The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-03-27
Scattered Population in
The Wilderness
=, = -.
No Laws, No Treaties, and
Land Ownership Ignored
First Governor Sees
Primitive Picture
Finds O|ympis at End Of
Muddy Trail

IF Gov. Stevens wondered why the
people In the Oregon country.
north of the Columbia river. want
ed to organize their own govern
ment, he could not have been blam-
ed. 1t certainly was a wild pros
pect that confronted him as he
Travelled through the territory from
Camp Washington to Olympia. The
population was so scattered that
1t WAS difficult to conceive that
there were within the borders of
the territory enough persons to
organize a civil government.
There was a small settlement
around Vancouver. Seth Catlin,
DR.. Nathaniel Oytrander, the Hunt
ington family, A. S. Abernethy
and Judge William Strong had
settled along or near the Columbia
between Vancouver and the Cow
litz river.
At Cowlitz Landing about Is
miles up the river were the farms
and settlement of the Hudson's
Bay company operating as the
Puget Sound Agricultural compa-
ny. Some of the employees of the
company had taken claims under
the donation act which gave hus-
hand and wife each $40 acres.
A few of these settlers had mar
ried Indian wives 10 that they
might obtain the additional 800
acres. A strange thing about some
OF those marriages Is that they
lasted and descendants of some of
those unions are among the
states most prominent citizens
today.
Between Cowlitx Landing
and Puget Sound there were
few families whose names are
well known today. Among
them were John r. Jackson
ON JacxsOn's prairie; =. 8.
Sanders, whose donation claim
n now covered with the town
Of Chehalis. A few miles IN
the north was the claim of
George Washington. = colored
man on whose farm the town
Of Centralia was built.
A little farther to the north
were Gabriel Jones. william Rut-
ledge, w. o. Bush and David Ken
drick on Bush prairie. David J.
Chambers had settled on the prai-
RE which still bears his name.
James McAllister and William
Packwood were on Nisqually bot
tom. Near Olympia was the Cath
Ollie mission conducted by Fathers
Blanchet and Ricard.
Tacoma had not been heard
Of. SteilarOom WA . collec-
tion Of few log houses. Seat
tie was a small community es-
tablished by DR.. ID. s. May
nard. Henry Yesler and the
Dennys. Edward Eldridge and
. few companions had settled
Ut what h now Bellingham.
Gov. stevens party made the
tedious journey up the Cowlitz
river In canoes manned by In
dams. Heavy rains that fall had
filled the river and the current
was so strong that the canoes
barely crept along.
The road from the Cowlitz to
Olympia was nothing but a muddy
trail over which the party trav-
eled on horseback.
II was q country without
ways Of communication ex-
cept by water. Transporta-
tion Wac precarioth and un-
certain. A monthly steamer
service between San Francis
GO and Vancouver was the
most certain and direct con-
tart with the outside world.
The great wooded country with
out roads; the white population
without laws: tribes Of Indians
without treaties; occupancy of
Hudson's Bay company in dispute.
combined TO make problem that
would have daunted the heart of q
person less courageous than Gov.
Stevens.
Adding TO the difficulty was the
confusion resulting from the loose
administration Of the donation
land act. Congress passed the law
and then seemed to forget about
the responsibility Of its admins
tration. Much of the land was
surveyed without consideration for
the rights Of the Indians or the