The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-09-19
INCIDENT OF THE INDIAN WARS ON
PUGET SOUND.
Lost Lake Is n Queer Natural Fea-
ture-No Visible Outlet for It's
Deep Waters.


James McConvlle Of Maxfield, a little
station on the Nesqually river, at the
Northern Pacific crossing, was in Ia
| coma recently and to a Ledger reporter
he said:
"There is a body Of water called the
Lost lake about four miles from Max
field which excites great interest
among people visiting that vicinity.
The lake is about three miles long and
is of irregular shape and sets down
among high, Uncovered hills, being IN
fact almost surrounded by hills. 1t is
about 400 feet deep and in some places
the hills approach so near to each 9TH
er, that one can almost jump across
the lake. The water has 20 inlet cx-
cepting the springs flowing down from
the hills and subterranean inlets and
would appear to be stagnant, but it is
clear, cold and sweet. So clear is it
that in rowing across it one almost
seems to be suspended in mid-air. The
scenery around the lake is the finest
and most rugged one can imagine, the
Mills rising precipitously from the
banks of the strange body of water,
giving the entire place an air of isOla-
ton and primitive wilderness There is
no visible outlet to the lake, for it
would have to rise hundreds of feet
to the tops of the hills before the water
| could overflow and hunt its way to the
sound, about five or six miles distant
Two miles from the basin of the lake
on the slopes of a hill fronting the
sound, numberless streams of ice-cold
fresh water gush from shaggy banks
nd Int nac sd he
of which, 1t is reported, has never been
! found Out of this basin flows a stream
of water about 80 feet wide to the
sound three miles distant, called Nc
Allister creek. The people living in the
neighborhood claim that these springs
are the outlet of the lake and pass
through subterranean channels beneath
the hills before reaching the surface.
At one time there was strong talk of
the city of Tacoma obtaining its water
supply from these springs. but for
some reason the project was given up.
THE Indians who weave a legend
about every freak of nature they do
not understand have, 50 far as /
know. entirely overlooked Lost lake
and there is not even a myth to OK
plain its mysteries"
A Ledger reporter who was in the
vicinity of Lost lake several weeks
ago, was told by a half-breed Indian
that the pool of water, out of which
flows McAllister creek, is bottomless.
He said he had rowed across it in
boat and through so feet of water had
seen trout a foot and a half long, but
they would not bite when fished with
a baited hook. Far down in the depths
of the pool, he said, cavarns about 20
feet square could be seen. These he
claimed were the passages through
which the main body of the waters of
Lost lake found it's exit. The forma-
ton of the country is gravel and sand
and is said to be similar to that of
the prairies south of Tacoma.
Mr.. McConville tells a strange OK
perience Of his which brings up mem
cries of the Indian wars waged on the
banks Of Puget sound nearly so years
ago.
I'm 1879" said Mr.. McConville, Il
worked in Old Tacoma with a man
named Robson One day 10 years lat
er I was in Olympia and saw the same
man. He had entirely forgotten me.
When I told him who I was and that
, I owned a farm at Maxfeld he remem-
bered me and then told me a strange
story of the place l had bought. lie
said that it once belonged to John Nc
Allister after whom the creek l have
mentioned was named. McAllistei
, held it as a donation claim about the
! year 1S49 In 1851 he was driven away
/ by the Indians and with his wife he
, sought refuge at Fort Steilacoom. The
same year six men from Olympia came
I to the place and cut a large cedar tree
. with the intention of making a clear
! | ing. After several cuts had been saw
a ed off the cedar a party of about a doz
10 en- Indians suddenly attacked them
r. One of the men grasped an AK anC
with the back of 1t struck the chief o.
the war party a powerful blow on thu
head, killing him instantly. The figh
t was over Immediately. The Indians
seeing their chief slain so quickly, tool
flight The white men considered tn
=. experience a bad omen. They care
q fully concealed the body of the dea,
S chief in the heart of the cedar fitting
5 the block they had split off the Gu
e back over him and hurriedly departed
Robson told me where the cedar wa
= and declared that if would use car
a I would find the skeleton of the body
b easily found the decaying remain
# Of the cedar. though 80 years ha'
passed away. Careful search failed T.
e disclose the remains of the dead chief
I burned what was left Of the cedar
|. grubbed up its giant stump and Gu
! away the surrounding timber ant
slashed and burned until 1 had a fin
e clearing there. Later a hired maj
:, plowed the ground. At the place wher
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