An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 21

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 21
USA > Idaho > Nez Perce County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 21
USA > Idaho > Shoshone County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 21
USA > Idaho > Latah County > An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho > Part 21

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On the march from Soda Butte mountains, Howard was met by three messengers, who brought the news that General Sturgis, with several cavalry companies, was within fifty miles and was moving to Hart's moun- tains to cut the Indians off from their only practicable route to the mouth of Clark's fork. Had he only done so the war might have been speedily terminated, but he allowed himself to be deceived, probably by treach- erous Crow Indians, and sent on a wild goose chase to the right. This and the audacity of Joseph in strik- ing into an apparently impenetrable forest and through

HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

a narrow canyon opening into Clark's valley again saved the fortunate Indians.

Sturgis discovered his mistake, returned, was re- inforced by Howard with a few picked horses and men and sent ahead in the chase. He overtook the enemy and had a battle with them on the heights be- yond the Yellowstone, capturing hundreds of ponies. A running fight was kept up with the retreating red- skins all the way to the Musselshell river. Howard, however, despairing of Sturgis' or his own ability to overtake the Indians, who were going night and day, sent a message by boat down the Yellowstone, also by a horseman, to General Miles at Tongue river, ask- ing that officer to strike northwestward to the Missouri, intercepting the hostiles if possible.

Meanwhile the forces with Howard concentrated on the Yellowstone below Clark's fork, pushed down the river to Baker's battlefield and turned thence north- ward with intent to rejoin Sturgis at the Musselshell. By September 20th they were on that river, and there they received a message from General Miles, who promised to move at once. The march of the pur- suers was continued with somewhat less haste than theretofore, the generals, Sturgis and Howard, not wishing to press the hostiles too hard, lest they should not give Miles time to come up before them. This continued until a messenger arrived stating that Miles had crossed the Missouri and was in pursuit, then the command quickened its march until it reached Car- roll, where Howard, leaving his main command with Sturgis, took passage with an artillery battalion, two aides and a few scouts, on a steamer for Cow Island. Disembarking there, he pushed on northward with an escort of seventeen armed men, to the Bear Paw moun- tains. On the 4th of October, after dark, the party came to a point whence numerous small fires could be seen and the firing of musketry heard. It was the Indian warriors doing what damage they could to the forces around them. Soon Howard joined Miles and learned of the situation from him.

General Miles had made a rapid march to the Mis- souri, crossed that river, gone to Bear Paw mountain, making the long journey without any knowledge of his movements reaching the hostiles, had come upon Joseph in a ravine, had surprised him completely and by a bold charge had defeated him badly, capturing his herd of ponies. The Indians were forced to take refuge in the deep ravines, where they fortified and held out as long as they could. On the 5th of October, the day

after Howard's arrival, firing was kept up by the troops, with an occasional reply from the enemy, until II o'clock, when two of Howard's Indian scouts were sent into the camp of the chief with a flag of truce. After some lively negotiating Joseph finally, at 2 P. M., agreed to surrender. He handed his rifle to General Howard, who directed that it should be given to Col- onel Miles, and the remainder of the day was spent by the Indians in coming into camp with their arms. White Bird slipped out through the lines and escaped with a considerable following, Indians say about forty, to the British possessions. Ollicut, Joseph's brother, was killed in the four days' battle with Miles. The Nez Perces were promised that they should be returned to the reservation in Idaho, but General Sheridan, in whose department they were, directed that they should be sent to the Indian territory. Years afterward they were brought back to the west and settled partly on the Nez Perces and partly on the Colville reservation.

The fame of Joseph became widespread on account of his military prowess, and no doubt the glory ac- corded him was a potent factor in inciting the Bannock and Piute war of the following year. Buffalo Horn, who had seen the entire campaign, became ambitious to emulate Joseph's career, but fortunately for the whites did not possess the generalship with which to do so. Joseph was indeed a military leader of extraordinary ability. With less than four hundred figliting men and encumbered with large numbers of women and children, he had succeeded in leading Howard a chase that exhausted his mules and horses and wore out his men, reducing them to a condition in which they were truly objects of commiseration. How he could, with weak women and helpless children, keep ahead of sol- diers not thus encumbered, and having the support of the government, is a mystery. It shows how marvel- ous is the energy that lies latent within the Indian race, inspiring the wish that by some means this force might be called into activity in a nobler cause than contend- ing against manifest destiny in warfare fraught with horrors indescribable. Those who, admiring Joseph's admitted abilities, claim that he carried on his campaign in accordance with the laws of civilized warfare, are evidently not cognizant of the facts, for the number of persons killed by his forces outside of battle must have been nearly fifty. In the several engagements thirteen volunteers were killed, according to Bancroft's account, and 105 officers and men of the regular army. Not less than 120 were wounded.

CHIEF JOSEPH.

CHAPTER, IV.

ANNEXATION-STATEHOOD-RAILROAD PROJECTS.

The progress of our narative has brought us through the era of Indian difficulties and at the same time by the romantic early epoch of north Idaho history and quite well past that secondary or transition period, during which the more stable industries were slowly supplanting the semi-nomadic mining of the earlier days. Hereafter the germ of social order, always ex- isting in the country, though at times obscured under a superficial overflow of sin and folly, is to have full opportunity to grow and develop, bringing not alone the comforts and luxuries of physical life, but the re- finements of education, religion and the fine arts. Soon must we address ourselves to the individual counties, with whose history our volume purposes to deal, but before doing so we must give attention to two or three other matters of general concern.

Mention has already been made of a certain lack of community of interest between the residents of north- ern and those of southern Idaho. The territory was cut into two by the Salmon river range of mountains. making it impossible for the Panhandle residents to reach their capital without a long trip through Oregon and Washington. The folly of this arrangement soon attracted attention after the removal of the capital from Lewiston, and the press and the people of north Idaho as well as those of Washington territory, began advo- cating the re-annexation of Nez Perces, Idaho and Shoshone counties to the latter commonwealth, or as an alternative measure, the establishment of a new terri- tory out of northern Idaho, western Montana and east- ern Washington. During its session of 1865-6, the legislature of Idaho passed the following memorial to congress :

TO THE HONORABLE, THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTA- TIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED : Your memorialists, the Legislative Assembly of the terri- tory of Idahc. would most respectfully represent that, Where- as the northern and southern portions of our territory are divided by a high mountain range, known as the Blue moun- tain, or Salmon river range, rendering communication al- most impossible for one-half the year, unless by a circuitous route, of five or six hundred miles, passing through the state of Oregon and Washington territory; and that unless mineral discoveries are hereafter made, a traet of country one hundred miles in width, between the two, will forever remain almost uninhabitable; and whereas there is no com-

mumty of interest between the two sections, the interests of the northern portion being identified with those of the upper Columbia and Missouri rivers, and the territory of Montana ; while the interests of the southern portion of our territory are identified with those of the states of Nevada and Cali- fornia, the territory of Utah, and Lower Columbia river ; and whereas the material interests of both sections would be advanced by dissolving the present territorial relations be- tween them, and hy having territorial governments so estab- lished as to unite all the people within their limits by com- munity of interest, thereby increasing our present rapidly growing population, and developing the immense mineral and agricultural resources of both portions of the territory, and which your memorialists believe to be unsurpassed west of the Rocky mountains; Your memorialists would therefore most respectfully request of your honorable body the passage of an act by which all that portion of the territory of Utah lying north of forty-one degrees and thirty minutes of north latitude be annexed to the territory of Idaho, and a new territory be established out of the northern portion of the territory of Idaho, the western portion of the territory of Montana and the eastern portion of the territory of Wash- ington, to be called the territory of Columbia. with the fol- lowing boundaries: Commencing in the middle of the chan- nel of Snake river, where the parallel of forty-four de- grees and forty-five minutes north latitude crosses said river ; thenee east on said parallel to the western line of the terri- tory of Montana; thence westerly on the summit of the Wind River mountains, to a point where the meridian of thirty-five degrees and thirty minutes longitude west from Washington crosses said summit; thence north, on said meridian of longitude until the same reaches the summit of the Rocky mountains ; thenee northerly following the summit of the Rocky mountains to the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude; thence west along said parallel to the forty-second meridian of longitude west from Washington; thence south to the fortv-sixth parallel of north latitude; thence east on said parallel of latitude to the middle of the channel of Snake river ; thence up the middle of the channel of said Snake river to the place of beginning. And your memorialists, as in

duty bound, will ever pray.

Approved, January Ioth, A. D .. 1866.

The movement for this territory of Columbia be- came strong during 1866 and 1867, meetings being held and memorials adopted not alone in Lewiston, but in Walla Walla also, for the latter town was likewise dissatisfied with the existing condition of things. But Montana wished to retain the Bitter Root valley and southern Idaho was fearful lest its burden of taxation miglit become unbearably heavy if it lost any more pop- ulation, for already many were departing on account

HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

of the exhaustion of the placer mines. It was found impossible to carry the measure.

In 1869 Nevada came forth with a proposition to annex to itself all of Idaho's territory south of the Snake river and between the Oregon boundary line and an extension of the eastern boundary of Nevada, an important mining section known as the Owyhee country. To this neither Idaho nor congress would agree. The Idaho legislature memorialized congress again in 1870 for a change in territorial metes and bounds, "but none that would leave the territory less able to maintain the burden of government, interfere with the congressional ratio of representation, or de- crease the prospect of arriving at the dignity of state- hood." These were obviously rather hard conditions with which to comply. Meanwhile the newspapers were still advocating the formation of the territory of Columbia, with boundaries as described in the memo- rial to congress above quoted.

Prior to the convening of congress in December, 1873, the old project of annexing northern Idaho to Washington was revived with great earnestness. Meet- ings were held in the territory directly affected : resolu- tions were adopted and committees were appointed to press the matter. On November 13th, the house of representatives of Washington territory passed a memorial praying congress for the annexation of Nez Perces, Shoshone and Idaho counties to their common- wealth. Southern Idaho supported the measure in part and the sentiment of the Panhandle was practic- ally unanimous in its favor. Rarely indeed is there such ananimity in any political matter of major im- port. The Panhandle counties undertook to do a little memorializing on their own account, sending to con- gress the following self-explanatory document :

TO THE HONORARLE, THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTA-

TIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED : Your memorialists, an executive committee appointed by the citizens of the counties of Nez Perces, Shoshone and Idaho, of Idaho territory, at a mass meeting held at Lewis- ton, October. 30. 1873, to properly represent the views of the people of said counties on the question of annextion to Washington territory, would respectfully represent to your honorable body :

First, That the counties of Nez Perces, Shoshone and Ida- ho, in Idaho territory, embrace that part of the present ter- ritory of Idaho north of the great chain of the Salmon river range of mountains, which extend nearly on a line with the 45th parallel north latitude, easterly from Snake river, through the entire territory : that this range is covered with snow to a great depth annually from the first of December to the first day of June. thus rendering communication between the two sections known as north and south Idaho almost impos- sible during said period, save by a circuitons route of five or six hundred miles to Boise City, the capital of Idaho; that one hundred miles of this circuitons route lies in the terri- tory of Washington, and about two hundred of it lies in the state of Oregon.

Second, That along in the vicinity of this high range of mountains is a section of country varying from fifty to one hundred miles in width, so elevated and so destitute of in- ducements for settlement that unless rich mineral discoveries are hereafter made in this mountain region it will remain uninhabited by civilized man for centuries.

Third. That the entire white population of our territory is about twenty thousand souls.

Fourth, That said counties of Nez Perces, Shoshone and Idaho contain only about one-fifth of said white population of the territory, which is organized into well regulated, in- dustrious, thriving and established communities, engaged in agricultural, mining and mercantile pursuits.

Fifth, That the interests of the people of the two sec- tions, north and south Idaho, are diverse in almost every particular. those of the former being allied to those of Wash- ington territory and the valley of the main Columbia river, while those of the latter are in identity with those of the states of Nevada and California and the territory of Utah.

Sixth, That the said Salmon range of mountains divides north from south Idaho as completely as nature ever makes such divisions

Seventh, That the boundary between north Idaho and Washington territory is for the most part wholly imaginary and artificial.

Eighth, That there exists now no social or commercial bond between the people of north Idaho and those of south Idaho, nor can there become such with the existing im- passable natural barrier between them

Ninth That both commercially and socially the bond of union between the people of north Idaho and those of eastern Washington, including those of Walla Walla, Whitman and Stevens counties, is as complete as identity of social and commercial interests ever make the union of a people.

Tenth, That the people of north Idaho are seriously in- convenienced by their present territorial government rela- tions with south Idaho; that their want of interest in com- mon with the body politic of which they now form a part, tends greatly to retard the development of their natural re- sources, as well as retard their increase of population and general prosperity.

Eleventh, That to :maintain their political relations with south Idaho imposes upon the people of north Idaho a serious burden of annual expenditure, such that a large class of the people are compelled to forego the attempt to secure their proper legai political rights, obtainable only at the capi- tal of the territory.

Twelfth, That the commercial and social intercourse of the people of the said Nez Perces, Shoshone and Idaho coun- ties is now mainly with Walla Walla county, Washington territory, and the counties west of Walla Walla along the Columbia river, and the roads and other channels of com- munication leading thither are always open and easy of access,-all the business of north Idaho is done by and through these channels, no one of which leads to or near south Idaho.

Thirteenth. That the union of north Idaho and Wash- ington territory will hasten the period when said Washing- ton territory will possess the requisites for admission into the Union, clothed in the habiliments of one of the sovereign- ties of the Republic.

Fourteenth, That the commercial men of the country, who have inaugurated and have now in process of construc- tion the great northern trans-continental railway, have sig- nificantly pointed to the proper union of north Idaho and Washington in the plan of their road and a western branch which is to have its junction in north Idaho west of the Bitter Root mountains and near the present eastern boundary of said Washington territory, and that no part of south Idaho gives prospect of ever becoming tributary to said rail- way or its western branch.

Wherefore, your memorialists pray that, at the coming session of your honorable hody, all that part of Idaho ter- ritory lying north of the forty-fifth parallel be annexed to Washington territory as organized with her present bound- aries, and your memorialists will ever pray.

Done at Lewiston, Idaho territory, this 22d day of No- vember, A. D. 1873.

M. A. KELLY, ALONZO LELAND, JOHN CLARK, JASPER RAND, L. P. BROWN, B. F. MORRIS, J. H. EVANS, R. L. YANTIS. Committee.

HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

The question was up before congress again in 1875 and yet again in 1877. The petitions in the latter year were filed by Delegate Fenn. They differed from for- mer documents in describing the territory to be trans- ferred as Nez Perces county and all the teritory at- tached to it for judicial purposes, rather than desig- nating the southern boundary by a fixed parallel. Or- ange Jacobs, delegate from Washington territory, was pledged to the support of the measure. The sentiment of southern Idaho was probably correctly expressed by the following language in the Boise Statesman :

"Any proposition, coming from whatever quarter, which looks to the dismemberment of the territory, will always be opposed by the people of Idaho taken as a whole, even if what might be considered as compen- sating advantages are offered in return."

In 1878 the governor of Washington territory is- sued a proclamation for a convention of delegates at Walla Walla on June 1Ith for the purpose of framing a constitution, preparatory to statehood. The plan was to include in the limits of the territory, in which it was expected the constitution would some day be in force, the then territory of Washington and the Panhandle of Idaho. Accordingly an invitation was extended to Nez Perces, Idaho and Shoshone counties to send a delegate to the convention, who, however, was to be denied the privilege of a vote, though he might freely participate in all debates. For the purpose of electing this delegate a general convention was called at Lew- iston, April 9th, on which date sixty delegates and proxies were present at the court house. They adopted certain resolutions, framed by J. W. Poe, Ezra Baird and M. Storm. the purport of which was that the conven- tion concurred gladly in the aims and purposes of the Walla Walla convention ; that they would send a dele- gate in whose intelligence, honesty, energy and ability to fairly and truly represent them they had unbounded confidence, and that the delegate would be fully justi- fied in representing to the convention that more than nineteen-twentieths of all the people of Nez Perces, Idaho and Shoshone counties were earnestly in favor of uniting their political fortunes with the people of Washington territory.

The choice of the Lewiston convention was Alonzo Leland. He experienced some difficulty in gaining a seat in the Walla Walla convention as the delegates from western Washington were opposed to him, and not much in favor of the annexation movement, for they feared annexation would transfer the balance of political power from the western to the eastern side of the Cascade range. But Mr. Leland secured his right to a voice. He not only represented north Idaho with great ability, but by the wisdom of his counsels, added much to the excellence of the constitution of 1878, which is admittedly an able state paper.

In the November election, northern Idaho voted on the question of adopting the Washington constitution. The vote was lighter than that for candidates, chiefly on account of misunderstandings, but those who ex- pressed themselves were almost unanimous in its sup- port. The official figures were as follows: Nez

Perces county, 485 votes for and 13 against; Idaho county, 221 votes for and 14 against ; Shoshone county, 36 for and I against.

From this time forth the memorials to congress took a different tone. Instead of asking for immediate segregation from Idaho and annexation to the territory of Washington, they asked that they should be ad- mitted as a part of the state, when that commonwealth was clothed in the habiliments of statehood. The vote on the question in 1880 was more nearly unanimous than ever before, but two ballots being cast against the proposition in Nez Perces county, and not one in Shoshone. So determined were the people of the Pan- handle in this matter that they freely cast aside for the time being their political affiliations, when these were in conflict with their great project, and supported an- nexationists regardless of party. It was thought that congress could not turn a deaf ear to the plain voice of the people, expressed so unequivocally in their memo- rials, conventions and elections, but the ways of poli- ticians are devious and the real motives for their acts sometimes hard to discover. Petition after petition was slighted, and now that north Idaho had united its for- tunes with Washington in its efforts for admission to the Union, there was an additional cause for procras- tination in the settlement of the annexation question. Then there was besides the open opposition of southern Idaho, whose representatives claimed that the proposed change would despoil, disintegrate and tend to Mor- monize Idaho; occasion a readjustment of territorial districts, disarrange the courts, legislature and other internal machinery; make unequal division of terri- tory ; be unjust to the citizens of south Idaho and un- safe at present and finally that Washington would be too large and unstately. The bill for the admission of Washington with north Idaho was, however, reported favorably by the house committee in 1882, but thoughi it elicited a vigorous debate, no definite and final action was taken.

In the teritorial legislative session of 1884-5, an annexation memorial to congress passed the Idaho council by a vote of nine to three and the house by a vote of twenty to four. In January, 1886, the move- ment was again brought up in congress and pushed with vigor. The bill as presented by Delegate Hailey provided that the northern counties should not be re- leased from their just share of Idaho's bonded indebt- edness and that the southern boundary of the trans- ferred territory should "commence at a point in the mid- dle of the main channel of Snake river due west of the head waters of Rabbit creek; thence due east to the head waters of Rabbit creek ; thence down the middle of said Rabbit creek to its junction with the Salmon river ; thence up the middle of said Salmon river to the junction of Horse creek ; thence up the middle of said Horse creek to the junction of the east fork of said creek : thence up the middle of said east fork of Horse creek to the crest of the Bitter Root range of mountains."

The committee on territories recommended the pass- age of the bill and the house passed it February 24th.

HISTORY OF NORTH IDAHO.

The senate. however, refused to consider the measure until that creating the state of Washoington had been put upon its passage.

Meanwhile southern Idaho was all activity in its opposition to the movement. So long had agitation proved of no avail that the people south of the Salmon river had become somewhat apathetic, but now that they seemed in actual danger of losing their territory, they awoke to a realization of the momentous conse- quences to them which must result from its loss. Mass meetings were held; protests were framed and sent to congress, and all tlie leading newspapers took up the fight with vehemence. Some opposition was expressed by residents south of the Salmon river, and two of the commissioners of Idaho county protested against the spoliation of the county's territory and petitioned that if annexation carried, the county should go as a whole. Opposition was also brought forward by Montana's delegate in congress, who claimed that all of Idaho north of the forty-seventh parallel, including the Couer d'Alene mining district, of right ought to be given to Montana. A petition signed by citizens in and con- tiguous to the town of Murray urged that the Pan- handle be annexed to Montana, for the reason that that commonwealth, being a mining territory, could better take care of the district's interests than could Wash- ington, which was not a mining region.

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An illustrated history of north Idaho : embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho, Part 21

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