The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-05-21
HISTORICAL SKETCH
A BRIEF HISTORY OF KITTITAS
Circumstances Which Led Up to
Organization of Kittitas
County.
FACTS REGARDING EARLY FORMATION
". II. Peterson Once County Supt. and Auditor
Gives Interesting and Reliable Data
Good Reading for ALL
ACTS REGARDING EARLY FORMATION

The county board having submitted
the question of building new court
house. and the voters having voted for
it with unexpected unanmity, and the
building being in course of construc-
ton, the county officers were all look
! ing anXiously forward to the time
when each one could have his own Of
flee.
At this time Ben +. Snipes had con
cluded to open bank in Ellensburg
There was no bank in town at that
time and the only vault was the one
used by the county officers. He said
that if the county would let him open
up hi. bank without waiting for the
completion of the court house he would
only occupy Il part Of the bank room
back room and as much of the vault a.
we might need, giving Us free access
to the vault the same as the bank, and
pay all the rents falling due up to the
time the Offices were removed to the
court house Although the arrange
ment would be inconyenicnt, the Of
ficers told the county board that to save
the county from paying rent they
would try and get along and permit
the bank to use the building as pro-
posed. AS soon as the court house was
completed the county officers were re-
moved to it. Thus it will be seen that
for several years the Offices of the
county officials were on wheels.
The board instructed the auditor to
secure the required seals for the county
officers. | wrote to Portland seal
firm that | wanted Il seal for the audit
or designed As to tipify the three lead
ing industries of the county Stock
raising. agriculture and mining. They
prepared and sent the impress, of sew
eral designs, one Of which, with u few
factory. Not wishing to follow the
long established precedent of hunting
for Latin motto, | told Howard {.
Walters. then resident of of EllenS
burg, that | wanted to use one from
the Chinook language, but did not un-
derstand it well enough to make the
proper selection. He took the matter
under ttdvlsement and suggested CLOSE
Illahee," which | had placed in the
seal. Mr.. Walters and | prepared
design for the probate seal of the
county. In this we perpetrated joke
GA Walter \. Bull now. deceased who
was the first probate Judge of tho
county. On tire seal We had made for
his office we had the head of Il bull
with glaring eyes and conspicuous horns
Ia consideration of his name, and the
fact that he was extensively engaged
in stock raising, we voted the design
happy hit. y few days after had re-
cejvcd the seal, Walters brought Mr..
Bull in to see it, Stamping the seal
on piece of paper, | handed it to him.
After examining it closely for short
time he exclaimed, in the quick jerking
WORDS CUul uCltIlNtlC VI IlIlIl. l)tuti''
boys that's pretty good. How did you
come to think of it?'
The act creating this county provid-
ed that the auditor Of Kittitas county
should make Il copy Of all the records
of all that part OF the Yakima records.
required to be kept in kittitas county.
1t also provided that the settlement be-
tween the counties should be made by
|, the auditors of the same and went on
To designate how it should be made
In case they failed to agree they were
to call to their assistance the auditor
of klickitat county. For his services
{ in tranScribihg the records and making
the settlement the auditor was to re-
ceive two dollars per day. After pay
ing stage fare back and forth from
Yakima, several times in the dead of
of winter through fierce snow storms
lone of which think my old friend NJ.
NJ. Damman has not yet forgOtten) and
paying my hotel bills, it may readily
be inferred that | had not much of my
per disul left to pay for cocktails and
lnl cigars. Fortunately for me, how
! yer. | could do without these luXuries,
I buoyed up with the knowledge that
! was entering upon the discharge OF the