The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1915-07-03
Pioneer Reunion

the pioneers of Stevens county
at the public park in Colville last
Wednesday afternoon, while not
as largely attended as other
meetings of the Stevens County
Pioneer association, was of much
interest in point of directing at
tention to the beneficial work of
the pioneer of the northwest for
the past 100 years. This year,
the meeting instead of being a
celebration in a larger way of
achievements of the first settlers,
was narrowed to an exclusive
gathering for the reason that it
was found that the more general
demonstrations h ad detracted
from the interest in the real
work for which the organization
was established; that is, the pre-
servation of real history. For
the last three years the associa-
ton has not been able to get the
attention of it's members concen-
trated upon the labors in hand on
account of too much company "
Nearly 200 pioneers banqueted
at a we'll laden table and the So
cial feature was enjoyed in the
true old fashion of the early set
tier. There is never any danger
of there not being enough to go
round and some to spare when it
comes to a pioneer picnic. for it
always has been the pride of the
first citizen that he never turned
any wayfarer away hungry nor
exacted toll for the trouble of
serving a meal either in or out of
season.
The day was ideal for such an
event and after the tables had
been cleared, the old timers gath
cred under the spreading shade
instead of listening to set
speeches by dignitaries of the
newly great variety; they in
dulged in the telling of expert
ences of the earliest days in Ste
vens county when the boundaries
included the territory reaching
from the summit of the Cascades
on the west to the crest of the
Rockies on the east, and from the
British Columbia boundary on the
north to the Snake river on the
south; when buffalo meat, salmon
and camas furnished the staple
food of the Inland Empire, and
when transportation was handled
by pack-mules over 900 miles of
trail from Portland to Fort Col
vile with a freight charge rang
ing from 10 cents to Is cents per
pound.
John Hickey, who made the
trip on horseback from Sacra-
mento to Colville in 1866, recited
some interesting experiences.
Lewis Perras, who came over on
foot from Winnipeg in 1859, said
that for several years after he
came there was no sugar nor
salt in use throughout the coun-
try, and that these commodities
were unknown to the Indians.
Clair Hunt, who has spent many
years as allotting agent among
the Indians. entertained the
assemblage with an interesting
dissertation of Indian folk lore
that would afford reading for the
youth were it put in book form.
The meeting concluded with
the election of officers for the
ensuing year, as follows:
President, Senator C. r. Nc
MILAN.
Vice president. John B. Slater:
Secretary, Mrs. Clara Shaver.
Treasurer, w. L. Sax.
Board of trustees, Frank Ha-
bein, J. H. King, Thos. Graham,
John L. Wheeler and George H.
Knapp.
John B. Slater was made per-
manent historian of the associa-
ton.
On account of the numerous
events crowding into the pro-
gram of the afternoon, it was
decided to defer chronological
report of the society, to be pub