The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1894-12-28
FRIDAY DECEMBER 5 1894
The Old and the New.

The following is republished, as giving
an idea of boundless distances, and
the way our pioneer fathers did in
1850. David Shelton figures in the
transaction of the early business:
THURsToN COUNTY ORGANIZED.
The year 1852 marks the beginning
OF organized government ON Puget
Sound. The act that created the
county provided for holding an cleo.
tion to choose county officers. The
election was held in June 1852 q,
which A. J. Simmons was elected
sheriff. A. M. Poe, county clerk; d. r
Bigelow, treasu rer R. S. Bailey, asses.
sor; Edmond Sylvester. Coroner: A. A
Denny, S. S. Ford Sr. and David Shell
ton, county commissioners.
On July 5th the board Of county
commissioners convened at the Office
of A NJ Poe in the town of Olympus
Arthur A Denny and David Shelton
were present and took the oath of Of
flee and appointed d E Bigelow clerk
of the board pro tempore. This done
the board adjourned to the next day
On the 9th day A ] Simmons, sheriff
was present and the bonds OF A N
Poe as county clerk, ID r Bigelow
county treasurer and r S Bailey asses
sor, were approved. David Shelton
was designated as presiding judge ol
the commissioners court.
The following precincts were estab.
| ished: :-:
Scadget Precinct: To include Whid-
by's Island and all islands north ia
the northern boundry of the United
States.
Port Townsend precinct: The terri
tory north of Hoods Canal on the
west side of the Sound.
Dewamps precinct: The territory
east of Puget Sound and north of the
Puyallup river and all south OF
Hoods canal the parallel of the north
parallel of the Puyallup river on the
west side of the Sound. -,
Steilacoom precinct: The territory
north of the Nisqually river to the
Puyallup on the east side Of Puget
Sound and all thence due west to the
mouth of the Nesqually river to the
parallel of the mouth of the Puyallup.
Olympia precinct: The territory
south of Steilacoom precinct. 49,
The entire county was then a school
district in Lewis county. At this ses-
sion of the board David Shelton, Whit
field Kirtley and Geo. A. Barnes, as
directors of school district No. 9, rep
resented that the district had been Or
ganized and asked that boundaries be
established which was granted. De-
vanish precinct was designated as
district No. 5; Scadget precinct as No.
6; Port Townsend precinct as district
No. Z. The remainder of Olympia
precinct after taking out district No.
2 was designated as No /. ~
Commissioners Denny and Shelton
drew lots for length of terms. Mr..
Ford being absent was given the long
term of three years; Mr.. Denny drew
the term of one year and Mr.. Shelton
that of two years.
VIM. Coulter was granted grocers
license for six months and Edmund
Sylvester one for three months. On
July 7th the board adjourned TO the
first Monday in September.
At the fall meeting William Pack
wood asked for school district be-
tween Olympia and Steilacoom, which
was granted. ~
Mr.. Packwood was also granted a
license for a ferry across the Nesqually
river, for which he paid one dollar.
Road districts were created and resi-
dents in each district were designated
to work the roads in that district.
The tax levy for that year was fixed
at: 4 mills for county revenue, II
mills for the school fund, II mills ter
ritorial fund and 81 poll tax. The to
tai valuation OF the county was $lz4,-
6O2. The tax was collected by the as
SCISSOR at the time OF making the AS
sessment. TT. McElroy and Gee
Barnes were appointed justices OF the
peace for the Olympia precinct.
The first school in the county was
taught this summer by d. L. Phillips
!. Lewis county was a part OF the
| Third judicial district and the mrs.
term of court held at Olympia was {
special term called to try seizures tha
had been made by the. collector OF Gus
toms. Bt this term of the court FL
wood Evans, d. r. Bigelow, QUINCY
A. Brooks and S. III. Moses were ad
mitted to practice law.
The summer of 1852 was prosper
GUS one for the new community. Goa
was discovered in the Skokomish vai
lev. A steady stream Of immigration
] ....s % our;no iowa I'd the Sound cOuntr'