The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1893-11-02
PIONEER EXPERIENCES.
Hhat The Brave Boys Of Early Days
Had TO Encounter.
INCIDENTS OF The INDIAN WAR.
Few "Reminiscences OF Frontier Life
Among the savage Redskins and
Hungry Beasts of the Ferest-A
Number of Tales Of Adventure.
Milburn G. wills in Tacoma Ledger


father, James Wills, left Burlington, Ia.
and made the journey across the country
to freka, Cal, with an OK team. In the
year following, on notification to join him,
[, together with my mother, two brothers
md two sisters, STATED on the journey,
going from Burlington to st. Louis and
thence up the Missouri river to st. Joe.
We organized what was called the "Shel.
ton-Weddle train" consisting OF about
sixty wagons drawn by brawny oxen. On
the 4th OF May, 1853, We crossed the Mis-
souri, 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 a mere boy of Is, and did not
fully appreciate the dangers to which our
train was subjected. We had no actual
engagements with the Indians, our com.
pany 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 September 10, 1858,
We arrived at what was known as Eos
ter'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 capital of Oregon territory. which
embraced at that time the whole OF what
is now the state of Washington. Ny
father then proceeded to make home on
half section of land, taken up under
the donation act" a grant made espe-
cially for the benefit OF early settlers.
recall an incident that, 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 8
years old. The wife told her husband
that on several occasions. when he was
absent, a big dog came around the house,
and she wanted HIM to kill 1t.
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 place
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, sprang upon the
child, catching it in the clothing at the
back, and ran for the bushes, about fifty
yards distant.
The father was paralyzed, momentarily,
| but suddenly grasped his gun and fired at
the animal as it was making its last
spring 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. Resting
by big tree by the wayside, we found
in it large hollow and Bunton inserted
his gun and poked around in the cavity,
when we were both greatly startled to
hear savage roar, and next to see the
head and shoulders of tremendous bear
which had been disturbed in its winter
quarter. Bunton dropped his gun and
made a spring that would have done
credit to an athlete. The bear went back
to bed but We were determined to route
him out. We figured around considerably
before securing the lost gun, but finally
drew 1t away from the hole with a forked
stick; then Bunton took his stand and
threw rocks into the hole until old bruin
showed his head, when he got 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 out of
his lair, but our united strength could not
bulge him. Finally Bunton went and
got his horse, and putting 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 1855 the Indians in
the northwest began a series of depreda-
tons upon the settlers in the sparsely set
tied regions of Oregon. About the middle
of October OF that year, Governor George
L. Curry determined to try to subdue
the savage cohorts, and to that end issued
a call for volunteers. large number
responded, and ninety-three of US from
Klackamas county enrolled our names
under Captain James ]. Kelly. Company
c, First regiment, Oregon militia volun-
teers. We started upon our campaign
October IL, 1855, AMI after leaving The
Dalles, it was found necessary to elect
new captain, as James Kelly had been
promoted to colonel. Samuel B. Stafford
was chosen and Charles Cutting flag
bearer, the other officers being, ID. B.
Hannah first lieutenant and James Pow
ell second lieutenant.
The organization being completed, we
took to the ield, arriving at Klickitat
valley November @. 1855. We had seen
no fresh meat since leaving P ,rtland, and
the killing Of fine fat COW by one of our
party was hailed with delight by slI