USA > Washington > Spokane County > Spokane > History of the city of Spokane and Spokane County, Washington : from its earliest settlement to the present time, Volume I > Part 40
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The establishment of a land office at Colfax was urged in a memorial to congress as "a matter of great importance to all the settlers north of Snake river and east of the Cascade mountains." Congress. it added. "in justice ought to act in this
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matter for the following reasons: The only land office east of the Cascade monn- tains is at Walla Walla City, near the southern boundary of the territory, and dis- tant about 200 miles from a majority of the settlers in said portion of the territory." In the establishment of these local land offiees we may traee unerringly the settle- ment and development of the country. For several years a single land office at Oregon City served the needs of the country. Later an office was located at Van- couver, near Portland. Then, with the settlement of the country east of the moun- tains congress in turn established land offices at Walla Walla, Yakima, Colfax, Spo- kane and Waterville in the Big Bend country.
Meanwhile settlement and progress drifted around Spokane. but prior to 1872 there were few happenings of moment at the falls. The site of the present eity lay off the two important highways of the interior. The Mullan road eut across Moran prairie and struek the valley six miles above the falls, while the old Walla Walla- Colville route crossed the Spokane at Monaghan's bridge some twenty miles below. From ancient times the valley of the Spokane had been considered lacking in agri- cultural possibilities, and was used chiefly as pasturage ground for herds of Indian horses and as an Indian raee course where the neighboring tribes assembled to match their eraek running horses and gamble furiously on speed contests. Homeseekers passed its gravel soil contemptuously by : and as for water power, was not the conn- try full of it, going everywhere to waste? No one could capitalize water power in those days.
But with the arrival here in 1871 of Seranton and Downing, the building of their little "muley" saw mill. and the homesteading of farming lands in the Four Lakes country and down around Spangle. the southern end of Stevens county began to command some attention. and an aet approved November 9, 1877, authorized the commissioners to levy a special tax on the assessable property of the county "for the purpose of building a bridge aeross the Spokane river at or near Spokane Falls."
Some of the neweomers into eastern Washington, moved by memories of their boyhood days in eastern states, had attempted to stock the country with "Bob White" quail, and an act approved November 9, 1877, provided that "any person or per- sons who shall buy, sell, shoot, kill, snare or trap any quail in the counties of Walla Walla. Columbia and Whitman before the first day of September, 1881, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction shall be fined not more than $50 nor less than $10, one-half to be paid to the informer and the other to go into the county school fund." Either the law proved ineffective. or the imported birds failed to thrive and multiply in their new environment, for the quail was comparatively an unknown bird in this region until later efforts by sportsmen of Spokane proved measurably successful in introdneing it here in numbers.
Alarmed by the apparent poliey of the Northern Paeifie to seek another terminus on Puget Sound or the Columbia river, enterprising citizens of Seattle projected a railroad from their town to Walla Walla, and obtained. at the legislative session of 1877, the passage of an aet authorizing varions counties to subseribe to the cap- ital stoek: King and Walla Walla, $100,000 each; Yakima, $50.000; Columbia. $75.000; Whitman, $60,000: Stevens. $20,000; Klickitat, $10,000; and various other counties $5,000 each.
Some progress was made in construction out of Seattle, but the line never got very far into the Caseade mountains.
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Congress was memorialized at this session to convert the Colville valley into an Indian reservation. It was represented-
"That the unsettled condition of the Indians east of the Caseade mountains in Washington territory, is alike injurious to the Indians and the white people. The permanent location of these Indians upon one reservation would result in the pros- perity and peace of both the white people and the Indians.
"We would further represent that the Colville valley is admirably adapted for an Indian territory for all the Indians cast of the Cascade mountains, not only on account of its arable lands, the roots, camas and salmon fisheries, but also on account of its situation, which, owing to the surrounding country, can never to intrenched upon by any white settlements. The remnants of different tribes to whom reserva- tions have been assigned under different treaties, to the exclusion of white settlers, derive no benefit from these reservations which they could not fully enjoy in Col- ville valley. Yet their occupancy of the different reservations keeps a body of fine, arable land from cultivation and settlement by white people. These different reser- vations together contain more arable land than the Colville valley, and their situa- tion in close proximity to the settlements of white people, makes a change not only desirable, but also of ultimate benefit to all concerned, and thereby the peace of the country will be more fully seenred."
This petition, it need scarcely be added, passed unheeded by congress.
Another memorial adopted at this session prayed for the establishment of a mili- tary post at Spokane Falls. It represented that-
"There is a large number of Indians in Stevens, Columbia and Whitman coun- ties ; that many of them are untreated with, and that large numbers roam over the country at will. That since the late war with Joseph and his tribe, these Indians have manifested more or less hostile feeling toward the white people. That the white settlers in these counties and in the county of Yakima are widely seattered over this vast area of country, and in case of Indian outbreak are totally unpro- tected. That experience has demonstrated the impossibility of the attempt to confine the majority of these Indians to reservations. That in view of the above-mentioned facts, there is an urgent necessity for a military post somewhere in the section of country above referred to:" and the legislature earnestly asked that it be estab- lished at "Spokane Falls, Stevens county, Washington."
At the date of the adoption of this memorial two companies of United States troops were stationed temporarily at Spokane, and the settlers there and in the surrounding country wanted to retain them. That was the year of the Nez Perce Indian war, and when Chief Joseph took the warpath, these two companies had been hurried to Spokane to overawe the Spokanes. the Coeur d'Alenes and other neigh- boring tribes and thus restrain them from taking up arms in alliance with the hos- tiles. The frightful atrocities of savage warfare had been enacted almost within view of the alarmed settlers of the Spokane country. Women and children here were still trembling in fear and horror as they thought upon the shocking ernelties perpetrated by Joseph's retreating army as it swept across Camas prairie, near the present flourishing town of Grangeville, Idaho, where women were slain, sealps taken, children butchered, and the tongues of some victims torn out by the roots. It was a time of unrest among the Indians and uncertainty and alarm in the minds
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of the scattered home-builders, and an intense desire existed to keep these soldiers in the country for their moral and restraining influence on the agitated Indians.
General W. T. Sherman had traversed this region a few months prior to the adoption of this memorial. With an armed eseort he had traveled from old Fort Benton, at the head of navigation on the Missouri river, coming over the Mullan road. He had camped one night on the shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene, and the follow- ing day he and his party were guests of James N. Glover at the Falls. Mr. Glover made good use of the opportunity thus presented to urge upon the General's mind the need of a permanent garrison in this vieinity, and on his representation General Sherman ordered two companies, then in this vieinity, to go into winter quarters at Spokane. He had been deeply impressed with the beauty and advantages of Lake Coeur d'Alene, and on his recommendation a site adjoining the present eity of Coeur d'Alene was selected by the war department for a permanent post. The soldiers wintered by the falls, but were moved to Fort Sherman by the lake the following May.
The presence of this strong garrison allayed fear and restored confidence; the Indians assumed a friendly demeanor, and the work of peopling the wilderness went forward with renewed vigor. Enticed by glowing reports of the salubrity of the climate, the beauty of the landscape and the fertility of the soil, homeseekers entered the Inland Empire in constantly increasing numbers and took up fat homesteads on the fertile lands of the Palouse. The little settlement by the Falls felt the vivi- fying influence of this immigration and developed aspirations for county seat honors. Colville was a long distance from the settlements in the southern end of Stevens county, and need was felt of a nearer seat of local government. The summer of 1878 had brought J. J. Browne and A. M. Cannon, and Mr. Browne went to Olym- pia the following year to work for the creation of a new county to be ealled Spo- kane. His mission was successful, and an aet approved October 30, 1879, estab- lished the county and defined the following boundaries:
"Commeneing at a point where the seetion line between seetions 21 and 28, in township 14 north, range 27 east, Willamette meridian, Washington territory, strikes the main body of the Columbia river on the west side of the island; thence west to the mid channel of the Columbia river ; thence up the mid channel of the Colum- bia river to the Spokane river; thenee up the mid channel of the Spokane river to the Little Spokane river ; thence north to the township line between townships 29 and 30; thenee east to the boundary line between Washington and Idaho territories : thence south on said boundary line to the fifth standard parallel; thenee west on said parallel to the Columbia guide meridian; thenee south on said meridian to the fourth standard parallel; thence west on the fourth standard parallel to the range line between ranges 27 and 28; thenee south on said range line to the seetion line be- tween sections 21 and 25, in township 14 north, range 27 cast, Willamette meridian ; thenee west to the place of beginning."
The county seat was temporarily located at Spokane Falls, "until loeaten else- where by a majority vote of the legal electors of said county, for which purpose there may be a vote taken at the next general election."
W. C. Gray, John H. Wells and Andrew Lafevre were appointed a board of com- missioners to call a special election for the election of county officers-auditor, treas-
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urer. sheriff and auditor, probate judge, superintendent of schools, coroner and three county commissioners.
The act required "that all taxes levied and assessed by the board of county com- missioners of Stevens county for the year 1879. upon persons or property within the boundaries of said county of Spokane. shall be collected and paid into the treas- ury of Stevens county for the use of said county of Stevens; provided. however, that nothing in this act shall be so construed as to deprive the county of Spokane of its proportion of the tax levied for common school purposes for the above named year ; and provided. further. that the county of Spokane shall not be liable for any of the indebtedness of the county of Stevens, nor entitled to any portion of the property of said county of Stevens."
We look upon the referendum as a novel, even revolutionary, legislative principle. It may come as a surprise, then, to some of my readers that a practical, legalized application of that principle was made in eastern Washington more than thirty years ago. With the settlement of prairie or grass regions, one of the first public (questions to arise is that of fenees or no fences. "herd law" or "no herd law." Set- tlement and development of the country cast of the Cascade mountains came in waves or eras. Of these came first the period of the fur traders. to be followed in sequence by the missions, Catholic and Protestant, the gold miners. and after these latter the herd owners who ranged large numbers of eattle and horses over the bunch-grass areas of what we now term the Palouse and Big Bend distriets. These always view askance the appearance of agricultural home-makers, protesting now, as the fur traders had protested before them, that the country was unsuited to soil cultivation, and grumbling, even after the richness of the land had been demonstrated, that the plough was "spoiling a mighty good stock country to make a miserably poor farm- ing country."
With the rapid appropriation of the public domain by homesteaders came the inevitable conflict of interest between stockman and ploughinan. The herd owner contended that the settler should fence in his cultivated area. The settler held that the stock owner should keep his cattle or horses under close herd control and thereby relieve the permanent home-maker of the labor and expense of building fences. To meet this conflict of interest. the legislature passed an act under date November 13. 1879. "to ascertain the wishes of the people in certain counties in regard to the fence law." It provided that "at the next general election for dele- gate to congress, to be held in November, 1880, the question of fence law or no fenee law shall be sulnnitted to the legal voters of Walla Walla. Columbia. Whitman. Spokan, Stevens, Yakima and Klickitat counties." then embracing all of the terri- tory lying cast of the Cascades.
"At such election." continues this act, "there shall be plainly written or printed on each ticket. in said counties. the words. 'For fence law.' or 'No fence law.' The vote shall be canvassed the same as other votes or other questions are can- vassed, and shall be returned to the county auditor, who shall keep the same on file. and give each member elected to the legislative assembly as a guide for future legislation in regard to fence laws in their respective counties."
By an act passed at this session a zone of one mile on each side of the Northern Pacific right of way through this section of country was made "dry" territory. It provided that-
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"The county commissioners of Spokan, Stevens and Whitman counties shall not grant any license in their respective counties for the sale of intoxieating liquors within one mile of the proposed railroad of the Northern Pacific Railroad company, as established by said company, now in process of construction in said counties, until said railroad shall have been completed and in operation.
"It shall be unlawful to sell or dispose of any intoxicating liquors within said limits to any person during the construction of said railroad ; and any person violat- ing any of the provisions of this aet shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and punished by a fine not exceeding $300, or imprisonment not to exceed three months. or both. at the diseretion of the court.
"This aet shall not apply to towns located within said limits, where legal lieenses have already been granted for the sale of intoxieating liquors."
A memorial to congress, asking for an inerease in the legislative assembly, adopted at the session of 1879, contained much informative data relative to area, population. and wealth. "Our territory," it set forth, "embraces nearly eight degrees of longi- tude, with an average width of three degrees of latitude. equal to 69,994 square miles. or 14.796.160 acres. After deducting the approximate area of Puget Sound. which has a shore line of 1.594 miles. there remains 35.000,000 aeres, of which 20,000,000 are timber lands, 5,000,000 alluvial bottom lands. and 10.000.000 prai- ries and plains. Our territory has an area nearly ten times as large as the state of Massachusetts, more than twice as large as Ohio, and almost double that of New York. That our territory is, at present, divided into twenty-four counties. with a total population of 57,784."
King county. including Seattle, had then a population of only 5.183, and was exceeded by two eastern Washington counties, Walla Walla, with 6,215, and Colum- bia. with 6,891; and was close pressed by Whitman, with 5,290. Spokane and Stevens had a combined population of only 2,601.
The memorial further represented that "during the year 1878 our population increased 7.283. a gain of more than twelve per cent. and it is safe to say that the gain for 1879 will equal if not exceed twenty-five per cent." The assessed valuation of property for 1879 was $21.021.832. an increase in two years of $4,165.813. Con- gress was reminded "that if our population and wealth are considered, spread as it is over a vast territory and compared with the state of Delaware, New York, Rhode Island and some of the southern states whose legislatures are composed of from 100 to 200 members, it will be seen that our people and their interests are not fairly represented in their territorial legislature. That that part of the legislative, execu- tive and judiciary bill approved June 21. 1879. insofar as it applies to our territory, and which reduces our council to not more than twelve members, and our house of representatives to not more than twenty-four members. and which fixes the eompen- sation of the officers. employes and members of the assembly, we believe to be unjust and unreasonable. as it deprives our people of fair and equal representation in their own legislative body. and tends to deprive their offieers and representatives of just compensation for services rendered. That it seems not to have been considered in the passage of said act that the sessions of our legislature were held only every two years, and that only forty days were allowed in which so few members were expected to represent and legislate upon the varied interests of a great territory with so considerable and fast growing population. That we have many business
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centers, with from 1,000 to 3,000 people, whose populations are daily increasing and whose interests and business vary according to location, soil, etc. That our legislature has the interests of game and gaming, fish and fishing, mines and mining, commerce, manufactures and agriculture to consider, foster and provide for, any one branch of which should not be deprived of fair and equal representation.
"Your memorialists therefore pray that your honorable body enact such law as will fix the maximum of our council at eighteen, and our house of representatives at forty-five members. The compensation of the members of our legislative assembly be fixed at not less than $6 per day, with mileage, and that the speaker of the house and the president of the council be allowed. each, $1 per day additional as such. That the chief clerk of each house be allowed $6 per day, and the officers and cm- ployes of the assembly be allowed from $5 to $3 per day, according to the services performed and in the diserction of the legislature."
A memorial relative to a military telegraph line represented "that large num- bers of Indians are located on reservations between Snake river and British Colum- bia, making it necessary for the government of the United States to maintain military posts at various points for the protection of the people;" and that "telegraphie communications with these military posts" connecting with the military telegraph line now in operation from Lewiston, I. T., to Dayton, W. T., commeneing at Pome- roy, W. T., on said line, via Almota and Colfax to Spokane Falls, and thence con- necting the several military posts aforesaid, would render the military more efficient and inspire the citizen with more confidence of protection against hostile demon- strations of Indians than could be given them from almost any other measure, and in case of hostilities would result in incalculable benefit to both citizens and military."
CHAPTER XXXIII
"THE DAYS OF OLD, THE DAYS OF GOLD"
SPOKANES SELL GOLD IN 1854- PIERCE'S DISCOVERIES IN THE CLEARWATER COUNTRY- THOUSANDS OF MINERS HASTEN TO THE NEW CAMPS-JOAQUIN MILLER AN EXPRESS RIDER-FABULOUS YIELDS IN OLD FLORENCE CAMP-EX-GOVERNOR COLE'S RECOL- LECTIONS-HIGH PRICES IN THE MINES-FIRST TRIP OF STEAMER COL. WRIGHT- RICHEST PLACERS IN TIIE U. S .- HOW FLORENCE AND OTHER CAMPS WERE DISCOV- ERED-FAMINE AND HARDSHIPS-GOLD BY THE QUART-REIGN OF CRIME AND TERROR-AMAZING ESCAPE FROM THE GALLOWS-LYNCHING AT LEWISTON.
For thee, for thee, vile yellow slave ! I left a heart that loved me true. I crossed the tedious ocean wave, To roam in climes unkind and new.
The cold wind of the stranger blew Chill on my withered heart; the grave Dark and untimely met my view -- And all for thee, vile yellow slave! -John Leyden.
L ONG before the discovery of gold at Sutter's mill in California, fur traders knew of the existence of the precious metal in the sands of the upper Columbia river and some of its tributaries. According to one report, an officer of the Hudson's Bay company obtained a quantity of gold dust from the interior and sent it to London to be made into an article of jewelry. Bancroft says that in 1851 a man named Robbins of Portland purchased some gold from Spokane Indians. By 1858. year of the Steptoe repulse and the Wright campaign, placer miners were scattered through the interior, and the murder of some miners near Colville precipitated the Indian outbreak of that year.
The first substantial discovery in the Clearwater country was made by E. D. Pierce, an Indian trader. Pierce had long known that gold existed in the moun- tains cast of the great bend of the Snake, but was prevented by the Nez Perces from prospecting for paying deposits, and went to California. He returned to the Nez Perces' country in 1858, and the ratification of a treaty with these Indians provided the long desired opportunity. Early in 1860 he confirmed his belief that gold was there in paying quantities, and reported his discovery at Walla Walla. With a party
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of ten men organized there he made a more thorough examination, and returning to Walla Walla in November, freely imparted all information at his command. The fields were 150 miles cast of Walla Walla, the diggings were dry, and the pay dirt yielded from 8 to 15 cents to the pan.
In the spring of 1861 Pierce organized a larger party and returned to the gold country. They built cabins, sawed lumber for flumes, and wintered there, 1861-2. News of the discovery drifted down to Portland and the Willamette valley, and thence on to California, and when the Nez Perce treaty was concluded, 300 miners were in the Orofino district. A month later their number had grown to 1,000. and miners and adventurers were coming in large numbers from Oregon and California. The route was from Portland to Wallula on the Columbia by boat, thence by stage to Walla Walla, and the remaining distance was by teaur or pack train.
"The winter of 1861-2 was the hardest ever known in the country cast of the mountains." said Ex-Governor George E. Cole to the writer. "I was living in Walla Walla then, and for fifty-six days we had no news from any part of the country except the mines at Orofino. Elk City and Florence, Joaquin Miller, then known as Charlie Miller, ran an express from the mines to Walla Walla, with a man named Mossman. They were obliged to pack everything on their backs and walk on snowshoes. When winter broke on the first of April, several pack trains started for the Florence mines, which were situated in a basin on the mountains near Salmon river.
"It was curious how those mines were discovered, and I will tell you about it. During the previous fall a party of prospectors camped for the night in the basin and tied their horses to the tall bunch-grass. During the night several of the horses were restless and pulled up the bunches they were tied to. In the morning the prospectors found gold at the roots of the grass.
"They remained there, and during the fall took out from a baking powder can to an oyster can full of dust per day to the man. I met Jack Monroe coming to Lewiston with 250 pounds of gold which belonged to the camp. When the news reached Walla Walla, several pack trains were gotten ready immediately to go to the mines, but the winter came on with such severity that we had to wait for the spring of 1869.
"I left Walla Walla about the first of April for Florence, on a foot trail with four loads. P'rom the foot of the mountains to Florence was about forty miles. and it was impossible to get to Florence with the animals. We were obliged to pack our supplies across on our backs. The charge was 50 cents a pound into Florence. We carried the freight to the Mountain House, a distance of ten miles, for which we made a charge of ten cents per pound. From there to Florence it was forty cents. We sold our goods at the Mountain House. For flour we received $1 per pound, and $1.25 for bacon, sugar and coffee. The price of whisky was $25 per gallon. A meal at the Mountain House cost $3, and consisted of hard bread. bacon and coffee without sugar."
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