An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 103

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1524

USA > Idaho > Kootenai County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 103
USA > Idaho > Nez Perce County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 103
USA > Idaho > Shoshone County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 103
USA > Idaho > Latah County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 103

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Naturally the growth of Grangeville during the 'eighties was quite slow. Isolation and scarcity of money were militating against it, as against the coun- try generally, the latter due to the decline of placer mining before other industries could be developed to take its place. Elliott's history, published in 1884. speaks of the town as a little hamlet on the road leading to Mount Idaho, consisting of a mill and a few shops and dwelling houses.

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HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

Until 1885. Grangeville had never been surveyed but in the fall of that year F. P. Turner, county sur- veyor. made a plat of it, which bears date October 30th and was filed for record December 3d. The plat shows nine regularly laid out blocks two hundred by four hundred feet, bounded by North Second street, South street, Mill street and Coon ( now State ) street.

About 1890 the town took up the forward march in good carnest and since that time it has maintained a growth always steady and substantial and at times rpid; this, too, despite the long period of finncial de- pression experienced by the country generally. In a lengthy descriptive article on Idaho county, written in 1890, that well known and admittedly able journal- ist, A. F. Parker, gives us a glimpse of the Grange- ville of that day which is of so much historic interest that we feel constrained to reproduce it here. He says :

"Grangeville is comparatively a new town, having been started in 1874. It has all the elements of a quiet, progressive center, and is one of the most moral, orderly and law-abiding towns in America. Every sojourner is struck by the steady air and self repose of its citizens. It is not a county seat, and between it and its near neighbor, Mount Idaho, the most cor- dial feelings are entertained. It is the commercial center of Idaho county, being situated in the most central part of the most fertile and thickly-settled portion of Camas Prairie. It is a farmer's, miner's, stockman's and prospector's trading point and does a very large mountain trade. It is located on Three Mile creek. three miles from Mount Idaho. The town is building up very rapidly. Its business interests comprise three large stores, carying the heaviest stocks of goods in Idaho, a fine hotel, two blacksmiths, brew- ery, two saloons, a weekly newspaper, the "Idaho Free Press," with job printing office attachment, two con- tractors and undertakers, one boot and shoe maker, one furniture establishment, agricultural implement dealers, two drug stores, three doctors, two meat mar- kets, harness and saddle manufactory, a saw and shin- gle mill in the timber two miles from town, and several dairies in the immediate neighborhood.

"Grangeville is an enterprisng town, and already possesses the attributes of a place ten times as pop- ulous, viz. : a high school, a resident minister of the Methodist church, a fine brass band, a choir and or- chestra, a Chautauqua circle and other indications of culture and refinement that are greatly extending their influence in the community. Churches will be erected this fall by the Methodist and Episcopal congre- gations. A very large union Sunday school is organized here. The Patrons of Husbandry have a strong mem- bership, own a fine hall, and are a power for good in the community. The Odd Fellows also make Grangeville their headquarters. A strong military company (Company C, Idaho Guards), equipped. armed and uniformed by the state is also organized liere and universally commended for its efficiency of drill and military manœuvres. The town is growing very rapidly and promises to become in the near future the most important town in northern Idaho. Wood

is obtained by hauling from the timber belt two miles south of town. Water is found at six to twenty feet. A new schoolhouse is building, its population is fast increasing, and the formation of a new social and commercial world is progressing with great rapidity. It will undoubtedly become the railroad center of the great Clearwater basin. Present population, 300."

In 1890, F. D. Vansise built for the school district a school house 22 by 36 feet, costing about $650. Many thought at the time that this building was inadequate to the needs of the town and the wisdom of their councils was soon discovered, for in 1893 a new and much larger and more expensive building was found to be necessary. 1890 also witnessed the laying of the corner stones of the two churches mentioned in Mr. Parker's article, the Methodist and Episcopal, both of which were built in due time. 1892 brought two banks, the Bank of Grangeville and the Bank of Camas Prairie, the former being the first institution of its kind in the town though the mercantile firm of Vollmer & Scott had for many years discharged some of the functions of a banking establishment. A second flour mill, with a capacity which was later increased to one hundred barrels, was erected in 1892, and a saw mill near town was also among the new enter- prises inaugurated during the year.

In 1893 the little frame school house proved inade- quate and on March 6th the district determined to order a special election to be held April 3d for the purpose of voting on a proposition to issue bonds in the sum of $5,680, with the proceeds of which to erect a school. The election was held pursuant to call and resulted in the authorizing of the bond issue by a vote of 72 to 8. July 16th of the following year the contract for building the new temple of learning was awarded to George W. Williams. The contract price was $4.995, but as usual in such matters changes were made in the plans necessitating increased ex- penditures, and bringing the total cost up to about $6,000.

Notwithstanding the hard times of 1894 the town enjoyed a substantial growth during that year. A tele- phone system was put in between it and Lewiston. and a number of new business enterprises were maug- urated. The old Grange flour mill passed into the hands of Scott & Vollmer, who renovated it thoroughly and increased its daily capacity to forty barrels. Grangeville's experience during the hard times goes to prove the statement so frequently made that points remote from a railroad are less affected by general financial disturbances than those in more intimate connection with the centers of population and civiliza- tion. It cannot be denied, however, that Grangeville felt the hard times and that its growth during those trying years was much slower than it would have been had prosperity prevailed generally.

May 13, 1895, the town experienced its first fire of any consequence, two of the oldest buildings in town being destroyed. The fire started in an old structure situated on the corner east of the Jersey house. occu- pied at the time by one J. P. Fitzgerald. Mr. Fitz- gerald had arisen at an early hour on the morning

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of the accident and started a fire in his cook stove. Soon after he discovered that the roofing around the stove pipe was on fire. He gave the alarm, but before anything could be done the building was beyond hope. An effort was made to save the vacant one next to it. however, by attaching a block and tackle to it and dragging it out of danger, but the tackle obtainable was not strong enough to stand the strain. Giant powder was tried with no better results and soon the building was likewise beyond hope. The Schmadeka building on the north, occupied by W. S. Hogan and family, was saved, though only fifteen feet distant, by suspend- ing wet blankets from the roof ; the Jersey house was kept saturated with water, while the foliage of poplar trees protected D. Sheaffer's drug store building on the east. Fortunately the day was one of absolute calm, otherwise the entire town might have been de- troyed.

For more than the first two decades of its existence, Grangeville's inhabitants were so quiet and orderly that the necessity of town government was not felt, but during 1897 a class of vagabonds entered the place and for their proper handling as well as to promote the development of the town, the improve- ment of its streets and sidewalks, etc., it was thought best to incorporate. Accordingly on October 8th a citizens' meeting was held in Grange hall to take the initial steps in that direction. A committee on boun- daries was appointed which reported as follows :

"We. your committee, would report the following boundaries : Commencing at the southwest corner of Sherwin's addition; thence north to lane north of Schmadeka's residence; thence east to road running south to Grangeville; thence south to north line of William Havernick's property ; thence east a quarter of a mile : thence south to south of Mount Idaho road ; thence west to near southeast corner of graveyard; thence south to section line ; thence west to west of E. Evan's orchard; thence north to south line of Lew- iston addition; thence west to southwest corner of Lewiston addition; thence north to northwest corner Lewiston addition ; thence east to place of beginning.

"H. WAX, "P. E. SHERWIN, "K. W. WHITE, Committee."

A petition praying for the incorporation of the town with the above described limits was sent to the county commissioners, which body, on October 15th, incorporated the town, appointing W. W. Brown, Aaron Freidenrich, Henry Wax, E. C. Sherwin and W. F. Schmadeka, trustees. These elected Henry Wax mayor, John T. Riggins marshal, W. E. Bun- nell clerk, R. Fulton village attorney, John Norwood treasurer. At the time of the incorporation, the Grangeville school district was constituted an inde- pendent one in accordance with the general laws of the state providing for the formation of such.

The final month of 1897 witnessed the second seri- outs fire in Grangeville, a lucid account of which was given in the Free Press of December 24th as follows : "Fire broke out in the southwest corner of the

second story of the Eagle brewery building west of the Free Press office at 12:30 A. M. on the morning of Sunday, December 19th. In a few minutes the en- tire building was a mass of flaines. The Hanson photograph gallery on the west quickly caught and thence the flames easily spread to the adjoining build- ing owned by Mrs. Crea and occupied by H. F. Shiss- ler as a restaurant. Meanwhile the fierce heat of the two-story saloon building had started a fire in the Free Press building, and for a while it looked as if the en- tire town of Grangeville was to be wiped out by the fire fiend. Across the street stood the high walls of the Grange hall presenting a most seductive mark for the flames. The heat was intense; but at the height of the danger, there being at this time more people aroused, a bucket brigade was quickly formed and a steady shower of water was thrown upon the exposed wall. This, together with the melting snow upon the roof, proved sufficient to keep the flames from spread- ing east of Hall street ; and when the Free Press build- ing fell in all hands turned their attention to saving the west end of the burning block. Here the fire was roaring merrily and throwing forked tongues of flame from the west wall of the restaurant across the vacant twenty-five feet of space between it and O'Kane's tailor shop. Fortunately the latter is only a small box of a building, and speedily a corps of workers were astride its ridge pole spreading blankets and deluging them with water in the very face of the roaring furnace, and after thirty minutes of hot work the restaurant col- lapsed and the danger was over.

"But while all this work was going on the south side of Main street was also threatened. More than once the front of the Palace hotel was actually on fire, and the fact that this block is not now in ashes is owing solely to the foresight of W. F. Schmadeka, who had equipped his premises with a fire pump and 250 feet of rubber hose. A steady stream of water was kept playing on the entire front of the block. So great was the heat of the fire that although Main street is eighty feet wide, it cracked the plate glass of Schmadeka's new brick building and blistered the paint all along the front of this block. The Jones meat market was once on fire.

"The conflagration came at a most seasonable time. There were three or four inches of new snow on-roofs and streets, and the atmosphere was clear, calm and cold, so the flames went perpendicularly aloft, and such firebrands as were carried to a distance by currents in the tipper atmosphere landed on the snow and were speedily quenched. Such firebrands were discovered at daylight on the porch of the school house and as far north as the flouring mills. But for the snow thus protecting the roofs, a dozen fires would have been started in as many different points and the entire town would have gone up in smoke."

The losses were as follows: William Von Berg, saloon, loss $250; Hanson, the photographer. loss $2,- 150, insurance $1,150; Mrs. E. A. Crea, restaurant, small value, no insurance ; bank building, occupied jointly by the Free Press, small loss; Free Press, everything except files, ledger, subscription and ac-

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count books, and editorial desk. Insurance on build- ing and contents, $2,000.

It is said that considerable thieving was carried on during this fire, and no doubt to give the thugs another opportunity to ply their nefarious vocation, an attempt was made a week later to start another one. The ice house in the rear of and adjoining the Miners' saloon was saturated with coal oil and ignited and but for the fact that a man familirly known as "Mule" Davis was sleeping in an adjoining room and was awakened by the flash, the dastardly attempt to set the town on fire would doubtless have succeeded. Mr. Davis realized the situation instantly and his prompt action saved the town, for it is said that had the fire gotten a good start, no means at the command of the citizens would have prevented a terrible catastrophe, as a strong chi- nook wind was blowing at the time. Such was the indignation incited by this contemptible deed that early next morning a vigilance committee was organized and systematic efforts instituted for the expulsion from Grangeville of the vagrant element which has been ex- isting within its limits without visible means of sup- pori.

There was much activity in Grangeville during the year 1898, but the greatest improvement of the year was the inauguration of an excellent water system. That fall came W. M. Jack, of Portland, and later of Los Angeles, who had established water works in sev- eral western cities and towns; he found the residents of Grangeville ready and anxious for the improvement he proposed instituting, and soon had operations under way. He took the water from a mountain spring on the old Steve Roster place three and a half miles south of town, which spring is of enormous capacity and flows perhaps the best water available for city purposes in the state. Two large reservoirs were built and lined with concrete. Their combined capacity is about one million gallons. From them the water is conducted to the town in large mains and distributed wherever needed. Rudolph Bertsch is manager of the system, which was completed in 1899 at a total cost of $30,000.

It will be remembered that the great Buffalo Hump excitement started in the fall of 1898 and continued throughout the entire mining season of the following year. It gave a tremendous impetus to the growth of Grangeville, through which many thousands of peo- ple passed. The town at times was full of tents and other evidences of the great migrations passing through it. Fortunately other developments in the mining country to the southward, particularly in the Thunder Mountain region, have kept the town lively and contributed to its growth ever since until it has become an entirely different place from the Grange- ville of a half decade ago. The citizens of the town are public spirited and alert, ever vigilant to secure to themselves as large a share as possible of the benefits accruing from mining discoveries and developments. To this end they always subscribe liberally toward the construction of roads, helping the mining men and at the same time helping themseles by making their town

the best and most convenient trading point. It is claimed that in no other town in the west is it so easy to raise money for the promotion of any worthy enter- prise. Fourth of July celebrations, street fairs and the like are for this reason almost invariably a success, reflecting credit upon their promoters and impressing favorable sentiments toward Grangeville upon the hearts of those who come as visitors.

No attempt has been made to give an exhaustive history of the industrial development of Grangeville thus far and it is thought that such for the last half decade would be too burdened with detail to interest the general reader. A review of the present business establishments, churches, societies, etc., will convey a sufficient idea of the advancement that has been made since the inception of the town, now nearly thirty years ago. A practically complete resume of the com- mercial houses and business men includes the follow- ing: Three newspapers, the Standard, Republican ; the Idaho County Free Press, Democratic; and the Grangeville News, Democratic; two banks, Bank of Camas Prairie, the deposits in which on January 6th of the current year amounted to $259,151.78, its total resources at the same time being $338.375.41, and the Bank of Grangeville, which expects soon to become a national institution ; six general stores. three of them carrying as large stocks as are carried anywhere in the state, Alexander & Freidenrich, Scott & Vollmer, the Bargain Store, the M. & M. Cash store, Adams & Wiltse proprietors, Joseph Pfeufer's store, the Big Buffalo store of which W. F. Schmadeka is the pro- prietor, and Henry Wax's store ; three furniture stores, Albert Johnson, D. T. Mills & Company and W. E. Graham ; dry goods and shoes, The Burt L. Crosby Company : the Grangeville Implement Company, Ltd , I. C. Hattabaugh secretary and manager ; two hard- ware stores, Rudolph Bertsch's and that of the Hohaus & Hickerson Hardware Company ; two meat markets, Henry Murray and Foster & Hall: drug stores, Bone- brake & Cone, Dr. E. H. Shaeffer. Pearson & Wood ; hotels, the Jersey House, G. K. Reed proprietor ; the Revere, Mark Howe proprietor : the Wiltse, George D. Smith proprietor, the Hotel Grangeville, J. A. Daziel proprietor, and George Arnold's boarding house : book store. W. S. M. Williams, proprietor, successor to Everett Gee : restaurants, W. D. Gillette's and the Model ; millinery, Mrs. A. C. Hawson ; livery stables, Boss barn, owned by Edward Price, the Pio- neer, Henry Elfus & A. C. Laningham, and the Idaho, West. Hockersmith: blacksmith shops, David R. Atherton. Dame & Klaucke, James Oliver, Rey DePardee and Joseph Sorrow; planing mill. W. H. Campbell; city bakery, W. D. Gillette; wholesale liquor house, A. C. Hawson & Company; brewery, the Eagle, William Von Berg, proprietor ; six saloons : feed store, Farnham & Neighbor : Japanese and Chinese store, Quong Lung ; jewelers, J. W. Bone- brake, Robert Dunlap: photograph galleries. John A. Hanson's. Walter E. Bunnell's; assay office, E. Stahl; barbers, Frank Hogan, Daly & Allen ; merchant tailor, A. R. Toney ; notions and confectionery. Wade Broth-

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ers ; cigar store. City Cigar Company, R. Cote, man- ager : tobacco and fruits, Levi Castle ; real estate, Iowa Real Estate Company, Harris & Wright proprietors, Parker & Young, S. G. Chamberlain, R. R. Hotchkiss : mining engineers, W. C. McNutt, Hill & Tillson ; phy- sicians, S. E. Bibby, E. H. Sheaffer, T. W. Nickel, Jessie Clark-Bennett, G. S. Stockton ; dentists, H. M. McDermid, Grant A. Green and H. V. Riggs ; law- vers, Wallace N. Scales, James F. Ailshie ( supreme judge). Clay McNamee, Robert F. Fulton, J. M. M'Donald, E. M. Griffith, G. T. McDonald, W. A. Hall, F. E. Fogg, C. H. Nugent, Lycurgus Vineyard, W. H. Cassady, Levi Magee, A. S. Hardy, George Young, John E. Jacques, George W. Goode, James De Haven, T. H. Bartlett, T. J. McDuffie, Allen Mil- ler; painting contractors, Richard H. Hartman and Alexander Robinson ; contractors and builders, Frank D. Vansise, Alexander Webber, A. J. Turner ; post- master, J. C. Garber.

Holtz & Son own a large, well equipped brickmak- ing plant situated northeast of town ; capacity, 10,000 a day. It is to be further enlarged and improved this coming summer. Grangeville has two flouring mills, the Grangeville Roller Mills supplied with modern equipments and having a capacity of about one hun- dred barrels a day, and the Camas Prairie Roller Mills, Benjamin D. Knorr proprietor. The latter is the old Grange mill, built in 1875-76. and since improved and practically rebuilt by J. M. Crooks and Scott & Voll- mer. from whom Knorr bought the mill last year.

It is equipped with the Plansifter system and is operated by both steam and water power, the latter being taken from Three Mile creek. The mill pro- duces Extra White Rose flour, graham and farina, chop and feed. etc.

Though the hopes of Grangeville to some day be- come a railway center have not yet been realized. it is already a stage center of importance. Stages leave for Stites seven times weekly, for Florence three, for Cottonwood six, and for Meadows six. From Adams' camp on the Florence road a tri-weekly stage goes to the Hump. Freeman & White are contractors for carrying the mail on the Meadows route, W. A. Austin on the Cottonwood, and Charles F. Leland on the Stites, Florence and Hump routes, though stages on these last are maintained and operated by the Idaho, Nevada and California Stage Company. Mr. Leland is also the Grangeville agent, ticket and express, for the Northern Pacific railway.

The Pacific States Telephone Company maintain a local exchange in Grangeville, well patronized by the business men and citizens generally : also a long distance line to Lewiston giving connection with the outside world and special lines to all important interior points. The excellent water system of the town has been already adverted to. It furnishes not only a cheap and sufficient water supply for domestic uses. irrigating of lawns and the like but an excellent pro- tection against fire. To render it available for the latter purpose two volunteer fire companies have been organized, and equipped at the town's expense with hose carts, hose, buckets, ladders, etc. The Grange-

ville Electric Light & Power Company was organized in May, 1902, and it pushed to a speedy completion work on the Clearwater six miles east of Grangeville in constructing an indestructible dam, headgates, flumes and canal, etc., in fact everything preparatory to installing a mammoth power plant. The buildings and machinery have not yet materialized, however, so that the far-reaching plans of the company for the benefit of Grangeville and other prairie towns are still unexecuted. Nevertheless Grangeville is well supplied with incandescent lamps, arc lights, etc., furnished by a small seventy horse-power plant put in by the com- pany in the fall of 1899.

Citizens of Grangeville have invariably manifested a deep interest in school work. For many years the combination of the public school with the Columbia River Conference Academy gave it educational ad- vantages such as were enjoyed by few if any other towns in the territory. When the academy ceased to exist the public school began a rapid development, and the town now possesses one of the finest schools in the state. Pupils who complete its eleven grades are given diplomas admitting them to the university. and

of the 500 boys and girls in its various rooms it is hoped that not a few are working to that end. The building was erected and equipped at a cost of between twelve and fifteen thousand dollars. The teachers em- ployed at present are, principal, P. M. Glanville : as- sistant principal, C. F. McCarthy: Misses Pauline Ray, Amy Ellenwood, Helen Fray, Mary Maxey and Bloom Taylor, and Mesdames Edith Crosby, Sarah Spedder and Emma Pogue. Joseph Greenfield is jan- itor. The school board consists of Edward McBroom, W. W. Brown, Everett Gee. James Edwards and John Norwood, and the clerk of the district is W. A. Hall. Grangeville has the only independent school district in Idaho county.

Seven churches are maintained in the town, all of them vital and active and most of them quite well attended. They are the Methodist Episcopal, Rev. J. S. Smith pastor ; Protestant Episcopal, Rev. Willard Roots, rector : the Baptist, Rev. William K. Knox, pastor ; the Catholic, supplied occasionally by the priest of Cottonwood : the Presbyterian, Rev. Fred J. Newton, pastor, building a church at this writing : the Congrega- tional, Rev. D. D. Hambly, pastor ; and the Christian, Rev. Charles McDonald, pastor. The churches have an efficient supplement in the Y. M. C. A., which was organized in the town in October. 1898. maintaining at first only a reading room in the old Grange hall. The next winter a small gymnasium was opened under its auspices in the Wililams building. In 1900 the institution took quarters in what is now the Revere Hotel building, but in 1902 the rents became so high that the association had to move, and it was then it began earnest work for the raising of a fund where- with to erect its own home. The people of Grangeville assisted it with their customary liberality, and on Jan- uary 17, 1903, the building was dedicated. It is a two-story structure, erected at a cost of $4.500, and is equipped with reading rooms, bath rooms, library, a very complete gymnasium, auditorium, etc. Grant

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An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 103

Author: Publication date: 1903 Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1524

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: [S.l.] : Western Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1524