Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-12-20
sagSes ASD WASHINGTON TERRI
roGIEa.

1 AIOAA " h&A1 " -
TO Washington City. armed with q
memorial 10 Congress praying for q
territorial form Of government he
was accompanied by John Owens
and George Ekbarts The year BE-
fore. J. Quinn Thornton had been
sent from The Willamette valley by
Gov. Aoersethy to Washington as
Territorial Delegate After bitter
debate w Congress the bill admitting
Oregon was passed. August "a. leis.
Joseph Lane. Of Indiana, was ap-
pointed BY President, Polk as Terri
torial Governor, and be. accom-
panied BY 10 Meek. reached Oregon
| City March 2. ls49 He qualified
snd entered upon the duties Of his
Office the next day, March 3. the last
day Of Folks administration. The
census Of that year showed total
while population Of 1858. June 8,
an election for Delegate to Congress.
was held. resulting IN the election OF
Samuel r. Tburston. who received
40 votes, cut OF total OF 9+3 cast
The Legislature, which assembled
4 July Nu1h@Cl N&1N VI N-oAs-A
poeg county % Marion, OF Tualatin
to Washington. and of Vancouver TO
Clarke. They also organized the Ter
ritorv into three judicial districts.
In Is50-September l6-Gov. Lane
was superseded in the office OF Gov
ernor by John p. Gaines, and in June,
1851, Lane was elected Territorial
Delegate, he receiving 2093 votes,
while w. II. Wilson, his opponent,
only received 54s.
The progress of Oregon during the
years Immediately following 1S49 was
greatly checked by the discovery of
gold 10 California Mr.. Gilbert, in
his history, says: James w. Mar
shall, one of the Oregon emigrants of
1874, had wandered into California,
where, on the south fork OF Ameri-
can river. he discovered gold. on the
10Th OF January. while building a
mill for Capt John A. Suffer, who
had crossed the plains to Oregon
with W. Ii. Gray, in 1888. In
August this news reached Oregon,
and demoraliZed the whole settle
ment. Farmers left their grain
standing uncut In their fields, and
the roads were lined with excited
treasure-seekers journeying TO the
land where Alsddln's cave had been
found. Men risked everything;
claims were abandoned; homes were
pledged to raise means to enable the
father of a family TO seek buried
treasures 10 theBew Eldorado. Some
found the wealth they sought, but
many returned disguised to theiI
homes, and the bones of others still
rest by the gulches along the streams
or 10 deserted canyons, along the
Sierras" One of these Oregon gold
hunters was missed on one occasion
by his psrtner, who went out to look
for him. At last, sitting upright
against q pine tree by the side OF an
unfrequented trail, he was found,
dead, but grasoing in his hands a
lump of shining gold. The Oregon
exile, the California prospector, had
found gold at last. The gold dis
covery for many years turned nearly
all the immigration from the States
toward California instead OF Oregon ;
hence the growth of the latter was
very slew, and history has but little
10 record
Up TO 1853, the Territory of Ore
gon included what is now Oregon and
Washington, and also a portion OF
Idaho and Montana, covering an
area of BAL 600 square miles. BY the
act of Congress OF March 3, 1858, the
Territory of Washington was organ
lied, including ''all that portion of
Oregon Territory lying and being
south of the 49th degree of north
latitude, and north of the middle OF
the main channel of the Columbis
river from its mouth to wher. the
10th parallel of latitude crosses said
river near Fort Walla Walla, then
with said 46th degree of latitude to
the summit of the Rocky Mountains.
President Pierce appointed Isaac l.
Stevens the first Governor of the new
Territory. lie arrived al Olympia in
November, and on the 2Sth issued q
proclamation dividing the Territory
into legislative and judicial districts.
and calling an election the following
January. The election was held, and
in February, 1854, the Legislature
assembled, and created ten counties
viz: Clarke, Lewis, Pacific, Thurs
ton, Pierce, King, Jefferson, Island
9hehalis, Clallsm, Cowliiz, Sawam
ish NOW Mason). Skanania. Wah
kiakum and Walla Wslla- At the
January election. Columbia Lancas
ter was chosen Delegate TO Congress:
by the Democrats, his Wing oppo
nent being VIM. II. Wallace. The
Governors who have presided ovel
the Territory since Stevens. in 1853
have been Fayette McMullen il
1857, r. H. Gholson, In 1859, w. II
Wallace in 1851, VIM. Pickering il
1862. George E. Cole in 1866. Marsh
all +. Moore in 1867, Alvin Fiander
In 1869. L. 8 Solomon In 1870, +. p
Ferry in 1873, William A. Newell il
1880. and w. G. Squire 10 1884
| Washington still remains Terri
tory, though Its population and cspa
bilities fully warrant Congress In ad
hitting il without delay as State
Oregon, after Washington had beer
carved OUT its northern portion
remained a Territory till 1889. whel
IL was admitted as = State. Tn
State constitution was framed by
convention Of delegates, go in mum
Der, chosen at the general election il
June, 1887. which met at Salem il
August, and was In session about
month. November 9. 1857, the con
stitution was adopted. there beinl
Ti95 votes for 1t. and 3195 vote
against IL On February 10, 1859
the act admitting Oregon into tn
Union as State, with this constitu
, ton, was approved, from which tim,
DnAARGGRna ~