Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-02-05
MEMORIES OF THE PAST.
settlement OF Port ToWnsend-Trip
of the Mary TaylOr-FIrSt Store
I'm DIV m MIN,

The visit OF Mr.. Brooks, of Port
Townsend, to our city few days ago,
has turned backward the pages of
time and afforded many a delightful
retrospect of the events of pioneer life.
In Il conversation with that gentle
man the writer cleaned some particu-
lars relating to the settlement of Port
Townsend, port of entry that now
stands third in volume of maritime
business i'll the United States, which
may be of general interest to the pub.
lie
1t was an the afternoon of Saturday,
Feb. 81, 1852, said Mr.. Brooks, that
there arrived in Port Townsend BAY, Il
large war canoe manned by the Duke
of York, head chief of the Clallam
Indians, and a crew of that tribe. The
canoe and Indians were in the service
of Uncle Sam, and had just come
from the custom. house at Olympia
carrying force of custom officers on
q cruise of the lower Sound. The
force consisted of the narrator, Mr..
Brooks, who held the position of
Deputy Collector, and Inspectors A.
NJ. Poe, II. c. Wilson and A. b. Moses.
The canoe landed ON the beach ut
Il point near the terminus of what is
now known as Tyler street, and soon
all hands were at work unloading the
necessary equipments for night camp
ing, and cooking the evening meal
Presently Il cheerful fire was blazing,
and the culincry skill of Poe and
Wilson was manifest, and all sat down
to Il hearty repast.
\ small unfinished log house, with
out chink or daub, was the only
fixture of civilization on the bay. But
the Clisquis houses of the Clallams
were strongly in evidence all along the
beach, this being the principle village
of the tribe
Nightfall came on apace. The glow
from the campfire and the wickiups
of the Indians cast weird but cheer
full light over the beach, bluff and bay.
The morrow was the Sabbath, day,
in these parts, rs yet unnoticed. But
it was not to he always thus.
A small vessel was ON Saturday dis
covered entering the bay off Point Hud-
son; on nearer approach it proved to
be the schooner Mary Taylor, sixty
tons burden, from Portland, Oregon,
with Francis w. Pettygrove, ST., and
Loren b. Hastings and their families
on board. Next day, Sunday, the
families were landed, and the Mary
Taylor proceeded on to Olympia.
This vessel, it may be noted paren-
thetically, brought u stock of goods
for Geo. A. Barnes, who established
the first general store of any import
ance at Olympia. A small stock,
principally of Indian goods"-such
as blankets, shirts, domestic, beads,
sugar and molasses-had been kept by
Nj. L. Simmons; but the assortment
was noted for neither quality nor
quantity. Mr.. Barnes and family had
preceded his stock by the overland
trip which consumed from three to
four days between Portland and the
Sound. The Mary Taylor was about
month in making the voyage, hav
ing been detained by head winds Mt
the mouth of the Columbia.
The debarking of the Pettygrove
and Hastings families, at Port Town
send, afforded an opportunity for the
customs boys to show their gallantry;
for being low tide with no wharf, the
lighterage to shore through shallow
water was of necessity performed by
men in high-top boots. And in this
way that most estimable lady, Mr.
James Mcintyre, now the mother Of Il
grown up family, then mere child,
was carried ashore in the arms of
Deputy Brooks.
Mrs. Pettygrove and Mrs. Hastings
were the first white women to settle
at Port Townsend. Their coming
marked the dawn of a new era, for
soon others came and then others, and
thereafter the powerful influence of
Christian women was felt in civilian
ton, enlightenment and bettermcnt
OF humanity.