Spokane County, Washington - Chapter 8: The Genesis of American History in Washington, 1900

Chapter 8: The Genesis of American History in Washington

The first American to settle north of the Cohimbia river, or in any of the territory now comprising tlie state of Washington - outside of missionaries - was Michael T. Simons. He immigrated to Oregon in 1844. and spent the first winter at Fort \'anconver. He is described as a stalwart Kentuckian. of splendid physique, great endurance, resolute mind, possessing all the qualificati<ins of a successful pioneer. His stay at the fort enabled him to understand the disposition uf the officials of tlie Hudson's Bay Company relati\-e to American occupation of the northern country. He was douljtless convinced that it was iheir purpose to prevent, if possible, American settlement in that region. The desire to e.xclude American settlement was an evidence of the value of the country. This, with his patriotic sjjirit, priMiiptctl Air. Simons to a determination to find out all that he could about it. An attempt to explore the dense wilderness l)etween the Columbia ri\er and Puget Soimd v>as made by him and a few of his companions during the winter. In the summer of 1845 ^I''- Simons made an extensive exploration of Puget Sound, and was impressed with the commercial value of the country. He selected a site for his future home at the head of Budd's Inlet, which is the most southern extension at the falls of Des Chutes river. In the fall he and others, se\'en in all, located on that spot, beginningthehistory of the permanent settlement of Washington by .\mericans. It was an heroic attempt, an'l they were brave men who did it. They were among savages who gave no special evidence of hospitality, and separated liv one hundred and fifty miles of dense forests irom the nearest white settlers. But few were added to their number during the first year. Within two years a sawmill was built at the falls of the Des Chute. In 1848 a few immigrants settled along the Cowlitz river. Thomas W. (Glasgow explored the Puget Sound as far north as Whitby Island, where he took a claim, being soon joined by several families. I'.ut the unfriendly disposition of the Indians necessitated the abandonment of their claims. Se\eral things retarded the progress of the occupation of this region, among them its isolation, the discovery of gold in California, and the brutal massacre of Dr. Whitman and others .It Wai-il-at-pn. The scattered families spent sc\eral years amid great perils which, could not have been endured by people of lesh bravery. They found the Indians as a rule hostile, and e\en threatening their extermination, but they met the Indian insolence with heroic defiance. This, wrth the timely and decisive measures of Governor Lance, the building of Fort Steilacoom, with the aid of some friendly Indians, saved them during these critical years and made American occupation permanent.

About the year 1850 many who had left for California at the outset of the gold excitement returned. Mr. Simons had been in San Francisco and had brought with him a cargo of merchandise and opened a store at Olympia, which i Steilacoom came into existence, and soon Port. Town.scnd. In 1851 a company of resolute pioneers, after much exploration, selected claims on Elliot Bay. Among these hardy men were some who exerted a potent influence during the formative periods of territory and state - Terry, Dennv and others.

The first attempt to establisli a city on Elliot Ba}" was on Alki Point. The amliition and expectation of tlie founders is indicated in the name which they gave to their city, \-iz : New York. Some of tliem soon removed to the east side of the ha)', and the informatii>n whicli thev received from the Indians regarthng the country, especially relative to the accessibility of the region east of the Cascades, led them to establish a rival city. They gave it the sonorous name of the chief, Seattle. Thus the naiue of an honoral)le. true and dignified Indian chieftain has been perpetuated.

After this settlements extended with increased rajjidit}'. Many peojjle of extranrdinary intelligence and enter|M-ise and sterling (jualities came into the cnuntrv.

We soon find milling and coal mining operations beginning, antl in a few years the former develops to immense proportions. At the .same tiiue the cnuntry tn the s<iuth is developing; the lower Chehalis valley, Cowlitz and Barker's bay. and down as far as the Columbia river. Attempts were made to establish great cities. So, at the close of 1852, we find in what was then known as northern Oregon, settlements from the Columbia ri\'er to British Columbia and from the Cascade mountains to the Pacific coast. In this territorv we find the tnwns of Oiympia, \'ancouver, Steilacoom, Seattle and Port Townsend, with an aggregate population of three thousand.

Division Of Territory

Some of the earliest settlers nr)rth of the Columbia, probably cherished the laudable ambition of being the founders of a state. They were men of vision, and planned great things. We find that active measures looking toward separate political existence from Oregon were inaugurated as early as the 4th of July, 185 I. In(le])endence day was celebrated at Olymjjia by those w}w had settled around the head of Puget Sound. Mr. J. B. Cha])man. who was tlie orator of the day, took for his theme "The Future State of Columbia," and treated it in an elof|uent and stirring manner. The orator struck a sympathetic chord in the hearts of his hearers, and the appeal for prompt action had a ready response. During the day a committee on resolutions was appointed, who, iri its report, recommended that representatives of all the districts north of the Columbia river meet in convention at Cowlitz Landing, for the purpose, as expressed, "of taking into careful consideration the peculiar position of the northern portion of the Territory, its wants, the best method of supplying those wants, and the propriety- of an early appeal to Congress for a division of the Territory."

The recommendation being in accordance with the will of the people, the various districts responded, and a conxention was held on the day api)o'inted, with twenty-six delegates present. As a result of the deliberations of said con\ention, a memorial to Congress on the suljject of division was adopted. The Oregon delegate to the United States Congress was instructed to act in accordance with memorial,, and Congress was petitioned to construct certain roads necessary for the i)ulilic good, also to extend to the new Territory the benefits of the Oregon land law. For some reason Congress took no action on the memorials, consecjuently the enthusiasm for territorial division lost its ardor for a season. But the agitation did not cease, for a paper was established at Oiympia which had that for its primary object.

Under the lead of this paper, called The C(jluiubian. another convention was planned and held October 2^. 1852, at Monticello. There were present forty- four representative citizens, and the action was in harmony with the ])revious convention. Cogent reasons were pre|)ared and submitted to (ieneral Lane, the delegate to Congress, for the organization of a new territorv. TheOregon Legi'^lature. meeting a few days afterward, exhibited an unusually magnanimous spirit by acting in harmony with the desires of the convention. General Lane acted without delay in introducing the measure to Congress, and it passed by a vote of one hundred and twenty-eight to twenty-nine, February 10, 1S53, but substituting the name \^'ashington for Columbia. It passed the Senate on the second day of March. At that time the population was somewhat less than four thouimd. The southern boundary of the new territory was the Columbia river to where the fourth parallel crossed it, then along said par- .allel to the Rocky moiintains. President Pierce appointed Isaac Ingall Stevens, of Massachusetts, as governor. He was a man eminently fitted for the position. C. H. Mason, Rhode Island, secretary; Edward Lander, Indiana, chief justice; John R. Miller, Ohio, and Victor Monroe, Kentucky, associate justices, and J. S.

Ciendenin, Louisiana, U. S. district attorney. About the last of November Governor Stevens arrived and issued a proclamation organizing the government of the Territory, and designating the 30th of January for election of delegate to Congress and members of the Territorial Legislature, and February for the convening of the same. Good material for the offices was not wanting, nor a sufficient number ambititnjs to fill them. Columbia Lancaster, of Clarke count}-, was elected delegate to Congress. Although awoith\-man in many respects, he did not [jrove 1(1 ])e <|ualified for the position at such a critical time. Men of fair abilities were elected as legislators and accomplished their mission creditably. The material progress of the Territory was slow for several years. The Cascade mountains were a great barrier to the extension of settlements eastward.