was
something new — and found by yourself. By
accident, "tis true, but none the less your very
own discovery.
"Therefore there is a desire to know more,
to look farther, to go down there into the bow-
els of the earth and learn what manner of peo-
ple there make their homes. So follow along
the brink and look for a place of descent. Here
is an old trail worn deep with much travel,
though now it is unused. Speculation as to
why this disuse is set at rest very soon when a
barbed wire fence is found to cross at right
angles and corner on the very edge of the wall,
large stones being used to fix the posts upright.
Those who know will tell you that this is the
old Indian trail, and has been used for time out
of mind by the red men in his journeys north
and south. Now it is hopelessly cut up from all
practical use by the advent of the homesteader
and his ever present and necessary barbed wire
fence. The Bell trail is the only means of de-
scent in 40 miles on the west side, or from
Coulee City to the Columbia. That is, the only
practicable means. You can jump off at any
point you please, but your respected remains
would not be worth the picking up. There are
other ways of getting down, it is said, but the
men of the plains who ride a cayuse once and
then call it a 'plumb broke lioss,' be it ever such
a bucker, are apt to take the same liberal \iew
of what is a safe trail down the Coulee wall.
The Bell trail is so called from Frank Bell's
ranch, one of the oldest and best on the west
wall. You can not see much of this descent at
any one time. A steep incline 18 inches o» so
wide starts at the edge of the wall, and disap-
pears down around some jagged, jutting rocks
a few feet below. This much is all you will
ever see of the trail. And perhaps 'tis well that
this is so — well for the nerves and your reputa-
tion as a man of courage. If you are this, and
a little foolhardy besides, you will venture
down. But you will be prudent and humane
enough to leave your horse should you be rid-
ing, staked above on the prairie.
"The descent is a series of slides, of wild
scrambles to reach the nearest mass of ragged
rock below; a clambering around abutments,
and a pressing flat to the face of the wall, with
one fearful, fleeting glimpse of theivorld below,
looking now down farther than ever. You
should by this time be enjoying the scenery
above, below and around abovit. The pleasure
of this comes later, when you have time to re-
call it, but just now every faculty is put to
other and, mayhap, better use in making the
descent safely. At no time do you feel secure.
Every foot of the way is attended with a slip,
a slide or an arresting lurch against one of the
numerous rocks that line the trail. And yet
pack-horses, with the jump of the bunch grass
in them still, are led up and down here, even in
the night and winter time at that. You must
know that this allusion to bunch grass is made
advisedly. There are men who have lived
among it all their lives who will tell you that
bunch grass has the unaccountable quality of
imparting 'jump' to the horse that grazes it.
Put. they will say, the good, staid, old reliable
carriage horse on a summer's grazing of bunch
grass and the owner won't know it again.
Neither will he want to renew acquaintance.
For the bunch grass has put the jump in him.
. Only those westerners say 'buck' when they
want to express it. And this is not to be ex-
plained, though it may serve to throw some
light on the formation of western character.
"Howbeit, cattle are also driven up and
down on occasions. To be sure, there are
stories of some of the animals slipping and roll-
592
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
ing to their death. The wonder is, not that
some were killed, but that any made the trip
in safety. Two-thirds of the way down the
Bell trail there is an amphitheatre like forma-
tion of the wall that has remarkable acoustic
qualities. The echo here is fine. A little ex-
perimenting will find the foci of sound. The
fine effects to be obtained are well worth the
trouble, the fatigue and the danger of the trip."
Continuing his graphic description of this
wonderful natural phenomenon in Douglas
County, Mr. Brown says :
"There is a w-agon road from Coulee City
to the Columbia river that is forty miles long
and is as level as a floor. When it reaches the
river it finds itself 300 feet above the water and
1 ,000 feet below the general level of the coun-
try. This road alters the Grand Coulee, where
the east wall is lacking, and winds its way in
a general northeast direction through the can-
yon to a point near the Columbia, where it is
left literally 'up in the air.' The traveler must
either descend to water level or climb to the
surface of the ground. By this road those who
live in the bottom of the Coulee find their way
to the railroad at Coulee City, to the river at
Barry, or to the justly celebrated Ridge country
that lies between the Central Washington rail-
road and the Columbia whose postoffices are
Tipso, Lincoln, Hasseltine, Sherman, Layton
and Clark. A word here about this ridge may
not be amiss. The chief towns and shipping
points for this part of the Big Bend country
are Almira, Hartline, Govan, Wilbur, and
Creston, on the Central Washington branch
of the Northern Pacific. These are flourishing
towns because of the fine wheat producing
country back of them. The future of this por-
tion of the Big Bend, which is in the north-
west quarter of Lincoln, and the northeast
corner of Douglas county, is easy to predict.
There is no valid reason why towns to compare
favorably wath Almira or Wilbur should not
spring up along the line of any competing
common carrier of rapid transit ready to convey
the produce of this country to the northwest
coast or to Spokane and the east. Let the
freight trains and the steamboats come and the
'Ridge' will be there with the goods. Let him
who doubts this stand on one of the highest
points of this ridge near the postoffice of Tipso
in the spring or in the harvest time, and these
doubts will be dispelled. Let him in the spring
attempt to measure with his eye the vastness of
the billowy green carpet ; let him in the har-
vest time attempt to count the number of
threshing machines at work in the wheat, the
oats and the barley. Let him reckon up all he
can hear, all he can see and all he can guess at.
He will not guess wrong, guided by the smoke,
and steam and dust. * * *.
"Harking back to the Coulee road, a trip
along it will disclose the bottom of the Grand
Coulee, from end to end of the 40-mile section
from Coulee City to the Columbia, covered with
well tilled and productive farms. Many of
these are irrigated and are object lessons show-
ing w-hat the once despised 'ashes' that com-
pose the lava soil will do when it comes into
seasonable contact with water.
"The first comers naturally chose out for
settlement the land where water was found on
the surface, and the appearance of their farms
today amplyi justifies their choice. It is true
that irrigation is not now conducted in the Cou-
lee on anything like a large scale. That will
come when the engineering problem presented
by the condition found is solved, and water is
brought in, either from the Spokane or the
Columbia. But just now the numerous large
springs scattered over the Coulee bottom give
water copious enough in flow to supply or-
chards and gardens, and in some instances,
even hay and wheat fields. It is true, also, that
some of the Coulee bottom has been taken up
under the desert claim law and is now held un-
der the conditions laid down by that law. But
this does not prove anything against the fertil-
ity of the coulee bottom — the which you can
easily verify by undertaking to buy a farm-
STEAMBOAT ROCK, GRAND COULEE, DOUGLAS COUNTY
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
593
there. And again, it is true that many poor
houses are found, particularly in the northern
end. These are the 'shacks' of the bachelor
homesteader, who is a comparatively late
comer. What will these same shacks grow to
in a short time? It may be taken for granted
tJiat every bachelor in the coulee — and for that
matter in the whole of the Big Bend — looks
forward to a cosy, comfortable home, and a
'queen of the fireside' with whom to patrioti-
cally carry out the injunction of the president in
whom is the virility of the west, and see to it
that this nation does not decay for lack of na-
tive citizens, and incidentally, old age. And
this is the present bachelor's Ultima Thule,
and is as it should be. Only, he goes a step
farther, and proposes that his future happy
state will also be a prosperous one.
"And so he goes literally into the bowels of
the earth, makes claim there to the dead ashes
of an extinct volcano, strikes for living waters
— and, by the way, finds tliem-r— and makes the
desert to grow green with young, vigorous life.
He builds his home, or the beginning thereof,
near to running water, or a likely place to dig
for it. He keeps away from the crumbling
coulee wall, for this precaution is necessary
from the nature of the rock, which disinteg-
rates quickly under the action of heat, cold,
sun, wind and rain, and is continually falling
in small fragments. Occasionally — which
means that an old residenter can cite a few in-
stances — a huge chunk comes hurling down to
the base of the wall, and the homesteader is
grateful to exclaim, 'Never touched me!' As
you ride through the chasm you can hear the
constant drip, as it were, of the stone, and the
effect of the echoes from wall to wall is very
similar to the reverberations of drip water in
a great cave. Similarly, too, these sounds,
perhaps because peculiar to so strange a place,
one always associates in memory with any act
or phase of the coulee. It is the same with all
other sounds there. They take on a strange-
ness of their own, and all those evidences of
life, the lowing of cattle, the call of wild fowl,,
the shout of men, the throb of threshing ma-
chines assume a weird fantastic quality entire-
ly in keeping with their apparently unnatural
surroundings. It is impossible to locate any
sound. It is curious to watch a man, for in-
stance nailing boards on a barn and at some dis-
tance from you. The sounds of the hammer
will come any direction other than the barn,
and they will be multiplied to your mystifica-
tion.
"These are some of the things that leave
ineffaceable impressions with the traveler in
the coulee. It is an ideal place to experience
that auricular illusion caused by a dying echo.
A shot, say from a rifle, echoes and re-echoes,
and seems to travel miles away from up the
coulee, zigzagging from wall to wall until it
gets so far away you can't hear it. You can
follow it in imagination until it goes out the
other end. This is your impression, and it must
be confessed 'tis a strong one and hard to shake
off. The coulee walls are, of course, lava.
You can plainly see on their thousand foot
depth of face, how thick were the successive
flows of molten volcanic rock and how many.
How long ago the first of these flows occurred
is for geology to say. What time elapsed be-
tween each successive flow is a question belong-
ing to geology, also. What . made this gap
gigantic in the earth, anyhow, is a question
too big to discuss here. The coloring of the
walls is something worth going a long journey
to see. Not that the work itself is anything
but black. That is the natural color, if color
it can be called, of basaltic lava. It is the moss,
the lichens, the weather stains, the sage brush,
the wild currants, the grease wood, the small
pines, firs and mountain ash. covering the whole
face of the coulee wall and growing in every
crack and crevice, that give the color. Modi-
fied, all. by distance and the rarity and purity
of the air. Glorious color it is, blended in all
hues, of all shades and gradations. Contrasts
and harmonies there are. Contrasts as gor-
594
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
geolis and glaring as the headgear of the south-
ern negro woman. Harmonies as soothing to
the eye as any caught and fixed upon perishable
canvas. Here be 'atmosphere' for the artistic
in plenty and 'breadth' in unlimited quantities.
Though the painted desert of Nevada and New
Mexico may be beyond compare, yet here are
found fragments of it, caught, enclosed, ready
framed between walls more ornamental than
any moulding of plaster of paris and wood,
waiting to be examined, analyzed and admired,
seen, known and loved."
Another of Nature's many wonders in
Douglas county is Steamboat Rock, in the
Grand Coulee. There are those, perhaps, fa-
miliar with the rock formations of the south-
west, particularly in New Mexico, who may be
disposed to sneer at this massive and pictur-
esque natural statuary. But all this will be
before thev have visited Steamboat Rock and
grasped the full significance of its gigantic
proportions. After that their respect will have
been magnified. Steamboat Rock is enormous.
So extensive are its proportions that it has
found a place on the map of the state of Wash-
ington. And its size inspires thoughts com-
mensurate with the size of the subject. It
stand out boldly, alone, isolated, sharply de-
fined against the uncanny scenery with which
it is surrounded, split, hewn off from the ad-
joining county, whose edge you can see as a
wail reaching up 1.200 feet. Steamboat Rock
is several miles long and a number of thousand
feet in width. Although destitute of military
masts and turrets, the rock is moulded into an
exceedingly life-like representation of a huge
battleship from stem to stern. The sides are
perpendicular ; the rams at bow and stern incline
at an angle of 45 degrees; they have been
formed by fallen fragments of disintegrated
lava. The lines of demarcation have left main
decks, spar decks and gun decks, caused by
different flows of lava. Of superstructure
there is no trace; nothing but the huge, frown-
ing hull. And on the upper deck of this mon-
ster rock is a peaceful farm — a hanging garden
— hundreds of acres in extent. The soil is the
same as that of the prairie land throughout
Douglas county. There is a good road leading
up to this aerial ranch from the bottom of the
coulee; the ship's companionway, as it were.
Steamboat Rock is productive of a strange
optical illusion. There are distant mountain
peaks overcapping the rock, and glimpses of
them may be caught as you attempt to walk
rapidly along the sides of the sculptured fabric ;
but the faster you walk the more rapidly ap-
pears this stone ship to move. Of course this
is a case of "misplaced optics," but the illusion
is perfect. One can scarcely compel himself
to believe that the stone ship is really anchored
at the bottom of Grand Coulee. And there are
many farms nestling at its base. From a dis-
tance the rock appears to be surrounded by
water. This illusion is more pronounced if
you approach it by way of the Bell Trail down
into the coulee.. It is caused by alkali lakes,
destitute of water, but dazzling, snow-white
beds of soda. During the winter season they
become lakes of real water. However, com-
pared to the wide extent of fertile, arable land,
these alkali "blight spots" are insignificant.
In the marshy sedges of the real lakes, and
there are se\eral in the coulee, ducks, brant,
swans, and cranes come in flocks of thousands.
Especially true is this of Devil's Lake, called
by some Tule Lake. In hunting these birds a
retriever is absolutel}- necessary. To shoot
winged game from the coulee walls is a piece of
inanity. It may be rare sport to see the wound-
ed bird drop a thousand feet into the boson of
the earth, but it is decidedly unprofitable.
Neither man nor dog can retrieve it; it might
as well have gone a mile up into the hea\'ens.
Of the far famed Pilot Rock, one more of
Douglas county's geological freaks, Mr. Harry
Jefferson Brown writes :
"Pilot Rock, Washington, stands on the
west wall of the Grand Coulee, eight miles
from Coulee City, Douglas county, and is the
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
595
finger post marking- the gateway to the Big
Bend country and pointing the way to the fer-
tile plains lying within the embrace of the
greatest river of the great northwest. Long
before you get into the Big Bend proper, and
while 3'ou are puzzling out the intricacies of the
scab rock country beyond Davenport, you will
see that rock silhouetted against the horizon,
and you will know that it stands on the only
spot where it is practicable to cross the Grand
Coulee, at any point within a length of sixty
miles, with a wagon. And if you are a wise
man you will know that this is the point you
should aim for, since beyond lies the land for
the homemaker. Later you will see that rock
outlined against the snowy summits of the Cas-
cade mountains, with Glacier peak glistening
like a day star over Lake Chelan.
"But this is only when you have climbed
the long hill to Pilot Rock from Coulee city
that's in the bottom of the Grand Coulee. The
climb is made for eight miles in an involved
series of loops, slants and switchboards, Hay-
stack Rock, the old settlers call it. Likely they,
being from the east, made the same mistake as
the tenderfoot did lately, who riding through
the Big Bend, remarked on the quantity of hay
they raised in that country and the hug'e stacks
they made.
" 'Where ?' said the guide.
" 'Why, right over there in that field,' said
the tenderfoot, pointing to Haystack, or Pilot
Rock.
" 'Them's rocks,' said the guide senten-
tiously.
"But nothing would satisfy that tenderfoot
but a personal in\estigation, and nothing would
do but that he should go 'right over there,'
which proved to be a three mile hike, and stand
and gaze before a grim 60 feet of lava that,
pilot to the Inland Empire as it was, yet bore
an exact resemblance to the weather blackened
haystacks of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys.
Great indeed was this tenderfoot's surprise
and warm his imagination when he was shown
the true 'wheat hay' of the land, all bright,
'green and gold.'
" 'I never saw the like before,' said the
tenderfoot. And he hadn't.
" 'How do they produce that exquisite col-
oring?' he asks again, for he is here to learn.
" 'Grow it,' said the guide. And it is suffi-
cient to know but this. But later when it was
learned that hay was sold for $18 a ton, a ro-
seate hue was added to its other tints for the
tenderfoot.
"But haystack or rock be it taken for, it is
a safe pilot for those west of the coulee seeking
through that great fissure the overland route
to Spokane; and to those from the east it is a
landmark to be seen from afar, guiding the
way to the wheat country in the Columbia plat-
eau and to the fruit country of the Columbia
benches.
To one who is seeking a taste of the old
romance of the stage coaching days, Coulee
City offers an excellent opportunity to find it.
There is more than a romantic flavor about the
sight of the stage from Bridgeport, and the
Okanogan, swinging down the winding, doub-
ling, twisting road from Pilot Rock on the top
of the wall to Coulee City at the bottom, the
four ponies at their natural gait, the lope, the
driver interpelating a few choice remarks in
stage driver language, punctuated with fre-
quent sharp cracks of the whip, and the pas-
sengers hanging on for dear life, in enjoyment
or fear, as suits each temperament. They swing
into sight a mere speck at the top of the hill,
heralded, if it is summer, by a cloud of dust.
Every team on the hill, and there are many in
the harvest time, seeks a safe siding to give
a clear road to Uncle Sam's mail train. This
is no easy task, to get out of the way ; but those
who know keep but of the 'chutes,' that short
circuit, the loops and turns. The novice or the
tenderfoot teamster is very apt to plant himself
squarely in the middle of the right of way, and
when the meeting comes, as inevitably it must,
that particular locality is a good place to be
596
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
absent from for those whose ears are easily
shocked, and those of the passengers who es-
cape unscathed are treated to a warmth of col-
loquy equaled only by the glow of the local
color, and a flow of language whose pictures-
queness is only rivaled by that of the surround-
ing scenery. And only in the great northwest,
and only where it comes in touch again with the
palmy days of the old stage coach, could such
things be found. It is indeed an inspiring
scene, and that 'tis duly appreciated is shown
in the fact that all Coulee City is out to see and
get the news from Okanogan and the north.
For Coulee City, at the bottom of the canyon,
is interested in what takes place in the north.
Her people want keenly to know just where and
when that railroad from Bellingham, of the
new birth, is coming through the Cascades,
and what feeders and feelers it will throw out,
and where. They wish to learn, too, as soon as
may be, what foundation there is for the talk
of the Canadian roads coming down into Wash-
ington and just where they will come and
when. For although Coulee City has a direct
outlet now through Adrain to the Pacific coast,
yet much of the wheat shipped from there must
be hauled overland distances as great as 30
miles or more. And particularly'is there a de-
sire to learn whether these roads, even though
they may pass to Spokane far to the north,
Avill, by tapping the rich Methow valley, and
the Colville Reservation country soon to be
opened for settlement, induce the Central
Washington to extend its line over the Coulee
wall, past St. Andrews, and so on to Water-
ville, to connect again with the main line to the
coast at Wenatchee. These are matters of big
imiX)rt to the people of the Grand Coulee bot-
tom of the Big Bend.
"There is what seems to be an abortive at-
tempt to extend this road over the Coulee wall.
You can see the grade making about up the hill,
coiling and doubling back upon itself, but scale-
less — naked — devoid of ties or rails. There is
also the gradeway of a rival road, though it
does not climb so high ; and it shows signs of
violent and abrupt disintegration in spots, not
due entirely to the natural disruptive forces of
gravitation on the steep hillsides. People say
that these grades were built fourteen years ago>
more for the sake of circumventing and fore-
stalling the fellow that owned the other road
than through any serious attempt to reach the
Columbia plateau beyond. And the people are
anxious to see the road go over the hills in
earnest, and would wish nothing better than
that any of t^ie proposed roads from the north
penetrating the Inland Empire will prove the
loadstone that will draw the Northern Pacific
over the Coulee wall.
"The view from the top of Pilot Rock on a
clear day — and all the days in summer in the
Big Bend are clear — is very extensive. If 'dis-
tance lends enchantment to the view," then it's
most enchanting, for the distance at which you
can see the prominent natural features of cen-
tral Washington are great. The Blue Moun-
tains of historic Wallowa are too far under the
horizon to discover, but Steptoe Butte, down
in Whitman county, can be seen if looked for
in the right place. This butte is named as a
memorial of the fight Colonel Steptoe had with
the Indians back in the '50s. Almost due east
Mica Peak, 'Old Mike Peak,' pricks out a point
against the blue of the Coeur d'Alenes that
form the sky line; and all between is color —
gorgeous color. The purple plain spreads, ap-
parently unlimited, to the north, east and south,
and merges almost undistinguishably into the
blue of the sky. You see no definition to the
prairie except the landmarks named. • Right
under you, a quarter of a mile down and eight
miles away, lies Coulee City, looking like a
bunch of sardine, oyster and tomato cans just
swept out of a back door, with here and there
an abandoned 'growler,' looming up to rep-
resent the public school house, the largest hotel
and the railroad warehouses. Or, to make a
more pleasing comparison, the city resembles
from this height and distance a handful of
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
597
brightly colored toys scattered and forgotten
by a sleepy child tired of its playthings. A
dozen miles further east you can see Hartline,
lying on the purple prairie like an artist's pal-
ette, conspicuous only by a few dots of bright
colors. .And stretchihg away clear across Lin-
coln county 1o the east and to the south are
rows of many towns and villages, mere specks
on the plain, but spots hazy with the smoke of
industry. Material evidence they are of the
westward march of enterprise. To the east
and a little north you catch glimpses of Mount
Carleton's bald head — 'Old Baldy' — as the
Spokane people love to call him. Farther
south are the Summit mountains, and these are
the ones you see as you journey west from the
city of Spokane, and that persist in racing west-
ward with you, getting ahead of you until you'd
swear they were voyaging down on the swift
current of the Columbia. Mitre Rock, at Spo-
kane rapids, is hidden by the bluff in the elbow
formed by the quick turn of the Columbia's
course from south to west. These bluffs ex-
tend from the rock to Hellgate, above the
mouth of the Sans Foil river. Here, at Hell-
gate, is the proposed crossing of the railroad
from Bellingham Bay to Spokane.
"To the north, and almost in a line with
the pole. Mount Bonaparte, 'Old Boney,' looms
up, overtopping the bunch grass hills of the
Okanogan and Colville country and indicating
the northern limit of United States territory.
Farther to the west, and a little more distant,
are Mounts Chapaca and Palmer, in Okanogan
county, the latter the scene of the recent phe-
nomenal gold find. Between you and these
lies the valley of the Okanogan, surely des-
tined for speedy development by the penetra-
tion of railroads from the north and from the
coast. Conconully, the county seat, lies in the
line of sight, but shows no sign form your view
point. To the west a little farther are the
Okanogan mountains, and west of these again
you can see the ultramarine of the Methow
range showing clear against the purity of the
snow capped Cascades. There is a white point
of mountain top, barely discernable, showing
between the peaks of the Cascades in the north-
west. This point must be the summit of either
Mount Baker in Whalcom county, or Mount
Shuksan, the watershed of the Hokullam river,
one of the branches of the Skagit. Interest
centers in the headwaters of the Skagit, for
here are to be found the only feasible routes for
railroads from the west through the Cascade
range, the great dividing line between the
coast country and the Inland Empire. Glacier
Peak will catch your eye, undoubtedly, if the
sun is right, and then you will be looking
across the full length of Lake Chelan. Lucky
you are if the weather is right and Chelan does
not obscure the 'eye of the Cascades' with her
rising mists. Away to the west and south, to
complete the circuit, are Mount Howard, at
Stevens Pass, Mount Stuart, with its three
peaks, resembling the Three Sisters in Ver-
mont, just beyond Wenatchee of the
rosy apples. But for the Badger Moun-
tains, a low range extending from a
point on the Columbia river southwest
of Waterville, Douglas county, to the
Columbia again, at the mouth of Moses
Coulee, you might catch a glimpse of Mount
Ranier, or Tah-co-mah, as the Indians love to
call it. A peak as perfect in form as famed
Fujiama, in Japan, and the delight and pride
of the people of the city of Tacoma on Ad-
mirality inlet.
"And so with one last look around to feast
the eyes on color and to fix in the mind a
grander panorama than even the classic Alps
can afford, you climb down from Pilot Rock
with sincere regret, and with a determination
to renew acquaintance with these great things
of the northwest, that undoubtedly have left
their impress upon the character of her people,
and are typical of her future greatness."
As one travels on cars or steamboats he sees
little or none of the beauties of the fertile
prairie country of Douglas county. These con-
598
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
ventional lines of travel he must leave and go
out and up and over it, when an agreeable sur-
prise awaits the investigator. Here and there
most attractive homes accentuate the possi-
bilities for him who will possess himself of a
few acres of this productive land, and improve
the opportunities which lie at his feet. To the
eastern man the qualit}^ of the soil will prove a
revelation. He has been accustomed to the
black loam or sandy soil so common in the east
or middle west. Here the soil is neither. It
is a light gray color, termed by geologists vol-
canic ash. It has been formed by the corroding
and disintegration of the lava rock with which
the soil is underlaid. And it as fertile as the
faipous river valleys of the east; it has the ex-
cellent quality of never washing nor baking
should it be worked when too damp. Another
important quality is its wonderful retention of
moisture. Properly prepared a good crop of
spring wheat may be secured without a drop of
rain between spring time and harvest. In many
instances this wonderful soil is sixty feet in
depth. A well-known traveler who tarried for
awhile in Douglas county wrote as follows to
an eastern journal :
"This is the great wheat producing region
of Central Washington and for which it has
become noted all over the world. A yield of
thirty bushels per acre is usual, while forty to
fifty bushels of wheat is not an uncommon
yield. To make the greatest success, wheat is
sown on land that has been summer fallowed
the preceding year and but one-half bushel per
acre is required for seed. Oats, barley and
other cereals succeed equally with wheat, while
all garden vegetables and root crops are grown
with success and satisfaction. AVhile the Big-
Bend country has never claimed to be a fruit
growing region, it is not because fruit cannot
be grown there. A sight of the many fine or-
chards would soon overcome that idea. Ap-
ples, pears, prunes, cherries and all the smaller
varieties of hardy fruits and berries are grown
with success, but not so much for profit as an
accompaniment of the well-established home.
With better facilities for market, fruit growing
will become a money making proposition in the
Big Bend country."
Unless one employs an experienced expert
he will be scarcely able to find any suitable
government land in Douglas county at the pres-
ent writing. The best lands have all been
taken. What are known as the "gravelly flats"
extend from Hartline to Coulee City. They
lie, practically to the north and south, but ex-
tend only a short distance. But there are rich
surroundings in the vicinity of Wilsoncreek,
and bej'ond Coulee City, westward, toward
Waterville, are some of the most valuable and
productive farms in the county. The chief
city is Waterville, the county seat; miles away
from any railroad as yet, but still a bustling,
busy, metropolitan town of which much more
is said in another chapter. A singularly wrong
impression has been gained of the fertility of
this section of the country by travelers. Rid-
ing from Coulee City to Waterville in a stage,
unless the season be winter, one is enveloped in
a cloud of dust. It can only be equalled in the
\'icinity of Pasco, Franklin county. But this
dust is a money maker. It is simply volcanic
ash. Scoria; and just ofif the stage line in the
quiet fields it is growing stupenduous crops of
wheat, oats and barley, and the finest speci-
mens of kitchen garden products, prize takers
at county fairs. The snows of winter supply
the place of summer and spring rains. Yet this
spring (1904) there has been plenty of pre-
cipitation ; a spring unusual for the quantity
of moisture. To you the people of Douglas
county will explain that the nature of the soil
and the closeness of the lava bed rock to the
surface makes the lack of rain by no means det-
rimental to the making of a crop. They will
tell you, also, that at all times, even in the
dryest, when for months not a drop of water
i-ias fallen, moisture is found only a few inches
from the surface. The crops themselves bear
witness to the truth of their assertions. Well
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
599
water may be obtained at a depth of from ten to
fifty feet. /Vt times the drilhng is hard, and
the "shots" of giant powder dropped in the
cavity may not always produce the desired re-
sult; but patience will invariably reward the
farmer who really wants a well. Therefore it
need not surprise the traveler through Doug-
las county to see so many residences pitched in
the valleys instead of on the highlands ; in these
Ir cations water is more accessible.
Douglas county is situated in tiie central
p^.r[ion of the state; is 120 by 60 miles in area,
tnd constitutes an important section of what
is recognized as the Big Bend country. It is
penetrated by the Centnd Washington railway
to Coulee City, nineteen miles, 2,640 feet; trav-
eled by the Great Northern road 72 miles,
686 feet, and the "Adrian Cut-off," from Cou-
lee City to Adrian, about 22 miles.
Of the famous alkali lakes of Douglas coun-
ty the report of the Washington Geological sur-
vey says :
"The alkali lakes of the state are neither
numerous nor large. Among the largest are
Moses Lake, Blue Lake and Sanitarium, or
Soap Lake. These, together with numerous
temporary ponds and a chain of fresh water
lakes occupy the former bed of the Columbia —
the Grand Coulee.
"Moses Lake, which lies about twelve miles
southeast of Ephrata, on the Great Northern
railway, is about eighteen miles long and a mile
wide. It is very shallow. The average depth
is, approximately, twenty feet. It lies in a
shallow basin with low banks, so that a rise of
but a few feet would inundate a large section
of country. The water is unfit for drinking
purposes, but is not strongly alkaline and could
probably be used in irrigation. The section of
country in which these lakes are located is, of
course, very dry and supports only a scanty
vegetation. Where there is water, however,
the soil is very fertile. The lake drains a large
area through upper Crab Creek. It has no
outlet, but across its foot lies a low range of
sand hills through which the water seeps into
the sources of lower Crab Creek, which occu-
pies the bed of the canyon below. Along this
canyon lie numerous shallow ponds which dry
up in summer. The deposits left by these are
not of any considerable value, though they con-
tain an appreciable quantity of borax. An in-
teresting feature of Moses Lake is the fact that
it is gradually rising, having risen about ten
feet in the last seven years. If it continues to
rise a few more feet it will break through a
clear course into lower Crab Creek and empty
into the Columbia. The analysis of the water
of Moses Lake, by H. G. Knight, is as follows :
PARTS PER THOUSAND.
Total solids 0.32357
Volatile solids 0.10095
Non-volatile solids 0.22262
Silica 0.01502
Alumina and iron oxide 0.00331
Calcium carbonate 0.06235
Magnesium carbonate 0.07525
Sodium sulphate 0.01258
Sodium chloride 0.01895
Sodium carbonate 0.10914
The following is from the Wenatchee Ad-
vance :
"Parties who have recently arrived from
Moses Lake and the lower Crab Creek country
tell a sad tale in regard to the ruination of valu-
able ranches on lower Crab Creek caused by the
washing out of the natural land dyke at the foot
of Moses Lake. The water cut a channel
through the sand dunes as wide as the Wenat-
chee river and washed tone and tons of sand
down over valuable alfalfa lands virtually ruin-
ing them. The lake is twelve feet lower than
ever before known and is dry for miles down
from the head, and if the channel is cut deep
enough the lake is very likely to go completely
dry.
"There is a tradition among the Indians to
the effect that years and years ago there was no
Moses Lake — only a creek — but two or three
dry seasons intervened in succession and the
creek went almost dry. Then the wind blew a
6oo
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
terrific gale for months and drifted the sand
back and forth until it had completely filled the
creek bed and threw up a dam twenty feet high
and miles and miles in length at the lower end.
When the water came again in the spring the
space filled up and made the present Moses
Lake. This is the Indian explanation of the
matter, and it look reasonable, for there are pot
holes and sand dunes at the lower end of the
lake which are continually shifting as the winds
will it. It is through these dunes that the
waters of the lake ha\e cut a channel and
^vashed a great mass of sand down on the beau-
tiful ranches that are located below."
"More interesting is the so-called Soap, or
Sanitarium Lake, situated about six miles
north of Ephrata. This lake is so called be-
cause it is so strongly alkaline as to be soapy
to the touch, and when a strong wind blows
across it the water along the shore is beaten
into great rolls of foam. Fish cannot live in
the water, nor is there any vegetation in this as
in Moses Lake. The water is used for bathing,
but to those unaccustomed to its use the water
has a slightly caustic or irritating effect. It
is also claimed that it is useful medicinally.
There is much of peculiar interest about the'
lake. It is about two and a quarter by three-
quarters miles in extent, is very deep in places,
and probably averages about forty feet.
It drains only a very small area of
country and has neither inlet or out-
let, in the form of streams. It is lo-
cated in a deep basin walled to the height of
loo feet or more on the east and west by cliffs
of black basalt. The land to the north and
south rises slowly; on the south to nearly the
height of the cliffs, but on the north the rise is
so slight that should the lake rise fifteen feet
it would empty into the next of the chain of
lakes to the north. The source of the water
of the lake is said to be a spring in the center.
Indians of the neighborhood assert that only a
few years since the lake was very small and was
fed by this strong alkaline spring. Fresh water
is, however, continually seeping in from the
shores, as is shown by the fact that fresh water
wells may be sunk even but a few feet from the
shore, and that the cattle disliking the strong
alkaline water face the shore to obtain the
sweeter seepage. The water of the lake con-
tains calcareous matter to such an extent that
the stones and debris at the bottom are in-
crusted with a frost-like coating of calcium
carbonate. An analysis of the water is as fol-
lows :
PARTS PER THOUSAND
Total solids 28.2669
Volatile solids 0.62503
Non-volatile solids 27,64186
Silica 0.12816
Alumina and iron oxide Trace.
Calicium sulphate Trace
Calcium carbonate Trace.
Magnesium sulphate 0.39099
Sodium sulphate 6.34872
Sodium chloride 5.81384
Sodium carbonate 14.08901
Potasium carbonate 0.51177
Lithium sulphate Trace.
Phosphorus pentaxidi 0.12018
Carbon dioxide (semi-combined) 137034
Borax None.
Iodine None.
Free Ammonia 03400
Allumenoid ammonia 1.1060
The specific gravity 1.0260
Of this singular lake the EUciisburg Local-
izer said :
"There is a lake about one mile wide by
two miles long some distance from the borax
beds in Douglas county, which has been a great
resort for the Indians when afflicted with erup-
tions of any kind. It is reported to be very
efficacious is curing all cutaneous diseases and
even syphilitic disorders. It is called by the
Indians 'Big Pe Lake,' The water has a yellow-
ish tinge, but is very clear. i\ person can see
to the bottom of it where it is thirty feet deep.
There is something peculiar about it; the sur-
face reflects images equal to a mirror, and mag-
nifies objects many fold. It will magnify a
child to the proportions of a giant. Our in-
formant says : 'The hand or foot reflected
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
6oi
from the lake's surface is magnified most as-
tonishingly. This lake has been used by the
Indians from time immemorial, and is still util-
ized for the purposes named. There is no
doubt that on account of its healing properties
it will be taken up and some day become a
great watering place, eclipsing the' famous
Medical Lake, in Spokane county.' "
In April, 1903, the big span of the Rock
Island bridge across the Columbia, on the Great
Northern railway, was swung into place. Seri-
ous difficulty was encountered in throwing this
span across 416 feet of space between the
arches. It was impossible to build false work, as
at that point the river is from eighty to one hun-
dred feet deep. It courses through under the
bridge like a mill race. It was, to the engin-
eers, a new problem. General Manager Mit-
chell, of the Great Northern Company, solved
it by an intricate system of ties and counter
balances which enabled the builders to carry
the bridge out from each beam 208 feet without
support, meeting in the center, a feat never be-
fore attempted, and which is considered a tri-
umph of engineering skill.
In the spring of 1901 preparations were
made for sinking oil wells in Douglas county.
The sites where valuable fields were supposed
to e.xist were near Central Ferry, across the
Columbia river, and on the Douglas county
side. A company known as the Wenatchee
Oil & Coal Company was organized with the
following officers : C. C. Bireley, president ;
F. W. Mauser, secretary and treasurer; T. L.
Brophly, superintendent, and George H. Wal-
ter, director and a heavy stockholder. The
company secured a 25-years-lease of two quarter
sections of land on which the oil discovery was
made, and shipped in machinery for drilling
wells. When oil indications were first discov-
ered it appeared on the surface of the ground
among the springs which here and there issue
forth. Later, however, a cloud burst occurred
just above the place which washed an immense
gorge through the land where there indications
appeared, revealing the geological formation
to a depth of thirty or forty feet. The pre-
dominating rock is cretaceous sandstone, in
folds of six to eight feet, lying one
above the other. Where these springs
issued forth the surface of the ground
for some distance around was saturated
with a greasy oil fluid. Oil experts,
of course examined it, and it was largely upon
their recommendation that capital became in-
terested and the necessary machinery purchased
to begin active operations. But so far there has
been no result worthy of the first excitement
occasioned by the early discoveries.
One of the peculiar attractions a new comer
will notice in the northwestern portion of Doug-
las county is the frequency of what are termed
"haystack rocks." Geological experts have ex-
plained their presence, as being meteors, having
been deposited in prehistoric ages. In shape
and size they are in the exact form of an or-
dinary haystack. Some of . them are small,
possibly four of five feet in diameter and the
same in height. Others stand fully forty to
sixty feet in height and about thirty feet in
diameter at the base. They are usually oval
or rounding until they gradually taper to a
small, round top, exactly similar to a haystack.
At a distance the eye is easily deceived. Some
of them have been deposited in the best portions
of the farming lands in the county, and splen-
did loam creeps up to their very base. Many
stand alone like sentinels ; in other localities
some farms of 320 acres possess three or four
of them.
With the exceptions of Grand and ]\Ioses
Coulees the most conspicuous landmark in
Douglas county is Badger Mountain, a long,
rambling elevation extending from the Colum-
bia river in a southeasterly direction, rising to
an elevation of several hundred feet above the
level of the surface of the country, the sur-
rounding plain, and 4,000 feet above sea level.
Not a great many years ago the west end of
Badger Mountain was covered with a thick
602
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
growth of pine timber. This was, in fact, the
only body of timber in Douglas county, and
without its presence the settlement of the
western portion of the Big Bend would have
been retarded for a number of years. This
mountain forest supplied fuel, fencing and
building material for miles around. It ap-
peared as though a kind providence had pro-
vided this timber that the choice agricultural
lands of the western Big Bend country might
be developed. Today the western portion of
Badger Mountain has only a straggling growth
of scraggy timber, while the town of Water-
ville and the hundreds of farm residences which
can be seen from the summit of the mountain
show what has become of the once handsome
growth of timber which was there.
Douglas county contains about 5.200
square miles, or four times the size of the whole
state of Rhode Island. The states of Rhode
Island and Delaware could both be placed in
Douglas county and then there would be 700
square miles residue. It is as large as the state
of Connecticut, and covers a stretch of coun-
try greater in extent than the distance between
New York and Philadelphia.
In the earlier portion of this chapter we
alluded to the phenomena of "crops without
rain." The annual precipitation over the
northern half of the Big Bend country or the
plateau is between ten and fifteen inches. Over
the most of this area it is nearly uniform and
ranges from twelve to fourteen inches. That
is, all the rain and melted snow of the year
would, if preserved, make a layer of water
from twelve to fourteen inches deep. Now, an
annual rainfall of twelve to fourteen inches
seems scanty to persons unacquainted with the
country and it would be scanty in most locali-
ties, but in the Big Bend country there are
some peculiarities which modify this feature
and make it less felt — make it, in fact, sufifi-
cient. How it happens that this country, par-
ticularly Douglas county, with such slight pre-
cipitation, has become famous as the greatest
wheat producing country in the United States
is a most vitally interesting study, and the
reason is not generally tmderstood from a
scientific viewpoint. We here produce ex-
cerpts from a speech delivered by Professor
;\Iark V. Harrington, in 1896, president of the
Washington State University, at the second
Douglas County Industrial Exposition held in
^^'aterville, October 2, 1896, which fully ex-
plains the matter. Professor Harrington said :
"This region lies in temperate and rather
cool latitudes. It is in hot climates that the in-
sufficiency of water is most felt. Spain has
many inclosed basins something like this. They
generally get more rain than you do here, but
they lie from six to ten degrees further south
and the plateaus are dry and arid. On the other
hand the rainfall in Sweden is as little as here
and in some places is less, but there is no
trouble in Sweden in growing trees or raising
crops in ordinary seasons. But this is from
fi\-e to eight degrees further north than you are,
the mean temperatures for the same elevation
are lower, and the evaporation of moisture is
consequently less.
"The soil in this region is usually light
and fine. These qualities make it, when dry
and not protected by vegetation, powder easily
under the wheels of heavy wagons, and it is
easily lifted by the wind and may be carried
long distances. It almost floats in the air. This
lightness is not due to its being intrinsically
lighter when powdered than when solid. A
bushel of wheat weighs as much when ground
as when entire in the grain and yet it may be
ground so fine as to float is such quantities in
the air as to make the latter semi-explosive.
The fine soil which you have here is commin-
uted rock and has not lost any of its weight in
being powdered. Its faculty of floating is due
to this : Each solid particle has adhering to it
a thin skin of air thinner and less adherent
when the surface is polished, thicker and more
tenacious when the body has a rough surface.
This tliin skin of air does not lessen the weight
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
603
of a particle, but when the latter is minute and
especially if it is rough, the adhering air forms
a large part of the entire particle, and the two
together have a greater bulk for the same
weight and fall more slowly.
"It is this layer of air which makes the fine
soil useful in saving ground water. It retards
the evaporation of moisture because the crevices
between particles being filled with air, the heat
is slower in penetrating and evaporation is
slower. Again this very fineness facilitates the
absorbtion of water, which falls upon the sur-
face and this prevents running off. The water
replaces air ver}' readily and forms a surround-
ing envelope of its own. Capillary attraction
which will hold water powerfully in a tube
holds it as powerfully in a'fine soil. The water
is more easily taken up by such a soil and more
firmly held when it is taken up. Capillary at-
traction yields onl}' to evaporation and to se-
ductive force of the tips of growing roots.
These draw water more powerfully than does
capillary attraction in the soil. The dust and
fine soil of this region play other parts in its
natural economy, both beneficial and harmful,
but these belong to other questions than that
now under discussion.
"The precipitation of the Big Bend country
is not distributed wastefully through the whole
year, when it is not needed as well as when it
it, as is the Case in eastern states. Nor does it
fall chiefly when it is not wanted, at or after
harvest as in some places, notably Florida. It
falls here chiefly in two seasons, so convenient
for the farmer that it could scarcely have been
more so had he arranged it himself. The first
precipitation season is the winter from Novem-
ber to February, inclusive. The precipitation
is greatest in quantity at this season and de-
scends as snow. It drifts but little, lies long
and affords a long period of sleighing. In the
spring it melts gradually, feeding the wafer
slowly to the soil, which takes it up like a
sponge, allowing very little to flow off. Mean-
while the snow covering in winter is a valuable
feature. It protects the soil from sudden
changes of temperature, defends young plants
of winter crops, and tends to keep the tempera-
ture of air even, preventing the sudden changes
of thawing and freezing, which are so injurious
to plant life. This season of great precipitation
corresponds to that of the adjacent Pacific
coast.
"The second season of precipitation is of
about six weeks duration in late spring — in
April and May. Between this and the preced-
ing has been a period of several weeks free
from rain, a time for the farmer to sow his
crops and giving them a period of sunny
weather to bring them up and prevent them
from rotting in the ground. Then during the
growing season are rains which feed the crops
when they most need it. In this rainy season
the Big Bend country shows its alliance to the
Montana and Dakota region, where the rainy
season is from April to June. Then follows a
long, dry season for the harvesting of crops
and the fall plowing. During the two precip-
itation seasons — a short six months — about
three-quarters of the rain falls. This makes it
as effective as a half more falling indifferently
through the year, without counting the advant-
ages of being sure of a dry harvest."
"Located in the extreme northeast part of
Douglas county," says a correspondent of the
Big Bend Empire, writing in May, 1896, "and
bordering on the Colville reservation is a sec-
tion of country which, though not widely
known, is one of the most fertile regions of the
Big Bend. This is the 'Little Bend.' Here
the Columbia river runs from the mouth of the
Grand Coulee almost north for twelve miles.
Coming around to within a distance of fifteen
miles of the coulee walls, then widening out in
that sweep which borders the Big Bend proper.
Across this narrow northeastern peak is the
wagon road running from Wilbur to the Okan-
ogan mines. There the settler has the choice
of locating in any altitude desired between the
Columbia river and the high, rolling prairie
6o4
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
land as this part is formed of benches extend-
ing from the river to the high lands. Should
the wayfaring homeseeker conclude he did not
want to go into farming wheat and hardy prod-
ucts he has only to move a few benches down
toward the river where he has a location espe-
cially adapted to the culture of fruit and ber-
ries equal in every respect to the golden state
of California. On these benches may be seen
springs of pure, clear water gushing out of the
hillsides, and immediately below, caused by
this moisture, are beautiful groves of birch and
balm to greet the stockman on a summer day
while riding among his herds. This is the
ideal bunch grass region of the Big Bend, ow-
ing to the richness of soil and abundance of
water.
That portion of Douglas county lying be-
twen Grand and Moses Coulees is known as
the Highland country. The following de-
scriptive matter of this section of the county is
from the pen of J. Harry Noonan :
"Lying at such an altitude as to overlook
the greater part of Douglas county, the giant
country of the Evergreen State, and much of
the higher portions of Washington, as well as
points in Idaho, Oregon and British Columbia,
rests the beautiful Highland country, the home
ideal of num.bers of happy, enterprising and
self-sustaining tillers of the soil. This land
ranges from 2,000 to 2,500 feet above the sea
level and occupies that high ridgeway extend-
ing between Grand and Moses Coulees, occupy-
ing most of townships 22, 23, 24, and 25. range
26, the center of township 24, range 26, being
aljout 16 miles from Coulee City and 20 miles
from Ephrata on the Great Northern Railway.
This coutnry being highly elevated the crops
are not subject to severe frosts like that of the
lower lands, and the higher elevation insures
us sufficient snow and rain during the year to
saturate the ground, and being a brown clay
soil and wonderfully adapted to the retention of
moisture, good crops could be raised without
a drop of water from May until August."
The idea of building a tramway from the
plateau west of Waterville to the Columbia
river for the more economical transportation of
wheat was conceived by A. L. Rogers, who
worked hard to get the farmers interested in
the enterprise. Later Mr. Rogers sold his in-
terests to the Columbia River Tramway Com-
pany. The tramway was completed in Novem-
ber, 1902. It carries grain from the plateau
to the Columbia river, and thus saves the hard
hauls down the canyons to the shipping points
from 2,000 to 2,500 feet below the level of the
plateau.
In December, 1903, a writer in the Seattle
Post-IiitcUigcnccr said :
"Douglas, one of the last counties in the
state to receive .settlement and its lands to be
brought under cultivation, has made a very
substantial and satisfactory growth during the
year 1903, not only in population but in build-
ing improvements and in the general prosper-
ity of its people. This is the county that only
a few years ago contained but a few stockmen.
According to the report of Assessor Will the
population is a little over 12,000. Douglas has
made the largest percentage of gain in popula-
tion of any county in the state except Franklin,
since 1900. Since then the gain is 5.794. or
1 16.8 per cent. The assessor's rolls show that
there are 23,033 head of cattle, valued at $412,-
150, and 12, 780 horses valued at $361,505,
and a total increase for taxation of over $5,-
000,000 since last year. The county raised
about 6,000,000 bushels of wheat this year, for
which something like $3,600,000 will be paid.
Especially along the Great Northern rail-
way is the growth of the county noticable. The
towns of Quincy, Ephrata, Wilsoncreek, Strat-
ford, and Knipp have all made very substantial
gains, while the land adjacent, which only a
few years ago was called the Big Bend Desert,
is being made to blossom and yield abund-
antly."
In October of the same year the Douglas
Coiiiify Press, published at Waterville, said:
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
60;
"A rapid transformation is being wrought
in that section lying along the Great Northern
railway. A few years ago land there was sold
by E. F. Benson, then in the employment of
the Northern Pacific land department, for a
few cents per acre. While in Quincy we heard
of a number of sections of the same land being
sold at from $15 to $20 per acre. Messrs.
Babcock, Blythe, Richardson, Urquhart and
other stock men figured on this being a perpet-
ual home for stock and good for nothing but
range. Standing on an eminence this side of
Quincy and Winchester as far as the vision can
reach the shack of the homesteader dots the
level plain. On driving through we found
considerable breaking being done, orchards
planted and the work going on to convert
wheat from the sands of what was once known
as the Big Bend desert. We can remember
when the Ritzville country was said to be too
dry for farming; money loaners would not go
into the Horse Heaven nor Washtuchna sec-
tions as they were thought to be worthless.
Ritzville today is one of the greatest wheat
shipping points in the world. In the two latter
sections land is now selling for from twenty
to thirty dollars per acre.
"At one time our own section of the Big
Bend was considered arid. Now we prophesy
that Quincy, Winchester, Ephrata, Adrian.
Wilsoncreek, and in fact all' the points along
the railroad will yet be great shipping marts
for wheat. All this is going to make Douglas
a wealthy county. In a few years we believe
that the territory now embraced in Douglas
county will be sustaining a population one hun-
dred times greater than at present. Water is
now being found in great quantities at a depth
of from 200 to 300 feet. There are now about
a dozen good wells adjacent to Quincy and it
is believed that artesian water will be found
there. All through that section we found the
settlers hopeful that Uncle Sam will carry out
the proposed irrigation scheme and put that
country under water. Should that be done
this will be one of the most productive sections
of the west. Where the stock men of a few
years ago ruled supreme will be the fields of
alfalfa and fruit — a few acres being sufficient
for a living."
Frank ^I. Dallam, writing for the Big
Bend Empire under date November 30, 1S93,
had this to say of southern Douglas county,
which at that time was regarded by all as a
sandy desert, worthless as farming land or for
any other purposes :
"The southern portion is flat and sandy,
covered with sage brush and at present little
better than a desert. Yet this sandy land that
in its present condition is so uninviting will at
some future day be dotted with valuable farms
and orchards, providing homes for hundreds of
people and adding very materially to the wealth
of the state. It has been fully demonstrated
in isolated spots, where water for irrigation
could be secured, that the soil is prodigally pro-
ductive, and fruits and vegetables raised that
cannot be surpassed in size and flavor any-
where. It is a thousand or more feet lower
than the northern division of the county, the
climate is much more temperate and the sum-
mer longer. It is especially adapted to the
growth of both large and small fruits. All that
is needed is water and some day the requisite
capital will be forthcoming to sink artesian
wells and secure water to reclaim this Sahara."
CHAPTER V.
POLITICAL.
The genesis of things is usually the most
interesting in matters pertaining to history.
So with the political history of Douglas county,
the names of those pioneers who first served
the county in official capacities will be perused
with greater interest than will those of later
administrations. By provisions of the bill
creating the county Messrs. H. A. Meyers, J.
W. Adams and P. M. Corbaley were named
as county commissioners, and authority was
invested in them to appoint all other county
officers who should serve until their successors
were elected and cjualified.
Accordingly on the 29th day of February,
1884, the original county commissioners met
and perfected the county organization. The
officers named by them at this time to serve as
the first officials were :
H. L. Burgoyne, auditor; Peter Bracken,
treasurer: A. Pierpont, sheriff; Walter Mann,
probate judge; Hector Patterson, assessor;
Arthur Holliday, county attorney; Lester Pop-
ple, sheep commissioner; D. Urquhart, justice
of the peace, eastern precinct; D. J. Titchenal,
justice of the peace, western precinct.
Several changes were made in the personnel
of the officers who served during the year 1884.
Commissioner Meyers removed from the
county. At a meeting of the board September
6, David Soper was appointed to supply the va-
cancy. Mr. Pierpont failed to qualify for
sheriff. September 8th Thomas Jordon was
appointed to that office and became the first
executive officer of the county of Douglas. H.
L. Burgoyne also failed to qualify as auditor
and B. L. Martin, who had been appointed
clerk pro tem was selected to fill this vacancy.
Evidently county officers were not in so great
demand during 1884 as they have been many
times since. The proverbial case of the "of-
fice seeking the man" was of frequent occur-
rence. Then Peter Bracken resigned the office
of treasurer and his position was filled by the
appointment of Captain H. A. Miles. Septem-
ber 8th Miss Eva Brown was appointed su-
perintendent of the county schools.
The initial election in Douglas county was
held in November, 1884. In its then sparsely
settled condition the county did not require
elaborate preparations for an election. At a
special meeting of the commissioners, held
September 6th, the county was divided into six
election precincts. Following is a list of them,
the location of the polling places, together with
the officers of election :
No. I. — Grand Coulee precinct; polling
place at Lincoln postoffice; P. J. Young and
Mr. Hall, judges; Frank H. Bosworth, inspec-
tor.
No. 2. — Crab Creek precinct; polling place
at the Hill ranch ; Donald Urquhart and George
Popple, judges ; George Bowker, inspector.
No. 3. — Moses Coulee precinct; polling
place at Charles Wilcox's house ; Charles Wil-
cox and H. A. Rowell, judges; George W.
Ward, inspector.
No. 4. — Okanogan precinct ; polling place,
Martin & Benson's store; J. E. Coyle and B.
L. ^Lirtin, judges; Mrs. Ella Barnhart, in-
spector.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
607
No. 5. — Badger City, precinct; poll-
ing place, Crouche's store; Hector Patterson
and M. W. Wixson, judges; F. M. Alexander,
inspector.
No. 6. — Bracken precinct ; polling place,
Kimball's store; Peter Bracken and D. J. Tit-
chenal, judges; Caleb Cooper, inspector.
It is, indeed, unfortunate that the returns
for this pioneer election have not been preserved.
However, we are enabled to give the names of
those \\ho succeeded in securing election to the
several offices, and who assumed their positions
at the beginning of the year 1885 :
County Commissioners — R. Miles, chair-
man, Charles Wilcox and F. H. Bosworth.
Auditor — B. L. Martin.
Treasurer — H. A. Miles elected, but failed
to qualify. S. A. Coyle was appointed March
31, 1885. Coyle resigned and Stuart Barn-
hart was appointed August 11, 1885.
Sheriff — Thomas Jordan, who died. His
place was filled by the appointment of S. C.
Robins on May 3, 1886.
Probate Judge — Walter Mann, who re-
signed and J. M. Snow was appointed.
Assessor — -John E. Winn. He resigned
and Oscar Redfield was appointed, March 30,
1885.
School Superintendent — Eva Brown.
Surveyor — O. Ruud.
At the following election, in 1886, the fol-
lowing officials secured certificates of election
and qualified for office : Auditor, R. L. Steiner ;
Treasurer, Charles H. Balton; Sheriff, S. C.
Robins; Assessor, Oscar Redfield; Probate
Judge, Joseph M. Snow; Surveyor. O. Ruud;
Coroner, Dr. J. B. Smith; School Superin-
tendent, C. C. Ladd: County Commissioners,
J. W. Stephens, P. J. Young and H. N. Wil-
cox.
Previous to the election of 1888 party lines
had been rather loosely drawn. At the two
preceding elections there had not been a great
demand for county offices, and most of those
who served in an official capacity did so more
from a sense of duty than from any glowing
expectation of personal profit. However,
Douglas county was being rapidly settled and
at the election of 1888 we find that nearly 500
votes were cast. Party lines were drawn and
both the republican and democratic elements
held conventions and nominated candidates for
all the offices. We give at some length the
proceedings of these conventions and the
names of those who participated in both :
The Republican county convention assem-
bled at Bradley's hall, in Waterville, Saturday,
September i, 1888, to place in nomination can-
didates for county offices. The convention was
called to order by Caleb Cooper. Captain H.
A. Miles was the unanimous choice for chair-
man, and C. C. Ladd, of Grand Coulee, was
named as secretary. The delegates who par-
ticipated in this convention from the different
precincts were :
Midland — John Fletcher, Sim A. Barnes,
John A. Leach and Will Tenney.
Chester — D. F. Riggs, William Jamison, I.
P. Hopkins, by D. F. Riggs, proxy.
Okanogan — F. C. Zuehlke, Levi Tibbetts,
Charles P. Peach, David ^NlcClellan, D. J.
Crisp and W. E. Carlton.
Grand Coulee — C. C. Ladd, J. J. Thomas,
John R. Lewis, George R. Roberts, J. H. Hud-
son, J. J. Jump, the four last named being
represented by their proxy, C. C. Ladd.
Foster Creek — William McLean.
Moses Coulee — H. C. Godlove, L. C.
Gaudy.
Mountain — Captain H. A. Miles, T. Sny-
der, T. N. Ogle.
W^aterville— J. B. Smith, A. T. Greene, S.
Bremshaltz, R. Corbaley, R. J. Waters and J.
D. Maltbie.
A full county ticket was nominated and
Captain H. A. Miles and L. E. Kellogg were
elected as delegates to the Territorial Conven-
tion which was held at Ellensburg.
On September 22d, following, the demo-
cratic county convention was held at the same
6o8
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
hall at the same place. The convention was
called to order by J. W. Stephens, chairman of
the democratic county committee. E. A. Cor-
nell was selected chairman of the convention.
The following delegates participated :
Columbia — G. C. Wilson, two votes.
Foster Creek — A. A. Pierpont, James Pier-
son and Daniel Leahy.
Grand Coulee— J. H. Smith, E. F. Schrock,
A. E. House, by J. H. Smith, proxy, John
Flaraty and John Jelonce by E. F. Schrock,
proxy, J. W. Scully, and James Schrock. by
J. W. Scully, proxy.
Crab Creek — Frank Pierpont, two votes.
Moses Coulee — E. Owen, two votes.
Chester — J. P. Moore, two votes.
Okanogan — James Cloninger, Charles Mc-
Cullough, O. O. Wright, J. E. Hoppe, J. Bun-
ger, G. W. De Wald.
Mountain — D. H. Ford, W. C. Whenery,
F. Fitzgerald, J. Wooks, J. B. Ballard.
Waterville— E. D. Nash, R. P. Webb,
James Melvin, W.-M. Grames, D. H. Derifiekl,
E. A. Cornell, George Dick.
Midland— J. M. Simson, J. C. McFarland,
C. G. Stone.
Nominees for a full county ticket were
named at this convention. For the first time
in its history Douglas county was represented
on the Territorial ticket in 1888, Mr. Joseph
M. Snow being nominated on the republican
ticket for joint councilman for the Fifth Dis-
trict. He was elected. The election of 1888
was very close. Nearly 500 votes were cast,
and a majority of the republicans were elected
to county offices. Following is the official
vote :
For Congress — Charles S. Voorhees, dem-
ocrat, 198; John B. Allen, republican, 262;
R. S. Green, 2.
For Brigadier General — A. P. Curry, re-
publican, 236; J. J. Hunt, democrat, 214; Ross
G. O'Brien, 12.
For Prosecuting Attorney — N. T. Caton,
democrat, 231; Wallace ]\Iount, republican,
228; P. K. Spencer, i.
For Joint Councilman — For Douglas, Lin-
coln, Kittitas, Yakima, Adams and Franklin;
Clay U. Fruit, democrat, 182; Joseph M.
Snow, republican, 266.
For Joint Representative — For Lincoln,
Franklin, Adams and Douglas : Frank Quinlan,
democrat, 207 ; P. K. Spencer, republican, 253.
For Auditor — R. S. Steiner, democrat,
304; Charles P. Peach, republican, 154.
For Sheriff — Nat James, democrat, 206;
A. C. Gillispie, republican, 254.
For Treasurer — D. H. Ford, democrat,
210; Charles H. Bolton, republican, 244.
For Probate Judge — R. W. Starr, demo-
crat, 220 ; L. C. Gandy, republican, 237.
For County Commissioners — J. W. Steph-
ens, 243, W. P. Thompson, 193, O. O. Wright,
166, democrats; John Banneck, 242, John R.
Lewis, 240, H. C. Godlove, 291, republicans.
For School Superintendent — A. E. House,
democrat, 205; C. C. Ladd, republican, 241.
For Assessor — John E. Hoppe, democrat,
248 ; William Jamison, republican, 205.
For Surveyor — J. H. Ballard, democrat,
231 ; O. Ruud, republican, 226.
For Coroner — G. W. Philbrick, democrat,
149; J. H. Husey, republican, 300.
For Sheep Commissioner — A. A. Pierpont,
democrat, 243; Frank Rusho, republican, 212.
The first state election in Washington was
held October i, 1889, to elect state officers,
congressmen, to vote on constitution, to vote
on location of state capital, to select senators
and superior judge, and to elect county clerks
of court, which office was provided for by the
new constitution. Douglas county cast 619
votes, an increase of over 100 in a year, as fol-
lows :
For Congressman — John L. Wilson, repub-
lican, 357; Griffiths, democrat, 262.
For Governor — E. P. Ferry, republican,
353 ; Eugene Semple, democrat, 265.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
609
For Joint Senator — J. M. Snow, republi-
can, 336 ; R. W. Starr, democrat, 269.
For Representative — A. E. McDonald, re-
publican, 235; E. D. Xasb, democrat, 263;
Day, 114.
For Superior Judge — Wallace Mount, re-
publican, 337; N. T. Caton, democrat, 282.
For Clerk of Court — E. W. Porter, repub-
lican, 335; John W. Hartline, democrat, 278.
For Constitution — 449; against constitu-
tion, 113.
For Woman Suffrage — 197; against, 361.
For Prohibition — 251 ; against, 299.
For location state capital — Olympia, ^t,;
Ellensburg, 296; North Yakima, 213; Water-
ville, 54.
Nash for representative was the only demo-
crat on the ticket who carried the county at this
election. The Douglas county republican con-
vention was held at Waterville, September 20,
1890. S. W. Barnes, of Midland precinct was
made chairman and E. M. Bogart, of Chester
precinct, secretary. Aside from the nomina-
tion of a full county ticket Matt W. Miles, H.
C. Sessions, James Odgers, Charles Brown
and Frank Corbaley were named as delegates
to the state convention. The new county cen-
tral committee comprised L. E. Kellogg, C. C.
Ladd and H. C. Godlove.
Saturday, September 27th, the democratic
county convention assembled at Waterville.
G. C. Wilson, of Columbia precinct was chosen
temporary chairman and W. W. Mitchell, of
Mountain precinct, temporary secretary. R.
E. Mason was chosen permanent chairman,
and R. W. Starr, Dan Paul and Tony Rich-
ardson were selected as a county central com-
mittee. The convention was harmonious, many
of the candidates named being chosen without
opposition. At the following election of 1890
Douglas county cast over 700 votes. Officers
elected were divided between the two parties,
so far as the county ticket was concerned. The
result :
For Congressman — Robert Abernathy, pro-
hibitionist, 23; Thomas Carroll, democrat,
239; John L. Wilson, republican, 298.
For Representative — William H. Ander-
son, democrat, 337; P. E. Berrv, republican,
380.
For Sheriff — Frank Day, democrat, 445;
A. C. Gillispie, republican, 281.
For County Clerk— O. W. Earnest, demo-
crat, 338; G. W. Hendricks, republican, 350.
For Auditor — C. C. Ladd, republican, 351 ;
E. C. Young, democrat, ^y^.
For Treasurer — ^J. W. Cunningham, re-
publican, 356; Walter :\Iann, democrat, 372.
For County Attorney— J. S. Andrews,
democrat, 389 ; D. C. De Golia, republican, 322.
For Assessor — Louis Brandt, democrat,
296; Oscar Redfield, republican, 431.
For School Superintendent — E. M. Bogart,
republican, 325 ; A. C. Porter, democrat, 399.
For County Surveyor— J. B. Ballard, dem-
ocrat, 317; Ole Ruud, republican, 397.
For Coroner — ^J. M. F. Cooper, democrat,
301 ; Colin Gilchrist, republican, 410.
For County Commissioners — S. C. Rob-
ins, democrat, 380; R. J. Waters, republican,
317; John R. Lewis, republican, 389; George
C. Wilson, democrat, 312; Thomas McMana-
man, republican, 353; Henry Mitchell, demo-
crat, 335.
For location state capital — Ellensburg,
299; North Yakima, 118; Olympia, 223.
At the general election of 1892 Douglas
county polled over one thousand votes. This
election was the closest of any that had then
been held in the county. There were four tick-
ets in the field: republican, democratic, people's
party and prohibition. The county was car-
ried by the republican presidential electors and
the republican candidate for representative by
narrow pluralities. The people's party candi-
date for governor carried the county and the
candidates for other state officers were divided
between the republicans and the people's party.
On the county ticket the republicans elected two
commissioners, joint senator, superior court
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
judge, surveyor, coroner. The people's party
elected their candidates for representative,
sheriff, auditor, treasurer, assessor, school su-
perintendent, prosecuting attorney and one
commissioner. The democrats elected their
candidate for clerk. The official vote :
For President — Republican electors, 347;
democratic, 253; people's party, 299; prohibi-
tion, 19.
For Congressmen — John L. Wilson, repub-
lican, 376; William H. Doolittle, repulican,
337: James A. IMunday, democrat, 259;
Thomas Carroll, democrat, 263; M. F. Knox,
people's party, 351 ; J. C. Van Patten, people's
party, 332; C. E. Newberrv, prohibitionist, 19;
A. C. Dickinson, prohibitionist, 19.
For Governor — John H. McGraw, republi-
can, 353 ; Henry J. Snively, democrat, 263 ; C.
W. Young, people's party, 383; Roger S.
Greene, prohibitionist, 24.
For Joint Senator— Charles I. Helm, re-
publican, 333; W. H. Peterson, democrat, 275;
John T. Greenwood, people's party, 332 ; D. H.
Haight, prohibitionist, 12.
For Superior Judge — Wallace Mount, re-
publican, 434; N. T. Caton, democrat, 230;
Jackson Brock, people's party, 309.
For Representative — H. C. Godlove, repub-
lican. 451 ; John B. Smith, people's party, 478;
D. D. Utt, prohibitionist, 14.
For Sheriff — George R. Roberts, republi-
can, 363 ; Francis W. ]McCann, democrat, 289 ;
James B. Valentine, people's party, 375 ; D. W.
Godfrey, prohibition, 13.
For Auditor — Charles F. Will, republican,
379; Edway C. Young, people's party, 524;
Arthur S. Hardenbrook, prohibitionist, 16.
For treasurer — Howard Honner, republi-
can, 422; Walter Mann, people's party, 334;
Isaac M. Cravens, prohibition, 16.
For Clerk — H. J. Piersol, republican, 254;
Orin W. Ernst, democrat, 447 ; James A. Gard,
people's ])arty. 311; William Pawson, prohi-
bition, II.
For Assessor — William F. Haynes, repub-
lican, 370; Albert W. DeBolt, democrat, 296;
Charles E. Mitchell, people's party, 376; D.
W. Sanderson, prohibition, 18.
For School Superintendent — O. D. Porter,
republican, 344; Mary A. Pryor, democrat,
312; Edgar M. Bogart, peoples party, 367.
For prosecuting attorney — E. K. Pender-
gast, republican, 465 ; George Bradley, people's
party, 470.
For Surveyor — Perry T. Sargeant, repub-
lican, 379; James B. Ballard, democrat, 248;
John Zimmerman, people's party, 368 ; W. W.
Reid, prohibition, 13.
For Coroner — Colin Gilchrist, republican,
411; John M. F. Cooper, democrat, 245; Eli
Hollingshead, people's party, 334.
For Commissioner, First District — C. E.
Boynton, republican, 381 ; Levi Rickard, demo-
crat, 263 ; Benjamin M. Chapman, people's
party, 330; W. C. Piper, prohibition, 17.
For Commissioner, Second District — -
Charles M. Sprague, republican, 393 ; Daniel
Twining, democrat, 222 ; Isaac Deeter, peo-
ple's party, 332; John Rink, prohibition, 18.
For Commissioner, Third District — Henry
Mitchell, democrat, 371 ; Joseph E. Eikelber-
ner, people's party, 375 ; Henry S. Hedges,
prohibition, 23.
For bonding county — 211 ; against, 499.
The populist party county convention was
held at the St. Andrews school house July 17,
1894. The element was out in force and there
was considerable enthusiasm. A complete
county ticket was placed in the field. The con-
vention was called to order by Judge Morgan.
G. W. Schaeffer was chosen chairman and C.
C. Ladd, secretary.
September 8th, of the same year, the Doug-
las county republicans assembled in convention
at Coulee City. They placed in the field a full
ticket. I. \V. Matthews, chairman of the
county central committee called them to order.
M. B. Malloy and Oscar Redfield served as
chairman and secretary respectively. Forty-
sex-en delegates participated in this convention,
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
6i]
which was entirely harmonious, nearly all
the candidates being chosen without opposi-
tion.
The democrats assembled on the 22d at
Waterville. William Anderson presided as
chairman and Dr. Cooper served as secretary.
There were only ten or twelve delegates in at-
tendance. With the exception of the offices
of county attorney and surveyor a full county
ticket was placed in the field.
The election of 1894 was bitterly contested.
Personalities were indulged in to a considerable
extent, and the result left many sore spots.
Around the office of sheriff centered the prin-
cipal fight. Eleven hundred and fifty-three
votes were cast. The republicans elected all
the county officers with the exception of sheriff
and assessor which were captured by the peo-
ple's party candidates, and one commissioner
elected by the democrats. Following is the of-
ficial vote:
For Congressmen — S. C. Hyde, republican,
396; W. H. Doolittle, republican, 391; X. T.
Caton, democrat, 129; B. F. Heuston, demo-
crat, 124; J. C. Van Patten, people's party,
382 ; W. P. C. Adams, people's party, 397.
For Representative — M. W. Miles, repub-
lican, 41 1 ; Dan Paul, democrat, 320 ; Thomas
N. Ogle, people's party, 391.
For Sheriff — John R. Lewis, republican,
327; F. Sigel Steiner, democrat, 289; James
B. Valentine, people's party, 492.
For Auditor — Frank M. Dallam, republi-
can, 399; Orin W. Ernst, democrat, 387;
George S. Lord, people's party, 303.
For Treasurer — James H. Hill, republican,
477; John Urquhart, democrat, 188: R. S.
Saltmarsh, people's party, 404.
For Clerk — F. F. Illsley, republican, 440;
Tolaver T. Richardson, democrat. 271 : Frank
R. Silverthorn, people's party, 371.
For Assessor — William Domrese, republi-
can, 388; James P. Schrock, democrat, 164;
Charles E. Mitchell, people's party. 525.
For School Superintendent — J. W. Wol-
\-erton, republican, 499; Lucy A. Andrews,
democrat, 108; Edgar M. Bogart, people's
party, 468.
For County Attorney — ^L B. Malloy, re-
publican, 510; W. J. Canton, people's party,
478.
For Coroner — E. L. Sessions, republican,
483; A. J. Andrews, democrat, 147; B. L.
Brigham, people's party, 381.
For Surveyor — P. T. Sargeant, republican,
499; Ole Ruud, people's party, 497.
For Commissioner, Second District — Wil-
liam F. Haynes, republican, 152; Thomas East,
democrat, 56; Joseph W. Mitchell, people's
party, 105.
For Commissioner, Third District — M. R.
Kern, republican, 66; Edward Owens, demo-
crat, 144; Adam P. Kiser, people's party, 116.
The republican county convention of 1896,
the "Silver Year," was held at Waterville, Au-
gust 20th. A. E. McDonald was chairman
and J. G. Tuttle, secretary. Forty-one dele-
gates were in attendance. Nearly all the can-
didates were chosen unanimously. I. W. Mat-
thews and M. B. Malloy were selected chair-
man and secretary of the new county central
committee.
For this election the people's party nomi-
nated candidates for county offices by the pri-
mary election method. These votes were can-
vassed by the county's central committee com-
posed of one member from each precinct at
Waterville, Saturday, September 12th. G. W.
Shaffer was selected chairman and L. J. Silver-
thorn, secretary, of the county central com-
mittee. By a complete fusion between the
democrats and populists they elected every can-
didate on their ticket by overwhelming majori-
ties, a marked contrast to the election of two
years previous which was exceedingly close.
The total vote of the 1896 election in Douglas
county was 1106. The result:
For Presidential Electors — Republicans,
334; democrats, 11; people's party, 722; pro-
hibition, 10: national, o.
6l2
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
For Congressman — S. C. Hyde, republican,
374; W. H. Doolittle, republican, 336; James
Hamilton Lewis, people's party, 712.
For Governor — P. C. Sullivan, republican,
346; John R. Rogers, people's party, 715.
For Superior Judge — Wallace Mount, re-
publican, 334; C. H. Neal, people's party, 715.
For State Senator — Hollis L. Stowell, re-
publican, 299; Dan Paul, people's party, 761.
For Representative — M. W. Miles, repub-
lican, 342; J. B. Smith, people's party, 714.
For Sheriff — Charles Brenesholz, republi-
can, 399; Thomas Snyder, people's party, 655.
For Auditor — Frank M. Dallman, repub-
lican, 389; Walter Mann people's party, 670.
For Treasurer — James H. Hill, republican,
467; L. J. Silverthorn, people's party, 600.
For Clerk — F. F. Illsley, republican, 388;
Thomas East, people's party, 659.
For Assessor — George R. Roberts, repub-
lican, 399; N. C. Larsen, people's' party, 665.
For School Superintendent — J. W. Wol-
verton, republican, 437; G. S. Floyd, people's
party, 623.
For County z\ttorney — M. B. Malloy, re-
publican, 385 ; E. K. Pendergast, people's party,
671.
For Coroner — E. Hollingshead, republican,
395 ; Henry Lienrance, people's party, 659.
For Surveyor — I. W. Matthews, republi-
can, 382; Ole Ruud, people's party, 681.
For Commissioner, First District — L. W.
McLean, republican, 359; H. N. Wilcox, peo-
ple's party, 701.
For Commissioner, Third District —
W. J. Slack, republican, 355 ; D. W. Mar-
tin, people's party, 695.
For the campaign of 1898 the democrats
and populists again formed a combination on
county ocers, each party selecting a portion
of the various candidates. The conventions
of the two parties were held at Waterville on
the same day, June 26th. Of llie democratic
convention William Anderson was chairman
and L. C. Knemeyer secretary. R. S. Salt-
marsh, of Almira, and Edward Johnson, of
Waterville, were chairman and secretary of
the populist convention. Each convention was
well represented by delegates from all districts
in the county. Conference committees were
appointed which endeavored to divide the
county offices equally and satisfactorily be-
tween the two wings of the fusionists. There
was considerable difficulty in doing this, and
there developed a certain degree of friction.
The following morning, however, an agree-
ment was reached whereby the democrats were
to name the candidates for auditor, clerk, prose-
cuting attorney and school superintendent, and
the populists the balance of the county and
legislative ticket. The populists named their
candidates by the primary election method Sat-
urday, September 24th.
September loth the republican convention
assembled at Waterville. H. C. Keeler was
chairman and E. W. Porter, secretary. There
was a large attendance and plenty of harmony.
A full ticket was placed in the field and A. L.
Maltbie was elected chairman of the county
central committee with M. B. Malloy as secre-
tary.
As in the election two years previous that
of 1898 resulted in an almost complete victory
for the fusion forces, the republicans electing
only one of the county commissioners. Fol-
lowing is the official vote :
For Congressmen — Francis W. Cushman^
republican, 358; Wesley L. Jones, republican,
351 ; James H. Lewis, fusionist, 479; William
C. Jones, fusionist, 458.
For Representative — W. F. Haynes, repub-
lican, 385 ; E. K. Pendergast, fusionist, 466.
For Sheriff — A. L. Maltbie, republican,
400; C. V. Ogle, fusionist, 453.
For Clerk — E. B. Porter, republican. 371 ;
Thomas East, fusionist, 463.
For Auditor — H. Williams, republican,
288: W. H. Anderson, fusionist, 483.
For Treasurer — H. C. Godlove, republican,
384; L. J. Silverthorn, fusionist, 461.
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
613
For County Attorney — P. E. Berry, repub-
lican, 394; R. W. Starr, fusionist, 452.
For Assessor — A. N. Thompson, republi-
can, 404; N. C. Larson, fusionist, 477.
For School Superintendent — E. F. Elliott,
republican, 370 ; Sevilla Steiner, fusionist, 477.
For Surveyor — A. L. Rogers, republican,
311 : Ole Ruud, fusionist, 455.
For Coroner — Eli Hollingshead, republi-
can, 401 ; Henry Lienrance, fusionist, 431.
For Commissioner, First District — O. A.
Ruud, republican, 429; Louis Brandt, fusion-
ist, 416.
For Commissioner, Second District — W.
H. Johnson, republican, 365 ; William Scully,
fusionist, 458.
The republican convention preceding the
campaign of 1900 was held at \Vaterville Sat-
urday, August 4th. I. W. Matthews was
chosen chairman and E. B. Porter secretary.
Nearly all the nominations for a full ticket
were made by acclamation. L. E. Kellogg was
elected chairman of the county central commit-
tee and M. B. Malloy, secretary. Again there
was a close fusion between the democrats and
populists. They held their conventions at
W'aterville Monday, September loth. Each
party was permitted to name six of the tweh-e
candidates on the county and legislative tickets,
the combination to sail under the name, "dem-
ocratic." The populists selected candidates for
representative, treasurer, clerk, assessor, county
attorney and one commissioner. The demo-
crats named candidates for sheriff, auditor,
school superintendent, surx-eyor and one com-
missioner.
There were cast at the 1900 election 11 67
votes. The fusion forces carried every office
in Douglas county with the exception of asses-
sor. Following is the official vote :
For President — Republican electors, 508:
democratic, 609 ; prohibition, 20 ; socialist la-
bor, I ; social democratic, 12.
For Congressmen — W. L. Jones, republi-
can, 496; F. W. Cushman, republican, 502;
F. C. Robertson, democrat, 609 ; J. T. Ronald,
democrat, 603.
For Governor — J. M. Frink, republican,
444; John R. Rogers, democratic, 673.
For Joint Senator — J. P. Sharp, republican,
507; Samuel T. Packwood, democratic, 618.
For Representative — W. F. Haynes, repub-
lican, 536; J. F. Badger, democrat, 586.
For Judge Superior Court — H. A. P. Mey-
ers, republican, 458; C. H. Neal, democrat,
680.
For Sheriff — John D. Logan, republican,
493; A. W. De Bolt, democratic, 641.
For Clerk — J. W. \Volverton, republican,
558; F. W. McCann, democratic, 577.
For Auditor — Oscar F. Dickson, republi-
can, 445 ; W. H. Anderson, democratic, 689.
For Treasurer — T. H. McCormick, repub-
lican, 507; E. M. Bogart, democrat, 628.
For Prosecuting Attorney — E. K. Pender-
gast, democrat, 672.
For Assessor — C. F. Will, republican, 616;
George M. Stapish, democrat, 524.
For Superintendent of Schools — Charles
W. Weedin, republican, 451 ; Sevilla Steiner,
democrat, 685.
For Surveyor — John Zimmerman, demo-
crat, 701.
For Coroner — E. Hollingshead, republican,
516; Adam Thompson, democrat, 598.
For County Commissioner, Second District
— Jacob Steinbach, republican, 491 ; L. A. Mc-
Naught, democrat, 626.
For County Commissioner, Third District
— I. N. Simmons, republican, 542 ; Thomas
Snyder, democrat, 578.
In 1902 the republicans of Douglas county
assembled in convention at Waterville Satur-
day, July 19th. T. H. McCormick, of Bridge-
port, was chairman and Joseph G. Tuttle, of
Waterville. secretary. There were a number
of candidates for most of the offices. A. L.
Rogers was chosen chairman and L. E. Kel-
logg, secretary, of the county central commit-
tee. There was developed considerable interest
6i4
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
in the proposed plank relating to a railway com-
mission.
Fusion between the democarts and populists
was again accomplished for the impending
campaign of 1902. The two conventions as-
sembled at Waterville Saturday, August 9th.
J. B. Johnson presided over the democratic con-
vention and Edward Johnson was chairman
of the populist assembly. The populists named
candidates for representative, assessor, clerk,
commissioner first district, treasurer and sur-
veyor. The democrats selected candidates for
auditor, school superintendent, coroner, sheriff,
prosecuting attorney and commissioner for the
third district.
The election of 1902 in Douglas county
resulted in a surprise. It was a complete re-
versal of the administrative affairs of the
county. Whereas, in 1900 every candidate
but one on the fusion ticket was elected, the
result in 1902 shows that every republican
candidate was elected. The best the republi-
cans had hoped for was to carry some of the
offices, but that all were to be elected exceeded
the hopes of the most sanguine. , The contest,
however, was spirited and gingery throughout.
The Big Bend Empire (republican) speaking
of the election said : "The result of the elec-
tion in the county last week no doubt was
somewhat of a surprise to every one. Nearly
all thought that it might be possible for the
republicans to elect two or three of the county
officers, but they did not expect a clean sweep."
Over 1400 votes were cast with the follow-
ing result :
For Congress — F. W. ■ Cushman, republi-
can. 778; W. L. Jones, republican, 775 ; W. H.
Humphry, republican, 754; G. F. Cotterill,
democrat, 605 ; O. R. Holcomb, democrat, 603 ;
F. B. Cole, democrat, 609.
For Joint Senator — George J. Hurley, re-
publican, 746; J. M. F, Cooper, democrat, 669.
For Representative — W. F. Haynes, repub-
lican, 774; J. F. Badger, democrat, 640.
For Sheriff — A. A. Lytle, republican, 751;
A. W. De Bolt, democrat, 679.
For Clerk — A. N. Maltbie, republican, 745 ;
F. ^V. McCann, democrat, 664.
For Auditor — L. E. Kellogg, republican,
802; Ross Lord, democrat, 605.
For Treasurer — E. C. Davis, republican,
709; E. M. Bogart, democrat, 699.
For Prosecuting Attorney — E. T. Trimble,
republican, 818; W. A. Reneau, democrat,
585.
For Assessor — C. F. Will, republican, 818;
J. E. Eikelberner, democrat, 594.
For School Superintendent — Eva Hagen,
republican, 818; W. B. Dutcher, democrat,
587-
For Surveyor — Ole Ruud, 724.
For Coroner — J. Frank Harris, republican,
730; P. J. Friesinger, democrat, 671.
For Commissioner, First District — L. Mc-
Lean, republican, 757; H. N. Wilcox, demo-
crat, 622.
For Commissioner, Third District — J. L.
Stuart, republican, 736; John Doneen, demo-
crat, 666.
CHAPTER VI.
EDUCATIONAL.
The first school district organized in Doug-
las county was on May 4, 1885, by E. E.
Brown, superintendent of pubhc instruction.
It was District No. i, and was in the CaHfor-
nia settlement, north of where is now located
Hartline, and consisted of all of township 27,
except sections 6, 7, 18, 19, 30 and 31. August
4, 1886, the boundaries were changed as fol-
lows :
Beginning at the northeast corner of Doug-
las county, running west on county line to
range 29, thence south on range line to town-
ship 27, thence east one mile to county line,
thence north to place of beginning. Of this
district, A. Davis was clerk, David Wilson and
John O'Neil directors.
District No. 2 was created also on May 4,
1885, Frank Day, clerk, A. Rusho, I. P.
Schock and J. H. Smith, directors. The first
school building erected in the county was put
up in district No. 2, in 1885, and the first school
taught in the county was conducted there. The
term began September 5, 1885, and closed Jan-
uary I, 1886. The whole number of scholars
was fifteen boys and ten girls, with an average
attendance of 18. C. C. Ladd.
The first public school taught west of the
coulees and the second in the county opened
December 7, 1885, and closed February 26,
1886. R. S. Steiner, still a resident of Water-
ville, was the teacher. Following are the
names of the pupils who attended this school :
Albert Bonwell, Bertha Bonwell, Francis Bon-
well, James Bonwell. Willie Gorman, Albert
Miles, Fred Miles, George Miles, Lulu Miles,
Stella Miles, Edward Owens, John Owens,
James Owens, Robert Owens, Rachael Owens,
Clara Kommer, Ida Kommer and Karl Kom-
mer.
The third district was created August 4,
1886, on the north side of Badger Mountain.
The clerk was' R. Miles and Robert Bonwell,
Ole Ruud and D. W. Martin were directors.
May 3, 1886, the fourth district was created
with J. O. Wallace, clerk, James Simons, Da-
vid Soper and Amel Johnson, directors.
No. '5, the Waterville district, was created
May 4, 1886. F. M. Alexander was clerk, W.
M. Wixson, H. N. Wilcox and J. C. Brown-
field, were the directors. N'ovember 29, 1888,
the Big Bend Empire said :
"Next Monday, December 2, 1888, the
boys and girls of \^^aterville will take their
books and slates and, assisted by Miss Hattie
Fuller, (afterward Mrs. L. E. Kellogg), as
teacher, will organize the first public school of
Waterville."
This was the pioneer school of Waterville
and there were twenty-three pupils enrolled the
first day. The attendance was increased in one
month to forty pupils and many were turned
away on account of lack of accommodations.
The first Douglas County Teachers' Insti-
tute was held at Waterville on Monday, Tues-
day and Wednesday, November 11, 12 and 13,
1889, under the direction of County Superin-
tendent C. C. Ladd. This initial institute of
Douglas county teachers was in every way a
success and one that will be remembered bv all
who participated in the same. The teachers
6i6
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
present were : E. M. Bogart, C. E. Bateman,
Mrs. S. Bateman, Eva E. Brown, Cora Brown,
J. J. Brownfield, R. H. Brownfield. J. V. Crisp,
O. ^^^ Ernst, Mrs. Clara Fitch. George L.
Fitch, Georgiana Day, H. G. W. Hendricks,
Eva Howland, Mrs. L. E. Kellogg, Will Le-
man, Fannie Minton, Mrs. Julia Morris, Mrs.
A. Rogers, A. C. Porter, O. D. Porter, P. E.
Berry, Phoebe Titchenal, Clara Wright. Kate
Williams.
In the fall of 1889 Waterville began the
erection of a $3,000 school house, quite an in-
stitution for the town at that time. James H.
Kincaid was the moving spirit in this enter-
prise, he contributing $500 in cash and a site
for the building. A special tax was voted by
the residents of the district to complete the
amount. At this period the school directors
were F. M. Scheble, A. L. Rogers and P. G.
Van Alstine.
A report of the condition of the schools of
Douglas county was not made by any of the
county superintendents until 1890. From the
report of that year we learn that there were
966 children in the county between the ages of
five and twenty-one years. Of these 665 were
enrolled as students in the public schools and
the average attendance was 490. There were
28 districts in the county, but only 11 school
houses — one log building and 10 frame struc-
tures. The total value of all school property
was estimated by the school superintendent at
$8,302. Thirty-three teachers were employed
during the year. The average monthly salary
of male teachers was $43 and that of female
teachers, $38.50.
From this humble beginning the schools of
Douglas county have made a wonderful ad-
vancement and no county in the state can boast
of better schools than Douglas. From the sup-
erintendent's report from 1903 we learned that
the towns containing more than one district
were Waterville, Coulee City, Bridgeport, Wil-
soncreek and Hartline. The number of chil-
dren of from 5 to 21 years of age were 3,053.
Of these there were enrolled in public schools
2,448. The average daily attendance was i,-
493. There were no departments maintained
in the county during the year 1898. The whole
number of teachers employed during the year
were 133. The average inonthly salary was,
males, $50.21: females, $50.49. The number
of pupils taking the first year's course were
624 : second, 315; fourth, 367 ; fifth, 505 ;
si.xth, 193; seventh, 140; eighth, 124; ninth,
10: tenth, 14; eleventh, 10; twelfth, 4. There
were 13 in attendance on private schools. The
number of school houses in the county were,
log, 3 : frame, 59; brick, i, and the total seating
capacity of these structures was 2,083. The
total value of this property was $58,467. The
number of districts in the county had increased
to 76. There was one graded school and one
high school at Waterville. The number of
temporary certificates issued during this year
were 48. Teachers having Territorial certi-
ficates were 2 ; normal department State Uni-
versity, I ; elementary certificates from normal
schools, I ; first grade certificates, 7 ; second
grade 50, and third grade, 20.
In preceding chapters it has been shown
that at the time of the organization of Douglas
county early in 1884, the population was any-
thing but dense. Many of these early settlers
were single men or men who had come to seek
a home in the new county, leaving their famil-
ies behind until their homes should have been
prepared. On account of these conditions the
years 1883 and 1884 did not witness the estab-
lishment of a single school in any portion of
Douglas county. By 1885, however, active
preparations were made for the organization
of schools in two settlements, one east of
Grand Coulee and the other in the Badger
Mountain country. \''era Brown was superin-
tendent of schools and May 4, 1885, she created
Districts No. i and 2.
GEORGE R. ROBERTS
HUGO F. HARTMAN
PERRY T. SARGEANT
PHILLIP J. YOUNG
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
DOUGLAS COUNTY
GEORGE R. ROBERTS is now doing a
large business in grain and implements in Hart-
line. He has the distinction of being the pio-
neer merchant of the coulee country and since
the days of 1883, he has remained in this sec-
tion and has by his integrity, worth and affable
treatment of all, won hosts of friends in all
parts of the country. Mr. Roberts is a man of
stirring qualities and has wrought here with
energy accomplishing very much in fostering
the settlement and upbuilding of Douglas coun-
ty-
George R. Roberts was born in Wildrose,
Wisconsin, on September 25, 1859, the son of
Robert G. and Elizabeth (Williams) Roberts,
natives of Wales. The common schools of
Wisconsin furnished the educational training of
our subject, and he remained the first twenty-
four 3-ears of his life in that section. For eight
years of that time he worked in the lumber
woods and became used to the arduous labors
there done. In 1883, Mr. Roberts came out
w^est and after due deliberations settled in the
Big Bend country. He immediately took up a
pre-emption just east from where Hartline now
stands and engaged in farming and stockrais-
ing. This continued until 1888, when he
opened a store at McEntee Springs, handling
general merchandise. In i88g, he took as part-
ner, Thomas Parry and the firm was known as
Roberts & Parry. They did a large business
and continued until 1895, when they dissolved
partnership and our subject engaged in buying
grain at Hartline. In this lie has continued
since, having added implements later. He now
does a large business and is a prominent man of
this town.
Mr. Roberts has four brothers and five
sisters; Robert. John, David, James, Mrs.
Elizabeth Parry, Sarah, Ellen, Marion, and
Mary.
In 1888, Mr. Roberts married Miss Esther
Elias, a native of Ohio. She died the follow-
ing year in Coulee City. On June 8, 1898, Mr.
Roberts married Miss Mary Elias, also a native
of Ohio, and the daughter of Daniel and Mar-
garet (Morgan) Elias, natives of Wales, who
now reside in Ohio. Mrs. Roberts was born
in 1873. They have one adopted child, Ethel,
three years of age. Mr. Roberts is a member of
the I. O. O. E., the Maccabees, and the IM. W.
A., while he and his wife belong to the ]\Iethod-
ist church.
HUGO E. HARTMAN is one of the lead-
ing and wealthy citizens of Hartline. In ad-
dition to doing a good farming business on a
estate adjoining the town, Mr. Hartman con-
ducts a large butchering establishment and buys
and sells stock. He began business with a very
limited capital and owing to his thrift and wis-
dom has increased until he has now in the but-
chering enterprise alone a large sum invested
and is doing an extensive and thriving business.
Hugo F. Hartman was born in Wurtem-
berg, Germany, on April 27, 1871, being the
son of Albert and Christina (Schuele) Hart-
man, natives of Germany. He received thor-
ough instruction in the common schools of
Stuttgart. He attended the high school there
and later after coming to Spokane was under
the instruction of Father Held. He came to
the United States in 1886 and was soon en-
6i8
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
gaged with Drumheller and Wilson, butchers
of Spokane. Thence he went to San Francisco,
and engaged in the same vocation for a year
there. We find him next in Montana and then
at Cripple Creek, where he did business for four
years. After this, Mr. Hartman returned to
Coeur d' Alene and in 1891 he was again in
Spokane. There he was with Dumke. Imme-
diately subsequent to that. Mr. Hartman went
into business relations for himself and opened
the Montana Meat Market, at Spokane, which
he conducted until 1896, then removed to Hart-
line where he has remained until the present
time. During three years of this time, Mr.
Hartman did business in Davenport, Wash-
ington. He has a fine farm adjoining Hartline
and a large band of cattle and horses. Mr.
Hartman has one brother, Julius, at Spokane,
and one sister. Ana, residing at his birthplace
in Germany.
At Spokane, in 1893, Mr. Hartman married
Miss Emma, daughter of August and Earnest-
ine Delzer, natives of Germany. Mrs. Hart-
man was born in Forest Junction, Calumet
county, Wisconsin, on October 13, 1872. She
has four sisters; Mrs. Frederick Cusse, Mrs.
Fred Wilson, both living in Spokane; Mrs.
Lizzie Muller, of Washington, Wisconsin; Mrs.
]\Iinnie Filer, of Depere, Wisconsin; and one
brother, William Delzer, of Forest Junction,
Wiscons-.n. To Mr. and Mrs. Hartman one
child has been born, Oscar A., in Spokane, on
Julv 13. 1894. Mr. Hartman is a member of
the I. O. O. F., the W. W., the Maccabees, and
and the M. W. A.
' PERRY T. SARGEANT, who is one of
the most prosperous farmers in the vicinity of
Hartline, having a very excellent, well im-
proved and well cultivated holding, is also one
of the leading men of the county, having shown
his ability in various capacities and his progres-
siveness and iuflustry in his achievements here.
Perry T. Sargeant was born in Vander-
burg county, Indiana, on September 16, 1864.
His parents, Orsames P. and Rachel C. (Tay-
lor) Sargeant, were natives of Vermont and
Virginia, respectively. Perry T. was educated
in the common schools and also studied under
private teachers, being especiallv inclined to-
'v-ard matliematics. Although he never took a
degree from any college, he made a special
study of mathematics and has won considerable
distinction in this line. From Indiana, he re-
moved to Texas, where he was engaged on the
cattle range for three years, then he returned
to his native state, by way of New Orleans.
One year later, he came to Kansas and in a
short time we see him in California, whence he
journeyed to Portland, Oregon, and from that
place came on to Ellensburg and engaged on
the Northern Pacific as a civil engineer. After
six years of service in this capacity he com-^
pleted the training that he had been so desirous
of obtaining in mathematics. In 1886, Mr.
Sargeant moved to Douglas county and settled
in the Coulee, six miles north of Coulee City,
where he took up a homestead, which was later
sold to Adolph Young. He bought five hun-
dred and sixty acres, his present estate, and
which is one of the finest farms in this section
of the country. In 1894. Mr. Sargeant was
elected surveyor on the Republican ticket and
two years later, so well did he fill the ofiice, he
was re-elected. After these four years of ser-
vice he returned to his farm and has devoted
his attention to private enterprises until re-
cently, when he was appointed road supervisor
of district number two. Douglas county, in
which capacity he is operating at the present
time. Mr. Sargeant has two brothers and two
sisters, Eugene G., Morris H., Mrs. Thomas
Leach, and Mrs. Charles Crampton.
At the Welch cfiurch, on February 2, 1891,
Mr. Sargeant married Miss Clara J. Jones. Her
parents, William and Alice E. (Owens) Jones,
are natives of Wales. Mrs. Sargeant was born
in Wisconsin, on November 30, 1870, and has
the following brothers and sisters : William
E., John G., Mrs. Maggie Allen, Ealenor N.,
and Phoebe. Two children have been the fruit
of this marriage: Alice R., born in Spokane
on October 15, 1897; and William O.. born
near Hartline, on February 16, 1899. Mr.
Sargeant is a member of the I. O. O. F., the
Maccabees and the K. P. In religious persuas-
ion he is allied with the Cumberland Presby-
terian church but is a liberal supporter of all
denominations.
PHILLIP J. YOUNG, who is now one of
the leading business men of Hartline. is also
one of the pioneers of Douglas county, and has
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY,
619
labored steadily for twenty years to advance
and build up the country and his excellent
efforts have materially assisted to bring about
the present state of prosperity and thriving
growtli of this favored section.
Phillip J. Young was born in Ripley county,
Indiana, on October 17, 1845, the son of
Charles F. and Margaret (Gesell) Young, na-
tives of Germany. They came to the United
States in early days and were pioneer settlers
in Indiana. Phillip J. was educated in the
common schools of Indiana and Iowa, later
completing his training ill the state Normal at
Galena, Illinois. In 1856 the family removed
to Winneshiek county, Iowa, where our sub-
ject was trained in the ways of farm work by
his father. He there grew to manhood and
remained until 1881, when he removed to Ne-
braska. After a short residence in that state,
Mr. Young came on to Idaho, then looked over
Oregon, and finally in 1883. settled in Douglas
countv, taking a pre-emption and later a home-
stead near the Grand Coulee. He at once set
to work to improve his places and began rais-
ing stock. Of horses and cattle he raised many
and was very successful until the winter of
1889-90, when, like the others in this same
business in all lines, always carrying a full
daunted, however, he went to work in the same
lines, and in 1890 also opened a lumber yard
in Hartline. He did well in this business and
later added paints, oils, glass, and so forth. He
also handles coal and wood and does a good
business in all the lines, always carrying a full
stock. In 1886 Mr. Young was elected county
commissioner and did good service for the
county for two years. He also served as jus-
tice of the peace for six years.
Mr. Young has five brothers and one sis-
ter, Charlie W., Adolph, Jacob, William, Louis,
and Mrs. Louise Henning.
In Howard county. Iowa, on December 26,
1873, ^Ir. Young married Miss Louisa Stand-
ard, whose parents, John and Julia (Shutt)
Standard, were natives of Denmark. Mrs.
Young was born in Denmark, on Jvme 13, 1851.
To Mr. and Mrs. Young the following children
have been born; Edward H.. on November 9,
1874, now a sugar manufacturer in Waverly,
Washington; Ida C, on January 24, 1876, now
teaching school: and Francis J., on October 7,
1880, now teaching school. The children were
all born in Iowa. Mr. and ]Mrs. Young are ad-
herents of the Lutheran church and are exem-
plary citizens.
JOHN C. BROWNFIELD, who resides
four miles south from Farmer postoffice, is
one of the best known men in Douglas county.
He has lived here since the early days of set-
tlement and has ever taken a leading part in all
enterprises of a public nature, which are for
the benefit of all. Mr. Brownfield has been
exceptionally successful in handling stock, es-
pecially the Clyde horses, specimens of which
can now be seen on almost every farm in Doug-
las county.
John C. Brownfield was born in Cooper
county, Missouri, on September 12, 1841, the
son of John and Mary (Potter) Bro\\Tifield.
The father was born in Virginia, becoming a
pioneer settler of Illinois and in 1832 moved
to Missouri. The mother was a native of Ken-
tucky. Our subject was trained in the early
schools of Cooper county, Missouri, and there
remained until he grew to manhood. On April
15, 1861, he enlisted in Company K, Twenty-
seventh Missouri Volunteers under Captain
Parker, the same being for ninety days, but he
served nine months before he was discharged.
On the same day that he was mustered out, he
re-enlisted in Company D, Seventh Missouri
Cavalry, of the State Militia, under Captain
Tarley and served for three years and two
months or until the close of the war. Air.
Brownfield never participated in any heavy bat-
tles but was in that most annoying of all war-
fare, constant skirmishing with the bushwhack-
ers. His general was E. B. Brown, a brother-
in-law of General Price, the enemy. In April,
1865, Mr. Brownfield received his honorable
discharge and returned to the duties of the
cfvilian. He settled in Bates county, Alissouri,
and there farmed for seventeen years. In
1884, he came west to Spokane, locating on
Five Mile prairie, just out from that city,
whence two years later, he came to Douglas
county, locating near Waterville. He took a
farm about a mile northeast from the town,
which was sold later. Afterwards, he took a
homestead where he now lives and to which
he has added until he now has four hundred and
twentv acres of fertile land. This esatte is near-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
ly all under cultivation and is improved in first
class shape, with good wells of water, fences,
outbuildings, barns, residences and so forth.
Mr. Brownfield has some very excellent Clyde
horses and is giving his entire attention to gen-
eral farming and raising stock. He has the
following brothers and sisters, Jasper, Daniel,
Mrs. Elizabeth Weedin, Mrs. Susan Weedin,
Mrs. Ann Stanley, and Mrs. Minerva Tur-
ner.
The marriage of Mr. Brownfield and Miss
Emily Thomas occurred in Pettis county, Mis-
souri, on April 17, 1864. The wife's parents
are Joel and Christiana (Comer) Thomas, na-
tives of North Carolina. They came to Mis-
souri in 1832 and are still residing there. Mrs.
Brownfield was born in Pettis county, on Feb-
ruary 29, 1840, and has three brothers and two
sisters, Henry, Joel, U. S. Grant, Mrs. Syntha
Carver, and Mrs. Eliza Greer. The names of
children of Mr. and Mrs. Brownfield, together'
with the dates and places of their births are
given herewith: John T., Pettis county, Mis-
souri, June 24, 1865 : George W., Pettis coun-
ty, Missouri, November 5, 1866, now living at
Waterville; Mary C, Bates county, Missouri,
August 22, 1868, now living in Lincoln coun-
ty; Joel J., Bates county, Missouri, May 15,
1870; Robert H., Bates county, DecemlDer 5,
1872; Daniel L., Bates county, February 6,
1876: and Rose M., Spokane county. Washing-
ton, May 3, 1884.
Mr. Brownfield is a member of the G. A.
R., and quite active in this realm. He and his
wife are members of the Christian church and
have always exerted a good moral influence
where they have dwelt, being people of integ-
rity and good principles.
GEORGE D. BROWN, who resides about
eight miles northeast from Toler, is one of the
well-to-do farmers of Douglas county, who
adds to the good work of raising the cereals
and handlins" stock, the business of the pro-
moter. In all these capacities, he has been suc-
cessful and is one of the widely and favorablv
known men of this locality. He is a native of
Ontario, Canada, being born on February 23,
1869, the son of George and Margaret (Wig-
gans) Brown, looth natives of Canada. In the
excellent schools of Ontario, our subject was
trained and remained in his native place until
grown to manhood. At Orangeville, he was
engaged for two years as apprentice in the
Flemming tiour mills, learning the art of the
miller. In 1890, he came west and after due
search and investigation located on the place
he now owns, buying the right to the same from
Sarah Morgan. His location here was in 1891,
and the year previous was largely spent in the
F"raser river valley. Since coming here. Mr.
Brown has continued steadily in operating his
farm, which is handled largely to the cereals.
In 1898, he organized the M. M. & B. Co., for
the purpose of handling and developing the
water power in the Chelan river. They have
about thirty thousand horse power in the falls
and will develop it to a higher amount by the
addition of machinery. Mr. Brown has the
following brothers and sisters, John A., Will-
iam J., Robert A., Samuel J., Joshua, Levi,
Alfred G., Frederick W., Mrs. M. McKenzie,
and Mrs. Thomas J. Manley.
The wedding clay of Mr. Brown was on
July 19, 1893, ^"d li^s marriage to Miss Amelia
Marshall occurred in this county. The parents
of the wife are Robert and Hester (Timney)
Marshall, natives of Canada. She was born in
Ontario, Canada, on March i, 1868, and has
three brothers and two sisters, Henry, John,
James, Mrs. John Brown and Mrs. Eliza Mar-
shall. The children born to this worthy couple
are named as follows with the dates of their
respective births: Margaret H.', July 17, 1894;
Mary G., June i, 1895; Lillian A., August 4,
1897: Anna L.. January 7, 1899: Marshall W.,
July 18, 1901. All of the children are natives
of Douglas county except the last one, who was
born in Chelan county. Mr. and Mrs. Brown
are members of the Presbyterian church and
have always evinced a great interest in the
moral as well as the material welfare of the
community, being progressive and capable peo-
ple.
WILLIAM BAKER is one of the wide
awake and well-to-do farmers of Douglas
county. He resides about twelve miles north-
east from Waterville, upon an estate of a
half section, part of which he acquired by pur-
chase and part by government right. The farm
produces cereals, mostly. The few years he
lias resided here, Mr. Baker has been known as
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEx\D COUNTRY.
621
one of the thrifty and wise farmers, whose suc-
cess proclaims his abihty and tenacity, better
dian words can tell.
William Baker was born in Tippecanoe
countv, Indiana, on September 8, 1855. The
father, Alexander B., was born in London,
England and came to the United States quite
young, settling as a pioneer in Indiana, where
he married Martha Boggs, a native of Ohio.
Our subject was educated in a log cabin school
house in Indiana and there remained until he
had arrived at manhood's estate. In 1881. he
went to Missouri, settling in Atchison county
and was known as one of the industrious tillers
of the soil there until 1888, which was the year
that marks his advent to Douglas county. He
at once took a homestead where he resides at
present and since that time has remained con-
stantly engaged in general farming and stock
raising. Mr. Baker has one sister, Ella, and
one brother, David.
In Atchison county, Missouri, on February
4, 1882, occurred the marriage of ^Vi!liam
Baker and Miss Laura Smith. Her parents
were Abner and Ersley (Bovee) Smith, natives
of Tennessee and Indiana, respectively. Mrs.
Baker was born in Atchison county, Missouri,
July 2, 1866 and has the following brothers and
sisters, Frank, Tulley, Mrs. Ella Jackson, Mrs.
Nancy Payne, Mrs. Mary Jackson, Mrs. Matil-
da Mutchlor, Mrs. Cora Randies and Mrs.
Minnie Van Dusen. The children born to our
subject and his wife are named as follows:
Jennie M., born on July i, 1885 and now the
wife of J. M. Shepperson, both residing in this
county; Catherine C, born on February 11,
1888. Both daughters are natives of Atchison
county, Missouri.
In religious persuasion our subject belongs
to the Baptist denomination but is not an active
cummunicant with anv church.
JOHN M. FLETCHER, who resides
about four miles northeast from Toler. is one
of the heavy real estate owners of Douglas
county. His total holdings recently were near-
ly two sections but at the present time he has
sold some to four of his sons and has not quite
so large an acreage. He dwells in a fine, large
two story, eleven room house, which is sur-
rounded by pleasant grounds, barns, outbuild-
ings and other improvements. His attention is
devoted entirely to general farming and some
stock raising. His labors have been so success-
ful that he has gained a liberal competence of
this world's goods and he is known as a leading
and reliable citizen.
John J\I. Fletcher was born in Carroll coun-
ty, Ohio, on September 17, 1840, the son of
Thomas J. and Susannah (Leslie) Fletcher.
The latter was born in Ohio, and the former in
England and came to the United States while
young. The district schools of Ohio con-
tributed the educational training of our subject
for a short time, he not being privileged to
spend many years in study. The family
migrated to Iowa in 1848, one year later to
Missouri, and thence in two years the entire
family crossed the plains with ox teams to
Clarke county, Washington. It was the family
home for nineteen years. In 1870, our subject
went to Polk county, Oregon, dwelling near
Independence for three years. After that, he
removed to the vicinity of Pilot Rock, in Uma-
tilla county and three years later went thence
to Pendleton and engaged in the butcher busi-
ness. He operated in Pendleton and Weston
until 1887, when he journeyed into the Big
Bend country and settled on his present place
as a pre-emption. He took a timber culture and
has also added as stated above until he has a
very large estate, part of which belongs now
to other members of the family.
In 1855-6, Mr. Fletcher served with the
Washington Territory Volunteers against the
Indians, under Captain Kelley. Mr. Fletcher
has six brothers and three sisters, named as fol-
lows, William, Arthur J., Thomas L., Eli H.,
Robert A., George L., Mrs. C. Gibbons, Mrs.
Sarah Gibbons and Mrs. Mary Pendleton.
In Clarke county, Washington, on July 21,
1867, Mr. Fletcher married Miss Nancy A.,
daughter of James and Delila (Thompson)
McAllister, natives of Pennsylvania and In-
diana, respectively. Mrs. ■ Fletcher was
born in Wayne county, Indiana on Feb-
ruary 18, 1847, and the next year was
brought by her parents across the plains to
Clarke county, Washington. She has five
brothers and one sister, named as follows,
Alexander, Garrison, Joseph, Jasper, Walter
F., Mrs. Ester Clark, and two half sisters, Mrs.
Mary E. Negley and Mrs. Anna M. Tucker.
To ^Ir. and Mrs. Fletcher, the following chil-
622
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
dren have been born: Esther E., in Vancouver,
Washington, May 4, 1868, and now the wife
of David Gillespie, and living at Brewster,
\\'ashington; William H., in Vancouver, on
August 23, 1869, now residing at Greenlake,
Washington; Charles E., in Vancouver, on
September 10, 1870, now at Waterville; Walter
J., in Pilot Rock, on July 17, 1874, died Feb-
ruary 28, 1888; Albert F., in Weston, Oregon,
on June 25, 1877; Ralph A., at Weston, Ore-
gon, on November 17, 1879, now at Greenlake;
Olive I., in Weston, Oregon, on March 4, 1882 ;
Carrie E., at Weston, Oregon, on April 21,
1886; Fred T., in this county, on March 25,
1889; Ruby E., in this county, on February i,
1891 ; Crystal M., in this county, on October
26, 1892; and Royal Pearl, in this county, on
June 27, 1895.
Mr. Fletcher is a member of the A. F. &
A. M. and takes a keen interest in political
matters and the questions of the day.
SANFORD E. JORDAN. About eight
miles northeast from the town of Waterville,
we find the estate of the subject of this article,
W'hich consists of one-half section of fertile
prairie land. The same is in a high state of
cultivation and produces annually bounteous
returns of the cereals and other crops, under
the skillful husbandry of the owner. Mr. Jor-
dan has devoted himself to the improvement
and cultivation of his farm continuously since
his settlement here and is now considered one
of the best farmers in this vicinity. He is a
man of broad public mind, generous to a fault
and stands exceptionally well with all who
know him.
Sanford E. Jordan was born in Crawford
county, Iowa, November 21, 1862, the son of
Abel W. and Mary (Palmer) Jordan, natives
of Iowa and Illinois, respectively. His youth-
ful days were spent assisting his father and
gaining an education from the public schools
of Crawford county and he remained on the old
home place, until he had grown to manhood.
It was in 1884, that he journeyed to Plymouth
county, Iowa, where four years werp spent in
farming. In 1888, he came to Douglas county,
taking a portion of his present estate by home-
stead, the balance has been added later by pur-
chase. In addition to raising grain and other
crops, he also handles a band of cattle and has
some nice grades at the present time. Mr.
Jordan also raises a good many fine hogs.
Our subject has the following sisters, Mrs.
Ida Dobson, Mrs. Lura Gritfin, Mrs. Eva
Arnold, and Mrs. Lovina Winn. Mr.
Jordan is not a member of any religious de-
nomination although he is strictly in sympathy
with the work of the church. He is ready to
aid materially in building up good schools and
in the general improvement of the country and
has always been an industrious laborer for
the general good.
JOHN H. WITTE resides about eighty
rods south from Southside Postoffice, where
he has an estate of one-half section of good
farming land. All of this land is under culti-
vation and produces excellent crops of small
grains. The place is provided with a comfort-
able residence, barns, and so forth and shows
in every detail the skill and thrift of the owner.
Mr.Witte has gained considerable distinction in
breeding Poland China hogs. He raises excel-
lent animals and is becoming a very expert
producer. He also handles good cattle and
some horses.
John H. Witte was born in Mecklenburg,
Germany, on August 17, 1872, the son of
August H. and Sophia (Shroder) Witte,
natives of Germany. The father served in the
Franco-Prussian war. Our subject came with
his father to the United States in 1876, and was
educated in the public schools of Iroquois coun-
ty, Illinois where he remained until nineteen.
1 89 1 marks the year in which he came to Doug-
las county, choosing the homestead where he
now resides as his place of settlement. Since
that time, he has wrought here without inter-
ruption in general farming and stock raising
and is known over the county as one of the sub-
stantial men who is ever laboring for the gen-
eral advancement as well as the forwarding of
his own business enterprises.
Mr. Witte has two brothers, August H.
and Charles J., and one sister, Lena Dohmeyer.
The marriage of Mr. ^^'itte and Miss Maud
Johnson occurred at Waterville, on January 31,
1895. The parents of the bride are J. M. and
Eliza (Andrews) Johnson, natives of Missouri
and living in this county. Mrs, Witte was born
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
623
in Butler, ]\Iissouri, on October i, 1878 and has
four brothers and one sister, Buford C, Ed-
ward B., Gihner, WiUiam, and Mrs. Jessie M.
Atkinson, all living in this county except the
first one, who resides in Montana. Mr. and
Mrs. Witte have been blessed by the advent of
two children : John Keith, born January 7,
1896; Mabel May, born on January 22, 1900.
Mr. Witte was raised under the influence of
the Lutheran church and is a supporter of that
institution and of public enterprises for the
good of the communit)'.
RICHARD J. WATERS resides about
five miles north fi^om Waterville on an estate
of two hundred acres, the title to which he
secured by homestead right and by purchase.
From the raw prairie, Mr. Waters has made
one of the best farms of the section. It is now
all under cultivation, well fenced, wisely laid
out and is provided with all necessary improve-
ments. In addition to general farming, Mr.
A\^aters has gone very e.'vtensively into fruit
raising and has now at least thirty-five acres
set to leading varieties of trees. This is one of
the best orchards in central ^\'ashington and is
kept in most excellent shape, Mr. Waters going
on the motto, that what is worth doing at all
is worth well doing. The fruit is largely apples,
apricots, and cherries. The leading varieties
of apples are Black Ben Davis, Missouri Pip-
pins, Winesaps, Jonathans, Senators, Apples of
Commerce, and of cherries Ro)^al Ann, Rag,
and General Wood. W^ithout doubt, Mr.
Waters has shown himself one of the leading
orchardists of the country and we may well
look for large returns from his labors.
Richard J. Waters was born in Mercer
county. Illinois, on March 4. 1857, the son of
Aron P. and Eliza (Stroup) Waters. The
former born in Ohio and the latter in Indiana.
Aron P. Waters was one of the pioneer settlers
in Kansas and in 1862, when the call came for
men to fight for the stars and stripes, he enlisted
among the volunteer troops under Captain
Harlow. His service was largely in Missouri,
against General Price and he received his hon-
orable discharge at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas,
at the close of the war. :\Ir. Water's regiment
made a good record and for days did much
hard fighting. Our subject was educated in
the common schools of Illinois, and in Kansas
completed the high school course. At the age
of fifteen he departed from home and soon
thereafter began work on a farm in Pike coun-
ty, Illinois, where he remained until 1877, then
journeyed to Minnesota, settling in Stillwater.
Sawmilling occupied him for some time there,
after which he moved to Kansas City and tilled
the soil until he went to Wyoming a year or so
later, where he took up railroading. He re-
mained there until July, 1881, then came on to.
Idaho then settled across the river from where
Payette now stands, being the locator of the
town. In the spring of 1884, he came to this
county and took a portion of his estate as a
homestead. In addition to the property above
mentioned, he has some lots in Waterville and
is a very prosperous farmer and orchardist.
Mr. Waters has the following brothers and
sisters, Thomas, James, Charles, William, Mrs.
Lincoln Hamilton, Mrs. William Frederick,
and Mrs. Frank Lyon. The marriage of our
subject and Miss Hattie L. Clement, occurred
at Payette, Idaho, on December 27, 1882. Mrs.
Waters' parents are James and Lucy (Hayes)
Clement, natives of Michigan and Ohio, re-
spectively. She was born on July 12, 1866 in
Allegan county, Michigan and has one brother,
Roswell, and one sister, Mrs. Edna Boyd. Five
children have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Waters, Grace D., on September 27, 1887;
Belva L., on June 12, 1889: Madge H., on
September 30, 1893; Richard J., on September
10, 1895; and Newton D., ■May 2-j, 1897. All
are natives of this county.
Politically, Mr. Waters is satisfied with the
principles of the Republican party and in local
matters, he maintains an independent position,
always preferring to vote for the man, not the
party.
OSCAR W. NEELY is one of the younger
men who have struggled for and gained abund-
ant success in general farming and stock rais-
ing in Douglas county. His home place, which
consists of one quarter section of land, lies
about ten miles southwest from Waterville. In
addition to this, he has a section of school land
rented, both of which places are well stocked
and improved. His principal crops are cereals,
while in stock raising he is handling the Short-
horn and Hereford breeds. He has about sixty-
624
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
five head of fine grades and he is producing
some of the finest cattle in this section. It is
very gratifying to see that Mr. Neely has
achieved such success in breeding fine stock and
it is sincerely hoped that his endeavors will
stimulate others in the same line of enterprise,
for it is well known that the thoroughbred cat-
tle are far more profitable to the farmer than
ordinary stock.
Oscar W. Neely was born in Decatur,
Illinois on January lo, 1870. His father, George
Neely, was born in Philadelphia and married
Miss Mollie M. Hunt, a native of Illinois. The
subject of this article was educated in the com-
mon schools of Decatur, and came to Douglas
county in 1890. He took his present place as a
homestead and has added since a section of rail-
roadland, by purchase, in addition to the school
land mentioned above. Mr. Neely has labored
continuously on his estate here since settling,
and his efforts which have been wisely bestowed
have brought about his present prosperous con-
dition. Mr. Neely has one sister, Elma L.
Neely, living in Chicago. The marriage of our
subject and Miss Emma E. Lamb occurred at
Fairmount, Nebraska, February 3, 1888. The
wife's parents are George and Francis J.
(Kelso) Lamb. The mother is deceased but
the father is now living in this county. Mrs.
Neely was born in Saline county, Nebraska, on
January 20, 1872. She has one brother and
one sister, Elmer E., and Mrs. Lou J. Waters.
On November 27, 1892, one son, Claude W.,
was born to Mr. and Mrs. Neely. Mr. Neely is
a member of the Maccabees and his wife belongs
to the Ladies Auxiliary of the same order.
They were both raised in the Christian faith
and are greatly in sympathy with that denom-
ination at the present time.
JAMES A. BUCKINGHAM was born in
Sangamon county, Illinois, on September 18,
1 83 1. His father, John B., was a native of old
Virginia, and his mother, Amanda M. (Eaton)
Buckingham, was a native of Kentucky. Our
subject attended the common schools of Illi-
nois, which were very primitive at that time and
wiien he grew to manhood remained in
that state until 1852, then the family
went to Pierce county, Wisconsin, where
five years were spent in farming. In
1857, he returned to his old home in
Illinois, and farmed until 1867. At that time,
he removed to Pike county, Missouri, stopping
there for a short time, then went on to Audrian
county, the same state, in which place he was
a tiller of the soil for twenty years. After the
expiration of that long period, Mr. Buckingham
removed to Washington, spending his first year
in the Evergreen State, near Cheney. Then he
searched out a place in Douglas county and set-
tled where we now find him, about four miles
east from Buckingham postoffice. He took
land under the government right and in addi-
tion to improving the farm, he gave his atten-
tion to stock raising. Like the other immi-
grants to this country, he made annual. pilgrim-
ages from this country for the purpose of gain-
ing money for food. During the winter of
1889-90 he had a small band of cattle which
he succeeded in saving although most of the
cattle of the country died. His base of supplies
was Spokane and the lumber of which his house
is built was hauled from Cheney and the Bad-
ger Mountains. His nearest neighbor was ^Ir.
Downey, living six miles west. Mr. Bucking-
ham labored faithfully and long during the
hard years of early life in Douglas county and
he is now one of the wealthy men of the section.
His place is on the old trail to the mines and
was known as one of the leading places in the
county. He has held various county offices and
was appointed postmaster by John Wanamaker,
whi. . position he held for nine years. Mi:
Buckingham has two brothers who died in the
Reljellion and two others, John W. and Elisha,,
who are now living. He also has one sister,
Mrs. Louisa Shannon.
At Trimble, Wisconsin, in July, 1855, ^^i"-
Buckingham married Martha Ryan, who was
born in Meadville, Pennsylvania, on June 20,
1830. For nearly half a century, she was his
faithful companion in all the reverses and suc-
cesses on their pilgrimage journey until July,
1901, she departed this life, being aged seventy-
one. She had one brother, Simeon, and one sis-
ter, Katherine. To Mr. and Mrs. Buckingham,
six children were born, named as follows ; Mrs.
Annie A. Smith. Mrs. Clara IMerchand, ^^"ill-
iam O., Albert J., Mrs. Regina V. Shamblin,
and James A.
Mr. Buckingham was raised in the ]\Iethod-
ist church and although not a member of any
denomination at the present time strongly leans
toward that faith.
w
fW
JAMES A. BUCKINGHAM
MORRIS W. BUZZARD
GUSTAV ZUDE
ALBERT F. YEAGER
OLIVER A. RUDD
LEON ALBOUCQ
J. ''ALBERT ANDERSON
HANS N. HANSON
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
625
MORRIS W. BUZZARD came to Doug-
las county in tlie early days when supplies had
to be hauled from Spokane. There were only
twelve settlers in the entire region, when he lo-
cated where he now resides, about one mile
southeast from ^Vaterville. From that time un-
til the present, Mr. Buzzard has continued here
without interruption and has constantly been
devoting his efforts to tilling the soil and im-
proving his farm. He has a fine quarter sec-
tion, which raises diversified crops. Among
the especially fine improvements we may men-
tion an orchard so situated as to be protected
by elevated land, which produces as fine fruit
as can be found in Washington, and he has all
the varieties of fruit that grow in this latitude.
Morris W. Buzzard was born in Harrison
county, Kentucky, November 23, 1853. His
father, William Buzzard, a native of Kentucky,
married Miss Sallie Williams, who was also
born in the Blue Grass State. Her people came
from North Carolina. He was a prosperous
farmer and stock man during his life, and his
ancestors were among the very first settlers in
Kentucky. Our subject was educated in his
native state, after which he settled in Cham-
paign county, Illinois, and farmed for seven
years. It was as early as 1883, that Mr. Buz-
zard settled in Douglas county and took his
present land as a homestead. Since then, he
has bought eighty acres in Okanogan county
and owns considerable other property.
Mr. Buzzard has always pulled in single
harness and still remains free from matrimonial
cares. He has two brothers and three sisters,
Marion, George W., Mrs. Mattie Taylor, Mrs.
Sarah J. Florence, and Mrs. Eliza Rankin, all
living in Harrison county, Kentucky.
GUSTAV ZUDE, deceased. Among the
most active and stirring men of Douglas coun-
ty could be mentioned the subject of this me-
morial when he was living. He led an upright
and faithful life and won hosts of friends, be-
ing highly esteemed by all. His labors in this
county and elsewhere speak for themselves and
it was a day of sincere mourning when the sad
news of his death was announced.
Gustav Zude was born in western Prussia, 1
on August 7, 1853, the son of August and
Caroline Zude, Ixith natives of Germany.
The father served in the regular army of Ger-
many and was a good and well known man.
Our subject was educated in the schools where
he was born and in 1872, came thence to Pilot
Knob, Missouri. He was soon engaged in the
iron mines of Iron county and for twelve years
wrought steadily there. Then on account of
failing health he determined to retire from act-
ive work for a time. He accordingly traveled
west to Utah and later went into the mines
there, remaining for three years. After that he
went to Elkhorn, Montana, where he engaged
in mining for two years. It was in 1890 that
Mr. Zude came on to Douglas county, and after
due search he took a pre-emption and later a
homestead where the family now reside, about
two miles northeast from Farmer. He devoted
himself industriously to general farming and
stock raising and won the good success that his
labors merited. He continued here and was al-
ways found on the side of those movements
which were for the betterment of the commun-
ity and always exerted a good influence. In
1903, Mr. Zude failed in health and no means
found seemed to relieve the progress of dis-
integration and finally on March 11, 1903, he
passed to the world beyond. His memory is
fragrant through a well spent life, wise coun-
sels and good deeds. Mrs. Zude is now hand-
ling the estate, which is well improved and she
has taken up the burdens devolving upon her
with a fortitude and spirit which presage good
success in her efforts.
Mr. Zude had one brother, Carl, and one
sister, Mrs. Minnie Gunther. The marriage of
Mr. Zude and Miss Amelia Janka occurred in
Missouri, on October 2, 1872. The parents of
the bride were George and Minnie (Zude)
Janka, natives of Germany. To Mr. and Mrs.
Zude the following named children have been
born; Herman, on November 2, 1873; Lena
W., on January 20, 1886; Alfred, on December
24, 1890; Alma A., on April i, 1893. The
first t\^-o are natives of Pilot Knob and the
others were born in this county. Mrs. Zude
is a member of the Lutheran church, the de-
nomination to which her husband belonged.
ALBERT F. YEAGER is one of the
younger men of Douglas county that has dem-
onstrated his worth and ability by commend-
626
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY,
able labors. He was born in Blue Eartb coun-
ty, Minnesota, on January 19, 1873, the son of
Henry G. and Louisa (Koch) Yeager, natives
of Saxony, Germany, and mentioned elsewhere
in tliis work. Albert F. received his education
in tlie common schools of Blue Earth county
but in 1888 came with his parents to Douglas
county. He now lives about two miles south
from Buckingham on a half section of land,
■which he took as a homestead, and purchas.ed
from his father. He devotes his attention to
■cattle raising and farming, having in the last
few years paid more attention to the latter busi-
ricss. He has his place well provided with all
farm machinery necessary, buildings, and so
forth, and is a successful agriculturist. For
several terms he has served as road supervisor
and did very good work. His brothers and sis-
ters are named in another portion of this work.
At the old home place in Douglas county,
on March 17, 1895, Mr. Yeager married Mrs.
Ella J. Wyatt, the daughter of Daniel F. and
Julia J. (Hadley) Davis, natives of Colorado
and very early settlers in Walla Walla. Mrs.
Yeager was born in Colorado on June 17, 1872,
and has two brothers, Charles and William S.,
and one sister, ]\Irs. Etta Loucks. To Mr. and
Mrs. Yeager, five children have been born ;
Ghdis ]\I., in Bridgeport, on December 30,
1896; All^ert F., Jr., at the ranch, on October
28, 1S98: Charles H., at the homestead, on
September 26, 1900; Violo E., at the ranch, on
March 10, 1902; and Vera J., on February 29,
1904. By her former marriage, Mrs. Yeager
has three children, Zella M. Wyatt, born in
Oregon, on December 16, 1888; Oswell Wyatt,
born in Oregon, on June 12, 1891 ; Buelah A.,
born in Oregon, October 6, 1893.
Mr. Yeager is a member of the M. W. A.
and an adherent of the old school Presbyterian
church.
OLIVER A. RUDD, who lives about five
miles south from Bridgeport, was born in
Draman, Norway, on July 12, 1861. His par-
ents, Andrew and Dora (Christenson) Rudd,
were natives of- Norway. He was educated in
the common schools there and when twenty
years of age came to the United States, set-
tling first in Grand Rapids, Wisconsin.
He wrought in the lumljer woods for
nearly two years and in 1883, came
west to Washington, stopping first in Walla
^Valla. Then he journeyed to Colfax,
Washington, where he wrought on a farm for
three years. It was 1886 when he went on a
visit to his native country, then returned to
Wi'Sconsin, and a year and a half later came to
Garfield county, it being 1888. He did general
work for two years and in the fall of 1890,
came to Douglas county, selecting a homestead
where he resides at the present time. He com-
menced breeding cattle and horses when he first
came to the country and has continued in that
business since. He has some very choice Here-
ford animals and has been prospered in his la-
bors. Mr. Rudd owns one-half section of land
well supplied with springs, and well improved.
He cultivates about one hundred and twenty-
five acres to hay and the balance to various
crops. He has a handsome residence and has
manifested thrift and good taste in his labors
on the farm.
In political matters, Mr. Rudd is allied with
the Republican party and is a firm supporter of
their principles. In 1898, his name appeared
on that ticket for county commissioner against
Lewis Brant. He won by thirteen majority,
l:eing the only Republican elected on the ticket.
He served for four years to the satisfaction of
fill. For two years from July 10, 1899, he was
deputy sheriff, under C. Y. Ogle. Mr. Rudd
has one brother, Knud, and two sisters, Mrs.
Sarah Thomson and Mrs. Georgie Gurrick.
He was raised under the influence of the
Lutheran church and is a supporter of that de-
nomination at this time. His standing in the
community is of the best and he receives gener-
ously the confidence and good will of his neigh-
bors.
At Deedsville, Indiana, on April 24, 1904,
Mr. Rudd married Mrs. Eliza Lewis, daughter
of James and Isabella Fites, natives of Maine.
]Mrs. Rudd was born in Deedsville, Indiana.
LEON ALBOUCQ is one of the leading
lousiness men of Hartline. He opened his pres-
ent line in this prosperous town in 1902 and
now carries a large stock of feed, posts, fencing
material, implements, buggies and wagons. He
has a thriving patronage and has shown himself
a substantial and capable business man.
Leon All)oucq was born in the sunny land
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
627
of France, his native heath being- Mount St.
Jean, Department of Aisne. The date of his
nativity is January 11, 1864. The parents of
our subject are Alexis and Aglae (Jerard) Al-
boucq, bcth natives of France. Mr. Alboucq
^vas educated in the common schools and grew
to manhood in his native land. At the early-
age of twenty-one he enlisted in the regular
army of France and for five years served in the
infantry, never leaving his native place during
these years. In 1S89, he bade farewell to home
and friends and journeyed to the United States;
living first at Broken Bow, Nebraska. For two
years that was his home and farming occupied
his attention. Then he moved to Douglas coun-
ty, Washington, and selected a homestead eight
miles north from Hartline, where he lived un-
til 1902. He has added land to his holdings,
by purchase, until he owns a section, which he
farms, in addition to his business in town. Mr.
Alboucq has no brothers or sisters in the United
States, but those in France are: Mrs. Eugenie
Lemeret, of Aoust ; Eug-ene Cyril, of Mezieres ;
Mrs. Marie Deville, also of Mezieres ; and I\Irs.
Claire Julien, of La Fere, all in the department
of Ardennes.
The marriag-e of Leon Alboucq and ]\Iiss
Elsie Sleicher was consummated on March 7,
1889, in Paris, France. Mrs. Alboucq was born
in Karlsruhe, Baden, Germany, on December
10, 1866, and has one brother, James A., a ma-
chinist, at Reading, Pennsylvania. The fruit
of this marriage is as follows: Louis E., born
July 21, 1894; Blanche Leona, born May i,
1896; Claire Aglae, born April 22, 1902 : Hart-
line is the nati\'e place of all three children.
Mr. Alboucq was first banker of lodge number
9874, of the M. \\'. A. He and his family are
adherents of the Catholic church.
J. ALBERT ANDERSON is one of the
enterprising agriculturists of Douglas county,
and his home is now in Bridgeport. He owns
land adjoining the city and has fine improve-
ments on his property. He devotes his atten-
tion to general farming and handling grain at
Bridgeport.
J. Albert Anderson was born in Norway.on
June 19, 1867, the son of J. Andrew and Susan-
nah (Anderson) Anderson, natives of Sweden.
The early education of our subject was gained
in the common schools of his native country
and in the spring of 1880, he landed in New
York city. For eight years, he labored on the
farms on Long Island, in factories ad-
jacent to New York city and in various other
kinds of work. He has labored with some
of the largest contracting firms along the
Atlantic coast and worked at various places.
One of the largest undertakings he was em-
ployed upon was the Croton River aqueduct.
The contractors were Brown, Howard & Com-
pany. While in their employ he learned the
trade of a rigger and worked there until 1889,
when he came to Washington, and here, also, he
has done contracting for himself. Settlement
was made near Bridgeport where he used differ-
ent government rights to secure his land and
since then has devoted himself almost entirely
to general farming and stock raising. Mr. An-
derson is heavily interested in the town site of
Bridgeport and has clone much to forward set- '
tlement of this portion of the country.
At Bridgeport, nn December 26, 1899, Mr.
Anderson married Miss Jessie E., daughter of
Donald and Jane (Havidson) McDonald, na-
tives of Canada. Mrs. Anderson was born in
Bay City, ^ilichigan, on May 26, 1881. She has
two brothers, Clyde R., and James A. D. Mr.
and Mrs. .-Vnderson are communicants of the
Lutheran church and are well respected people.
In 1894, Mr. Anderson had the misfortune to
lose his residence by the overflow of the Col-
umbia river. Yet notwithstanding the various
losses together with the hardships of frontier
life he has so wisely labored that he now is
blessed with a large holding and excellent pros-
perity.
One child, Clydie Bell, has been born to Mr.
and ;\Irs. Anderson, the date being December
31, 1901.
HANS N. HANSON, a prosperous farmer
and stock man residing about a nijle west from
Bridgeport, has so conducted himself in his
labors in Douglas county, that he has both won
the respect of all who know him and gained a
fine property holding. He was born in Bergen.
Norway, on December 23. i860, the son of
George F. and Inger P. (Reese) Hanson, na-
tives of Norway. The father was captain of a
sailing vessel. Our subject was well educated
in the Bergen Academy and did bookkeeping
628
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
for a mercantile house. In 1879, he shipped on
a saihng vessel for the United States and at
Baltimore, in 1880, quit his vessel. For a short
time thereafter, he was in the Burlington shops
in Chicago after which he was in the employ-
ment of David Rankin, a large stockman. He
left this business and traveled in various sections
but soon returned to Mr. Rankin, where he re-
mained for seven years, handling stock. In
1888, Mr. Hanson came to Spokane and thence
to Douglas county, settling on Douglas creek,
about two miles below the town of Douglas.
He pro\-ed up on a pre-emption there, which was
his home until 1895. In tnat year he moved to
his present location and took a homestead. He
handles about four hundred and eighty acres
of land here and has over fifty head of fine cat-
tle on the range. His land is largely productive
of hay. Mr. Hanson has three sisters, all in
Norway.
In Atchison county, Missouri, on March 16,
1886, Mr. Hanson married Martha E. Ander-
son, daughter of Anders H. and Seneca (Sam-
uelson) Moberg. Mrs. Hanson was born in
Moberg, Norway, on March 2, 1861. To our
subject and his wife, five children have been
bom, Lula I., Minnie S., Stella M., Georgie A.
and Frank I.
Mr. and Mrs. Hanson are members of the
Lutheran church and they are good substantial
people. He has served as road supervisor for
several years and has also labored for the up-
building of the community. Mrs. Hanson has
two brothers, Sam and Haldo. Mr. and Mrs.
Hanson have a fine family of children and are
doing everything in their power to give them a
good education and a nice start in life.
WILLIAM PAWSON stands among the
most substantial citizens of Douglas county.
Coming here in an early day, he located on
g-overnment land about two miles north from
where Waterville now stands and has added by
purchase until he has a half section of some of
the best land to be found in the county. He has
labored assiduously here since coming and has
gained his present competence by virtue of his
industry and wise management.
William Pawson was born in Yorkshire.
England, on January 10, 1863, the son of Isaac
and Sarah (Turner) Pawson, also natives of
England. They came to Canada in 1892 and
there reside at the present time. Before leaving
England, our subject received his educational
training from the public schools. When he had
reached manhood's estate, he looked to the new
world to find his fortune and in 1885, he sailed
hither and was soon in Douglas county, where
he took his present place as a pre-emption. He
has brought the farm to a high state of culti-
vation and has provided excellent improve-
ments. A large barn, good dwelling, outbuild-
ings, fence, and so forth are in evidence and he
is one of the progressive and prosperous men of
the section. Mr. Pawson has three brothers
and two sisters, Henry, George, John, Mrs.
Sarah Grawbargar.and Mary E.,
At Waterville, on July 23, 1902, Mr. Paw-
son married Miss Coatney, daughter of Aaron
and Leanno (Buracker) Craven, natives of In-
diana and Ohio, respectively. Mrs. Pawson
has three brothers and one sister, Joseph, Isaac,.
Alva, and Mrs. Curtis Bateman. Mr. and Mrs.
Pawson are not members of any denomination
but are closely allied with the Methodist doc-
trine. They stand exceptionally well amongf
the people and have the good will of all. Mr.
Pawson is a good neighbor, a true friend, and
a man of reliability and worth of character.
During the years past, he has always been care-
ful to labor for the advancement of the country
and substantial upbuilding and improvements,
while he has ever been a warm advocate for
good schools and good roads.
AUGUSTUS E. ROBINSON, who re-
sides about one mile north from Fairview, is
one of the leading orchardists of the Columbia
valley. He has ten acres devoted to apples,
pears, peaches, apricots, plums, grapes and ber-
ries, with water right sufficient to handle a
farm of forty-three acres. His orchard is a
veritable picture and produces as fine fruit as
can be found in the world. Spokane, Seattle
and Wenatchee are his shipping points and Mr.
Robinson does a good business.
Augustus E. Robinson was born in Roches-
ter, Wisconsin, December z-j. 185a, the son of
James and Elizabeth (Sweet) Robinson, na-
tives of Vermont. Our subject completed his
education in the academy of Owatonna, Minne-
sota whence the family had moved from Wis-
consin. After school davs, he learned harness
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
629
making and established himself in business at
Long Prairie and began harness making and
remained there until 1898, in which year he
moved to his present place in Doug'las county.
Since coming here, Mr. Robinson has given his
whole time and attention to the culture of fruit
and to the study of the science of fruit raising.
The result is that he is one of the best posted
men of the county and is thoroughly practical
in all his efforts. Mr. Robinson has one sister,
]\Irs. Emma Wyman.
On July 13, 1873, while in Minnesota, Mr.
Robinson married Miss Luella Coons. Her
father was a native of Pennsylvania and a
pioneer to Ohio. She was born in Little San-
dusky, Ohio, on May 23, 1856 and has one
sister, Mrs. J. H. McNeice. Mr. and Mrs.
Robinson have two children, Earl A., born on
August 25, 1886 and Clair T., born July 25,
1888, both at Long Prarie, Minnesota. Mr.
Robinson was a charter member of the I. O.
O. F. at Long Prairie and for twelve years
served as secretary of his lodge. He also passed
all the chairs of the same and is now a member
of the M. W. A. He is a Methodist at heart
but belongs to no denomination at the present
time.
HENRY C. GODLOVE is residing at
the present time about one mile southeast from
Waterville and is occupied in general farming
and raising stock, giving most of his attention
to the former industry. He was born in Pot-
tawatomie county, Kansas, on March 8, i860,
the son of Henry and Minerva (Custer)
Godlove, natives of Indiana and Iowa, respect-
ively. The father was one of the pioneers of
Kansas, dwelling in that, then turbulent state
in 1859. He enlisted in Company K, of the
Eleventh Kansas Volunteer Infantry and
served three years for his country, being most
of the time in Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and
Indian Territory. At the end he received an
honorable discharge, returned to the quieter
joys of life and is still residing in Kansas. Our
subject was trained in the common schools, that
great educator of the American youth, and as
soon as he had arrived at manhood's estate,
began operations for himself. In 1883, he
landed in EUensburg, Washington, and the
next two years were spent in tlie \-icinity of that
town. It was 1885, when he settled in Doughs
county, on a pre-emption in Moses coulee. He
remained there for a decade and engaged in
the stock business and then bought one half
section of land where he now lives. He has
plenty of spring water besides two good wells,
a large barn and other fine improvements.
Mr. Godlove has seven brothers and one
sister, Oliver C, Lincoln, Perry, Sherman C,
Walter S., Isaac A., John, and Mrs. Elihu W.
Henshaw. In Holton county, Kansas, on
March 12, 1894, occurred the marriage of Mr.
Godlove and Miss Ida M., daughter of Hugh
and Mary (Strickland) Southerland, natives
of Scotland and Pennsylvania, respectively.
Mrs. Godlove has two brothers and five sisters,
John H., George D., Mrs. Mary H. Rogar,
Mrs. Jeannette Cram, Mrs. Lorena Wilson,
Nettie B., and Maude N. Mr. and Mrs.
Godlove have three children : Hugh S., born on
May 17, 1896; Rein C, born on April 19, 1898
and Nettie S., born August 15, 1903. They
are all natives of this county.
In 1888, Mr. Godlove was elected county
commissioner, his name appearing on the Re-
publican ticket and he served as chairman of
the board for two years. During his term of
office, various improvements were inaugurated,
among which may be mentioned the enlarge-
ment of the court house and the addition of
steel cells to the jail, and others equally import-
ant. Mr. Godlove served as one of the ap-
praisers of the school land of this vicinity.
Fraternally, he is affiliated with the A. F. &
A. M. and the W. W. Mr. and Mrs. Godlove
are known as upright and moral people and are
the center of a large circle of admiring friends.
JOHN YOUNG TURNER is one of the
most prosperous and industrious farmers of
Douglas county. His farm lies about three
miles northeast from Waterville and displays
in every part, genuine thrift and care of detail.
Mr. Turner came here in early day, selected a
good place and has since given careful and
continuous attention to the improvement of the
same,which has resulted in making it one of
the fine and valuable farms of central ^^'ashing-
ton.
John Y. Turner was born in Howard coun-
tv, INIissouri, on October 7, 1855, the son of
Ephraim and .\ngeline R. Turner, natives of
Missouri. When our subject was eleven years
630
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
of age, he accoinpnnied his parents across the
plains with ox teams to Linn county, Oregon,
where the father secured a donation claim.
John Y. completed his education and lived with
his father until 1882. It that year, he moved
to Kittitas county, settling near Ellensburg.
It was 1888, that he came to Douglas county
and took a pre-emption where he now lives.
Later he added a quarter section by purchase,
and the farm now consists of one half section
and is all under cultivation. Among the im-
provements, we may mention a fine orchard,
a fine modern residence built of brick, plenty of
outbuildings, three wells of water and so forth.
Mr. Turner does diversified farming, rais-
ing stock and also gives much attention -to rais-
ing poultry, of which latter he has six hundred
thoroughbred white leghorns.
Mr. Turner has the following brothers and
sisters, Sterling P., James W., Doynes, Dorson,
George C. Ira M. K., Charles D., Mrs. Annie
Allison, Mrs. Sarah J. Hulbart, and Mrs. Millie
V. Kinsey.
On November 13, 1878, in Linn county,
Oregon, Mr. Turner married Miss Melissa,
daughter of John W. and Mary A. (Hen-
dricks) Richardson, natives of Illinois and
Kentucky, respectively, and now residing in
Oregon. Mrs. Turner was born in Linn
county, Oregon, on May 22, i860, and has two
brothers and two sisters, . named as follows,
Willis, Trumon, Mrs. Myra Curl, and Mrs.
Melvina Brener. To Mr. and Mrs. Turner, the
following children have been born : Mary A.,
in Linn county, Oregon, May 13, 1879; Norma
M., in Polk county, Oregon, March 13, 1882;
Ethel L., in Douglas county, Washington, Jan-
uary 6, 1898. They also have adopted one
child. Jay R. Powell, who was born in Water-
ville, February 12. 1891.
Mr. and Mrs. Turner are staunch members
of the Christian church at Waterville and are
among the leading people of this part of the
county.
DANIEL E. HARSH, one of the indus-
trious agriculturists in Douglas county, resides
about two miles northeast from Waterville.
He was born in Owen county, Indiana, on
September 7, 1865, the son of Daniel and
Catherine (Keely) Harsh, natives of Ohio.
The father enlisted in the Forty-ninth Volun-
teer Infantry under Captain David M. Dobson
and died in the hospital at Nashville, Tennessee.
The mother died in Douglas county. South
Dakota, in February, 1902, aged sixty- four.
Our subject was educated in the district schools
of Owen county, Indiana, where he remained
the first fourteen years of his life. In 1881,
he moved to Boone county, Iowa, and engaged
in farming and later he tilled the soil in Greene
count3^ of the same state, after which he lived
in South Dakota and did farming for twelve
years. In 1896, he came to Douglas county,
Washington by wagon and settled on a quarter
section where he now lives. Since that time
he has devoted himself steadily to cultivating
and improving his* farm and he has now a com-
fortable home, good farm, plenty of stock,
machinery and improvements and does not owe
a dollar in the world.
Mr.Harsh has one brother, John W. While
in Armour, South Dakota, Mr. Harsh married
Miss Melissa Kuder, the wedding occurring
March 30, 1890. Her parents were George W.
and Isabel (Brock) Kuder, natives of Pennsyl-
vania and Indiana, respectively. The father
died at Waterville on June 9, 1903 and his
widow on June 17, 1903. Mrs. Harsh was
born in Greene county, Iowa, on December 26,
1868 and has two brothers, Madison M. and
George F., and two sisters, Arra B. Whitehall
and Jennie G. Whitehall.
Four children have been born to our sub-
ject and his wife. Bethel B., on March i, 1891 ;
George B., on May 21, 1893; Franklin, on
April 12, 1896; and Beatrice Hope, on Febru-
ary 15, 1904, on the farm. All the others were
born in Walnut Grove. South Dakota.
Mr. and Mrs. Harsh are members of the
Seventh Day Adventist church and are good
substantial people.
FRED C. TYLER. There is no doubt
that the most important class of people on the
face of the earth to-day are those who till the
soil, and some of the finest specimens of human-
ity are found in this calling. Douglas county is
not lacking in intelligent farmers and stockmen
who have made this political division what it is
to-day. Among the leading ones, it is with
pleasure that we mention the subject of this
article, who resides about six miles southeast
of Waterville and is known as one of the lead-
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
631
ing citizens. He was born in Sullivan county,
New York, on February 27, i860. The father
was Colonel Rockwell Tyler, a native of
Wayne county, Pennsyh-ania and a man of
prominence both in Pennsylvania and New
York. He entered the ser\ice in the Civil War.
as captain in the Fifty-sixth New York Vol-
unteer Infantry and was soon promoted as
Colonel of the regiment. He did valiant and
faithful service, for his country in those dark
days of internecine strife and was a commander
who led rather than sent his men. After ful-
filling his military service, he returned to New
York state and was revenue collector for a
number of years. His death occurred on May
27, 1893. Colonel Tyler married Miss Mary J.
Hill, a native of Connecticut, who died in Doug-
las county, Washington, on October 28, 1898.
Reverting more particularly to the subject
of this article, we note that his early education
was gained in Sullivan county, New York. At
the early age of fifteen, he was sent to Connec-
ticut and from that time forward has not only
been an active and industrious person but also
a great investigator of the cjuestions of the day
and a wide reader. In the spring of 1882, our
subject left Connecticut and went to Millbank,
Dakota, where he was salesman in the mercan-
tile establishment of J. C. Drake, for three
years. In 1885, he came to Spokane, then jour-
neyed on through Douglas county and later
went to Oregon. After two years of residence
in Oregon, he returned to Douglas county and
took a pre-emption. After proving upon this,
he located a homestead. He sold these proper-
ties and bought his present place and upon this
he has made his home since. He has a
two-story six-room residence, outbuildings,
excellent well of water and a good band of
cattle. Mr. Tyler had two brothers, Charles
v., deceased, and Ebenezer.
At Wilmot, Dakota, on June 2, 1884, oc-
curred the marriage of Mr. Tyler and Miss Ida
M., daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (Ander-
son) Smith, natives of Ohio and New Hamp-
shire, respectively. They came to Dakota in
1880. Mrs. Tyler has the following brothers
and sisters, Warren J., Charles A., Mrs. Emily
Newhouse, Mrs. Nettie Nancarow, Mrs. Susan
Gary, Mrs. Lizzie Drake. Mrs. Helen Stoddard
and Mrs. Emeline Reinhart. deceased.
In religious persuasion, Mr. Tyler is inclined
toward the Baptist church, although he is not
actively connected with any denomination. He
and his wife are well known and have hosts of
warm friends throughout the country. Mr.
Tyler is a man that the people look up to and
they esteem him for his worth and wisdom.
JOSEPH W. WOOLVERTON is one of
the most progressive and active business men
of Dauglas county. He is at present conduct-
ing a general merchandise establishment at
Douglas and is meeting with the well earned
success of a gratifying patronage, while he re-
ceives the esteem and the respect of all. Mr.
Woolverton has also shown himself one of the
capable and successful educators of the county.
It is very evident that the salient points of his
career should be named in a volume purporting
to grant representation to leading citizens of
this section, and we therefore append the same.
Joseph W. Wooh'erton was born in Bliss-
field, Michigan, on February 12, 1873. His
father, Milton Woolverton, is a native of Penn-
sylvania and now a farmer in Michigan. He
married Miss Ellen Bullard, of New York.
She also is living in Michigan. Our subject
continued his training until after he had fin-
ished the high school course, then in 1892, came
to Douglas county, settling about eighteen miles
east of Waterville on a homestead. He taught
school for two years while living on the home-
stead and in 1894, was elected superintendent
of schools for this county. His name appeared
on the Republican ticket and he gained the day
over E. M. Bogart, by thirtv majority. Mr.
Woolverton was just twenty-one years old at
this time and was the youngest elected officer
in the state of Washington. -After two years
of very acceptable service in this important of-
fice, ]\Ir. Woolverton again turned his attention
to teaching school, continuing the same until
1898. He served in the postoffice at Waterville
for some time and finally, in 1901, located at
Douglas, where he opened a general merchan-
dise store. He carries a fine assortment of
goods of everything demanded by the trade in
this section and by his genality and deferential
treatment of partons has won for himself a very
lucrative trade. Mr. Woolverton is considered
one of the best business men in this section.
]\Ir. F. Brockman, of Spokane, also is interested
in the store.
6.12
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
Mr. Woolverton has two sisters, Mrs. E.
J. Malloy and Mrs. J. M. Friel.
On November 15, 1896 at Waterville, Mr.
Woolverton married Miss Mary E., daughter
of John and Mary A. (McCann) Kelley. The
father died in Waterville, on April 30, 1903
and the widow still resides there. Mrs. Wool-
verton was born in New Jersey, on December 9,
1873 and has the following brothers and sisters,
Edward F., John H., Joseph P. and James L.
Mr. and Mrs. Woolverton are the parents of
the following named children: James M., bom
on August 2"], 1897 ; Irene L., born on Novem-
ber 12, 1899; Ethel M., born April 3, 1901.
All were born in Waterville. Mr. Woolverton
is a member of the W. W., and a broad-minded
and progressive man.
EDDIE HO:\IER OGLE is one of ^}^f
younger agriculturists of Douglas count}^ who
has met with remarkable success on account of
his industry and sagacity. He resides about a
mile southwest from Waterville, upon an estate
he purchased, which is well imoroved with good
residence, barns and so forth and is very pro-
ductive. He is known as a man of industry and
worth and stands exceptionally well in the com-
munity. His place is very neat and attractive
and shows forth the skill and taste of the
owner.
Eddie Homer Ogle was born in Republic
county, Kansas, on September 26, 1873, the son
of William and Susana (Jackson) Ogle, natives
of Indiana and Illinois, respectively. He re-
ceived his education in the district schools of
Nebraska and the high schools at Chester, in
that state, completing the same in this county.
At the age of eighteen, he engaged in work for
himself, giving his attention to farming. Later,
he homesteaded a quarter section, eighteen
miles southeast from Waterville, which he sold
and then purchased his place of one hundred
and twenty acres, mentioned above. Mr. Ogle
has the following brothers and sisters, Ira W.,
]\Irs. Clara E. Owens, and Nola C. At Moses
coulee, October 7, 1901, Mr. Ogle married Miss
Myrtle A., daughter of Edward and Amanda
J. (Dodson) Owen. The father was a pioneer
of this county and now lives in Moses Coulee.
He is a native of Maine. The mother was born
in West Virginia and died in the year 1894.
Mrs. Ogle was born in Dayton, Washington,
on May 16, 1882 and has three brothers and
two sisters, James S., John T., Edward'M., Mrs.
Rachel E. Horing, and Mrs. Ellen A. Cun-
ningham. On February 9, 1903, a daughter
was born to Mr. and Mrs. Ogle and was named
Eula Mildred. Mr. Ogle is a member of the
M. W. A. and in political matters is decidedly
independent. He in an adherent of the Christian
church as is also his wife. They have labored
faithfully in this country and now enjoying
a goodly competence as the result of their years
of industry.
ERNST KUMMER is one of the heav-
iest property owners in Douglas county and it
is greatly to his credit, when we note the fact
that he came here with very limited means and
has gained his present princely holdings by his
own labor and wisdom. Mr. Kummer resides
about two and one-half miles east of Water-
ville, on his estate of eight hundred acres,
which is all laid under tribute to produce various
crops. He has a very fine residence, built of
brick containing ten rooms and supplied with
all modern conveniences. He also has a fine
cellar thirty by thirty-two and his house is one
of the finest in the county. Other improve-
ments, such as barns, wells, orchard, outbuild-
ings, fences and so forth, enhance the value and
add to the beauty of the estate.
Ernst Kummer was born in Blumenau,
Waldenburg, Germany, on March 17, 1848, the
son of John and Charlotte (Alter) Kummer,
natives of Germany. Our subject was educated
in the public schools and learned the wagon
maker's trade before he was twenty years of
age. When twenty he joined the regular army
and participated in the Franco-Prussian war,
taking part in the battles of Weisserburg,
Worth, Sedan and Metz. He Avas also at the
surrender of Paris. For three years, he faith-
fully followed martial life, then was discharged
at Dingnets in 1871. Hoffman Van Der Mibby
was the captain of our subject's company. In
1882, he came to Lasalle county, Illinois and
did general work there for three years. It was
1885, that he settled in Douglas county and
since that he has been one of the most sub-
stantial and prosperous farmers of the entire
county. He has two brothers, Herman and
Rinehardt, the former in Spokane and the lat-
ter in this county. At Hosdorff. Germanv, on
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
633
September 2, 1873, ■Mr. Kummer married
Miss Caroline, daughter of William and Johana
Weltz, natives of Germany. Mrs. Kummer
was born in Germany, on April 8. 1856 and has
one brother, William, and one sister, Henrietta
Hoffman. Mr. and Mrs. Kummer have be-
come the parents of the following named chil-
dren : Karl, born in Germany, April 29, 1877;
Clara, wife of George Brodius, died in North-
port, October 7, 1897; Ida M., born in Ger-
many, March 14, i88o:Adfreda,born in Illinois,
October 27, 1882, wife of Charles Fletcher now
living in Waterville ; Louisa, born in Montana,
March 27, 1885 : Ernest K., born in this county,
October 10, 1886; Adilino, born in this county,
August 8, 1889 and died on December 17.
1902 ; and Henry H., born in this county, April
13, 1892, living- at home. Mr. and Mrs. Kum-
mer are adherents of the Lutheran church.
Their children have been educated in the
schools at Waterville.
WILLIAM OGLE is a well known and in-
telligent farmer of Douglas county and resides
about two miles southwest from Waterville.
He was born in Fountain county, Indiana, on
February 16, 1847, the son of James C. and
Elizabeth (Smith) Ogle, both natives of Ohio
and tillers of the soil. Our subject was edu-
cated in the common schools of Illinois, to-
gether with private instructions and remained
Avith his father until he arrived at his majority.
Then he commenced farming in Mercer county,
Illinois, for himself, where he remained for
•eighteen years. After that, he removed to Re-
public county, Kansas and continued in the
basic art of agriculture, taking up a homestead
and remaining there until 1889. In that year,
he removed to Douglas county and pre-empted
a quarter section seventeen miles east from
Waterville. Later he removed to his present
place which is a well improved farm. He does
general farming and stock raising and is well
known as one of the substantial men of the
community.
Mr. Ogle had four brothers in the war,
three in the Thirtieth Illinois and one in the
Forty-third. James was killed at Vicksburg;
Van died at Fort Donelson ; and John died in
the hospital in Illinois. The other children of
the family are: Ruth. Sarah, Mary E., Joseph
D., deceased, Frank, Alexander C, Thomas N.,
Jasper C. and Mrs. Emma Richardson. On
December 24, 1868, at Keithsburg, Illinois,
Mr. Ogle married Miss Susana, the daughter
of Joseph and Elizabeth Jackson, natives of
England and New Jersey, respectively. Mrs.
Ogle was born in Keithsburg, Illinois, April 4,
1 854, and has the following brothers and sisters,
James H., John W., Mallon, and Mrs. Sarah F.
Owens. Mr. and Mrs. Ogle have become the
parents of the following children : Ira W., born
on June 25, 1871 ; Edward H., born September
26, 1873; Clara E., born March 17, 1879, now
the wife of Edward Owens and living in this
county; Nola C, born in this county, on Febru-
ary 3, 1892, living at home.
Mr. Ogle and his wife belong to the Chris-
tian church. They are highly respected people
and first class citizens.
GEORGE SHULTZ is one of the leading
and most prosperous farmers of Douglas coun-
ty, as is evidenced by his achievements and his
holdings. His farm of nearly one quarter sec-
tion lies about one mile northwest from Water-
ville and is a model in every respect. It is laid
out wisely, cultivated skilfully and is a very
valuable estate. A good large residence of
modern design, commodious and substantial
barn, good fences, orchards and so forth em-
bellish and beautify the place so that ]\Ir.
Schultz's rural abode is one of the choicest to
be found.
George Shultz was born near Elgin, Illinois,
on April 21, 1840, the son of Barney and Betsey
(Martel) Shultz, both natives of Pennsylvania.
The father fought under Captain Drake in the
War of 1812. Our subject was educated in the
common schools of Columbia county, Wiscon-
sin and began life for himself at the age of six-
teen. He did farming for fifteen years and in
1879, moved to Nebraska, settling in Burt
county. He bought one hundred and sixty
acres of land at five dollars per acre and twenty-
three years later, 1901, he sold the place for
sixty dollars per acre. At that time, he moved
to Douglas county and bought three quarter
sections where he now lives. It was formerly
known as the Murray farm. In addition to
general farming and fruit raising, he raises
stock and has some Shorthorn cattle, among
which are some very g-ood specimens.
Mr. Shultz has the following brothers and
634
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
sisters, William, Mrs. Harriett Hammond,
Mrs. Olive Hidden and Mrs. Sarah Richards.
At Charles City, Iowa, on August 29, 1873,
Mr. Shultz married Miss Mary E., daughter of
Thomas and Julia (Rapp) Warner, natives of
Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, respectively.
Mrs. Shultz was born on December 10, 1853,
in Wisconsin, and has the following half broth-
ers and sisters, her mother having married Mr.
Andrew McFarland, Andrew and Peter, twins,
Albert, Charles,William, Levi, and Martha.
To Mr. and Mrs. Shultz have been born the
following children: Emma R., wife of Ira C.
Richards, living in Chelan county ; George R.,
. Maude M. ; Louisa A. ; Authur R., and Norman
F. ; all living atihome.
Politically, Mr. Shultz is independent and
always selects his own man. He is a member of
the I. O. O. F. and the M. W. A. He was
raised under the Presbyterian church but does
not adhere to any denomination at the present
time. Mr. Shultz is one of those progressive
and thrifty men, who always provide the best
of everything- for their use and his farm is
supplied with the finest machinery and equip-
ments that can be bought.
BARCLAY W. WHITEHALL has
demonstrated his ability to handle successfully
a large general farm, where he lives one mile
north from Waterville. For a number of years,
he has devoted himself to stock raising, farm-
ing and freighting, and has come to be one of
the prosperous men of Douglas county. The
property where he now lives, he purchased for
one thousand dollars. The same is now valued
at over four thousand dollars and has annually
produced abundant crops.
Barclay W. Whitehall was born in Foun-
tain county, Indiana, on June 2, 1853, the son
of James and Elizabeth (Clark) Whitehall,
both natives of that county. The family moved
to Illinois when our subject was young and in
Mercer and Henderson counties of that state,
he received his education and remained there
until 1875. -^fter that time, Mr. Whitehall
moved to Iowa and made settlement in Greene
county. For twenty-one years he was engaged
there in general farming and also taught school.
He taught six terms in the graded schools of
Illinois and Iowa and left a record as a first
class instructor. Desiring to see the west and
ascertain its resources, Mr. Whitehall came to
Waterville, having made the trip overland from
Iowa with wagons. He started on April 12,
1896 and four months later was in Douglas
county.
Among the improvements of Mr. \\'hite-
hall's farm, may be mentioned a good orcliard,^
besides first class buildings, fences and so forth.
Mr. Whitehall has one sister and four brothers,
Henry T., Alva Curtis, Nicolas C, Charlie A.,
and Mrs. Carrie Badger, deceased.
Near Scranton, Iowa, on December 5, 1881,.
Mr. Whitehall married Miss Jennie G., daugh-
ter of George -W. and Isabel (Brock) Kuder,
natives of Pennsylvania and Indiana, respect-
ively, and early pioneers in the state of Iowa.
Mrs. Whitehall was born in Illionis, on Feb-
ruray 26, 1864 and has the following brothers
and sisters, Monroe M., G. Frank, Arra B. and
Melissa C. Mr. and Mrs. Whitehall have be-
copie the parents of the following children :
Effie E., born on November 13, 1883 in Greene
county, Iowa, later married to Charles F.
Wickers, and died March 29, 1904; Earl B.,
born in Greene county, Iowa, on July 22, 1887;
Orla J., born in Greene county, Iowa, on Febru-
ary 14, 1891 ; Lester L., born in Greene county,
Iowa, April 14, 1894; Henry W., born in
Douglas county, Washington, June 8, 1898;
Maggie Mae, born in this county, on March 13,
1900; Etta Irene, born January 9, 1904; and
Pressie J., born in Greene county, Iowa, July
27, 1885 and died May 29, 1900. Mr. White-
hall is active in the realm of politics and holds
strongly to the Populist principles. He and
his wife belong to the Seventh Day Church of
God.
JASPER GARLAND is one of the large
stockmen of Douglas county. He is an ex-
emplification of what grit and determination
can do, as will be seen by reviewing his career.
Jasper Garland was born in Alexandria.
Louisiana, on April 19, 1847. His father,
Hambleton Garland, was a native of North
Carolina and marr'ed Miss Jane McNease, a
native of Tennessee. Our subject was educated
in the common schools of his native county and
there remained until 1866, when he journeyed
west to Texas and dwelt in Henderson and
Kaufman counties of that state, for fifteen
vears. Then he removed to Colorado and
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY,
63;
Utah and for two years did contract work on
the construction of the Rio Grande & Denver
railroad. FoUowing that, Mr. Garland settled
in Gilliam county, Oregon and devoted himself
to ranching and stock raising. In 1 888, he took
a large band of sheep on shares and the follow-
ing" year moved his sheep and other stock to
Douglas county and made settlement in the
vicinity of Moses Lake. Adverse circumstances
accompanied his trip, while inclement weather
and other things continued, until Mr. Garland
had not a head left. Not being made of the
stuff, however, that gives way to discourage-
ment, he immediatel)' hired out for a sheep
herder for T. J. Ferguson and for five years
did that most tiresome and arduous work. He
saved his money and bought a band of sheep for
himself and now has over six thousand of these
profitable animals. In addition, Mr. Garland
owns three quarter sections of fine land, five
miles west of Coulee City, where he makes his
headquarters. He has a good range and his
sheep are the ^lerino breed. His markets are
Seattle and Spokane. In addition to sheep, Mr.
Garland has a fine band of horses and some
cattle.
The marriage of Mr. Garland and Miss
Eveline Holbrook occurred in Kaufman county,
Texas, on September 10, 1874. The parents
of Mrs. Garland are Amerous and Seline
(Dunn) Holbrook, natives of Mississippi.
Mrs. Garland was born in Louisiana in March,
1852, and has one brother, Albert and one sis-
ter, Mrs. ]\Iartha McAdams. Mr. Garland has
one brother, Marion. To this union the fol-
lowing children have been born, Mrs. Minnie
McDonough, Jasper, Albert M., Grover C, and
Charles C. The first two were born in Texas,
the third in Idaho, the next in Oregon, and»the
last in Coulee City.
Mr. Garland is a member of the A. F. & A.
M. and in church matters favors the Method-
ists.
HIRAM H. HUTTON is one of the well
known business men of Coulee City and is
handling a large lumber yard, where he has
been in business for the past twelve years.
Hiram H. Hutton was born in Saint Clair
county, Michigan, on June 11, 1868, the son
of William H. and Mary J. ("Higgins) Hutton,
natives of New York state. The father fought
for the union in the Civil War and sustains a
fine record as a soldier. Qur subject was edu-
cated in the public schools of his native and
Lapeer counties, and remained in Michigan
until he was twenty. Then he went west to
Chicago and there was in the railway tele-
graphic service for two years. He was with
the Grand Trunk until 1888, when he came
on west and entered the employ of the North-
ern Pacific. Among other places he served at
Cheney and Rathdrum. He then went to Cou-
lee City, and soon started a confectionery store.
In 1892 he sold this enterprise and started a
saloon and a lumber yard and has operated both
since.
Mr. Hutton has the following- named broth-
ers and sisters, Frank, Emmett J., William W.,
Cassius A., Angus P., H. Wells and iNIrs. Etta
Clayton.
The marriage of Mr. Hutton and ^liss
Asdie M. Salisbury was celebrated at Spokane,
on March i, 1897. ]\Irs. Hutton's parents are
natives of Iowa. She has one brother. Earl,
living in The Dales, Oregon. To Mr. and ^Irs.
Hutton, the following named children have
been born: Lena M., on March 2, 1898; Henry
L., on January 2, 1900; Zella M.. on July 4,
1902. All are natives of Coulee City.
FREDERICK J. JOHNSON is one of the
younger men of Douglas county, who has
gained an especial distinction in the business
world, owing to the fact that he has won his
success by reason of intelligence and wisdom
that place him among the leading operators in
this part of the state. He is a lumber dealer
in Coulee City at the present time, and handles,
in connection therewith, paints, oils, glass, wall-
paper and so forth. He has done a very exten-
sive business since coming here, handling over
eight million feet of lumber alone.
Frederick J. Johnson was born at Howard
Lake, IMinnesota, on December 30, 1869. His
parents were John A. and Katherine (Stoltz)
Johnson, natives of England and Germany, re-
spectively, and now living in Lincoln county,
Washington.
Our subject was educated in the schools
of Wright county, Minnesota and the Blair
Business College of Spokane. In 1887 he
moved to Lincoln county and settled just north
636
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
from Davenport, where he engaged in saw-
milling, also handled a planing mill. He con-
tinued with marked success there until about
two years since, when he opened his present
business in Coulee City. Since that time, he
has done remarkably well here and is consid-
ered now one of the very prosperous and sub-
stantial business men of the town. Mr. John-
son sold his milling interests before he came
to Coulee City. He also owns one-half section
of land, which is well improved and devoted
to stock and general farming, the stock con-
sisting of cattle and horses. The land lies
mostly northwest from Coulee City.
Mr. Johnson had two brothers and three
sisters, William J., Eugene A., Mrs. Lucretia
Weygant, Mrs. Viola West, Mrs. Blanche
Bernard.
The marriage of ]\Ir. Johnson and ^Nliss
Katie ]\IcGillivray occurred at Cheney, on ]\Iay
13. 1895. Mrs. Johnson's parents are Neil
and Sarah (McCloud) McGillivray, natives of
Canada. She was born in Canada, on Septem-
ber 12. 1878 and has the following brothers
and sisters, Tohn, Neil, Mrs. Christopher Phar,
and ]Mrs. ^lary Ledg'erwood. To our subject
and his wife, the following children have been
born: Valentine F., on February 17, 1896;
Merle K., on January 27, 1898; and Raymond
in January, 1901. They are all natives of
Lincoln county. Mr. Johnson is possessed of
the happy faculty of winning friends and his
genialty has made him the center of a large
circle of admirers. He is a prominent and
upright citizen and Coulee City is to be con-
gratulated in gaining him as one of her prom-
inent residents.
GEORGE AI. Mcdonald has won a
brilliant success in the mercantile world in
Douglas county and it is with pleasure we ac-
cord him representation in the work which
chronicles the history of this interesting poli-
tical division. He has come to the front, not
by reason of any "streak of luck," as is so often
hurled at leading men, but has won the present
position by dint of hard labor, steady appli-
cation to business, and display of keen discrim-
hiation and business sagacity. He has always
shown uprightness and integrity in his deal-
ings and has thus won the confidence of the
people, \\hich is richly deserved.
George ^l. McDonald was born in Decatur
county, Iowa, on February 26, 1857, being the
son of William McDonald, who was born in
Ohio but came as a pioneer to Iowa. Before
coming to the Hawkeye State he married an
Ohio girl, Neoma Montgomery and when the
awful Rebellion broke out he tore himself from
his home and enlisted in the Twenty-fourth
Iowa Volunteer Infantry, to fight for his coun-
try. He was put in the hospital later and there
died, giving his life for his flag-. Our subject
was educated in Iowa and there remained en-
gaged variously until 1881 when he caine to
Harrington, Kansas. For two years he did a
livery business there and then sold and traveled
until 1887, when he settled at Medical Lake,
Washington. One year later he did building in
Spokane, whence he came to Almira and
opened a lumber yard and feed store. One
year later Mr. McDonald located in Coulee
City and started a feed and implement store.
For two years this engaged him and then
he added a general stock of merchandise
and at once began to do a large and thriving
business. For eleven years he has con-
tinued in this business nd has come
to be second to no mercantile house in
the county. Early in 1903, Mr. McDonald
sold the hardware and grocery departments of
his business to DeBolt & McCann, and con-
tinued handling dry goods and gents' furnish-
ings together with boots and shoes until re-
cently he added a grocery and hardware de-
partments. Mr. McDonald has shown excel-
lent wisdom in selecting and buving his goods
to meet the needs of this section and herein
lies much of his success. In addition to the
enterprises mentioned, Mr. McDonald buys
much wheat independently and does well in sell-
ing to the general market. Politically, he is
decidedly independent and although often so-
licited to hold office he has absolutely refused
to allow his name to appear on any ticket.
Mr. McDonald has two brothers, Albert T.,
and Tohn W., and one half-sister. Mary L.
At Spokane, in 1900, Mr. McDonald mar-
ried Miss Josephine Bonner, a daughter of
Peter and ]\Targaret fWhalan) Bonner, the
former a native of Holvoke. IMassachusetts,
and the latter of ]\Iilwaukee, Wisconsin. She
has the following named brothers and sisters.
Mrs. Marv ATarlow, Thomns Tames. Mrs. Nel-
lie Sprague, William S., Mrs. Isabella Carr,
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
637
Mrs. Catherine Hagey, Fred M., Frank R.,
and Grace. Mr. and Mrs. McDonald have no
children of their own, but one adopted daugh-
ter, Beulah D., born May 26, 1900.
Mr. McDonald is fraternally connected
with the A. F. & A. M. and the I. O. O. F.
and is a leading spirit in the county.
HON. DANIEL PAUL is one of the best
known men in Douglas county. He resides in
Coulee City and has the distinction of being
the first man who settled permanently on land
here. He owns about one thousand acres of
land and is principally engaged in stock raising,
and has continued steadily in the business since
the early days of the eighties and has been suc-
cessful.
Daniel Paul was born in county Antrim,
Ireland, on November 12, 1849, being the son
of Andrew and Margaret (Murray) Paul, na-
tives of Ireland. Daniel was well educated in
the public schools in his native country and
there remained until he was nineteen, when he
migrated to the United States. Settlement was
made in Maryland and for five 3'ears he was
engaged in general work. Then he came on
to Montana and for several years was engaged
in mining. His work was near Cedar creek
and during the latter portion of his stay in that
state, he was engaged in the stock business and
also was proprietor of a large butcher shop in
Missoula. He continued in this latter business
until 1883 when he came farther west to Doug-
las county, in Washington. Soon after com-
ing here, and in fact from the very beginning,
he engaged in the stock business and in 1885
located a pre-emption. Soon thereafter he took
a homestead which is his home at the present
time. Mr. Paul is a man possessed of the
happy ability to adapt himself to the conditions
and environments with which he is in touch
and thus he has made a special success in the
lines of enterprise taken up in this county.
In 1896 the people of this county decided to
send Mr. Paul to the legislature and conse-
quently he was chosen for the upper house.
He held several important committee positions,
among which may be mentioned those of live
stock, agriclutural and railroads. Mr. Paul's
resourcefulness, his large fund of general in-
formation and his thorough acquaintance with
what the people needed, coupled with his in-
tegrity which is always unswerving, amply
fitted him to do good work for his constituents
in the legislature.
It is interesting to note that when Mr. Paul
first came to this country, he was obliged to
travel clear to Spokane for supplies and mail
which was one of the obstacles the early set-
tlers had to contend with. His cattle have
always been of good breeds and now he has
all grades. He finds market in the leading
centers and does his own shipping.
Mr. Paul has one sister, Mrs. Maggie Mar-
tin, residing with him at Coulee City. Fra-
ternally, he is affiliated with the Elks.'
-*■
THOMAS PARRY is the present ef-
ficient and genial encumbent of the post office
at Coulee City. He received his appointment
in 1897 and has held the position since, to the
entire satisfaction of the patrons of the office.
Mr. Parry is a thorough business man and in
company with Mr. Roberts handled one of the
first machine shops in this vicinity. He is
now heavily interested in land and sheep rais-
ing, being one of the prosperous men of Doug-
las county. Thomas P. was born in Denbigh-
shire. North Wales, on May 16, 1861, the son
of Edward and Ann Morgan Parry, natives
of Wales. He was educated' in the
National schools of his native land and
there remained until he grew to manhood.
1882 marks the date when he first set
foot in the United States, and he soon
selected Mazon, Grundy county, Illinois, as
the place for his settlement and for two
years he was occupied there in tilling the soil.
In 1884, he came to Sprague, Lincoln county
and engaged as wiper in the round house there.
He worked his way up until he Ijecame en-
gineer and remained witii the Northern Pacific
railroad until 1889. Then he entered part-
nership with George R. Roberts and opened a
general merchandise establishment at McEntee,
the firm being known as Roberts & Parry.
They did a large business there until 1895,
and then dissolved partnership, Mr. Parry go-
ing into business for himself. He did a con-
fectionary and drug business until appointed
to the post office and since has devoted liimself
to the office, together with his land and stock
638
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
interests. Mr. Parry has four brothers and
one sister, all living in Wales.
At Sprague, on November 2, 1887 occurred
the marriage of Thomas Parry and Miss Eliz-
abeth E. Roberts. The parents of the bride
are Robert G. and Elizabeth (Williams) Rob-
erts, natives of Wales and now living in this
country. . Mrs. Parry has five brothers and
four sisters, named as follows, George R., Rob-
ert D., John, David, James, Sarah, Mrs. Ellen
Rhyddarch, Mrs. Mariem Muir, and Mary.
To Mr. and Mrs. Parry, the following children
have been born, Esther A., Edith F., Lila S.,
and George S.
Mr. Parry does not belong to any denom-
ination but is a supporter of all. He is known
as a very energetic and stirring man and one of
the upright and sagacious business men who
have done much for the country.
FRANCIS W. McCANN is a member of
the firm of De Bolt & McCann, who do a nice
business in the hardware and grocery line in
Coulee City. Mr. McCann is one of the pio-
neers of the county and is a first class business
man, well known, and popular.
Francis W. McCann was born in Luzerne
county, Pennsylvania, on April 7, 1867, and
his father, William McCann was also a native
of the Keystone State and served in the Seven-
teenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry for
three years and eight months during the Civil
Avar, being an excellent soldier. He is now a
member of the G. A. R. After the war, he
went to Colorado, mining and made a fortune.
Later, he wrought in the Transvaal diamond
and gold fields of Africa and accumulated a
large amount of money. He then set sail for
his native land and when in sight of it, the
steamer was wrecked and he lost all his money.
Both parents are now residing in Wyoming.
Mr. McCann married Miss Margaret A.
Day, a native of Pennsylvania and our subject
was the only child. He was educated in the
schools of Pennsylvania, Nebraska, and Doug-
las county, Washington, having the distinction
of attending the first school in this county. It
was located about seven miles north of Hart-
line and taught by C. C. Ladd. Following are
the names of the other pupils who attended the
same school: Edward and William Day; Al-
mira, Effie, Earl, and Elizabeth Rusho; Estes
Higginbotham ; Henry Elmer; Ada, Ella, and
Kitty Rusho ; James, Lucy and William Smith ;
Edwin and Ida Young. He was only eleven
when the family went from Pennsylvania to Ne-
braska and from that state, they journeyed to
this county, landing here on September 16,
1883. Settlement was made about seven miles
north from Hartline and there he remained
until he attained his majority. In 1889, Mr.
McCann took an active part in political matters
and became deputy sheriff under Frank Day,
the first elected sheriff in the county under the
state constitution. Later, he was nominated
for sheriff but was swept aside by the popu-
listic wa\-e and served as deputy sheriff under
Charles Ogle. In 1900, Mr. McCann was
elected on the Fusion ticket as county clerk,
by a small majority, over J. W. Wolverton,
the Republican. He served in this capacity,
with satisfaction to all, until January, 1903,
when he entered into his present business,
forming a co-partnership with Mr. De Bolt, who
is named in another part of this work.
On May 13, 1896, Mr. McCann married
Miss Mary E., daughter of John C. and Sarah
(Browning) Higginbotham. Mrs. McCann
was born in Missouri, on July 3, 1878 and has
four brothers and two sisters, James F., Mar-
shall, George, Thomas, Mrs. Lecta Drinkard,
and Sallie. To our subject and his wife, three
children have been born, Ralph W., Frances
F., and John C.
Mr. McCann is an adherent of the Roman
Catholic church, while in political matters, he
maintains an independent position. He is very
active in the interests of the community and
is known as a progressive and capable man.
ALBERT W. De BOLT is one of the
pioneer settlers of Douglas county and is now
handling a large mercantile establishment in
Coulee City. He has been active in various
other- capacities here and won especial distinc-
tion in different lines as will appear in recount-
ing the salient points of his career. Mr. De
Bolt is as well known as any man in Douglas
county, being distinguished by his energy,
strength of purpose, and spirit. He was born
in Fayette county, Indiana, on IMay 26, 1856,
the son of Joseph and Ann E. (Silvey) De
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
639
Bolt, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, re-
spectively. The father was a stock dealer and
was a member of the legislature for two terms,
from his county, in the seventies. Our subject
was favored with a high school education in
Lafayette county, Missouri, whither the fam-
ily had removed when he was ten years of age.
In 1877, he journeyed thence to Linn county,
Oregon, making a stop there of one year. The
next move was to the vicinity of Pullman in
Whitman county, this state, being a pioneer
settler there. He was 'occupied for a decade
in farming and in 1887 came to Douglas
county, settling near Bridg-eport. He engaged
in the stock business and also took government
land to which he added by purchase until he
has one thousand acres. For thirteen years,
Mr. De Bolt pursued the labors of farmer and
stock raiser with abundant success. In 1903,
he removed^ from the farm to Coulee City and
opened a grocery and hardware store, handling
also farming implements and vehicles. He
has been favored with a fine patronage from
the start and carries a large stock of goods.
While Mr. De Bolt was residing on the
ranch, he was very active in breaking up the
bands of cattle thieves which infested the coun-
try and was occupied as justice of the peace for
eight years by an appreciative public. On ac-
count of his persistency in following the thieves,
he was elected sheriff of Douglas county in
1900, defeating J. D. Logan, the Repubhcan
candidate by a majority of one hundred and
fifty-two. Mr. De Bolt went for cattle thieves
in such a manner that the county became well
rid of them and he deserves the credit and
praise of every property owner in the county
of Douglas as well as central Washington.
His fearlessness, his keenness, and his deter-
mination, ha\-e wr)n for him a fine name as well
as enabling him tr; do untold good for the
citizens of this county. When the notorious
Tracy crossed the Columbia, ]\Ir. De Bolt or-
ganized a posse and took up the trail from
which he never varied until he assisted to sur-
round the outlaw in the wheat field near Cres-
ton.
Mr. De Bolt has the following brothers and
sisters, Henrv A., Charles C, Herman, Frank,
Mrs. Flora Younger and JMrs. Elizabeth Whit-
nah.
The marriage of 'Mr. De Bolt and Miss
Elizabeth Lowerv, was celebrated in Whitman
county, on December i, 1878 and to them have
been born five children. Lulu F., in Whitman
county, on January 10, 1881 ; lone, in Whit-
man county, on January 23, 1883; Wilmer, in
\Vhitman county, on October 4, 1887; Leslie,
in this county, near Bridgeport, on November
17, 1890; and Orville, in this county, on May
16, 1895. Mrs. De Bolt was born in Illinois,
on January 25, 1865. Her father \\as David
Lowery, a native of Illinois and' pioneer to
Whitman county. She has two brothers and
one sister, George, John, and Mrs. Harriet Ris-
ley. Air. and Mrs. De Bolt are adherents of
the Presbyterian church and they are very sub-
stantial and estimable people.
DANIEL TWINING is one of the lead-
ing business men in Coulee City, where he op-
erates a coal and wood office. He has also dealt
extensively in wheat and land and has done
business all over the Big- Bend country.
Daniel Twining" was born in Pembrock-
shire, Wales, on October 20, 1854, the son of
Thomas and Margaret (Jones) Twining, both
natives of Wales. The father was a sawyer
by trade. Our subject received his educational
training in the common school of Carmathen-
shire and learned the trade of hammerman,
when he had grown to manhood. In 1882, he
came from Wales to the United States and at
once set to work with zest to carve a fortune
in the new world. After spending one winter
in Illinois, he came on west with the true pio-
neer spirit, settling in Sprague, Lincoln county,
h'or some time he was occupied variously there
and then journeved to near where Almira is
now located, where he selected a homestead.
After residing there five years he came to Mc-
Entee and took a pre-emption on which he now
resides. It is ,well improved and supplied with
running water. Mr. Twining has improved
the place in good shape and in addition to
handing it to general crops is also raising cat-
tle. He has a fine band of stock and is one of
the prosperous men in these lines. In addition
to these enterprises, Mr. Twining is doing an
excellent trade in coal, wood and ice, besides
handling the butcher business.
At Spokane, on March 17, 1888. Mr. Twin-
ing married Miss Ann Howell, the daughter
of John and Mary (Evans) Howell, natives of
640
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
Wales. Airs. Twining was born in Carmar-
then, Wales, on February 17, 1859, and died in
Coulee City, on February 28, 1903. Mrs.
Twining had one sister, Jane Llewellyn. Five
children were born to this marriage: Thomas
H., on June 19, 1889; Alfred J., on March 25,
1891 ; Daniel C, on November 29, 1893; Wen-
deline A., on May 19, 1895; William L., on
July 3, 1897. Mrs. Twining was a good
woman and had the love and high esteem of
all who knew her. Mr. Twining was a mem-
ber of the Foresters and was raised under the
influence of the Baptist church. He was elected
justice of the peace but declined. He holds
the office of county road supervisor. He was
one of the pioneer settlers of this vicinity and
has always shown a progressive spirit and la-
bored for the improvement and upbuilding of
the community.
WELLER EMRICK is an agriculturist,
living about five miles northwest from Water-
ville. who has manifested rare executive ability,
together with thrift and industry in his labors
in Douglas county. He is a man of consider-
able property, stands well in the community and
is well and favorably known.
Weller Emrick was born in Preble county,
Ohio, on March 28, 1853, the son of Jacob and
Lavina (Enoch) Emrick. natives of Berks
county, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, respectively.
The district school of his native place furnished
our subject his educational training and when
the family moved to Missouri, in 1866, he went
also. They settled in Cass county and engaged
in farming. For twenty years our subject re-
mained under the parental roof, then started in
life for himself. He went to Cowley county,
Kansas, in 1875. where he bought land and for
eleven years devoted himself to the basic art of
agriculture. Then he went with a co-operative
colony to Mexico, Jopolobampo, Sinaloa, being
their postoffice. He remained there six years
and was superintendent of agriculture for one
year. From there, he came to Washington and
settled in Douglas county, where he now re-
sides. He at first purchased one quarter section
but later added as much more. His farm pro-
duces abundant crops of wheat, oats as well as
of vegetables and fruit. Mr. Emrick has im-
proved his farm in excellent shape and has a
very comfortable rural abode. So well satis-
fied is he with the Big Bend country, he declares
that this shall be the place in which he shall re-
main until death calls him hence.
Mr. Emrick has the following brothers and
sisters, Leander, Malvina and Marilus, all
dwelling in Missouri. On July i, 1875, in
Missouri, Mr. Emrick married Miss Samantha,
daughter of James and Delilah (Jackson)
Blakely, natives of Virginia and Missouri, re-
spectively. Mrs. Emrick was born in Cass
county, Missouri, on February 16, 1857. To
Mr. and Mrs. Emrick have been born four chil-
dren, Ove, in Cowley county, Kansas, on Sep-
tember 8, 1878; H. Hampton, on July 14,
1881 ; Reuben E., in Cowley county, Kansas, on
April 19, 1885; and Dora E., September 27,,
1888, and now deceased. The three children
living are at home. Mr. Emrick is well enough
posted on the issues of the day, that he does not
tie himself to any party but manifests an inde-
pendent position in political matters.
LEONARD SCHNEIDER has a fine es-
tate of five hundred and sixty acres, about seven
miles northeast from Waterville, which is his
home at the present time. He has been known
as one of the leading agriculturists in this sec-
tion of the country for a number of years, on
account the thrift displayed in the care of his
farm and the sagacity in his business life.
Leonard Schneider was born in Racine
county, Wisconsin, on February 12, i860, the
son of Godthart and Margaret (Jacobs) Schnei-
der, natives of Germany and immigrants to the
United States in 1856. Our subject was edu-
cated in Racine county, Wisconsin, and Blue
Earth county, Minnesota, whither he came with
his parents. He remained at home until twen-
ty-one years of age, then started out for him-
self without a dollar in his pocket. For two
years he worked on a neighboring farm, for
eighteen dollars per month and in 1883, jour-
neyed west to Garfield county, Washington.
He took a pre-emption there, which he sold in
1888. It was 1885, that Mr. Schneider took a
homestead about nine miles northeast of Water-
ville. which land he sold to his brother recently.
Mr. Schneider then took up his residence on his
wife's homestead, and to which he has added
by purchase as stated above. The land is all
first class and is well cultivated. He has abund-
WILLIAM DOMRESE
MRS. WILLIAM DOMRESE
^^ A
ORVILL CLARK
HENRY PRANGE
OLE RUUD
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
641
ance of horses for farm work, and raises good
thoroughbred cattle and Poland China hogs.
Mr. Schneider is a man of intelligence, good
judgment, and executive ability, which is very
apparent from the success he has attained by
his labors in Douglas county. Mr. Schneider
has the following brothers and, sisters, John,
Phillip, Joseph, Anthony, Mrs. Catherine Ber-
inger, Mrs. Mary Rubanzer, Mrs. Annie Foster
and Mrs. Agnes Richter.
Mr. Schnieder married at Waterville, on
October 20, 1897, Mrs. Mary E. Longacre, be-
coming his wife at that time. She is a daugh-
ter of Richard G. S. and Elizabeth (Pitts)
Burke, natives of Kentucky. Mrs. Schneider
was born in Johnson county, Missouri, on
March 20, 1861, and has the following named
brothers and sisters, Mrs. Marcella F. Blewins,
James P., John H., Frederick S., Warren A.,
Richard W., Isaac N. and Frances M., twins,
Mrs. Lou A. Lauderman, Mrs. Laura C. Mor-
ris, Mrs. Flora G. Taylor and Mrs. Sarah L.
Allison. By her former marriage Mrs. Schnei-
der had three children, Willis R., James W.,
and Edmond G.
Mr. and Mrs. Schneider ha\'e become the
parents of three children, Benjamin F., Laura
I., and Frederick L.
Mr. Schneider is a member of the Roman
Catholic church while his wife is a Baptist.
WILLIAM DOMRESE is to be classed
as one of the pioneers of Douglas county. Since
the early days when the prairies were without
human habitation and when many hardships
had to be borne by those who sought homes in
this section, and until the present time, Mr.
Domrese has devoted himself steadily to the
labors of upbuilding and improving. His pres-
ent fine holding has been gained as the result
of his industry and he is to be addressed as one
of the leading citizens of the county.
William Domrese was born in Prussia, on
March 26, 1844, the son of Carl and Lottie
(Litchew) Domrese. both natives of Prussia.
They came to the L'nited States in i860, settling
in Chicago. Before leaving the old country,
our subject had begun his education and con-
tinued the same in the Garden State, until nine-
teen. In that year, being 1863, he enlisted at
Chicago in the L'nited States na\'y. lie was on
the Monitor, Osage, Naid, Onichita, Fairplay
and Neosho, and received his honorable dis-
charge at Mound City, Illinois, on August 17,
1867. He had participated in the Mississippi
campaign under Admiral Porter and was at
New Orleans, Vicksburg and Baton Rouge.
He was wounded while on the Naid by a glanc-
ing shell, which kept him in the hospital for five
months. Following his discharge, he returned
to Chicago and there remainned for si.x months,
during which time occurred the Chicago fire.
In 1873, he removed to Winona countv, Min-
nesota, where his residence was for seven vears.
during which time he was engaged in carpen-
tering and building. From that city, he jour-
neyed to Stafford county, Kansas, and contin-
ued the same business, and among the different
edifices erected by him were the school house
and court house at St. John.
In 1884, Mr. Domrese provided himself
with teams and wagons and crossed the plains
to Washing-ton, consuming six months in the
journey. It was in October when he landed in
Douglas county and he took by squatter's right
a place near the old town of Okanogan, which
was six miles east from where Waterville now
stands. After a short residence there, he re-
moved to where Mr. Teller now lives, but only
remained a few months. In 1886, he took up a
pre-emption and timber cluture, which was a
nucleus of his present estate, which lies about
seven miles northeast from Waterville. To
that one-half section, he has added as much
more by purchase and the whole section of land
is one of the finest farms to be found anvwhere
in this region. It has been brought to 'a high
state of cultivation and is very productive. This
estate is supplied with good buildings and im-
provements. Mr. Domrese has a nice band of
cattle and in addition to farming and stock
raising he has done considerable contracting
and building in Waterville and other places,
since settling here.
Politically, Mr. Domrese has always been
acti\-e and was one of the first delegates from
this county to the Republican convention at
Seattle. Our subject has two brothers and one
sister, Herman, Edward and Mrs. Lena Nhels.
At Chicago, in 1872, Mr. Domrese married
Miss Helen, daughter of Carl H. and Albertine
(Braun) Zachow, natives of Prussia and now
living- in Chicago. Mr. Zachow was an active
educator in the school room for fitv-two ^■ears.
642
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY
In April 1903. he came on a visit to his daugh-
ter here in Douglas county and here passed
from earth to the Hfe beyond, after having
spent eiglity-eight years and eight months so
faithfullv in noble labors. Mrs. Domrese was
]x)rn in Prussia on January 21, 1854. and has
one brother and three sisters, John, Airs. Anna
Knobelsdorff, Airs. Louisa Bollman and Aliss
Matilda Jacobson. To Mr. and Mrs. Domrese,
the following children have been born ; Charles
A., in Winona county, Minnesota, April 7,
1874; Adele K.. in Winona county, Minnesota,
on June 27, 1876, now the wife of William
McKay, Louis E., in Winona county, Minne-
sota, on August 29, 1877; Henry J., in Kansas,
on December 23, 1882; Lucy M., in Douglas
county, March 27, 1885 ; Lilly D., in this coun-
ty, on July 8, 1892; and Bernice A., in this
county on September 5, 1893.
Mr. Domrese is an active member of the G.
A. R., and he and his wife are communicants
at the Lutheran church. In his labors and walk
in this countv and elsewhere he has always
shown marked integrity and sound principles,
coupled with industry and sagacity, which have
won for him, not only an enviable position in
this community but also a fine competence in
this world's goods.
OR\'ILL CL.\RK is one of the pioneers of
Douglas county and resides now on his place
about a mile south from Waterville, where he
settled in 1884. He has improved the farm well
and in addition to raising diversified crops, has
given his attention to raising horses.
Orvill Clark was born in Ann Artor, Mich-
igan, on May 18, 1838. the son of Elias S. and
Mary A. (Fletcher) Clark, natives of New
York and Canada, respectively, and descendants
of old colonial stock. Mr. Clark was educated
in the public .schools of his native state and at
the age of nineteen, went to work for himself.
He operated his farm in Michigan until 1878.
then started to California to seek his health. He
j^ot no farther than Laramie, Wyoming, and
there remained for one year. Being improved,
he returned to Michigan, sold his property and
journeyed to Colorado. After tilling the soil
for sometime in that state, he went on to San
Francisco and thence m^de his way to Spokane.
It was on March 30, 1884, that Mr. Clark took
his present place by a squatter's right and since
that time he has been one of the steady laborers
for progress and development of this county.
Air. Clark has four brothers and two sisters,
Albert. Andrew C, L. Frank, Russell A., Mrs.
Adeline Raymond, and Airs. Mandany M.
Petty.
At Stockbridge, Bingham county, Mich-
igan, on September 4, 1859, Air. Clark married
Aliss Adeline Carr, a native of Wheatfield, in
the same county. Her parents were William
and Mary Carr, descendants from early colonial
stock. The fruit of this union is Scott E., born
in Wheatfield, Alichigan, now a farmer in Clin-
ton, that state; Floyd B., born in DeWitt, Clin-
ton county, Alichigan, also residing in that
state; Flora A., born in Gilford, Michigan, now
living in this county, the wife of Alichael AIc-
Grew an engineer. Air. Clark has held various
offices in places where he has lived and is a man
of energy and good judgment.
It is of interest in an article of this kind to
note that Air. Clark had a full share of the trials
and adversities with the struggling pioneers
contemporary with him, in opening this country
and securing a support for himself and his fam-
ih'. Provisions could only be had in Spokane,
one huntlred and fifty miles distant. Other
places nearer were simply little supply points
where goods were brought to from Sjx^kane and
other places on the railroad and the prices were
greatly in excess of those ruling in Spokane.
Consequently men of limited means could do
no better than to take their rigs and make the
trip to Spokane, whence they freighted their
supplies to their claims. Mr. Clark had his part
in this and it would take thirteen days and
nights to make the journey and while out he
never slept in a house. Those days are past and
now he has the prosperity that his wise labors
deserve.
HENRY PRANGE. If one-fourth of the
hardships endured and labors performed and
the suffering undergone by the pioneers were
written, books would be multiplied in an untold
degree. It is only when one comes in contact
with real pioneers, and face to face with the
actual conditions as they exist that he can real-
ize these things. Douglas county has lieen no
exception to pioneer history and many could re-
peat tales of actual experience stranger than
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
643
fiction. We are pleased to have the privilege of
recording some of the incidents in the career of
the subject of this article, who, with his faith-
ful wife, has labored most assiduously and has
gained, also, a very brilliant and gratifying suc-
cess, in which latter, every one, who knows
their history, will take great pleasure. Henry
Prange was born in Hanover, Germanv, on
June 10, 1854. His parents, John and Annie
(Prigge) Prange, were also nati\es of Han-
over. He was educated in the public schools of
his native place and there remained until 1882
when he came to the United States, settling in
South Dakota. He did general work there for
a while and then farmed for five vears. In
1888 he came to Douglas county and took a pre-
emption near his present homestead which lies
about two miles southeast from Farmer. He
also took a pre-emption. He went to Kittitas
county and worked to get money to move his
family on the claim and then came hither with
them. Mr. Prange was forced to work out to
gain food for the family and his wife cared for
the place. On Sundays, he would come home
and haul a supply of water for the week from a
well nine miles distant then return to his work
on Sunday night. During these times, his
wife cut fifteen acres of grain with a knife and
so industrious was she that she saved the entire
amount. Such faithful lators as these could
but gain success. Although both were beset
with many adverse circumstances, they have
steadily climbed up the grade until now they
are among the most prosperous people in Doug-
las county. To the claim they have added one-
half section by purchase and now they have a
mag-nificent estate of one section, with good
residence, large barn, plenty of water and all
other improvements necessary. In addition to
farming, they handle fine graded cattle and also
good horses. The farm is supplied with the lat-
est improvements in machinery. Everything
about the premises, from the broad acres to
every part of the house, shows a real industry
thrift and prosperity. Mr. Prange has three
brothers and two sisters in Germany while his
wife has one brother and four half-sisters in
Germany.
In South Dakota on May 6, 1883, Mr.
Prange married Miss Annie, daughter of Cars-
tan and Kathrina (Schreider) Prange, natives
of Hanover. Germany. To this union the fol-
lowing children have been born; Annie C, in
South Dakota, March 27, 1884; William John
Henry, in South Dakota, on August 11, 1885;
Otto A. J., in South Dakotat, on December 11,
1887; John H., in Ellensburg, on Ivlarch 20,
1890; Emma M., in Douglas county, on May
13, 1893; William H., in Douglas county, on
October 11, 1895; and Maria M., in Douglas
county, on February 23, 1898.
In their labors to gain prosperity in tem-
poral things, Mr. and Mrs. Prange have not
forgotten the true spirit life and are devoted
members of the Lutheran church. Mr. Prange
is full}' satisfied with the country of his adop-
tion and feels, also, that his choice of Douglas
county has not been a mistake. It is a pleasure
to note that he has made another valuable citi-
zen to the land of the Stars and Stripes, coming
from the land which has given us so many of
sturdv worth.
OLE RUUD is one of the most substantial
men of Douglas county, and perhaps no other
settler is as well known in his section of the
country as he. Doubtless, too, no other man in
Washington is as well accjuainted with Doug-
las county as Mr. Ruud. Since 1884 he has
been surveyor of the county and although he is
a Republican in politics, and his name appears
on that ticket, still he is the recipient of the con-
fidence of all parties and has given a general
and thorough satisfaction during his long term
of service.
Ole Ruud was born in Parish Hole, Nor-
way, on December 24, 1 847. the son of Ole and
Johanna (Vig) Ruud, natives of the same
place as our subject. The father is deceased,
but the mother is still living in Norway. After
attending the common schools of his native
country, Ole was confirmed in the Lutheran
church and then finished his education in the
agricultural college of Aws, Norway, in 1870.
After that he was engaged in the mercantile,
lumber business, and farming there until 1879.
the vear in which he came to the United States.
He landed in Hamilton county, Iowa, and en-
gaged in various occupations there including
coal mining and so forth. Later, he sold the
property that he had acquired and came on to
San Francisco. From there, he journeyed on
to Portland, then to Walla Walla and finally
came out to Brents postoffice in 1882. In May
644
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
of the following year, in company with John
Bannick he came to Douglas county and arrived
here on the eight of the month. On the I2th
of May, 1883, he posted a notice on a claim he
had selected, it being at the foot of Badger
mountain, and is two and three-fourths miles
due south of Waterville. The only flowing-
water in that section is on Mr. Ruud's farm. He
had added three fourths of a section to this and
now has an excellent estate which is laid out
with the best of wisdom and taste and is a
model Washington farm. On the 17th of May
after his location he had the ground prepared
and planted a crop of potatoes which was the
first crop in the Waterville section. Mr. Ruud
had to endure the hardships incident to pioneer
life and knows what it is to labor hard with
scant supplies. In 1884, under the territorial
government he was selected surveyor and since
then has been in that office. He had studied
civil engineering and surveying in the old coun-
try. In addition to the occupation mentioned,
Mr. Ruud also does stock breeding and has a
fine herd of graded cattle. He has three broth-
ers and one sister, Andrew. Martin, Christian,
Olava.
At Waterville, on November 24, 1892, Mr.
Ruud married Miss Christina Larson, the
daughter of Lars M. and Sara S. (Jenson)
Larson, both natives of Sweden. Mrs. Ruud
was born in Lind Brufal, Sweden, on September
9, 1864, and came to the United States on
April 13, 1883. To this union six children
have been born, Agnes I. J., Signe Kristiana
Jane, Synneva Augusta O., Karl Oliver, Albert
Martin, and Gustav Adolph. Mr. Ruud is a
member of the Old Settlers Association of
Douglas county, while he and his wife belong
to the Lutheran church. They are highly re-
spected people and have labored faithfully for
the advancement of the interests of Douglas
county since coming here.
BYRUM S. DODD lives at St. Andrews,
in Douglas county, where he has a fine
estate of four hundred and eighty acres,
which is in a high state of cultivation
and cropped mostly to small grains. He
was born in Knox county, Ohio, on August
12, 1851. His parents, Josephus and Sarah
(Rines) Dodd, were natives of Ohio and
pioneers to Illinois. In Whiteside county of
the latter state our subject received his edu-
cation and there remained for thirty-four years,
engaged in farming. It was in 1890, that he
came to Douglas county and settled on a pre-
emption, taking also later a timber culture and
homestead, which now make the estate mention-
ed above. The soil is very fertile and is handled
skilfully for the production of grain. Mr.
Dodd has a good orchard of well selected fruit
besides various other improvements on the
farm. He raises cattle besides some other stock.
Mr. Dodd has one brother and three sisters,
Stephen, Mrs. Mary M. Austin, Mrs. Phoebe
E. Seavey and Mrs. Vianne Bills, deceased.
At Morrison, Illinois, on December 15, 1874,
Mr. Dodd married Miss Charlotte A., daughter
of Thomas and Eliza (Courtney) Elliott, natives
of New York city. Mrs. Dodd was born in
New York city, on January i, 1856, and has.
two brothers, John and Thomas. To Mr. and
Mrs. Dodd two children have been born ; Sarah
E., in Illinois, on March 11, 1876 and is at
present postmistress at St. Andrews; Alfred J.,,
in Illinois, on August 12, 1880. Mr. Dodd is
a member of the I. O. O. F. and the M. W. A.
EIELT J. COORDES is a native of the
province of Hanover, Germany and comes from
the stanch blood \\-hence has sprung some of
the most noted men of the world. Possessed
of that sturdiness which is characteristic of his.
race, and guided with consummate wisdom, he
has pursued his way steadily and has gained
a success which is the sure meed of merit. At
the present time he is the owner of eight hun-
dred acres of fine land lying where the old town
of Okanogan used to stand, and in fact a por-
tion of his farm is the site of that early burg.
This excellent estate is all in crop and produces
annually large returns of wheat and other small
grains. Good substantial impro\-ements are in
evidence and Mr. Coordes is considered one of
the leading agriculturists in the county, and it
is sure that dame fortune has smiled on his
efforts.
Eielt J. Coordes was born on March 10,
1854, the son of John E. and Wubike O.
( Agena ) Coordes, natives of the province of
Hanover Germany. Our subject was well edu-
cated in the public schools of Thune, his native
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
645
city, and there remained until he had reached
manhood's estate, ^^"hen twenty, he enhsted
in the Seventy-eighth Regiment, Company
Two, of the regular German army and served
until 1876, being under Captain Weckmann.
Mr. Coordes was an expert shot and held the
honors of his company during his entire time
•of service. Following his military career, he
returned to the life of the civilian and remained
still in Germany until 1883. In that year he
came from the Fatherland, bidding good-bye
to dear ones and cherished scenes, determined
to try his fortune in the new world. For the
first two years after arriving here he was in
Woodford county, Illinois, engaged in rail-
road contracting. Then he came west to Ritz-
ville, Washington, where he remained until the
spring of 1887. Thence he came to his present
location and here he has remained since, achiev-
ing the success that comes to the truly indus-
trious who are guided by wisdom. In addition
to his farming, he has devoted considerable
attention to raising cattle and the result is that
he has a large band of well graded stock.
Mr. Coordes has two sisters, Mrs. Ettje
Dirkzen, and Mrs. Johanna J. Eben, both living
in the province of Hanover.
In Illinois, on November 10, 1883, Mr.
Coordes married Miss Mary, daughter of Jur-
gen and Euke O. (Agena) Kutcher, natives of
Germany. Mrs. Coordes was born in the pro-
vince of Hanover, on November 15, 1856. To
this worthy couple the following children have
been born; Anna E., on December 2, 1884;
John E., on August 5, 1886: William E., on
April 10, 1892: Amy E., on September 16,
1894; and Owen E., on June 12, 1897. The
first two were natives of Illinois and the last
three of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Coordes
are consistent members o 
