History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana : 1845-1889, Part 50

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe, 1832-1918; Victor, Frances Fuller, 1826-1902
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: San Francisco : History Co.
Number of Pages: 880

USA > Idaho > History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana : 1845-1889 > Part 50
USA > Montana > History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana : 1845-1889 > Part 50
USA > Washington > History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana : 1845-1889 > Part 50

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I have mentioned that several private surveys of Snake River had been made with a view to naviga- tion between Lewiston and Salmon Falls, or even Lewiston and Olds ferry or Farewell Bend. These surveys were not sufficiently encouraging to induce outlay. The attempt to navigate Snake River above Lewiston having failed, the O. S. N. Co. built a boat called the Shoshone, above the crossing of Snake River, at great cost, to test its navigability. She made her trial trip May 16, 1866. It was ex-

56 The travelling time from S. F. by the steamer route was 9 days- from the interior of Cal. as much longer as it took to reach S. F. The fare, with meals, was about $142. The Idaho Stage Co. offered tickets to S. F. for $90, and promised to take passengers to Sacramento in 6 days. Freight from S. F. by steamer cost from 22 to 29 cents a pound; overland, about 12 cents. 07 A Guide to Idaho was issued for gratuitous distribution, edited by J. and T. Magee, professing to contain, as it did, much useful information about the country, but representing the different routes in such a manner as to frighten people from travelling or freighting over any other than the Portland route. Boise City Statesman, Sept. 5, 1865; Dalles Mountaineer, June 30 and Aug. 13, 1865.

68 The Oregon Road, Bridge, and Ferry Company was incorporated in April 1865, the object of which was to connect all the stage roads from Uma- tilla and Walla Walla at one point, Express Rancho, and thence down Burnt River to Farewell Bend, or Olds ferry, to continue down Snake River to the mouth of the Owyhee, with the control of all the ferries between these two points. Capital stock, $300,000. Directors: R. P. Olds, John Partin, W. H. Packwood. Property owned by them: Plount & Kenian's toll-road down Burnt River; Parton & Co.'s road; the Central ferry; Washoe ferry, with the new trail to the latter. A town called Josephine City was laid off at Washoe ferry by Byrne.

438

EARLY SETTLEMENT.

pected she would carry a great deal of freight from Olds ferry to the crossing of the Boisé City and Owyhee road, and also government freight to Fort Boisé; and that in case she could run up to Salmon Falls a road would be opened to South Boisé, and another to the mines of Volcano district. But this experiment also failed. There was no wood along the banks for steaming purposes. The boat could not pass the mouth of the Bruneau River, little more than half-way between the Boisé landing and Salmon Falls; and the Owyhee Avalanche, published at Ruby City, being in favor of the California overland routes in preference to all others, never ceased to disparage the attempt which the Idaho City World and Boisé City Statesman commended.59

The overland immigration from the east in 1865 was also large, 1,840 wagons passing Fort Kearny in May; and though the comers distributed themselves over the whole coast, Idaho and Montana retained the greater portion of them.60 Besides the regular immi-

59 The Idaho Statesman was established at Boisé City July 26, 1864, and published tri-weekly at $1 a week or $20 per year. It was owned and man- aged by J. S., R. W., and T. B. Reynolds, who purchased the materials of the Dalles Journal. See Walla Walla Statesman, June 17 and Aug. 5, 1864; Boisé Statesman, Feb. 2, 1870. The Statesman was a republican journal until Jan. 1869, when it was sold to H. C. Street, C. L. Goodrich, and A. J. Boy- akin, democrats. Its name appears also to have been changed to Boisé States- man. James S. Reynolds, at the end of a month, purchased the paper back again, but sold it in 1872 to Milton Kelly.

The Owyhee Avalanche was established at Silver City in Aug. 1865, by Joseph Wasson and brother, and J. L. Hardin. Wasson had been a printer on the Idaho World, and was a writer of considerable ability. Hardin with- drew at the end of a year, and the Wassons continued the publication until Aug. 17, 1867, when they sold to W. J. Hill and H. W. Millard. On Nov. 7, 1868, the paper was again sold to John McGonigle, who managed it till Feb. 19, 1870, when he sold back to Hill and Millard. Another journal, the Tidal Wave, atarted in 1868, and owned by the Butler brothers, founders of the Boise News, was incorporated with the Avalanche. Soon afterward Hill became sole owner. In Oct. 1874 a daily was established which lived for a year and a half, when it was discontinued. In April 1876 Hill sold the Ava lanche to J. S. Hay, who conducted it aa a weekly in the interest of mining and the country generally. It was subsequently published by Guy New- comb and Charles M. Haya.

" The Boise News apeaks of the immigration as 'generally possessed of sufficient means and comfortable outfits.' 'Nine tenthis of these,' said the Idaho Statesman, 'bring capital and means to settle in this country.' Hotels at Boisé crowded. The noise of hammer and aaw 'interrupted conversation;' 10,000 wagons on the road in July. Portland Oregonian, July 27, 1864.

439

IMMIGRATION OF 1866.

gration, the stages also brought full loads of passen- gers. And while the stage-line suffered severely by the depredations of the Indians on the plains, the im- migration experienced little trouble, owing to its ex- tent and the thoroughness of its organization. The pioneers of Idaho and Montana were saved the worst half of the journey across the continent, which form- erly exhausted the energies and means of the Oregon and Washington emigrants. They arrived early, and their stock was usually in good condition. Every arrival from the east was hailed with a cordial wel- come, for it was evidence that the mines could be easily reached from the great outside world, which conveyed a feeling of satisfaction to the hearts of the self-exiled miners. If the emigrants brought stocks of goods with them, so much the better. They often sold them cheaper than they could be obtained from any other direction, and there was no jealousy of com- petition.

In the spring of 1866, in spite of Indians and other obstacles, the Humboldt and Chico routes were again opened; Owyhee and Boisé City raising men, money, and horses to fight the former, and Mullan raising money, coaches, and horses, in New York and Cali- fornia, to stock the latter. Thirty wagons were ad- vertised to start from Chico, with a number of the stage company's coaches, early in April; and in fact, trains did arrive over the Chico route by the middle of the month, on account of which the Idaho press was jubilant, and the Oregon Steam Navigation Com- pany offered to reduce their freight charges. On the other hand, to insure the successful competition of the California roads with the O. S. N. Co., the Central Pacific Railroad and California Navigation companies offered to carry freight free to Chico landing.

Freight was carried by wagon to Ruby City and Boisé for eleven and twelve cents a pound. Ox-teams came through in one month. Mullan's Stage Com- pany put men and teams upon the road to improve it,

440

EARLY SETTLEMENT.

build stations, and cut hay. Finally, in August the coaches began running, the time from Chico to Silver City being four days. Treasure and government freight were also carried over that route.

But there was a rival route which had a friend at court. Conness of California introduced a bill in the senate to provide for the construction of a wagon- road from Boisé City to Susanville, in California, with a branch from Surprise Valley to Puebla, with an appropriation of $10,000 for surveys. This was called the Red Bluff route, favored by the Northern Teamsters' Association, which advertised to take freight for from eleven to thirteen cents, and secured a great deal. Again, the Sacramento merchants sub- scribed $5,000 to be given as a bonus to the first train which should carry 100 tons of merchandise through to Owyhee by the Truckee pass, to be ap- plied to the extra expenses of the trip.61 Jesse D. Carr secured the contract for carrying a daily mail between Virginia City, Nevada, and Boisé City, Idaho, via this route, which lay to the east of the Humboldt Mountains, and was the same, in part, over which Hill Beachy carried the mail for several months the previous year. The amount of money expended in these several enterprises was large, and the com- petition resulted in furnishing such accommodations for travel as were rarely enjoyed in new countries.

I have given considerable space to the subject of roads, as to me it appears of the highest importance. The inaccessibility of Idaho tended to retard develop- ment, but every obstacle was finally overcome.62

61 Dalles Mountaineer, April 4, 1866; Sacramento Union, March 31, 1866. Ewing and party drove the same team and buggy from Shingle Springs, Cal- ifornia, to Silver City, Idaho, including stoppages, in eleven days, via Union- ville, Dun Glen, and Queen River, finding it a good road. Ruby City Ava- lanche, May 12, 1866.

62Something should be said of the precious metals, whose existence in Idaho caused its settlement. The standard of gold bars being 1,000, anything below half of that was denominated silver. A bar 495 fine was 500 fine of eilver, worth $10.23} per ounce; a bar 950 fine was 45 fine of silver, and was stamped $19.63 per ounce, as in the case of Kootenai gold. Santiam gold (Oregon) was 679 fine; Oro Fino gold-dust assayed $16 to the ounce; Elk City from $15.75 to $16.45; Warren's Diggings $10.08 to $14.54; Florence from

441

BULLION PRODUCT.

$11.80 to $13.75; Big Hole (Montana) $17.30; Beaver Head $18.37 to $18.50; Boisé $14.28 to $17.40, little of it assaying less than $15, at which price the merchants of Idaho City pledged themselves to take it, while paying only $10 for Owyhee and $12 for Florence. Boisé News, Nov. 3, 1863, and Jan. 23, 1864. The actual amount of gold produced in any particular district of either of the territories for a given time would be difficult of computation, and only approximate estimates can be made of the amounts carried out of the country by individuals or used as a circulating medium in trade, and gradually finding its way to the mints of Philadelphia or San Francisco. Without vouching for the correctness of the estimates, I shall quote some from the dis- covery of the Clearwater mines for several years thereafter. The Portland Oregonian of Jan. 18, 1862, gives the amount brought to that city during the previous summer and autumn as $3,000,000, but this was not all Idaho gold, some being from Oregon mines. G. Hays, in Ind. Aff. Report for Oct. 1862, says, 'I should think between $7,000,000 and $10,000,000 a fair estimate' for the gold taken from the Nez Perce mines in two years. In six months, from June to November 1863, the express company shipped $2,095,000, which was certainly not more than a third of the product of the Idaho mines alone. The Idaho World of June 30, 1866, placed the product of Idaho and Montana for 1865 and 1866 at $1,500,000 monthly. See also U. S. Land Off. Rept, 1865, 15, corroborating it. J. Ross Browne, in his Mineral Resources, gives the following figures for 1866: Montana $12,000,000, Idaho $6,000,000, Oregon $2,000,000, and Washington $1,000,000; hut the S. F. Chronicle makes the product of Idaho for 1866 $8,000,000, for 1867 $6,500,000, for 1868 $7,000,000, for 1869 $7,000,000, for 1870 $6,000,000, for 1871, $5,000,000, suddenly dropping in 1872 to $2,514,090. None of these figures can be depended upon, the government reports least of all; but they enable us to make sure that Idaho and the twin territory of Montana had furnished the world a large amount of bullion without yet having begun in earnest to develop their mineral riches.

In 1864 an attempt was made to obtain a mint for the Boisé basin, and two years later it was proposed to bring the North Carolina mint to Boisé, neither of which movements obtained success. In the first year congress appropri- ated $100,000 for a branch mint at The Dalles, a measure which Portland strongly discountenanced, wishing to have it for itself. Before the mint was completed at The Dalles it became apparent that on the construction of the Union Pacific railroad bullion could be shipped to Philadelphia as easily as to The Dalles, and the act was revoked, which was a definite defeat of any pro- ject for a mint in Oregon or Idaho. An assay office was, however, erected by the U. S. government in 1870, at a cost of $81,000. It was of sandstone, 60 feet square, two storics high above the basement, and well finished. It was built by J. R. McBride, once U. S. district judge of Idaho.

CHAPTER III.

POLITICAL AFFAIRS.

1863-1885.

GOVERNOR WALLACE-TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION-JUDICIAL AND LEGIS- LATIVE MATTERS - ACTING GOVERNOR DANIELS - GOVERNOR LYON --- SECESSION SENTIMENTS-CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS-THE MAGRUDER MASSACRE-VIGILANCE COMMITTEES-POLITICAL AND HIGHWAY ROB- BERIES-ACTING GOVERNOR SMITH-THE CAPITAL QUESTION-LEGISLA- TURES-CHARACTER OF LYON-ACTING GOVERNOR HOWLETT-GOVERNOR BALLARD-GIBBS - MARSTON-CURTIS-BOWEN-BENNET-JUDGES - GOVERNOR THOMPSON - BRAYMAN -NEIL-BUNN-POLITICS-TERRI- TORIAL LIMITS-FEDERAL AND TERRITORIAL OFFICERS.

ON the 22d of September, 1863, more than four months after the passage of the organic act of the territory, William H. Wallace, late delegate to congress from Washington, appointed governor of Idaho by President Lincoln July 10th, issued his proclamation organizing the Territory of Idaho, with the capital at Lewiston. Owing to the shifting nature of the popu- lation and the absence of mail facilities, the fact of this organization was not known in the mines till late in the spring. Meanwhile the laws of Washington were held to be in force.1

Much irregularity had prevailed in municipal affairs since the settlement of the region east of the Walla Walla Valley had begun. Missoula county was not represented in the Washington legislature in 1862-3, the member elect, L. L. Blake, wintering in Boisé to look after his mining interests. Ñez Percé

1 'On the 7th of August, 1863,' says the Boise News of Nov. 10, 1863, 'we have the first mention of Idaho Territory on the county records.' James Judge was on that day made assessor.

(442 )

443

ELECTION OF A DELEGATE.

and Idaho counties sent Ralph Bledsoe to the legis- lature that session, the latter having been organized by a meeting of the commissioners in May 1862. An election for representative was held, T. M. Reed being chosen to a seat in the assembly at Olympia. Boisé county was also organized under the laws of Washington, two of the commissioners -John C. Smith and W. B. Noble-having met for that pur- pose at Bannack (Idaho) City March 17th.

When it became known that the territory of Idaho had been established, much impatience was felt to have the government organized, and a representative elected to congress; but the organization being de- layed, an election for delegate was held July 13th in the Boisé basin, which contained the majority of the population at this time.2 The proclamation of Gov- ernor Wallace being made three days before the elec- tion took place, the votes for delegate went for noth- ing. Not until September 22d did Wallace utter his proclamation ordering an election for delegate and members of the legislature, to be held on the 31st of October, the legislature elect to meet at Lewiston December 10th.

Political conventions8 had been previously called, and, as I have before mentioned, two campaign papers were published during the canvass for delegate. J. M. Cannady was nominated by the democrats and W. H. Wallace by the administration party. There was a short and warm canvass, followed by a noisy but bloodless contest on election day, which resulted in a majority for Wallace of about 500 votes. This result deprived the territory of its governor, and made the secretary, W. B. Daniels, of Yamhill county, Oregon, acting governor. Daniels had but one com- mendable quality-the complexion of his politics.

2 Robert Newell, union democrat, and John Owen, disunion democrat, were candidates. Portland Oregonian, July 16 and 31, 1863.

"Judge Bently was president and W. A. Dally secretary of the democratic convention. Lloyd Magruder of Lewiston was talked of for delegate by the democratic party; and Gilmore Hays, formerly of Olympia, of the republican party; but both withdrew on the wishes of the conventions being made known.

444

POLITICAL AFFAIRS.

Previous to his election as delegate, Wallace had districted the territory, the counties of Idaho, Nez Percé, and Shoshone constituting the 1st district, A. C. Smith, judge; Boisé county 2d district, Samuel C. Parks, judge; Missoula county and the country east of the Rocky Mountains 3d district, Sidney Edgerton, judge.4 Florence, Bannack City, and Hell- gate were appointed for the holding of the first ses- sions of the United States courts.

The organic act fixed the number of representatives at the first session of the legislature at twenty, thir- teen in the lower and seven in the upper house.5

The general laws passed at the first session of the Idaho legislature were nowise remarkable. Among the special laws I find that Owyhee county6 was organized December 31st out of the territory lying south of Snake River and west of the Rocky Moun- tains; and that on the 22d of January the county of Oneida was cut off from its eastern end, with the county seat at Soda Springs. Alturas county was defined as bounded by Snake River on the south, Idaho county on the north, Boisé county on the west,

4Edgerton was chief justice, and should have been entitled to the more populous region of the Boisé basin, but Wallace was influenced by the preju- dice against imported judges. Alex. C. Smith was from Olympia, and was given the district containing the capital. Parks on assuming his duties in the 2d district declared his hesitation in taking the place due to Edgerton.

5 By the appointment of Gov. Wallace, the seven councilmen to be elected were: from Boisé co. two, from Idaho and Nez Percé one each, from Missoula and Shoshone one jointly, from Baunack east of the Rocky mountains one, and from all the remainder of the country east of the mountains one. The election resulted in the choice of E. B. Waterbury, Stanford Capps, and Lyman Stanford of the counties of the 1st district; Joseph Miller and Ephraim Smith of the 2d district; and William C. Rheem of the 3d district. Miller was elected president of the council, and J. Mclaughlin secretary. Idaho Council Jour., 1863-4, 4, 16. The assemblymen were: L. Bacon, Nez Perce co .; C. B. Bodfish, M. C. Brown, R. B. Campbell, W. R. Keithly, and Milton Kelly, Boisé co .; Alonzo Leland and John Wood of Idaho co .; L. C. Miller of east Bannack; J. A. Orr of Shoshone co .; and James Tufts of Fort Benton district. Tufts was chosen speaker, S. S. Slater chief clerk, Benj. Need asst clerk, A. Mann enrolling clerk, P. H. Lynch sergt-at-arms, W. H. Rich- ardson, door-keeper. Idaho Scraps, 178; Boise News, Jan. 2, 1864. Judge Parks administered the oath to the members. Rheem, from the council, and Parks, with a member of the assembly, were appointed to prepare a code.

6 The name 'Owyhee' is borrowed from the Hawaiian language, and applied to the river of that name by two islanders in the service of the H. B. Co., while trading with the Shoshones. Owyhee Avalanche, Dec. 1865.

445

COUNTIES AND LEGISLATURE.

and the meridian of 112° on the east, with the county seat at Esmeralda.

Previously, on the 16th of the same month, that portion of the territory lying east of the Bitter Root Mountains was divided into the several counties of Missoula, Deer Lodge, Beaver Head, Madison, Jef- ferson, Choteau, Dawson, Big Horn, Ogalala, and Yellowstone, with their county seats located respect- ively at Wordensville, Deer Lodge, Bannack, Vir- ginia City, Gallatin, Fort Benton-Big Horn was left to the county commissioners-and Fort Laramie -Yellowstone being also left to the county commis- sioners, who should name a county seat. The fact that eight counties in that portion of Idaho bounded west by the Rocky and Bitter Root ranges should have had at this period towns which might be named in the legislature is significant of the rapid growth of population.

The legislature proceeded in February to define the boundaries of counties already organized west of the Rocky Mountains. It incorporated Idaho City 7 after changing its name from Bannack. It also incorpo- rated Bannack City on 'Grasshopper Creek' in Bea- ver Head county; and Placerville in Boisé county. Among the laws intended for the moral improvement of society was one "for the better observance of the Lord's day," which prohibited theatrical representa- tions, horse-raising, gambling, cock-fighting, or any noisy amusements on Sunday. Another act prohib- ited the sale of ardent spirits, fire-arms, or ammunition to the Indians. This law allowed Indian evidence to be taken in cases of its alleged infraction. A law exempting homesteads from forced sales looked to the permanent settlement of the territory. Congress was memorialized to appropriate $50,000 for the construc- tion of a military wagon-road to connect the naviga-

7 The charter was rejected at the election for city officers by a vote of 1,564 to 1,376. At the same time a mayor and other officers were elected. The situation partook of the usual absurdities of hasty legislation.

446

POLITICAL AFFAIRS.

ble waters of the Columbia with the navigable waters of the Missouri, that is to say, from the forks of the Missouri on the east to the junction of the Snake and Clearwater rivers on the west; also to establish a mail route from Salt Lake City to Lewiston;8 and to treat with the hostile Indians of the Yellowstone country. The pay of governor and legislators provided in the organic act being out of proportion to the expense of living in Idaho, they voted themselves enough additional to amount to ten dollars per diem,9 which increase was to be paid by the territory. Then they adjourned. It might be said that Idaho was

ERRIT

ALL OF

FIDAH

SEAL.

now fairly launched upon its territorial career, with the promise of another governor in the person of Caleb Lyon of New York.10

8 Granted, as in previous chapter. See Idaho Laws, passim.

9 Walla Walla Statesman, Feb. 13, 1864. This action was recommended by Acting Gov. Daniels in his message. Idaho Scraps, 180-3.

10 The persons in territorial offices in the spring of 1864 were W. H. Wallace, governor; W. B. Daniels, acting-governor and secretary; B. F. Lambkin, auditor; D. S. Payne, marshal; D. S. Kenyon, treasurer; and the U. S. dist. judges before named. The seal of the territory adopted had the following design: an eagle with outspread wings holding the point of a shield in its beak; a rising sun in the centre point beneath the eagle and over a chain of mountains. Men wero mining in the ravines; through the fields be-

447

CAPITAL AND GOVERNOR.

But the career of the young commonwealth was not altogether a smooth one. There was a desire on the part of the men of Boisé and Owyhee counties to have the capital removed from Lewiston to some point more central to the population west of the Rocky Mountains, there being already a scheme on foot to erect another territory out of the eastern counties. A delegation from Boisé visited the legislature while in session, to endeavor to effect the passage of an act fixing the capital at some point in that county. But there was sufficient influence in other parts of the territory to prevent it. And here began the same contest over the matter of location of the seat of gov- ernment which had been witnessed in Oregon and Washington when it became a party question.

The acting governor becoming unpopular through his opposition to the legislature which had appointed Frank Kenyon public printer11- Daniels having threatened to give the printing to a San Francisco firm-and other injudicious measures, resigned his of- fice in May, leaving the secretaryship in the hands of Silas Cochrane until another appointment should be

low ran a stream, over which an immigrant train was passing. Stars of a number equal to the number of states were placed around the rim. At the bottom of the shield were the words, 'The Union;' around the border, 'Seal of the Territory of Idaho;' and at the bottom the date, 1863. The seal and motto were changed about 1869, but a resolution of the house in 1866 had authorized a new seal, 'for the one now in use is a very imperfect imitation of the Oregon seal.' Idaho Laws, 1865-6, 299.

11 Kenyon was publishing the Golden Age, started by A. S. Gould Aug. 2, 1862. Gould, a republican, had hot times with the secession element which crowded into Idaho from 1862 to 1865. On raising the U. S. flag over his office-the first ever floated in Lewiston-21 shots were fired into it by dis- union democrats. S. F. Bulletin, Oct. 24, 1862. John H. Scranton succeeded Gould for a short time, but in Aug. 1863 Kenyon took charge of the Golden Age, and was made territorial printer. With the decline of Lewiston and the close of the 2d volume, Kenyon started with his paper for Boisé City, but was turned back by the influences brought to bear upon him. It was sus- pended, however, in Jan. 1865, and was ultimately removed to Boisé. Walla Walla Statesman, July 29, Aug. 12, 1864, Jan. 13, 1865. Kenyon started the Mining News at Leesburg in 1867, which continued 8 months, and ex- pired for want of support. The press was again removed to Montana, and Kenyon afterward went to Utah, and finally drifted to South America, where he died. The North Idaho Radiator, published by Alonzo Leland in the in- terest of a division of the northern counties from south Idaho, with Lewiston as the capital, was issued first in Feb. 1865, and continued until Sept., when its services were no longer required. Leland later resided at Lewiston, where he generally conducted a newspaper.

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History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana : 1845-1889, Part 50

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe, 1832-1918; Victor, Frances Fuller, 1826-1902 Publication date: 1890 Publisher: San Francisco : History Co. Number of Pages: 880

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe, 1832-1918; Victor, Frances Fuller, 1826-1902
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: San Francisco : History Co.
Number of Pages: 880