The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-05-20
IAN COUNTY AND THE TOWN or COLFAX
WEALTHY CEN7ERS or EASTERN WASHINGTON

oLFAx, May lS.-ImAgtne, o. With
pencil outline. nearly square
tract Of land containing 4iep
square miles. with = crooked
southern boundary. varying north
and south within limit Of fiffeen miles
the course Of Snake river: locate apot .
tribe to the southeast Of the center Of this
tract Of iand--now We have the geographi-s
Z cal position Of Colfax as II relates To the
boundary lines Of the great county Of Whit
man, OF which 1t Is the county seat com
1ercial center and metropolis, and, as it,
people have reason to believe. the most
prosperous and important Representation
town in the Pacific Northwest. located In
the richest county .of the richest state west
I 0f the Rocky mountains. Situated ut the
confluence Of the North and South PzI0use
rivers. 1000 feet above sea level. on a nat
with narrow center and expanded ends ike
= dumb-beii, about 30 yards wide IN the
center or business portion. and widening
70 half mile at the ends. with a length Of
about mile surrounded on al sides with
rolling hills. with roads Of easy grade ex-
tending into the couHtry beyond for dis
lance of from twenty TO thirty miles In
every direction-~in fact, the geographical
center OF the fxr-famed Paiouse country.
- well AZ Of Whitman county. Such 10
the location and character Of the surround
ings Of Colfax. tine Oldest and largest town
Ia the county OF which write.
Backed BY a vast farming c01uunlty,
With inexhaustibIe elements OF wealth. thu
natural trading point and business center
for large section Of country: with excel
lent church and school facilities: railroads
extending into the tributary country In
three directions and other lines In process
Of construction: ample water power for
manufacturing industries and an extensive
home market Tor their products; mild
and health giving climate. and = wide
awake, moral, social and progressive peo-
pie. There are some Of Its advantages
spoken Of more circumstantially In the mat
ter following.
Fosaashg Of the City.
How did Colfax come to be? Craving tho
pardon Of your multitude OF readers, let q
brief historical and genealogical review be-
taken. July 10. ls70. nearly twenty-nine
years ago, James A.. Perkins and Thomas
J. Smith concluded to claim the land upon
which Colfax now stands. This preliminary
settled. they built a log cabin. which still
stands. and gathered Wild hay for their
stock for the winter. Mr.. Smith remained
here only few months. and doc" Harris.
now said to be residing in Dayton. this
state. succeeded him In the partneEship.
In the spring OF 1871 III. 3. Holiingsworth
succeeded Harris. and the little valley was
divided between Perkins and himself In
the absence Of all government surveys.
4 y AG&e TWO kcHtleIufa lnductO u lew Oh kHett
friends to come and the same year small
sawmill was erected and the lumber mar
keted with farmers and stockmen settled
on the fiat to the south OF the Forks, as
Colfax was then called.
At this time Stevens county. with 4he
county seat al Fort coiville. las niles north
OF Coifax. embraced all the country be-
tween Snake river and the British cdlnm-
bia line-an empire In extent. and within
IT. borders are new !nciylsied the counties
OF Spokane. Whitman. Stevens. Okanngan.
Lincoln. Douglas. Adams and . part OF
] Franklin. Owing to the great distance,
visits to the county seat were rare and
made only when actually necessary. To
remedy this evil the legislatures on Novem-
Der ~. 1871. by act created and organized
the county Of Whitman. from the southern
portion of Stevens. naming and designating
Colfax as the county scat. The name for
the town thus suggested and its selection
: al the seat % government was ratified at
the next general election. held In Novem-
Der. 1872. when the total vote OF the county
was about rs.
Early In 1s7s q townsite was plated ana
In the summer following the building OF a
town was begun. Heretofore all supplies
had been hauled from walla waila. ninety
miles. and the opening OF the first store
that summer was a source OF rejoicing A