Oregon Historical Quarterly/Volume 6/The Political Beginning of Washington Territory
THE POLITICAL BEGINNING OF WASHINGTON TERRITORY.[1]
The first people to come to what is now the State of Washington, with intent to make permanent abode, were the fur traders, the men of the Northwest and Hudson Bay companies. The two companies were consolidated, after a long and fierce struggle in Canada, and for many years the Hudson Bay Company, which succeeded the other, was in exclusive occupancy of the field in the British and Oregon territories. Its operations on the North Pacific Coast had headquarters at Vancouver on Columbia River, with subordinate establishments at Colville, Spokane, Walla Walla, Cowlitz, Nisqually, and elsewhere. Dr. John McLoughlin was in charge, assisted by Mr. James Douglas, commonly known now, from honors later acquired, as Governor Douglas and Sir James Douglas. These men were of the utmost integrity, great ability, devoted to the corporation they represented and the flag under which they were born—that of Great Britain.
Others who came officially, as representatives of the United States, were Captains Lewis and Clark, the hundredth anniversary of whose coining is now being so magnificently celebrated in the neighboring city of Portland; Lieutenant Slacum and Captain Wilkes, both of the navy, and Lieutenant Fremont, of the army; also Dr. Elijah White, Indian agent. There were occasional American whalers and trading vessels along the coast, on Puget Sound, and in the Columbia River, and Smith, Wyeth, and Bonneville made their appearance with parties overland. These, however, were affairs of short duration, mere visits or commercial efforts of transient character. They sustained and advanced the claim of the United States to the country, however, and in that way nationally served a good purpose.
After the fur gatherers in point of permanent residence came the missionaries, Whitman, Eells, Walker, Blanchet, and others. While all honor is due them for their coming, their good works, their struggles and sufferings in behalf of what they deemed right and best, and their efforts to improve the savages about them, they were of a class to themselves, and somewhat removed from the men who arrived later and made the Territory of Washington.
The first of these men were of the overland immigration of 1844, the most conspicuous figure among them being Michael T. Simmons. Simmons was a Kentuckian, tall, commanding, learned in the ways of men but not of schools. Others with him were James McAllister, Samuel B. Crockett, Jesse Ferguson, David Kindred, Gabriel Jones, and George W. Bush, all but Crockett and Ferguson with families. On arriving at Fort Vancouver they did as everybody else did: inquired of McLoughlin and Douglas as to the country, the prospects, opportunities, and for advice. The representatives of the great company freely and frankly told them all they wanted, to wit, that the Americans generally were locating south of the Columbia River, not one so far being north; that the Willamette was the largest valley north of Mexico, and was then in a condition of rapid commercial development; that the soil and climate there were good, the chances for trade excellent, the only schools in the country there, and that in every way they believed it to be preferable for those from the States there to settle. As a matter of fact this information was true and this advice good; but also it was just as much a matter of fact that these Britons did not want American settlers north of the Columbia, which their government was then endeavoring to establish as the international boundary line, and which purpose would be weakened, if not defeated, by a large number of citizens of the United States making their homes in that part of Oregon; and further, these Hudson Bay Company men knew that the interests and business they represented would be hurt by the presence throughout the country of such strong, free, independent men as they were then addressing. It was better, they thought, and tried to show, to keep the people of the two nations apart, with a broad river between. The statements and arguments thus presented had always before been effective, but in this case they worked somewhat contrarily. They had the effect of arousing suspicions in the minds of their hearers, who thereupon determined they would see for themselves what it looked like on Puget Sound. They were strengthened in this resolution by another cause. The Oregon Provisional Government had enacted stringent laws against blacks and mulattoes. They were not allowed to remain in the country, and for evading or defying the law were to be punished. George W. Bush was a mulatto, with a white wife. He was possessed of more means than any other of his party, and had been very generous in helping the other immigrants. In turn they were grateful to him, and they were going to stand by him through thick and thin. As he could not legally remain within the jurisdiction of Oregon, he concluded to stay in that part in doubt, just outside, and that seemed to be under another flag. The others stayed by him, the whole party remaining for nearly a year on the north side of the Columbia, close to the Hudson Bay fort. Simmons early in the winter made a canoe trip up the Cowlitz River, and the next summer made another trip with several companions to Puget Sound and down the Sound to Whidby Island. Upon returning, he induced Bush, McAllister, Crockett, and the 150 THOMAS W. PROSCH. others to pack up and start for new homes on the Sound. The trip was a hard one, as they had to make the road as they went. They found John R. Jackson, an Englishman, then locating on the way, and they met Lieutenants Warre and Vavasour, of the Royal Engineers, spying out the land for the government of Great Britain. They were not to be deterred by anything, however, and soon had settled themselves at or near the head waters of Puget Sound. There Simmons began a town called then Newmarket but now Tumwater. Bush took a claim on a nearby prairie, which has since gone by his name. It will not be out of the way to here say that the provisional legislature of Ore- gon removed Bush's civil disability, and that Congress by special law gave him six hundred and forty acres of land. These men made the country known. It was no longer a closed book. Ford, Sylvester, Rabbeson, Chambers, Ebey, Lansdale, Collins, Maynard, and many more were soon on the ground. The Oregon legislature reached over and took them in. County after county was created north of the river, and the handful of men of 1845 increased to a thousand in number by 1851. With this increase came strength and confidence. The burden of sustaining a gov- ernment in a region where the distances were so great and the costs of travel in time and money so large became daily more apparent. Some jealousy and local feeling were also displayed. The river was a distinct line of demarka- tion. Northern Oregon was a term that came into use for that portion on one side of the river, on the other side being Oregon. On that side they were in the majority, and though there is no reason for supposing that they made improper use of their power, the fact that they might do so was a little galling, as also the knowledge that in territorial matters the northern section was not likely to get any substantial good that was wanted in the southPOLITICAL BEGINNING OF WASHINGTON. 151 ern. As a consequence agitation began in favor of a sep- arate territorial organization. One feature of the celebration of the national holiday at Olympia, July 4, 1851, was an address by John B. Chap- man, who touched a popular chord by a happy reference to "the future State of Columbia." His hearers were so affected that an adjourned meeting was held, at which Clanrick Crosby presided and A. M. Poe served as secre- tary. From this meeting went out a call for a convention at Cowlitz on the 29th of August, "to be composed of rep- resentatives from all of the election precincts north of the Columbia," as was stated, " to take into careful considera- tion the present peculiar position of the northern portion of the Territory, its wants, the best method of supplying these wants, and the propriety of an early appeal to Con- gress for a division of the Territory." Attending a convention in those days was a matter of much difficulty. There was a general lack of means of communication steamboats, mails, roads, newspapers. The settlements extended north of Steilacoom, a few per- sons, in addition, dwelling on Whidby Island. There were military posts at Vancouver and Steilacoom ; Hudson Bay posts at the same places and a farm in Cowlitz Valley ; Catholic missions at Vancouver, Cowlitz, and Olympia ; the beginnings of towns at Steilacoom, Olympia, Turn- water, and Vancouver ; with farms dotting the country in the vicinity of these places and along the traveled high- ways. It took a day then to go as far as one can go now in an hour, and it meant travel in canoe, on foot, and oc- casionally by horse. It meant, too, the lack of public ac- commodations along the line, with the common feeling that the traveler was one of many who necessarily were imposing upon those living by the way. It meant nights on the beach and nights in the woods ; hunger, labor, ex- haustion, and possibly sickness. The pecuniary expense 152 THOMAS W. PROSCH. was serious, too, as money then was a scarce article, and the settlers were poor. Under the circumstances it was astonishing when the day arrived to find so many citizens at Cowlitz. Those participating were : Thomas M. Cham- bers, Seth Catlin, Jonathan Burbee, Robert Huntress, Ed- ward D. Warbass, John R. Jackson, William L. Fraser, Simon Plomondon, S. S. Saunders, A. B. Dillenbaugh, Marcel Bernier, Sidney S. Ford, James Cochran, Joseph Borst, Michael T. Simmins, Clanrick Crosby, Joseph Bro- shears, Andrew J. Simmons, A. M. Poe, David S.Maynard, Daniel F. Brownfield, John Bradley, J. B. Chapman, H. C. Wilson, John Edgar, and Francis S. Balch. Seth Catlin, known to his admiring friends as "the Sage of Monti- cello," was president, and A. M. Poe and F. S. Balch, sec- retaries. Two days the convention lasted. Committees were appointed on Territorial Government, Districts and Counties, Rights and Privileges of Citizens, Internal Im- provements, and Ways and Means. The Committee on Territorial Government reported in favor of the creation and organization of a Territory north of the Columbia River, and the delegate from Oregon was requested to do all he could to secure action from Congress of the character indicated. John B. Chapman, Michael T. Simmons, and Francis S. Balch were appointed a com- mittee to prepare a memorial upon the subject and push the project to a successful termination. The Committee on Counties recommended the creation of four new counties. For one the name of Simmons was urged, and for another the name of Steilacoom. The legislature granted the request in the case of one county only. It was about to create Simmons County, but M. T. Simmons, who was to be so honored, protested, and the name was changed to Thurston. When Chapman saw that Steilacoom County would not be established, but that instead his town of Steilacoom would be included in POLITICAL BEGINNING OF WASHINGTON. 153 Thurston County, he tried to have Steilacoom made the county seat, but Simmons was too strong for him, and it was located at Olympia instead. A year later December, 1852 Pierce County was created and Steilacoom became a county seat, much to Chapman's gratification. Doctor Maynard went further at the Cowlitz Convention than was at first contemplated. He proposed a resolution that when the convention adjourn it be to meet again in May, 1852, for the purpose of forming a constitution pre- paratory to asking admission into the Union as one of the States. His resolution was adopted by unanimous vote. This was a remarkable proposition in many respects. At the time the territory affected was part of a region from which it could not alienate itself, and the other part was in population at least eight times the greater. At the rate the inhabitants were increasing, there would have been fifteen hundred or two thousand people in the new state at admission, if admission were not delayed beyond the evi- dent anticipations of the convention members. When the Territory was finally admitted, in 1889, the people num- bered 300,000, and Oklahoma is kept in territorial con- dition to-day with 600,000 inhabitants. It may be that upon sober second thought the people saw the impossi- bility, the utter futility, if not absurdity, of the idea, for the May convention suggested was not held, and for a short time the matter even of a territory seems to have been suspended. It was a short time only, however. On the 4th of July, 1852, Daniel R. Bigelow delivered a patriotic address at Olympia, in which he once more presented the subject to an appreciative and sympathetic audience. In September the first newspaper north of "the River of the W^est" made its appearance at Olympia. It at once began to advocate the Territory of Columbia. So confident were the pub- lishers of the creation of the territory, and of the bestowal 154 THOMAS W. PROSCH. upon it of that name, that they called their paper the Columbian. It was well conducted, ably edited, and in- fluential. A term of the district court was held at John R. Jackson's on the 26th and 27th of October, at which time the matter was discussed by those in attendance. As a result a call went out for another convention to be held at Monticello November 25, 1852, when questions similar to those previously discussed at Cowlitz would be considered. The most ardent advocates of a new territory were the people living farthest north, particularly Puget Sound. It was recognized that those living on and near the north bank of the Columbia had less reason for separation from those on the south bank than others more remote had. It would not be unlikely, in fact, that in the new territory they would be farther from the capital and the center of population than they were under the conditions prevail- ing. It was determined to placate these people as far as possible, and with this idea in view the convention called for at the Jackson meeting was located at Monticello. Monticello was a small place that for twenty years had prominence as a transfer point on the route between Puget Sound and Portland. The building of the North- ern Pacific railroad and the town of Kalama killed it in the early seventies. The convention met as called. An inspection of the list of delegates developed the fact that the area repre- sented in the Cowlitz meeting the year before had grown in settlements and population, and that at least one place had since sprung into existence that was inhabited by men of ambition, enterprise, and public spirit. Though far to the north, it had sent eight of the forty-four dele- gates present. This new place was called Seattle. One of the eight was George N. McConaha, who was made president, and another, R. J. White, was made secretary. POLITICAL BEGINNING OF WASHINGTON. 155 Another new place, still farther north, was also repre- sented, Port Townsend. The full membership was com- posed of the following named men : George N. McConaha, R. J. White, William N. Bell, Luther M. Collins, Arthur A. Denny, Charles C. Terry, David S. Mayhard, John N. Low, C. S. Hathaway, A. Cook, N. Stone, Calvin H. Hale, Edward J. Allen, John R. Jackson, Fred A. Clarke, A. Wylie, Andrew J. Simmons, Michael T. Simmons, Loren B. Hastings, B. C. Armstrong, Sidney S. Ford, W. A. L. McCorkle, N. Ostrander, E. L. Ferrick, Quincy A. Brooks, Henry Miles, E. H. Winslow, G. B. Roberts, L. A. Davis, S. D. Ruddell, A. B. Dillenbaugh, William Plumb, Seth Catlin, Simon Plomondon, G. Drew, H. A. Goldsborough, H. C. Wilson, J. Fowler, H. D. Huntington, A. Crawford, C. F. Porter, Simpson P. Moses, A. F. Scott, and P. W. Crawford. A memorial was adopted asking of Congress creation of the territory of Columbia, the southern and eastern bound- ary suggested being the Columbia River, the northern and western being the 49th parallel and the Pacific Ocean, about 32,000 square miles from the 340,000 then said to be Oregon. Reasons were given why this should be done, and the memorial, signed by all, was sent to Washington City. The Oregon legislature, soon after in session, adopted a memorial of similar purport, and Joseph Lane, then dele- gate in Congress, did what he could to accomplish the de- sired end. The bill was amended so as to make the new territory include a much greater area, and the name was changed from Columbia to Washington. It passed in March and was approved by President Fillmore. Franklin Pierce became President immediately after- wards, and he appointed the first officers. They were Isaac Ingalls Stevens, Governor, and Superintendent of Indian Affairs ; Charles H. Mason, Secretary ; J. Patton Anderson, Marshal; John S. Clendenin, Attorney; Ed156 THOMAS W. PROSCH. ward Lander, Victor Monroe, and Obadiah B. McFadden, justices of the district and supreme courts. Owing to the fact that to him had been assigned the additional task of examining the country between the upper Mississippi River, and Puget Sound, for the purpose of ascertaining the practicability of a northern railroad route to the Pa- cific, Governor Stevens was delayed several months in arriving in the new Territory. When he reached the western slope of the Rocky Mountains, he formerly pro- claimed the Territory of Washington, and upon arrival at Olympia issued another proclamation, establishing judi- cial and election precincts, and ordering the first election ; also directing the legislators elected to meet at Olympia, February 27th following. A delegate to Congress was to be elected at the same time. This important event oc- curred on the 30th of January, 1854. There were twenty polling places, or precincts, in the eight counties ; Belling- ham then being in Island County, Willapa in Thurston County, and Walla Walla in Clark County. At the elec- tion the nine men here named were chosen for the legis- lative council: D. F. Bradford, William H. Tappan, Seth Catlin, Henry Miles, D. R. Bigelow, B. F. Yantis, Lafa- yette Balch, George N. McConaha, and W. T. Say ward ; and the following named eighteen for the house of representa- tives : Francis A. Chenoweth, Henry R. Crosbie, Andrew J. Bolon, John D. Biles, A. Lee Lewis, Samuel D. Howe, Daniel F. Brownfield, Arthur A. Denny, H. D. Huntington, John R. Jackson, Jehu Scudder, John M. Chapman, Henry C. Mosely, Levant F. Thompson, Leonard D. Durgin, Cal- vin H. Hale, David Shelton, and Ira Ward. A strange fatality was connected with one legislative district Pa- cific County. Its only member, Jehu Scudder, died about the time the session began ; Henry Fiester was elected to succeed him, but died before taking office; James C. Strong was then elected, and qualified a few days before the sesPOLITICAL BEGINNING OF WASHINGTON. 157 sion ended. The man who was first nominated for this legislative seat, and who would certainly have been elected, as there was no opposing candidate, died also before the day of election, and Scudder was put on the ticket in his stead. This was practically three deaths in one office in three months, none of the men getting near enough to it to be sworn in. George N. McConaha was president of the council and F. A. Chenoweth speaker of the house. B. F. Kendall was chief clerk of the house, and Morris H. Frost chief clerk of the council for a few days, he being succeeded by Elwood Evans. The legislature elected J. W. Wiley, Public Printer ; William Cook, Treasurer ; Benja- min F. Kendall, Librarian ; Daniel R. Bigelow, Auditor, and Francis A. Chenoweth, Frank Clark, and Daniel R. Bigelow, prosecuting attorneys of the three judicial dis- tricts. With a full corps of United States appointees ; with a congressional delegate, Columbia Lancaster ; with a law- making power in session, and with territorial officers as stated, Washington was fairly launched upon the sea of time, fully equipped and thoroughly provided for the long and prosperous voyage before it. It is not going too far to say that no State of the Amer- ican Union was more favored in its pioneer citizens than our own. The men whose names are recited in this nar- rative were fair illustrations of the body of the people of Oregon and Washington. The past tense in this state- ment is used advisedly, for with perhaps half a dozen exceptions, all are now gone to that other land and that blessed reward which their good works here on earth en- titled them to. These men were large -of brain, large of heart, strong, courageous, public spirited. They proba- bly did not realize how well they were building ; but it was their nature to do well, their training, their fixed habit. We of the second generation are the gainers thereby, and with us the whole world. These men would have distinguished themselves in any community within our national borders. In honoring their memories we honor ourselves, honor our State, arid honor those who come after us for all time. The names of McLoughlin, Whitman, Eells, Simmons, Bush, Evans, Stevens, McFadden, Denny, Warbass, Bigelow, Shaw, Brooks, Lander, and the others are inseparably connected with one of the best chapters of the world's history—a chapter of peace, plenty, and progress—the chapter that includes our own Territory and State of Washington.
Thomas W. Prosch.
- ↑ An address by Thomas W. Prosch to the Association of Washington Pioneers, at Seattle, June 21, 1905.