The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1900-07-13
The Sounds First Fourth Orator.

the part of the American soil embrace
ed In what is now the state of Wash
ington occured at Olympia July 4,
1852, when the trrritory was named
Oregon. Hon. D. R. Bigelow, who
Still resides ut Olympia was the orator
of the day. Judge Bigelpw had come
as passenger on the schooner Exact
from Portland to Puget Sound in 1851.
He was admitted to practice law at a
special term OF the Oregon supreme
court held III Olympia by Judge Strong
In january, III 1852.
As the Fourth of July of that year
approached it was decided by the little
band OF settlers on Budd's inlet to
celebrate the occasion in fitting style.
The declaration of Independence was
read by Simpson P. Moses, who with
the late Hon. Elwood Evans, had inst
been admitted to practice law by Jns-
tice Strong. Mr.. Moses was also an
appointee, under President Fillmore's
administration, as collector of the port
of Nisqually, Hon. Frank Shaw, late
OF Vancouver, acted as marshal of the
day.
The ceremonies of the day included
an old fashioned basket Dinner and an
Grafton which the earnest and intel
lectual young advocate woke the echoes
OF the forest with impassioned elo-
quence. At that time all the land on
the western side of Puget Sound, and
some OF the islands, including what
are now the counties of Mason, Jeffer-
son, Clallam and Island, we're part of
Thurston county, Judge Bigelow was
one of its first set of officers. During
all the intervening years he has lived
in his modest and comfortable home
on the east side of the bay at Olympia.
His wiIe's father, a Mr.. White, was
murdered by the Indians during the
uprising in 1855, at :he edge of
Chambers prairie, near Olympia.
One of Judge Bigelow's daughters is
the wife of City Attorney Royal of
Olympia, and one is the wife of Mr..
w. P. Bonny of Tacoma. Two OF his
sons carry on dairy farm near Olym.
pia.
When that first celebration occur
red in Olympia there were not 1000
persons within the present bounds OF
the State of Washington. Human
slavery had not yet run its course in
the land. Issac 1. Stevens was a sub
ordinate officer in the United States
engineer corps. About the only white
settlements on Puget Sound aside from
Olympia were the Hudson Bay COM
pany's trading post at Steilacoom, the
cabins of the Denny's Yesler and Boren
on Elliot bay, lone hut or two built
by Pettygrove and Plummer at Port
Townsend, the blockhouse and two OF
three cabins on Ebey's prairie, WILDLY
island, and the few structures at Fort
Bellingham. Puget Sound was rarely
navigated by anything save Siwash ca.
noes. Yet in Olympia, on that event.
full day, after the ceremonies were over
mass meeting was held where great
enthusiasm prevailed, the object ieing
the discus sion Of ways and means ol
procuring a division of Oregon and
organizing a new territory north oil
the Columbia river. 1t resulted in an
arrangement for a convention to be
held later in the year and such con-
vention was so held at Monticello. In
September of that year the first mum.
ber of the Columbian, the first news
paper on Puget Sound, was issued at
Olympia. In the winter of 1858 the
bill for the organization of the new
territory introduced by General Joseph
Lane, member of Congress from Oregon
became law; Governor Stevens was
appointed, and under his proclamation
the courts and civil government of the
territory of Washington were organ
| lied an election was held in March,
1853, and legislature (of which Judge
Bigelow was a member) convened at
Olympia Immediately afterward.
| Major Quincy A. Brooks, ex-collec-
tor of customs at Port Townsend, and
DIR. N. Ostrander, of Olympia. are be-
lieved to be the only surviving MEM
bers of the Monticello convention,
while Daniel r. Bigelow survives the
members of that historic legislature.
What wonders have been wrought
along all lines of civilization, national
| life and local life since that memorable
occasion when the young college bred
New Y orker reached for the tail of the
bird of freedom 1852. Other celebra-
tions have passed in review since then,
magnificent cities have grown up on
the shores of Puget Sound, transconti-
mental railroads have long since dis
placed the prairie schooner trains OF