Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington, Part 70

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 70
USA > Washington > Ferry County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 70
USA > Washington > Okanogan County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 70
USA > Washington > Stevens County > Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington > Part 70

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The long expected time had arrived after weeks of patient waiting, and everybody was anxious to get to the "South Half," the land of mineral promise. The process of getting ready was by no means slow. The quickest kind of packing was practiced, so by two o'clock a. m., just as gray dawn was creeping over the

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HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

eastern hills, at least sixty men had mounted and de- parted southward, leaving a trial of dust behind them. Youth and old age were in the race; prospector and novice were pushing forward. All night the hegira continued. The sound of horses' feet and the loud voices of the riders kept many drowsy people awake, and curiosity brought not a few to the street and a real- izing sense that something unusual was in the air. Old "gin pigs," asleep in chairs, staggered up and feebly at- tempted to gain some idea of the situation; night hawks, those birds of prey, were around and got many a dram from departing citizens. All day Friday the exodus continued. They came from the north, east and west, and went south. By seven o'clock in the morning the news had reached the region of Mud Lake and down the canyon came team after team. By nightfall Repub- lic had a sober air; it was in a pensive mood, so to speak.

Nearly every prominent man in town had at least a grub-stake interest, and a few had put up considerable money, first and last, in a "South Half" enterprise. There is a possibility of the president vetoeing the In- dian appropriation bill, but that is not likely. It is more than probable that it will become "law." Of course there will be a vast territory staked off, regardless of ledge, cropping, or any other evidence of mineral. It is safe to say that within ten days every foot of ground worth talking about will be appropriated. Ned Gove was the first to cross the line from here. He left at 12 o'clock, and after staking his claim, returned in the afternoon, having traveled forty-six miles.

This picture from the columns of the Pion- cer is not overdrawn. The rush to the "South Half" of the reservation in 1898 was a stam- pede of vast proportions, excelling even the scenes incident to the opening of the "North Half" in 1896. In the 1898 hegira some sec- tions of the "North Half" were well nigh de- populated. Within one week after the presi- dent had signed the bill it was conservatively estimated that fully five thousand mining claims were located in the "South Half." More than four hundred men crossed the line from Repub- lic.

The official separation of Ferry from Stev- ens county, and its organization into a new political division, occurred in 1899. It was at first proposed to name the new county Eureka. The potent reasons for this subdivision, as voiced by the Pioneer of January 7, were as follows :

It is expected that the petition to the legislature for the establishment of Eureka county will be signed by every resident voter within the limits proposed. The great distance that separates this section from other settled portions of the county ; the Columbia river lying between, which in its entire course to the sea forms a sufficient dividing line between counties, and even states; Stevens being the only exception that claims jurisdiction on both its banks; the failure of county or state to provide even so much as a wagon road, and the hopelessness of expecting that its proportion contributed to county funds will be applied to improvements within its limits for many years, make the imperative neces- sity for this movement so apparent that he will be a rara avis indeed who will hesitate to affix his signature to that document.

For but less than a year have the Stevens county authorities claimed jurisdiction west of the Columbia, and it is by no means indisputably established yet that those claims are valid; decisions now pending before the interior department may change the status of this region, so long regarded as an ordinary Indian reserve. Although no taxes levied by the assessor have yet been paid into the county treasury, a considerable sum in licenses and other revenues have gone into its exchequer ; many have already become impatient because they have expected that an equal amount would be expended in this section of the county. That such expenditure for needed improvements has not been made is not the fault of the present commissioners. They have no au- thority to divert money's from special funds to the road or other fund; such money must come through the as- sessor's annual apportionment. There is a large in- debtedness in bonds and warrants outstanding-$197,- 903.75-according to the auditor's last report, contracted in the days of the old-school administration, prior to 1895, bearing high rates of interest, which must be paid, and a major part of that old score must be liquidated if we remain a part of Stevens county, by these newer com- munities that never derived one iota of benefit from such indebtedness incurred. The injustice of saddling a dead horse of such magnitude on to a young, new dis- trict, that needs the immediate application of all its re- sources to judicious improvements within its own con- fines must be at once apparent.

On the evening of January 5, 1899, there was a meeting held in Republic, to decide upon some course of action looking to the formation of a new county. At this meeting there was perfect unanimity of sentiment. Appropriate committees were named to carry the project to a successful conclusion. January 6 one of these committees circulated a subscription paper and within a few hours realized the generous

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sum of $1,210 to defray the preliminary ex- pense incident to the contemplated organiza- tion of a new county. Much more was, also, subscribed as a reserve fund to be drawn upon if needed; but of this latter money none was called for. The executive committee selected A. W. Strong as a suitable person to repair to Olympia and present the matter to the legisla- tive assembly. This he did, being accompanied on this special service by W. C. Morris. It had been decided to name the proposed new county Eureka. The petition for the formation of the new county was signed by 605 persons, and the limited time allowed for the presentation of the document deprived many of the pleasure of signing it.

Thursday, January 12, Representative Mount introduced a bill for the organization of a new county to be called Eureka, to be included within the following boundaries : "Commenc- ing where the Stevens and Okanogan counties' boundary lines intersect the Columbia ; thence following the Columbia to Kettle river; thence up the Kettle river to the International Boun- dary line, westward along the boundary be- tween Stevens and Okanogan counties; thence along that line southerly to the place of be- ginning. Eureka is to assume its proportion of the debts of Stevens county, on the basis of the assessed valuation of its property as shown by the 1898 assessment rolls."

This bill located the county seat at Repub- lic, gave the governor the power to appoint three commissioners ; they to appoint the other county officers. The bill provided, also, that the governor should appoint a superior court judge : all these officers to retain their positions until their successors were selected at the regu- lar biennial election in 1901. The bill passed both houses of the legislature February 16, 1899. The name "Ferry" was substituted for that of "Eureka," before the measure passed the house, the name being in honor of the first governor of the State of Washington. In the house there was only one vote against the bill;

the vote in the senate was 24 aye; 5 nay. The bill carried an emergency clause and at once be- came a law, following its signing by Governor Rogers. On the afternoon of the 16th the friends of the bill were somewhat alarmed for its safety. Senator Schofield, who vigorously opposed the measure, moved to reconsider the vote by which the bill was passed. On motion his motion was tabled, and this action served to spring an argument as to whether the bill itself had not been tabled. No little consternation ensued among its advocates, and in this threat- ening emergency while the parliamentary point concerning the life of the bill was being warmly discussed, the document was rushed into the house and that body promptly concurred in all the Senate amendments. The only active op- position to the measure came from Northport and Bossburg. Stevens county. For several months Northport had cherished the possibility of becoming the capital of Stevens county, and her citizens immediately realized that the for- mation of a new county would block that greatly desired project. The bill was signed by Governor Rogers February 18, 1899, and March 4 he announced his appointment of county commissioners.

March II the initial meeting of the Ferry county commissioners was held at Republic. H. L. Percy, D. W. Yeargin and L. P. Wilmot constituted the board appointed by Governor Rogers. H. L. Percy was elected chairman, and for a temporary clerk S. I. Spiggle was chosen. Mr. Spiggle was, also, appointed the first auditor of the new county. Other officials named by the commissioners at subsequent meetings were: George A. Graham, county superintendent of schools; J. M. Bewley, jus- tice of the peace; W. C. Morris, acting prose- cuting attorney : Henry Waisman, sheriff; L. H. Mason, treasurer; J. W. Griswold. deputy sheriff : Merton E. Jesseph, county clerk ; R. B. Thomas, surveyor.

Agitation for the erection of a county court house began in April, 1899. March 17 the

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commissioners had designated as a court house a building then owned by the county, and in which the justice of the peace held his court sessions. Offers of land for a site were made by J. W. McCann and associates, and also by the Delaware Mining Company. The latter offer, embracing the whole of Block 10, of the Delaware addition to Republic, was accepted. May 15 the contract to erect a court house was awarded to Thomas L. Grant for the sum of $3,974. On the morning of June 3 the building temporarily used for a court house burned, and all the proceedings of the county commissioners and a few other records were destroyed. Fortunately most of the records of Ferry county were in Colville at the time, not yet having been transcribed from the Stevens county records. Following the fire work was at once commenced on the court house building, a shack having in the meantime been run up as a temporary auditor's office. Mr. Grant was, also, awarded a contract for the construction of a fire-proof vault to cost $1.120. October 5 the the new court house was completed and accepted; in January, 1900, the county officials occupied it.

At the first meeting of the commissioners the sale of warrants was considered, and at a subsequent meeting, March 31, it was decided that Chairman Percy should proceed to Spo- kane and other points, if necessary, for the pur- pose of negotiating the sale of warrants to an amount not exceeding $50,000. Mr. Percy visited Spokane, Tacoma, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. Warrants to the amount of $40,000 were disposed of to W. E. Bell, of Spo- kane, at par, and carrying eight per cent inter- est.

During the summer of 1899 Ferry county was infested by a gang of horse and cattle thieves, who operated boldly and extensively. No animal staked out at night was safe from these stock peculators. The general rule of these thieves was to run the animals out of the

county and dispose of them. Such as were not at once taken out of the country would be driven to a comparatively safe place, cached, and upon the offer of a reward the thieves would arrogantly appear with the stolen property and receive it. But this was carrying things with too high a hand, and the citizens of Ferry coun- ty appeared to awaken to this fact. In the latter part of June Charles McDonald, a notorious and vicious character, and who was thought to be at the head of this gang of stock thieves, was shot and killed by Deputy Sheriff Griswold while McDonald was resisting arrest. His partner, Frank Draper, was taken into custody. It was hoped that this tragic event would put a stop to the "rustling," but the evil continued unabated for quite an extended period there- after.

The act creating Ferry county, by the state legislature, stipulated that Ferry should pay to Stevens county, its share of the indebtedness of the latter county prior to the sub-division. Oc- tober 17, 1899, warrants in favor of Stevens county to the amount of $16,872 were ordered drawn by the auditor of Ferry county in settle- ment of this indebtedness. In 1901 funding bonds to the amount of $60,000 were issued. Charles P. Bennett, of Republic, was the high- est bidder. These bonds bear interest at the rate of five and one-half per cent per annum, interest payable semi-annually, at par. and a premium of one-half per cent, due in ten years. The bonds were issued to E. D. Shepard & Company. Bennett's bid having been awarded to this firm.

November 5, 1900, Ferry county was raised from the 27th to the 22d class. This was done upon the report of the county assessor who stated that on November Ist the county con- tained a population of 4.500 and less than 5,000. Following is the population by pre- cincts from the 12th United States census, 1900: Curlew precinct, 250: Nelson precinct, 241; Republic precinct (including Republic

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city, 2,050), 3,318; Colville Indian reserva- tion (part of), 753; total for reservation in Ferry county, 1,477. Grand total, 4,562.

The months of November and December, 1899, were rendered extremely disagreeable to the inhabitants of Ferry county. It was a win- ter long to be remembered by the "Oldest In- habitant" as the "rainy winter." Each day of soaking rain, and these days were many, added to the mud, and the roads leading to Republic Camp became almost impassable. Teamsters were discouraged and many of them ceased their efforts to haul freight. Hundreds of tons of freight billed to Republic were piled up in the depots of Marcus, Bossburg, Grand Forks and Wilbur. Even with light loads it required from nine to twelve days to make the trip. Freight rates from Marcus rose to four cents a pound, or $80 per ton, and even at these exhor- bitant rates very little was brought in. Busi- ness was paralyzed on account of the small stocks of goods on hand, and in many of the necessaries of life there was a famine. The mining industry was, of course, greatly ham- pered by these untoward conditions.

Saturday morning, July 13, 1898, Martin Tonascet, chief of the Okanogan Indians, com- mitted suicide at his ranch near the mouth of Toroda creek. Tonascet was about fifty years of age, the son of one of the most eminent chiefs of that tribe. When the son was chosen chief he was considered a wealthy Indian, own- ing many head of stock and controlling a great deal of land. At the time of the tragedy Ton- ascet was intoxicated, and after raising a dis- turbance in his family, seized a rifle and shot himself to death. He left a brother, Batise, who at present resides on the ranch.

At the hour of noon, October 10, 1900, the "North Half" of the Colville Indian reserva- tion (which in 1896 had been opened to mineral entry), was made available for homestead lo- cations. During the year previous to this event Indian agents had been engaged in alloting to the wards of the nation tracts of land-eighty

acres to each native-and as a result the very choicest lands had been taken. But considera- ble excellent land still remained and for more than two months before the official opening homesteaders had been coming into the reser- vation for the purpose of examing the country. They came with outfits-a majority of them- but quite a number of people made the trip on foot, packing blankets and camp outfits. When- ever a man discovered a piece of land suitable to his taste, he made for himself a camp, and settled down to await the time when he could legally post his notice of location. Others, however, made their residence in Republic, Marcus and other towns adjacent until the hour of opening arrived.

Promptly at 12 o'clock, m., of the 10th, this opening was officially announced by the ringing of the fire bell in Republic. The merry peal of this bell was not heard by those who actually contemplated taking up land. No, they were off and away, looking after their interests. Having lived long in the realms of blissful an- ticipation, they had taken Time by the forelock, posted their notices, and when the hour of noon had arrived, made a bee-line to record their en- tries. Contrary to expectations there were no tragedies. In a number of instances two or three men met on the same piece of land; in- stead of drawing weapons and "getting the drop," they simply posted their notices and pro- ceeded to "make improvements," satisfied to leave the matter in the United States land office for adjudication. The land in the immediate vi- cinity of Curlew lake was in great demand, as was, also, the timber land east of the brewery, near Republic. In both of these places there were many who claimed the same tracts, but all appeared to take the conditions coolly. In one instance two notices were posted on the same tree. Two hostile camps were located near by. but no use was being made of shot guns, although there were half a dozen in sight.

In this "race for a home" were a number of ladies, and among those who were successful

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HISTORY OF NORTH WASHINGTON.

in having their claims recorded were Phoebe Young, Elizabeth Beecroft, Mary G. Smith and Leona Koonz. The experience of Miss Bee- croft in securing an eligible piece of land is told in the Republic Pioneer of October 13.

Miss Beecroft had picked out her location weeks in advance, and as the opening day drew near she began to make preparations to take up her homestead. On the 9th a load of lumber was sent out and left near the pros- pective ranch. Shortly before noon of the 10th Miss Bee- croft, mounted on a splendid 'charger," was on the scene. When the hands on the dial of her reliable watch pointed to the hour of 12, noon, she rode on to the land, posted the necessary notice, and then a mad race to town com- menced. Never in Ferry county did a woman get faster over the ground. Even the horse appeared in- spired by the nomentuous events of the day. He darted over the bunch grass plains, up and down hills, through timber, over rocks, and across rough and trailless places. It was a long race from Curlew Lake to Republic, but the horse was nervy, and his skilled rider determined to win a home or perish in the attempt. On they came ; here they passed a slow-going nag; there they overtook and left behind a footman, who, though slow, was equally determined to do or faint by the way. Miss Beecroft made the trip successfully. Her trusty animal reached Commissioner Stocker's office white with foam. He had made record-breaking time and landed his rider ahead of any of those who had left the lake at the same time. When Miss Beecroft reached her prospective homestead on the morning of the 10th there were two or three men on the ground. They insisted on staying, and declared they would fight for possession. But Miss Beecroft was not to be frightened or deterred from carrying ont her plans. She asked for no special privileges on account of her sex; she had rights, and all she asked was fair play. Already she has a house on the place, and will be ready to make a showing before the United States Land office at the proper time.

On the roth and IIth two hundred home- stead entries had been recorded in the land of- fices at Republic, Waterville and Spokane, and the filings continued to pour in for some time afterward.

From the earliest days of the settlement of Ferry, even before its segregation from Stev- ens county, the air was vocal with "railroad talk" and speculation. Surveying parties trav- ersed the county as early as 1898, and each suc- ceeding year rumors were rife to the effect that "the railroad was coming that summer."

Numerous routes were surveyed-one connect- ing with the Central Washington at Wilbur, Lincoln county, and others with the Spokane Falls & Northern. It was not until the summer of 1902 that a railroad penetrated the county. And then there were two of them, both roads reaching Republic, the objective point, at nearly the same time. These roads were the Kettle Valley line (colloquially known as the "Hot Air" line) connecting with the Canadian Pa- cific at Grand Forks, British Columbia, and the . Washington & Great Northern, a Great North- ern enterprise, connecting with the Spokane Falls & Northern at Marcus, and passing through Grand Forks.

April 12, 1902, was the date set for the initial trip. of the "Hot Air" line into Republic. This was, however, a trifle premature, as the road was not completed at that date. But the formal opening took place, as specified. One hundred excursionists from Spokane and other points were met at the end of the railroad by Republic citizens, and an elaborate banquet was first in order. Then followed the driving of the golden spike in North Republic, where it was intended to erect a depot, which depot is still a castle in the air. . W. C. Morris, attorney for the Kettle Valley line, and T. W. Holland, manager, drove the spike. A Grand Forks band was present and dispensed instrumental harmony. The city of Republic was en fete, and a general good time was enjoyed by all, despite the fact that the road was not completed until two or three months later. The Wash- ington & Great Northern arrived within the city limits about the same period.

The struggles of this latter line are worthy of historical reference. In 1898 a charter was secured from congress authorizing the con- struction of a railroad up the Sans Poil to Re- public. The following year this charter was secured by the Great Northern Company, but it expired by limitation in the summer of 1900. During this period D. C. Corbin, at that time owner of the Spokane Falls & Northern rail-

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road, had carefully examined the country and decided upon the route which is now followed by the Great Northern Republic branch from Marcus, Stevens county. On two separate oc- casions Mr. Corbin appeared before the parlia- ment of the Dominion of Canada, asking for a charter to enable him to construct the twelve miles of road which the contour of the country compelled him to build in southern British Co- lumbia in order to reach Republic. But each time that he appeared he was refused permis- sion to do so. Eventually Mr. Corbin's road passed into possession of the Great Northern railroad company. The latter organization was more successful in winning over the members of the Canadian parliament, and permission was secured to traverse the coveted twelve miles in Canadian territory, thus reaching Republic, which is, temporarily, the terminus. The de-

cidedly adventitious aid secured by Mr. J. J. Hill, in this enterprise, was in the form of an old provincial railroad charter, known as the Victoria, Vancouver & Eastern, which was pur- chased by the Great Northern railroad con- pany from Mckenzie & Mann, the Canadian owners. This charter was subsequently strengthened by a Dominion franchise granted by the Canadian parliament, something which Mr. Corbin had been unable to secure. The branch from Marcus to Republic is eighty miles in length. Along the entire route the grades are light, and no expense has been spared to construct a perfect railway. Some rather heavy rock work was encountered dur- ing the construction of the Washington & Great Northern railroad, but no heavy grades or sharp curves were resorted to in order to cir- cumvent natural difficulties.

CHAPTER II.

REPUBLIC CAMP AND OTHER TOWNS.

The story of Republic Camp for some time after its establishment is, practically, the history of Ferry county. It was the only settlement of note in the territory now comprised in the county of Ferry for many months, and to-day it is the one town of importance-and the capi- tal of Ferry county. Its elevation is 2,925 feet above the level of the sea; the census of 1900 gave it a population of 2,050.

Republic Camp is the center of an exceed- ingly rich mining region, scattered over grass- covered benches overlooking the valley of the Sans Poil river. It is considered a very health- ful city, located, as it is on a plateau far re- moved from malarial sections of country. The climate is mild and the summer seasons have no extended periods of extreme heat ; the nights are invariably cool. The census returns of

1900 show that Republic Camp was the sixth city in eastern Washington in point of popula- tion. And this, in face of the fact that it was without railway connection proves conclusively that the resources of the country must be con- siderable to bring to the front a place of such relative importance in the state.

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Illustrated history of Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan and Chelan counties, state of Washington, Part 70

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