Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-07-17
q, ,osT.INTsllIcENCER PUB. co
ss.,,Is. June 10 1888.
:. .vpgl &. Lows FIRST YEAR
wwasnryCr0S TERRITORY.

guuos Posr- -IsrELLroEscEa:
= many old settlers in Washington
,.,,;,orv the following will prove 10 be
| 4 interest:
Nh. Lydia C. Low of snehomish City,
lin. Low, crossed the plains
..u Illinois in the simmer of 1851,
,...bins Portland in the latter part of
,.eus,. Here her husband left her and
s.,,.d for Puget Sound in company
,;,h David T. Denny and Lee Terry.
sum Portland they went TO Olympia,
ga from there down the Sound in a
anne 70 AIki Point, which they selected
. ,bsir stopping plsce. Mr.. Low left
I,.,us and Terry there 10 build house.
,hll@ hs returned to Portland for his
| huIly. On reaching that place Mr.
| Ios found 9 number of other families
| rsds and anxious to go TO the Sound.
fhs schooner Exact bad just been char
.tsa by nunber of young men to take
,ssn from Portland to Queen Charlotte's
I,lsnd In search Of gold. These fami-
Re also secured passage on the same
,sssel, which was to carry them "a far
/ 4 PUGET Sound, after which she would
xutuue on 20 Queen Charlotte's Island
i vIth the young uien who had first char.
| md her. The following named per-
| pus, With their families. came on the
| Ehoouer 10 Puget Sound: j. N. L)w,
| lnhus A. Denny, Carson ID. Boren, Will
Ian N. Bell, John Alexander and Mr.
/ HUGHES. They went down the Columbia
1 nyg, up the ocean coast, and entered
As Straits Of Fuoa all right. On the
sssssl we're three old SEA captains. none
Il shom had ever bsen on the Sound.
/ fhsfe was no chart oa board, and each
apsAin wished to be boss. They otIse
70 ihe Straits all right, with fair wind,
/ q far as Dangeness. Hers the wind
ss them, and they we're becalmed one
isy. The Indians came around with
ssh and crabs for sale, which all seemed
My strange to those on board. After
Niag at anchor one day, about 3 o'clock
nihs morning very strong wind sud
dny came up. Immediately there was
gisat commotion on deck. All were
irng to get the anchor up, so AS to
avoid being cast ashore. Every one Was
ryineorders at once, aud the three cap
lsins ran for the passengers to help them
pet under way. They finally succeeded
III huissing anchor and getting under
way without injury to anything. and
"jnsl cane a flying up the Sound" The
wlnd VAS fair and very strong; so stroag
that they reached Aiki Point by 7 am.
lbs same morning. Besides Mr.. Low,
noone on board had ever been on Puget
sound before, and. except him, none had
he slightest idea of where they wished
nssop 80, all the way NJ, he had to
sand on the lookout at the bow TO see
I be could recognize the proper stop
pins place.
On reaching Alki Point. Low. Denny,
Bell and Boreu. with their families,
landed there, while the rest located else
where. These families were left at Alki
Point Nov. l3, 1851. Ga landing there
lAsy found only one log cabin. with the
sAls built up as far az the ,ists, but
sish no roof on, aud no other shelter
ioF them. Ii was then raining hard.
Inst after landing, while the men were
EsiiIng the baggage and freight ashore.
ms women and children climbed mp the
bank 10 see what they we're coming to.
hsfe they met David L. Denny crawling
asi from under u pile OF brush made
against a tree, where he had slept, and
u his surprise he looked up and said:
mhefc dld all of yoa come fromY"
Aaa then added: am very glad Co see
Ica, Tor the skunks have got in and eat
spul my provisions"
ahev found that Terry had gone mp 10
aslaecom for the purpose of procuring
aiioe to split the shakes with that we're
poe used In covering the roof for the
noln, and b d not returned. David T..
peuns was sisk with the ague. which he
uAe contracted on the Columbia river.
sea vas unable to do anything, When
W. men Game up fretn the beach, after
keune all the freight ashore. they found
ioslorH-ieaking set. All the women
wn sitting around on logs. crying.
nseur 4. Deany came up TO them aud
n'd lou are brave set of pioneers.
@eommence crying the first thing when
~ Ana." He then turned TO Mr.. Low
aa M'd; "They say white women are
asaff scarce here on Puget Sound; the
tnine We can do Is 10 40 TO work
aa nske boards and get them under
.Asf 70 as to take care Of what we
iaey had suitable tools with them, and
'ueulalely the men went 10 the woods,
| oesn tree and began making
ses By night they had enough
s1ue 70 Form shelter. Not having
- 70 pat up the rafters, they placed a
~ across one end of the house and
~ snakes from this pole 10 the space
Tsesn the logs in the end of the house.
ssss tnis rude shelter a field bed was
1ses for every one.
las next day the cabin was covered
~ neiseed. ID was abeut l6 feet wide
Isees long. All hands moved into
4 Is,su LOT over a month IL was tue sole
t~.,s " seven men, i've women and
~ Aau children. Arthur A. Denny was
~ fortunate owner of cooking stove.
~ as stt up IN the center and all
r.ss y within q week or so shed
sA; sadition vas built TO the main
-, -, and into this Mr.. Bell and family
sh.sa oas the rest STAYED in the main
Mr.. boten was the first to build, for
So ana family. n separate house.
hs;,s usne after ttis Arthur A. Denny
Il sonse. and into IL he moved with
Ei,' pn'ly 3 aud David 4. Denny and Miss
ofen, sister Of Mrs. Arthur A.
49, and afterward wife of David 4.
nsy. Ibis left Mr.. Low and family
snk 49, OF the original cabin; bai
NV. sae Denny family went the cook
pah 49, .a sirs. Low mad nothing % cook
lhl l mad fireplace.
rsseness sao months after these families
ezra . AK Point the bark Leone IA
&n r.vAfu, canis TO that place froul
a. e..saeisco eleisco 10 obtain a cargo of piles
lNuing the San Francisco wharf,
Il ea,,.s nao brought selected band
Ia ss With him across the plains. and
~ - tnem 10 winter az Eord,s prai
az lne uhehalis, except one woke q,
A NJ ne then had at Alki Point
s4ssn sAav Low owned the only team oI
s1i 49, ne took the contract 90 90,
stfrs plies; and all the other uasr
VIE ess1 kesher With several younp mer
fisss. 49, aevn from the Duwamisi
Nh oookinR for her own family,
1ieu,s~s naa 10 cook over this mns
hoo ~ '9s y All the luen who came dowr
szao,ss pasAmisa. She vas preatl,
tssc y the indians. VINO vonl.
ma the cabin almost nsssd s sns