Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1911-06-09
ANCIENT LANDMARKS.
SOME DISAPPEARING RELICS OF THE
INDIAN WAR OF I855-o.

PORTLAND, May 81, ISL.
ED. STANDARD.
Your article on " Oid Time Fli>to-
rY in the NTANpARbof thc l9th INST.
MAS read with great interest 1t is
necessary that such articles should hc
prepared from time to time and given
to the people for the benefit of those
Who come on in the future. While il
is truc that many of the present gen
Grafton. even descendants of pioneers.
do not care To learn anything about
the primitive conditions Of the past
IN this country, yet there is al in
creasingly growing number among
the more recent additions to the pop
ulation of the great Pacific North
west who are eager to acquire all the
information possible relative to the
experiences of those who paved tie
way for the present conditions.
Since you have given excellent ac-
count OF the construction of the
blockhOuSe at Olympia, | will supple
ment it by reference to Il number of
other blockhouSes and stockades in
Thurston county for defense from In
dian attacks, during the Yakima In
dian war of 1896, of which | had
personal knowledge.
First The Chambers stOckade. in
closing the new barn of Andrew J.
Chambers, on Chambers prairie,
built in October, 1888. This en-
closed Il little more than an acre of
ground, with the barn in the center
The barn had not been used except
for the storage of grain in the Sheaf
and hay, hence as the mows or bays
were not full there was room in which
a considerable number of persons
could sleep. The sheds projecting
from the main body of the barn, so
that the ends and sides were divided
into spaces tor cooking, and were al
lotted equally among number of fam
lilies, twenty or more having sought
refuge in the stoc iade, some of them
remaining several months. My ia
theirs family remained there about
one month.
Second - The Ruddell stockade
Stephen d. Ruddell crossed the
Plains to Oregon in 1881, and spent
the first winter near the Cowlitz riv-
er, in the vicinity Of what is now
Catlin, Cowlitz county. In the spring
of 1852 he removed to the northern
edge of Chambers prairie and built
a double log house, with hewed square
timber eight inches in diameter, one
story high. My fathers family were
given the privilege of occupying one
half this structure, in December. 1888,
dllti SOOil several OIticI idtlilltcS as
sembled at that place, the result of
which was that second story of
squared timber was added and
stockade enclosing about three-quar-
terS of an acre constructed, with the
big log house referred to serving as
one correr. The upper story pro
jected over the lower one about eigh-
teen inches all around.
Third-John n. Lowe, a pioneer
of 1851, built a blockhouse at his
place at the southwestern corner of
Chambers prairie, near the road
leading thither from Tumwater.
For number of years the Lowe Do
nation claim has been known as the
Judge Hewitt Place"
Fourth-NatEan Eaton came to
OrgOn in 1913, and to Chambers
prairie in the fall of 1913, after serv-
ing several months in the Cayuse In
dian war, which grew out of the mas
sacre of Dr. Marcus Whiteman, his
wife and twelve others at the mission
station at Wai-il-at-pu, six miles west
of the present city of Walla, Walla,
Wash, on Nov, 29-30, 1917. He Sc
lected place for settlement about
twelve miles southeast of Olympia,
on the extreme southern edge of
Chambers prairie and built a cabin.
In the winter of 1S55-56 he built
about twelve log cabins in the form
of three sides of square OF eighty
feet, the fourth side being closed up
by row of picketS logs foot in
diameter and fifteen feet long placed
endwiSe in a trench two feet deep.
This was called Fort Eaton" A
number of families found shelter in
this fort, among others, William
White and family consisting of him
self, wife and six children. viz. Will
lam, George, Ellen, Arson, Clara,
(now the wife of Judge r. O. Dunbar,
residing in Olympia and John. An
older daughter, Elizabeth, had been
married TO Daniel K. Bigelow more
than 4 year before and was living in
Mr.. White was killed in
sight OF Fort Eaton on March 3rd.
1896, and | was within hearing dis
tance Of the fatal shot.
Fifth-A blOckhOuse and small
storkade on Grand Mound prairie
which was known as Fort Henness,
after Capt. Benjamine L. Henness,