Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-07-24
PUGET SOUND INDIANS.
How the Cunning of Seattle Saved Them
from Destruction.

The last man bearing the name of
Seattle died few days ago at the Old
Man house, near Port Madison. John
Seattle was the last of old Seattle's
sons, Angeline, the old chiefs daughter
being now the only surviving child. 1t
has not been ore orally known how
Seattle became a chief. S. T. Coombs
says that while calling on old Seattle
at the Old Man house he learned the
following regarding the old gentle
mans early history and why he had
been a chief:
1t seems, long before any white peo-
pie had settled on Puget sound and
about the time the Hudson Bay COM
pany were establishing their posts in
/ the northwest, the Indians living on
the Upper White river and the mount
ain Indians had banded together to
make a fight on the Puget sound tribes,
or those known as the Old Man House
tribe. Word reached them that a
force of those mountain Indians were
about to start in canoes from Upper
Green and White rivers in such num-
5ers and SO we'll armed that if they
reached DuwamiSh, now Elliott Bay,
the Old Man House tribe would be
wiped out A council of the old and
wise ones gathered and Seattle. then a
young man not over 20, volunteered
and devised plan to check the enemy
in reaching salt wafer. All of the
rude instruments in the shape of axes
were called for. They left Elliott Bay
by canoes and by trail, Seattle heading
the expedition.
A short distance above the mouth of
Black river on White river the bluffs
came so close together that fir trees
chopped down on one side would reach
the bank on the opposite side. 1t was
at this point that Seattle commenced
telling trees. BY dark these trees
were stretched across the river and so
arranged that a canoe could not 90
under without first upsetting. Seattle
had his men ambushed on either side,
with their rude implements of war
fare, mostly bows and arrows Seattle
did not have to wait long after dark
before the mountain Indians came
padding down. and before those be-
hind could know what was the matter
in front some five or six large canoes,
with over 100 warriors, were strug-
Cling in the water. and many who
reached the shore were soon dispatched
by Seattle's Flatheads. The remain
inc canoes that were checked before
getting under the obstruction were
turned back, and the plot to clean out
the Puget sound clam-eaters was
frustrated and young Seattle was de-
clarod cniei of the Old Man House
tribe which then comprised all the
Indians between Alki point and above
Skagit head on Puget sound.
Old man Seattle never learned the
Chinook jargon. Always when giving
white people information he had an in
terpreter. Old Seattle must have been
past 80 at his death.
Mr.. Coombs says that when he ar
rived at Port Madison, over thirty
years ago, the big logs and posts they
rest on at the Old man House were a
great wonder to all. The logs reach
ing across from one post to another
must have been 80 feet long, and
man. Of them feet at the butt and
about | l-2 to 2 feet at the smaller end.
These logs no doubt, were placed in
position without the aid of any gear.
purchase, or machinery. Old man
Seattle could not inform us when they
were first erected. He said the new
cedar posts were replaced in the ground
from time to time as the old ones be-
came decayed.