The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1917-03-31
IN EARLY HISTORY

WOLFE
(By John B. Slater. historian of the
Stevens County Pioneer Association.)
CONTINUED from last week.
1--WE remained in the Bitterroot val
ley year. The winter of 1854 was
cold. but there were no severe winds.
We had three months of good weather
before the snow in which to build
our cabins: and, having stored plenty
of buffalo meat and also being well
supplied with buffalo robes we remain
ed close to our camp and Jared COM
fortably. Captain John Mullan spent
most, in fact all, of his time on his
reports on the observations he had
taken on his trip out in the summer
of SO. Our stock had been provided
for in the way of wild hay which we
had garnered. but no grain. We were
in the field early I'm the spring and dur
ing the summer Captain Mullan worked
out his survey westward to the Pend
Oreille lakes. To recount our expert
ences during the summer would be
mere commonplace because we spent
our time either in camp or took turns
in small detachments as escorts to the
surveyors, foraging for food and keep
ing camp. Captain Mullan's command
consisted of II men exclusive of officers.
"It was late in August or early In
September when we broke camp at
Stevensville in 1854 and struck the trail
for Fort Vancouver. We returned
over practically the same route we
had come the year before. We had no
10 rsytth thn fan fol N
secure travelling then through what
was called savage country than
would now in the same country grown
up in civilized habits. We encountered
no white settlers excepting at the
Coeur d'Alene mission, Walla Walla
and The Dalles. We reached our des-
tination about November 1, 1854, and
the period of enlistment of many of us
having expired we were honorably dis
charged from military service. l then
took employment with II. p. Isaacs
who was engaged in the mercantile
business and remained with him dur
ing the winter Of 1896. In the spring
of 1886 l obtained a license from Judge
Dennison, OF Vancouver, who was In
dian agent at The Dalles, to trade with
the Cayouse Indians. l took stock
of goods to Umatilla, but the Kamiya-
kan Indian war against the whites
broke out and my goods were confis-
cot.d Ia. tho Indians wont tbence to
WaI,, wall. u,h.,. found Nathan
O,no,. orr,ni,,nr , onm,,n, of yolun-
teers to protect and shelter the white
settlers Being myself stranded I
joined the Olney company as an ex-
pedient to get down the country and
nj ,rba Dal,aa In tho y.u of 1874
ioinea the Orepon mounted yolunteers
under Col. (afterwards II 6. senator)
'Kellv and Mai Ouinn. and we returned
again to Walla Walla. where. in Oc-
tober. 1853. we gave battle to the In
dians in a decisive engagement which
ended hostilities In February. 1856.
we returned to The Dalles with Lieut.
Ouartermaster Eauntlerov with n hand
of cattle which we had taken from the
Indians
an NAV. 1886. I loaded out another
merchandise train from The DaIles for
the purnose of trading in the Colville
valley. I had three wagons. pack
borses and the necessary camn eouip
are The lure of tho exnedition was
the reported gold strike I'm the Column
hin river nlacers from the Ipterna-
tIonal boundarv line soutb Our ex
pedition was accomnanied with MANY
difficulties The roads we're uncertain
and the hills and the sand made II nj.
most imnossible of movement and tho
threatening antics of the redskips
caused no mucb uneasinass Our mia.
take was I'm taking wapons for with
mack horses we could have reduced tbe
time from ten 70 six weeks and avoided
many a;mcu,ties nitcbed nv tents
at snr,,g near a noint of roclts unon
tba tract of land ahout five mi,es
northwest of colvi,le which was after.
ward, IN. bomestead Of tho late wins-
low Hal, Tho road from co,vil,e IN
Morcu, nou, oro,se, tho y.t, onot whero
set IN NV store 7 intended nutting
IN n atore hn,,ding hare t,ut Anous
McDonald tbe oovernor of tho Hud-
.on,s p,,, com,an,, no.t n.or fMarcua,
Tho ola fort came In manson ard potieed
mo mat N. IJudson,s pav neon,e rnIed
al n, tho Co,vi,Ie valley and their
dominion .v,ended To III. pepd ora,I,e
,akes ,now In Idabo, Nv aenariances
u,i,h c,oy.ns .nd Nu,,on bod tauabt
mo , diTere,t yi.w of tho o,tuation
,na maid ,itt,a .tte,tion IN hi, do.
nopds In counIe n, dav. ohont 16o