, 1892-09-30
OLD SETTLERS DAY.
Judge Robinson in Favor of Long
mire's Story.
But the Majority of the Judges
Awarded the Prize TO mIIburn
&. wills of North Yakima-PIO-
ueers Present.


Awarded the Prize to mIIburn
G.. wills of North Yakima-PIO-
neers Present.
Yesterday was Old Settlers day at the
Tacoma exposition, and Olympia was we'll
represented. The prize medal for the old
est settler was awarded to John Mcleod,
of Steilacoom, who is n years Of age and
who settled here in 1888.
There were older persons present, notably
Sherwood Bonney, of Lakeview, who is SO
years of age and came west in October,
1858, and Mrs. 0. B. Manning, Of Olympia,
who is 70 years old and came west in May,
1866.
One Of Washington's most venerable pio-
neers is David Shelton, who founded the
town which bears his name. Mr.. Shelton
is a native of North Carolina, and, to use
his own expression has been pioneering
all his life-always moving to the frontier. y
He came to the coast in 1847, and since that
time has made one trip East. He is well
known in Olympia, as are all his sons.
Captain William B. Bolton, of Steilacoom,
was another old timer, who arrived on the
ship Albion, in the winter of 1849-5O.
Among the other old Olympians and old
settlers known in this city, were:
Edward Higgins, Tacoma, March, 1850
ElwOod Evans, Tacoma, November, 1851
John Flett, Flett, November, 1841 G. B.
Talbot, Tacoma, November, 1919; Mrs J
M. Thomas, Pialschia, King county; Mrs.
Thomas crossed the continent in 1852 with
hersfather S. w. Russell. known as the
pioneer of White river. She and ]. M.
Thomas were the first white couple mar
ried in the territory of Washington Moses
Ward, Lake View, 1851; James Lyons, Roy,
1874; Peter Smith. Lake View, 1858: l..
Wallace, Steilacoom, 1855; M f, Hawk,
Roy, 1852: Albert Lane, Orting, 1858; Rob
ert Thompson, Tacoma, 1852 Henry Berk-
hart, Orting, 1864; Thomas r. Perkins,
1858; Mrs. Esther Perkins, 1852; Charles
w. Hobart. Tacoma, 1866; G.. w. Barlow,
Tacoma, 1852; William b. Bolton, Stella
COON, 1919; Mary Bolton. SteilacoOm,
1861; A. J. Frost, Hillhurst, 1874;
Mary Perry Frost. Hillhurst. 1854
Roy, 1854; E. G. White, OsceOla, Wash.
1878; III. Q. Temple, Morton. Lewis county,
1852; L. b. Andrews, Seattle, 1860; L. r,
Thompson, Sumner, 1850; B. F. Ruth,
Rainier, 1858; ]. M. Stevenson. SteilacOom
1859; GWin Hicks, Tacoma, 1855 M. M
Jackson, Tacoma, 1852; George Mollenkotf,
Stuck, 1873; J. n Reynolds. Lake City,
1850; David Shelton, Shelton, 1847; J. w.
Mccarthy, Edison, 1851; Mrs. George Gal
lagher, Steilacoom, 1855; J. w. Clark,
Kent, 1865; Sherwood Bonney, Lake View,
1853; Susan BOnney, Lake View, 1873 Laura
S. Clark, Kent, 1862, M. H. Orr, Steilacoom
1852; Mrs. 0. B. Manning, Olympia, 1866
Mrs. NJ Haskell, Olympia, 1866; John
CogswelL Tacoma, 1873; John S. Rigney
Steilacoom, 1850; ]. G, Parker, Tacoma
1858; Mrs. j. Parker, Tacoma, 1853
Mrs. NJ. S. Tarbell, of Tacoma, the daugh-
ter Of w. H. Gray, of Oregon, was born al
Wailatpu, Whitman mission, in 1912; Rob
ert L. Chambers, Roy, son of Judge T. M
Cham bers, who arrived in 1915; w. II
Goodwin, Roy, 1870; Mrs Margaret Peter
son, SteilacOom, daughter of Judge Cham
bers, A. E. Murray, Muck, 1860; Mrs. Har
riet Frost Hunt, Hillhurst; William
O'DOnnell, Seattle, 1874 Anna NJ Morgan
KelsO; Frances Tarbell Tacoma, 1850; Mrs
Belle Page, Lake City, 1859; e. NJ. Blaine
Blaine, 1882; Mrs. Clara D. Peterson, Mrs
Alice Latham Steilacoom, daughter o.
Warren Cove, pioneer of 1852; Andrew
Frost, Hillhurst, 1872; Rev. Myron Eels, d
D., Union City, 1913; Mrs. Myron Eels
Union City, 1858; Edwin Eels, Tacoma
1841; Mrs. Eels, Tacoma, 1865; Mrs. Grace
Campbell, Lake City, 1859.
The prize for the best old settlers story
was awarded to Milburn G. Wills, of NortI
Yakima. The prize consisted of two
round trip tickets to the worlds fair al
Chicago
Mr.. Wills old settlers story was the
second one of the series and contained ar
account of how he swan the Snake river il
the spring af 1856 to carry food to the gar
risOn Of soldiers on the other shore. The
prize was awarded at the exposition last
night by Judge J. w. Robinson, of Olym
pia. who said:
By reasons of the hberality of one of ou.
distinguished citizens and the business en-
terprise of the management of one of th,
leading journals of the Pacific coast. few
months since a prize was offered for thu
best ''old settlers story" and in response
thereto more than forty persons have con
tributed, and the same have been published
from week to week in the Ledger To de
termine this question Colonel Hewlett, O
North Yakima, Hon. John r. Reaves, 0
Spokane, and myself were selected. Th
difficult duty of deciding with so many ex
cellent stories will be fully appreciated up
on moments reflection and you will no
be surprised that the verdict is not unani
nous. The judges readily agreed that al
were exceedingly interesting and well writ
| ten, but which one of all the forty was tn
best2 This question has received ou
most careful and conscientious considera
ton, and l have been chosen to announc
the result, bnt it has been suggested tha
| it would be proper for me to say few
words to you before doing so.
/ Certainly these gatherings of the oil
settlers are full of interest to all, but tn
thoughts that must come to you at such a.
hour must bring more sorrow than Joy
and yet l presume it is not all sorrow
Here and there the sunlight of pleasin
recollectiOns must break through tn
clouds. You have been spared by kim
! Providence to witness and enjoy yer
many of the rich fruits the possibilities {
which you and your associates created
But while tonight you gaze backward an
/ live over again the trying Ordeals of pic
neer life, recalling this and that hardship
remembering as if it were today, a thOul
and thrilling incidents and perilous &C
ventures, turning here and there to drop
tear upon the sacred grave of one who, pc
haps less fortunate than yourselves, sleeI
yet along the line, and as you recall in pal
what you have endured, with all the suffe
ings and sorrows your hearts must 90 OF
with gratitude to Almighty God that yO
have been spared to witness your preseI
surroundings. And you no doubt feel prou
and you justly shOuld-that as such pi,
neers you were made the instrumentalitil
through and by whose energies, depriv
tions and bravery the foundation has bee
laid for the grandest commonwealth ov
which the stars and stripes ever floaJed.
Brushing aside all the sorrows and sha