Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-12-28

dust" and no longer cared for the
slow plodding ways of the mill and
| farm. No new settlers came in no
new houses were built. The mills
were idle. Food became scarce and
all produce brought exorbitant prices.
In the excitement caused by the con-
tinued discoveries Of precious metals
in the south, all thought of the settle
ment of a new country disappeared
and for years this rich country WAS al
most unheard of and its growth Was
slow. Still it grew. The solid men of
the settlement, who had not been at
tackled by the gold fever, and still had
faith in the future, remained and con-
tinued the struggle.
THE FIRST CASUALTY
Occurred during April of this year.
Leander III. Wallace, in company with
Lewis and Walker, while on visit to
Fort Nisqually, were attacked by In
dians. Wallace was killed and Lewis
and Walker both wounded. Gen. JOS
eph Lane, who was at this time Cover
nor Of Oregon, visited Newmarket, or
Tumwater, to investigate the matter.
He set about getting troops to punish
the SnQaualmies for the outrage, but
througlffhe interference of the Indian
Agent, Chief Patkanim WAS induced to
surrender six of the tribe who were
charged with the murder, in consid
Grafton of eighty blankets. The In
dams were tried at Steilacoom in Oc-
tober. Kussass and Quallahwowt
were convicted and hung the next day,
Oct. Sd.
THE BRIG ORBIT
Was purchased by Messrs. Ebey,
Shaw, Moore, jackson, and Sylvester,
and sailed up the Sound on the first
of January 1850. She loaded with a
cargo of piles for San Francisco and
inaugurated the commerce Of Thurs
ton county. The Orbit was the pio-
neer of the fleet.
SMITHFIELD REDIvIvUS.
In 1850 Sylvester, who by the death
of Levi Smith became the owner of
Smithfeld, plated town site and
dedicated it to the public. He nam
ed the town Olympia after the range
OF mountains whose white peaks
rise in the Northwest and stand as Il
perpetual monument to the glory of
the future city. At this time the city
OF Olympia comprised the store of
Simmons & Smith and the house of
Sylvester. But the faith of the
prospectors was well founded for
the place which they founded
| Il fa ,A
tai of Il great and growing State. Du-
ring the winter of 1851, the custom
house WAS established ut Olympia, the
first one on the Sound. During
the session OF the legislature of Or
egon Territory, in the winter OF
1923, among others, Thurston
county Was erected out of por-
ton of what heretofore had been
Lewis. On the 3d of March, 1853,
the President signed the bill trea-
ting the Territory of Washington,
which retained the organization of
counties already effected by the legis-
lature of Oregon. The officers of the
new Territory were appointed soon af-
ter the Inauguration of President
Pierce and the new governor at once
selected Olympia as the seat of gov
ernment, thus again honoring Thurs
ton county. This selection was
confirmed by the first legislature
which met in February, 1854, and
Olympia still remains the Capital of
Washington Territory and the county
seat of Thurston.
| THE PRESENT.
| We have seen the early struggles
which ushered in the county of Thurs
ton up to the time she became the seat
of the government. From that time
her growth and importance until very
recently was the growth and import
ance of the Territory. She is still the
organic center of the Territory and
possessing rich resources of minerals,
timber and agricultural lands, she must
continue to be one of the greatest, if
not the greatest counties, III the com
ing State. Let us glance at her as she
is to-day. Of her climate it is not
possible to speak in terms of too high
praise. She stands pre-eminent for
the mildness and equability of weather
in all seasons. To the Eastern mind
this will seem an exaggeration. To the
average citizen of the Eastern and Mid
die States, who has heard such tales of
the wild Northwest, this country seems
almost Arctic in its severity. 1t is
only recently that they have come to
realize the truth, and every man who
writes true account of the climate to
friends in the East is a public educa
tor. What one of the denizens of New
York for instance will believe that
roses and chrisanthemums are bloom
ing in our gardens in December? That
our lawns are still green and beauti-
full? That no snow has been seen
save that which covers the white peaks
of our magnificent mountains? That
only at rare seasons the thermometer
touches zero in the winter and that
only for few hours? That though
cur flower gardens are still blooming
i'll December, we plant our vegetable
gardens in February? How shall they
know that when they are seething in
the burning sun of Il July day, the gen.
tie breeze from the Olympic range,
cool and delicious, pours down upon
this lovely and picturesque land?
How shall they picture to themselves
the GOODNESS and eternal calmness that
seems always to be waited to us on
summers day from the eternal SHOWS
that lie like ciown of glory about
the brow of Mt. Rainier? How shall
they who sit beneath the deafening
peals of thunder and the binding flash
of the fOrked lightning, while the rain
comes down in floods, ever dream of
the gentle shower that falls in dreamy
cadence upon this thirsty land, as the
blessing Of the Omnipresent on the
promised land? How shall We picture
it to them? The cold facts are too
tame. The average temperature OF
the spring months is 80 degrees Fahr-
enheit, for summer 67, degrees for au-
tumn 53 degrees, and for winter 3S de-
grees. In the month of January,
which comprises the winter season,
snow sometimes falls, but seldom re-
mains more than few hours. The
days, as Il rule, are clear and calm
with falling temperature and frost at
night, followed by a foggy morning,
: which draws the teeth of Jack Frost, as
it were, and vegetation and fruit trees
suffer no injury from his bite. As a
fact the fruit trees are budding even
in December. This fact and the fur
ther one that fruit grows in great
abundance is complete proof that the