The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1905-02-02
ONCE TOOK IN
SEVEN STATES
ORIGINAL AREA WASCO COUNTY
Interesting Data Supplied by HistOr-
ian Hines and Mrs. Crandall-ItS
Early Boundaries,

With the probability that Cascade
county is soon to be carved from old
Wasco, history of the former county
is particularly interesting at this time.
The statement that Wasco at one
time embraced portions of the terri
tory of seven different states will be
surprising to many.
When E. L. Smith, president of the
Northwest Fruit Growers association,
responded to the address Of welcome
at Boise a few weeks ago, he referred
to the fact that Boise was once a part
of Wasco county. As authority for
this statement, Mr. Smith has fur
nished the Glacier the following letter
from George II. Hines, assistant sec
retary of the Oregon Historical soci-
ETY.:
Original Oregon was bounded as
follows North, 81 degrees 40 minutes
east, summit Of Rocky mountains
south 42d parallel, west, Pacific ocean.
Treaty between England and the
United States made the northern
boundary the 10Th parallel westward
from the Rocky mountains summit
to the gulf OF Georgia, nd main chan
mel to ocea2.
Washington territory was created
March 2, 1858. Boundaries North, 40
degrees south, Columbia river; until
in going eastward it touched the 46th
parallel; east summit Of Rocky mount
aims; west, Pacific ocean.
After Washington territory was set
off, Oregon embraced everything be
tween the Add and the 46th degrees,
east of the point at which the latter
parallel touches the Columbia river
Wasco county when organized as
early at least as the winter Of 1854,
embraced all of Oregon cast of the
Cascade mountains, or in other words,
all Oregon between summitsof Cascades
and Rocky mountains, the 46th and i2d
parallels thus, you see, taking in the
quarter part of Idaho. When Ore
gon was admitted to the Union, Feb
ruary IA, 1859, congress set off the re-
gion from the 42d parallel northward
along III degree west longitude to its
! intersection with Snake river, and
along that stream up to the 10th paTal
| lei, and eastward to the summit Of the
Rocky mountains, and added it to the
territory of Washington, and on
| March 3. 1868. that was made a part
of the territory of ldaho-the greater
part, too, by the way.
/ d. thia fi,.,n | tttY,ly mill gat
that you can read your title clear il
asserting that Boise was included il
Wasco county between the years 1888
and February IA, 1853.
The Dalles Chronicle recently pub
lished the following article on the his
tory of Wasco county, prepared b.
Mrs. G. J. Crandall, who is making
study of the early history of Oregon
Talk of again dividing Wasco count,
causes one to ask how large was tn
original old Wasco, well called tn
Mother of Counties? Fifty-one year
ago, the llth day of January, 1854, tn
territorial legislature created Vase
county. consisting of all the terrIJOr,
of Oregon east OF the Cascade range
Eastern Oregon at that time EXTENDED
to the summit OF the Rocky mountains
!. 1t is interesting TO follow the uete
and bounds Of this county OF sucl
gigantic proportions.
East on the Columbia river and tn
46th degree near Wallula. crossing tn
Snake river near the mouth of Salmon
river, on through the state of ldah
with Grangeville and Mount idaho o.
the Oregon side, crossing the Bite
Root mountains into Montana the re
giOn of the Silver Bow country pcrhap
near Butte City, which city stands q
a crest of the Rocky mountains nca
the 46th parallel Thence southerl,
along the SUBMITS Of the Rockies, cut
ting off the southwestern corner o
the Yellowstone Park, and quite
chunk out of the western side Of Wy
oming, intersecting the 42d degre,
near the South Pass, through Whicl
was the old emigrant road; theme,
west on the 42d degree to the Cascad,
mountains, having for the southern
boundary part OF Wyoming, Utah
Nevada and the Eastern half Of North
ern California For five years Vase
county remained this great size, unit
the admission Of Oregon to the State
hood, February II, 1893, when tn
bounds Of Oregon we're defined as W
know them. That part OF Wasco coun
ty east OF the Snake river and west O
the Rocky mountains and between tn
46th and 42d degrees was annexed t
Washington territory, and five year
later became Southern Idaho VIII
congress saw fit to cut Oregon dow
and make Washington territory, al
, ready so large, does not appear. PEI
! haps there we're axes to grind in thos
days. Major Rains Of the Fourth in
fantry, stationed at The Dalles th