The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1889-10-24
A PROMINENT PIONEER.
A Son d Nathan Olny Denies Some Statements
Made By the Correspondent Il an
Eastern Journal.

1 wish to say that while father was a
highly respected citizen and always lived
as such, he never Stunned the society Of
his own race or made himself obscure by
associating himself with the Indians.
When he left his fathers roof he was
good-sized boy. He came eWay with
Judge Nelson's family, who are now aged
and living on the Natcheez, his parents
commencing him to their care; and after
he had come with them 10 some point in
the vest he ipiAed a scouting party and
left Father Nelson and family, and had
not seen Or heard Of them until he met
them in the spring or summer Of 1866 on
the Nateheez.
To 80 back to where left of: He then
worked his way up to Oregon, where The
Dalles is now situated, and there be made
his home, He took with him to Califor-
mia four or Eve Indians for the purpose Of
digging gold for him. He made . good
sized fortune, and went to some point
and purchased q lot Of merchandise and
shipped the same up the Columbia river
BY canoes to The Dalles, where be stab
lished trading post. There he married
doughty an Indian woman. This wife
had 4 daughter BY him, and died. He
then sent the little one to his brother,
who had come out afterwards to q point
where Astoria now stands.
Father continued his trade for some
time. When h. bought my mother. then
q girl Of fifteen years, he removed to the
Deschutes river, and there built a ieTy
and kept q store, ieETying emigTants back
and forth. and made good stake at il.
He finally became Indian agent being
appointed by Franklin Pierce, then pres
dent Of the United states) for the Warm
Spring agency. He served four years as
Indian Agent; then he retired and took
up . farm On what l. called the Five
Nile creek, east Of The Dalles.
Aiter this he fought the Indians, who
then broke out, and alter the Indian war
he again resettled on the farm. Emf
grants made this point their chief camp
ing place, and there he kept q provision |
store. Afterwards he sod out and bought 4
another farm, owned BY a Mr.. J. Todd,
seven miles from The DaIles. The coun-
Try vas being rapidly settled up. The
DAlles was then . growing city, and We
had lots Of white neighboEs, with whose
children We constantly played. They
visited us, and my father used to take my
mother and visit them. There were no
Indians to be associated with.
Finally he was elected sheriff Of Wasco
county. served two terms, and in the
sumner Of 1866 be came TO this county
and found Mr.. Nelson and family, as
Aforesaid. He located Oh I6O-acre tract
just to the north Of the hpits Of the Yak
ina reservation, and went Ss=k to The
Dalles, where we were living, accompanied
by Mr.. Nelson's boys, TO move Us to our
new home in the Ahtanum valley. Father
then lived a little over year, his death
occurring at his home and not ION the
reservation and among the wild Yaki-
mas" on the 18th Of September, 1866.
He never adopted himself unto the tribe
Of the Yakimas, nor did he commit self
banishment by buTying himself among
the Indians and stunning the society Of
his own race any more than other white
pioneers did in those days. After 4 few
years had elapsed my mother married a
German, and then not wishing to remain
at home any longer l went about to find
work. finally made my way to the res
ervation and at the agency made appli-
cation TO learn the wheelwright's trade.
Ny application was accepted and served
four years, after which l settled on the
where my brothers and sister
alHo came and made their homes.
NJ lalha ney1I Lived On The TeseEya-
..i6e n NJ liIa ot1r@ n co1tfih 4
knsa bin. Z. ID il. i|r I'D hhd
he Stunned The soeIsly o ~ y h||1I 10y
would have known Il. This was not Ms
inclination, neither do his children in
berit ouy such tendency. II father shun-
ned any society at ali & was that Of the
YAkimas, although he treated everyone
alike % long a. they acted humanely.
The sony piece Of narration which calls
ioGtb this statement was written for the
q. Louis GIo6e-DsmOerai and the writer
Of II had better never begin anything
when not knowing where to begin right,
for the ending Is bound to be false when
the beginning is imperfect. hope this
explanation will set things right and
place Nathan 0lney before the public in
light other than that conveyed by the
correspondent Of the Globe Democrat.