The Mt. Adams Sun, Bingen WA., January 1, 1937, page 1

PAST HISTORY OF LYLE PROVES INTERESTING; BARLOWS FIRST

     Not so many people realize it, but Mr. and Mrs. I.H. Barlow of Lyle are one of the few pioneer couples living on this county, now residing in Lyle.
     They came to this county from Kansas, and previous to that had made their home in Michigan. Mr. Barlow was born in Lansing, Michigan, and Mr. Barlow was born in Lincolnshire, England, who came to this country when a mere infant, three years old.
     "When we came here in 1888, the year before Washington was made a state in the union, Lyle was not known," reported Mrs. Barlow pleasantly. "This town was nothing but a farm owned by Joseph Lyle, which later took its name from him."
     The Barlows arrived at what is now the site of Lyle from The Dalles, Oregon and remained over night at the Joseph Lyle home previous to going to White Salmon where they had planned to locate but never did.
     They first located in the Appleton country. Practically in what was later the town of Appleton.
     They located about three quarters of a mile from what is now the Appleton Log hall, north.
     "We decided to come here after Mr. Barlow had been out to the coast for lung trouble," stated his wife. He seemed to like this land, and later we joined him," she said, "and we have been here ever since, except for a couple of times we paid visit to relatives and friends in Lansing, Michigan."
     When the Barlows care here there was one little shack located on the site of the town. It was situated south of what is now the railroad tracks, "right out in the middle of a small field," she reported. The one farm owned by Joseph Lyle covered the whole section of land. His home, the general stopping place, post office and living quarters is what is now the Chamberlain place in the west end of the town up on the hill.
     The other families living here then were located more in the northwest are, what is now known as the Balch district.            After the Barlows had decided to lived in the Appleton district, they decided also to take the car load of blooded cows they had brought from Kansas up there too.
     People told them that little food would be needed as there was always plenty of grass to feed on, little realizing the predicament they later would be placed.
     They arrived here in the fall. Were driven to Appleton in a four horse drawn wagon over the worst kind of roads even seen. They arrived in Appleton just before winter set in, and in the meantime located in an only log cabin there, which they had to practically rebuild with logs hewn with saw and axe by Mr. Barlow. The cabin, however, did have a board floor.          When winter set in all the nice grass, over a foot high was weighted down, and the cattle were left without food. "It was the most horrible winter we ever spent" stated Mrs. Barlow, "I'll never forget it, either."
     She continued, "when we arrived in Appleton, there was only one family living there, by the name of Turney. One was a brother, however, and never married."
     She stated, "we had never lived in the woods before coming here. It was a great change in our lives," she commented, "and we thought it was terrible."
     The Barlows took up a pre-emption at Appleton. Mr. Barlow, a carpenter, built the first saw mill at Appleton.
     They lived at Appleton for four years, and every year the snow fell long and stayed. Winters, with deep snow, are common in that country, according to the lady pioneer.
     Later on the saw mill burned. They had trouble with their cattle, so sold out, and bought a four-horse team, and went to Portland by boat.

KNEW FRED BALCH

     "Yes, we knew Fred Balch very well," said Mrs. Barlow, the more talkative of the two pioneers.
     "He was a fine young man. A minister. He was seldom seen and knew no trade. No work but writing and church work, unless he farmed his land," she stated.
     According to Mrs. Barlow, Fred Balch married Mr. and Mrs. George Lyle, and Mrs. Barlow made the wedding dress.      Many have been the stories of Fred Balch and his writings. He was the penman of most of the story, "Bridge of the Gods," which was later completed by his sister.
     Mr. Balch also wrote a book known as "Genevieve," which gained some high praise and developed into quite a story.        Previous to coming to Appleton by the Barlows, Fred Balch was in love with one Genevera Whitcomb, a family long disappeared from that section. Genevera passed on the year previous to their arrival and Fred Balch never married, but later wrote the book "Genevieve" in memory of her which it is stated his sister also completed. Some of those books are to be found yet in the Lyle section, it is thought.
     The Whitcomb family was a large one. There was Tom and Robert and besides Genevera, there was Stacia, Locia and Martha.
     Fred Balch has a sister still living. Mrs. Ingles, of Hood River, Oregon.
     The first store building put up in Lyle by Collins Elkins was built by Mr. barlow. Mr. Elkins later sold out to a Mr. Smith, who in turn sold to Mr. Barlow, who operated the store in town for several years, known as Barlow and Hensel.
     A small calendar in the year 1903 was displayed by the two pioneers showing the goods carried. It still is in fair shape. A picture of a lad in an army uniform was attached, and up to one corner was printed, "Use Robertine fluid face powder."        The only known families to live here when the Barlows arrived were the Spencers, Lyles, Sniders, Whitcombs and Balch families. There were others in the country farther back.
     The town of Lyle had one difficult time getting started. Joseph Lyle, after many months of delay obtaining a signature of an old squaw to change title of his large land holdings finally sold out to an English family by the name of Balfour, who in turn, started what was considered a farming and industrial ares of the place.
     They planted a hillside of grapes, pears, prunes and other fruits and built a huge packing plant, and in a few years had developed a highly industrialized community, which finally fell through because no market had been developed for these products.
     Later the property was taken over by Doer and Keesey, Portland realtors, who made an alfalfa tract out of the place, but that failed too, and then the townsite was planned, and a bank, the first building was erected.

HAD TO LAY IN PROVISIONS

      When the Barlows lived in Appleton they had to lay in many provisions for the winter, and each fall would travel to The Dalles to return with food-stuffs. The winters in that section actually snowed people in for the full time the ground was white.
     The first post office in Appleton was started by the Barlows. Their son was given the task of carrying the mail once a week on horseback, and many times on making the trip was late on returning home. It was a constant source of worry, and more bother and gave poor returns.
     "Bear and deer were very, very plentiful," they stated, "and it was no effort at all to get your deer meat at any time by merely stepping out the back door for a moment. They mingled with the cattle herding," commented Mrs. Barlow.                    According to the two early settlers, Indians, when they first came here were seen by the hundreds. They lived about a mile up the Klickitat river, where they are now located. Little huts were seen everywhere, which were used by them as weather covers.
     "Just after we came here," stated Mr. Barlow, "the U.S. Government had a meadow plowed up near the Indian camp in quest of arrow heads and beads, etc. Thousands of them were found for years after that," he concluded.
     The pioneer friends showed a few beautiful colored glass beads and arrow points dug up from graves and found along the banks of the Columbia and Klickitat rivers.
     "We knew Indian Joe, Chief of the Klickitaters, and later, Chief Skook-um too," stated Mrs. Barlow.
     She reported most of the Indians very friendly, and were never causing any trouble. In fact no trouble had been experienced all the time they were settled there. However in the early years, much talk of Indian trouble was circulated, but nothing came of it.
     On bringing up the discussion of the Bridge of the Gods, Mrs. Barlow had reported asking the Indians about the famed bridge. Indian Joe one day uttered this, "White man lie. Long time, way way back...very long time...Columbia little creek. It washum and washum and washum...now ...big river. No bridge like white man say. He lie."
     The Barlows were very familiar with Chief Skookum too who was a later leader of the tribe and died the past number of years.
     It was Chief Skookum who made two trips back to Washington, D.C. to see and interview the President. He was certainly dressed in his finest too, according to the Barlows.
     The Indians were very sly, and often caused fear to the women altho they never did any harm. The had lots of deer meat, and seldom, if ever, did they give it away. They always charged for it.
     One peculiarity of the Indians, when ever they asked for anything it was always either matches or sugar. When the Barlows first came to Lyle they noted the Indian squaws had nothing but cotton bandannas about their heads, but soon prosperity came by arrival of more settlers. Through selling meat, berries, fish, etc., led almost to all the squaws in later year to be dressed in more silks than the average settler's wife.

ROADS BAD

     Roads in every direction were merely cow trails. There was no road to White Salmon from Lyle. One had to travel about by the back country through Snowden to reach White Salmon.
     On speaking of the winters, and on looking out the window of her home in Lyle Monday afternoon, she pointed out the snow on the ground and said., "yes, and the winters are getting worse here, too, as in earlier times when I and my husband lived here. It was seldom during the winter time that a flakes of snow fell in the town of Lyle, altho many feet fell every year in the higher back country immediately behind the town.
     "Six feet in the Appleton section was nothing, but at the same time the town of Lyle would have peach blossoms blooming, and sunshiny days."
     Many and interesting were the stories that Mrs. Barlow could tell. "I am not much on dates, but I certainly know, and can remember things," she gaily pointed out.
     Most of the people here in the early days let their hogs and cattle run wild to pick up food in the hills. When ever they wanted dressed meat they merely went out into the hills, dug a pit and threw rocks on hot ashes with steaming water added and there the dressed meat was made.

LYLE FROM ROWENA

       J.O. Lyle was formerly from Rowena, Oregon, a small community across the Columbia from Lyle. He married a sister of Ben Snipes, later known as the cattle king of Oregon, and is still a widely known family throughout Oregon.
     Mr. Lyle was probably one of the earliest settlers to get interested in this section and settle here. He came across the river, and after making friends with Indians, decided to remain. Although he could recall days that trouble had been experienced with the Indians, he managed to pull through, even if a constant watch had to be in order each day.
     On speaking of the Indians burying their dead on the famous Memaloose Island, near Lyle, which will be under the high water on completion of Bonneville Dam, Mr. Barlow stated that the only and last time the Island was covered by water was the big flood and rain of 1894.
     Later U.S. soldiers were station on the Island to guard against medical students who attempted and did dig up many of the graves for their work.
     The first school teacher of Lyle, Edith Reynolds, had a difficult time, as she had to teach in the south part of the town in a mere shack. Later in the north end she was given a place not much better, until Mr. Barlow had completed what was called the first school building for the community.
     All this took place before the railroad, the S.P. & S. was built on the north bank of the Columbia. During the building of the road, most of the people of Lyle lived in tents, and on railroad property which cost them one dollar per month as rent.        After all those years of hardships and toll, and many experiences of hunger and threats to their lives, the two pioneers of the town of Lyle report they are happy, and they should be.
     Why not? they have done their duty. They have led the way for the oncoming generation.
     They have led the way for US.

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©  Jeffrey L. Elmer