The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-10-13
EHATCOM LONG AGO.
..,;ral of the First White
Settlers, in 1852.
,.rY SHIPMENTS OF COAL.
land Claims Not Eagerly
..-pYundpred by the Cause In
s.sns-The Old stoekade.

..x.rs Elas.aee In wbaseon Eevciiis-
-s.,nora county. the extreme north
$50 OF Washington territory, was
- By whites who became perma-
S.s.e..srs IN ls52 Captain W Pattie.
-. engaged in cutting and carrying
s.n Francisco from the san Juan
a islands. for which be La per-
-. -. Governor Douglas, Was informed
s,s;sns that coal existed on beiifng-
=. asy. IS cosl was very valua6le
- : great demand IN Caiifornis
,sss time, be visited the bay
~xthe coal groupings on wnat is now
- - Beslinehan he left TO get some
- 20 return with him and locate
-. During his absence Capt. Henry
| s..sef and r. Y. Peabody arrived On the
-. searrh OF water-poweT for sas
.T-sot.rd " haicom creek. loca ted claims
- AID returned 70 Olympia, where
= obtained Mr.. Brown, mill
.-rhs 70 join them IN the enter
- II building & saw nail. koeder
ss.sto sar Francisco 10 get machinery
! ~ mil and supplies, while Peabody
- g-oxn. with some hired men. returned
: gastcon u build the Fniil. On their
| .r;ysl On the bay they found Captain
sssIs AMI two others, named Morrison
- Tharnas, located on claims which new
,r.s the towns q Beilingham and Fair
$50. cartsin RoedeT returned 10 the
~ "a Nay, 1855. in the schooner william
ss<n, belonging 20 Captain McLain, who
.s~xsr,is settled with his family ca
.kst !. nox the town Of Marietta. near
a. u,orth of the Lummi rlyer. and was
,,auraniea b. Messrs Heath. Hewitt
1,gxn Utter ana Eldridee with his fam
= On their arrival there was about q
as,sa men working or the mil among
.Aosa Wa s family named Dickinson. hnt
,asr left soon afterward, making Mrs
gssrdre the first female settler in What
sn county. The sawmil was finished
Su-inr the summer. bat the failure of
sssr in WhGteom creek during the latter
,s.s d the season rendered IL Of little use
ssri the winter rains set in and threw
exmpaer on the settlement
One day Messrs. Brown ard Hewitt. who
we getting logs for the mill, discovered
hatree being turne' up by the roots, the
stin q coal. since known rs the Belling-
ham Bsy coal mines. and which for many
years furnished the only coal brought TO
san francisco from any part OF our own
sol on the Pacific coast. The schooner
William Allan and the surveying steamer
Active, took some OF the coal 20 Fan Fran
cisco, where eosn pany was formed 10 pur-
chase the mine. and Mr.. Calhoun,
Benham ard Captain FaantIeroy
came TO Whstcom for that purpose,
which tbey succeeded IN accomplishing.
captain FaantleToy remained In possession
md Mr. Benham returned 10 San Fran
CISCO ant Edmund G. Fitzhueh Was sent
b the bag as their resident ageni aad to
esiAin title TO the land on which the vein
VI siiuaied under the donation Law; All
Irscas sho settled upon the public lands
e sny Part 81 what originally constituted
i5s territory OF Oregon between the ist
arei December, is5o. and the ist day Of
fsstmber, ks, were allowed donation OF
~ SeTes OF land II single man, ard 80
s-ss Il married man, provided he lived
rgoB and improved IL for four years.
&c show how little the first visitants TO
@ territory OF Washington realized the
re vaiae of land. | will here state that al
tosgh several hundred persons were IN
kaAieom county between the time when
lsptain Pa;tle located the frs. donation
eain, and The ist day of December, Is55,
esY eighteen claims were taken under
81 donation las in Whatccm
nzniy, two OF which were al
awards cancelled as being on an
isaisn servation-John and Ellis Barnes.
The sixteen claimants who obtained pat
tatsnadcr the Law are as follows. IN priority
alooation Pattle loo. Morrison Too Pea
f!zaagh le0, Eidridge so. Compton l61.
Roberts 80, Poe leo. Harris first settled
8 by Thomasl 100 Page loo. Utter ldo.
lFsle 80. Jones so. ON Fitzhurhis ar
asa steps were Immediately Ia
sei 10 open and develop the
es@i nine Ia the meantime another con-
pay Ass formed - San Francisco consist
sg q sam BraBnEn. Charles Miniurn and
elteFs, Ia open and mine the coal veins on
TIC Claims % Messrs. pat;le, Morrison ana
4aeass. This company leased these
aAlsis for period oi years-were - pay
q per month Tor each claim aud a
ssstain ROYALTY for each ton Of
Ca dug from the mines A party
saae- the superintendeney OF Captain
hossrd, United states revenue marine.
HrFed Ia the fall Of >.3 20 opsn and work
De aiises bat the difference between the
aaa'ier deck % q cutter snd coal mine
he woods was too great - make the *
leait,oa a success there we're too many
aesee-s FOR the number ot prigates emf
Faysd Bot little coal was mined and
ssafia year The enterprise VAS abandoned.
iaite occurred to break the routine OF
'Ss carly settlement during the first Eve
ssars, except occasional Indian scares. and
Af !adlan war n Washington aud Oregon
isaa-se. Our own local Indians have
Asays been trgo friends 10 the whites.
81 We could not tell how
~ Ne could RELY on them. and
shsneyeT runners - Indian groahles
a@e'ied RS 'ro'o other points, Il caused \
Ff-ng g. apprehension on CUR part Oar
s'ssissi taf Egs WAS from the northern
sAsiaos. who came - the Sound IN the
s!'ihg IA large canoes. from Htty 90 loo in
aFAaoe, snd returned 10 their homes ia
" isA- These canoes could land al any
: !. sAe Isolated settlements. plUnder and
- and before any ue'chbors would
saos o; = be beyond the reach Of pursuit.
= one occasion "a Northern Indian was
sas' ~ colo blooI by 3 renegade IN olvn-
"a TIE Indians demanded TIE murderer
e delivered up 70 them. falling in
a. ssea ihev le,t threatening vengeance.
; ssea "oFerHor Douglas heard % the us1T-
" " upon zoe Indians arrival az
's'oE'a- be sndeavurca 20 aYpca>e
se'a by pay.ne them so many
ssaake's, hu' uole.ne would satisfy them
- De murderer ur a Eoston chief Gov-
go Doag.s. .amcsiat.Iy seat Wo-d 10
* cizeren' setttrueats, warning them 81
- danger ani offering arms for pro
- - Provided some responsible psFson
: - give security log then fttggu.