The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-10-07
STORY OF NATHAN
TEL AND MARY C0E
(By Mrs. 7. R. Coonl
Continued from last week.


wind was a rough one. and after bat
ting all day with the elements a land
ing was made on the north bank at
White Salmon. E. S Joslyn. the only
settler between The Dalles and Cas-
cades, was there to meet them and
with true pioneer hospitality, invited
everybody, captain, crew ana passen-
gers To his home for the night. The
remainder of the trip was uneventtul
but the Goes agreed that Dog River
was the fairest spot on earth. In June
a second party composed of Nathaniel
Coe. Eugene COe, VIM. Jenkins and
Nathan Benson came to Dog River and
made a careful examination of the
country with the result that VIM. Jen-
kins sent for his wife. and brother-in-
law, James Benson; Mr.. COe had his
lumber, which had been ordered from
The Dalles. shipped to Dog River. and
all went to work in earnest on their
respective claims. A house twenty by
forty feet, was erected near the aban-
doned Laughlin cabin which henceforth
was known as the COe home. Wm.
Jenkins took the FarHsWOrth place,
which already had good house on II.
Nathan Benson hOmesteaded and built
on land across Dog river east of the
Coe claim.
Mrs. Coe and Henry came to their
new home in September. At this date
Mrs. Coe is &C years of age. After a
long and influential life, passed in the
very heart of civilization, he comes to
the wilds of Oregon and begins life
over again, laying here the foundation
of home and farm where peace and
plenty and good cheer soon abounded.
a home which became beacon of civ
iization, and an example to those who
came later.
Mrs. jenkins arrived in November
and with her came her brother, James
Benson who located on Indian creek.
Already the autumn leaves were fall
ing and hint nf winter was in the air.
All were busy preparing for the cold
weather, none working harder than the
ten year old boy, the only child in the
community.
Most of the provisions such as flour,
beans and cured meat had been brought
from Portland, hut vegetables, butter
and eggs we're obtained from E. S.
Joslyn across the Columbia. The lat
ter part of November brought light
fall of snow, with little thin ice; and
then the winter was gone. The grass
was green and abundant, while purple
| flowers and buttercups covered valley
and mountain. On New Years day
the Coe family ate chicken dinner with
the Joslyn's. "Such "a glorious day
and such a glorious dinner, was the
exclamation of Henry. The open VIII
ter was spent in clearing land.
About the first of February one hal
acre was spaded up and put in garden,
and no frosts came to destroy. There
was but one horse on the place that
winter but when spring came a trip to
Portland was made by Nathaniel Coe
and cows, work oxen, horses, farm i'm
plements and seeds for planting were
secured. Pears, apples, peaches, cher
ries, pums, grapes, aprlcots, straw
berries, gooseberries, currants, rose
bushes and many choice Towering
shrubs were ordered.
Some were obtained from the Level
lyn nursery at Milwaukee, Oregon, and
some from Rochester, N. Y. Apple
seeds were planted for nursery stock.
While at the Cascades Mrs. Coe hac
peeled a bushel of apples for the seeds
they contained; this was the beginning
of their nursery. Lawrence Coe, from
the first, had located at the Cascades,
first as an empIoye, then as a partner
of the Bradfords. Charles was not &
rugged man and very little hard work
was left to him, so that hired help
from the first was a necessity at the
Coe farm. The second winter, which
proved to be a mild one, found them
with root-house and cellars well tlleC
with roots and vegetables of various
kinds while the barn was filled with
hay, grain, and corn fodder, and corr
for fattening hogs. Food was provided
for both man and beast and farm i'm.
provements were progressing rapidly,
but another trouble, far more serious
than the lack of food, was approach
ing. From the north, the south anC
the east, the savage Indians rose Ell
masse to drive the white man from the
country.
The Weekly Oregonian was flleC
with accounts of outrages perpetrateC
on the whites and the Isolated pio.
neers became terrOr-stricken as they
read. The Yakima Indians were among
the most warlike of the tribes; the
Klickitats, closely related to them,
were friendly but an unwarrantec
arrest of three of the Klickitat's chief
men, by the military authorities,
caused this tribe to join the war party.
A friendly Klickitat Indian, by the
name of Sapotivel, (but later known as
johnson, warned the Joslyn's. Secur'
ing q canoe MIR. and Mrs, Joslyn, theil
! hired man, Galentine, and boy, Wood
burn Hawkes., fled in the night to the
Oregon shore and took refuge with
the Goes. The friendly Indians tool
every boat from the north bank, Sc
creting' them beyond the reach of the
hostiles. AS the alarm increased Lieu
L tenant Davidson was ordered from The
Dales with few soldiers to protect
the settlers.
On March 2, Amos Underwood, In
dian fighter, riding his cayuse dowr
the mountain trail, in advance of tht
soldiers, saw the house and barn Of
f. S. Joslyn at White Salmon in flames
The little band of pioneers also saw
the blaze and heard the beating of the
tomtom and the warwhoops of the In
dians. Later the soldiers came anC
placed a guard on duty. The whole
settlement passed the night at the Coz
farm with very little sleep for sny
The next day the steamer Wasco was
hailed as she passed, and Liuet. David
son with his soldiers, Eugene anC
Charles Coe and Amos Underwood tool
passage on her for White Salmon, bu
before landing they discovered tina
the Indians were there in overwhelm
ing numbers, and the lieutenant wisely
changed bis plans and returned to th'
Oregon shore. That night some of th'
hostile Indians secured boat, crossed
the Columbia and attacked the friendl!
Indians, who fed to the Coe farm TO
protection. A guard stationed on tn,
hill above the house was fired on by
skulking Indian, but when morning
came all was quiet and there was NJ
more disturbance.
The Joslyn's went down the river t
4