USA > Washington > Asotin County > Lyman's history of old Walla Walla County, embracing Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties, Volume I > Part 47
USA > Washington > Columbia County > Lyman's history of old Walla Walla County, embracing Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties, Volume I > Part 47
USA > Washington > Garfield County > Lyman's history of old Walla Walla County, embracing Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties, Volume I > Part 47
USA > Washington > Walla Walla County > Lyman's history of old Walla Walla County, embracing Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties, Volume I > Part 47
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The year 1904 brought another presidential year and with republican victory there came also general success for the same party in the county votes :
For representative, W. O. Long; sheriff, W. H. Dixon; clerk, A. A. Kirby ; auditor, B. F. Burch; treasurer, J. H. Schneckloth; attorney, J. T. Ledgerwood ; assessor, M. N. Jeffreys; surveyor, J. E. Tupper ; superintendent of schools, Violetta Smith; commissioners, E. G. Hastings, W. J. Kelly; coroner, G. W. Black. Four-auditor, treasurer, attorney, and superintendent of schools were democrats.
In 1906 the voters designated: For representative, J. O. Long; sheriff, W. H. Dixon; clerk, Harry St. George; auditor, J. P. Buchet; treasurer, J. H. Schneckloth ; attorney, A. A. Kirby ; assessor, M. N. Jeffreys; superintendent of schools, Violetta Smith; surveyor, I. J. Trescott.
In that election the auditor, treasurer, and superintendent of schools were democrats.
Another presidential and gubernatorial year comes in with 1908, and we find : Representative, H. C. Krouse ; sheriff, F. V. Messenger ; clerk, Harry St. George ; auditor, J. P. Buchet ; attorney, E. V. Kuykendall; treasurer, J. B. Hawkins; assessor, Daniel Kidwell; superintendent of schools, Elizabeth McCoy; commis- sioners, F. L. Miller, J. D. Lyon. Of these Messrs. Buchet and Hawkins were democrats.
In 1910 the successful candidates were: Representative, W. J. Kelly ; sheriff, B. L. Keatts; clerk, E. E. Powell; auditor, H. St. George; treasurer, J. H. Schneckloth; attorney, A. G. Farley ; assessor, Daniel Kidwell; superintendent of schools, Mrs. M. E. Liggett; commissioners, F. L. Miller and E. D. Smith. The party distribution was about as before, Messrs. Keatts, Schneckloth, and Smith being democrats and the others republicans.
The outcome in 1912 was this: Representative, C. G. Black; sheriff, J. C. McKeiman ; clerk, E. E. Powell; auditor, H. St. George; attorney, A. G. Farley ; superintendent of schools, Mrs. M. E. Liggett ; engineer, R. W. Rigsby ; assessor, 1. J. Buchet ; commissioners, E. D. Smith, Isaac Tewalt. All republicans except McKeiman, Rigsby, Buchet, and Smith.
In 1914, we find the following: Representative, C. G. Black; auditor, E. E. Powell; treasurer, Emma A. Noble; clerk, Harry St. George; sheriff, W. J. Schneckloth ; assessor, A. J. Buchet; attorney, C. Alexander McCabe; superin- tendent of schools, Belva L. Ball; engineer, R. W. Rigsby; commissioners, E. 1 .. Sanford, C. H. Rommel. The politics were essentially as before.
In 1916 we find: Representative, John T. Ledgerwood; auditor, E. E. Powell ; treasurer, Olive O. Darby; clerk, H. St. George; sheriff, W. J. Schneckloth ;
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assessor, A. J. Buchet ; superintendent of schools, Belva L. Ball; engineer, M. W. Fitzsimmons; commissioner, Edward Malone. Politics were about as before.
In the foregoing list we have not included the state senators or superior judges, for the reason that they were joint with other counties. It should be stated, however, that in 1906 and 1910, J. R. Stevenson of Pomeroy filled the position of senator from the district with conspicuous ability, and that Chester F. Miller of Dayton was almost continuously the superior judge. It may also be added that the position of sheep commissioner was dropped, and that a new office, court commissioner (presumably having no connection with sheep, though possibly with shearing) was established, and in the elections of 1914 and 1916 was filled by G. W. Jewett.
GENERAL EVENTS
Turning from political events to those of more general nature we discover that the most important developments in transportation were connected with three lines of business; the construction of the branch line of railroad from Starbuck to a little beyond Pomeroy; improvements in the navigation of Snake River and Columbia River; and the development of the peculiar shute and tramway system for moving grain from the high prairies in the northern edge of the county to the Snake River steamers.
The railroad history goes back to 1883. In April of that year a delegation of Pomeroy and Pataha men, consisting of B. B. Day, C. B. Foote, John Houser, Cyrus Davis, and F. W. D. Mays, went to Walla Walla to meet Henry Villard, head of the O. R. and N. System, and received much encouragement that a road up the Pataha would be immediately considered. However, the time was not yet, and, as common in such cases, time passed on without results.
In January, 1885, Pres. Elijah Smith of the O. R. & N. Co. made the pro- posal to the people of the county that if they would grade and lay ties the company would complete the work and inaugurate the line. To many farmers this seemed rather a skin game, not an unusual process in railroad building.
We find some correspondence and some comments in the East Washingtonian of so much interest that we incorporate them here:
"At this period grain was stacked up on the banks of Snake River awaiting a sufficient stage of water to permit of its being hauled away by boats. With the road built it would soon be in the markets of San Francisco and Portland; the farmers of Garfield would be placed on an equal footing with those of Columbia County. Grain would be worth at least 10 cents more per bushel than it was at that time ; cattle, hogs, etc., would not have to be sacrificed at cut-throat prices to pay taxes and grocery bills. With a railroad tapping the heart of Garfield County, an era of prosperity appeared likely to prevail. As conditions existed the county merchants could not take grain for store bills; they would be com- pelled to hold most of it until the next year before they could ship it; they must take all chances upon the price remaining at what they had paid for it. Within sixty and ninety days their goods must be paid for; wheat would not answer for that purpose; practically, the farmers had no reliable market whatever. The theory advanced was, "Build a road and wheat will be legal tender for all
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debts." Under date, New York, January 24, 1885, Mr. John Harford, of Pataha City received the following letter from E. H. Morrison :
"Dear Sir:
"Your letter received, also one from Doctor Jorgensen, stating that the Gar- field County people were willing to furnish the grading in case the O. R. & N. Company would build a road from Starbuck to Pomeroy or Pataha.
"I am sorry that there should be any opposition from the Pomeroy people, as certainly a road to their town would benefit not only the people of that city, but the tributary country. In the first place it is going to be a very difficult matter to interest the company sufficiently to have them build in any event, as there are some branches which they think are of far more importance, such as the com- pletion of the road to Moscow and the road from Colfax to the Farmington country. Therefore it behooves your people to settle all your difficulties and unite as one in doing everything to get a road to that section of the country.
"Since receiving your letters I have had an interview with Mr. Smith, presi- dent, and some of the directors, and I can tell you that they are not exuberant over building additional roads in Washington Territory or Oregon. But, I think, if in addition to the grading, which your people must agree to do, you will secure subscriptions sufficient to pay for the ties, that they will go ahead and build the road in time for the coming crop. These subscriptions must be in the form of notes, of grain notes, something that they can turn over to a contractor who will have the building of the road, and in that way relieving them of all trouble in collecting the subscriptions.
"Yours very truly,
"E. H. MORRISON."
In July, 1885, C. T. Stiles, Cyrus Davis, Charles Ward, G. 1. Sable, N. C. Williams, L. P. Mulkey, F. W. D. Mays, G. A. McCanse, R. M. Smith and A. C. Short, from Pataha City and Pomeroy, were in Walla Walla. This was Satur- day. Their object was to hold a conference with railroad officials, and, if pos- sible, induce them to extend the Riparia branch to tap the rich agricultural country of the Pataha. There were over two million bushels of grain to ship from Garfield County ; it was impossible for boats on the Snake River to handle such a bulk.
August 10th, H. S. Rowe, general superintendent, and Robert McCleland, chief engineer, of the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company, accompanied by Dr. Joseph Jorgensen and Frank Paine, of Walla Walla, visited Pomeroy in the interest of a railroad up the Pataha. A mass meeting was held. Mr. Rowe made the definite promise that if the right-of-way was procured, together with necessary depot grounds, the locomotive would enter Pomeroy by January 1, 1886. Here was a proposition far more reasonable than the previous one demand- ing that the farmers grade and tie the road; it demonstrated that the company was a trifle better "prepared" to extend its lines than it had at first made the farmer believe. Without the shadow of a doubt there had been considerable jockeying on the part of the railway magnates in the preliminary arrangements of the Pataha Creek extension.
By August 15th, the right-of-way from Starbuck to Pomeroy, with one or two minor exceptions, had been granted to Messrs. Scott, Austin, Wilson and
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Lynch. In reality, they had, two years subsequently, secured this right-of-way for what was then called the Starbuck & Pomeroy Road-one of the projects that had failed to materialize. These gentlemen offered to relinquish their claims provided the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company would construct the line within a specified time; this Mr. Rowe promised should be done. A committee of three, viz .: F. W. D. Mays, W. C. Potter, Dixon Davis, were named to co-operate with the above named four gentlemen, the railway men, forming a committee of the whole, to secure the right-of-way through Pomeroy and negotiate with the owners of the prospective depot grounds as to assessments and valuations of property required to locate the road. Subscriptions were solicited from property holders to defray expenses for securing right-of-way privileges. August 15th the Columbia Chronicle published the following :
"Superintendent Rowe, Hon. Joseph Jorgensen and Frank Paine of Walla Walla returned from Pomeroy Wednesday evening, having been to the Pataha country in the interests of the proposed branch railroad up that stream from Starbuck. While there a meeting of citizens was held and the depot grounds selected upon the company's land, one-half mile from Pomeroy. The people had offered $9 per ton for hauling grain to Portland, provided the road was built last season, but it was not thought likely that the company would demand more than the regular rate in such an event. It is thought that the graders on the Moscow branch will be transferred to the Pataha in October, and work on the road begun. The people of Garfield County need a road badly and we hope their efforts to obtain one will be rewarded."
The following telegram was received at Pomeroy Friday morning, October 16, 1885:
"I am instructed to commence work on the Pataha branch as soon as possible. and will commence immediately.
"H. S. ROWE." "Portland, October 15, 1885."
January 9, 1886, construction trains were running within nine miles of Pomeroy ; but track laying had ceased for some time past. Difficulty was experi- enced in getting railroad iron to "the front" fast enough. On the 23rd the track had reached Pomeroy; the railroad "consummation devoutly to be wished" was an accomplished fact. Here the road ceased; it was never extended to Pataha City; Pomeroy became the terminus. November 14, 1885, the East Washingtonian published the following :
"It is a fact that it was only by the 'skin of the teeth' that the people of the county have been assured of the speedy construction of a railroad in our midst. Had not the order to build been given when it was it is not likely that it would have been given for two or three years. It was really against the interests of the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company to build the Pataha road this fall. Here there was no threatened competition. It would have been much more to their interests to have built the Farmington road first, because the Northern Pacific is competing for the traffic, while here there is no opposition, and no probability of any. It was difficult to get money to build any road, and if the company had constructed the Farmington branch first, they would so far have
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exhausted their means that we might have had to wait for years for a road. It was a fortunate thing for our farmers that things took so favorable a turn. We have been assured that the guarantee for the right-of-way and depot grounds had much to do in bringing about this result. In fact, without this guarantee the road would not have been built, and we might have remained for a long time in the same helpless condition we have been in for years. It has cost something, and it will cost more to secure the right-of-way. A bond was given in the sum of $10,000 to secure the right-of-way and depot grounds. Had not a number of our citizens come forward and made this bond, there would not have been a stroke made on this road."
Thus that great need of transportation was met by co-operation of railroad and people. It does not seem likely that the O. R. & N. Co. would have suf- fered, even if they had met all the expense themselves. Pomeroy has become one of the greatest original grain shipping points in the state, which means in the world. In 1916 there were over a million bushels shipped from the ware- houses at Pomeroy.
RIVER IMPROVEMENT
The improvement of the rivers has always been of special interest and in- portance to Garfield County. Immense quantities of grain are produced in the fertile plains of the northern part of the county. To much of that area the haul to Pomeroy is long and hard and the river is the best resource. For about half the year Snake River is navigable from Asotin to its mouth, and for nine or ten months, from Asotin to Riparia. Steamers of the O. R. & N. Co. have plied regularly for many years on this latter run, gathering up the wheat along the southern shore and conveying it to Riparia whence it went by train to seaboard. It is needless to observe that the railroad is not in business for its health or for gratuitous service and with practically monopoly conditions the freight tariffs were heavy. Hence it was clear that an "Open River" to the sea was of vital importance. Garfield County has therefore borne an active part in the syste- matic efforts to secure Congressional appropriations for these purposes. In the Legislative sessions of 1907 and 1909, a special effort was made for co-operation by the State of Washington with the Federal Government for improvement of Snake River, with the expectation that the Government would thereby proceed more rapidly with the Celilo Canal, the key to the Open River. Hon. J. R. Stevenson, representing Garfield County in the State Senate, performed a most valuable service in securing appropriations by the state looking to this co- operation. In the face of considerable opposition from portions of the state not directly interested, Senator Stevenson handled the situation with great skill and brought the result to pass which had a decisive bearing upon the Government. For following the successive appropriations by the Legislature the Government. convinced of the need and of the wishes of the people, proceeded to definite and continuous appropriations, culminating in the Celilo Canal in 1915, as detailed in an earlier chapter. For this happy result we are indebted largely to Senator Stevenson. In the House, Hon. W. O. Long of Garfield was equally faithful to the wishes of his constituents, though not in a committee position to exercise the same power.
But the most unique feature of transportation on the rivers is the system of
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running grain sacks from the highlands, 2,000 feet above sea level, to the river, seven hundred feet or less, above the sea.
In the early 'Sos Paine Brothers of Walla Walla undertook to run wheat down in a wooden chute and sack it below. This was found impracticable, because of the friction. In 1887 and later a tramway with wooden rails was built about opposite Wawaiwai. In 1891 a much better tramway was built known as the Mayview Tramway, owned by a joint association of farmers. After several accidents and some discouraging experiences the enterprise passed into the hands of John Worum. Both tramways are now owned by Max Houser of Portland. It was found that the chutes either for grain in bulk or in sacks were not practicable on account of friction. But the tramways, one of them using buckets and the other cars, after some losses, have proved a great success. The cost of operation is small, as the weight of the descending cars of buckets lifts the empty ones, and a vast amount of grain is lowered by them to the steamers. The tramway at Ilia handles about one hundred and fifty thousand bushels annually, and the one at Mayview about two hundred and fifty thousand.
The grain business, nearly equally divided in some years between wheat and barley, but in recent times with much more wheat, has been the leading source of income. Two large and well equipped mills, one at Pataha and one at Pomeroy, furnish constant centers of activity. Both these are owned by Max Houser. Mr. Fred Matthes is manager of the Pomeroy Mill, and Wmn. Houser of the Pataha Mill.
THE STOCK INTERESTS
While the grain business is now foremost, Garfield County started as a stock country and even yet has important stock interests. A valuable article on the stock interests by J. O. Long appeared in the Pioneer Edition of the H'ash- ingtonian, and it is worthy of permanent preservation. We insert it here:
"Stock raising was the first remunerative industry of Garfield County, and the first settlers believed that stock raising would be the only industry that would pay them best for their labor.
Parson Quinn was one of the first settlers. In 1862 he settled on the place that Gilbert Dickson now owns, and started in the horse business. Soon after William McEnnery, Frank and Archie McBrearty and others settled along the lower Pataha and brought with them small bunches of cattle.
J. M. Pomeroy settled where the city that bears his name now stands, in 1864, and brought with him 140 head of cattle which he drove from Salem, Oregon, over the Barlow route to The Dalles, and on up the Columbia.
The Owsleys came in '68 and brought with them fifteen head of cattle and a few horses.
Mack Tatman settled on the Tatman Gulch in 1869, and launched into the cattle business. Newt. Estes, about this time, settled on the Deadman and became the largest cattle owner in what is now Garfield County. All of the early pioneers settled along the streams where they fed.
It was thought at that time that the hills you now see growing such bountiful crops of wheat and barley were fit for nothing but grazing. When we came, in 1873. they told us we couldn't raise anything on the old Pataha Flat. In '73
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we found the western portion of the county well stocked with cattle and horses, but the eastern part was sparsely settled, and there were very few cattle and horses.
At this time a few sheep were ranged, but in a few years the sheep men began to come in-Charles Seeley, the Logans, Charles McCabe and, a little later, J. H. Walker, but the sheep industry did not grow to any great extent in this county. Cattle was the main industry up to 'go, when it began to decline.
From 1873 to 1880 the hills began to settle rapidly, the 'zos bringing such stock men as Tom Burlingame, the Buchets, Williams, Bentley, Pings, Johnny Lynn, Brown and Wellers. Some of these men acquired large herds. I have no way of knowing the number of stock when the industry was at its zenith, but we had lots of cattle to drive and ship out.
The first buyer to come to Garfield County operated on the Tucanon, near Marengo, about '76 or '77, and the price paid was fourteen to sixteen dollars for two year old steers, and about eighteen to twenty dollars for threes. They drove them East, taking one or more years to make the trip.
J. M. Pomeroy was the first to bring in good stock. In the bunch of 140 head were some of the best Shorthorns, or Durhams, as they were then called, that ever came to this county. People bought and sold "Pomeroy Durhams" for forty years. Perhaps a large portion of the readers will remember the roan Shorthorns that Vannattan had on his place below town, when he sold his ranch to Campbell & Sanford in 1902. They were descendants of the Pomeroy roan Durhams. Perhaps the majority of the people living here now do not realize what a stock county this was in the '70s.
I remember in the summer of '75 or '76 Mr. William Cluster, my father and myself. then a boy, came down the Benjamin Gulch to the Pataha looking after our stock. We forded the creek about where the park is now, and a little way from the creek stood a little log cabin, and in the doorway stood Charles McCabe, then a young man. We inquired after our brands and marks, and came on down the north side of the creek, my father and Mr. Cluster riding along the road and I galloping back and forth from bluff to creek, scaring the cattle out of the grass so we could see the brands and marks. We took dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Pomeroy in the old log cabin that stood for many years afterwards in the lower part of town, and while we partook of fried trout and other good things that the pioneer wives knew so well how to prepare the men discussed the Roan Shorthorns.
To illustrate what grass we had here in those days, I will repeat what Pearl Smith once said. He wanted to make a trip across the Snake River, and he had heard so much about the Alpowa he decided to go that way. He dropped down on the creek about where Vint. Gilbert's place is now and went on down. When he returned he was asked what he thought of the Alpowa, and said, 'Those hills reach from hell to heaven, with bunch grass from top to bottom.'
Garfield County never contained very large stock owners. Newt. Estes was cattle king with something like one thousand five hundred head. J. H. Walker owned the largest band of horses, and George Gibson was the largest sheep raiser. The Owsleys at one time owned 750 cattle and a good many horses. Mack Tatman at one time had 400 or 500 head of cattle, and Tom Burlingame 350.
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In 1888 Mat Dixon, Moffat Williams and Dave Dixon bought and drove to Pataha Flat 512 head of cattle. This was the first large importation of cattle to this county.
About this time, or a few years before, most of the large holders began to cut down their herds, and some quit entirely. Among them were Melton, Free- man, Estes and Tatman, and, after a few years, Rafferty and Bill Kelly prac- tically quit.
The horse industry of the country did not take much change from cow pony or cayuse till about 1880. A 1,000 pound horse was considered a good one, and a horse that wore an eighteen inch collar was a large one. Mr. Ford, who lived on the flat, bought a large Percheron, and a year later Tucker bought a grade Clyde, and our horses began to increase in size, and it wasn't long till the 1,000 pound horse and the eighteen inch collar were things of the past. The draft horse is here and as good as any county can boast of. We now have 6,581 taxable horses.
We didn't raise many hogs till the railroad was built to Dayton. Prior to that a few put up bacon and hauled it to Lewiston. After the road reached Pomeroy people began to raise more hogs, and according to the assessor's roll we have 5,254.
The sheep industry has held its own and we now have in the county 11,657, owned principally by Charles Dodge, Weller Live Stock Co., Clayton, Palmer, and J. O. Long. Part of the Palmer herd are assessed in Asotin County. The farmers are now taking up sheep husbandry on their own farms, and we look for sheep and hogs to increase, and horses to hold their own. The cattle in- dustry is still on the decline, as the roll shows only 5,181 head milch cows included, and a thousand or more were brought in to be fattened. As our pas- ture land increases in value the people will discard the cow for the ewe and mare."
THUS MUCH FOR LIVE STOCK, AND NOW FOR SCHOOLS
The schools of any American community must always be accorded a place of first importance. While our space does not permit extended details, we must make mention of the beginnings in this vital feature of the life of the county.
The first school seems to have been the Owsley School, five miles below Pomeroy, built in 1872. At that time the children of the Pomeroy family were the only ones in the future town to go to school. As other families came in the need of another school was manifest, and a new building was completed in 1879 on what subsequently became the home of Mr. Benbow. That building was paid for by private subscription, Mr. B. B. Day being the largest contributor. There were about fifty pupils in that first Pomeroy School, and from the names the first families can be noted, there being representatives of the Pomeroy, Heaton, Rew, Milan, Potter, Hull, Dyer, James, Owsley and Benjamin families. Mr. and Mrs. De Bow were the first teachers.
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