Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1939-04-13
EARLY DAYS IN THE
BIG BEND
(By F. w. McCann)

The writer arrived in the Territory
Of Was hington in the autumn of 1882.
with hi ' own family and another fam.
lily by tn name of Rusho, via coverel
wagons, four wagons in all. We ar
rived in Walla Walla in November,
1882, and to us it looked liked a
real metropolis, it being then a place
of 5000 opsllation. The population of
the state then was only $4,000, and
the large cities of the state now were
then small burgs or trading points. 1t
looked large to us, as on the trip from
Nebraska tile settlements were scarce
except amo ng the Mormans in Utah
and southeastern Idaho and some il.
the Boise valley.
In the summer OF 1883 we left
Walla Walla~ for the Big Bend coun-
try. Our follis while there heard of the
fine bunch grass land adjacent to the
Grand Coulese region. Jesse Drumhel-
Ter, an old-t;imer of the Walla Walla
valley had told them that wherever
they found good bunch-grass not to
be afraid of it, but there to take up
land. This was what they were look
ing for, so we headed for he Grand
Coulee section. think they had in
mind expansion without aggression.
This was evidently true of all tine
pioneers. They wanted homes of then
own and took to- the great open spac-
es of Uncle Sans domain to attain
the object and thus get away from
the thickly, congested industrial cen
tiers of the Eastern states with their
periodical panics, idle spells and con-
sequenb, hard times. They had WIS.,
| ions of new empire and were on
their way to- carry that out.
From Walla Walla, we came by
| way of old Lions Ferry, following
| most of the old Mullan trail aero s
the Snake river to Cow creek to Spra-
que. This was the real town at that
4 time-a railroad division point in the
| construction of the Northern Pacific
| railroad.
The day we reached Sprague waa
| the day the official train was there
after driving the golden spike at some
point in Montana. The town and train
| were both all decorated with flags
and bunting. 1t was a great historical
event for the Northwest and particu-
larly the Territory of Washington
Some people at Sprague told the folks
not to go west of Sprague, for beyont
three miles out of Sprague it was
nj, desert to the north and west. But
We were headed west, and west we
| came. On the way out we campet
one night some six miles this side
of what is now Davenport at Mos
quito Springs, in the edge of the scat
land, No one then knew what scar
land was or what caused it. None Of
us had heard of an ice age and It's
associated phenomena.
: Here was an old abandoned los
cabin. We kids in looking this cahit
over found names of some boys ant
i girls that we had gone to schoo
4 with in Nebraska. 1t was brancl
4 of the Rusho family, and they wer
|, Just ahead of us. This was the frs
we knew of their being in the coun
| try. Next night we camped at WIZ
Goose Bills place, which is now tn
town of Wilbur.
The following night we stopped a
the old Prebstel ranch, northwest o
\ Broadax Springs, where we foun
, hey had just established the Gran
G, oulee postoff1ce The whole countr
FRI nm Creston then was one great fiel
of waving bunch-grass, and was jus
begin ming to be settled. The years .