Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington, Part 17

Author:
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History
Number of Pages: 992

USA > Washington > Chelan County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 17
USA > Washington > Ferry County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 17
USA > Washington > Okanogan County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 17
USA > Washington > Stevens County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 17

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At seven o'clock in the evening parties in the vicinity of the disaster heard a distant rumbling which was not thunder, but might be a seismic disturbance. At first the direction from which the detonations proceeded was not

located, but as they became more distinct and at frequent intervals the awful truth burst upon them that an avalanche of timbers, rocks, debris and turbid water was pouring down upon the pretty pastor valley. Scarcely had the family of Mr. Patton reached safety on the side of a hill when a wall of water forty feet in height poured past them, breaking from the timber a quarter of a mile above their house, and spread- ing over the prairie farms to a depth of four feet. The track of the Spokane Falls & North- ern Railroad was covered with mud for the dis- tance of several hundred feet, trains being com- pelled to transfer passengers the following day across the break with teams. It was a disaster that would have proved far more appaling had the county at the time been more thickly settled.

At a special election held July 6, 1893, bonds to the amount of $65,000 were voted for the purpose of liquidating current expenses of the county, the necessary three-fifths of the vot- ing population concurring in the proposition. The State of Washington became a purchaser of $20,000 of these bonds ; the remainder were sold to Roberts Brothers.

The heavy hand of financial disaster and the "hard times" of 1893 fell upon the residents of Stevens county, but this temporary depression did not more seriously affect them than it did those in other localities throughout the country. Officially the county, through the careful ad- ministration of Treasurer Frank B. Goetter, escaped a loss of $15,000, deposited in the Citi- zens National Bank of Spokane. Reviewing the financial condition of the county with some attention Mr. Goetter came to a conclusion, June I, that he would no longer entrust the funds in his charge to a foreign corporation, and he transferred his account to the Bank of Colville which had guaranteed him against loss. Within a few days the suspension of the Citizens National Bank of Spokane was an- nounced.

The following resume of damage caused by

HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

a wind storm of June 3, 1894, published in the Colville Index of the 7th is of interest :

Last Sunday afternoon about 3 o'clock a storm of wind, rain thunder and lightning swept from south to north over the entire surface of the county, laying waste great forests of timber, destroying fences, trun- ing over houses and doing damage in many other ways.

In Colville the storm was not so severe as in other places. Signs were blown down, trees uprooted in some portions of the city, but the only damage to buildings worth speaking of was the dislodgment of the front of William Prindle's blacksmith shop.

At Kettle Falls much damage was wrought by destruction of buildings. The large two-story building of W. R. Noteware was severed in twain, the upper story being swept away. The Curry block was smashed by a falling tree, and the hardware store building of J. P. Fogh was injured very materially. The roof was lifted from the Kettle Falls sash and door factory, and a barn of Louis Blue was completely demolished.

In the neighborhood of Daisy and Harvey the force of the storm was terrific. No loss of life is reported, but there was much property rendered worthless. Fay Ledgerwood had one horse killed; H. L. Childs sus- tained the loss of three cows; Dr. Weston had two cows killed and a number crippled; Mr. Tipton had three cows crippled and Fritz Bowren's barn was blown over. With relation to the storm at Daisy our correspondent tells us: "This section of the country is in a deplorable condition. The roads are almost impassable. The best of the timber is destroyed, the majority of the trees being broken off about half way up the tree, making them useless except for fuel. The mails have to be carried on horseback, and the fact is the whole Columbia river valley has the appearance of having been visited by a Kansas cyclone."

In Echo Valley the roads are in a terrible state, and the authorities are exerting every effort to get them cleared of obstructions as soon as possible. From Addy our correspondent writes that much damage was done to small buildings, fencing and roads. No one has been reported injured, but a horse was found in a mud-hole with a tree across its prostrate anatomy, but was not killed.

At Chewelah the storm struck with all the fury of a cyclone. The fine forest of timber in Jenkin's ad- dition was literally mowed to the ground like grass. A number of houses were moved bodily several inches from their foundations, fences were strewn in all direc- tions and many horses killed. The big tent in which the Free Methodists were holding services at the time was blown down, and the throng of people who had gathered there had narrow escapes from death by trees falling. The G. A. R. hall was laid in ruins and is a total loss. On Monday the Spokane Falls & Northern train was delayed over an hour in the timber a short distance north of town, owing to the great number of fallen

trees on the track. The telegraph wires were broken in several places and communication was cut off in all directions.

News of the storm comes from many other places, but the same results in a much lighter degree are re- ported. It was undoubtedly the most disastrous storm that has yet visited this portion of the northwest.

The year 1894 will be memorable for a flood of vast proportions swelling the Columbia river far above the danger point. Nothing like it had been known before in the history of east- ern Washington since its settlement by whites. At the Cascades the stage of water is said to have been about the same as at the great flood of 1862, but this statement is not supported by evidence in the vicinities of Kettle Falls, Mar- cus and other places. At Boundary, City the waters flowed and lashed themselves furiously around the city limits and at Northport the menacing element stood over a foot deep on the floor of the railway station. Many residents removed to the suburbs, on higher ground. The fine residence of Mr. Bishop was sur- rounded by water to its eaves. The house of Hugo Moser, with all its furniture was swept away down the river, together with about sev- enty cords of wood. The sawmill and sheds of the Northport Lumber Company were greatly damaged and much of the lumber carried away and irretrievably lost.

Railroad bridges were washed away at the mouth of Onion creek and a large portion of the trackage temporarily ruined. At the Little Dalles Peter Ellensohn's warehouse was com- pletely ruined. Two miles of track were washed out at Seven Devils, and at Marcus the building occupied by Feldman & Company, as well as other stores and warehouses, stood in a depth of two feet of water. Repairs on the Spokane Falls & Northern railway cost $250,- 000. As the banks on the reservation side of the river are low the loss to the Indians was considerable, although no pecuniary estimate of this was ever made.

In Stevens county the year 1894 witnessed a gratifying rebound from the disastrous "hard

HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

times." The privileges of a cash market for the various products of the county were better than ever before known. The British Colum- bia mining regions became an unvarying source of profit to the agricultural producers of the northern portion of the county. All varieties of products were in constant demand, and it is a gratifying fact that the demand constantly in- creased as the years went by. And this, too, in the face of a heavy Canadian tariff levied upon goods of all descriptions. But it is a cash mar- ket, and the close contiguity of this section of the county to the Canadian mineral fields greatly favors this section.

Agitation for a telephone service in the county dates from January, 1895. The pro- moter of this enterprise was W. B. Aris, of Kettle Falls. He procured the passage of a resolution by the county commissioners grant- ing him a franchise to construct and maintain a system of telephone lines along the public highways of Stevens county, including all the principal train centers. February 4 the Inter- national Telegraph and Telephone Company was organized and articles of compact for- warded to the secretary of state, at Olympia. Incorporators and trustees were W. B. Aris, F. W. Sherman, and J. H. Young. The capi- tal stock was fixed at $25,000, divided into shares of $10 each. Headquarter offices were located at Colville. February I the organiza- tion was made permanent with W. B. Aris, of Kettle Falls, president, J. Harry Young, of Colville, vice-president, S. W. Washburn and F. W. Sherman, of Kettle Falls, secretary and general manager, respectively. The same year the company was taken over by the Pacific States Telegraph and Telephone Company, which now controls the same, reaching all the principal points in the county.

During the spring of 1895 considerable complaint was heard on all sides concerning alleged injustice being done the Indians by set- tlers in the Calispell Valley, and other portions of the county. It was claimed by a number of

newspaper correspondents that white settlers were appropriating Indian lands. On May 4, of that year a correspondent at Usk forwarded the following item to the Colville Index :

"Three Indians held up three white men while hauling fence posts to fence their ranch on the east side of the Pend d'Oreille river. The case is this: Twenty-three Indians claim fifty square miles on that side of the river. When the Indians could not stop the boys from fencing their ranch, one renegade Indian named Sam took an iron bar from beneath his blanket, then all three rushed upon the boys. One was lucky enough to have a six-shooter, so he was able to stave them off. The Indians then started home for their guns and said that they would kill every one of them. The boys soon saw them coming with their guns and they had to take to the woods for protection. It is about time something is done with these 'government pets,' either removed or placed on other ranches so that other settlers can have some peace. It was only last summer that they stole everything that they could lay their hands on while the settlers were trying to save their little all from the floods, and at that time a petition with over one hundred and fifty signers was handed to Hon. John L. Wilson to have the 'pets' removed. We suppose when the settlers are all robbed or murdered the govern- ment will then be ready to settle with the In- dians."

Possibly it was this article, but perhaps more ample testimony that induced Mr. Robert Fountain to publish the following explanatory statement of existing conditions at that period :

Seven years ago this valley (Calispell) was un- settled and almost unknown, the first settlers being com- pelled to hew a road through dense forests, find in- gress through rough and rocky canyons and deep swamps. It was due to their invincible grit and enter- prise that the valley has reached its present state of cultivation and prosperity. It was supposed by the first settlers that we were outside of the railroad limit, but the government survey made three years ago disclosed a contrary condition, as many who had located here found themselves on railroad land. Many hardy

HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

pioneers who had located homesteads and pre-emptions, thinking they had secured a home, and made valuable improvements, on ascertaining that their land was em- braced in the Northern Pacific forty-mile limit, became discouraged and abandoned their homes. Others re- mained, hoping to purchase when the land came into market. They had become attached to the country and had great confidence in its future. Such is a fair state- ment of the conditions of the white settlers. Now as to the Indians.

Though they are generally known as Calispels, out- side of a few descendants of old Petoll, who died four years ago, there is not one of them who could be called . a Calispel. They are composed of Spokanes, Nez Perces, and Flatheads, and with two exceptions they claim land on the east side of the Pend d'Oreille river. Not one of them has ever made an attempt to secure their land by filing since it was open for entry last May, and it would be hard to determine by what right they claim it. Some are on railroad and others on government land, and when one dies a stranger soon appears and takes his place. A large number of these Indians, un- doubtedly, belong on some reservation, for they make regular trips for supplies. The worst feature of it is that this land is made a rendezvous for the worst ele- ment of outside Indians who collect here in large num- bers during the summer season, passing their time in gambling, horse-racing and drinking, to the demorali- zation of the resident Indians and to the terror of white settlers. Through the winter they exist in a state of semi-starvation, very few among them doing work of any kind.

The government has been petitioned to have them removed to some reservation and placed among the better class of their people. It was with this hope that a number of settlers who had been left without a home settled on that side of the river. So long as matters re- main in the present condition troubles will occur, and when the railroad lands come into market trouble of a more serious nature will happen. It would be greatly to the benefit of the Indians if they were removed, for there is no hope of their advancement so long as they are here. They are a burden to the country and an agent who would look to their interest would take them away. The Indians themeselves would profit by the change and a frightful incubus would be removed from this beautiful valley.

During the fall of 1896 another abortive attempt was made to remove the capital of Stevens county from Colville. This scheme was on a most elaborate and magnificent scale. It included the complete organization of a new town to be called Stevens, located near Kettle Falls, which Phoenix like city was to embrace

both Kettle Falls and Marcus as suburbs, the erection of a $10,000 court house, and the es- tablishment of a smelter and water power to supply nearly the whole county. This plan was under the auspices of "The Stevens County Land & Improvement Company," capitalized for $500,000, and officered by Colonel I. N. Peyton, Former Senator George Turner, Colo- nel W. W. D. Turner, Chris McDonald, of Rossland, Custom Collector Martin J. Malony, of Northport, Mark P. Shaffer, of Springdale and Eber C. Smith. The latter was to be gen- eral manager of the company. A weekly news- paper, "The Stevens Standard," was started in furtherance of the project. The town of Stevens was platted and it was the announced purpose of the company to adopt a liberal policy toward all persons who might decide to locate there, not only by the donation of lots but by making the prices for real estate and water power reasonable. But on October 9, 1896, the county commissioners decided in the matter of Mark P. Shaffer, and others, petitioning for a submission of the proposition of removal to the people, that the petition had not been filed in time for the county auditor to give the required statutory notice to the electors of the county, and accordingly dismissed the petition. Only one building in the proposed new town of Stevens was erected. Some of the original projectors, however, still own a portion of the land. "The Standard," which published only a few issues, was printed in Kettle Falls. Thus passed into history the last effort to remove the capital of Stevens county.

During the same year an area of country comprising about twelve square miles of terri- tory, including the Flat Creek country, on the Indian reservation, was the scene of a most dis- astrous forest fire. The locality was heavily timbered and the loss in valuable forestry was great. So dense and threatening were the flames that a number of miners, the Ledger- wood Brothers, Frank Goodwin, E. D. Miner

HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

and others, were driven to places of safety, many losing heavily in buildings, camp supplies and implements.

The following spring, 1897, the Colville river broke from its banks and created consid- erable havoc among the settlers along the lower levels of the valley.

In the fall of this year a new county court house appeared a desideratum devoutly to be wished. Accordingly a meeting was held at Colville, Saturday evening, October 9, for the furtherance of the plan. The following com- mittee of representative business men was ap- pointed, and the project was in full swing: Jacob Stitsel, C. W. Winter, Fred Hoss, H. G. Kirkpatrick, E. M. Denny, C. R. McMillan and John Hofstetter. Subscribers to the stock of the new enterprise were :

Fred Hoss, $200; J. M. Stevens, $100; F. Barman, $250; Jacob Stitzel, $100; John B. Slater, $100; R. E. Lee, $100; Frank B. Goet- ter, $125; J. P. Hessel, $75; G. M. Welty, $100; Frank Habein, $50; Julius Pohle, $50; Louis Perras, $50; V. Lemery, $50; C. A. Mantz, $50; Thomas Aspend, $40; Charles Lutt, $50; W. D. Allen, $50; H. G. Kirk- patrick, $50; P. H. Graham, $10; C. R. McMillan, $50; Mrs. L. Flugel, $50; Mrs. J. M. Mohney, $100; Swan Nelson, $10; J. U. Hofstetter, $150; L. Rusch, $60; R. M. Thomas, $20; George Thomas, $120; Henry Oakes, $100; George Theis, $50; Edward Gib- son, $25; H. W. Sacher, $25; W. Schmalzer, $15; J. G. O. Mayer, $50; E. J. Layton, $25; Paul Battrich, $15; John Holst, $25; J. D. Burris, $15; Frank Rutter, $25; John Rickey, $50; James Fee, $25; Gardner & Baker $25.

With this nucleus for a fund for the pro- posed new edifice ground was broken Tuesday, November 2, 1897, and work was pushed as rapidly as possible. It was evident that the people were in earnest and contributions to the fund continued to come in. Permission to build the structure and turn it over to the county for official purposes only was secured from the

commissioners, the building to be erected on block 14, in the town of Colville, to be a two- story building, of brick, in size 40x80 feet. The building was destined, however, to be turned over to the county before completion. August 18, 1898, the following proposition was made by the projectors and promoters of the plan :

"The undersigned, citizens of Colville and committee on court house building, would re- spectfully submit the following: That the citi- zens of Colville and vicinity have contributed :n cash, subscriptions, material and labor sufficient to erect a court house for Stevens county on block 14, original town of Colville, the title of said block being vested in said county; we would further represent that we have a suffic- ient amount of means to enclose said building and that the roof will be complete; that we are not in a position to finish it at the present time; that we estimate the cost of finishing the building according to plans and specifications, including plastering, painting, and windows and work necessary, at about $1,600; that knowing the great need of a building for court house purposes, we are now ready to turn over the same to your honorable body, for Stevens county, aiming to place on the roof, as stated, by a proper effort; that the building can be completed within the next sixty days or sooner ; that we have lath sufficient for the building and $100 paid toward the flooring; that all bills contracted by said committee for material and labor will be paid in full, except the bill for windows and doors that have not yet been de- livered; and that all subscriptions remaining unpaid after all payments of indebtedness con- tracted by said committee will be turned over to the county.

"(Signed)

"C. W. WINTER. "FRED Hoss. "JACOB STITZEL." 1

This proposition was accepted by the county, John U. Hofstetter, C. W. Winter, Fred Hoss, H. G. Kirkpatrick and Jacob Stitzel

HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

named as a committee to take charge of the completion of the work, and the same season the court house, a handsome edifice in the cen- tral portion of the town of Colville, was occu- pied by the county officials.

In this connection it is well to indulge in a ret ›spective glance at the old town of Pinkney City, the original county seat. For many years the town of Colville had been in possession of the c pital. An item from the Statesman- Index, of date October 8, 1897, puts in a short space the obituary of Pinkney City :

"The residence of Adam Arnold was totally destroyed by fire at about ten o'clock to-day. Only a portion of the household goods were saved. This is the last of the historic 'Old Town,' the little burg near old Fort Colville, Mr. Arnold's house being the last habitable building there."

It will have been observed in the perusal of this and the preceding chapter, devoted to the material progress of Stevens county since its earliest days, that such progress has in- creased in a most gratifying ratio each succes- sive year. There has been no backward step. Monetary depression in 1893-4 was not greater, and the recovery more sudden, than in many other of her sister counties in the state. Great natural resources and immediate proximity to what might be termed the local markets of the Canadian mineral fields have largely contributed to these conditions. The subject of current events has been treated with rather close attention to chronology, but the object in so doing was, mainly, to avoid any confusion of dates in the mind of the reader. Nothing so embarrasses the student of history as an abrupt relapse to former incidents which might, with ordinary care and foresight, have been carried along in their proper chronological order. The same increasing ratio of advance- ment and prosperity will be noticed in the suc- cessive chapters and the wonderful improve- ment in a large variety. of industries will be treated as fairly and candidly as careful re-

search and painstaking verification can accom- plish.

The humane and judicious care of the poor of any community should invariably appeal to all county and municipal officials. Until the spring of 1899 no suitable provision had been made by the Stevens county commissioners in the way of a poor farm; the exclusive property of the county. These unfortunates had in no- wise been neglected so far as their personal comfort was concerned. But as yet land for poor farm purposes had not been secured. In April the commissioners purchased 160 acres of land three miles northeast of Colville. The price paid was $1,800. It is bench land, well watered and adapted to the growth of vari- ous grains, fruits and vegetables. W. A. Harb- ison, of Clugston, was employed as superin- tendent who, assisted by Mrs. Harbison, re- ceived a salary of $700 per annum. Buildings were subsequently erected and the greater por- tion of the land placed under cultivation. In the fall of 1899 the treasury of the county was increased by the payment, from Ferry county, of $16,872, being her share of joint indebted- ness at the period of the formation of Ferry, that territory having been the last to be am- putated from the once magnificent domain of Stevens county. The summer of 1900 was made notable by a succession of forest fires throughout the Colville valley and in other sections. From these the vicinity of Spring- dale suffered to a greater extent, perhaps, than other localities. The Chewelah district, also, lost heavily. The origin of these fires was at- tributed to the carelessness of campers and sparks from railroad engines. Fortunately the advent of welcome rainfalls contributed to the subjugation of these devastating flames.

The statutes of the state classifying coun- ties according to population provide that a county having a population of 10,000 and less than 12,000 shall be known as a county of the fifteenth class. To such a station had Stevens county attained in December. 1900, having

HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

been raised by the census from the nineteenth class. The same law provides that salaries of county officers shall be increased accordingly, and they were fixed as follows : Auditor, $1450; Clerk, $1350; Treasurer, $1450; Sheriff, $1450; Attorney, $1300; School Superinten- dent, $1100.

The census of 1900, by precincts, accorded Stevens county the following population :

Bossburg, including Bossburg village (247) 471; Boundary, 74; Calispell, 219; Chewelah, 614; Clayton, 189; Clugston, 295 ; Columbia, 297; Colville, including Colville town, (594) 1160; Daisy, 295; Deep Creek, 65; Diamond Lake, 125; Fertile Valley, 117; Flat Creek, 52; Forest Center, 74; Harvey, 185; Ione, 9; Kettle Falls, including Kettle Falls town, (297) 404: Lake Creek, 131 ; Lit- tle Dalles, 63; Loon Lake, 280; Mclaughlin, 227; Marcus, 219; Metaline, 12; Meyers Falls, 370; Mt. Corbin, 120; Newport, 453; North- port, including Northport city, (787) 845; Old Dominion, II; Riverside, 217; Rock Cut, 39; Springdale, 267; Spring Valley, 809; Stensger, 395 ; Theris, 356; Walker's Prairie, 94; White Lake, 330; Williams Valley, 71; Spokane In- dian Reservation, 589; Total, 10,543.

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Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington, Part 17

Author: Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History Number of Pages: 992

Author:
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Western History
Number of Pages: 992