The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-12-22

There are few cities of importance
in the state of Washington in which
Indians. during the early days of ex-
ploration and settlement, did not
congregate for the purpose of hold
ing councils of war, or participating
in seasons of sport. Spokane, Walla
Walla and Wenatchee are three
places in eastern Washington for
which many tribes have profound
veneration. 1t is only few years
since they consented to release their
claims to Spokane and abandon their
tribal relations to take up their
abode with chief Moses.
For the variousc tribes of the
northwest, Wenatchee has ever been
a favorite spot There is scarcely a
member of the Colville, Snake or
Columbia River, Palouse, Occur d
Alene or Spokane tribes that has
not a lingering veneration for the
place, an their stolid hearts grow
tender at the mention of Wenatchee.
For ages they have convened here
in annual council, to engage in wor-
ship or sport, to prepare their catch
of fish for the winter or to make
their sanguinary arrangements for
war. Here the swart braves WoOed
and won the dusky maidens just as
succeeding generations are doing to-
day. Than the Indian there is no
race with keener powers of observa-
ton or discernment. Of distances
and directions he possesses an in
stinctive knowledge. Their trails.
which only a short time since were
visible. with the approach of civili-
zation were adapted by government
supply trains. stockmen and later by
wagon and rail roads.
First Business House
The first business house" in We
natchee was established possibly as
early as 1867. In that year two
men whose names were 1ngraham
r and Mcbride opened a trading post
at what il now Rock Island and car
ried on thriving trade with the In
men moved their post to the mouth
of the Wenatchee river, where the
first town of Wenatchee afterWard
made its appearance. lnSraham d
McBride's. chief stock in trade was
whisky which they sold to the In
dams. In 1872 these men, in order
to evade the law which they had
broken by selling liquor to the In
dams, were obliged to leave in some
haste, and their business was pur-
chased that year by Samuel Miller
and the Freer Brothers.
The original building in the We
natchee valley was d log structure
built in 1872 by Samuel Miller. just
north of the present town of We
natchee. 1t was used for years by
MIR. Miller as a trading post, and in
later, years was the post-office build
ing. 1t was an ancient landmark
familiar to the old timers, miners
and prospectors who worked all
through this country in the early
days and many events connected
with the history of the Wenatchee
Valley have their foundation in the
old Sam Miller trading post. In
1888 a Mr.. Mcpherson established
store on the bank of the Columbia
river about three-quarters Of a mile
above the present site of Wenatchee.
That same summer another little
store came in and was located in a
tent. The goods for these stores
we're freighted from Ellensburg by
wagons. The roads were in ter
rible condition and several days
Wore required to make the trip.
Are was established a pOstoffice
and Samuel Miller was made post
master. At that period mail arrived
in Wenatchee only twice a week, be-
ing carried by stage over the noun
tains between Wenatchee and Ellens-
burg. During the winter 1888 and
1889. Mr.. Mcpherson moved his
store back further into the valley TO
what was later known as the north
end" The postoffice was removed
from Mr.. Miller's; hotel was
built and within Il short time there
was quite d little village in the old
North End"
"Old Town
Originally the town of Wenatchee
was located about one mile north Of
its present site, 1t was named in
1888 by its founder, Don Carlos
Corbett, from an old Indian Chief,
Wenatchee. A number of wide
awake eastern men. fully alive to
the possibilities of the surrounding
country, organized in 1891, the We
natchee Development Company. They
made number of purchases during
the survey of the Seattle, Lake
Shore & Eastern Railway, now the
Seattle division of the Northern Pa
cifiic. In 1892, following the COM
pletion of the Great Northern Rail-
WY. the Wenatchee Development
C8npany, closely in touch with J
J! Hills road, surveyed and plated
the present site of the town of We
natchee BY a system of lot trading
with the settlers of the North End
buildings and residents soon located
on the new site.