The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-10-28
After Many
Years
The Barrel" Comes
In Handy Again
Whiting Habits
OF Henry YesIer
How We Bulb the
First Roads
By Z I. SHORT

the original Stellacoom-Seatfl
highway. II was the first land
communication between the town
of steilscoom and the United
States army post and Seattle.
The road was the result of the
strenuous experience of Arthur A.
Denny, Of Seattle. a county CON-
missioner when Thurston county
included what is now Pierce, King
and the counties to the north.
Olympia was the county seat.
This was in the latter part of
1852. Important matters were
pending and the commissioners
were TO meet in Olympia at 9
o'clock one Monday morning. The
other two commissioners were
there on time but Denny didn't
appear. They waited all day
Monday and Tuesday and until
noon Wednesday. and then they
began to worry. II wasn't any,
thing unusual to be delayed for a
day on the trip from Seattle to
Olympia, but when the third day
came and no Denny. it was time
10 do something. While the two
commissioners were discussing
what to do, in walked Denny.
He apologized for delaying
the business Of the board and
explained that he had been on
the way nearly five days. He
left Seattle early Saturday
morning In q canoe with six
Indian paddlers, intending TO
be In Olympia Sunday night
A storm which forced them TO
land on vashon island held
them there until Tuesday.
This experience" said Mr..
Denny, "convinces me that II
IL important TO have some
other means Of transportation
between important points in
the county. I think we should
at once undertake construc-
ton of a highway between Sc
attic and Steilacoom."
The other commissioners ap-
proved the plan and three we'll
known residents of the then Thurs
ton county, John Chapman, Of
steilacoom; Henry Collins, Of Du-
vanish, and William Bell, Of Sc
attic. were appointed to locate a
route for the new highway.
With their packs on their backs
and guided largely by the sense Of
direction which seems to have been
instructive with the pioneers, the
three men started out to locate or
view the road. They blazed a
trail which crossed the Puyallup
river about where the Meridian
ct. bridge is located and went in
a general northerly direction to
approximately what is now Al
gona and then followed the White
river toward Seattle. The report
Of the three men was approved by
the Thurston county commission
ers and the route designated as
public highway.
About this time the Oregon ter
ritorial legislature decided that
Thurston county was too big ana
divided 1t into Pierce. King, Jeffer-
son and Island counties, and when
Bell, Collins and Chapman got
around to present their bills they
found a new set of officials. The
new Thurston county commission
ers rejected the bill because they
hadn't ordered the work done.
Then they tried the Pierce and
King county commissioners with
the same result. Each board de-
MED responsibility because they
had not ordered location Of the
road. The old Thurston county
was gone, and as far as the record
shows, the bills, aggregaung
about $500, never were paid.
Speaking of Henry Yesler and
the Steilscoom-S Seattle road re-
calls q characteristic of Mr.. Yesler
related by w. p. Bonney, who
knew him well. Mr.. Bonney then
was going to school in Seattle and
working in Gardner Kellogg's drug
store. Kellogg also was county
auditor and clerk Of the board OF
county commissioners. For con-
venience the commissioners meet
tngs were held in room back OF
the drug store.
Besides working in the drug
store, Bonney's job included
care Of the commissioners
room. Kellogg told him he
must always be sure and have
box of soft pine sticks be-
side Mr.. Yesler's chair as he
was not comfortable unless he
was whiting.
Il did that every day as
long rs 1 was there" said Mr..
BOnney. MIR. Yesler used to
sit during the sessions of the
board and whittle continuous
ly. He didn't make anything
just whitfield away one stick
after another. When I would
sweep up after a session of the
board I would have q fine boz
Of shavings for hndling."
Road building in those days