Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1926-11-19
HISTORY OF VASnON ISLAND
(By Marjorie h stanley)

beach slipped to land the dock at Burton where crowds
awaited It's coming The big Nashon Island Carnival was III
session and the yacht bore the and her attendants
The crowd eheered the move cranked his
as the Queen stepped into the white Wys car that a.
the dock through the streets of Burton and eventually to-
Vashon followed by hundred gaiy decorated ears
Beyond the limits of Button with It's stores churches, schools
homes the road beekOned and tine white followed
Through Newport, the colony OF city people, past
berry where round faced Jap children TO the gates to
watch and wave over the mg bridge where tAe busy mn W
font saWdu and blew the smoke from ITS noSrs IN rayen
demand for logs past geenhouse 5asking tae SUM-
up the long graveed hill towards the center oil the island the
procession took Its way.
1t was gala day the island, Flags uttered every
where Farms reatcling peacefully the seemed lit
prosperous heads watch Striking the paved road the
procession moved smoothly through the little town OF Center
toward its goapast Vahou with bank stores
paper office movie house. all The assets of thriving small
TO the Community use where the carnival was to
reach its height
Needless to speak more Of the carnival This is history
OF the island and the carnival merely means Of showing what
the yea have done 10 the fir covered island which Vancouver
discovered 28 Of May, l592 and which first settled
for permanent residence in 1871.
Francis sherman whose father of the first settlers
here only small boy them but he remembers sailing III
to the h9rbor too Not on white yaAt with bands playing
and crowds cheering bat silently in the night time, with the
dark trees rising orbiddingy every side and animals pro
ing in te shadaws to watch wit curious eyes these strange
adventures
There were lrce families OF Us" he states Father
and Mother the Prices who mothers family, and moth
err her husband the Giman We started in the
morning from Tacoma. The wind died down and we dred
all day Didn have steamboats, here thcnone nearer than
a small schooner and sailed We landed down where
DR. AcIloland lives 1t late night and the tide
We dumped the overheard and wadel ashore
ourselves There was he shack soie loggers had aban-
doned down the water and three families lived in hat
until we could fnd place to settle
So started ,hc first authentic settlement Rumor has it
that there white the island far back the late
co. bt there definite data few ancient fruit trees on
The west side seem to testimony the fact that lone
person had established ranch the wilderness near the pre-
sent Also the mouth OF JuddS Creek are the re-
mains 81 an old loo barn which the pioneers say belonged
(c ,tgq WIN urpTp
Here is whore the Prices finally took UP their homestead
The Gimau and the Sbemans stayed the original spot
There were roads then horses of travel
cep by foot and by boat or couse eaere were Indians
Squaers they called WAC roamed the beaches dig
ging clans fishing, and hunting. Portage layorite
camping spot oF the Indians When the tide was high the
little strip land covered with water and it was easy
for them TO portage their caes aeioss thus shortening aelr
journeys up sud down the coas Inc story IS tod OF band
had camp down Portuge long before any white man
ever came over III the of their travels about Puget
Sound OF their young girls became infatuated wth negro
down near Olympia aud beeame his SquaN. In all apparent
fendcss Indians padded down yisit them brought
the negro back on hunting trip, and lost him somewhere
Him go hunting him no come back all they would
say
Years later a skeleton was found back in tie woods which
that Of Indian The fate Of tic unweeome negro
is evident,
Apparently they made no protest against the white
however for when the Shernans there Squawm1u
named Tuttle living at what known Quartcimlstcr
landing another Squaw the shores OF the mu
hazel and berries the low land later known
Flom ruule cap sherman bought the Government
rights hundred of land and started his homestead
Three months later tle Minors came aui within year people
began in from both Seattle and Tacoma those from
Seattle linking up homesteads wnat known Vas
and Easpor those IRON Tacoma settling on the south
shore.
II IS aeaatabe whether lc sIorehous,. were The next ,
tlels, four ministers who 10 Ellpor Elistou
they named it, somewhere around lofs9 The ministers Rev
Ellis Green, Harrou, and Bamted, seueant however
Tor reason OF tner purpose IN fnng Phey hod visions Of
establishing Presbyterian college te eastern shore aud
with that view konesieRded hual altd and sixty