, 1892-04-11
old SETTLERS STORIES
Incidents Of the Indian War in
the Yakima Country in
1855.
Swimming the Snake River in Mid
Winter to Take Food to Starving
Party.
How Mr.. MI. G.. wills Killed His First
Indian Narrow Escape Of
Scouting Party.
PeriIous Trip with a sick Man-some I'm
dian Tricks for Trapping the
Unwary.

NORTH u 4AkIMA, ApI1l T. III 4oo-' A1l9
father. James Wills, left Burlington, Ia.,
and made the journey across the coun-
try to Yreka, CAL, with an OK team. In
the year following, on notification to
ioin him, l, together with my mother,
two brothers and two sisters, started. on
the Journey, going from Burlington to
st. Louis and thence UP the Missouri
river toSt. Joe. We organized what was
called tie "shelton-Weddle train, I"
consisting Of about sixty wagons drawn
by brawny oxen. On the 4th Of
May, 1858, we crossed the Missouri
river and entered Immediately upon the
hardships OF trip that was destined to
occupy more than four months. From
the standpoint Of the usual experiences
Of those having crossed the plains, our
trip was uneventful, though it was
sufficiently spIced with incidents, and
had hardships enough to make it
thoroughly interesting. was then
mere boy 81 l6, and did not fully appre-
ciate the dangers to which our
train was subjected. We had
no actual engagements with the In
dians. our compan being sufficiently
large to keep a check upon them, where
smaller trains going over the same route
a few DAYS previous had suffered great
loss of live stock and very frequently
some members of their parties. On Sep
tember 10, 1858, we arrived at what was
known as ''Foster's,'' at the foot OF the
Cascades, in the Willamette valley, and
finally located on "Dickey's Prairie, on
the Molalla river, Klackamas county,
near Oregon City, the then CAPT
tai Of Oregon territory, which
embraced at that time the
whole of what is now the state Of Wash
ington. MY father then proceeded to
make a home on a half section OF land.
taken up under the donation act" a
grant made specially for the benefit Of
early settlers.
1 recall an incident that, I think, oc-
cured in the spring OF 1858. A mis-
sionary-I think his name was George
Miller settled in our neighborhood and
began making home.
He had wife, and one child about
years old. The wife told her husband
that on several occasions when he was
absent, a big dog came around the house,
and she wnnted him to KILT.
So one day he was working near the
house and took his rifle to watch for the
dog. The woman was washing near the
house, and the child started for the
ssalace where its father was at work,
when all at once the woman cried:
@'George, there is that dog, shoot him"
just then the cougar, for such it was,
aprang upon the child, catching it in
the clothing at the back, and ran for
the bushes, about fifty yards distant.
The father was paralyzed, momenta-
rily, but suddenly grasped his gun and
fired at the animal as it was making its
last spring to get into the bushes with
the child. Providence must have guided
that bullet, for the animal fell dead in
its tracks, and not scratch was left
upon the baby
On one occasion, in the spring Of 1855,
William Bunton and myself went elk
hunting on the Molalla river. We found
no elk, but killed five or six deer and
started to return to our houses. Rest
ing by big tree by the way side, we
found in it q large hollow and Bunton in
serted his gun and poked around in the
cavity, when we were both greatly
startled to hear a savage roar, and next
to see the head and shoulders of a
tremendous bear which had been
disturbed in its winter quarters.
Bunton dropped bis gun and made
q spring that would have done credit to
an athlete. The bear went back to bed,
-22aut we were determined to rout him
out. We figured around considerably
before securing the lost gun, but finally
drew it away from the hole with a
forked stick then Bunton took his
stand and threw rocks into the hollow
until old bruin showed his head, when
he got a chunk Of lead that did the
business for him. On finding out for a
certainty that the bear was defunct,
we tried to pull him from his lair,
but our united strength could not
bulge him. Finally Bunton went
and got his horse, and put
ting a rope around the neck and
shoulders OF his bearship, climbed upon
his horse, and with half hitch around
the horn of his saddle he put spurs to
the animal, and the bear came out, but
the way that horse bucked and snorted
when he saw what he had been pulling
on would have tried the skill Of the best
Mexican vaqueros. The bear pulled
down the scales at 500 pounds. net
weight.
Early in the fall Of 1866 the Indians in
the northwest began a series Of depreda-
tions upon the settlers in the sparsely
settled regions OF OREGON, which then
mbraced the now state of Washington.
About the middle of October of that
year, Governor George L. Curry de-
stermined to try and subdue the savage
cohorts, and to that end issued call for
volunteers. A large number responded,
and ninety-three of us from KIackamas
county enrolled our names under Cap
tain James ]. Kelly, Company G, First
regiment, Oregon militia volunteers.
We started upon our campaign
October is, 1855, and after leaving The
Dalles, it was found necessary to elect a
new captain, as James Kelly had been.
promoted to Colonel Samuel B. Stat
ford was chosen and Charles Cutting
flag bearer, the other officers being, D.
B. Hannah first lieutenant and James
Powell second lieutenant
The organization being completed, we
took to the field, arriving at Klickitat
valley November 6, 1855. We had seen
no fresh meat since leaving Portland.
and the killing of fine fat COW by one
of our party was hailed with delight by
all.
The Klickitat was then veritable
paradise for the little stock then running
at large. The grass was over six
feet tall and very dense. Striking
camp the next day we crossed the Sinncoe
mountains and came to the beautiful
Simcoe valley, now embraced in the
Yakima reservation. On November 9th
we made our way in the hills through
which flows the Yakima river, then
known as the Two Buttes." Here the
first active engagement OF our campaign
against the willy and wicked children Of
the forest occurred. Our advance guards,
consisting of companies commanded by
Captains Cornelius, Hem brie and Ben