USA > Washington > Asotin County > Lyman's history of old Walla Walla County, embracing Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties, Volume I > Part 40
USA > Washington > Columbia County > Lyman's history of old Walla Walla County, embracing Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties, Volume I > Part 40
USA > Washington > Garfield County > Lyman's history of old Walla Walla County, embracing Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties, Volume I > Part 40
USA > Washington > Walla Walla County > Lyman's history of old Walla Walla County, embracing Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties, Volume I > Part 40
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78
"The name Patit, called by the Indians Pat-ti-ta, is somewhat in doubt, one Indian having told me that it was a Nez Perce word meaning small creek. The word Touchet has never been properly identified, but Ed Raboin thought it was from the French, and came from the exclamation 'touche' used in fencing with foils, when one of the fencers touched the other over a vital spot."
The second extract deals with the expulsion of the settlers in the Indian war of 1855:
"Nathan Olney, the Indian agent at The Dalles, made a trip to the Walla Walla country seeking to pacify Peu-peu-mox-mox, but this chief refused the presents offered and repudiated the treaty. Mr. Olney at once ordered all settlers to leave the country. At this time Chase, LaFontain and Brooke left their cabins on the Touchet in Columbia County on their way to The Dalles for sup- plies ; on arriving at the mouth of the Umatilla, they were informed of the Indian uprising, and returned to Whitman mission, where a conference was had, and all the whites agreed to convert the house of Mr. Brooke, just below the present Huntsville, into a fort and stay with the country. Chase and LaFontain returned to their ranches at Dayton and on the day agreed on for the meeting at the Brooke cabin, LaFontain went down to confer with them, and learned that all the others, who had agreed to stay and fight it out, had concluded to abandon
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their places and leave the country. Chase and LaFontain concluded to stay, and commenced to fortify the Chase house, which was located in the vicinity of the present Pietrzycki residence. They had three transient hired men, who at first agreed to stay, but on the following day the hired men concluded that they had not lost any ludians, and took their departure. Chase and LaFontain completed their stockade, ran a bucketful of bullets, stocked the cabin with provisions, and dug a tunnel to the banks of the Touchet for water in case of siege, and waited for the Indians.
"They remained for ten days longer, when the constant standing guard and waiting for the Indians, who had not appeared, began to wear on their nerves, and they started for the country of the friendly Nez Perces, picking up Louis Raboin on the Tucanon, and at that time not a white man remained in Southeastern Washington. On the next day after they had left the Indians came and burned the Brooke and Chase houses."
Still another interesting extract tells of the controverted point as to the rights and wrongs of the tragic death of Peu-peu-mox-mox, of which we have spoken in the chapter on Indian wars:
"During this Indian war no fighting was done in Columbia County and I will not mention it further than to say that on December 9, 1855. the battle of the Walla Walla was fought, in which Peu-peu-mox-mox was killed by the guards while held as a hostage. Some 1,500 Indians were engaged in this battle against 350 volunteers. The results were twenty volunteers killed and wounded and 100 dead Indians.
"Some writers, particularly Colonel Gilbert, claim that this chief was mur- dered, and his body mutilated by the guards, but I don't believe it. My father was one of the guards, and he has told me that when the battle commenced this chief began waving his hands and shouting to his warriors, giving them directions in regard to the battle, and that Colonel Kelley rode up and said, 'Tie them or kill them, I don't give a damn which,' and that when the guards proceeded to tie them the Indians began to struggle, and one by the name of Wolfskin broke away and stabbed Sergt. Maj. Isaac Miller in the arm, and that the guards then began to see red, and the whole thing was off."
In Judge Miller's paper there is also a most valuable view of the permanent settlements on the Touchet following the close of the wars:
"In 1859 the Indian troubles having ended. the Touchet country was declared safe for settlers. The first to arrive were Indian traders, usually squaw-men, who settled at the different crossings of the old Indian trails and engaged in the business of trading bad whiskey to the Indians for their cayuse ponies. Some of these probably slipped in during the fall of '58, as they were here in the spring of '59 when the first homesteaders arrived looking for locations. Bill Bunton, George Ives and Clubfoot George were at the crossing of Whiskey Creek; Freelon Schnebley, known as 'Stubbs,' and Richard Learn, known as 'Big Red,' at the crossing of the Touchet, where Dayton is located; Bill Rexford was at the crossing of the Patit, and John Turner at Pataha City; these were all bad citizens and all squaw-men except Rexford, and it was generally said among the Indians that he was too mean for a squaw to live with. In addition to these. the following squaw-men, who were much better citizens, were here at that time: Louis Raboin, who lived where the trails crossed the Tucanon, having
THE COURTHOUSE, DAYTON
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returned to his old place after the Indian troubles; William and Martin Bailey, who lived with their squaws on what is known as the Rainwater place at the upper end of town, and Joe Ruark, known as 'Kentuck,' who lived with his squaw near the Star schoolhouse. The first real settlers to arrive came in the spring of 1859, most of them from the Willamette Valley, many of them having seen the country while serving as volunteers in the Indian wars. They located claims along the Touchet, laid a foundation of four logs, and posted notices that they had taken the claims, and gone to the valley for their stock, and would return in three months.
"As near as I can learn, the only one who remained at that time was Israel Davis, usually known as 'Hogeye' Davis, who settled where the trails left the Hogeye Creek, and raised a small crop that year. This is conceded to be the first crop raised and harvested in the county. Davis was a bachelor, and two years later was killed by the jealous husband of a woman who was cooking for him. The next who came to stay were Sam Gilbreath and his young wife, and John Wells and Tom Davis, both bachelors, who came in August, 1859. Gilbreath took up a homestead and built his first cabin where the trails entered the valley. This would be where the Smith orchard is now located. Tom Davis bought a location from 'Stubbs' and built a cabin in the vicinity of the Railroad Primary ; Wells also bought a location from 'Stubbs' and built across the Touchet from the mouth of the Patit. Lambert Hearn and wife came in October, first locating where the Columbia schoolhouse now stands, but afterwards selling out to the Paynes and moving to the Hearn homestead across the Touchet from Dayton.
"Jesse N. Day was among those who located their claims and returned to the valley for their families; he did not return until the fall of 1860. His claim was where the Chandler slaughter house is now located: He looked over the present site of Dayton, but was afraid Chase and LaFontain might return and make him trouble, and located farther down. Many of those who made their locations in the spring came back in the fall and built cabins. The settlers of 1859, traveling from the crossing down the Touchet were as follows: Wells, Davis, Hearn, Gil- breath, John Forsythe at the Angell place, James Dill at Pomona, James Bennett at the Bateman place, Joe Starr at the Starr bridge, Dave Fudge at the Blize place, George Pollard at his present place, John Fudge at Huntsville, and the Whittaker brothers just below, James Fudge on Whiskey Creek below Bunton's, and Israel Davis on the Hogeye.
"They were all bachelors except Gilbreath and Hearn, so that we had two white women in Columbia County at that time, although Dill was a widower and had one boy with him. Those arriving in 1860 were Elisha Ping and family, G. W. Miller and family, my mother and I being the family, Jesse N. Day and family, and three bachelors, Henry B. Day and Jack and Newt Forrest ; the For- rests were brothers of Mrs. Day. Miller and Ping settled on their previously located homesteads on the Patit, and Jesse Day on the Touchet ; the Forrests had located the Richardson place the year before and settled there, selling out to R. G. Newland in 1861 ; Henry Day having 320 acres in the valley, was not eligible for a homestead, but engaged in the cattle business.
"The immigration of 1861 was as follows: William Sherry settled on the Patit ahove Miller ; Alexander Montgomery, Albert Woodward and Cyrus Arm- strong on the Patit above Rexford; Jonathan Buzzard on the old Cross place in Vol. 1-21
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Johnson Hollow, near Dayton; Ambrose Johnson where the trails crossed John- son Hollow; Tom Whetstone where the trails entered Whetstone Hollow ; Amasa West between Stubbs and the Baileys; Uncle Zeke Hobbs between the Baileys and 'Kentuck;' John Winnett and Henry Owsley farther up the Touchet, and Uncle Tom Winnett and his sons, Bill, Dock, Bob and Lew, on Whiskey Creek and the Hogeye. There were three young fellows with the Winnetts, who do not seem to have taken up land at that time; they were Simon Critchfield, Cy Mathew and Fred Yenney. This year the Paynes bought out Hearn at Columbia school- house, and the Forrests sold to R. G. Newland. During this year my father rented the Stubbs place, broke out a portion of the land and fenced it with cotton- wood rails made where the Main Street Bridge now crosses the stream.
"The settlers up to this time were stock men, settling along the stream and grazing their stock on the hills in every direction: they raised a little hay and some oats on the fertile bottom lands; the hills were considered of no value except for grazing ; wheat was not raised because there was no available market ; surplus oats were hauled to Fort Lapwai, but on account of the distance and crude roads this was not very profitable. When the valleys were taken up the growth of the country stopped and the increase in population was very slow."
ESTABLISHMENT OF COLUMBIA COUNTY
We have given in the last chapter of Part II the story of County division. By act of the Territorial Legislature on November 11, 1875, a line was drawn from Snake River south to a point on the Touchet two miles above Waitsburg; thence south six miles, then east six miles, then south to the state line. All west of that line continued to be Walla Walla County, and that east to the Snake River was included in the new County of Columbia.
By the act, Dayton was the county seat until the next general election, when the seat was to be permanently located by popular vote.
Eliel Oliver. Frank G. Frary, and George T. Pollard were named first com- missioners to organize the county. In pursuance of their functions, they met on November 25th and become duly qualified to act. Mr. Frary became chairman of the board and D. C. Guernsey was appointed clerk. Precincts were estab- lished as follows: Independent, with polls at Dayton ; Patit with polls at school- house near A. Walker's residence; Tucanon, at Platter schoolhouse ; Calloway, at Central schoolhouse: Pataha, J. M. Pomeroy's residence; Asotin, usual voting place ; Touchet, Washington schoolhouse.
The election occurred on December 21, 1875, and as a result the first officers in Columbia County were duly elected as follows: County commissioners, E. McDonnell. Joseph Harris, H. B. Bateman; Sheriff, S. L. Gilbreath; auditor. A. J. Cain : treasurer. D. C. Guernsey ; assessor, R. F. Walker ; probate judge, William Ayers and R. F. Sturdevant had a tie of 283 votes each ; school superin- tendent, T. S. Leonard; surveyor. William Ewing; coroner, W. W. Day. The Board of Commissioners met on January 1. 1876, and organized by the election of Mr. Harris as chairman.
Taking up the tie in the office of probate judge, the position was declared vacant. and at the next meeting R. F. Sturdevant was appointed.
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Mr. Ewing not qualifying for surveyor, the vacancy was filled by appointment of Charles Truax.
Thus Columbia County was launched upon its career. The chief settlements at that time were on the Touchet, and Dayton was not far from the center of that region. But the county included a great area to the north and east, and though as yet sparsely settled, it was obvious that upon the Tucanon, Pataha, Alpowa and Asotin, and upon the vast plateau between the Blue Mountains and Snake River there would ere long be a large population which would be so remote from Dayton as to make it an inconvenient seat of government.
In fact, hardly had the new officers become installed before there arose thic inevitable county-seat fight. It would seem as though the contest would have assumed, even then, the form of a demand for a new county rather than for the location of the seat. Such, however, was not the case, and Marengo on the Tucanon, the historic spot of the home of our active old friend, Louis Raboin (Maringouin, "mosquito," in the French) became a rival of the Touchet metropolis for official headquarters. In the election which took place on Novem- ber 7, 1876, Dayton received 418 votes and Marengo 300. The latter vote pretty nearly represented at that time the population in the eastern two-thirds of the county, and the result of the election laid the foundation of the speedy demand for another county division.
The officers of Columbia County for the period up to the setting off from it of Garfield County in 1881, may properly be inserted at this point.
Those of the first election in 1875 have already been given. The results of the election of 1876 were: County commissioners, John Sanders, N. C. Williams and W. E. Ayers ; probate judge, C. M. McLeran ; sheriff, R. P. Steen ; auditor, Oliver C. White; treasurer, D. C. Guernsey ; assessor, Alonzo L. Sanford; sur- veyor, Charles E. Truax; coroner, J. H. Kennedy ; superintendent of schools, J. E. Edmiston. Surveyor Truax and Probate Judge McLeran resigned, and the vacancies were filled by Alfred T. Beall and Thomas H. Crawford, respectively.
The election of 1878 resulted in the choice of the following: For the Legis- lature, Councilman L. M. Ringer (joint with Whitman and Stevens counties), and for representatives, T. C. Frary and D. C. Guernsey ; county commissioners. E. Oliver, W. W. Sherry and D. B. Pettyjohn; sheriff, R. P. Steen; anditor, Oliver C. White; probate judge, J. A. Starner ; treasurer, H. H. Wolfe; assessor, T. J. Mewhinney ; surveyor, E. D. Miner ; coroner, W. W. Day ; superintendent of schools, F. M. McCully. For Constitution, 426; against Constitution, 513.
The officers chosen in 1880 were: Joint councilman, A. H. Butler ; council- man for Columbia County, George Hunter ; representatives, William Clark, R. P. Steen, W. L. Freeman; county commissioners, W. W. Sherry, Casper Plummer, Allen Embree ; probate judge, tie again on J. A. Starner and Walter F. Jones, with 357 votes each, decided by lot in favor of the former ; sheriff, John Mus- tard; auditor, J. W. Jessee : attorney, J. K. Rutherford ; treasurer, F. C. Miller ; assessor, T. J. Mewhinney; surveyor, E. D. Miner; superintendent of schools, F. M. McCully ; coroner, J. Clark; sheep commissioner (a new office created by the preceding Legislature), Charles McCable. There seems to have been in the four elections in Columbia County prior to the subtraction of Garfield, a remark- ably even distribution of the two parties. In 1880 there were ten republicans and nine democrats.
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A slight change in the county line was made by the Legislature in 1879, by which township 8 north, range 38 east, was subtracted from Columbia and added to Walla Walla.
Most of the events concerned with the industries, newspapers and politics of the Columbia County region, while it was still part of Walla Walla, have been treated of in preceding chapters. We did not, however, trace the organization of the pioneer schools or pioneer churches or give any data in respect to those now existing in Columbia County.
THE FIRST SCHOOL IN THE COUNTY
was organized in 1865 in what was called District No. 15 of Walla Walla County. The house was located on the old Lewiston Road, a mile and a half east of Dayton, near the subsequent residence of John Rowe, lately destroyed by fire. Like most of the pioneer schoolhouses, it was built of logs, with oiled paper windows, big rock fireplace, puncheons for seats and desks with pegs for legs. W. H. Elliott was the teacher in that initial school. At the time of county organization in 1875 there were but few schools, but the number rapidly increased, and a report of January, 1879, gives statistics from thirty-eight districts. A report of Novem- ber, 1881, shows sixty-two districts. That number was, however, nearly cut in half by the erection of Garfield County, for only thirty-four districts were left in the diminished Columbia.
A report of the superintendent for the year closing August 31, 1882, shows some interesting figures for comparison with others that are to follow :
Number of teachers in county, Males. 22
Females 28
Amount expended for teachers' wages.
$ 7,800.00
Amount for buildings, exclusive of voluntary contribu- tions 2,500.00
Value of school property. 19,488.00
Census of school children 481
Movements looking to graded schools for Dayton were in progress soon after county establishment. After various rebuffs the advocates of progress were gratified by the fulfillment of their aspirations. An excellent building was erected and furnished in 1880, at a cost of $8,000.00. The women of the town bestirred themselves and, as is usual in such cases, they made things go by the formation of an Educational Aid Society. By means of festivals, "feeds" and other allure- ments such as ordinarily play havoc with the hearts, stomachs and purses of the masculine citizens, this society raised sufficient funds for equipping the rooms and improving the grounds.
When the tasty building was opened to the children of Dayton in October, 1880, it provided for the first graded school in Eastern Washington. The schools of Walla Walla were, of course, larger, but up to that time had not been graded. Supt. C. W. Wheeler of Walla Walla County called attention to that rather discreditable fact in 1881, and within a year the mother county followed the daughter. The teachers in that first graded school in Columbia County were :
SCENE ON MAIN STREET, DAYTON
CENTRAL SCHOOL, DAYTON
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Principal, F. M. McCully ; assistants, J. S. Windell, Sina Coleson, Stella Bowen. During the summer of 1881 two additional buildings were erected and a high school department was added, in charge of S. G. Burdick and Lizzie Geary and Emma Kinnear.
In 1882 the principalship was conferred upon a teacher destined to become a prominent educator, Prof. J. H. Morgan, subsequently superintendent of public instruction for the state, and for many years afterwards connected with the Normal School at Ellensburg.
For the sake of topical clearness we will take a long step in time and present here the essential features in the report of the superintendent of schools for the county, and that for the superintendent of the Dayton schools for 1917.
We learn from the report of County Superintendent W. W. Hendron for 1916-17 the following :
Total number of districts in Columbia County 43
Number of teachers 83
Number of pupils enrolled. 1,721
Value of school property. $146,500
In this estimation of value of school property, the Pietrzycki bequest, spoken of later in connection with the Dayton schools, is not included. It may be ob- served that while there has been a large gain since 1882, there has been relatively a slow increase compared with the industrial and commercial parts of the state. This region has had the phenomenon usual in purely. agricultural sections, the absorption of many of the lesser grain farmers by the greater. It is very ob- servable, however, that the schools have made very great gains in organization and equipment.
The present faculty of the Dayton school system is as follows :
C. A. Livengood, superintendent.
S. F. Atwood, principal of high school and instructor in chemistry and algebra.
C. G. Greenslade, instructor in algebra and United States history.
Fred Irvine, instructor in general science and physics.
Laura Wheat, instructor in English and botany.
Jeannette Twyman, instructor in English history, geometry and Englislı.
Jane Olive Jones, instructor in Latin and German.
Waite Matzger, instructor in manual training.
Martha Lyons, instructor in domestic science.
The grade teachers are as follows, in order from the eighth grade to the first. there being subdivisions of each:
W. W. Hendron, principal.
May Meade, Bernice Osborn, Katherine Sharp, Cora Gollihur, Alice Gentry, Cora Gerkon, May Foreman, Nona Richardson, Winnifred Jellum, Anna M. Earhart, Helen Fogg, Pansy Gregg, Olive Peck, Mary George, Elsie Gough. C. Blanchard Smith, music.
From Superintendent Livengood we learn that the value of the Central Building, in which the high school and higher grade students meet, together with the three primary buildings, is assessed, with grounds and equipment, at $76,673. There is, however, a much larger property in possession of the district, and that
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is found in the properties bequeathed by Dr. Marcel Pietrzycki. This property, consisting of the home in Dayton, with outlying buildings, now employed by the district for school purposes, together with endowment funds, is reckoned at $110,000.
The history of the Pietrzycki bequest to Dayton makes up the most interesting and unique chapter in the history of the town.
Doctor Pietrzycki was born of Polish parents on April 25, 1843, in Galicia, Austria. He established himself in medical practice in Dayton in 1880. He be- came a successful practitioner, but his mind turned in many directions outside of his profession. Through fortunate land investments in the region between Day- ton and Starbuck, he finally acquired an estate, which he called the Lubla Ranch, containing 5,500 acres. He also became president and manager of the Lubla Cattle Company, which owned about 3.500 acres adjoining the ranch. In caring for the products of his ranches the doctor also became owner of the Lubla mills and warehouses at Starbuck.
Doctor Pietrzycki was a man of profound thought along political and sociological lines, and possessed also of a philanthropic nature. He decided to turn his great ranch property into a colonizing enterprise along co-operative lines. His plans were a curious composition of socialistic and feudalistic fea- tures. Brought up in Austria with its feudalistic society, he had, nevertheless, by his experiences in America and by his own mental development, become very liberal in his views. He built a veritable castle on the Lubla Ranch, containing twenty-six rooms, doubtless the most expensive farm dwelling in the state. He was endeavoring to execute his plans of bringing colonists from Austria when failing health, together with obstacles in the way of his first plan, induced him to make a change in the disposition of the property. Doctor and Mrs. Pietrzycki -who was a daughter of Rev. J. H. Warren of California, one of the great pioneer church builders of that state, and a woman of great culture and noble character-had been bereaved in the loss of their children and felt that their property might well go to benefactions which would reach the children of the region where their most active years had been spent. Accordingly, after making ample provision for his wife, the doctor left half of his ranch as a legacy to Dayton District for the purpose of maintaining an industrial department in the schools. Upon the death of Mrs. Pietrzycki the home property in Dayton went also for the use of the district, and part of the school units meet there.
Doctor Pietrzycki died in 1910. In the message of Mayor J. A. Muirhead on January 3, 1911, we find the following reference to the bequest :
* * * "Pietrzycki Park, donated to the city by our late esteemed towns- man, Dr. Marcel Pietrzycki, and the no less magnificent bequest in his last will and testament, by which the City of Dayton is named as the beneficiary of the greater part of his estate to be used for the establishment of an industrial school in our midst. It is estimated that the amount which will be available for this purpose when the estate is settled up and all bequests paid, will exceed $100,000."
By the terms of the will the judge of the superior court, the mayor of the city, and the clerk of the school board were to be the trustees. But as the doctor, among his other peculiaritics, insisted on drawing his will and other papers, with- out any lawyer's assistance, it was found that the language was such as to com- pel personal names instead of ex officio appointments, and as a result. Judge C.
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OLD WALLA WALLA COUNTY
F. Miller, Dr. C. H. Day and Attorney E. W. Clark became permanent trustees for the management of this unique and valuable bequest.
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