Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-05-28
to no other organization on Earth.
Signed Il. V. PowDERLY.
General Master Workman.
Pioneer "reminiscences.
The First American SettI. mrnt ON Pu-
get sound.
Correspondence Ltri.rr.

OF the first moveinen: fer the s.,
tlement of Puget Sound, many veare
ago. | now write, giving facts a~d
Incidents as they occurred at the
lime. The company which formed
the first American settlement upon
Puget Sound, crossed the plains in
! lSl!, and wintered uICn the Wash
ouSal, about fifteen miles above
Vancouver, Clarke county, in this
Territory. Hearing of Puget Sound
its fine timber, water power, etc.
this party in the Spring of 1916 del
egated NJ. L. Simmons and William
Shaw to visit and spy out the land.
On their return with a good report,
the company prepared Immediately
for journey 10 the shores of the
inland sea. They built boats to
carry their families and goods along
the river. Then some of the men
took charge of tho boats, while the
rest were to drive the live stock
which the company owned. There
was an Indian trail down the CoIum-
bia bottom and up the Cowlitz river
at that time. Those having charge
of the boats ran down to the mouth
of the Cowlitz. and there had to lay
to for several days, waiting for the
return of the men who had gone up
the river with the cattle. When
these men arrived tine company was
divided up into small parties and
each OF these parties assigned to one
Of the boats. They were ten days
in making the trip from the mouth
of the river to the old Cowlitz land.
ing. At many Of the rapids they
were compelled to carry goods upon
their backs from the foot to the head
of the rapids. The women were Of
ten compelled to get out Of the boats
and wade, in assisting the men in
getting the boats over the rapids.
When they arrived at the old land
ing the company still had sixty miles
of travel before it. At least thirty
miles OF this distance was through
dense timber and there was no sign
of road. The company had but
one wagon, some five or six yoke of
work cattle and O number of cows.
The men built sleds, stout and
heavy, which the oxen and cows
drew over the rough country.
THE WOMEN DROVE
The cattle, while the men went
ahead and cut the road. The trip
from Cowlitz landing to Bush prai-
rie, at the head OF the Sound, was
made in two weeks. None but those
who have travelled over this old
original road can form any idea of
what trip that must have been.
At that time the route lay over Mud
mountain and country cut up with
deep gulches and covered with heavy
timber. The old trail wound around
and over fallen timber, and as the
party had no saws, it was compelled
to get along with axes. When reach
ing tree that was too large to cut
with axes, they built bridge over
it. When about half way over the
mountain, Governor Douglass of the
Hudson Bay Company overlook them
on his annual tlip north, and he re-
marked that he believed L" tho blast
ed Americans could take a wagon
where an Indian would not attempt
to take pack horse" When the
company arrived at the point where
Tenino is now built, their sleds gave
out and it was found necessary to
build new ones. Hardly had this
point been left behind, when the
rain set in and continued to fall
without ceasing for three days.
This period, as members Of the party
have told me, was the most wretchsd
and disagreeable experience, for they
were without tents, and when night
came en- the only shelter which
could be given the women and child
rem were such as could be made with
brush. The first thing done upon
the arrival of the party was to build
houses for shelter. BY the time the
houses had been built it was late in
the Fall, and the settlers had very
little food on hand. Such of the
men as could be spared returned to
the Cowlitz settlement and made
rails for the French settlers, getting
one bushel of wheat for one hundred
rails, thus
SECURING FOOD
For their families during the Winter
and obtaining also seed to plant.
They likewise sold a COW for fifty
bushels of dried peas, to be delivered
at the settlement. They traded
some clothing and musket to the
Indians to pack their wheat to their
houses. When the settlers had