Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1917-11-23
WHAT OUR FATHERS READ ABOUT
IN THIS PAPER Fifty YEARS AGO ]

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From The Washington Standard for
Saturday morning, November 23,
1867. Vol. VIII. No. 3.
1t is our painful duty to announce
the death of the pioneer of the Amer
lean settlement of what is now
Washington territory. Col. Michael
T. Simmons departed this life about
5 a. m. on Friday. the 18th instant.
aged SO years. three months and ten
days. at his residence in Lewis coun-
ty. The deceased was we'll known to
all the citizens Of this territory, espe-
cially to the early settlers. In those
days he was the leading spirit north
of the Columbia river. The remains
reached Olympia on Sunday evening
last, were received by q number of
Masons and conveyed to the lodge
room. The district court adjourned
on Monday, in honor of his memory,
and a large concourse Of people fol-
lowed the remains to their last rest
ing-place at the Masonic cemetery
near Tumwater, in sight of the spot
where % years before the distin-
guished man had located and started
the first American settlement on
Puget Sound.
The Great Western circus gave
four performances in this place on
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday
evenings and Wednesday afternoon.
to large and appreciative audiences.
Accident.-On Tuesday evening.
Just as the performance at the circus
was about to begin, the seats on one
side of the ring suddenly fell, pre-
cipitating some 200 people to the
ground. The widest confusion pre-
vailed for few moments, until the
extent of injuries was ascertained. 1t
is astonishing how few were injured
with the exception Of Mr.. Waddle,
but three or four received bruises, Of
trifling character. Mr.. Waddle's leg
was broken Just below the knee. The
benefit on Thursday evening, extend
ed by Mr.. Bartholomew to Mr.. Wad-
die. netted 1908. being the entire
proceeds of the performance.
Chicago, Nov. 16.-Weston. the
pedestrian, started at 1910 last
night on his third trial of a walk of
100 miles in "a hours. He made the
first so miles in 10 hours and min
utes. Upon his arrival at Conneat a
little after 8 o'clock, his feet were so
badly swollen he abandoned the at
tempt.
Resolutions adopted by Olympia
Lodge No. /, F. & A. NJ, on the death
Of Colonel Simmons, give the follow
ing account Of his early life in the
territory: "He was living in Mis-
souri, when in 1914 he joined the In
dependent Oregon Company, of which
he was elected colonel. Before start
ing for Oregon he had determined to
locate upon Puget Sound. That win
ter December, 1844,) in company
with five others. he assembled the
Cowlitz river to the Forks, where
their provisions failed and they re-
turned to Washougal. In July and
August, 1S45, Brother Simmons, in
company with eight others, visited
Puget Sound, extending their exami-
nation as far as Whidby's island,
passing around the north end Of that
island and through Deception Pass,
and then returned. OF that party,
Brother Simmons only returned that
fall, accompanied by his own and sew
eral other families. That October
(1845) he made the first American
settlement north of the Columbia
river, establishing for himself the
claim as the pioneer of American set
Element in what is now Washington
territory. A year or more ago he re-
moved with his family to COwlitz
Prairie, in Lewis county"