An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 185

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 185
USA > Idaho > Nez Perce County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 185
USA > Idaho > Shoshone County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 185
USA > Idaho > Latah County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 185

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During the period of which we write there was an increasing demand for traveling and shipping facil- ities on the navigable rivers and lakes of the county. In reaching the mining regions from Coeur d'Alene, via the lake, there were but two available steamers for transporting passengers and supplies ; both were small and one of them had been built by the govern- ment for the use of the garrison at Fort Coeur d'Alene. There was a great deal of travel also, to and from the British Columbia mining regions and there was need of transportation facilities in that direction. Several steamers were built, among them one by C. B. King, to ply on the lake between Coeur d'Alene and Old Mis- sion on the Coeur d'Alene river, carrying prospectors and outfits. The first steamer taken to the Kootenai river was built by Baillic Groham, of the Kootenai re- clamation scheme. It was a small boat, twenty-five feet long and six foot beam and was shipped to Koot- enai station on the Northern Pacific railroad, from whence it was dragged over the trail to Bonner's Fer- ry. It was christened the "Midge" but came to be known as the "Mud Hen." Another steamer was taken to Bonner's Ferry over the same route a few months later by Lundy and Wright. It was somewhat larger than the Mud Hen and was called the "Ozier." Both boats were put in service on the Kootenai river, between Bonner's Ferry and the Wild Horse mining region.

At the first regular election in 1882, party lines were not drawn: in 1884, however, politics entered into the campaign and both Republicans and Demo- crats held a convention and placed tickets in the field. We were unable to secure official record of elections prior to 1892 and can therefore give only general re- sults in the earlier campaigns. Candidates for com- missioners were: R. J. Weeks, J. H. Masterson, Jolin Russell, Henry H. Newhall, George B. Wonnacott, Tony Tibbs, Thomas Ford, Alex Powers, George Ellis, O. F. Canfield, J. T. Mulkins, J. R. Masterson, and John Fernan. Of these candidates John Russell was elected from the Northern district, George B. Wonnacott from the central district, and Henry H.

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Newhall from the southern district. Candidates for probate judge were Louis Lee, Democrat, and Henry Melder, Republican. Mr. Melder was elected. For sheriff, William Martin was re-elected. Candidates for district attorney were Mark W. Musgrove of Rathdrum and Isaac S. Daly of Coeur d'Alene. Mr. Musgrove won at the polls. W. C. Jackson, Repub- lican, and Henry Reiniger, Democrat, were opposing candidates for the office of county treasurer. Mr. Jackson was chosen. John Fernan, Republican, and W. J. McClure, Democrat, both of Coeur d'Alene, contested for the assessorship and Mr. McClure se- cured the office. S. W. Moody represented Nez Per- ces, Shoshone and Kootenai counties in the senate and William King was elected to the house from Shoshone and Kootenai.

The year 1885 was signalized by a contest on the county seat question. The creative act of 1864 named Seneaquoteen as the county seat. The amendment of 1867 vested in the commissioners the power to locate the seat of government. As has been previously stated the first meetings for the purpose of county organization, were held in 1881 at the store of George B. Wonnacott, about two miles below Fort Coeur d'Alene. This place of meeting was selected as a matter of convenience and because Mr. Wonnacott was prominent in the work of organization and was one of the commissioners appointed by Gov. John B. Neil. The organization was completed and the officers appointed in July, 1881. In August of the same year Mr. Wonnacott moved his store to Rathdrum and thereafter the business of the county was conducted at this point. There is no record of any special action on the part of the commissioners designating Rath- drum as tlie county seat, but M. D. Wright, one of the first county officers, is authority for the statement, that upon the removal of the Wonnacott store to Rath- drum in August, 1881, the commissioners agreed among themselves that this should be the seat of government. Judge Norman Buck, who tried the Kootenai-Shoshone boundary case in 1884, states that the defendant was cited to appear for trial at "Rath- drum, the county seat of Kootenai county." Had there been no special action on the question by the first commissioners, this recognition of Rathdrum as the county seat by the county authorities in 1884 would seem to have settled the matter. In 1885, how- ever, a determined effort was made to remove the county capital to Coeur d'Alene, the commissioners claiming the right to do so on the ground that they had never acted on the question as they were em- powered to do by the legislative amendment of 1867. H. H. Newhall was at this time commissioner from the southern part of the county, George B. Wonna- cott from the central portion, and John Russell from the northern portion. Newhall and Wonnacott fa- vored the removal and Russell opposed it. There was a division of sentiment and opinion among the county officials and a great deal of feeling between the op- posing factions both within and without official cir- cles. The citizens of Rathdrum and of the towns to the north, rallied to the support of Mr. Russell in his

efforts to prevent the change to Coeur d'Alene, and for about three months the county records were guarded by citizens of Rathdrum in anticipation of forced re- moval. No overt acts were committed, however, bit- ter feelings engendered in the beginning of the strug- gle gradually subsided, the guards were removed, ar- fairs resumed their former peaceful condition, and the fight, if it may be so termed, came to an end. Rath- drum has since remained the recognized legal seat of government.

In agricultural regions a special degree of pros- perity was not enjoyed in the year 1885, crops were below the average yield and prevailing prices were low. But as yet there were not many improved farms in Kootenai county; a few were profitably en- gaged in stock raising, but the majority of the in- habitants outside the settlements were employed in the tie, post and pole industry; the Coeur d'Alene miners were paying rich tribute to Rathdrum and the town of Coeur d'Alene, and the people all over the county were fairly prosperous. The total valuation of property in 1885 was $475,465.68. on which was collected a territorial tax of $1,189.06, a county tax of $7,132.06 and a school tax of $1,901.82. Of the total amount collected, $10,222.94, Assessor McClure received as his remuneration for the work of assess- ment and collection, seven per cent, or $715.60. Dur- ing this year two new steamers were placed in com- mission on the lakes, a toll wagon road was con- structed between the towns of Kootenai and Bon- ner's Ferry by Dr. Hendryx, and in the fall of the year after the final settlement of the county seat question, a court house was erected at Rathdrum, costing $3,500.

A United States land office was established at Coeur d'Alene in 1885 but was not in full operation until the year following. The first land entry, how- ever, was dated December 1, 1885. It was made by Valentine W. Sander, who preempted lots 3 and 4, section 24, township 50 northi, range 4 west of Boise meridian. The second was a homestead entry made by Thadius K. Hireen December 21, 1885, on the southeast quarter of sec. 12, same township and range as the preemption. These lands adjoin the present town of Coeur d'Alene. James F. Legate was the first register and R. E. McFarland the first receiver of the land office. Mr. Legate resigned and W. J. Mc- Clure was appointed in his stead. In 1886, three thousand nine hundred and thirty acres of land were disposed of and the total receipts of the office were $3,241.27. Last year, 1902, entries were made on 124.468 acres and the receipts for the year reached $138,641.60. The total amount of land appro- priated to the close of the year 1902 was 1,177,534 acres and the total receipts were $523.971.64.

In 1886 the question of annexation to Washing- ton agitated the citizens of Kootenai county in con- mon with the citizens of all northern Idaho. It is not our purpose to give the details of this campaign here, as its full history has been written in another chapter of this volume. To show the sentiments of the peo- ple, however, we reproduce below a resolution passed at a meeting held at the court house in Rathdrum,

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March 19. Pursuant to a call, the citizens without party distinction, met to consider the question. Hon. O. A. Dodge was chosen chairman and M. W. Mus- grove secretary. After a full and fair discussion, Judge Henry Melder presented the following reso- lution, which was adopted: "Resolved, that we, the citizens of Kootenai county, Idaho territory, assembled in Rathdrum, our county seat, express it as the senti- ment of our substantial citizens, that it is of the utmost importance to the prosperity of north Idaho, that it be annexed to Washington."

The year 1886 witnessed the building of the Coeur d'Alene branch of the Northern Pacific railroad from Hanser Junction to the foot of the lake. The imme- diate effect of the completion of this branch was to divert from Rathdrum much of the support it had pre- viously received from the mining camps in the Coeur d'Alene Mountains, and to add very materially to the importance of Coeur d'Alene as a supply point. It gave an impetus to the tie and pole industry, thereby adding in a general way to the prosperity of the peo- ple, besides making the mining regions much more accessible and supplying needed shipping facilities for both the mining and the lumber industries in the lake region.

The question of annexation entered into the elec- tion of 1886. There was such unanimity of senti- ment on the subject, however, in all factions, that it may hardly be said to have been an issue in the cam- paign. J. M. Manning was elected prosecuting at- torney. Henry Melder, Republican, was elected pro- bate judge, his opponent being Isaac S. Daly, Demo- crat. William Martin and Thomas Hunter were op- posing candidates for sheriff and Mr. Martin was suc- cessful in the race. Robert S. Bragaw defeated Fred Bradbury as a candidate for the office of county au- ditor. W. C. Jackson, Republican, and H. Reimger, Democrat, made the race as candidates for treasurer, Mr. Jackson being successful. John Russell, John Fernan and Louis Lee were elected commissioners. Charles Lohr was elected assessor. Alexander E. Mayhew was sent to the state senate from Kootenai and Shoshone and John M. Burke was sent to the house of representatives.

The winter of 1886-1887 was a severe one on stock ; more snow than usual fell in the mountains and the temperature during the winter was below the aver- age. But as the hay crop of the previous summer had been especially large, stock men suffered but few losses. Promising mineral prospects were discovered about the head of the Lake Pend Oreille and in the region of Granite Creek causing a rush of people into the country, and a consequent season of business acti- vity in all the towns. Between one and two thousand prospectors are said to have spent the summer in the region of Pend Oreille lake, Heyden lake and Gran- ite creek. With a population less than 3,000, Koot-

enai was still most sparsely settled county in the state. It had an assessment roll however of $966,000, due chiefly to the railroads, and in this respect com- pared favorably with other counties. Good schools were being taught in all the settlements and there was one weekly newspaper published, the Kootenai Cour- ier, by Mark W. Musgrove, at Rathdrum.

An event of the year 1887 was a serious accident which occured April 4th above Old Mission on the Coeur d'Alene river. A small boat that had pre- viously been used as an excursion steamer on Pend Oreille lake, had been purchased by Nelson Martin, brought to Coeur d'Alene and fitted up for passenger and freight business between Coeur d'Alene and Old Mission,, and during high water it made Kingston about twelve miles above Old Mission. Mr. Martin had named the boat the "Spokane." On the occasion of which we write the Spokane was on the down trip from Kingston. Some distance above Old Mission the steamer struck a pile of drift wood banked against a small island, swung out of her course, across the current, and cap- sized, throwing passengers and crew into the water. There were twenty passengers aboard when the acci- cient happened, some of whom reached the banks of the river in safety, while others were drowned. Among the drowned were Col. N. J. Higgins of Ban- gor, Me., and J. C. Hanna, former city clerk, and a business man of Spokane. The accident created a great deal of excitement at the time owing to the prom- inence of those who were drowned and of other pas- sengers who escaped. Captain Martin and the engi- neer, George Ellis, were arrested but were never brought to trial.

Party lines were more discernable than heretofore, in the campaign of 1888, the tariff question being the chief issue. Official reports of this election were not obtainable, hence we are unable to give details. A number of the incumbent officials were continued in office, among them Robert S. Bragaw as auditor, Hen- ry Melder as probate judge and William Martin as Sheriff. A. E. Mayhew and J. R. Sanburn were sent as representatives to the territorial legislature. As an incident of this campaign the encounter between Mor- ris Green and M. W. Musgrove will doubtless be re- membered by many. Mr. Musgrove had published some campaign yarns about one of the Republican can- didates whose defeat he desired, and was taken to task for it by Mr. Green. Words were soon followed by blows and Mr. Green was proving the better of the two in the fistic encounter when Mr. Musgrove sud- denly drew a revolver and fired point blank at his an- tagonist, whose face was only about four feet away. The ball knocked out half a dozen teeth and lodged in the muscles of his neck. Mr. Green pulled ont the loose teeth and cooly hurled them in Musgrove's face. This ended the fight.

CHAPTER III.

AS A POLITICAL DIVISION OF THE STATE.

The honors of statehood conferred upon the terri- tory added dignity and responsibility to the county or- ganization, and became an inspiration as well to the private citizen. All classes were prosperous in 1890; good crops and good prices prevailed ; the mines in the Pend Oreille region yielded well in gold, silver and lead, and gave promise of better returns when more fully developed ; $5,000 were appropriated by congress for the improvement of the Kootenai river from Bon- ner's ferry to the International boundary ; the north half of the Coeur d'Alene Indian reservation was thrown open to settlement ; the O. R. & N. railroad was built across the county; immigration of home-seekers in- creased rapidly, and all circumstances conspired to- gether for the general welfare and advancement of the people. The census of this year showed a population of 4,108. Kootnai county's representative in the work of planning the state constitution was Judge Henry Melder, of Rathdrum.

The Great Northern railroad was built in 1892 and the activity attending its construction counteracted in a great measure the somewhat depressing effects of the comparatively short crops of this and the pre- vious year. The northern part of the county especially felt the impetus given to the timber and mining in- dustries. During the past three years fully $700,000 had been expended in the erection of saw-mills on the lakes and rivers. About this time the lumber trade began to assume immense proportions and capital flowed into the county for investment from all the lum- ber centers of the middle west. A struggle began be- tween the large lumber companies of Minnesota and Wisconsin for the possession of the vast timbered areas of Kootenai county, one company alone securing title to 60,000 acres in various parts of the county. The year was fairly prosperous in all lines of business.

In the political campaign of 1892 the People's party of Idaho made its first efforts to get into power, and new issues were brought before the voters, such as the loaning of money by the government direct to the people at two per cent; the free and unlimited coinage of silver ; the ownership by the government of railroads, telephone and telegraph lines and other well known declarations from the party's state plat- form. The results of the November elections were as

follows : William J. Quirk, of Hope, Democratic candidate for joint senator from the second district, which then included Kootenai and Latah counties, re- ceived 672 votes, a plurality of 40 votes over those received by the Republican candidate, Fred L. Bur- gan, of Harrison; Andrew J. Hopper received 647 votes for joint representative against 632 votes for John Donahue, of Bonner's Ferry, the Democratic nominee; A. A. Crane, Republican ; Albert Hagan, Democrat, and William Ferrell, Populist, were elected representative over J. H. McPherson, H. D. Barber and Arthur B. Bains; John J. Costello, of Coeur d'Alene, Democrat, received 838 votes for sheriff, against William Martin, who received 755 votes, and Hiram B. Savage, of Hope, who received 14 votes; James W. Kennedy, Democrat, of Post Falls, was elected senator. The vote for probate judge was: A. K. White, 672; John E. White, 572; Henry Mel- der, 205 ; candidates for assessor were William Ryan, of Rathdrum ; William A. Reiniger, of Coeur d'Alene ; Silas M. Johnson and A. M. Newson. Ryan received 731 votes, Reiniger 613, Johnson 191, and Newson 13, Mr. Ryan's plurality being 118. For treasurer, Frank O. Hill, Republican, of Rathdrum, received 779 votes ; Fred H. Bradbury, Democrat, of Rath- drum, 528; Louis Chambard. Populist, of Rathdrum, 189, and Thornton Wheatly, Prohibitionist, of Post Falls, 17 votes. Mr. Hill's plurality was 251. The vote on county surveyor stood : William Ashley, Re- publican, 812 votes; A. D. Robinson, Democrat, 653 votes. Dr. John Sabins, Republican, of Coeur d'Alene, was elected coroner by a plurality of 136, his oppon- ents being T. Martin and James H. Masterson. County commissioners elected at this time were : J. P. Quarles, first district; Charles W. Clark. second district, and Wilburt J. Pilling, third district. By a vote of 66 for and 678 against, the propositon to incur an in- debtedness of $45,600 to construct a steel bridge over the Kootenai river at Bonner's Ferry was defeated.

The year 1893 will long be remembered as a season of great financial distress. While this period of de- pression covered in a gradually decreasing degree the two or three years following, the shock and the great- est suffering were experienced during the latter half of 1893. Spokane was the banking point for all Koot-

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enai county towns and the failure of the Spokane banks paralyzed every industry in the county. Every community, every town, almost every family and every individual was brought face to face with ruinous con- ditions. Details of failures in public and private en- terprises, of the privations endured in the homes, of the trouble caused by the inability of the debtor to satisfy the demands of the creditor, would cover much more space than we have at our disposal. We will give a single illustration of the changed conditions brought about by the financial panic. In the fall of 1892 a citizen of Kootenai county purchased a team of horses and a light wagon for $300. He paid in cash $50, and for the remaining $250 gave an interest-bearing note, due November 1, 1893, and secured by mortgage on other horses and carriages. When the note came due his creditor demanded settlement. The debtor could raise but $25 in cash, although hundreds of dol- lars were owing him on account by customers. In or- der to make settlement, owing to the depreciation in values, he handed over to his creditor $25 in cash, returned the team for which he had given the note, and in addition surrendered another team, harness and carriage.

The year 1894 is "high water year" in the history of Kootenai county. Nearly all the towns along the streams and about the lakes were flooded and a great deal of damage was done in the river valleys. Bon- ner's Ferry perhaps experienced more trouble than any of the other towns, the people being driven from their homes into the surrounding hills for safety. The Great Northern railroad tracks were several feet under water at this point and for a time all traffic was stopped. The post grounds at Fort Sherman were flooded, the water covering the lower floors of all the buildings, the use of row boats being necessary for some time by officers and men in getting about over the grounds. Very heavy snows fell in the mountain regions during the winter of 1893-94, and the following spring being unusually late and cold the snows remained banked up in the mountains until early summer, when the sudden change to warm weather precipitated vast quan- tities of water into the streams, whose banks were soon overflowed. Lake Pend Oreille rose 22 feet and Lake Coeur d'Alene was proportionately high. The outlets of these lakes are comparatively small, when we consider the numerous tributaries, and their ca- pacity is not great enough to carry off the water as rapidly as it flows in when the mountain snows melt quickly. The floods of 1894 resulted from a combina- tion of these conditons, which very rarely occurs. Sim- ilar conditions produced the overflow at Bonner's Ferry, the banks of the Kootenai river being low and the greater portion of the town being but little above the level of the banks.

In the political campaign of 1894 about the same issues were before the people as in the campaign of 1892. The Populists showed more strength than in the former election, while the Democrats lost ground. This is accounted for by the fact that a great deal of the Populists strength was absorbed from the Demo- cratic party. In the year 1894 Kootenai was the

banner Republican county of the state, giving the state, legislative and county candidates a good plurality over Democrats and Populists. The following are the official returns of the election :

For district attorney, first judicial district, in- cluding Kootenai and Shoshone counties, Charles W. Beal, Republican, of Wallace, received 657 votes; Robt. E. McFarland, Democrat, of Coeur d'Alene, 429; Walter A. Jones, Populist, of Wallace, 363; joint senator, second senatorial district, including Kootenai and Latah counties, Robert S. Browne, Re- publican, of Moscow, received 715 votes, and Thomas F. Nelson, Democrat, 491 ; joint representative, Sam- nel E. Henry, Republican, of Bonner's Ferry, received 627; William Van Gasker, Democrat, of the same place, 358, and Sylvania R. Catlow, Populist, of Clark's Fork, 398 : county representative, A. A. Crane, Harrison, Republican, 604; John M. Burke, Coeur d'Alene, Democrat, 479 ; Charles D. Rowell, Bonner's Ferry, Populist, 349. Clerk of district court : Robert S. Bragaw, Rathdrum, Republican, 617; William J. Quirk, Hope, Democrat, 526; Thomas Hydornn, Rath- drum, Populist, 335; sheriff, William Ryan, Rath- drum, Republican, 673; G. W. Brockhagen, Hope, Democrat, 5; John F. Stark, Rathdrum, Populist, 264: William Martin, Rathdrum, Independent, 554. Assessor : J. P. Quarles, Lane, Republican, 707 ; John J. Costello, Coeur d'Alene, Democrat, 461 ; Louis Chambard, Rathdrum, Populist, 305. Probate judge: Henry Melder, Rathdrum, Republican, 629; P. E. Cusick, Sandpoint, Democrat, 290; James E. Mathe- son, Post Falls, Prohibitionist, 286; A. K. White, Clarkia, Populist, 242. Treasurer : Frank O. Hill, Republican, Rathdrum, 806; L. T. Dittemore, Rath- drum, Democrat, 413, and as an endorsement on the Populist ticket, 201. Surveyor, William Ashley, Jr., Rathdrum, Republican, 599; William Ashley, Sr., Rathdrum, Populist, 442; Charles D. Schroeder, Dem- ocrat, 340. Coroner : John Sabin, Coeur d'Alene, Re- publican, 658; M. T. Loop, Hope, Democrat, 310; C. G. Campbell, Bonner's Ferry, Populist, 394. The commissioners elected were: From the first district, N. Palmeter ; second district, Otis F. Warren; third district, J. A. Ball, all Republicans.

The assessed valuation of property in 1895 was $2,232,039.89. Of this amount $1,441,229.64 repre- sented the value of railroad property for purposes of taxation. Besides the amount necessary for county expenses Kootenai was required to raise $17,788.30 for state purposes and was also assessed $700 as its share of the Idaho hnmigration Association fund. This was a year of short crops, and as low prices still prevailed there was but little if any relief from the depressing conditions of the two previous years. The county indebtedness at this time was $47,629. A special election was held August 27, 1895, at which time 419 votes were cast for and 155 against the proposition to issue bonds to redeem this outstanding obligation. The bonds, bearing six per cent interest, were accordingly issued, and were sold to Thiers and Barroll, of Spokane, at a premium of $21.

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An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 185

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