The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-12-22
PIONEER JOSLYN
dies IN SOUTH
EARLY SETTLER WHITE SALMON
Built First Home ut Bingen so Years
agO-PrOperty was Destroyed
BY Indian Raid of 1856.


settlers on the middle Columbia and
for many years the owner of what is the
Glades ranch at White Salmon, the
property Of Judge A. R. Bvrkett, died
recently at Santa Barbara, Cal, at the
age of 70.
The life of Erastus Joslyn is closely
linked with the early history of the
Hood River country. Mr.. Joslyn was
native of Massachusetts, where he
was born of New England parentage, on
September II, 1925. The early years OF
his life were spent in his native state,
where he was married on May l0 1913,
to Miss Mary Warner. In 1852 Mr..
and Mrs. Joslyn started for Oregon by
way of the Isthmus of Panama, arriving
in Portland in the fall of that year,
where they remained over the winter.
In the spring of 1858, Mr.. Joslyn made
trip up the Columbia river in search
of a location, selecting donation
claim at White Salmon, on which the
present town of Bingen stands. There
for many years be AMI his wife were the
only white settlers on the north shore
of the Columbia river, between the
Cascade and Wala Wa'la.
In the fall Of 1855 rumors of disturb
ances and threatenings among the
Yakima Indians became alarming,
although the tribe of Klickitats, living
about the Josl yn place, remained friend
ly to the whites. Led by their chief,
Kamiaken, the Yakmas determined
upon an determination of whites along
the Columbia. Although at first re-
strained and discouraged in their plan
by the friendly Klicktats, the appar-
emily unwarranted arrest of three
KIickitat chiefs by government officers,
precipitated an alliance and attack
strongly opposed by Mr. Joslyn, who,
fearing its effect, removed his wife to
Portland, leaving his claim in charge of
two men. Scarcely had they left the
Washington shore when the men were
warned by a friendly Indian that an
attack was imminent, and leaving the
claim the claim they fled for their lives
before a band of warriors for one whole
night, reaching the river and crossing
unharmed to Hood River, where but
two white men and their families then
lived Nathaniel Coe and William
Jenkins. From there they saw the
Joslyn house and barn go up in flames
kindled by the hand of old White
Salmon Dave, Yakima chief, who
still lives in the neighborhood of Bingen.
This Indian outbreak of 1856, and the
midnight fight made at the time by the
small band of Hood River settlers, is
graphically described by Captain H. G.
COe, in his "reminiscences of early days
in Hood River, published in the Glacier,
April, 1908 Mr.. Coe says
MIDNIGHT FLIGHT FROM THE INDIANS.
"The year 1856 was one of anxiety to
the few and scattered inhabitants OF
Eastern Oregon and Washington. Ru-
mors of an impending Indian outbreak
filled the ARCANE with the winters
SHOWS but did not 90 with them. For
year the columns of the Weekly Ore
gonian had been filled with accounts of
the barbarous tortures inflicted upon
helpless immigrants who fell into the
hands of the hostile hordes in the east
ern part OF the territory. The question
then with the wretched prisoners was
not how long before ransom or ex
change would set them free, but how
long before death would release them
from the internal tortures inflicted by
their captors. Once in their clutches
few escaped to tell the awful tale.
'The powerful Yakima nation, led by
the noted Chief Kamiaken, were prac-
tically on the war path, and their ennis
saries were everywhere urging the
Columbia river tribes to join in war
of determination against the whites.
The KliCkitats, an important branch OF
the Yakimas, withstoOd for time the
opportunities of their inland brothers
and gave up their arms to the author
tiles without word but the maggot
of unrest was industriously working in
the military BRAIN" and the arrest Of
three of the principal chiefs of the tribe
was decided upon. Mr.. Joslyn, the
pioneer settler of White Salmon, a
warm-hearted Christian gentleman and
an earnest friend of the Indians, pro-
tested in vain against the outrage. The
unsuspecting chiefs were easily trapped,
loaded with chains, sent to Vancouver,
and placed in charge of the regular
army. They soon found means to
evade the vigilance of their guards and
returned to their tribe, who, with few
notable exceptions, at once joined the
hostiles.
"This occurred during the latter part
of February, 1856. Mr. Joslyn, satisfied
that trouble would follow the arrest of
the chiefs, had removed with his family
to Portland, leaving hired man named
Galentine, and boy named Hawks to
look out for the place, An attack was
at once planned by the angry chiefs,
but the friendly Indians notified them
of the plot and they left the place and
crossed to Hood River, after being
chased all night by the hostiles. For
this act OF friendship to the whites the
friendly Indians were compelled to
leave their homes and with their wives
and little ones also came to Hood River
There were at that time but two fam
lilies living here--Wiliam Jenkins and
wife and two brothers-in-law, making
with our family and the man named
Galentine seven men, two women and
two boys, composing the entire white
population between the Cascades and
The Dalles.
"Our farm work thus far had been
done very much as the Jews had Ie-
builded Jerusalem, with implements OF
war in one hand and trowel in anoth-
er. Many day have | urged on the
OAtl NiIlI a SOnNi III SiiS i'''''N
rifle in the other These were troub-
lous times. The hostile klickitats
made themselves very conspicuous
along the bluffs on the Washington
shore above White Salmon. For days
the war drums had beat continuously,
filling our hearts with forebodings OF
trouble.
HowLING INDIANS GATHER ON THE BLUFFS.
"The Hood River Indians had been,
90 far, very pronounced in their friend
chip toward us, and in conjunction with
the friendly Klckitats, had captured
and brought to the Oregon side every
canoe or boat that could be found
which was in reach of the hostiles. So
far SO good; but the Polala lllahe lsand
land) Indians under old Chief Walia
chin, living on what was afterward the
HAYNES ranch, about two miles west
~ Hood Piver were known to have