USA > Washington > Douglas County > An illustrated history of the Big Bend country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin counties, state of Washington, pt 2 > Part 44
USA > Washington > Adams County > An illustrated history of the Big Bend country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin counties, state of Washington, pt 2 > Part 44
USA > Washington > Franklin County > An illustrated history of the Big Bend country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin counties, state of Washington, pt 2 > Part 44
USA > Washington > Lincoln County > An illustrated history of the Big Bend country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin counties, state of Washington, pt 2 > Part 44
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S. L. Van Marter's addition, July 31, 1901, by Sylvester L. Van Marter.
Philpott's addition, January 14, 1902, by Lafayette M. Philpott.
Neilson Brothers' addition, January 8, 1902, by Dugal and James Neilson.
Neilson Brother's Second addition, July II, 1902, by Dugal and James Neilson.
S. L. Van Marter's Second addition, Oc- tober 7, 1902, by Sylvester L. Van Marter.
WASHTUCNA.
In the southeastern part of Adams county, on the Connell branch of the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company's line, is the town of Washtucna. And it is rapidly pushing itself into the front rank of the prosperous towns of the county. The town lies in what is known as the Washitucna Valley, and is thirty miles almost due south of Ritzville. It is just over the line which separates Adams and Franklin counties, and is only a short distance from the Palouse river, and only ten miles from the picturesque Palouse Falls of that stream. Within the town limits are three beautiful springs which furnish an abundance of the purest water for the use of the town, and which determined the site of its location. There is sufficient of the delightful aqua pura to supply a town of from two to five thousand people. Excellent water is, also, obtained from wells at a depth of from 90 to 100 feet. Four miles away the little falls of the Palouse river would generate power for all purposes of a city many times the size Washtucna expects to become.
It is the only trading point for a distance of several miles in every direction. This is the third town in size in Adams county, and is a prominent wheat shipping and receiving sta- tion. It is supplied with telegraph and long distance telephone service and has recently es- tablished a splendid system of waterworks.
As may be surmised the word "Wash- tucna" is of Indian derivation, and for many years prior to the building of a town on this site the name was applied to the valley in which Washtucna lies, but the English meaning of the word has never been discovered. Mr. G. W. Bassett, who has lived in the valley since 1878, says that, although he has made many efforts to ascertain the meaning of the word, so far he has been unsuccessful. The Indians with whom he has conversed on the subject stated that it was the name of an Ind- ian chief who lived here in the long ago. But that they did not know the English equivalent is conclusively proved.
Washtucna was first entitled to a place on the map in 1882, at that time Washtucna post- office being established with Mr. Bassett as postmaster. His homestead was on the mail route between Fort Walla Walla and Camp (afterward Fort) Spokane, at the mouth of the Spokane river. It is said that the mail was at that period kept in a trunk, but this primitive style of transacting Uncles Sam's business served every purpose for the few set- tlers of that early time. In 1894 the office was turned over to T. C. Martin, a young man who, the same year opened a general store in Wash- tucna.
The celebrated springs in Washtucna to which he have referred had been called by the Indians and earliest pioneers, "Kahlotus," the occasion for which is explained in the chapter relating to Adams county.
The country around Washtucna was grad- ually settled, those first filing on lands coming from Nebraska and Kansas. Later other fam- ilies came from Illinois. Among the early
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THRESHING SCENE, ADAMS COUNTY
785
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
settlers to be mentioned are A. S. Elder and family, T. C. Martin and family, John Huff- man, I. B. Laing and family, W. L. Mustard and C. T. Booth and family. They engaged in farming, but it was not until the late '80's that wheat raising to any extent began. In 1883 a branch railroad extending from Con- nell, Franklin county, to Moscow, Idaho, passed through and a station was established. For several years this railroad gave daily serv- ice, but business not warranting, the road was practically abandoned, entirely so below Wash- "tucna, and to that point a train was run out from La Crosse three or four times a month. Because of this irregular train service the rail- road handled the mail contract only three years.
In 1891 a wheat platform was built at Washtucna station, and this became a ship- ping point for that cereal. At the time the railroad was built through, in 1886, two sec- tion houses were erected and they, with Mr. Bassett's house, constituted the town. The owners of the wheat platform were the Pacific Elevator Company, and Mr. Bassett became the manager of the wheat shipping business from this point. In 1894 the town was platted by George W. Bassett, although this plat was not filed for record until 1899. During this period Mr. Bassett succeeded in disposing of two lots, one to T. C. Martin and one to the Farmers Warehouse & Storage Company. In 1896 a second store was opened by the latter company, the members of the firm being Messrs. Clever & Laing. In 1898 the busi- ness of the town was increased by a blacksmith shop conducted by J. E. Hughes. The same year, both wheat houses were enlarged and have since been added to.
This was, practically, all there was to Washtucna prior to the rapid settlement of the country in 1900. A few more buildings were erected in 1900-I, but it was not until 1902 that there appeared anty greatly increased activ- ity. March 10, 1900, a lodge of the Woodmen of America was organized by T. J. Dolbow,
with a membership of 45. In August, 1901, the Woodmen began, and on November Ist, completed a two-story frame building, 32 by 85 feet in size. This building was erected by Pettijohn & Krider, contractors, of Ritzville, at a cost of $3,000.
During the year 1901, 350,000 bushels of wheat were marketed at Washtucna, at prices aggregating closely to $165,000. The Wash- tucna Enterprise, of March 21, 1902, said : "This town has been, seemingly, overlooked by the rest of the world until within the past six months, since which time it has been getting such a 'hump on' itself as to surprise the old timers equally as much as the more recent ar- rivals. During this time it has grown from a cluster of a few houses to over forty buildings, and double that number are likely to be con- structed during the coming year."
To this the Enterprise added, January 2, ·1903 :
"From the merest hamlet, whose build- ings, all told, could be enumerated on one's finger ends, and with a population numbering less than 50 people in the beginning of the year 1902, to a prosperous little city of 300 in- habitants, with a total of 55 buildings at the end of the year, is the history of Washtucna in a nutshell for the year just passed.
"The reasons for this marvelous and speedy growth of the town, from an almost unin- habited waste, to a city of its present propor- tions, with a future growing brighter with every rising sun, may be attributed chiefly to two things, first to the never failing enterprise shown by an energetic, industrious class of citi- zens, and, second, to the magnificent oppor- tunities provided for the agriculturalist and stock-raiser by a large and fertile country. The year 1902 opened up with good farm land ad- jacent to town selling at from $3.50 to $10 an acre; today it finds ready purchasers at from $7.50 to $30. Then, homesteads innumerable in quantity, and first-class in quality, might have been found in every direction for the taking
50
786
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
up; now there is scarcely an acre of available ground within 20 miles of Washtucna that has not been filed on. Town lots could have been bought 12 months ago anywhere from $20 to $50; but the lapse of that short period has given these same lots a value ranging from $150 to $500, according to location, and they are hard to find even at these prices."
A petition signed by 64 persons asking for incorporation was presented to the county com- missioners, and the latter named Tuesday, Oc- tober 27, 1903, as the date for voting on the proposition. George W. Bassett, M. Spear and I. B. Laing were judges of this election, and T. J. Dolbow and W. L. Mustard were clerks. At the election 37 ballots were cast, 36 for incorporation and one against. It was afterward learned that the one solitary vote against the proposition had been cast by mis- take. Practically this made it unanimous. The officers elected were, Charles T. Booth, mayor; G. A. Bassett, H. H. Brown, T. J. Dolbow, I. B. Laing, W. L. Mustard, councilmen; W. A. Pearce, treasurer.
The following additions to Washtucna have been platted since the original plat of the townsite was filed :
Bassett's Second addition, June 27, 1902, by Adams County Bank, per J. D. Bassett, president, and George W. Bassett and Alice Bassett.
Bassett's Third addition, June 28, 1902, by G. W. Bassett, Alice Bassett and Adams County Bank, by J. D. Bassett, president.
HATTON.
This comparatively new town on the map of the State of Washington is situated in the southern part of Adams county, on the main line of the Northern Pacific Railway, and draws its principal support from 12 townships of the best wheat land in the state. The coun- try to the east has been settled for a number of . years, but that on the west of the town is al-
most entirely new, and was principally set- tled in 1901 and 1902. At present the popu- lation of Hatton is about 250.
When the Northern Pacific Railway Com- pany built its line through Adams county they established a station at the place where the town of Hatton is now located. Here they erected section and pump houses. For many years these were the only improvements at the station. Two wells had been sunk by the rail- road company to furnish water for their en- gines. Prior to 1890 the station was known as Twin Wells. That year Mr. James L. Bron- son erected a store building there and put in a small stock of goods. It was the same year that a postoffice was established, and the name "Hatton" came into existence. John Hackett was the company's railway agent at Twin Falls, and in 1890 he was married to Miss Belle Sut- ton, daughter of one of the settlers in the vicinity. When it was decided to make appli- cation for a postoffice the name to be given it was chosen in a rather romantic and novel man- ner. It was formed by taking a portion of the name of the contracting parties, and by com- bination, make a new word. As was per- fectly proper, and · chivalrous, the lady was given the best of this arrangement, "tton" be- ing taken from Sutton, and only "Ha" from Hackett. Mrs. Hackett was postmistress.
In 1897 Otis Algoe purchased the Bron- son store, and subsequently became postmaster. In 1899 a warehouse was erected and the town's growth was augmented that much. In 1901 Johnson Brothers (E. C., A. P. and R. A.), opened the second general merchandise store in this rudimentary town. It is in this year that Hatton began to grow, and its com- mercial importance may be dated from that period. In the summer of that year there were the postoffice, two stores, and two small ware- houses. That fall there was marketed at this point 260,000 bushels of wheat. January 22, 1902, the Adams County News said :
"Hatton, this county, is a growing town.
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RESIDENCE OF S. L. THOMAS, ADAMS COUNTY.
ONE OF THE COMBINED HARVESTERS OWNED BY S. L. THOMAS AND USED TO GATHER THE CROP FROM HIS FIVE THOUSAND ACRE WHEAT RANCH EAST OF HATTON.
STEAM PLOW BELONGING TO S. L. THOMAS AT WORK ON HIS ESTATE NEAR HATTON.
STEAM COMBINED HARVESTER OF S. L. THOMAS OPERATING ON HIS WHEAT RANCH NEAR HATTON.
787
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
Twenty new business store rooms and resi- dences have been built during the last year at a cost of $75,000. There are four large ware- houses, five general stores, two hotels, bank and public school. They have a large territory, settled by prosperous, enterprising farmers, surrounding them. Five hundred thousand feet of lumber were sold during the past six months and 500 tons of coal in three months. The past year has aggregated $100,000 sales of dry goods, groceries and hardware. Town lots are readily disposed of at from $25 to $50. The postoffice for the past quarter re- ported $3.375 in money orders, sales and can- cellations. Building is still in progress and several large structures are contemplated in the spring. Every one appears to have entered into the spirit of progress and gratifying achievement will doubtless result."
To this the Ritzville Times added, Febru- ary 21, 1902 :
"A representative of the Times visited Hatton the past week, and found that city get- ting ready for a large summer's trade. The town is growing steadily, and many buildings are being erected. If the present force is con- tinued a few months will see a town of much commercial importance in the southwestern part of Adams county."
This was supplemented by the Hatton Hustler as follows:
"Five years ago those crossing the vast wastes of sage brush lying west of Ritzville would have found, at the present site of Hat- ton, one old shack of a store, owned by J. L. Bronson and Otis Algoe. Less than two years ago, when the editor first visited Hatton, it consisted of the little store mentioned above, one warehouse and one hotel and store under construction. There were 283,000 bushels of wheat marketed in Hatton last year. The crop was considered poor-little over half a crop."
The townsite of Hatton was platted April 30, 1901, by J. L. Bronson. To this has been
added Bronson's First Addition, platted Janu- ary 2, 1902, by J. L. Bronson.
The religious denominations are repre- sented by the Methodist and Christian churches. The Knights of Pythias and Odd Fellows sustain lodges at this point. The pub- lic school has an attendance of about 100. There are four grain warehouses, and in 1903 about 250,000 bushels of wheat were shipped. It is estimated that 1904 will witness a ship- ment of at least 500,000 bushels. There is, certainly, one thing in favor of Hatton's be- coming a great grain market ; all roads leading to the town are good. Farmers state that they prefer to go to Hatton on this account. And where the farmers go there will be, necessarily, a prosperous point, for all lines of business are dependent upon the agriculturist, in Adams county, especially.
CUNNINGHAM.
The original name of this station was Scott. It is located on the line of the North- ern Pacific railway, thirty-three miles south of Ritzville, and three miles east of Hatton. It was platted September 14, 1901, by W. R. Cunningham. To the original townsite has been added John McHugh's First addition, platted December 30, 1901, by John McHugh.
October 18, 1901, the Ritzville Times said :
"The Northern Pacific Railway Company has authorized a change in the name of the station known as Scott, and hereafter the sta- tion and postoffice will both be known as Cun- ningham. This will avoid confusion in the future. Scott and Cunningham are one and the same. Scott was the name given by the railroad company and the postoffice was named Cunningham, after Elder W. R. Cunningham, of Ritzville, who is now a heavy landholder at that point."
Still, the name of the station was not of- ficially changed until August, 1902.
.
788
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
In November, 1900, Hedrich & Thompson erected a store building at Scott, but rebuilt in the spring of 1901 to accommodate their grow- ing business as general merchants. Rapidly followed the erection of buildings by the Ritz- ville Hardware Company, Nichols Brothers, general merchants; Hayden Brothers, black- smiths; W. W. Hedrick, livery barn; Puget Sound Warehouse Company, Seattle Grain Company, Tacoma Grain Company and numer- ous residences. The town has four fine wells and an abundance of pure water. These wells cannot be pumped dry. The railroad well is 355 feet deep with over 200 feet of water.
PAHA.
This was a "station" on the Northern Pa- cific railway long before there began to be any signs of a "town" of Paha. W. F. Newland, writing of the country on February 9, 1886, said: "Down the railroad, 12 miles below Ritzville, is a station called Paha. The land is vacant on both sides of the road square up to the station."
In the early '80's George A. Miller located and established the townsite. He engaged in the business of locating people on government land and selling railroad lands, and his old plat book, which is the most correct outside of the United States Land office, can still be seen in the postoffice. In 1887, on petition of the Northern Pacific Railway Company, the town of Paha, as platted by Miller, was abolished. Following is the record of the proceedings of the commissioners of Adams county, August 5, 1887 :
"The petition of the Northern Pacific Rail- way Company to have the town of Paha vacated is granted, and said town of Paha, situated in the county of Adams, Washington Territory, together with all streets and alleys included therein, is hereby declared vacated."
February 25, 1889, the townsite of Paha was replatted, this time by the Northern Pacific
Railway Company, by James B. Williams, vice president. There is one addition to the town, that of Clark Long, platted September 2, 1902. It was in 1899 that Mr. Long, an old settler and the first probate judge and United State Commissioner of Adams county, purchased the townsite of Paha and located there. With his advent there commenced an era of prosperity for the little town. It now does a large grain and flour business. As shown by the map Paha is located very near the geographical center of the county, and about in the center of the great wheat belt of Eastern Washington, half way between Spokane and Pasco, two Northern Pacific division points 144 miles apart. Four mammoth warehouses and a fine mill are indications that the town is already a conspicuous shipping point for flour and grain. One of the principal enterprises that contrib- uted to the upbuilding of Paha was the con- struction, in 1901, of this flouring mill. It em- ploys a force of upwards of 17 men.
CASCADE CITY.
In reality there never was a town of Cas- cade City within the limits of Adams county. But on paper there was quite a flourishing city built up there. There never was a townsite in Eastern Washington the promoters of which met with greater success in the disposal of town lots than those who manipulated the market of lots in Cascade City. It consisted of an 80- acre tract of land, laid out into exceedingly small lots. It was located about nine miles west of Lind. It came into existence in the early '90's. The town plat was never surveyed nor was any plat recorded. An elaborate plat- on paper-was made, however. On it was shown the Columbia river running through the town, and pictures of steamboats at extensive wharves. The Northern Pacific, Great North- ern and Oregon Railroad & Navigation Com- pany's lines all passed through the town. Pub- lic parks appeared on the plat. School houses
HEADING OUTFIT, ADAMS COUNTY
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HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
and churches were distributed with a lavish liberality and wealth of imagination hardly surpassed by the author of Gulliver's Travels. Literature describing the advantage of becom- ing a resident of Cascade City was printed and freely distributed throughout all portions of the east. Taken as a whole it looked like a fine place in which to live. Lots sold like hot cakes in nearly every state in the east. This tract of land had been procured from the rail- road company, and it is probable that in the early days bands of cattle and horses may have grazed upon this townsite. Possibly a cow- boy may have driven over it. And that was as close as it ever came to being anything re- sembling a town. Never a building was erected on it. The Columbia river does not touch Adams county at any point. The Great Northern Railway does not pass through Adams county. Lots were sold at different prices ranging from a gift, with the purchase of a $2.50 bottle of patent medicine, to $250.
Later inquiries began to come in by mail to postmasters and other public officials at Hatton, Lind and Ritzville, asking about the amount of taxes due from them; their share toward establishing grades and laying pave- ments; about the schools and churches, etc. Some even came from the far east to locate on the lots which they had purchased in Cascade
City. No taxes were paid and in time the 80-acre tract became the property of the coun- ty. Such is the history of one of the most flagrant swindles ever perpetrated in the State of Washington.
OTHER PLACES.
Besides the towns whose histories we have briefly sketched there are a number of post- offices and stations in various portions of Adams county. Harrison is a wheat shipping station on the Northern Pacific Railroad, in the northern part of the county. Here are located a number of warehouses, a store, postoffice and hotel. Keystone is the name of the postoffice. Iona, in the northern part of the county, and Providence in the southern portion, are stations on the Northern Pacific railroad. Leone, Bemis and Fletcher are country postoffices on the Ritzville and Washtucna stage road. De- light is a postoffice 12 miles east of Cunning- ham. Griffith postoffice is in the north central part of the county, near the Lincoln county line. Billington is in the southwestern part of the county. Weber is in the extreme western part, and Wheatland is a postoffice near Iona station in the northeastern portion. Willis is a postoffice about 15 miles northwest of Ritz- ville. Other newly established offices are Menno, Newland, Tabor, Lanz and Othello.
CHAPTER IV.
DESCRIPTIVE.
Adams county has an area of 1,696 square miles; a broad, rolling, upland mesa, 2,000 feet above sea level, stretching out over an ex- pansive grain field. It is bounded on the north by Lincoln, on the west by Douglas, on the south and east by Franklin and Whitman coun- ties. It has an average altitude of 1,800 feet.
The acreage area is 1,178,560, and nearly all this land is valuable for agricultural or graz- ing purposes. In 1903 the assessor listed 795,- 594 acres. Much of the land remaining un- improved is held by the Northern Pacific Rail- way Company or by speculators. At present the population is nearly 10,000, and increasing
790
HISTORY OF THE BIG BEND COUNTRY.
rapidly. Many nationalities and every state in the union are represented by its people.
The soil is a light loam, or volcanic ash, very productive with little moisture, and be- ing in many places 200 feet deep, will never, through excessive tillage, become barren. With the exception of a few tracts of land abutting the water courses where volcanic action has caused eruption, of small rock and volcanic dust, the country is an undulating prairie. It is along these water courses that the railway company found the easiest grades, Naturally the rail route lies not through the most attrac- tive portions of the county, nor are its mani- fold scenic beauties to be witnessed from the car window of a Pullman coach. Unfortun- ately, this fact has been the occasion of some misrepresentation by tourists. Barren and forbidding it may appear to the casual traveler, yet beyond his range of vision lie thousands of acres of most inviting lands. Let him leave the train, take his position upon a kopje half a mile away on either side of the railroad, and he will be agreeably surprised at the vista open- ing before him. "Far as the eye can see, the vision roam," he will gaze, if in harvest time, upon miles and miles of rich, golden wheat ; he will see in many directions the world famous combined harvester-the acme of improvement in agricultural machinery-drawn by 32 horses, heading, threshing and sacking the money-purchasing cereal, and within the scope of his view of the landscape handsome and sub- stantial farm houses and many other evidences of prosperity and plenty. The Adams county wheat belt has been aptly termed the poor man's county. The country entire has been christened the "Bread Basket of the World." The average yield of wheat, year in and year out, is twenty bushels. Crops garnered by the more skillful and experienced farmers, who carefully and intelligently cultivate their lands, greatly exceed this average.
The Northern Pacific Railway extends through the county from the northeast to the
southwest corner, 57 miles, 1,673 feet. The Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company has a mileage of nine miles and 1,584 feet in the southeast corner of the county. In the same corner, Adams is separated from Whitman county, by the Palouse river.
"Only suitable for grazing." This was the verdict of the early settlers of the Palouse coun- try to the southeast of Adams county. It was considered far too dry and sterile to produce grain crops. But as the wonderful productive ability became recognized, and following the separation of Adams from Whitman county, this section began to be settled and, while at this time Adams county has been less devel- oped than any other in the state, her land is now all taken up, and there is none open for homestead entry.
The homeseeker in Adams county will find a mild and equable climate. Here is a rolling prairie 1,800 feet in altitude, with a soil of sur- prising power for the retention of moisture and where wheat and other small grains, fruit trees, and in fact, most of the crops grown in the upper Mississippi valley are successfully raised. The summers are short, if hot, and dur- ing the winter there is experienced some cold weather. In the latter season the mercury will at times fall below zero, but these severe periods are also of brief duration. In what may be termed the heated term temperatures of from 90 to 100 degrees are sometimes reached. The mean annual temperature is 46 to 48 degrees, ranging from 24 degrees in January to 68 de- grees in July. The low temperatures are ex- ceptional; the winters are not rigorous. Not so oppressive as in the eastern states are the high temperatures gained during the summer seasons. So dry is the air over the immense plateau that evaporation is rapid and this has the effect of reducing the temperature of the body. Says the United States Weather Bu- reau :
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