, 1889-04-11
IN AN EARLY DAY.
AN OLD sErTLEk TALKS OF THE
PIONEER TIMEs,
Comparative Statements Iiius,ratIps tn.
Msrvel"usiy Rapid Development
OF ksstern Washington.

south OF the Columbia river
the old Mullan road leading
from , Walia wails past Spo-
kane Falls. thence up the CGur d'Alene
river, through the Mullan pass Of the Cnur
d'A'ebe mountains into Montana. The
territory mentioned had not ut that time
one srction OF land surveyed, In June,
1874, three years later, the writer OF tbis
article, In COMPANY with three other gen.
t'emen. visited han1man Greek, Spc.
kane Falls. Medical Lake and Black
Lakes. and during eight d.ys' jour
n-yinK only saw SIX or seven ranches
that were occupied. We passed sew.
eral ranches that had been located. with
some very good hewed log houses nd
some few fields fenced In. the expectation
OF the build ,pg OF the Northern Pacific
and az 1t subspqueD ly seemed that the
company had failed financially. and know
ing that unless the road was built there
would be no transportation either in or
out OF the country. they had become dis
couraVed and bad left houses. ranches and
all, and struck out for civilization.
At that time there were only three
ranches between the head of Pine creek
and Spokane Falls. namely: Mr.. Cope
lands and Major Whimpey's on Hang
man. and one other between HanRman
and Spokane Falls, the occupants 9 name ]
have forgotten, but recollrct he took ns
into his orchard and showed us apple
trees seven years old hanging
full of young apples. He also
had growing several peaco trees
bnneioR full OF nice peaches. The sight
OF this orchard was the first thing that
gave men encouragement 10 stay In the
pa'ouse country, tor after having already
lived here three years with scarcely any
neighbors except Indians And after the
failure Of the Northern Pacific Railroad
company to build the road we had very
little to encourage us to stay here. At
Spokane Falls there was one small
store and one sawmill, owned by
Messrs. Glover h Mathiney. who kind
~ offered to give us two town lots each ii
we would build on them and move our
families there. The lots offered 9s were,
| think, in the Cannon block. We con.
cluded to take the offer, but after travelling
several days and seeing 10 much unsettled
country and discussing the matter, we
concluded that Spokane Falls WAS too far
on the outside to ever amount to much,
consequently we lost all, You will ask,
how much did you losep" Echo says
$l2O,O 900 each. and echo Is correct.
But we have got OF our subject We
will now 70 back to fourteen years ago
The government surveyors came north Of
part of the Palouse country. Then immi.
grafton began to come in from Oregon,
California, Iowa, Missouri; but more OF
them from grasshopper Kansas than any
other statr-all 30 poor that We were not
able to help one another.
But things have changed vastly In the
last Few years. Immigrants have settled
tie on and proved up and got patents to
their land. Each settler has built q good
nd m
average 100 acres cdpi alists have bouph'
u great deal OF the railroad lands and are
fencing and piowipR the same, raising
from 25 to 10 bushels OF wheat and from
80 to 100 bushels OF oats and barley
to the acre. and county roads have been
built in every direction. We have also
railroad communications with all parts OF
the outside word. rOr Instance, you can
get Oh the Northern Pacific here at Gar
field and go by way of st. Paul, Chicago.
Indianapolis, and on to Washington city;
or you can get on the Oregon Railway
Navigation Compapy's road here and
go by way of Pendleton, Baker City. Salt
Lake and Omaha to st. Louis; or you can
go from here by Pendleton and Portland
to San Francisco. Or you IAN get on the
\. p. here and go by way. OF Spokane
Falls. Seattle. Tacoma and Portland to
Sacramento and San Franci"co with the
finishing of the extension Of the o. II Il N.
Cos line east we will have a through
line to the Cour d'Alene mines, Montana
and st. Paul 1t will be flushed within
the next two years at the least. as they are
already pushing the work as fast as men
and teams can do it. Now We are expect.
ing that this branch OF the Northern Pa.
ci6c will be extended east through Camas
prairie and intersect with the Manatoba ut
Butte City, Montana.
,th apta al rat
| ing at Garfield, and its being in the center
| of the great wheat belt of the Paouse