USA > Idaho > The history of Idaho > Part 32
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Fifty-five years ago, then a strong lad in my eighteenth year. I joined a company of good people in Missouri to cross the plains, (as we then called it) to far away Oregon. Not only our now beautiful Idaho, but about all the country west of the Missouri river to The Dalles, Oregon, on the Columbia river, and from the northern boundary of the Indian Territory, Mexico, Arizona and Nevada to the British possession on the north, was a wild desert country inhabited by none but wild, savage Indians, wild animals, varmints and reptiles, save and except a few hundred people, call- ed Mormons, at Salt Lake. At that time the country was consid- ered worthless for white people, that it never would be occupied by any human beings for homes, except the wild Indians.
In traveling across this broad timberless country we had to be on guard most of the way, both day and night, to protect ourselves against the ravages of the numerous bands of hostile and thieving Indians, who roamed over the country in war-like bands, appar- ently to plunder and destroy any party of emigrants they might chance to come on to who were not prepared to protect themselves. It required vigilance and untiring energy from start to finish. At many camping places, water and grass were very limited and of a very inferior quality. Fuel was scarce, except in a few camps. It consisted mainly of dry buffalo chips. Occasionally there was a large stream of water to cross. Then we would have to go to the nearest mountain slopes where we could cut dry poles, make a raft of them, put a water-tight wagon box on the raft and cross over our wagons and everything we had except our stock, which we would swim over. These obstructions to our travel were very an- noying, to say the least, and required much patience and persever- ance to overcome, but we were up against it and there was no use in kicking. We had started to go to Oregon and to Oregon we were going to go or die in the attempt to get there.
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There were several women in our train, wives, mothers, daugh- ters and children, and I must say that I was astonished and filled with admiration to see how those noble women and girls bore up under all the privations and dangers of this long trip of six months. They were ever ready to do their whole share of work without a murmur or a frown, always good-natured and cheerful, ever ready to speak words of kindness and cheer to the men in their most trying times. They were always cool, brave and kind, exercising good judgment in all their words and acts. They all stood the hard trip well and with very much less complaint and grumbling than the men.
We had some rather annoying times with the Indians. At one time they stopped us. They twenty to one of our number. We were compelled to give them most of our provisions. At another time they stole all of our horses at night, leaving us without a horse.
We finally reached our destination at Salem, Oregon. At that time Oregon and Washington territories had together not to exceed twenty-five thousand white population. With all this vast area of territory lying between the great Columbia river and the Missouri, a wild desert, what have the noble old pioneer men and women made of this vast area of what was once considered worthless for white people? They have taken possession of it and have, in ac- cordance with the laws of our national government, erected out of this wild territory eleven great states that are today peopled with good, industrious, intelligent and prosperous citizens. The names of these states that have sprung from the once great desert, are as follows: Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Washington, Oregon, and last, but not least, our beloved State of Idaho. These eleven states cover an area of 990,900 square miles of land, almost one-third of the United States proper, leaving out of the count, Alaska and other late acquired possessions. These eleven states that comprised what was called the plains, or Great Ameri- can Desert, fifty-five years ago, have since that time been reclaim- ed from the wild savage Indians and settled up by a good, intelli- gent, industrious, brave and law-abiding American citizens. They have reclaimed the wild lands, built hundreds of thousands of fine farms and made happy homes. They have built fine towns and cities, school houses, churches, court houses, capitols, theatres, etc. In short, they have established good, American citizenship in mod- ern form most all over this once desert plain. Our government has paid a fair compensation to the original occupants of the land (the Indians,) leaving them plenty of good land for homes. They have civilized and educated all of the Indians that would sub-
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mit to being civilized, and most that would not submit have pass- ed to the Happy Hunting Grounds on another shore.
There has been constructed and in successful operation for twenty-four years, one great through line of railroad from the Missouri river across this once desert plain, passing through the southern portion of Idaho and through the northeastern portion of Oregon, running through to Portland, Oregon, where connec- tions are made with other railroads running south through the state of Oregon on to California. Numerous branch railroads have been built into the interior of the country all along the line of this great trunk line, which are in successful operation, all of which have been of very great benefit to settlers in many ways, by giv- ing them much quicker, safer and cheaper rates of transportation of U. S. mails, express, passengers and freight than they ever had before. Besides this, the introduction of railroads has acted as a great civilizer to the wild Indians, driving away that fear that many people in the eastern states had of venturing to go into the west. Telegraph lines follow besides the railroads and telephone lines come soon after, which give the people all the modern improve- ments of speedy communication, not only all over this once desert but with all the world. The Northern Pacific Railroad Company constructed her great trunk line of railroad from Duluth across the Dakotas, Montana, Northern Idaho, through the state of Washing- ton, on to Seattle where connections are made with Ocean steam- ers and other railroads. Many branch roads have been built in Washington and northern Idaho, with telegraph and telephone lines, all of which have been of great benefit and convenience to the people, and have helped in a large degree to settle up and de- velop the great resources of this northwestern country.
Compare the conditions of this great northwestern country, from the Missouri river to the Columbia, in 1853, to its present condi- tion in 1909. The great change that has been wrought seems at a glance to be almost incredible. These eleven states mentioned here- in, carved out of this once wild territory, are now and have been for a number of years past, producing approximately one-half of the wheat raised in the United States, one-half of the beef, one- half of the horses, one-half the mutton, one-half the wool, more than one-half of the gold, silver and lead, about one-half of the lumber, several million dollars worth annually of fishes, many hundreds of carloads of the finest quality of fruits of various kinds, a large amount of sugar of a good quality, made from the sugar beets raised in these states, and many other agricultural pro- ducts in large quantities, such as corn, oats, barley, timothy and alfalfa hay in very large quantities, quite a large amount of cop-
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per, coal and some nickel and other useful metals, and last but not least, the people are raising up a splendid lot of good, in- dustrious and intelligent young men and women to take the places of the old pioneers who are fast passing away.
So far we have spoken of these northwestern states in the joint or collective manner. Now we desire to speak of the part that Idaho and her people have acted in this great transformation of wild territory into beautiful homes. The territory of Idaho was organized in the summer of 1863, under an act of Congress passed and approved March 3, 1863. At that time Idaho had but few, if any, of what might be called permanent settlers. Gold mines had been discovered one, two and three years before in different parts of the territory, and there were about thirty-five thousand people within the limits of the territory engaged in mining, trading, trans- portation, etc. Few, if any, of them had come with the calculation of making permanent homes here. All wanted to gather a good supply of gold and return to their old homes from whence they had come. Idaho or at least most of it, was situated three hundred or more miles from the head of navigation on the Columbia river, from which place all of her supplies had to come by pack animals. The country looked rough and rugged, no farms, no towns, except small, cheaply constructed mining towns in the mining camps in the mountains. Many of the miners and some of the traders suc- ceeded in gathering large quantities of gold in a short time and soon as their mining claims or trading business began to fail to pay them well they would close out, sack up all their savings and return to their old homes, having done nothing towards making any permanent improvements in the country ; while others less for- tunate in the mines, after the first year, began to fall back into the different valleys near the streams and started farming on a small scale, which proved to be profitable for the amount of labor ex- pended. Their little farms were extended, the sage brush land was cleared up and put into cultivation, water was introduced on to the land in the way of irrigation. It was soon found that each man's farm would, by proper improvement and cultivation, not only make him a good comfortable home, but that the returns from his crop paid as well as, or better than, his mining ventures; and best of all, his farm, instead of working out produced more each year with proper cultivation. But it took a number of years for the people in Idaho to make up their minds to make permanent homes here. There were many obstacles to contend with. There were several bands of thieving and murderous Indians skulking through the country, a few renegade bad white men, as well as Indians, who would hold men up and take their cash and often steal his stock.
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Transportation for all kinds of supplies was necessarily high. We got no United States mails the first two years, only by express, at from fifty cents to one dollar for each letter or newspaper. There was no telegraph. Many of the best paying placer mines were work- ed out in a few years. Schools and churches were scarce. Many would become dissatisfied, sell out for what they could get, and re- turn to their old homes. Others would come. Most all the gold and silver taken from the mines was taken or sent away either by the miners or by the merchants to pay for goods and for transportation thereon.
Most of Montana was taken from Idaho in 1864, and quite a large strip was taken from the southeastern portion of Idaho in 1868, to help make Wyoming territory. The result was that up to 1870 Idaho had lost more population than she had gained by at least ten thousand. Her future prospects did not look very bright nor inviting for immigration. Still, all who remained were doing reasonably well. Mining, farming and stock raising were the prin- cipal industries of the country.
In the early seventies, a number of the farmers in different parts of the country joined together and constructed large, long irrigating ditches for irrigating sagebrush lands lying a few miles away from the streams from which the water was taken. This en- terprise proved a success. The sagebrush lands proved to be fully as good and productive as far as they went, away from the streams, as near the streams. This encouraged men of means to engage in digging large canals to carry waters to the high sagebrush table lands for irrigation. The first one to engage in this kind of an en- terprise was the late Wm. B. Morris. He tapped the Boise River about three miles above Boise with a large canal which he had con- structed over the high table lands for about twenty miles, with sev- eral miles of lateral ditches. The country in the vicinity of these ditches was soon settled up and put into cultivation. With the ap- plication of a reasonable amount of water, it proved to be very productive for cereals, vegetables, fruits, hay, etc. From this time on up to the present time Idaho's population has steadily increased, and permanent and valuable improvements and developments have been carried on at a rapid rate in farming, horticulture, stock rais- ing, mining, railroad and electric road building, including building of nice towns, school houses, public buildings, churches, hospitals, etc.
WHAT IDAHO HAS AND IS PRODUCING.
Idaho has produced in precious and other valuable metals for the markets of the world, up to January, 1908, in gold and silver, about
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$140,000,000, in lead, not less than $110,000,000 and a small amount of copper with a good prospect for larger quantities in the near future. Idaho has raised and shipped to the eastern states each year for the past twenty years, large numbers of beef cattle, horses, mutton, sheep, wool, fruits, vegetables; and is still produc- ing and shipping large amounts of gold, silver, lead, livestock, fruits and vegetables, and is now and has for several years past shipped to the eastern markets many million feet of fine lumber. She is now and has been for several years shipping annually sev- eral hundred thousand pounds of sugar, manufactured from sugar beets grown in Idaho.
While the early settlers in Idaho had a hard struggle to get peo- ple to come and help develop the resources of the country owing mainly to her isolated location, being so far from railroad and water transportation, at last the railroads came, then the people came and soon after the development of the many natural resources commenced in earnest and is being carried on at a rapid and suc- cessful rate, so much so that the people can say with confidence that Idaho is one of the most resourceful States in the Union. Ida- ho is now well up to date with the eastern states with her schools, churches and all necessary public buildings and thousands of com- fortable and happy homes.
Idaho was admitted into the Union of States, July 3, 1890, and now ranks many of the older states in the development of her great resources. Idaho has a large amount of arid land which is being fast reclaimed, all of which produces fine crops with proper cul- tivation and the application of a small amount of water at the proper time. Under our system of irrigation, the average yield per acre of crops of most all kinds in Idaho is much greater than in the eastern or middle states, and the labor required for raising and taking care of crops is much less than in the eastern or middle states.
The climate is healthy, no excessive heat or cold in any of the agricultural districts. In some of the mountain mining districts, the snow fall is quite heavy, which affords plenty of water for the agricultural districts in spring and summer for irrigation. The mountain slopes furnish fine grass for stock in the spring, sum- mer and fall. Idaho with her great agricultural, mineral, lumber and stock raising resources, is destined to be one of the most re- sourceful and best states in the Union in the near future.
CHAPTER LXXII.
THE MASSACRE AND SUFFERING OF THE OTTER PARTY OF IMMIGRANTS ON THE OVERLAND ROAD, SOME TWENTY MILES BELOW SAL- MON FALLS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF SNAKE RIVER, IN 1860.
BY HON. GEORGE H. ABBOTT.
In the month of August, 1860, the author hereof, having been assigned to the Umatilla Indian Agency, in Oregon, being in fact the first Indian agent ever assigned to that agency, and whose duty it was to put in effect the treaty between the United States and the Cayuse, Walla Walla and Umatilla Indians. I, the agent, being at the time temporarily absent from the Agency superintend- ing the transportation of supplies from The Dalles to the agency, Byran N. Dawes, an employee of the agent, was in charge at the agency. About the twentieth of the month of August, 1860, two brothers, Joseph and Jacob Reith, appeared at the agency about the middle of the forenoon utterly exhausted, worn out and parti- ally blind from the exertions and exposure to which they had been subjected, and reported that an immigrant train, of which they had been members, had been attacked by Indians some twenty miles or more below Salmon Falls on the old immigrant road south of Snake River. That the train consisted of certain families from southern Minnesota and Iowa, also six discharged soldiers from the military post at old Fort Hall. That the families of the train as far as I can remember were, first, the Otter family consisting of twelve souls; second, the Van Norman family consisting of father and mother and five children; the Myers family of father and mother and three children and one other family whose name I have forgotten; also the two Reith brothers. The whole number of the party being forty-four souls. Mr. and Mrs. Otter had each been previously married and had families of children before becom- ing husband and wife. Mrs. Otter's children by the first marriage being named Trimble.
The Indians had lain in ambush at a point on the road where there was no water within many miles. When they attacked the train, Mr. Otter, who was recognized as the head of the party, caused the train to be corralled in a defensive position. The Indians pressed their attack and kept it up day and night for almost forty- eight hours, when the want of water compelled the immigrants to
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draw out upon the road, driving ahead to reach water, thirst com- pelling such proceedings. Most of the teams were horses and mules but at least two of the teams were cattle. The discharged soldiers, quite well armed and mounted, had volunteered to keep the In- dians engaged, acted as skirmishers with the assistance of such members of the train as could be spared from the wagons, who were forced to act on foot. During the attack before attempting to move out upon the road, one of the immigrants was killed and another seriously wounded. As soon as the train started forward the Indians pressed them closely and the discharged soldiers fled, making no resistance whatever, easily escaping as the Indians were without horses. Confusion ensued, women and children panic stricken. Indians rushing up on both sides proceeded to kill every person seen. All who could abandon the wagons fled on foot without supplies or ammunition, following the road to the westward. Nine of the Otter family were killed then and there. Mr. and Mrs. Ot- ter and their eldest daughter were seen to fall by the Reith boys, and all of the family to escape were, Miss Trimble, about eigh- teen years of age, and a boy of about two years; also the infant of the family, a little girl of three years. Miss Trimble and ler mother had started from the train just as the oldest daughter was killed and were off some twenty or thirty steps when Mr. Otter fell. Miss Trimble trying to encourage her mother in making her escape, picked up the little girl and running ahead called to her mother to follow, the little boy running by her side, but Mrs. Ot- ter turned back to try to reach her husband and was killed before reaching him. The wagons and teams and all they had in the world were abandoned and the Indians turned their attention to plundering the wagons and securing the stock. This alone seemed to be the cause of the escape of these people, for the Indians did not attempt to follow them. The Reith brothers immediately press- ed forward on foot hoping to overtake the discharged soldiers who were mounted. This they did on the second day after leaving the train. They traveled on following the road to the west hoping to fall in with another train or to reach some settlement or source of relief. At the crossing of the Malheur river the roads seemingly forked, one fork running more to the north along Snake river. The party of discharged soldiers and the Reith boys took the fork run- ning up Malheur river and followed that road six days when it became evident that it was only an old abandoned road. The Reith boys and the youngest of the soldiers tried to persuade the others to return to the main road but were met with threats of death to any who would turn back or leave the party. But during the night of the sixth day they quietly withdrew, and with one horse belong-
His-23
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ing to the young soldier, slipped away on their return down the Malheur, reaching the main road on the fifth day where they met a boy of about sixteen years of age who joined them and reported that the main party of the escaped immigrants had reached the Owyhee and would be along soon. They then killed the soldier's horse and taking some of its flesh for food, continued on toward Burnt river, where they found a few salmon in the stream, and the discharged soldier and the young boy decided to remain there to await the coming of the main party, but the Reith boys contin- ued ahead and finally reached the agency as before stated. While descending the western slope of the Blue mountains the two boys came to some cattle grazing on the hill side. They had a muzzle loading double-barreled shot gun with which they had been enabled to kill an occasional bird, and one of the boys was in favor of kill- ing one of the cows, but the other objected on the ground that as they had been out of shot for some time and were using fine gravel instead of shot they would be unable to kill one; and further that where there were cattle there must be people close and if they were to kill any of the cattle they would be considered thieves and treated as such. So they pursued their way and in an hour or two saw a bunch of calves making their way through the brush and crossing the Umatilla river. Joe, who was the older and strong- er, told his brother to remain quietly on the road while he would follow the calves as he believed they would lead him to a white settlement and promised to return for Jake as soon as possible. He therefore followed the calves through the brush along the river bottom out to the opening north of the river where he found him- self in the midst of an Indian village. As he was seen at once he decided to trust the Indians instead of trying to escape and as soon as he could do so made them understand that he wished them to take him to Walla Walla. The Indians were willing to do this, and catching a pony one of the Indians mounted and told Joe to get on behind, as he saw at a glance that the boy was not able to ride alone. But Joe then explained as best he could by words and signs that there was another to be taken. The Indians then made him un- derstand that there was a white chief on the other side of the riv- er and Joe thinking that it must be an Indian agent at once re- quested to be taken there. He was so weak, however, that the In- dians thinking he would fall off his horse had another brave mount behind Joe to hold him on, and thus they crossed the river three on the one horse. Jake had grown tired waiting for his brother, and moved slowly along the road and soon came in sight of buildings only about one hundred yards distant and hastened to them, so that when Joe reached the agency he found Jake already there.
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This was twenty-two days from the time they left the train on Snake River, eleven days of that time having been wasted in the trip up Malheur River. The boys had lived on a few birds, part of the horse spoken of, a little salmon caught in Burnt River, and wild rose berries, snakes, frogs and one rabbit. They were so exhausted, starved and wasted that their minds were as weak as their bodies and it was difficult for them to tell a coherent story. As soon as Dawes could comprehend the conditions reported by them, he started two men with a pack mule loaded with provisions and on the next morning started one man with a yoke of oxen and a light wagon loaded with food, instructing them to hasten on with all dispatch until they met the immigrants in order to give them relief as soon as possible. The men with the pack mule pushed ahead, watching carefully for any sign of immigrants until they reached a point on Burnt River near where Huntington now stands, where they turned back under the belief that the immigrants must have left the main road and that they had been passed before going so far. While on the return trip the two men continued their search for the immigrants and met Copenhaver with the ox team in Powder River Valley on what was then called Powder River Slough. Unfortunately the distressed travelers had remained on the Owyhee. On the day after the ox team had been started out to their relief I arrived at the agency. Dawes had in the meantime reported to the military authorities at Fort Walla Walla such facts as he had been able to gather from the Reith brothers, and I immediately forwarded a supplementary report to the same officers and reported in full to Superintendent of Indian Affairs at Portland, Oregon, all the facts that had reached us and our action thereon. On the return of the relief parties sent out by Dawes, I was exceedingly sorry that I had not been at the agency when the Reith brothers had arrived there, for the reason that either Dawes or myself would have gone with the advance party and turned back for nothing until we had found the immigrants. In the meantime one of the discharged soldiers who had continued by the Malheur River road got out of the Blue Mountains on the main road between Umatilla and The Dalles, at a point between Willow Creek and Butter Creek, and reported that Indians had attacked their party of five men in the timber of the Blue Moun- tains and that he felt sure that every member of his party but him- self had been killed by the Indians. He was so completely ex- hausted that it was two or three days before he could make any report. The commanding officer at Walla Walla had reported to the commanding officer of the District of Oregon at Vancouver, and when the military red tape was finally gotten through with,
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