An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 84

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company
Number of Pages: 1146

USA > Washington > Kittitas County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 84
USA > Washington > Yakima County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 84
USA > Washington > Klickitat County > An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 84

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THE YAKIMA INDIANS.

lar intervals, between which the dance proceeded as before. Then a little, old, dried-up man hopped around the room, handing each one a little camas root, which he carried in a buckskin sack. At this juncture the savage-looking Indian turned to me and said, 'Go home now,' which order was promptly obeyed."

An interesting incident of personal experi- ence was related by Agent Jay Lynch in a recent conversation with the writer. Mr. Lynch had always lived on terms of amity with Chief Tea- nana, who was later killed by one of his dusky brethren, and about the year 1893 the chieftain manifested his good will by inviting his white friend to attend certain festivities which were then in progress on the Yakima river. Teanana said he wished to make an Indian of Mr. Lynch, and requested that he present himself for initia- tion on a fixed date. Mr. Lynch appeared at the time and place appointed, and found a large tepee covering a space perhaps thirty by one hundred feet in dimensions, in the center of a cleared and leveled tract of two or three acres. When he got within a quarter of a mile of the spot he was halted by the two Indians that had been deputed to await him. One of these remained with him, while the other went to announce his arrival to the Indians at the big tepee. Presently four horsemen made their appearance, dressed in full regalia and on the backs of steeds gaily capari- soned and decorated. These escorted him to the tent, one riding in front, one on each side of his team and buggy and one behind. When he ar- rived at the clearing, drums began to sound in- side the tent and the crowd started to chant, but the leader paused not in his march. He took Mr. Lynch in a circle around the tent, the horses walking. A second revolution was made in a full trot and then a third at a still higher speed, the movements of the marchers apparently increas- ing with the tempo of the drum beats and chant- ing within. This final revolution completed, the music stopped ; the leader came to a halt and Mr. Lynch was invited to alight from his buggy and follow the directions of two guides who now took charge of him, and conducted him to the door of the tepee, where the sentry was alarmed by a series of raps. Some conversation in the Indian tongue was now held between the escort without and the watchman within, after which the door opened and Mr. Lynch was led inside. He made a swift reconnoisance of the premises. Indians were standing in four elliptical rows around the tepee, the men on one side and the women on the other, while in the center was a space of bare ground, smooth and clean as a tennis court. At the west end of the tepee stood Chief Teanana, gorgeously arrayed in all the finery the Indian taste could command, with drummers on his right and left. Behind him on the wall, painted on tanned, white skins, were crude representa-

tions of the sun, moon and stars; also other pic- tures whose signification could not be surmised by the uninitiated. In front of the chief some six or eight feet a small fagot fire was burning.

Three times Mr. Lynch was paraded around the fire and in front of the assembled red men ; then he was stationed before the chieftain, who addressed him in language which, being inter- preted, signified that he now recognized him as a brother and should always consider him one of the Indian people. The drum beating and chant- ing which had accompanied the marching al- ways, had, of course, ceased when the chief be- gan to speak.

At the conclusion of his brief remarks to Mr. Lynch, Teanana addressed at some length the general assembly, referring to the tepee in which they were and comparing it unfavorably with the houses in which their wealthier forefathers were wont to meet, houses many times constructed of stone. He gave a 'fanciful account of the cre- ation, spoke of the earth as the Indian's mother, referred to a flood which destroyed nearly all the people; stated that what they then and there did had been done by their forefathers from time immemorial; referred to the Creator as the father who lived beyond the sun ; asserted that in olden times there were many prophets among the In- dians who lived in such close touch with this great father that they were able to foretell the future; that they had long foreseen the coming of the whites and had advised the Indians to treat them as brothers, inasmuch as all were children of the same father. At one point in his discourse the chieftain enumerated in a kind of prayer of thanksgiving the different foods used and blessings enjoyed by the red man, the people repeating each sentence after him in a sort of chant. Then the chief would say something like "We thank thee, O God, for the fish in the river," and when the words had been sung by the other Indians, he would say: "We thank thee, O God, for the bright, clear water," the re- sponse to which was a repetition of the same language in chant. In this way the whole cate- gory of blessings was enumerated and thanks offered for each, first by the chief speaking and then by the people singing.

At the close of Teanana's address the Indians engaged in a series of songs and dances, the lat- ter consisting mostly in a simple swaying mo- tion of the body. This part of the program ended, Mr. Lynch's conductor turned to him and said : "I will now shake hands with you, Indian fashion." He placed his hand over his heart, di- recting the white man to do the same, then ex- tended it palm upward. Mr. Lynch also extended his hand in the same manner. The Indian clasped it and three times elevated it as high as possible, then unclasped and both men returned their hands to their hearts. The Indian then explained

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that the placing of the first position of the hand signified "good heart," while its extension palm upward and subsequent inversion above the hand of the other man meant a willingness to give whenever occasion required. The next day, which was Sunday, was given up to songs, prayer, exhortation and feasting. The method of cooking the salmon was described by Mr. Lynch. He said that fagot fires were made all around the large tepee and before these a row of Indians stationed themselves, each holding a whole fish by means of a forked stick, within roasting dis- tance of the flame.

Most of the Indians on the Yakima reserva- tion have accepted land in severalty, but they have not yet seen fit to accept any of the pro- posals of the United States government for the sale of the lands remaining after all allotments have been made. The government is still exer- cising its guardianship over them and still mak- ing efforts to educate and civilize them. It main- tains an industrial school at Fort Simcoe, in which at the time of the writer's visit were about one hundred and seventy pupils ranging in ages from six to sixteen years, though most of them were under twelve. The day is divided between the study of the common branches and those things calculated to render the pupil industrious and capable of earning a respectable livelihood. The boys are taught agriculture and gardening and the handicraft of the blacksmith or the car- penter, while the girls receive instruction in mak- ing clothing, cooking, dish washing, laundry work and everything a good housekeeper should know. The regular teachers in the literary de- partment of the school at present are W. H. Em- bree and Mrs. Venesia Kampmeir; the industrial teacher is Joe Sam, an Indian, occupying the position temporarily; the carpenter, James S. Anglea; the blacksmith, Charles Barnaby, a half breed; the girls' matron, Mrs. W. L. Shawk; the boys' matron, Miss Ethel Frizell; the cook, Miss Anna Steinman; the laundress, Miss Lydia Spencer, an Indian lady. Hon. Jay Lynch is agent and superintendent of the industrial school ; G. Dawe McQuesten, clerk; Charles E. Roblin, assistant clerk, and Dr. W. L. Shawk, agency and school physician. The government property at Fort Simcoe consists of the school with four class rooms and a general assembly room, the boys' and girls' dormitories, eight dwelling

houses, two commissary buildings, the agent's office, the doctor's office and government medical dispensary, and some buildings originally de- signed as barracks for the soldiers but now used for store rooms and shops. There is a general merchandise store across the street from the school buildings, but it belongs to J. D. Coburn, the postmaster and post trader.

The agency and school buildings are taste- fully arranged in a beautiful cove in the foothills of a spur of the Cascades, known locally as the Simcoe range. Beautiful oak groves add to the attractiveness of the spot, while the view it com- mands of the valley stretching away to the Yak- ima river is simply magnificent. As indicated by its old Indian name, the place is well supplied with springs, but for the convenience of all con- cerned a water system has been installed, of which Superintendent Lynch, in his report for 1901, said: "The water system is a gravity sys- tem and water is conducted through four-inch mains, from a distance of about two miles up the canyon to an elevated reservoir on a hill near the school. This furnishes a fine pressure through- out the buildings and an excellent pressure for fire protection for the buildings of the school and agency. The fire hydrants are conveniently located for the protection of all the school build- ings and the agency buildings, except the barn."

A general idea of the entire reservation may be gathered from what is said of it in the super- intendent's report for the year 1902: "The res- ervation contains about 800,000 acres, of which about 300,000 acres have been allotted. All of the land that there was any practical way of irri- gating was allotted to the Indians some time ago, when the last allotting agent was here, con- sequently the remaining portion of the reserva- tion is very poor land and is practically worth- less for farming purposes and remains tribal lands, where water cannot be secured for ir- rigation. A great portion of the unallotted lands is in the mountains, part of which is tim- bered. I estimate that there are about 75,000 acres of good price timber lands distant from forty to sixty miles from the railroad and inacces- sible at present. These tribal lands afford or produce only a small amount of vegetation dur- ing a short portion of the early summer, and on account of the lack of rains dry up and supply but a very limited grazing for stock."

CHAPTER V.

REMINISCENT.

Driven by stern necessity, the early pioneers often accomplished tasks which would be considered next to impossible under ordinary circumstances. Accustomed from their youth up to toil and danger and the hardships of the strenuous life they led, they came to treat as commonplace deeds of daring and heroism that would now be heralded on the front page of the modern daily. It is to be lamented that the scope of this volume and the limitations of its authors will not permit the publication of all the incidents of thrilling interest, the anecdotes and stories which might be told concerning the early days of these three counties. Certain it is that such a collection carefully compiled would make a volume of surpassing interest. The long, tedious journeys across the Plains with ox-teams and pack-trains, the frequent brushes with the Indians, the hardships and struggles which attended efforts to establish pioneer settlements, have surrounded those early days with a host of delightful recollections both of an adventurous and humorous nature. No attempt will be made to incorporate here any extensive col- lection of these, but realizing that a few incidents and stories of early days may help to interpret the spirit of the times and to add interest to these pages, we have given space to a limited number.

A WOMAN'S GRAVE.

The tall grass waves on the sandhill's side- A coyote crosses the sand flat wide With hungry eyes on his destined prey- A prairie dog on his porch at play- Crosses and scatters beneath his feet The wind-blown folds of a winding-sheet.

I stopped to study with curious air The lonely grave that was hidden there; A headstone, scarred by sand and flame, Still recorded a woman's name And the legend carved in rude design- "Died, April, 1849, "Aged five and twenty years; "To the Mount of Life from the plains of tears."

Was she a wife? It does not tell. A mother? Perhaps. We know as well. For on the gravestone above the mould Simply a woman's name is told. -A woman's name, but let it rest- 'Tis better not to be here exprest; Let the desert claim her for his bride, Sleeping softly upon his side.

Long I paused in the evening dim And gazed at the headstone black and dim- Black with the fires of many a year, Sweeping the sandhills far and near, The coyote's cry came thro' the shades, A lizard troubled the spear grass blades, And a light gray cloud passed overhead, Dropping a tear-for it knew the dead.

I mused and wondered the more I thought- Who she was who lay in that lonely spot. Was she slender and fair to view With a soul to dare and a hand to do? A hero's heart in her woman's breast Beating with passion to know the West, Yet soothing with ways that never fail The long, wild leagues of the Overland Trail- With a woman's vision of faith and hope Viewing the mountain's western slope --- Till the setting sun on the western sea Beckoned her on to its mystery?

The cactus grows on the drifting mound; The wolf and the sandstorm scar the ground; The wolf and the wind may wail and sweep Above the bed where she lies asleep- Not the wind nor the wolf shall disturb the rest Of the woman hero who loved the West. -A. E. SHELDON.

RETROSPECTIVE.

Some Casual Remarks by George D. Virden of Liberty, Washington.

I can but feel that all of my pioneer friends have well earned the right to live in this, the state of Washington. Washington I am sure will never surrender, but will forge ahead till it reaches the foremost rank in our grand republic; and Kittitas county will be typical of a fourteen-inch nickel-steel gun, on board the battleship of statehood. It was in the year of 1876 that our mule team pulled our wagon into the sagebrush near where Ellensburg now stands; our wagon was loaded with myself, wife, three children, and a few of the immediate necessaries of life. When starting on our trip west we had intended to go to the Sound, but now it looked as if we were going to the rag basket. Our pocketbook had for some time shown unmistakable symptoms of fatal collapse. Our trail led back nearly two thousand miles, and it was a rough one, its varying altitudes ranging from near sea-level to snow-cloud-level and, as we had left no money at the other end on which to draw, we felt that we

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must cast our lot with the few settlers who had straggled into the valley during the last five years. Many of them were now working on the ever present problem as to how they were to cover up their outsides and fill up their insides, and we soon found ourselves trying to solve the same problem --- it seemed to be catching. Some two years later, when we were all showing symptoms of improve- ment in our finances, there caine another problem to solve; it was this: "Shall the white man or the red man knock under"? Some of the white men, while studying on this problem, got the flumma- diddles of the heart so badly that they had to hit the back trail on jackrabbit time, declaring as they left, that our climate was so outrageously bad they would not live in it. But the majority of our people were Indian proof and were located here with the avowed intention of thoroughly analyzing this somewhat rebellious appearing piece of nature's handiwork, now known as Kittitas county. At first the work was hard and the pay small, and often the wolf of poverty peered in through the screen doors. But, by loading up with a tremendous charge of the fulminate of hope, though we ofttimes had but a pinch of the chloride of expectation with which to shot the charge, we feel that we have brought down the game and think the game is worth the struggle. And now my heart tells me that I must drop a tear for those who have entered their chambers of eternal sleep while bravely bat- tling, not only for their own betterment, but in knocking away the rough places for those who have foilowed into this county.

A PIONEER JUSTICE COURT.

State Senator A. J. Splawn, of Yakima county, Ellensburg's pioneer merchant and a well known pioneer of eastern Washington, relates the follow- ing story of a trial in the Kittitas valley in the early seventies :

"The year 1871," he says, "developed two char- acters which furnished a disturbing element, that up to that time had been lacking in the valley. They were Pat Lynch and 'Windy' Johnson, both sons of Erin. The latter derived his name from the fact that his mouth seemed to be the most useful organ in his body. Innumerable quarrels soon brought on a fistic encounter, in which my big- hearted friend Tom Haley acted as referee to deter- mine which was the better man. By way of warn- ing Windy said to Pat, 'Are ye ready to die?' Pat answered, 'Sure not, ye blatherskite.' The battle began and for the first half hour Windy had things his own way, wiping the earth with Pat, who all this time was playing a waiting game. Windy's forced fighting soon exhausted him and he wanted to stop. But not so with Pat, who proceeded to put the finish on Windy, not stopping until Johnson called upon the referee to stop the fight.

"One day Pat mounted his gray mare, taking

a shotgun across the saddle in front of him, and started for 'Robber's Roost,' the name given to my old store. When he reached that part of the trail that crossed Windy's place he was hailed and ordered to go back and not to attempt to cross. However, Pat was not in the habit of taking a cir- cuitous route to reach his destination to please any- one, certainly not Windy, so he continued on his way. Windy then fired his rifle, the bullet taking away a part of Pat's hat rim. Pat dismounted and blazed away at Windy with his shotgun, tearing away the tail of Windy's old coat. Thereupon Windy very wisely concluded to cease hostilities and to get satisfaction through the law.

"Pat was arrested and the case came up for trial before Fred Bennett, J. P., who knew more about Ayers' Almanac than the statutes of Wash- ington territory. Six jurors were selected and the trial went on. Pat was a foxy Irishman and wanted to make a wise move, so he asked a friend of mine if it would be about the right thing to 'trate' the jury and was told it would do no harm to his case, so he struck out for the store. There was no whiskey on hand. He asked for Hostetter's or Old Plantation bitters, but they, too, were out. The only thing in that line was Vinegar bitters, so he purchased seven bottles,-one for the Court and one for each of the jurors.

"His thoughtfulness was well received. The court as well as the jurors 'hit' the bottle quite fre- quently during the course of the trial. When the evidence was all in and the case went to the jury, there were only three in their places. The court and four jurors were out. For two hours they attempted to be present all at one time, but failed on account of a portion of them always being out taking in the beautiful scenery of Kittitas valley by moonlight. Finally the court and four jurymen were present, and the judge announced that there were not likely to be as many together again that night. So the jury proceeded to render a verdict which acquitted Pat. Pat afterward became a good citizen, leaving as a monument to his memory a brick block in Ellensburg, which he gave to the Catholic church upon his death."

A PIONEER STOCKMAN'S ADVENTURE.

A good illustration of the vicissitudes which were likely to attend a journey with cattle to the mining districts during the early days is furnished by the experience of Leonard L. Thorp, one of the oldest living pioneers of Yakima county, who kindly told us his story, as follows:

"On February 14, 1866, Jack Splawn and I left the Moxee settlement with 160 head of fine beef cattle, bound for the mines of British Columbia and Montana. We were both in our early twenties then. Outfitted with good saddle horses, blankets and the remainder of a pioneer cowboy's equipment, and accompanied by a friendly Indian whose name

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was Washington, we commenced with light hearts and buoyant spirits what was destined to be for me at least a most unfortunate trip.

"We drove east across the ridge to the Colum- bia, striking that river at the White Bluffs. Here we swam the cattle and horses to the farther bank and ferried our luggage over in Indian canoes, all with- out accident. Then we came down onto Crab creek, where our troubles commenced. We discovered that the gentle warmth of springtime had made a premature appearance, for the weather suddenly turned cold again, forcing us to go into camp. Ice froze in March to the depth of a foot. The com- forts of camp life under such circuinstances are not very numerous, but we endured our privations with- out discouragement, and late in March were again ready to proceed eastward. By about April Ist, we were on the Spokane river to which we had made our toilsome way through two feet of snow. The aspect of the intervening wilderness had been dreary indeed, and the lugubrious howling of coyotes had served only to accentuate its loneliness and desola- tion. But the range was simply grand and the pic- ture of it in my mind's eye is in striking contrast with the bare and brown hillsides of today. Bunch- grass was everywhere in abundance and primeval luxuriance, the bunch-grass which in later years furnished subsistence for tens of thousands of cattle and horses.

"We crossed the Spokane river by ferry about fifty miles below the falls, swimming the horses and cattle as usual. On the farther bank we pitched camp and I remained with the herd for a few days while Jack made a trip to Colville for the pur- pose of looking up the prices of beef there. We were exceedingly anxious to do as well as possible with the cattle, hence gave close attention to the different markets. Jack's report being unfavorable, we determined to go elsewhere with our stock, so we drove the band on to within a dozen miles or less of the falls, where another camp was established. This was about the middle of April.

"At this time the Kootenai mines in British Columbia were very prosperous and as reports in- dicated that we might do well with our beef in that camp, I decided to go thither, with a part of the cattle, taking Washington along as a companion, and leaving Jack at the camp to look after the remaining stock. With sixty of our strongest steers we started, Washington and I, and in a few days, we were on the shores of Lake Pend d'Oreille in Idaho. Here we embarked aboard a little steamer for the mouth of the Pack river, 250 miles up which stream the mines were located.

"A more uninviting spot than the mouth of Pack river was when we landed there could hardly be imagined. It was late in the afternoon. The rain was descending in torrents and soon had us thoroughly drenched, but we were accustomed to facing the elements, and cared little for such slight inconveniences. The ground was marshy where we

camped and covered with a thick growth of a spe- cies of wild grass unknown to us. Next morning when we went after our three horses, we found two of them dead, evidently poisoned, but strangely enough, none of the cattle were injured in the least, so far as we could see, by this noxious herb of the swamp.

"Packing up the remaining horse, we started on foot with the cattle, despite the rain which still poured down upon us with unabated severity. In- deed we did not again see the sun until we reached Joseph prairie, sixteen miles south of the mines. The effect of the continued rainfall upon the trail may be imagined. In several places there was con- siderable snow and as soon as the news spread up the road that we were going in with a bunch of cattle, every packer and traveler halted until we should pass. All were willing to allow us the privi- lege of breaking the trail.

"We paused for a few days' rest at Joseph prai- rie, then pushed on to the mines, where I had no difficulty in disposing of the cattle to a man named Lord at ten cents a pound on foot, a good price, to be sure, but no more than it was worth to drive the animals so far. During the whole trip I had not once removed my clothes and when I arrived in camp they were mouldy and decaying on my back.

"We remained in town a few days and then set out on our return trip to the Spokane country. I secured a horse for $65, but when only about four miles out, he was attacked with mountain fever and the result was that he had to be driven the rest of the way light. This left me again on foot, so I was compelled to get out as I had got in, namely, by trudging through mud, snow and water. Full two- thirds of the outward trip was made in a heavy rain. One afternoon about four o'clock, while plod- ding along with Washington, who was about as companionable as most Indians are, I was startled by hearing a voice on my left. Turning sharply, I saw a monstrous negro standing on a high log some two hundred feet away.

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An illustrated history of Klickitat, Yakima and Kittitas counties; with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 84

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1904 Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company Number of Pages: 1146

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate publishing company
Number of Pages: 1146