howcoc1.html

 History of Wasco County, Oregon
by Wm. H. McNeal
Chapter 1

(approximately 275 pages when printed)


Photograph titled
"The Dalles Scene 1858"

THE DALLES

     THE DALLES, the city of 14 names and three courthouses, located on the "bend of the river" where the amphitheatre walls are mountain high. It is the richest city in history in eastern Oregon. Its name is known far and wherever the Columbia river is mentioned, or any part of the history of the Columbia river gorge or valley is mentioned, The Dalles plays or has played an important part. It is the AND of the Old Oregon Trail. It is the oldest town in eastern Oregon and has 300 days of sunshine. It is 90 miles east of Portland by rail and highway, a hundred miles by water and 30 minutes by air.

     When the first missionaries, traders and trappers passed by The Dalles the Indians called it WINQUATT, meaning a place encircled by rocks. Lewis & Clark called it FORT ROCK when they camped here in 1805. The Hudson Bay Co. men called it LES GRANDES DALLES, meaning the narrows of the Columbia about 8 miles east of the city where the river "turns on edge" and is only 140 feet wide and when the Hudson Bay Co. maintained a trading post here in the 1820's, with James Burnie in charge the Union Jack flew over The Dalles indicating British territory. When the Methodist missionaries occupied the place it was called WASCOPAM after the Wasco Indians who inhabited the city. When the first soldiers occupied the Methodist mission buildings they called it FORT LEE after their Capt. H.A.G. Lee. Next soldiers under Capt. Nathan Olney called it CAMP DRUM (1847) and those of early 1848 called it FORT DRUM and later that same year the soldiers changed the name to FORT WASCOPAM. The military authorities of 1850 called it FORT DALLES and the people of the village at the landing called it FORT DALLES LANDING which name was changed during the next two years to THE DALLES LANDING, the fort retaining the name Ft. Dalles. The post office mail was directed to The Dalles Landing in 1851-52. The post office name was changed in 1853 to WASCOPAM. In 1857 when Wascopam city officially organized a city government they adopted the "official, legal name of DALLES CITY" which prevails for legal purposes until this day; but the post office continued to be known as WASCOPAM until 1880 when the official government designation and name was changed to THE DALLES, which name prevails to this date for railroad and postal purposes. The city in 1952 has two names and three courthouses.

     The Dalles has stood at the head of river navigation for over 100 years and has always been a commercially important t  rading center for the mid-Columbia area. Before the coming of the white man the Indians recognized its importance as a trading, hunting and fishing center where the Willamettes, Klickitats, Multnomahs, Yakimas, Walls Wallas, Spokanes, Coeur d' Alenes, Umatillas, Cayuses, Warm Springs, Modocks all came here to trade, barter, hunt, fight, hold athletic events with the powerful Wasco tribes. The centers of Indian populations always become centers of the white man's population. The Columbia river was the natural roadway that led all tribes to The Dalles where river obstructions made it impossible to by-pass this place. The Klickitats controlled the Washington side of the river.

     About 1828 the Hudson Bay Co. post was established at The Dalles to aid their boatmen in getting around the obstructions in the river just east of here, provide a place to rest up and make repairs to equipment. It was in charge of James Burnie and flew the Union Jack to indicate British possession, but Indians resented encroachment and the company gave up the station.

The METHODIST MISSION AT THE DALLES by Lulu D. Crandall

     The Methodist Mission was established here in 1838. The logs of the mission were felled here with the aid of Indians. The boards for the floors and ceilings were sawed by hand. The shingles were split 12 miles from the mission and brought by pack horses. The main building consisted of one room, later a kitchen and woodhouse was added. It was located about a mile south of the river (at 11 & Washington). The front door of the house opened toward the river, in which direction there was a fine yard with a playground for the children. From the south and of the houses, door opened onto the common promenade. On the opposite side of the square, to the south, stood the church, a plain log building. Near it stood the school house. On the east was the house of H.K.W. Perkins and opposite his residence to the west was the barn and near this the workshop. A shot distance from the square was a spring (on 11 between Washington and Federal). The larger spring to the west (on the high school grounds) was called by the Indians WASCO from which the mission took its name WASCOPAM. The Wasco spring irrigated a garden from which they obtained vegetables, potatoes, corn in season. It was not too thickly wooded about the station. A little further to the west the forest became dense but to the east it disappeared altogether.

     The Indians always thronged the houses, came early and were in no hurry to leave and expected to be treated to something to eat at any time and when no food was given they became morose. It was found necessary to keep the doors closed to get any quiet and rest and even then they would rattle the doors or rap on the windows for admittance. The vicinity abounded with rattlesnakes. They were shot and slow of movement and easily killed, nor was their poison deadly, but the exposure of the children was cause for alarum. The reptiles stayed in the crevices of a large rook nearby and came out in the cool of the evening and would even come into the mission houses. Coyotes were another unwelcome neighbor which came forth of an evening and if pressed for hunger would chase deer into the mission enclosure where the cattle were kept. Their dismal howlings were heard in the distance every evening.

Photographs titled
"Horse Combine"
"Mr. and Mrs. Carlton and Son Griffith The famous Orchestra Leader"
"Old Dalles Rodeo Grounds 1915"


The station lay on the Old Oregon Trail from the states to the Willamette valley. In 1843 wagons, for the first time, were used through the whole distance to The Dalles. Every year the emigrants came in larger numbers and their demands upon the hospitality of the missionaries became greater. In 1848 the lost Stephen Meek party of 225 wagons, which followed the Meek's cutoff in Central Oregon, lost their way, exhausted their provisions and driven to the necessity of killing their cattle, which were already worn down by labor and disease, bringing on fever, and merry died. Survivors who arrived at the station were subjects of unspeakable distress, hunger and privation, ready to die. Others bore the corpses of deceased relatives or friends to be interred with Christian rights. Many were on beds of sickness and pain.

The Orphan Indian Boy

     Wm. McKendus, the little Indian boy who received his name from the Missionaries, lost his parents when he was young. Until he was 12 he lived in the family of his uncle and during this time he became expert in spearing salmon and catching them in a net. He was considered one of the best hunters of his age in the Wascopam tribe. From his 12th year he became a member of the missionary family. He exchanged his Indian dress for the decent clothes afforded him by his teachers. He showed aptness in working in the garden and taking care of cattle on the mission farm. He seemed much pleased with his new life and listened with deep interest to the stories related to him of the states, and he would say, "it will not be long before I shall see the states." He made progress in his learning English and was converted a christian.

     In 1843 when Gen. John C. Freemont and his military explorers stopped for rest and supplies at the Christman spring (15 & Dry Hollow road), after accompanying the first emigrants to Oregon that year under Marcus Whitman's leadership; some of his soldiers left him and he asked for a recruit to guide him through the southern Oregon country and the missionaries recommended the Indian boy who was now 18, active and intelligent. He was given a horse to ride and one to carry his bedding and clothes. He had never had a horse before. His long hours of learning had started to pay off. His long cherished wishes to "Go back to the states" was being fulfilled as General Freemont was going to take him to Washington, D.C. He toured California and the eastern states with General Freemont's party, visited Washington, D.C. "met the great white father in the capitol"; returned with Freemont to California. All during that time he acquitted himself much to the satisfaction of his employer. He married a Spanish woman in California, retained his Christian habits, came back to The Dalles and was known as "Billy Chinook" and died at the Warm Springs Indian reservation in 1894. (Briefly this is just as great a movie story as has ever been shown on the screen to the American public.)

     The mission at The Dalles and Walla Walla and those in the valley were the result of a trip made (see under the White Man's Book of Heaven) by 4 Indian chiefs to St. Louis to ask Gen. Wm. Clark for information about the White Man's Book of Heaven. The story of the Indian's request received much publicity and Daniel Lee, Jason Lee, H.K.W. Perkins and Ben Wright came west in 1834 to establish missions for the Indians. They returned to The Dalles I4r,1¢,1838 to locate the Methodist mission (840 acres) claim and buildings between 10 and 11 and Washington to Federal using the old W.N. Wiley spring for water and gardening on ground now occupied by the high school buildings.

     There were 2000 Indians of the Wasco, Walla Walls, Chinook and Klickitat tribes at or near the mission during the winter of 1839-40 and some of who attended services at Pulpit Rook (11 & Court). The semi-circle of tents of the Indians covered about  ½ acre of what we call the football field of the high school grounds below the spring. Rev. Daniel Lee and his wife, H.K.W. Perkins and his wife, H.B. Brewster and wife, Dr. and Mrs. Babcock, Jason Lee and Ben Wright were the occupants of the mission from time to time. The first white child born at The Dalles was a daughter to H.K.W. Perkins born in January 1841. The missionaries taught the Indian agriculture, some 30 sores were in garden and grain. They taught a school for Indian children, cared for some of the sick, had a number of head of horses and cattle, some of which were milk cows, had a workshop for repairs and building purposes, aided the emigrants, operated their own supply line over the Lee Cattle Trail via Lost Lake, Bull Run, Sandy to the Salem area mission. The mission was supplied by wood from the oak and pine trees nearby, the acorns being considered good food which was supplemented by fish, wild game, wild berries and the grain and garden they raised.

     In an interview March 21, 1908 by Mrs. Wentworth Lord, early Dalles Historian, JOSEPH LUXILLO, Yakima Indian Chief told her he had personally heard Rev. Daniel Lee and other Dalles missionaries preach from Pulpit Rock and that he was baptized a Christian in the Wascopam (high school) spring and considered its waters sacred and returned to The Dalles every year he could to drink of the waters of that spring claiming they seemed to give him new life and inspiration and strength. On one of those pilgrimages to The Dalles to drink of the sacred waters of the high school spring, Joseph LuAllo posed for Banjo A. Gifford, internationally famous Dalles photographer, seated on the chair section of Pulpit Rock and faoting the rostra and demonstrating how the missionaries preached to the Indians. This photograph is one of the prized possessions of The Dalles Camera Club, thanks to the thoughtfulness of Mr. Gifford. The Camera Club also has 2 earlier photos of the mission in their collection. The mission was sold in 1847 to Dr. Marcus Whitman of Walls Walla who had plans for moving his mission to The Dalles on account of unfriendly acts of the Indians of that area who finally massacred him and several others of that mission Nov. 29, 1847. The mission buildings were occupied by the soldiers of the Cayuse Indian war of 1848, being abandoned by the missionaries on account of Indian troubles. The buildings were later burned during the Yakima Indian war to keep the Indians from occupying them after Ft. Dalles was built in 1850. In 1880 Dalles City won title to 112 acres of the claim by U.S. Supreme Court test case. So ended the first white settlement in The Dalles. (By E.B. Brewster).

     It was in the dead of winter in 1842 that Dr. Marcus Whitman of the Walla Walla mission went east, after being informed by Elijah White, Indian Agent who escorted 120 emigrants to Oregon that fall, that the Ashburton Treaty with England was to define the Canadian boundary and that 140 Englishmen were bound for Oregon to settle and claim the country for England. Gen. Amos. Lovejoy accompanied White and was well posted on national affairs and after talking the matter over he, Whitman, decided no time could be lost in getting back to Washington to convince Pres. Tyler and Secretary of State Daniel Webster that Oregon should remain American territory. Gen. Lovejoy accompanied Whitman east and at Ft. Hall Capt. Grant tried to impress upon him the hopelessness of trying to cross the Rookies, but Whitman headed for Salt Lake and from there to Santa Fe and St. Louis. Blizzards of the Rockies delayed them almost a month and the crossing of the Grand river, partly froze over with ice almost cost them their lives. At St. Louis Lovejoy remained to recruit the 1843 emigrant party while Whitman went on to Washington to successfully plead the Oregon cause and save the territory from being traded by Daniel Webster for a mess of cod fish; promised to lead emigrants to Oregon as soon as spring weather would permit. President Tyler granted his request to insist on the 48th parallel as the boundary between the U.S. and Canada.

Emigration of 1843

     He returned to St. Louis to find Lovejoy had emigrants waiting at Kansas City, Leavenworth and other points, with their wagons, horses, cattle and families and they started west in June. Dr. Whitman was the real leader of the party, first up in the morning to help and advise, last to go to bed at night after attending to repairs and the sick. At Fort Hall Capt. Grant of the Hudson Bay Co. began at once to tell about the terrors of the mountains ahead and the impossibility of taking wagons any further showing them a corral full to prove his statements. But the emigrants listened to Dr. Whitman who had taken wagons over the route 6 years before and so the 125 wagons, 1000 head of stock and 1000 men, women and children pushed on to Oregon and The Dalles where they built rafts of pine trees and floated their wagons and families down to the Cascades while their stock was driven over the Lee Cattle Trail via Odell, Doe, Band Flat, Archway, Chilwood (Lost) Lake, Bull Run river, Walker's Prairie and Milwaukee or Oregon City. For this accomplishment in saving Oregon for the U.S. and bringing the first emigrants to Oregon and The Dalles, Dr. Marcus Whitman is credited with being another and probably our No. 1 outstanding citizen in our 100 years of history, and the "father of Oregon and Wasco county". As stated above Gen. John C. Presmont's military expedition accompanied or followed very closely this first emigration and camped at the Christmas spring at 15 & Dry Hollow road for several days, making repairs, resting and obtaining supplies from Ft. Vancouver so they could go on south through the Warm Springs Indian reservation, Madras, Prineville, Fort Rock, Silver and Summer Lake, Klamath Falls and on to California where he became civil governor, participated in the Mexican war, was U.S. Senator in 1850, was a Civil War veteran, a railroad builder and governor of Arizona (1878-81) and was retired as a mayor general of the U.S. Army in 1880.

     In the fall of 1843 Mr. Joslin, who came west with the Whitman emigration that year built a cabin here of logs and stayed in The Dalles for a while. Down at Champoeg the emigrants established the first Provincial government of Oregon. The missionaries were at the mission up near the present location of the high school and the Hudson Bay Co. fur traders and trappers made their usual trips up and down the Columbia river.

1844

     In 1844 Daniel Wall made an exploratory trip all over eastern Oregon territory, by pack train, for the newly formed provincial government, gathering agricultural and topographical information which would be of value to settlers. The emigration that year through The Dalles was 1500 people and they reported thieving by the Indians.

1845

     The emigration party of 1845 amounted to 3000 and was led by Samuel K. Harlow and Joel Palmer. They were held up so long here awaiting scows, rafts and other means of transportation down the Columbia river that Harlow proceeded to try and find a pass over the Cascades to the Willamette valley. Some of the party explored up the Indian trail up on Dutch Flat but found that an impossible route. Horsemen went up 15 mile and other intervening country only to be stopped by the topography and timber. Indian trails from Tygh, Wamic and that vicinity found a favorable grade but lots of timber. It being just a matter of cutting their way through the timber they started over the decades that fall but were stopped by early snows in Barlow Pass and had to go onto the valley with their stock and what supplies they could carry by pack train method with the intention of returning next spring and finish bridging their wagons over the mountains. During their struggle Joel Palmer climbed Mt: Hood, almost bare-footed, in the, snow to get better views as perspective lay of the country and passes over the mountain. During that winter's session of the Provincial legislature they appealed for permission to build a toll road over the mountains for emigrant foot purposes. After such discussion the permit was granted.

     It was also in 1845 that the lost Stephen Meek train, which suffered as many hardships and deaths as the i11-fated Bonner Party worked its way across the deserts of Central Oregon to the Deschutes and down to about where Sherar's Bridge is, where they ferried with their wagons and stock and came an into The Dalles over the same route Samuel Barlow had that year went out to Tygh Valley over. They got what supplies they could here, buried their dead, treated their sick, abandoned their wagons and most of their stock and refitted down to Vancouver and thence to Oregon City and Milwaukie. (See Meek Train article for more story). As stated above the missionaries at the Methodist mission here gave all the help their limited resources would permit, to these poor unfortunate destitute emigrants of that party.

The Dalles 1848

     There were 2000 emigrants and their livestock which reached The Dalles that fall. Not all of them had to raft down the Columbia for Samuel K. Barlow, with 50 men, finished cutting a path over the mountains from Wamic to Oregon City. Phillip Foster was a partner in the deal and they operated a toll gate out on Rock creek near Wamic. While the road changed ownership it continued to be operated as a toll road until 1912 when Henry Wymme of Portland obtained it and made it a public road. Later in 1919 George Joseph gave it to the stage of Oregon as a public road. That same year Jesse Applegate founded his southern Oregon pass over the Cascades to the valley.

The Dalles in 1847

     The Indians were getting a little more hostile toward the whites and the Methodist mission at The Dalles was abandoned by its occupants who went to the Willamette valley mission where there was more protection from Indians; and the mission buildings and claim was sold to Dr. Marcus Whitman of Walla Walla who intended to wind up his affairs there in the spring of 1848 and move his activities to The Dalles. He put his nephew Perrin Whitman in charge here. Then on Nov. 29, 1847 Dr. Marcus Whitman, his wife and 9 others were massacred by the Cayuse Indians at their mission house at Walla Walla. The Catholic Priests at the nearby Catholic mission made the first report of the massacre to the Hudson Bay post at Wallula and they rushed messengers down the Columbia to inform Dr. McLaughlin at Vancouver. They informed Perrin Whitman of the massacre and he fled to the valley for protection. The word spread to the settlers at Oregon City and they immediately held a legislative session, organized a "state army" under General Joel Palmer and Col. J.W. Nesmith to protect the people from the Indians. A company of 40 riflemen under Maj. H.A.G. Lee arrived at The Dalles by Christmas and occupied the Methodist mission buildings as Fort Lee; forbid all Indian gatherings; forbid any white settlement; forbid Father Rosseau and Bishop Blanchet from establishing their Catholic mission here and proceeded to roundup the unfriendly Indians. There were only a few emigrants of 1847, probably less than 1000, but it was these emigrants who had measles in their party as they passed the Walla Walla mission, and the Indians who could not be kept away from the wagons, got the measles and carried the disease to their families wiping out hundreds of them. All they thought of was "revenge against the whites", and despite the fact the white children of the Walla Walla mission had the measles too and the fact Dr. Whitman was administering to all alike, they took their revenge out on him, the best friend both the Indians and the white man ever had in the Pacific northwest.

The Dalles in 1848

     The Dalles in 1848 was the headquarters for the Cayuse Indian Jar campaign against the unfriendly Indians of the Walls Walla area and the roving bands between here and there. There were several mounted companies under Col. Wm. Gilliam and Col. J. W. Nesmith, Capt. Nathan Olney of The Dalles. Joe Meek, "ambassador from Oregon" to Washington, D.C. accompanied the soldiers to Walla Walla to get first hand information so as to complete his request to Washington for federal troops to protect the people from the Indians. During the Campaign the Cayuse Indians were destroyed as a nation; the unfriendly Indians between here and Walla Walla were wiped out and safety restored. There was no emigration that year on account of Indian trouble. The construction on the Catholic mission buildings here at the Wasco county hospital grounds proceeded under Bishop Blanchet and Father Rosseau. They built 2 cabins and a log church near the county spring and held services for the Indians. In 1848 Nathan Olney, who had came to The Dalles early that year in charge of (Capt.) a company of soldiers, established his log trading store on the banks of Mill creek near First street. He was the first permanent resident of The Dalles and the first merchant and figured prominently in all the affairs of the community (1847-1887) and is therefore to be rated as one of the most outstanding men in the history of our community and county. He did a good business here and later when Ft. Dalles military authorities made him move out of town he established another store on the banks of Olney (Chenowith) creek about where highway 30 crosses and continued to do a good business with emigrants, soldiers and early settlers or travelers. The people in those days arrived here starved for fresh meat and garden produce and other supplies which were running low by the time they got to The Dalles.

Rafting Down the Columbia

     If emigrants chose to go down the river by raft the logs were out within the present city limits of The Dalles, hauled to Chenowith creek where they were assembled into rafts of various sizes, depending upon the number of wagons to be loaded on one. The mouth of Chenowith creek was not only a protected place but it was easier to work at and easier to load wagons. Also there was an abundance of fish and fresh water mussels to be had to satisfy starving appetites. Rafts were poled out of the mouth of the creek into the Columbia river where they were floated down to the Cascades, being steered by long oars. They had to be unloaded there and the rafts let down over the rapids with ropes and floated to re-loading locations below North Bonneville; and the wagons pulled down the 4 miles or so over a rough twisty road for re-loading and floating to Vancouver where Indians were hired to help propel them up the Willamette to Milwaukee, the first settlement. Roads led from there to Oregon City and other valley points. There were Indians and early rivermen who made it a business to barge wagons down to the upper Cascades and others took them on down from North Bonneville. Sometimes wagons were abandoned here, the women and children taken down in "dug-out canoes" by the Indians or rivermen and the stock driven down and supplies packed on the backs of stock. Others, of course, took the old Barlow road. It was so steep going down Laarbl hill that the wagons had to be let down by ropes tied around trees, or by dragging logs and locking the wheels. No matter which method was chosen it was a hard trip from The Dalles on down to the Willamette valley points.

The Dalles in 1849

     Col. W.W. Loring arrived in The Dalles in 1849 with 6CO riflemen, 160 wagons, horses, teamsters, scouts and military equipment. As he came west he left soldiers at Ft. Laramie, Fort Hall (Idaho) then a part of Wasco county (1854). He left Major Tucker here at The Dalles with 2 companies of men. The whole expedition was ragged, hungry, worn out and exhausted and starving upon arrival here and they occupied the Methodist mission buildings which they called Fort Drum. Col. Loring went on down to Oregon City for the winter. An estimated 2000 emigrants passed throw The Dalles that year and 20,000 are credited with heading for the gold fields of California, turning off at Fort Hall.

The Dalles in 1850

     In the spring of 1850 Maj. S.S. Tucker proclaimed Fort Dalles Military reservation to be 10 square miles, and denied settler's rights to emigrants within the reservation. Nathan Olney was therefore forced my Maj. Tucker to move his store to Chonowith creek. Maj. Tucker started construction of the log Fort buildings at Fort Dalles and when they were completed for occupancy he ordered the Methodist missior1 buildings burned. Maj. Tucker named the Fort "Fort Dalles". It is interesting to note that Col. (later General) B.S.L. Bonneville, after whom Bonneville Dam is named, and who had made 2 trips out to the Oregon country, is credited with suggesting to the military authorities that a military post be established at The Dalles due to the strategic location of this place and being at the head of river navigation and also on and at the and of the emigrant road which needed protection. The Dalles should be the supply station for all other military posts established in eastern Oregon territory, he pointed out. He had came west in 1832 and again in 1837 and was better able to judge the needs of the region than any other military man. He was put in command of the 4th U.S. Infantry after the establishment of Fort Dalles and Fort Vancouver. Col. W.W. Loring's men were recruited at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan. and given some very intensive drilling preparatory to the 2000 mile trip west with the 600 men, 31 officers their wives and children, 160 wagons and 700 horses and while they arrived at The Dalles in a hungry, ragged and barefooted condition, horses too weak to carry their burdens, yet they accomplished their task of establishing forts for protection of emigrants, just as Joe Meek had requested the government on behalf of the Oregon Provincial government. Justin Chenowith came west in the military party of 1849. In 1850 several trains of emigrants arrived, like the soldiers the year before, in a starving; and ragged condition and Maj. Tucker outfitted them free with flour, salt pork, rice, beans etc. from the Fort Dalles commissary. John Bell operated a sutlers store at the fort garrison and he sold out to Wm. Gibson, the next year (1851) who moved the store down closer to the boat landing, in a log building at first and Union formerly occupied by Nathan Olney. Dr Allen Steel was post surgeon. W. C. Laughlin, Henry Williams (8 Mile creek) and S.L. Brooks were among the 1850 carpenters who aided in erecting the LOG BUILDINGS of Old Fort Dalles in 1850 and they received $10 a day wages ($50 in 1952 values) and the buildings were reported to have cost $80,000 each. The long officers barracks on 18 street faced north, there was the main soldier's barracks at 9 & Mt. Hood, there was a store house, guard house, sawmill, mess house at 9 & Mt. Hood, commanding officer's quarters and stables and corrals. W.D. Biglow also came west with the 4th Inf.

     Col. B.E.L. Bonneville was born in France (1795), was a graduate of West Point (1815) and in 1832 made his first expedition west and again came west in 1837. He was a Mexican war veteran and retired on disability in 1881. He was in command of the 4th U.S. Infantry at Vancouver when Gen. U.S. Grant was his quartermaster.

     Col. W.W. Loring was born in N.C. and served in the Mexican war where he lost an arm at Mexico City. During the Civil war he served under General Lee for the Confederate states. After the war he went to Egypt and was made Chief of Staff of the Khedive and was known as Loring Boy, soldier of fortune in the Turkish army. He wore a fez and was a factor in the statesmanship of Turkey. He wrote "The Story of a Confederate Soldier!" about his own life and died in 1868.

COVERED WAGON SERIES by Lulu D. Crandall

     It was May 13, 1850 that Col. Loring, carrying out Gen. P.F. Smith's orders to establish garrisons along the Old Oregon Trail, sent 2 companies of rifle regiments to The Dalles to locate a supply post, for posts east of here to be supplied by teams and wagons. Capt. Clairborne was detailed for this purpose and with him were Lt. May and Lt. Ervine and his surgeon was C.H. Smith. The troops set about erecting buildings out of logs. The headquarters building was a long building of logs with a number of rooms, one after another opening out on a common veranda and looking north. The building was always called the "log barracks" and was used as officers quarters. It stood on 15 & 16 between Trevitt and Bridge. There was also a store house; a guard house, a sawmill, a mess house, a commanding officers house and quarters for the men, they occupied the flat along 9 street to Mt. Hood with endless corrals for hundreds of government mules and cavalry horses. There was a wagon shop, a saddle shop, a blacksmith shop, a carpenter shop. The sawmill was built on 9 & Mill creek from which the creek took its name and it stood on the north side of 9 street bridge. There is a pathetic story connected with it.

     Major Tucker had orders to build a sawmill at Ft. Dalles to be operated by mule power. His men working on the fort argued that his superior officers were not familiar with the availability of the water-power so he built the better water power mill and was court martialed for disobeying orders, found guilty and dishonorably discharged, from the army. He felt the humiliation and disgrace keenly, went to California where he died of a broken heart in a few years. In 1860, the DONATION LAND CLAIM ACT was, passed by congress Sept. 27 giving married men 640 acres. The law expired Dec. 1, 1855. All Donation Land Claimants were first citizens of Wasco county. In 1850 the BRIDGE OF THE GODS book was written by Fredrick Homer Balch, first author of Wasco county and its most outstanding writer. It was a "best seller" with 27 editions. There has been no story that has came out of the west that comes anywhere near the popularity of the Bridge of the Gods.

     Edward Crate settled at Crates Point, on his Donation Land Claim.

The Dalles in 1851-52

     The POST OFFICE at The Dalles Landing was established November 5, 1661 by Nathaniel Coe, territorial postmaster for Oregon and he appointed William Gibson, keeper of the sutlers store at the Landing here a postmaster. This makes the post office the oldest business institution in The Dalles and in existence more than 100 years! As stated above Wm. Gibson's sutlers store was located on the bank of Mill creek at First and Union in Nathan Olney's log store building. Justin Chenowith, after whom Chenowith creek was named, was given the contract by Capt. Nathaniel Coe for transporting the mails from the Cascades to Fort Dalles Landing. He used a sail boat, Indian dug-out canoe with husky Indian paddlers for assistants on days when the wind was not favorable for sails. Wm. Gibson sold his store to Victor Trevitt who moved the building to his property at the north-west corner of And & Union, across from the present post office building. The military authorities relaxed their restrictions against settlement. This allowed Allen & McKinley to establish their store at First & Court with Perrin Whitman in charge. Henry Chase established a store which he sold to John Simms. W. C. Laughlin located his home at the foot of Laughlin street where the Stadelman Ice plant is now located. The Dalles Hotel was established by Mr. Tompkins; W.D. Biglow established a store in a tent and Milo M. Cushing operated a store axed hotel.

THE DALLES IN THE 1850's by Elizabeth Laughlin

     Elizabeth Laughlin (Mrs. Wentworth Lord) in her REMINISCENCE, (THE FIRST HISTORY OF THE DALLES) published at the turn of the century, we quote as follows: "My father, William C. Laughlin, and my mother (Mary Yeargin Laughlin) came to The Dalles by oxteam in 1850. The garrison buildings consisted of 6 logs houses. The soldiers were housed in tents. There were 100 men working at the mill (9th & Mill creek) and on the fort buildings that winter. The pine trees upon the hill were just small bushes in those days and a wagon could drive over any of them. Nathan Olney had a store on Olney (Chenowith) creek and father erected a log house, with the help of mother, near Olney's store and lived in it that first winter. It didn't even have a floor in it, except for the good old mother earth. We were so poor that mother made shirts out of canvass wagon covers. Salt was sold by Olney for 12¢ a pound. When we ran out of money, flour and other food mother stewed birds to eat! Occasionally we could trade a little work for some flour with John Bell at the fort. Father worked in the government sawmill (at 9 & Mill creek). We had a cow and sold milk to the soldiers at the fort. Mother made gloves for the soldiers out of buckskin. She remodeled officers uniforms to help make a living.

     "In 1851, when the soldiers left the fort, we lived in one of the fort cabins which had a dirt floor. Later we moved into a cabin across Mill creek from the fort and then we moved back to the fort where mother cooked for the men and lived there. We accumulated a small herd of beef and sold fresh meat to the emigrants that fall. The emigrants would abandon their poor, weak, thin animals here and father would buy them and pasture them out until by next year they shapened into good animals that either could be worked or eaten. He got them cheap and sold them at good prices. We also sold pickles, butter, eggs and garden stuff to the emigrants who were almost wild to get some 'real American food' after 6 months of dried foods.

     "In 1852 we started a store at FAIRBANKS (on lower 15 mile) with Frank Camp, selling beef, flour, dried fruit, cakes, bread, pickles, coffee, tea, candy; or traded them for horses and cattle so that by fall we had 100 head of cattle and 100 horses which increased to 400 by winter. That fall we went to Hood River with Dr. Farnsworth and lost nearly all our livestock by the deep snow and cold winter down there. We only had 14 head of cattle and 17 horses left out of 4001 We came back to The Dalles in 1853 to stay and by that time there ware several houses erected in town, called The Dalles Landing. It was a regular city of tents here then. We were so poor in 1853 we lived in a tent down by the river. In 1654 N.H. Gates built his hotel; Lt. Forsythe built the pioneer hotel; A.H. Curtiss built a hotel; Mr. Martin built the Oregon House and 2nd & Washington and sold it to father in 1880. Louis Eppinger built to Occidental hotel.

     "In 1850 The Dalles was dominated by gamblers and the tough element. First and Washington was the main business corner of the town. Fort Dalles was then being built of logs. Henry Williams (of 8 mile) S.L. Brooks and father were among the carpenters who erected the buildings of the log fort. Witness Tree marked the center of the Military Reservation, which was 5 miles in all 4 directions from that tree, located on Mt. Hood street between 12 & 13. The selection was made by Maj. S.S. Tucker in May of 1850. The location of Witness Tree was painted out by C.W. Denton, 1854 Nurseryman of Mill Creek to members of Fort Dalles Historical Society in 1906. In 1852 Capt. Bend. Alvord arrives at Fort Dalles with several companies of U.S. Infantrymen. In 1853 the Military Reservation was cut down to one square mile permitting settlement of The Dalles Landing and Jonas Mosier erected many of the dwellings and business buildings."

THE DALLES IN 1850 by J.W. Covington

     "The Dalles Landing is a desolate location of 100 abandoned emigrant wagons and starved cattle roaming about the flats and hill sides. There was only one cabin in The Dalles at that time, located on the bank of Mill creek and used by Nathan Olney, who came there in 1848, as a combination store and dwelling."

     1852 was the year of the BIG EMIGRATION when 18,000 people were credited by historians as passing through The Dalles and many of them remained or returned to The Dalles to make their homes.

     The side wheel steamer FLINT was built here in 1851 and taken to Portland for the passenger trade in 1852; and Nathan Olney that year (1852) established a ferry at the mouth of the Deschutes. The winter of 1852 was so severe that Edward Crate lost nearly a11 his stock at Crate's point.

The Dallas in 1853

     In 1853 the Military Reservation was cut down to one square mile. Emigrants were allowed to settle at the Landing. Jonas Mosier, after whom the city of Mosier was named, built many of the dwellings and business establishments becoming the first contractor of The Dallas. Nathan Olney sold his Chenowith store to Dr. C.W. Shaug, one of the earliest family physicians of The Dalles and Justice of the Peace when The Dalles was a part of Clackamas county and owner of the George Snipes farm, after whom Snipes acres was named; and went to the mouth of the Deschutes to establish a ferry to help emigrants cross that stream. After about 4 years he sold his ferry and farmed near the mouth of 5 mile creek. The emigration that passed through The Dalles that year was estimated to be 8000. The steamer Allen of Allen & McKinley Co. operated from The Dallas to the Cascades hauling mail, passengers and freight. C.W. Denton settled on his Donation land claim on Mill creek on property now owned by the Neilsen Bros. where he established the first nursery in the county. In his place was "treaty oak" under which the Indian treaty of 1855 was signed by the Indians and Joel Palmer, Supt. of Indian affairs for the government. On Sept. 5, 1853 the name of the city was changed to WASCOPAM and remained known as Wascopam until March 22, 1860 altho the fort remained known as Fort Dalles. In the latter part of 1853 when the talk began to get strong for creating a separate county east of the Cascades with WASCOPAM the county seat, Major Gabriel J. Rains, in charge of Fort Dalles, was "opposed to extending the newly proposed county boundaries from the summit of the Cascades to the summit of the Rookies and from the Columbia river to the boundary of California, for the reason that it was too large in size and because there were only 35 white people within its borders."

     The above is a much quoted statement made by Major Rains when he came to Fort Dalles with 2 companies of soldiers in 1855. It is often that politicians and military men make "political statements" in opposition to movements that exaggerate the truth. The following is a list of 1854 known First Families of Wasco County when it was created January 11. The initials DLC indicate Donation Land Claimants who had to file on their claims between 1850 and 1855, nearly all of whom were married and obtained the full 640 acres:

     Daniel Bolton DLC; W.G. Biglow DLC; J.M. Bird; John Bell, sutler; John Booth, saddler; A.D. Bolton; Justin Chenowith DLC; Edw. Crate DLC; Catholic Mission DLC; Father Mesplie; T. Mesplie DLC; Lafayette Calwell DLC; Mr. Chase; M.M. Cushing, merchant; Nathaniel Coe DLC; James Benson DLC; Frank Camp, merchant; A.H. Curtiss, hotelman; S.L. Brooks, carpenter; J.W. Covington; P. Craig, druggist; Daniel Butler DLC; Chas. Denton DLC; J. Doherty, merchant; W.L. DeMoss, baker; Louis Eppinger; Lt. B.M. Forsythe, hotelman; W.C. Fauntelory; Mr. Foreman, blacksmith; Dr. Farnsworth; N.H. Gates, hotelman; Wm. Gibson, merchant; J.C. Gore; Rev. James Garrish; John Halligan DLC; L.R. Henderson DLC Dufur; Orlando Humason, father of Wasco Co.; J.L. Henderson, merchant; John Irvine DLC; H.P. Issac, merchant; Jacob Juker, merchant; Rev. Jenkins; Warren Keith; Wm. C. Laughlin DLC; Talbot Lowe DLC; Dr. Wm. Logan; Nathan Morris DLC; Josiah Marsh DLC; Josiah Mosier DLC; Richard Marshall DLC; Mr. Martin; W.C. Moody, first jailer; C.R. Meigs, first recorder; Capt. Issac Mc Farland; John F. Noble; Nathan Olney, first merchant; Orville Olney; Wm. Olney; Peter Rudie DLC; Dr. C.W. Shaug DLC; John A. Simm DLC; Geo. Snipes DLC; Victor Trevitt DLC; John Thompkins; Capt. R.R. Thompson DLC Thompson Addition; Perrin Whitman, clerk; Henry Williams, homesteader on 8 mile; W.C. Wallace, contractor; H.J. Waldron, druggist; Louis Eppinger, hotelman; W.C. Moody, warehouse; a total of some 60 names of heads of families, which, together with their wives and children would account for about 200 people. One of the early directories credited Wascopam as having a population of 300 in 1854 and this latter figure is probably much closer to the actual number of people here than the 35 figure Maj. Rains is credited with claiming. The further fact that Orlando Humason, Clackamas County legislator who lived in The Dallas and sponsored the bill creating Wasco county, didn't seem to have any trouble in getting his bill passed, would be a good indication that the legislative politicians didn't take very serious the claim that only 35 white people lived in Wasco county.

WASCOPAM in 1854

     Maj. Granville O. Halter came to Fort Dallas with one company of man in 1854 relieving Maj. Rains. The Ward emigrant train massacre near Ft. Boise in August drew Maj. Fuller to that area with half his men and a few additional volunteers but the Indian had f1ed, and it was not until 1855 that scout troops took and hung the murderers responsible for the massacre, under command of Maj. Fitzgerald, who was in charge of Fort Dalles in 1855. The "township act" was passed by Congress authorizing the legal laying out of cities altho cities could be platted under the act of May 23, 1844. Orlando Humason, the Father of Wasco County introduced his bill in the Oregon legislature to create Wasco county. As stated above he was a representative of Clackamas county but lived in Wascopam. The bill was adopted January 11, 1854. Scholl & Noble started a sawmill on Mill Creek at the Urquert place, about 3 miles up the creek at the first bridge, to saw lumber for Fort Dallas and Wascopam houses and business buildings, sheds, barns and the like. The steamer MARY was built at the Cascades for trade between there and The Dalles (Wascopam). Passengers in those days had to stay all night at the Cascades, on the trip in each direction. John Simms was first county sheriff, Geo. Snipes was Court Crier and Justin Chenowith was first county judge. WASCOPAM was platted as a town and the year 1854 MARKS THE BEGINNING OF THE CITY as well as the county, many historians have claimed. There seems to have been enough people here and enough business activity to advance that date to 1852 as the "beginning of the city".

Photographs titled
"Flood - 1894"
"Freighting in 1890's"


WASCOPAM 1855

     Joel Palmer, government Indian agent, made the much publicized treaty of 1855 with the Indians under the Charter Oak on the Denton (Neilsen) place up Mill creek. This treaty provided for the Warm Springs Indian Reservation of 464,000 acres, provided that Indians could hunt and fish in their "usual and accustomed places" and forbid white men from trespassing upon their lands, provided for schools, and Indian agent and other provisions. The Donation Land Claim Act expired December 1 1855. It was adopted Sept. 27, 1850. All Wasco County Donation land claims, on file in the Wasco county assessor's office had to be filed on between those dates. While the Indians on the Oregon side of the Columbia river accepted the terms of the Treaty of 1855 those on the Washington side were not ready to submit to being placed on reservations and having all their other lands taken by the white man without fighting for their homes. The powerful Klickitat Indians especially prided their freedom. They were known to hunt on the plains, east of the Rocky mountains, for buffalo hides which were highly prized; and early miners relate about meeting them in the gold fields of California. They traveled widely for Indians of that time and had lots of friends in other tribes who felt as they did about the white man's encroachment and spent much of the year of 1855 preparing to resist the white man. Things came to a head that fall when they murdered A.J. Bolan, Indian Agent, on the Washington side of the river almost within sight of The Dalles while on a peaceful mission. A friendly Deschutes Indian, sent into the country to find out why Bolan had not returned found that he was murdered and that the powerful Klickitat, Yakimas and Walla Wallas were all united for action.

THE DALLES CO. B. OREGON MOUNTED VOLUNTEERS

     In Sept. 1855 that Major Gabriel J. Rains ordered Major Granville O. Haller, also stationed at Fort Dalles, with a company of 150 men mounted, into the Yakima country to punish the Indians and find the murders of Bolan. The met the Indian on Oct. 6, 1500 strong. Out-numbered 10 to one they fought all that day and night and all the next day and night when they dispatched a messenger to Fort Dalles for re-enforcements. On the evening of the 3rd day they turned their extra stock loose and prepare for a night retreat. They built fires to keep from being separated and the Indians put up an all night running fight with them to within 25 miles of The Dalles (Wascopam) where they met Lt. Day with 45 men of the 3rd artillery. Haller reported 5 men killed and the loss of practically all his horses and supplies. Haller called for 1000 men but was given only 319 under Capt, Fitzgerald who took charge of Ft. Dalles. The governors of Oregon and Washington made calls for volunteers and The Dalles (Wascopam) organized Co. B. Oregon Mounted Volunteers under Capt. Orlando Humason, the Father of Wasco county, October 11, 1855. Joel Palmer was General and J.W. Nesmith was Colonel. We are going to give the list of names of this company here because these men, most of them at least, were "first citizens" of The Dalles and Wasco county at that time, further refuting Maj. Rains credited statement, "that there were only 35-white people in Wasco county in 1854":

     John T. Jeffers, 1st Lt.; James McAuliff, 2nd Lt.; Jerrmah E Dennis, Serg.; Tom Martin, Serg., B.F. Cooper, Serg., J.C. Smith, Serg., and corporals James Given, Oliver Jeffers, Henry Humphries, Amos Underwood; and privates Monroe Adkisson, John Ashraft, Chas. Archard, John Allen, J.R. Alphny, John Brook, J.R. Bates, DANIEL WEBSTER BUTLER, James P. Beebe, David Bagley, Wm. Barnett, John Crawford, John Cogswell, Feiling Cheat, Harding Chenowith, Archibald Davidson, C.W. Darling, L. Dupias, Hesikiah Davis, J. Estes, James Elgin, E. Edwards, John Foreman, J.W. Fulp, Robert Fleet, Wm. H. Gates, Joseph Grey, W.W. Gifford, F.T. Glisen, E.J. Gliesen, Lott Hatlinger (killed), Geo. Hedges, L.P. Henderson, Robert Hamilton, H.C. Hold, Wm. T. Hammock, Wm. Johnson, J.P. Jones, Warren Keith, Arnold King, L.J. Kimbidian, Edw. Litheral, A.J. Lockwood, S. Loomis, Cornelius McFarland, A.S. Martinson, Richard J. Monroe, J.M. Martin, C.R. Muze, J. McDonald, Wm. McWillis, LeRoy McAnston, Wm. Niven, A.J. Price, G. Pell, J.A. Prindle, J.W. Phillips, Wm. H. Robinson, Geo. Rindle, Chas. Rowe, G.R. Roberts, J.R. Slaley, Chas. Suves, H.H. Starr, Geo. W. Scott, Geo. W. Smith, Bruce W. Smith, Henry S. Steelman, James Sturdevant, Thomas Trossell, VICTOR TREVITT, DeForrest Stanabro, A. Woodard, F.D. Wolf, Jont Indian, J. Amiden, Hugh Crowley, Robert W. Tompkins, Benj. F. Reynolds, Samuel S. Morris. They were called into the service by Proclamation of the governor of Oregon Oct. 11, 1855 and served from the 20th of Oct. 1855 to May 19, 1856.

     The following Dalles men served in Capt. Benj. F. Burche's Co. B. under Col. Thomas R. Cornelius called into the service by Proclamation Jan. l6, 1856 to serve until May 8, 1856, the original co. being from Salem: - John W. Allen, Samuel Beck, Thomas Burch, James Campbell, T.V.B. Embree, Marcus Gilliam, Abraham H. Garrison, Frances A. Haines, W. Hayter, Geo. A. Lambert, Neyton Marshall, Felix G. Laughlin, Wm. A. McDaniel, Isaac V. Massman, James L. Martin, Wm. F. Reynolds, Soloman H. Sutton, Sam H. Tetherow, John Vernon, Henry Willoughby, Joseph L. Morrison, David L. Hedges, Geo. Shield

     The following Dalles boys served in Maj. David Layton's Co. C. 1st Oregon Mounted Rangers from Albany: Pinkney Haley, Wm. A. Burk, Wm. R. Rexford, John Brownlee, Richard Fry, James Houston, Thomas B. Haller, Wm. L. Kendall, James W. Kelley, James B. Morgan, Arthur F. McBride, Thomas B. Mitchell, Oliver Price, Josiah B. Smith, Silas B. Story, Casper Snook, Hiram Wood, Abel White, Jarrett Walker.

     Maj. Gabriel J. Rains was in charge of the Yakima Indian war campaign and Col. Geo. W. Wright of Ft. Dalles commanded the entire expedition. Col, Wright's tactics were to kill all Indian horses leaving them dismounted so they couldn't fight; and to starve them into submission by not allowing them to either fish or hunt, raise wheat or other crops or livestock. Capt. Orlando Humason's Dalles company fought in the Walla Walla campaign, going up there on the 24th of Nov. under Col. J.W. Nesmith. Nathan Olney of The Dalles went along as Indian agent. They were reinforced at Umatilla in Dec. by Col. Kelley and 350 men. There was snow on the ground and the weather was very cold causing much suffering among the men.

WASCOPAM (The Dalles) 1856

     The Dalles company found Ft. Walla Walla (Wallula) burned. Enroute to Walla Walla they met Pan Pan Mox Mox the Indian Chief and several of his followers who were made prisoners. They encountered the main body of 1000 Indians and had a running fight with them to the Whitman Mission. The prisoners tried to escape and were shot to death and different parts of the Chief's booty was taken by the soldiers as trophies of war: The Indians were estimated to have lost 100 men while 24 soldiers were thinned from the military ranks in a 3 day battle. The winter spent at Walla Walla was very severe, like, that at Valley Forge, the temperature at times being 20 below and lots of snow and clothing, shoes and blankets scarce. The feet of many of the boys were frozen. Horse meat that winter at Walla Walla was called "Cayuse Beef". When the weather opened in February the troops pushed on into the Paluse country.

     In April as Capt. Cornelius was leaving Ft. Dalles for Walla Walla. The Indians stampeded his horses leaving the command dismounted near the forks of 15 and 8 mile creeks. Two companies were sent to Tygh where they had a skirmish with the Indians near the Devil's Half Acre. Col. Wright had closed the Columbia river from Indian fishing, closed the Yakima river also; built a blockhouse at the Cascades to keep the river open for traffic and built a portage road of wooden rails to step up movement of supplies. Horses and mules were used for motive power on the Washington side of the river. This blockhouse and settlement was attacked in March 1856 and several lives were lost in a massacre. The steamer Mary hurried to The Dalles for military aid and Col. Wright took 250 men down on the Mary March 28. The Bells and Fashion brought 100 men from Portland and Vancouver. The Indians scattered.

     Col. Wright finally was able to push on to Walls Walla on the 6th of May and by the 27th had chased all the Indians into the Yakima country where he killed 800 of their horses, prevented them from hunting or gathering any food or fishing thus starving them into submission on Indian reservations. Mayor Layton did the same thing on the Oregon side killing some 900 horses for Indians, took their supplies and forced 1000 Wasco, Tygh, Deschutes and John Day Indians in to the Warm Springs reservation. By August of 1856 the Yakima Indian war was over.

FORT DALLES IN 1856

     The military garrison at Fort Dalles was strengthened that fall under Col. George Wright with 3 companies of the 9 U.S. Infantry. Steps were taken to replace the old log Fort Dalles buildings with more modern saved lumber buildings and for the next 2 or 3 years a rebuilding expansion program was laid out with Capt. Thomas Jordan in charge and Louis Scholl the architect. He was born at Calsroke, Germany, educated at Lyceum as an architect and apprenticed in wood and iron work. He came to America in 1848. His plans for the post buildings, "the like of which did not exist at any other army post", Mrs. Crandall writes, "the buildings were in a semi-circle, looking toward the river, and consisted of the commanding officer's quarters (occupied by Col. Wright); the surgeons quarters (Ft. Dalles Historical Building) on the left; further to the left were quarters for the noncommissioned officers; to the right of Col. Wright's quarters was Capt. Thomas Jordan's quarters and the commissary. The band stand and the flag pole of the parade grounds is the same as the; playgrounds of the Col. Wright school and its flag pole. The Guard house was just west and down 14 street from the Col. Wright school. The stables were on 11 & Mt. Hood while corrals for hundreds of horses and government mules occupied practically all the rest of the ground down to 9th street. There was the saddlery, carpenter shop, wagon shop, blacksmith shop, bakery, hospital, main barracks buildings far, both the cavalry and the infantry with cook houses in the rear of each."

     "The cost of the fort buildings ran from $5000 for the smaller ones to $22,000 for the barracks and up to $90,000 for Col. Wright's quarters which had a fireplace in every room. The carpenter work was all done by hand! according to an article published in 1915 by Roxa Shackelford, president of the local Ft. Dalles Historical Society; "well seasoned materials was used, 2 year time was required for completion of the fort. Col. Wright's quarters had oak sideboards, wardrobes and mantle pieces and it was destroyed by fire Dec. 24, 1888.

     Carpenters were paid $10 a day, owing to demand for labor in the mines. It was estimated that the total cost run about 1 million dollars. The fort was established May 13, 1850 as a guard to the emigrant road. First built of log buildings that were replaced in 1856 for more adequate ones to handle the business of supplying outlaying forts, guarding emigrant trails, surveying public lands, protecting emigrants, prospectors and miners from the Indians. All expeditions into the wilderness of eastern Oregon and Washington had to be outfitted at Fort Dalles. New posts and forts had to be established and maintained in the Indian country and mining districts. All traffic in those days were by oxen, mules, horses, wagon's and pack trains. The government mule in those days was a respectable animal worth lots of money. Large stables and corrals were necessary. The blacksmith shop, wagon shop, harness shop, saddle shops; carpenter shops were all very important in those days at Fort Dalles. The officers and men had to have good quarters and in 1856 when Col. George Wright came to Fort Dalles, it was a bee-hive of activity.' "The sawmill, located at 9 & Mill creek, was shipped around the Horn. Its installation gave Mill creek its name and provided much of the sawed lumber for Fort Dalles. The post at that time had one of the best military bands in the U.S. and military marches and other band music floated out into the breezes of the wilderness of those days here. The band also provided music for dances and other social activities of the garrison at Fort Dalles. The fort was abandoned in 1871 and remained unoccupied until 1884 when the grounds of the reservation was laid out by the government as Fort Dalles Military Addition to Dalles City, with streets dedicated to the city and lots sold by the government giving U.S. PATENTS, rather than deeds, to the lots. (In 1952 patents, are still being issued for these government lots.) (Louis Fritz, born at Fort Dalles, generally collaborated with Mrs. Crandall and Mrs. Shackelford or other persons writing about Fort Dalles.) (Louis Scholl was born in Germany in 1829 and died in Los Angeles June 6, 1911)

Photographs titled
"Old Court House 1854"
"Ruins of Fort Dalles"


     Gov. Issac Stephen of Washington was outfitted at Fort Dalles before leaving for the peace treaty grounds at Walla Walla in 1855. Maj. Rains provided him with a squad of soldiers under Lt. Gracie. Dr. Hammond was one of the surgeons at Fort Dalles in 1856, and he afterwards became an eminent doctor in San Francisco and sill later was Surgeon General of the U.S. at Washington, D.C. Louis Scholl, Fort Dalles architect, came to The Dalles 7.n the big emigration of 1852. He drew the plans for Ft. Walla Walla, Simcoe and Colville. He was living at Walla Walla in 1904 at age 80. The original plans for Ft. Dalles was presented to Ft. Dalles Historical Society by Mr. Scholl. Fort Dalles was occupied until the Civil War when the soldiers was sent east. For the next 20 years it was looked after by Jacob Fritz, father of Louis Fritz from whose scrapbook much of this information was obtained by courtesy of Louie's daughter Mrs. Thelma Cox of The Dalles. As caretaker, Jacob Fritz was paid by the government until 1884 when it was laid out as an addition to Dalles City. Capt Thomas Jordan selected the best lumber out at the 9 & Mill creek sawmill for the Fort buildings. The sandstone for the foundations and chimneys was quarried on the bluff above Scenic Drive. Much native alder was worked into the stairway rails, manta1s and fancy woodwork. The construction on the fort buildings made it necessary to hire much skilled labor. That labor had to have a place to live so the military authorities was forced to cut down the size of the military reservation and permit some settlement at Fort Dalles Landing down near the wharf (called Wascopam).

     The government had purchased the Methodist Mission buildings from the Methodist society in 1868 for $24,000, notwithstanding the fact that they had bargained with Dr. Marcus Whitman in 1847 to sell to him for $600. This resulted in litigation between the Methodist society and the government until its settlement in 1888. The rails of the mission were stood on and to make a compound fort.

     The buildings of the fort fell into decay and destruction by squatters who carried off the doors, windows, stairs and lumber, burning what remained. No friendly hand ever reached out to save any of the old fort buildings except the surgeon's quarters acquired by Fort Dalles Historical Society, the plaster patched, roof repaired, windows replaced and caretaker hired. Mrs. Wm. Shackelford, Mrs. J.M. Marden, Mrs. Wentworth Lord and Mrs. C.J. Crandall were the 4-Horsewomen of the Historical Apocalypse who conceived the idea of preserving that last building. The first efforts to secure the building was made by the Taine Class of Jay P. Lucas of the U.S. land office and he was appointed to contact the Interior Department regarding securing the building for the Historical Society. Much correspondence ensued. The building was appraised at $1100. The Serosis club in May 1903 looked into the matter and made a trip to Portland to see the officers of the Oregon State Historical Society. Judge Bellinger was president, George Himes was secretary and they were much interested. We contacted Congressman Williamson of The Dalles and he introduced legislation to donate the building to the Oregon State Historical Society in 1904; and they appointed Mrs. William Shackelford, Mrs. C.J. Crandall, Mrs. W. Lord, Mrs. John Marden, Mrs. S.L. Brooks and Dr. Belle Furgeson to look after the property. Out of that committee grew the Fort Dalles Historical Society in 1904. Working under the Oregon Historical Society they elected Mrs. Wm. Shackelford, president, Mrs. Wentworth Lord, Vice-President, Mrs. John Marden 2nd Vice-president, Mrs. C.J. Crandall, secretary and Dr. Belle Furgeson, treasurer. The society spent $1000 on the building and secured Mr. and Mrs. Paddock as custodians.

     On the grounds is an old Indian dug-out canoe 20 feet in length, hollowed out by fire and dressed with sharp stones by Indians before carpenter tools were brought to Oregon. Tablets fastened to trees in the yard are in memory of Joseph G. Wilson, first judge of this district and J.K. Kelley, first mayor of The Dalles and U.S. Senator. The file of the Mountaineer, donated by John Michell, is in the building (now in Portland - 1952). The original plans of the old fort, given by Louis Scholl are in the building, as are the first oil lamp brought to The Dalles; an old table used at the fort in 1850; Indian curios of stone and wood from Mr. Scholl; a china sugar bowl from Father Mesplie's Catholic mission; a section of the "witness tree" (14 & Mt. Hood) from which early surveys were made; ancient flint lock fire arms; one of the first melodeons brought to Oregon and photons of many local pioneers. GENERAL ORDER: -- HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE PACIFIC, FORT DALLES, O.T., JUNE 29, 1857 NO WHITE PERSON SHALL BE PERMITTED TO SETTLE IN INDIAN COUNTRY EAST OF THE WHITE SALMON RIVER AND NORTH OF THE COLUMBIA IN WASHINGTON TERRITORY, AND EAST OF THE DESCHUTES IN OREGON.

     This order was revoked by Gen. Harney Oct. 31, 1858. By that time Col. Wright had compelled all Indian tribes to sign treaties of peace and this opened the Inland Empire to settlement, The Dalles being the first original gateway. Emigrants came in long trains to settle in the valleys east of The Dalles (Wascopam) where thousands of horses and cattle grazed on the bunch grass hills that knew no plow for years afterwards. Safe settlement was assured by forts at The Dalles, Walla Walla, Boise, Simcoe, Yakima and Colville.

     The 4th U.S. Infantry brought a number of soldiers to The Dalles who afterwards became pioneer families. Among them being M.M. Cushing and Jacob Fritz, the latter who came via Panama with Col. Bonneville and his quartermaster Lt. U.S. Grant in 1852 and 700 men. The trip took 6 weeks and they lost 100 men by Cholera. In 1878 Pros. Grant told S.L. Brooks at the Cascades, "I was never stationed at The Dalles, but once was there a few days on an inspection." Jacob Fritz was born in Germany 1828) came to Penn. at 16, joined the 4 U.S. Inf. in 1852 coming to Vancouver where he remained till 1856 when he came to Fort Dalles (1863) and was 20 year the caretaker of old Fort Dalles, also employed by the Oregon Steam Nov. Co. as storekeeper and in 1875 was in charge of the commissary of the O.R. & R. Co. shops in The Dalles. He was quartermaster sergeant in the 4 U.S. Inf. He was a very well liked man by children and adults alike, a trait that is handed down in the Fritz family for 4 generations. He married Sarah Collins and they had 10 children among them being Louis, John and Charlie, Mary, Agnes, Ida and Lettie all born at the Fort Dalles garrison home of the family. Jacob Fritz died Feb. 4, 1898. His son Louis, first white child born at Fort Dalles (1867) died Oct. 29, 1848 at 80. He was a member of the National Guard, a painter by trade, a state game warden, a member of The Dalles band and Legion drum & bugle corps. He assisted Mrs. Crandall in writing her Covered Wagon series of pioneer articles on the early history of The Dalles and took a great interest in historical matters and did considerable research work, as the files of the Oregon State Library at Salem shows. Fig married Lora B. Johnson (1892) and they had Thelma (Mrs. Leonard Cox) of The Dalles and Col. Chester Fritz of Salem, manager of the gasoline tax refund department of the State Department

COL. GEORGE WRIGHT

     In 1881 Col. Geo. Wright was promoted to general and was placed in command of the Pacific department with headquarters at San Francisco where he remained until 1865 when the Oregon department was established with headquarters at Vancouver. He was returning to Fort Vancouver on the Brother Jonathan which struck a reef off Crescent City, Cal., in a storm, sinking within minutes July 9, 1865 with the loss of 200 lives including those of Gen. Wright and his wife whose bodies was found 150 miles south of the wreck. He was born in Vermont and a West Pointer of 1822, a veteran of the Florida and Mexican wars in addition to the Yakima Indian war. They were buried with military honors in the state house square at Sacramento, Cal. Det.21, 1865. The Times-Mountaineer said, "the lives of Gen. Wright and his wife were beautiful examples of unvarying devotion; and in death they were not divided." The Brother Jonathan was considered a good seaworthy boat but in an endeavor to run in to Crescent City, out of the storm, the vessel struck a sunken reef and within minutes went to the bottom with 200 passengers powerless to escape. Gen. Wright had a large sum of gold with him to pay soldiers at Vancouver, which was lost. Wm. Logan, Warm Springs Indian Agent also had a large sum of gold with him to pay Indians and those in the Indian service, which was lost. Many attempts were made to salvage the gold but the sea continues to hold the secret of its location. (Roxa Shackelford).

     At the dedication ceremonies of the Col. Wright school in 1925 Louis Fritz said, "the old Fort Dalles flag pole and parade grounds are the same as the Col. Wright school grounds, except for the change in size of trees. The saddlery and commissary departments stood just below the school (north), south of which was the hospital. The Guard house stood almost where the school building now is erected. The old flag pots, made on 2 sections, was later out down by emigrants for firewood. The stables for the cavalry equipment and horses were down about where 9th street now is." The Col. Wright school was opened Sept. 8, 1925. There were 12 lots in the grounds and the building cost $53,511.36 plus the furnishings of $3778.70.

DALLES CITY 1857

     Fort Dalles was "officially" incorporated as Dalles City June 26, 1857 by Col. N.H. Gates.

     The Umatilla House, the best known hotel in the Pacific northwest, was built by the Nixon Bros. and sold to Mr. Graves. The steamer Hassalo was built at the Cascades for the middle river run to Wascopam (Dalles City) by Bradford do Co. Orlando Humason, Father of Wasco County, built the MOUNTAINEER at DUFUR and launched it at the mouth of the Deschutes river to add to his fleet of sail-boat scows that operated between Deschutesville and Wallula, with R.R. Thompson, of Thompson Addition to The Dalles, as a partner. They used the Old Oregon Trail as a freight and Portage wagon road between The Dalles and Deschutesville via the Old Oregon Trail and Fairbanks and he had Wascopam wagon makers make him some of the largest freight wagons ever seen in the west. They operated this Portage wagon road from 1857 until they were absorbed by the Oregon Steam Nov. Co. in 1862, whom that year (1882) built The Dalles to Celilo Portage railroad. The above wagon road, during those 5 years carried the largest volume of traffic any road of the pioneer west ever carried in the history of the west!

   The Masonic lodge was established in The Dalles March 28 of that year. Five feet of snow was recorded.

WASCOPAM (Dalles City) 1858

     R.R. Thompson and Orlando Humason built the upper Columbia river steamer Col. Wright at Deschutesville to take care of the increased volume of passenger and freight traffic to the mines. The Wright paid for itself in a few trips. The Columbia Steam Nav. Co. and the Oregon Steam Nav. Co. operated boats on the middle river from the Cascades to The Dalles. M.M. Cushing built his hotel in Wascopam that year and the Wasco Hotel was built making 3 hotels to take care of the "floating population" passing through the city. Bradford a Co. established their boat office in Wascopam. W.G. Biglow started his grocery store, McCormick's hit Hood saloon was in business, McAuliff had a grocery, W.A. Moody had an assay office for weighing and accepting gold dust. P. Craig, who came to the city with military forces, opened the first drug store of the city, W.L. DeMoss opened a bakery. These were the leading merchants of The Dalles City -- WASCOPAM that year and were considered the wealthiest in Oregon

WASCOPAM (Dalles City) 1859

     The Journal, the first newspaper of the city appeared that year, edited by Capt. Thomas Jordan. W.A. Moody built his meeting hall and opera house for public gatherings and entertainment, on First street (south side) between Union and Court. Long lines of freight wagons, pack trains, emigrant schooners lined the streets. Orlando Humason's portage road was dust-choked with traffic day and as late at night as possible, weather permitting. Bradford A Co. warehouse was jammed with freight. Historical writers credit the city with a "floating tent population of 10,000", which if true would be the highest the city has ever had. Gold dust was the medium of circulation everything being on a gold basis with no services for less than $1. Mrs. Lord said, "the town was controlled by gamblers and the tough element and night life was a virtual uncontrolled riot."

     Col. N.B. Sinnott and Maj. Daniel Handley (a 300 lb. man) acquired the Umatilla House at First and Union and they made it a world famous hotel of 128 rooms. (See special article on). The Dalles fire department was established. The first courthouse of Wasco county was built and the city limits was extended to the 2nd bluff. The Congregationalist church was established. Oregon was admitted to the Union. The lumber for the first courthouse was sawed at the Jonas Mosier mill at Mosier and floated up the river on a scow. The demand for lumber for construction far exceeded the supply so Mr. Mosier, who was The Dalles's first contractor went to Mosier for a good source of lumber and power using barges for transportation, called scows, which had sails for self propulsion.

THE DALLES IN 1860

     The name of the post office of Wascopam was changed to THE DALLES March 22, 1880. The first public school at 4th and Jefferson was erected that year. The wooden Catholic church was erected on Lincoln between 3rd and 4th, facing north, by Father F.A. Vermaas, marking the Catholic religious center being transferred from the County hospital grounds to the area at 3rd and Lincoln streets where it has remained for 92 years.

     Edward Crate said he paid $1 for 12 corn seeds that spring which indicated high gold prices that were being charged in The Dalles at that time (almost as bad as in 1952).

     It was along about this period that Chas. White of Los Angeles said he came to The Dalles for the first time with his father Oliver(the White family lived later where the library is); and they stayed at Col. N.H. Gates hotel,(3rd & Union). Playing across the street in the sand he found 3, 50X pieces the first he had ever possessed and went on to explain that 3rd and Union was the "turning lot" for the soldiers when they were heading to and from Fort Dalles; and on pay day they would come down in town and get full of liquor and there seemed to be enough Irish in them to always be fighting on that corner lot, going or coming. He added that those Irish soldiers didn't need any reason for starting a fight all they needed was the opportunity, and as they rolled around in the sand they would lose coins out of their pockets which Chas. White and other small boys of the city soon learned to watch and dig around in the "sand bank" for. Lots of times the soldiers had regular gang fights or free-for alls in which anywhere from 15 to 50 would be making the blood dust fly and the dust rose like a whirl wind had hit the place. The father Oliver White was a carpenter and help built the old wooden first Wasco County courthouse which sat where the city hall is now located. Capt. R.R. Thompson, Chas. White and Dr. Bonner (who founded Bonner's Ferry, Idaho) ran an early Dalles butcher shop in which he worked 16 hours a day. Still later Mr. White was sheriff of Wasco County. (Chas. White of Los Angeles).

Dalles Merchants of 1860

     The census of 1860 showed W.H. Newell, printer; E.W. Waterman, wagonmaker; Lind & Liebe, blacksmiths; F.A. Stern, bootmaker; Francisco Vallard, saddler; Tom & H.C. Gordon, saddle shop; J. H. Murray, sheet metal and iron; Phillip Koster, blacksmith; Fred Bottler, brewery; John Noble, saw mill; U.S. Army, saw mill; Tom Smith, O. Masher, J.M. Thompson, L.T. Henderson and Orlando Humason were saw mill men.

The Dalles in 1860 by Fred Lockley, Oregon Journal staff.

   The Dalles saw a hectic time in the early 60's as a result of the discovery of the rich placer mines of Canyon City, Auburn and Idaho points. It was the outfitting point for the upper country and the streets were thronged with pack trains outfitting for the mines. The merchandise houses did a big business and the saloons and gambling houses were perfect mints as they ran 24 hours a day. Some years ago I interviewed Col. Henry E. Dosch who was a business man of The Dalles in the early 60's and he said:

     "In the spring of 1864 I was working for Block, Miller & Co. at The Dalles and they had the LARGEST STORE IN OREGON. We not only handled general merchandise and miners supplies but we operated the warehouse from which the goods were taken by pack trains to the mines. The Dalles had a permanent population of about 2500 but the streets were always thronged with transients on their way to and from the mines. There was more activity in The Dalles in one day than in Portland in a month. I had charge of buying of gold dust for the firm. The saloons and merchants of The Dalles accepted gold dust in payment for their wages and we bought the gold dust from them. At that time there was no currency in circulation whatever. There were gold coins from $1 gold pieces to $50 gold slugs, but most of the trading was done by the miners, fresh from the mines, with the dust they themselves washed or rocked out.

     The Dalles in those days was a wide-open town. George Clayton ran the biggest gambling house in eastern Oregon. You could get plenty of action on your gold dust in his place with poker, faro, 3-card monte or you could bet your money on the small horses. The silver quarter was the smallest coin used. Cigars were 50¢ each and drinks ranged from two bits to four bits each. Victor Trevitt ran the Mt. Hood saloon, which was really a sort of a gentlemen's club. He wouldn't allow a drunk in the place nor would he allow gambling. He wouldn't stand for a rough house nor rough talk. As a matter of fact you saw few drunken men in The Dalles in those days. Everyone went "heeled" so there was little fighting, for, in case of trouble, the survivor was the one who was the quickest on the trigger. This made people a little cautious about starting anything they couldn't finish.

     So much gold dust was coming into The Dalles that citizens started action for a mint and Congress appropriated $100,000 in 1865 for its construction and the contract was let, the rock being quarried 5 miles up Mill creek. Congress provided no more money and the uncompleted building was sold and converted into a flour mill. The Dalles was the trading center for Idaho, Montana, eastern Washington, all of eastern and southern Oregon. Merchants came from Boise and Walla Walla to purchase supplies.

     The Umatilla House took in more money over their bar than all the rest of the hotels in town put together. The Oregon Steam Navigation Co. had a monopoly on the river and made money hand over fist. They charged $60 a ton for freight from Portland to The Dalles (its now $20 a ton) and the boat fare ran $20 per passenger with meals on the boat at $1 each. Boats were crowded to capacity and had more business than they could handle. Breakfast on the boats was ham and eggs, tenderloin steak, venison, fried potatoes, hot cakes and coffee and that kind of a breakfast sticks to your ribs. Steamboats made from $3000 to $5000 on a single trip! The record May 13, 1862 was $10,000 on a single trip for one boat! Steamboat men were W.S. Ladd, Capt. J.C. Ainsworth, Capt. R.R. Thompson (of The Dalles) Simon G. Reed, B.F. Bradford, Capt. L.W. Coe (of The Dalles) Benj. Stark, Joe Myrick, Richard Williams and George Hoyt. (Lulu D. Crandall clippings, Dalles Library).

THE DALLES IN 1861

     Streets in the city commenced to take their names and Union was named after the northern or Union states of the Civil war, Lincoln after Abraham Lincoln and Liberty for Lincoln's action in setting the slaves free, Washington was named after George Washington, and Court was named on account of the location of the first courthouse east of the Cascades on the site now occupied by the city hall, Federal for the federal government, Laughlin for W.C. Laughlin, Jefferson, Monroe, Madison and Taylor were for presidents, Pentland for Robert Pentland who installed the first water system in the city, Garrison was the street up to the garrison buildings, Wright for Col. George Wright, Jordan for Capt. Thomas Jordan, Mission for the Catholic mission boundary line and Kelley Ave. for Col. J.K. Kelley first mayor of The Dalles, Trevitt for Victor Trevitt, Mt. Hood for the road up toward the mountain. First street was known as Plain and the street below that was Water.

     The winter of 1861 was 24 below and the Columbia river froze over. There was lots of stock lost. Edward Crate Jr. carried the mail to Walla Walla that winter by pack train. The boats generally hauled the mail in better weather to Umatilla and Wallula from Deschutesville.

THE DALLES IN 1862

     The Dalles in 1882 was a "bee-hive of activity" following the discovery of gold at Canyon City. The Pony Express service between The Dalles and Canyon City was established (see under Pony Exp.) The pack trains, saddle trains and pony express trains all used the newly established Todd Bridge across the Deschutes below Tygh. It was only a pack horse bridge until it fell into the Deschutes river and was replaced by the wider horse and wagon bridge in 1864; but as a pack horse bridge it handled a vast volume of pack horse traffic to the Canyon City and southern Oregon area. It also was used by pack horse mining trains that came up over the Barlow road from the Willamette valley to the mines. The Homestead act was passed that year allowing some of those miners to take up ranches on the, pack train route to Canyon City. Baker and Umatilla counties were taken off Wasco. The Oregon Steam Navigation Co. was formed that year under the leadership of Capt. J.C. Ainsworth and bought out all other boat operators on the Columbia, and built The Dalles to Celilo railroad at a cost of $50,000 a mile to handle the vast volume of traffic which was clogging the warehouses at both Portland and The Dalles(for complete story see under BOATS). The 1862 to 1888 was the GOLD MINING PERIOD IN THE HISTORY OF WASCO COUNTY and CANYON CITY and THE DALLES WERE THE TWO LARGEST CITIES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. $15,900,000 was taken from Canyon creek by 5000 miners.

     The Times-Mountaineer was established by Wm. M. Hand who operated the paper until his death in 1881. T.S. Lang was editor. The Methodist church was built under the direction of Rev. J.F. DeFoe and the Congregationalist church was built that year under the direction of Rev. Thomas Condon, geologist. The first wooden sidewalks were authorized constructed by the city council and Robert Pentland and James Reynolds laid the first water pipes in the city streets. They sold (187T) to S.L. Brooks and Orlando Humason who in turn sold (1890) to Dalles City, It was claimed in 1890 that The Dalles had sufficient water for a 20,000 town and the best and purest water in the U.S. In 1952 the same volume of water won't hardly care for 5000 people and "health authorities" say it is so badly contaminated that "special chemicals have to be added to it to "purify it".

     The winter of 1882 was one of the hardiest on livestock on record.

THE DALLES IN 1863

     On April 20 the first trains operate over The Dalles to Celilo Portage railroad which continued to operate until 1882 when it was taken over and became a part of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Co. (Now the Union Pacific) right of way and track. The Oregon Steam Navigation shops in The Dalles, across Mill creek at First, employed 500 men and had a payroll of $33,000 a month. The Dalles ferry, a sort of a sailboat-barge, propelled by oarsmen on quiet days, was owned and operated by J.B. Dickerson. Governor Zenith Moody of The Dalles founds the town of Umatilla Landing. James K. Kelley was elected first mayor of The Dalles and afterwards became U.S. Senator and he is credited with being the "Father of The Dalles".

THE DALLES IN 1864

     The year 1864 was important in the transportation history of The Dalles. It saw a passable wagon road from Ft. Harney (near Burns) to The Dalles made by Maj. Stems and this permitted the establishment of The Dalles to Canyon City stage-coach service, by Henry H. Wheeler (more complete story under stage coaches) between the two LARGEST CITIES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. This stage service continued to operate until the completion of the railroad lento Baker about 1884, it being closer to Baker for freight and passengers after that.

     Robert Mays and Ezra Hemingway owned the bridge across the Deschutes below Tygh and they had rebuilt it for wagons. This not only made possible wagon and stage service to Canyon City but it also cut 100 MILES OFF, the wear y route of the emigrants between the top of Cottonwood canyon in Sherman county and Tygh Valley on the Barlow road to Oregon City. The emigrants no longer had to come on into The Dalles to find a road back out to Tygh and at a rate of travel of 15 miles a day that meant a WEEK of travel, time saved.

     Union and Grant counties were taken off Wasco making The Dalles less important.

THE DALLES IN 1865

     The Dalles to Salt Lake City mail stage, express and passenger run of 800 miles was established. (more complete story under stage coaches). The sinking of the Brother Jonathan took the lives of Gene George A. Wright and his wife and Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Logan, Indian agent at Warm Springs. The Dalles was credited with a population of 1898 in 1865.

THE DALLES IN 1866

     Fort Dalles was abandoned by the government in 1866.

     The first earthquake of about 3 seconds duration was felt in The Dalles Nov. 30, 1886 and swayed the lamps, pictures and tinware of the Bunnell & Miller store. A large band of cattle at North Dalles stampeded and ran themselves into exhaustion. Emigrants commenced to head into the Yakima country. George A. Liebe made wagons in The Dalles and did general blacksmith work at 3rd and Laughlin. Lewis Davenport received a new shipment of buggies from Portland which were on display for sale at his livery stable. The government horses broke out of the corrals at Fort Dalles and strayed by the hundreds all over the mountains clear back to the Meadows and their roundup took a week. Over 16,000,000 in gold was received in The Dalles that year. Robert Pentland established his flour mill at 6 & Mill creek. The Dalles Lumber and sawmill was established 16 miles up Mill creek, the lumber being flumed down to the garrison buildings where they established a planing mill and later the flume was used for city water purposes.

THE DALLES IN 1867

     The U.S. Mint construction was started on 3rd between Madison and Monroe and $125,000 was spent on the 75 foot square, one story building before it was abandoned (see special story on). In 1867 Robert Pentland sold his flour mill to The Dalles Woolen Mill Co. who made cloth, blankets and socks. In 1880 it was sold to J.A. Schmidt who converted it back to a 50 barrel flour mill. The machinery for this mill came from the Dufur four mill and the timbers were out of the old government sawmill at 9 & Mill creek.

     A county hospital was operated in The Dalles by Dr. Jackson, the first mention of any hospital in histories pertaining to The Dalles. Wm. Thompson and Fred Lusher were treated in the hospital for broken legs by Dr. Jackson. E. Schultz's orchestra played for a dance in the Gymnasium Hall in 1867. He was a deputy sheriff. A.W. Buchanan was Wells Fargo agent.

THE DALLES IN 1868

     When the mines gave out The Dalles commenced to suffer from its first real depression in 1868. The Dalles to Goldendale, Yakima and Ellensburg stage line was established and continued to operate until the railroad was built into that country in 1884 (for more details see under stages). The telegraph line from Portland to The Dalles and Celilo was strung by the Oregon Steam Nav. Co. The Empire Hotel was started by Tom Smith and French & Co. formed a wholesale liquor and merchandise establishment at 2nd and Washington where they later operated their bank.

     The ads in the Times-Mountaineer of this period were Humason & Odell; Gates & Haft & W. Lair Hill, attorneys; Doctors D.B. Warner, C.B. Brooks, B.11. Mitchell, J.F. Kellogg; druggists Waldron Bros., P. Craig, S. Lemon, Gates & Chapin. First street was the business section while 2nd street was the red light, saloon and chinese district.

THE FIRST RACE TRACK

     The Indian Race Track, on the beach, about 2 miles east of town (back of the present Tie Plant), was an important place for race events. The Indians liked to race as well as the white man and "talk up" their fast ponies, offer to place money on them if any white man cared to call their bets, The Indians most all wore blankets in those days and as soon as the horses started from the line-up they would take their blankets off, wave them and yell and shout, and this waving and yelling all too often caused the white men's horses to bolt or at least shy and slack speed permitting the Indian ponies to win. (Chas. White, Dalles resident of 1856). In later years this Indian race track was used for Sunday and holiday racing events.

     Practically all men had horses of one kind or another, if they were residents of the community, so there was a lot of local interest in horse racing. The out-of-town freighters, stage coach, pony express, pack train men and farmers all had horses as well as cowmen and sheepmen. Always some man thought his horse was better than someone else's horse and that's all it took to make a race and the best place to settle it was on the Indian Race track. This track continued to be used for more than 30 years.

THE DALLES IN 1869

     The most important event for that year was the establishment of The Dalles to Prineville stage line for that marked early settlement date for central Oregon which had to obtain its supplies from The Dalles until the building of the Columbia Southern railroad into Shaniko in 1901. The Cow Canyon Toll road was established from Bakeoven to the foot of Cow Canyon by Wm. Clark & Low Doherty to shorten the distance from The Dalles to Prineville (see under stages). A group of Dalles business men formed The Dalles to Boise Military Road Co. via the John Day valley to improve service to that part, of the country (for more story see under Dalles to Boise Military road). The Union Pacific railroad was completed that year into Salt Lake City and Kelton, Utah May 10, 1869 and that stepped up the mail and passenger and express business on The Dalles to Salt Lake City stage line and made it possible to get letters to and from the east in less time than the old route via Panama.

     Business men of The Dalles in this 1880-69 period (George Owens Directory, Portland & State Lib.) J.W. Adams, J.C. Baldwin, Al Bettengen, J.W. Blakeley, M.M. Cushing, R.W. Crandall, J. Doherty, Ad Edgar, E.P. Fitzgerald, D.M. & J.W. French, R.F. Gibons, Henry Klint, Geo. A. Liebe, Wentworth Lord, J. McNulty, Wm. Mitchell, Geo. Rush, N.B. Sinnott, Max Vogt, H. Whitmore, W.N. Wiley, James Fenton, John Booth, Robert Pentland, Anton Wintemier (made Umatilla House bus), Geo. Liebe, Peter Neal, a sawmill man, McKay & Jackson, sawmill and Geo. Bradford, sawmill. F. Wakerman's ad in the Mountaineer said his boot and shoe store was on Main (lst) opposite Chapin's Hall (1868). The Dalles seemed to have 3 halls then the Moody, Chapins, and Gymnasium where events were held in the 1860 period.

THE DALLES IN 1870
The A.M. Williams & CO. STORE

     The second oldest business institution in The Dalles is the A.M. Williams store founded May l, 1870 as a general merchandise store by Edward Wingate and Griffith Williams both of whom came to The Dalles (Chronicle May 1, 1952) as employees of the Oregon Steam Nav. Co. In those days The Dalles was a typical frontier town with board sidewalks, false front stores and mud-filled streets. It was the terminal for freight wagons from as far away as Ellensburg, Baker and Prineville and Lakeview on the south. The store was originally called E. Wingate & Co. with Mr. Wingate the manager while Mr. Williams stayed with the boat company until 1872. Mr. Wingate died in 1883 and Mr. Williams took over the management until his death in 1888 when it was jointly managed by Mrs. Wingate and Mrs. Williams. Mrs. Williams was Anna Marshall so she retained the initials A.M. in front of her married name. She was the mother of 10 children. In 1891 her son Edward took over the management of the store and in 1893 it was changed to a dry goods store. It has always occupied its present location expanding to its present frontage in 1896, and has always been known as the A.M. Williams store since 1888.

     In 1898 Edward Williams and W.E. Walther formed a partnership in the hardware and implement business gradually changing to the Walther-Williams automobile agency. Edward Williams died in 1928 and his brother Carlton P. Williams managed the store until 1938 when J.F. Moore became manager, Mr. Williams moved to the presidency of the firm which he still holds and resides in The Dalles. The store was remodeled in 1939 with new front and display windows, a full basement and improved main floor with 30 departments. Richard Rodman became manager July 31, 1951. The company has 3 stores, one in Corvallis and one in Eugene besides The Dalles which is the home office and employs 85 persons, 35 of whom are in The Dalles. The store has remained in the Williams family for 3 generations.

     The Dalles in 1870 had a population of 3356.

1871-72

     The big $100,000 fire on Aug. 17 started in the Wenz furniture shop and would have taken the town had not the wind changed. It was stopped by the popular trees at Dr. Thomas Condon's home on 3rd between Laughlin and Jefferson. The Union street park school was established that year. In 1878 the First Baptist church was founded by Rev. O.D. Taylor. The Modoc Indian war started Nov. 29 of that year in south-eastern Oregon and it was a hard winter campaign to force them to submit. The 1870's was a period of depression in the history of the city and not very much activity occurred. Lake county was taken off Wasco, in 1874 showing settlement in that part of the state and wheat was being raised generally in the central part of the county but lack of cheap transportation prevented too much expansion.

CATTLE DRIVES

     The 1870 period did see eastern cattle buyers at the Umatilla House to arrange for purchase of cattle to be formed in large bands or herds to be driven to the railroad terminal at Kelton, Utah, for shipment on the Union Pacific railroad to eastern markets. These big sheep, cattle and horse drives are all but forgotten pages in the important history of The Dalles and Wasco county, but they were important annual events of those days in the 1870's to 1884 when the railroad was extended west to Wallula. Either a number of cattle or stock raisers would join together on those 800 mile drives or else the regular buyers bought "on foot, as is" and formed their own bands and hired their own professional drivers who made it a business to drive stock through to Kelton or Salt Lake City. The sheep and horse drives were made in the same way, except that the horse drives were generally from The Dalles area to Army Posts, forts or camps in other localities. Daniel Cooper of Fairbanks had 2 sons who devoted the best years of their lives in the 1870's driving horses to Montana and Wyoming and the Dakotas for delivery to army forts for Indian fighting purposes or freight hauling teems. The flood of 1876 stood at 57.3 June 23. In 1877 the Umatilla House burned but was rebuilt. The half million dollar fire Of 1878 started in Corum's saddle shop (211 E 2nd). H.J. Waldon died from over-exertion during this fire. This was an Oct. 27 fire.

     The Dalles to Wapinitia stage, mail and express line was established in 1878 (see under stages). In 1879 the Pioneer Hotel fire proved to be another ½ million dollar fire before it was stopped after 3 hours burning May 21, 1879. The snow was reported to be 29 inches that winter and the flood the next spring stood at 48.7.

THE DALLES IN THE 1880's

     After the big fires cleaned out the old, wooden, shacks Max Vogt built the Vogt and Chapman business blocks on 2nd street out of fireproof brick made at The Dalles brick yard kilns which were located on the "brickyard road", adjoining the I.O.O.F. cemetery (1880) and also built his 3 story Vogt Opera house, the pride and joy of his heart, which allowed the best in the entertainment world of those days to be brought to and shown at The Dalles and it was at these operas in the Vogt Opera house that Wm. Birgfeld's orchestra would amaze the show performers and managers by being able to play their light opera music with his orchestra; often without a single rehearsal There was not another orchestra north of San ' , Francisco or west of Chicago who could do that in those days!

     Then Wasco Independent Academy was established in 1881 as a private school to which many of the pioneers of that period attended. It was created a state normal school in 1889. Prof. Tom Gatch was principal, Mrs. S.A. Stowell, preceptress, Mary Smith, primary department with about 60 students in the first attendance. By 1893 it was found support did not meet expanses so it was sold to school district 12 and became a part of The Dalles public school system.

The RAILROAD EXPANSION PERIOD 1882-84

     The railroad construction period in The Dalles history brought a "big boom" to the little city which was equal to the gold rush days of 1880, but it only lasted about 2 years and the railroad took far more away from The Dalles than it ever brought to it. We lost all of our eastern Oregon and Washington trade and our importance as a trading center and shipping center. Central Oregon, the mid-Columbia area and the eastern portion of Klickitat county were the only crumbs left. We lost Central Oregon in 1901 with the construction of the Columbia Southern railroad into Shaniko. The railroad did continue their shops in The Dalles and the directory of 1883 contains the names of practically all of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Co. employees, some 500 in number and their shops including offices, tin shop, round-house, blacksmith, drafting, foundry, pump works, tanks, store rooms were credited with covering 18 acres, west across Mill creek or First from the Umatilla House. These shops were moved to Portland in 1883 another blow from which The Dalles never recovered from as 1500 people left town with them.

     The History of Central Oregon said, "The Dalles in 1880 gained notoriety as being a 'tough town' the undesirable element flocked to the city the result being robberies, homicides and for a period almost a reign of terror. The growth of the city has exceeded expectations equal to the mining excitement when box houses would be built like magic."

     In 1882 Lang & Ryan drove 13,000 head of cattle to Salt Lake City for shipment east on the Union Pacific railroad which had not yet been constructed west, until September 11, 1883.

     The new Wasco County Courthouse at 3rd and Union was constructed at a cost of $23,000.

     The Wasco Warehouse was incorporated (1883) by J.W. French, S.L. Brooks, E.B. McFarland and managed by Wentworth Lord. They handled millions of pounds of wool, hides, pelts, sold hay, grain and supplies for farmers and construction work. (See story under ELECTRICITY).

     The Columbia river fish wheels at The Dalles, developed by Frank Seufert, was credited with taking 20 car loads of fish per day (1884) and this marked the development of a new industry in The Dalles. (For more fish story see under SEUFERT).

     Gilliam county was taken off Wasco in 1885 and Morrow county taken off in 1886 which dates mark the settlement of those parts of old Wasco county. In 1887 Malheur and Wallows counties were lost. In 1883 the Times-Mountaineer said that sawmills and a flour mill, printing machinery and planing mills were taking power from Mill creek waters and that there was lots of water going to waste, that could furnish power for other manufacturers. The Dalles at that time had 2 breweries, several carriage shops, an iron and brass foundry and that the railroad employed 500 map and had $1,000,000 invested in Dalles property.

I.C. NICKELSEN BOOK STORE

     We mention the I.C. Nickelsen Book store in 1883 for it was the predecessor to Weigelt Book store and is one of the oldest business institutions in The Dalles. In 1883 he carried a large stock of toys, notions, music, school books, pianos, organs and other musical instruments and has been located at 315 E 2nd for more than 50 years. Mr. Nickelsen was born in Germany (1842) son of Peter and Christina (Petersen) Nickelsen. He received his early education in Germany and came to New York in 1859 where for 8 years he was in the restaurant business. Then he went to San Francisco by boat and on to Portland where the ship was nearly wrecked on the Columbia bar at Astoria. He came on up to The Dalles (1867) where he worked 2½ years in the Umatilla House before starting his own notion and book store. He was burned out in the big fire of 1891 but rebuilt and continued in business. In 1872 he married Josine Fredden of Germany and they had daughters Christina (Mrs. Harry Grubb), Julia and Clara. Mrs. Nickelsen died in 1883. Gus and Paul Weigelt bought the store in 1927.

Z.F. MOODY STORE

     Another of the larger stores here in 1883 was that of Gov. Zenas F. Moody, located at l & Washington where the Model Laundry is now. Mr. Moody was called "the merchant prince of The Dalles", at that time and he carried one of the largest stocks of merchandise in the city consisting of dry goods, groceries, hardware, clothing, boots and shoes. He had a water operated elevator in his store, one of the first in The Dalles. (For more Moody story see under MOODY).

THE DALLES DIRECTORY OF 1883

     Hugh Glenn was listed as an architect. Attorneys were:- J.E. Atwater, A.S. Bennett, E.E. Calhoun, J.B. Condon, L.A. McArthur, N.H. Gates, Hill & Mays, Winslow S. Myers, Walkins & Bird, W.H. Wilson. J.B. Crossen, auctioneer. Bakers: George Rush, Oregon Bakery and L. Neuman, Fred Benzer of Old Fort Dalles bakery. French & Co., and Schenck & Beall were the bankers. Three barbers Frank Christman, Rudolph Lusher and P.J. Nichols were listed. The Village Blacksmith's were John L. Thompson, A. Mott, Wm. Mitchell, F.W.L. Skibbe, August Wintermier who made the Umatilla House bus. Stores were I.C. Nickelsen, books; M.T. Nolan, books; D.A. Whiteman, J. Freinman, F. Wickman, shoes; Z.F. Moody, R.H. Greely, E.P. Fitzgerald, McFarland & French, Ed. Wingate, A. Bunnell, H. Gerson, J.G. Fredden, O. Mangold, Blumauer & Son, S. Baden, S. Harris, Herbring & McInerny, McFarland & French, L. Selling, F. Vogt; Prinz & Nitschke, furniture and Oregon Furniture Mfg. Co.; drugs, C. Dunham, Snipes and Kinnersly, Waldron & Covilland; express Wells Fargo, R.B. Reed, agent and Northern Pacific and Snipes and Kinnersly; flour mills C.L. Schmidt and Snipes & Smith; groceries A. Baunn, S.H. Canfield, E.P. Fitzgerald, O. Mangold, McFarland & French, Phelps Bros. L.G. Sanders, L. Selling, F. Vogt, Edward Wingate; hardware Al Bettingen, A. Bunnell, E.P. Fitzgerald, T.W. Miller, Z.F. Moody, L. Selling and Ed. Wingate; harness L.D. Frank and W J. Strong; hotels Umatilla House, Cosmopolitan, Globe, Columbia, Jackson House; livery stables M.D. Adams, C.M. Brown, R.B. Hood, W.N. Wiley; hay A.B. Moore, Issac ?obs and J.H. Larsen; meats, Crate Bros., J.B. Dow, Dickerson & Neetz; vegetables O. Mangold and Seufert Bros.; W.H. Gilhousen, photographer; doctors Mrs. H.P. Appy, O.D. Doane, A.D. Gilmer, Hugh Logan, Wm. Shackelford, H.L. Waters; papers Mountaineer & Sun; Tom Hudson sold real estate as did Gibons and Marden. Cafes were Vienna, H.H. Draper, prop., Delmonico, T.W. Baunard, prop., City Cafe, Mrs. C. Davis, prop., Frenen, James White (negro) prop., Eureka, Mrs. E.A. Fadden, prop. Taylors Patrick Fagan, F.J. Greinow, H.C. Neilsen (later a farmer on Mill creek). Undertakers H. Wentz and Prinz & Nitschke. Jewelers E. Beck, F. Dahm and W.E. Garretson. The saloon keepers of the town were Geo. Allen, Baldwin Bros., G.T. Bolter, A.K. Bonzey, Henry Clerish, Robert Earle, C.M. Fouts, Richard Fulton, Chas. Gilgard, Henry Groenninger, Handley & Sinnott, Ben Korten, Fred Lempke, T.T. Nichols, Tom Smith, Schrader & Wolfgang, J.H. Taylor, Louis Tremean, Ed. Wicks, Wilson and Pundt. The Dalles was credited with a population of 3000 in 1883.

A WALK DOWN FIRST STREET IN 1882 by Fred W. Wilson

     Our walk starts at the Umatilla House, the center of all Dalles activities where stages for Canyon City, Yakima, Walla Walla. Salt Lake City and Wapinita left. All tickets were sold in the hotel and in the evening when the stages and boats arrived the scene was indescribable with activity. Everyone who could spare the time was there to see who was coming to town and to gather news. The office had a long mahogany desk counter, comfortable chairs, glittering chandeliers of polished brass lamps hung from the ceilings. In one corner stood the immense safe, which took the place of a bank. The railroad and steamship men brought their gold payroll to the hotel and the names would be placed upon each coin wrapper and the amount was placed in the safe.

     The bar room was the largest on the coast with spacious doorways to the baggage station and the sides were lined with rows of chairs where occupants could visit, play billiards or cards. Many a business transaction took place there including bickering and trading on wool prices and clips. Large stoves which would take 4-foot lengths of wood were kept warm by China boys. No one ever became intoxicated in that bar room or if they did they were removed.

     The dining room could seat 300 and after arrival of boats and stages of an evening it was generally filled. The west view down the river was magnificent and pleasing. It was in this room that the social events of the town were held, like the fireman's ball. No man was ever refused a meal whether he had any money or not! The parlor on the second floor, in the southwest corner, was the scene of many weddings. A large grand piano was in the center and on the south wall hung a large French plate glass mirror for the bride to freshen up her hair at and the groom to see if his tie was straight.

     Next to the hotel, east, was a vacant lot, kept that way for fire protection; and next to that was the Rosenbo cafe; then the A.K. Bonzey Snowdrop saloon; next was Owen Mathew's carpenter shop, a hangout for roughnecks. Crossing Court to the north-east corner was the 2 story O.S. Savage building which was undermined with high water and collapsed with a roar that could be heard all over town. Mr. Savage took Mr. Glenn to court over it. The building was replaced by 3-single story frame buildings, the corner one being the office of The Dalles-Portland-Astoria Navigation Co. and the next 2 were paint shops of Mr. Savage. He painted river steamers and buildings. It later became the dispatchers officer for the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Co. handling trains from Portland to Walla Walla. The next building was Henry Schnuders cafe and then came the Cosmopolitan Hotel. It was not as elegant as the Umatilla House but it ranked with the best in the northwest. It was almost as large as the Umatilla House but its location prevented the same atmosphere. Tom Smith was the proprietor. It was a 3 story building which burned about 1912. It had a fine Concord coach which met all the trains and boats. His daughter Louisa married H.M. Beall who was associated with John S. Schenck in the old First National Bank. On the northwest corner of First and Washington was the Waldron stone building (still standing) erected in 1859 by Henry J. and George W. Waldron. It is the oldest building in The Dalles. They kept a drug store on the ground floor and the offices of Joseph G. Wilson, lawyer; Dr. B.W. Mitchell, Dr. Wm. Shackelford and the Masonic lodge hall was on the 2nd floor. The entrance was first on the street level. In 1880 the street was raised 12 feet. The stone came from & quarry near the Pioneer cemetery. The high water of 1894 stood 9 feet deep on the railroad track according to a mark on that building.

     Along the shore, wood scows landed and the beach was often covered with wood. Later the D.P.A.N. Co. built a warehouse on piling (about the size of the port docks) with runways for teams extending from Washington around to Court street. Wheat, wool and merchandise were stored there for shipment or delivery. The Bailey Gazer whistle was heard daily at 3 P.M. She stopped only 15 minutes to unload her 300 passengers, load waiting passengers and freight and shoved off for Portland. The Dalles City arrive around 8 P.M. or later. Those were great days. Chinaman occupied the 1 story frame buildings on the north side of First between Washington and Laughlin with their stores, laundries and lodging houses. The flood of 1894 and fires wiped them out. China creek, flowing from springs to the east, gave them water for their dwellings and gardens. The Lowler Bros. operated a steam laundry at First and Jefferson. They sold to Joe Peters who turned it into a box factory and lumber yard which was later destroyed by fire. The crew of the Adam Forpaugh circus helped fight the fire. The Dalles Iron Foundry operated on that same corner by Tom Lewis. They made castings for boats and the railroad. F.W.L. Skibbe later operated the foundry and he also operated a hotel on 2nd street.

     The old ball grounds was located where the United Mills now is. The Dalles Red Socks played the Portland Stars there and many other exciting games have been played there. West of the mill was the railroad freight depot built in 1882 and recently torn down at First and Madison and on the south west corner of First and Madison was the railroad passenger depot (1882-1915). The next building west was the W.C. Laughlin home where the Stadelman Ice plant is at First and Laughlin. It was destroyed in the fire of 1891 and Mrs. Laughlin built at 4th and Laughlin. Across the street, west, was the P.E. Farrelly's Dalles House, a 2 story rooming and boarding house; then the E.P. Fitzgerald home and his brick store building on the corner of First & Federal. Across the street on the southwest corner of First and Federal was the old skating rink and dance hall which E.C. Pease converted into a warehouse from which freight teams hauled merchandise to Canyon City, Prineville, Yakima, Condon, Heppner and other points. Immediately west was the old Columbia hotel, built by T.T. Nichols and later moved across from the Umatilla House and called the Glenwood hotel. Then came the Mountaineer office. Tom Miller had his hardware store at First and Washington.

     On the southwest corner of First and Washington (Model laundry) was the 2-story brick building of Gov. Zenith Moody (the Prince of Dalles merchants) and his large merchandise store. To the west was the Vogt and Chapman merchandise store; then George Rushe's bakery and grocery; Rudalph Lusher's barber shop who specialized in training Van Dyke beards; then the I.C. Nickelsen Book store; Jacob Juker's tobacco store; F. Wickman's shoe store; Vic Trevitt's Mt. Hood saloon, he was the Beau Bremmel of the town at that time, wore a Prince Albert coat, plug hat, boiled shirt and fancy jewelry and his Mt. Hood saloon was called a "Gentleman's Palace". This block later became China town when the merchants moved to 2nd street. Some of the China stores were Dock Sing & Co.; Chow Kee; Lee Bros.; Lee Jack, mayor of China town, and Lee Wong. Their stores carried silks, tea, nuts, notions, fire crackers and other products of China.

     At the southwest corner of First and Court was the stone building occupied by the Baldwin Bros. saloon, cafe and lodging houses; next was the J.H. Herman fish market; then the Henry Sunshine & Fred Wagner Fruit stand; then the W.H. Jones cigar store; the Moody Hall a 2 story wooden building where early Dalles shows were held. At First and Union was the Columbia hotel formerly the location of the Williams & Marshbank Livery stable. West across Mill creek at First was the new railroad shops formerly the shops of the Oregon Steam Navigation Co. who sold to the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Co. in 1880 and which employed 500 men and represented an investment of a million dollars. The Baldwin Opera house was at 107 W. First.

THE DALLES IN 1897

     J. H. Blackney ran a large brickyard out on Brickyard road next to the odd Fellows cemetery. His large kilns supplied the brick for rebuilding the town after the big fire of 1891.

     Woodford the Hermit lived in a cave, out on Brickyard road, high on the hillside above the Catholic cemetery. The cave is still there. He boarded and tinned up the front, ran his tin pipe stove chimney out through the boards and lived as comfortably as our "forefathers used to live" in the stone age. Yes, primitive tent-wigwam and cave dwellers are a part of the history of The Dalles which few cities can boast.

     In 1897 Pease and Mays sold wagons and general merchandise. In those days farmers paid their grocery bills annually but their wives sold fresh barnyard eggs to Mr. Pease for cash and took the money and went over to A.M. Williams and bought their calico dress materials.

     In 1897 the Pacific Corset Company made corsets at Northdalles, across the river. They later moved their industry to 8 & Federal streets because it was too hard for workers to row boats across the river mornings and evenings, especially when the weather was bad.

     Livery stables in operation in 1897 were Fred Archer, M.P. Gilmore, Murchie Bros., Ward & Robinson.

The Scouring Mill

     On June 14, 1901 The Dalles Scouring Mill at the foot of Federal street began operations with new machinery and 20 men. Mr. Russell, the manager, claimed he had several hundred thousand pounds of wool on hand sufficient to make steady employment for some months to come. Wool buyers from Boston, New York and San Francisco bought the years crop of 7 to 8 million pounds. The Dalles was the Wool center of Oregon. Wool was shipped in here by wagon and rail for 250 miles around.

THE PERFECT SPELLER

     In 1882 Got. T. S. Lang and his wife Varney ran the Wasco Sun, a Dalles paper of that day; and Mrs. Lang was the only known person who ever lived in Wasco County that had the correct spelling of every word in the dictionary. She had MEMORIZED the dictionary and never needed to use it! When the crew of the Sun wanted to know the correct spelling of a word or its meaning all they had to do was ask Mrs. Lang. She was NEVER WRONG!

SOME OF THE OLD MEETING HALLS

     One of the first meeting halls was the old courthouse at 3rd & Court for public meetings and church services as early as 1859. The Umatilla House provided a place for social functions such as dances, meetings and conventions. The Gymnasium Hall on First street was operated in 1887 by E. Schulz a deputy sheriff of Wasco county. The old Moody Opera House on the south side of First between Union and Court in 1887 provided for entertainment up to the time it burned in the big fire of 1879. One of the concerts held Dec. 11, 1867 admission was $1 and the program started at 7. The orchestra music was provided by Messrs. Dehm, Al Bettengen, Sr., E. Shults and Ross. Z.M. Donnell represented the old year and his son Laurie the new and Gov. Zenith Moody represented John Anderson while Miss Annie Puck sang My Joe John in a sweet voice that will be long remembered in The Dalles.

     The Dalles Opera House and Lord's Hall were in operation in 1863. Chipman's Hall of 1868 was closed by 1863. The Fitzgerald skating rink and dance hall operated at the foot of Federal street. The 3-story Vogt Opera House on 3rd street was in operation in 1880 to 1917. The Baldwin Opera House at 107 W. First operated up to 1903. The Snipes & Kinnersly Opera House at 215 E. 2nd operated in the Gay 90's with a gallery around the walls over the Recreation. The Casino at 310 E. 2nd and the Grand at 217 E. 2nd were the first movie houses followed by the Empress 420 E. 2 and the Stiles at 310 E. 2. The Empress of 1925 was at 211 E. 2. The Auditorium was built in 1921 followed by the Granada.

THE DALLES IN THE GAY 90's

     The Gay 90 period in Dalles history was one of fire and flood, depression and panic and war. January 11, 1890 was ushered in with a $80,000 fire in which Max Vogt lost $12,000, W.H. Moody $30,000, L. Rorden $10,000 and several others for a total of $11,000 in a fire that ate up the Chapman block at 2nd and Washington caused by a defective flue that cold winter night.

     That same year Dalles City went into the water business when they bought out the Dalles Mill and Water Co. for $50,000 and by 1904 a reservoir at the Wick's place 8 miles up Mill creek, was constructed and a steel 12 inch pipe line replaced the flume to the Mesplie reservoir 3 miles up the creek from which a 14 inch pipe led to the reservoir in town. It was estimated then that The Dalles had sufficient water for 90,000 people (in 1952 we don't receive enough water from Mill creek for 5,000 people). In 1904 health authorities claimed we had the purest mountain water in the U.S. (in 1952 health authorities have to apply chemicals even to our well water).

The BIG FIRE OF SEPTEMBER 2, 1892

     The most destructive fire ever experienced in the history of The Dalles was the big fire of 1891. It wiped out 20 blocks. It originated in the Skibbe House and was carried by a wind from the east to the main business section of town and within an hour the flames was feeding on 3 streets all at one time! It made practically a clean sweep of everything under the bluff! They took the Pease & Mays building, Vogt block, best in the city, just like the rest. The Joshua French house on the southwest corner of 3rd & Court was saved and the George Rush house at 120 E 4th (H.G. Miller home) was spared. From the Skibbe house it took the Jones and Eureka restaurant building, Kuck's saddle shop, the Skibbee saloon, Wm. Noabeck's feedyard, the Sylvester, Alloway residences, Mitchell's planing mill, the Fitzgerald building at which Joseph Fitzgerald died from burns received, Gibbons & McAllister's hardware store, W.N. Wiley's stables, 3-story Vogt Opera House, the Vogt building, Mays & Crows hardware, Geo. Anderson, gunsmith, L. Rorden's store for a 2nd time in 2 years, the Stubling saloon, resident houses fell in rows including those of Roscoe, Griffith, Wm. Michell, Christman's Butcher shop, Adams Shoe shop, A.A. Brown grocery, Baptist church, Methodist church, F.P. Mays residence, The Dalles Brewery, homes of Corson, Fitzgerald, Sellers, Grey, Wm. McCoy, Glasius, Willig, Dave Vause, Juker, Knaggs, Weggerman, Kinersly, Congregational church; Tom Kelley home and those of Lacy, Frank Hill, A.A. Bonney, Columbia Packing Co. McDonald saloon and rooming house, White's cafe, Wolff's house, Wingate block, Edward Art gallery, Berger's residence; Cathcart's, Cowes, Pacific Fence works, Falloon Bros. implement warehouse, W.C. Laughlin home, Hood's lively stable and residence, the Jackson House, Rush tenant house, Mitchell and Blakeney's homes, Brown Fruit store and lodging house, Michael Diamond, carpenter, lost his life in the Fitzgerald flames.

     The biggest losers were L. Rorden $8,000, I.C. Nickelsen $38,000; Gibbons & McAllister $50,000, W. Lord $8000, B. Wolff $8000, J.P. McInerny $4500, Mays & Crowe $20,000, Wm. Mitchell $20,000, E.B. McFarland $13,000, Max Vogt $225,000, Joles Bros. $15,000, Odd Fellows $8000, W.N. Wiley $5000, R.B. Hood $8000, F.W.L. Skibbe $10,000, Mrs. J.M. Wingate $40,000, Mrs. A.M. Williams $12,000, E.P. Fitzgerald $40,000. The total losses were well over $1,000,000 and insurance adjustments amounted to $200,000. Mayor Mays relief committee found 38 destitute families, 16 of which moved out of town, 11 families needed clothing and jobs and 5 families were turned over to religious organizations for care and 6 widows received assistance. The city council appropriated $1000 for assistance.

PANIC OF 1898

     The panic of 1893 hit The Dalles like it did the rest of the country but not as hard for it had just been through a tough fire and was recovering. The Times-Mountaineer thought the reason was "because The Dalles was favorably located for doing business". However farm products would hardly bring enough to pay the railroad or boat freight bill to market. The boats in competition with the railroad kept freight rates down for The Dalles which helped.

THE BIG FLOOD OF 1894

     Every time the Columbia river comes up in June people recall the flood of 1894 and writer's write reams of stories about that flood and speculate whether it will be repeated or how close we will come to it again. In the big flood of 1894 we had lots of snow in the mountains, it remained there until April and then melted in a hurry an ideal combination of circumstances for a flood.

     In 1894 the Columbia river commenced rising in April and for 8 weeks it was high but the seriousness of it was brought home when Frank Seufert came to town and sought help for the recovery of a fish wheel which had been washed from its moorings May 27. The steamer Inland Star tried unsuccessfully to recover it and the Winans Bros. lost a fish wheel that same day the 2nd they had lost that week.

     Other fish wheels were in danger and had to be lashed down. Merchants in town commenced moving their stocks from basements, as the water reached 49 feet and was rising at Umatilla and Riparia.

     The 1878 mark of 53½ was reached and on May 29 the Mountaineer suspended publication as First street was submerged its entire length and water stood on 2nd and by June 6 it stood at 59.7' and started to go down by the 10th. By the 12th mail was received from the east and mud was being cleared from the stores and the clean-up job with disinfectants started. Part of the roadbed of the railroad had to be rebuilt and bridges replaced. Everyone agreed that Edw. Crate was probably right in his statement that he had landed his canoe at the foot of the bluff at 5th & Washington, in 1842 and apologized to him for doubting his word. The railroad was the greatest single loser in the flood and as stated above the people have been given a never ending source of material to talk about, as a result of the big Flood of 1894, every time the river is mentioned during high-water periods.

THE COLUMBIA SOUTHERN RAILROAD

     Adding further to the depression of The Dalles was the building of the Columbia Southern railroad from Biggs south into Sherman county in 1898. Prior to that event The Dalles had been the trading center for all the mid-Columbia area as well as central Oregon. It was not completed into Shaniko until 1901 but its construction was a telling blow to the city and its 3500 people.

The SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR OF 1898

     While the Spanish-American war did not greatly affect the city as a whole it is always a tragic matter when our civilization reaches to the low ebb of having to march men off to war. Some of those boys were just school kids who went to war never to return again to our community life again. To take these boys and make professional killers out of them is a repulsive thing to think about.

     The Dalles Co. L. and Oregon Volunteer Infantrymen consisted of the following young men: Don Allards, a student who never returned to The Dalles; Max Bartell, engineer of San Francisco; Wm. W. Brown, U.P. railroader; Earnest Ballard who never came back; Alexander Bonner, Wm. Bonner and David Bonner who never came back home; Henry Bolton of The Dalles; John Burns, Loren Chapman, Wt. Cook who never lived here anymore; Avery J. Cooper stayed in the army; Geo. Dufur, Portland; Walter Dicky, Ora DeAtley, James Elton never returned; Billy Fields died of fever and was buried in Mo.; Harry Fredden lived in Sacramento; Frank Friedley returned to The Dalles now lives in Salem; Fred Hillert never returned; Chas. Kennedy lives in The Dalles; G.S. Low and Wm. Lee never returned; D.J. Kretzer lived in Spokane; Ed. Lemison went to Fresno, Cal.; Wm. Lukinbeal never returned; A.F. Martin lived in Maupin; Wm. Normans farmed in southern Oregon; Fred Petzold lived in Portland; Walter Reavis lived in Portland; Carlton Sanders went to Grand Haven, Mich.; Guy Sanders never returned; Tom Smiley lived in Carson, Wn.; Jess Stillwell lives in Portland; Arthur Stubling returned to The Dalles; George Starr lives in The Dalles; C.E. Tierman never returned; A.E. Trask vent to Corvallis; Ben Ulrich lived in The Dalles; J.G. Uglow stayed in Manila; Chas. Warner returned to The Dalles; Henry Zirks lived in Tacoma; Wm. Baker lived in Portland; Louis Chase, Lotan Crary, Issac Turney, Kenneth Warner, John Williams, Geo. Hackathorn, Wm. Hannon. Ole Jenson, Stephen Murphy and Claud Plank never returned, they served in Co. H., G., and M. Jacob Bins of Co. M. did return and farm on 3 mile.

THE DALLES IN 1898

     The late John Gavin had a fine hobby of collecting and saving old Dalles City directories which we have had the privilege of looking over by courtesy of Celia Gavin and in the 1898 number it lists: C.J. Crandall, architect; barbers Beardsley & McCoy, J.S. Painter, C.G. Stacey; blacksmiths John Plaster, F.S. Gunning, L.L. Lane, Joseph Strangle, Geo. Thompson; stores J. Fartin, A.C. Geiger, H. Herbring, J.C. Hertz, Pease & Mays, A.M. Williams, Nathan Harris, A.C. Nielson, C.F. Stephens, J.P. McInerny, Chow Kee, E.J. Collins, J.H. Cross, Fred Fisher, Wm. Johnson, W.A. Kirby, Maier & Benton, M.T. Nolan, L. Rorden, Geo. Rush, C.L. Schmidt, VanBibber & Worsley, Mays & Crane. M.A. Moody had a bowling alley. Hugh Glenn, Joe Paters and Rove & Co. operated lumber yards. Contractors were Axel Anderson, Hugh Glenn, Wm. McCrum, L.P. Osland, J.H. Page, Wm. Vats, H. Aleck, L.L. Lane, A. Sandrock.

     Dentists were S.H. Frazier, W. Tackman, Daniel Siddall. Wagonmakers Hoyle & Lauer and G.C. Munger. Druggists Blakeley & Houghton; Clark & Falk; M.Z. Donnell, Snipes & Kinnersly. Express & transfer John Ferguson, David Mann, Oaks & Brown, Pacific Express, Pacific Transfer. Feed Yards L.S. Davis, Sexton & Darniele, Fred Archer, M.P. Gilmore, Murchie Bros., Ward & Robertson, Columbia Feed Yard. Furniture W.H. Arbuckle, Surah & Perlman, Prinz & Nitschke. Harness Parley & Frank, H.L. Kuck and Joe Shannon. Hotels Central, European, Farmers, New Columbia, Richmond House, F.W.L. Skibbe, Umatilla House, Gates Block, Chapman Block, Cosmopolitan. Meats Geo. Keller, Wood Bros. Columbia Packing. Music & Books I.C. Nickelson and Jacobson Book store. Newspapers Chronicle, Mountaineer, Inland Empire, Baptist Sentinel, Evergreen State Philatelist. Dave Vause, painter. Photographers Benj. A. Gifford, D.D. Wilder and J. Fortin. Doctors O.D. Doans, C.G. Fshelman, J. Alec Geisendoffer, O.C. Hollister, Hugh Lotin, Balls Rinehart, James Sutherland.

     Real Estate & Insurance Tom Hudson, C.E. Bayard, D.S. Dufur, Gibons & Martin, J.M. Hunington, A.S. McAllister, Nathan Whealdon, C.E. Payard, John Hartnett. Cafes Burggaf & Pickens, Mrs. C. Davis, John Donohue, Geo. Hulbut, Mrs. Emma Julian, Nelson & Co., Umatilla House, Cosmopolitan. Saloons Dan Bakers Al Bettengen, Otto Birgfeld, Chas. Frank, Ad Keller, Maetz & Pundt, Marders & Michelbah, Newlin & Jones, H.U. Patterson, Ben Wilson and C.J. Stubling whose ad said "12 year old whiskey for medical purposes" (snake bite?). Wm. A. (Bert) Campbell, Taxidermist. Undertakers Crandall & Burgett, Wm. Mitchell, Prinz & Nitschke. Jewelry Arthur Clark, Wm. E. Garretson, H.C. Liebe, T.A. Van Nordin, S.L. Young. Wool handled by Wasco Warehouse Co., Bassinger & Co., Wolf Bernard. Stages were operating to Goldendale, Prineville and Wapinitia.

THE DALLES IN 1900's

     Cora Joles was manager for the Pacific States Telephone & Telegraph Co. while Edna Alisky was the manager for the Seufert & Condon Telephone Co. also later managed by J.W. Condon. The Dalles Hospital ad of 1903 said, "Seufert & Condon phone 319; Oregon Telephone 871". The cost of 2 phones in a residences or business house was less than ½ of what the one phone costs in 1952 as per charges of the Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. which holds an exclusive monopoly in the communication field in this area nine since they acquired the business of the above companlee about 1915. They claim they were here in the 1890's but directories don't mention them until 1905. They claim taxes amounts to $2.92 per phone per month which was more than both phones cost in 1908 when taxes were less than 25¢ per year!

     If the Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. were publicly owned there would be no taxes on phones, no perpetual stock dividends to pay and everyone could have TWO phones again at the old 1908 price.

THE DALLES IN THE 1900's -- John Gavin Directories of City

     The Dalles directory of 1903 showed Bert Bagley, dairyman for The Dalles with business location at the top of the Brewery Grade about 1700 E 9. J. M. Russell was president of The Dalles Scouring Mills, 402 E. 1, which received, washed, baled and shipped wool. Around 25 men obtained employment sorting, washing, baling, handling of wool which was an important agricultural activity there being 130,000 head sheep in the county and 6,000,000 pounds of wool shipped annually.

     In addition to The Dalles Hospital the Riley Sanitarium ad said they treated all forms of medical and surgical cases at 1318 E. 9 and Mrs. J.W. Riley was the matron.

MEALS FOR 15¢

     The IXL Restaurant ad in the directory of 1901 said, "We serve as good a meal for 15¢ as you would have to pay 25¢ for elsewhere! John Burggraf, Prop. Next to Mays & Crows." The Bee Hive Restaurant at 356 E. 2nd did not announce their prices so we presume they were in the more expensive 25¢ bracket.

1905

     The International Lewis & Clark Fair in Portland in 1905 was the big event for that year for the entire Pacific northwest area. It drew thousands of people into the Pacific northwest for the first time by rail and boat, as tourists, to view our mountains, scenery, rivers, cities etc. This was the first time a big fair like that had ever been held in the west. The Dalles and Wasco county participated with displays and literature the same as other Oregon and Washington counties. Apples, prunes and other fruits, grains and agricultural products were on display. The wood products of the state were displayed in the forestry building which still stands out near Montgomery Ward store. The fair was held in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Lewis & Clark expedition from St. Louis to Bismarck, Yellowstone river, Great Falls, Mont., the Nez Perce trail over the Rockies to the Clearwater and down the Columbia to Astoria where they arrived Nov. 15, 1805, wintered and commenced their return trip March 23, 1806 by the same route, The bird woman, SACAJAWEA, was their guide from North Dakota, to the pacific coast and back over the mountains. A fine statue of her is in the city park in Portland. That fair was held 47 years ago. It is about time to hold another one in celebration of the electrical resources that have been given to us by the U.S. government. In fact we see no reason why an annual U.S. Fair could not be held in some centrally and permanently located place to give the people a chance to view the progress made from year to year by the country.

The Dalles in 1905

     The directory of 1905 shows Euguene Lyman Daly operating a brick yard at 716 Calhoun (12 street). Wagonmakers were John Blaser, F.S. Gunning and L.L. Lane. Dairies Harcus Scherrer (1700 E. 9) and McCaughey Bros. on west 9. Backer & Cramer operated a shooting gallery at 217 E. 2. VICTOR MARDEN'S SADDLERY was better known by the cowboys and ranchman all over the west than they were known by the people in The Dalles. He made the famous Marden saddle and had a large shop at 3rd and Wash. on the northeast corner where The Dalles Furniture now is. He put out a small catalogue of the merchandise he had for sale and received orders for saddles, cow boy boots and leather goods from all over the west. He had a skilled crew of leathercraft men as good as the industry provided.

     The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co. entered the communication field by 1905 altho the Pacific States and Seufert-Condon telephone exchanges served most all the city. The Western Union offices were in the Umatilla House and Elizabeth Scherer was the manager. The railroad telegraph office was in the depot at lst and Madison.

     The Dentists of 1905 were Esson & Kelsay in French Bank, building; B.C. Olinger, in the Vogt Block; G.E. Sanders in the Odd Fellows building; D. Siddall at 305 E. 2nd; Wm. Tackman at 1515 Elm (11 street). The Tackmans also operated a greenhouse at their Elm street address. H.C. Liebe was an optician and Dr. J.E. Andersen, mayor of The Dalles later, was an osteopath. Physicians were O.D. Doane, Belle Ferguson, E.E. Furgeson, J. Alec Geisendoffer, Hugh Logan, J.M. Lowe, John A. Reuter, and Wm. Shackelford.

     Bakers were Fred Penzer at 1707 Bridge Old Fort Dalles Bakery; Wm. Groehler 418 E. 2nd; Arno1d Hagenbucher, 213 Washington; Ringe Antone, 212 E. 2nd. Barbers were W.A. Crawford 204 E. 2; Alphonse Klinger 512 E. 2; B.L. Lane 818 E. 2; Herb Tim & Wm. Lynch 416 E. 2; L.L. VanNorwick 107 E. 1; G.R. Wilehart 114 E. 2.; D.P. Williams, 305 E. 2. The Dalles Optimist was established that year by Addison Bennett and later sold to Henry Cue, George Flagg, Ralph Bennett and now George Lindsay and Ralph Hogan are owners of the Optimist.

     The Dalles in 1905 had 2 banks, 2 cigar factories, the scouring mill, electric light plant, 2 planing mills, a steam laundry, 4 wagon factories, a salmon cannery, 2 flour mills, a distillery, a brewery, 3 meat packing plants, fruit drier operated by J.W. Koontz, railroad car repair shops, soda works, 3 newspapers, 12 grocery stores; the Baldwin Opera House at 107 W. First, and the Vogt Opera House at 309 E. 3rd., The Dalles Library Association made its first appearance at 310 Washington with Annie Lang, President and Belle Ferguson as Secretary. Prof. Wm. Birgfeld taught music and led an orchestra.

     The Fort Dalles Historical Society was founded in 1902 and The Dalles shipped 41,000 boxes of fruit. The Eastern Oregon Brewing Co. plant was built at the foot of the Brewery grade and it had an annual manufacturing capacity of $15,000 of beer. In 1903 the state of Oregon appropriated $165,000 for the right-of-way for The Dalles to Celilo Canal and railroad. The railroad was completed in 1905 at a coat of $100,000. Terminal, rates on continental shipments was made by the railroad for The Dalles. The Heppner Flood of 1903 (June 14) shocked the state and entire country when 250 lives were lost. Help was sent from The Dalles. A trip across the U.S. by automobile in 1903 took from May 23 to August 1. The direct Primary law was adopted in 1904 and telegraph service to Prineville established.

THE BIG RAILROAD BOOM of 1907-08-09-10

     The big railroad building battle between James J. Hill of the Great Northern and Northern Pacific railroads and Ed. Herriman of the Union and Southern Pacific railroads occupied front page headlines in the newspapers of the country during the years of 1907 to 1911. The Northern Pacific railroad reached down to Pasco, Wash. and the three roads had a "joint usership line" from Portland to Seattle but the northern lines had no direct connection with Portland for a water grade route to haul wheat and livestock into Portland; so Jim Hill made the Portland connection by building one of the best railroad beds of the west from Pasco into Portland on the north bank of the Columbia river and he incorporated the line as the Seattle, Portland and Spokane (S.P.& S) line which served all the little communities down the Columbia on that side of the river and permitting him to reduce freight hauling costs into Portland, and permitting him to compete with the Union Pacific for the Portland market.

     The Union Pacific didn't like that kind of competition they called for hearings, had court battles and used all the delaying tactics their "Philadelphia lawyers" knew to draw upon but Jim built his railroad into Portland and went on down to Astoria for good measure. The construction in the Dalles area made business brisk and the number of saloons increased to rob the men of their earnings and night life in The Dalles reverted back to that similar to the gold rush days of the 1860's, when the town was "wide open" to gambling, drinking and night life. Construction workers on The Dalles to Celilo canal also added to the railroad workers who flocked into the city and night life was just one continuous riot. The construction workers in those days were largely single men who believed in "free love" and the number of "free love advocates" in The Dalles during the construction boom far out-numbered the more law-abiding family men of the community. The Dalles has always had families ready and willing to provide anything the almighty dollar wanted to buy. The number of saloons grew to an all-time high of 35 during this period. Officials were elected to our public offices here who "winked at" law violations and lawlessness reached such an all-time low that Governor West finally had to declare Marshall Law in The Dalles and send in troops to restore law and order until local officials could again be trusted to maintain a better degree of law and order. This resulted in a good deal of bitterness of the "saloon faction" against the "church faction" which continued to exist until the saloons were voted out of Oregon in 1915, and much of the undesirable element which followed the saloons went out with them. The saloons and saloon keeping families had always been a part of the community for over 80 years and of course they were not wiped out over-night; but gradually, as the years have gone by the better element in the city prevailed, better schools, better business houses, better homes, bigger and better churches, lodges and other organizations to say nothing of the better health and longer life of people. In those days probably 70% of the people contributed to the support of saloons and the saloon element, while now not more than 20% contribute to the liquor trade while 80% have a better life. Another reason for this is that the construction worker of 1952 is a married man with a family, with at least a "trailer house home"; while the construction worker and most of the farm workers of 40 years ago and more were single men without a home and family life and he tried to drown his disappointments in liquor and seek his love life from a "community sweetheart". He was a man without responsibility in the community, here today and gone tomorrow. He belonged to no church or organization, he had no home to go to, no loving wife or children and consequently no responsibility toward the community or other people.

     After the completion of the S.P. & S. railroad James J. Hill decided to push on into Central Oregon with his Oregon Trunk extension to Bend in 1909. He ran his line up the Wasco county side of the Deschutes until they got to South Junction. There Ed. Herriman had acquired the best route out of the canyon to the Central Oregon wheat plateau at Gateway and Madras and while Jim did build another route to Madras it proved to be better economy for "point usage" of the S.P.& S to South Junction, then "point usage" of the U.P. line from there to Metroleus and "joint usage" of the S.P. & S from there to Bend. The Oregon Trunk extended on to Klamath Falls and Ed. Herriman's Southern Pacific later built into Klamath Falls. But this construction up the Deschutes added to the brisk business life of The Dalles the Oregon Trunk using the Great Southern to haul supplies out and the U.P. line into Shaniko was used for supplies on the Deschutes extension of the U.P. There was lots of unnecessary bickering and fighting among the construction and supply crews which added to the sensationalism of the construction and made good newspaper stories and fiction articles. When men in high circles liked James J. Hill and Ed Herriman encouraged lawlessness, and newspapers winked at lawlessness, governors winked at lawlessness, it was natural for the sheriff and district attorney to also wink at it and city officials called it "construction pains" and saloon men said, "the drinks are on the house, hurrah for Ed, hurrah for Jim," Its only in moving pictures and fiction stories that the sheriff ever restored law and order in any construction camp or that the 2-gun U.S. Marshall ever did anything much besides draw his pay.

     In 1911 the steel railroad bridge at Tum Water or Fall Bridge (now called Wishram) was built at a cost of $3,000,000. Before that bridge was completed the S.P. & S used a railroad ferry between Fall Bridge (Wishram) and a ferry slip they built out into the Columbia river about ½ mile from shore on the Oregon side at the mouth of the Deschutes river. Some of the old piers can be seen there yet. The ferry was heavily laden and drew quite a bit of water when loaded with railroad cars, equipment or locomotives so it couldn't get in close to the Oregon shore and too the grade had to be gradual enough for the cars to be run up to roadbed along the river bank. This was quite a sizy ferry as a photo in possession of Roy T. Johnson shows.

     The Deschutes river gorge is lined on both sides with old wagon road grades used to get supplies down to working crews and they were crooked enough to break a rattlesnake's back to negotiate. When a person sees one of those old grades he wonders how a loaded wagon was ever successfully taken down them and how wagons passed or were salvaged if an accident occurred.

THE DALLES SANITORIUM of 1908

     The Dalles directory of 1908 listed the advertisement of The Dalles Sanitarium located at the northwest corner of 10 & Union and it said, "The new public hospital for The Dalles, modern throughout, with all the latest improvements and scientific apparatus for the care and treatment of the sick. The institution was organized and is owned and controlled by the following medical staff, under whose jurisdiction it is operated; however it is strictly a public institution. No money or care have been spared to make it the most complete of its kind in the northwest. It is equipped with a ventilating system which removes all impure air from the entire building. Hardwood floors, which are so deadened as to be impervious to sound. Bath rooms and toilets on every floor. It is heated by steam, lighted by electricity, equipped with electric call bells and speaking tubes. The surgery and sterilizing apparatus are as complete as money can make them. It has a laboratory for research and special electrical apparatus. Scientific diet to suit each and every individual and it is under the personal supervision of the medical staff, with a corps of trained nurses which is ample for the needs of the institution both day and night. For any further information address any of the medical staff -- H. Logan, J.M. Lowe; J. Alec Geisendoffer, H.C. Dodds (Dufur), J.L. Elwood (Tygh), O.E. Kennedy (Arlington), O.P. Lowe (Arlington), W. Gavey (Condon), J.F. Woods (Condon), A.F. Brockman (Bickleton), F.H. Collins (Goldendale), H.H. Hartley (Goldendale), T.C. Bervin (Stephenson), H.L. Dumble (Hood River), H.E. Beers and W. F. Morse (Wasco).

     Pioneers of 40 years ago will remember Dr. Geisendoffer the beloved family physician and surgeon of The Dalles who established this institution. Dr. Geisendoffer died of intestinal cancer about 1912 so the life of the institution was short but had he lived and continued in good health "a Mayo Clinic of the west" would have existed in The Dalles by this time and people from all over the country would have came to the medical center here.

1914-20

     In 1914 the 3rd and last and best courthouse of Wasco county was built in The Dalles.

     In 1915 The Dalles-Celilo canal was completed allowing boats to operate from the mouth of the Columbia to Lewiston, Idaho. The cost of the canal was about $5,000,000 and for years practically no traffic ever passed through the canal and many people wonder what it was built for? But the building of that canal kept freight rates down on farm products from the Inland Empire to the Portland tide-water market saving farmers as well as the people generally millions of dollars

     As stated above the Prohibition Law was adopted in 1915 and went into effect January 1, 1918.

     In 1918 the National Federal road act was established or passed by congress under which we have received our highways and county market roads. It was sponsored by the Grange who wanted better roads to haul farm products to market. Little did they vision how the highways would become commercial traffic lanes for business and manufacturing institutions who laughed at the idea of the farmers 40 years ago. Now the commercial highways get most all the money and many of the farms are still in the mud waiting for the law to become effective for them.

WORLD WAR I

     The 1917-18 was the World War I period when a little handful of politicians in Washington, D.C. put 4,000,000 men in the army! The quota for Wasco County was just over 1000! We appeared to be victims of British propaganda who wanted our help to fight their losing war. We had no more real grievances against the Germans than we did against the head-hunters of Brazil. The war was called a draw in 1918 and everybody went home to lick their wounds. We "loved our allies" during the war period and afterwards we wouldn't set around a table and lay plans for a peaceful world. It was BILLIONS for war and not 1¢ for peace! so to speak. Will we ever learn that war don't pay?'

     Yes war makes business good. Wheat went up to $2.25 a bushel. When wheat goes up that pegs the price for beef and other farm commodities. Wages went up and so did food prices and the cost of everything else. Nobody gained anything export a few war-contract manufacturers. The people at large lost just like the 1000 men that went into the army. Yes business was good for the next 10 years until the stock market crash of Oct. 29, 1929 and it took the next 10 years to recover from the worst panic the nation ever seen. Wheat got down to 25¢ a bushel. Livestock wasn't worth taking to market. Jobs couldn't be found. The railroad run freight train crews out, of The Dalles with two locomotive engineers in the cab and 4 conductors in the caboose! No one else has seniority enough to work railroading but the conductors and enginemen, during the worst of the panic. At one time The Dalles had no banks open, the only place that money could be deposited was at the post offices. Some days the stores didn't take in enough to pay the electric light bill and the power company in those days didn't trust their customers they required them to deposit an amount equal to one month's power bill!

     We all remember the days of the W.P.A.; C.C.C.; P.W.A.; R.F.C. and other alphabetic bureaus of politicians who, tried to make us think they had the answers to all our problems if we would just pingle up the money to pay for the things they wanted to do. A lot of people yet think some man setting in a political office somewhere can spend their money better than they can spend it themselves! It is very seldom that someone else can do something for you as well as you can do it yourself.

     In 1933 we had the Bonneville dam, as a P.W.A. project after all banks were closed March 8. In 1938 farm prices were pegged and wheat and stock farmers commenced to pay off mortgages.

     In 1940 a handful of 1000 politicians in Washington, D.C. starts to put 12,000,000 men in the army to fight 2 wars at once. No figures are available on the number of men who were drilled to be killers from Wasco county, but the figure is known to be more than 2500! We ended that war by mass killing with atomic bombs. Remember the good book says, "What-so-ever a man soeth, that shall he also reap!" So brace yourself were soon going to reap the harvest! (For additional Veteran data see under VETERANS).

Photographs titled
"Regulator"
"Umatilla House"


THE UMATILLA HOUSE by FRED LOCKLEY, Oregon Journal

     Few cities of the west have a more interesting history than the city of The Dalles; and few hotels were better known in the old days than the Umatilla House. The town was started in 1850 and was referred to as "the Landing". Later it was known as Wascopam, then it was changed to Dalles City, but though that is the official designation, it has been called The Dalles since postal approval of that name in 1860. The first merchant of The Dalles was John C. Bell of Salem who operated a sutler's store there in 1850. (In 1848 Nathan Olney had a store in The Dalles). In 1851 he sold his business to Wm. Gibson who was the first postmaster at The Dalles when it was known as Wascopam (Fort Dalles Landing).

     In 1858 the Umatilla House, under A.J. Nixon, prop., was the city's leading hotel. Other hotels were the Cushing hotel operated by Milo M. Cushing, the Gates Hotel operated by Col. N.H. Gates, the Wasco Hotel by A.H. Curtiss. The discovery of gold, in eastern Oregon and Idaho was the making of The Dalles. The steamers from Portland ran with capacity loads to The Dalles. The streets were full of pack trains going to the mines. Stages and wagons were soon heading for the mines. All business houses made money and were kept busy. When the Umatilla House was built in 1857 it was regular mint to its owners. It was taken over in 1860 by Major Dan Handley and Col. N.B. Sinnott. For 18 years it did a land office business, its bar room making even more money than the rent from the rooms or the profit from the meals. In 1878 the Umatilla House was destroyed by fire. The ashes were hardly cool before big Dan Handley and N.B. Sinnott had men clearing the site for the erection of another building.

     Both Hanley and Sinnott were from Ireland and possessed a high degree of the spirit of hospitality. Sinnott was a "black republican" while his partner was a "dyed-in-the-wool democrat. Handley weighed over 300 pounds and was a liberal patron of his own table and bar. Before the hotel was finished another fire swept that part of the city and once more the Umatilla House was a pile of smoking ashes. Undaunted by this second disaster, they at once built an even larger hotel, which was opened in 1879, with 127 rooms, a large lobby and a porch along the entire front of the building. It was located on the bank of the Columbia river and the first place the passengers of the steam boats headed for was the Umatilla House. The dining room seated 200 and I have seen it filled with guests waiting for seats. The bar room could easily accommodate 200 and I have seen it filled with standing room at a premium. Venison, wild goose, Royal Chinook salmon were some of the specialties of the Umatilla House. Scores of balls have been held in the dining room and hundreds of weddings have been celebrated in the ladies's parlor. For a score of years it was considered "the thing" for the bride and groom to meet at the Umatilla House to be married and then celebrate the event with a wedding breakfast or luncheon, followed by a trip on the boat to Portland for a wedding journey.

     No longer does the China boy polish the lamp chimneys till they shine like crystal. No longer do the halls and lobby echo to the tread of cowboy, miner, soldier, statesman, banker or magnate. The glory that was once in evidence has departed. The keyboard of walnut, with its carved goat's head and pendent mallard ducks is now but a souvenir of by-gone days. So too is the walnut counter, the big gilt mirrors, oil paintings of Mt. Hood, of the Columbia river, of the lady on horseback, the elk standing at bay, the made-to-order chair for Major Handley. No longer do the strains of the square piano summon festivity. No longer do stages drive up to the door, nor do trains or boats stop at the hotel. Some years ago I looked over the old registers of the Umatilla House and found they were a veritable "who's who" of Oregon and the west. The signatures of George Francis Train, of around the world in 80 days fame, of Schuyler Colfax, Mark Train, Henry Vallard, U.S. Senators and statesmen galore to say nothing of the railroad magnate, world travelers or other distinguished visitors.

     The price of meals were two bits and four bits, depending upon whether you sat at the commercial table or at the table for the general public which meant farm hands, mule skinners, bull whackers, prospectors, miners, brakemen, homesteaders. If you wanted to sit with the gamblers, drummers and politicians you paid four bits and had an orange or banana while the two bitters had to get along with an apple pie.

     Major Daniel Handley died in 1891 and the following year the Umatilla House was purchased by Judd Fish. In 1909 the hotel Dalles was opened and the Umatilla House became only a historic memory. In 1906 Tom N. Crofton took it over and it dwindled until it was only a reminder of the days that it once was, when its fame was nation-wide and The Dalles was the "biggest little city in the west." In its better days it was a rendezvous of political parties, conventions holding sessions a week at a time both day and night. The political future of WASCO COUNTY was built up and carried through in this hotel. Col. N.B. Sinnott was a staunch republican and an authority on the political situation in the state and in forecasting election results and acts of congress. It was there that Congressman N.J. Sinnott spent his boyhood and got his political training. Col. Sinnott endeavored to be at the desk on the arrival of all stages, boats and trains to welcome the incoming guests with true "western hospitality." The good colonel was known far and wide for his remarkable ability for impressing the appearance of people upon his memory, so that even years afterwards, should he meet the guest again he could recall the name of the person and where and when he had met them! Col. Sinnott died in 1897.

     Major Daniel Handley was a noble man with his heart in his hand and he had the same smile for the rich and poor alike. A man's word was as good as a deed in those days and when Judd Fish took over the management of the hotel he found notes to the extent of $16,000 for hospitality they extended to miners and pioneers of the west who were unable to pay for their meals and lodging at the Umatilla House! Often they took in the stranger who was sick and broke and just as often they paid in full when their health was restored. On the river side of the hotel was the incline for the steamers to land along side the hotel in high water. Across Union street west was the Baldwin Opera house on the bank of Mill creek. Ice for the hotel came from the Mt. Adams caves until they built their own plant. All furniture was made for the hotel by the Oregon Furniture Manufacturing Co. of Portland.

The UMATILLA HOUSE

     The West Shore magazine of July 1880 said the Umatilla House was a 100 X 120 building which cost $35,000. It had a 30 X 40 office; a dining room 50 X 90; a ladies room 24 foot square and had 123 rooms. It was rebuilt Oct. 25, 1879. They served 500 meals a day in the dining room and used $600 worth of meat a month.

     The Cosmopolitan Hotel, owned by Thomas Smith the former owner of the Empire Hotel (1881) built it in October 1879. It was a 120 X 40 with 75 rooms and finished by Shundler & Chadborne of Portland, It had a 60 X 40 dining room.

     The Snipes & Kinersley drug store occupied the H.C. Waldron stone building (1880).

     Gov. Z.F. Moody occupied (the Model laundry) the stone building at 222 E. First since 1862. From 1874 to 1878 Gov. Moody held the mail contract from the Cascades to The Dalles.

     The McFarland & French store had 85,000 sq. ft. of floor space, It was formerly French & Gilman and was established in 1862. (The institution later became the French & Co. bank which closed its doors during the "prosperous 1920's.") West Shore Magazine July 1880, Portland Library).

     The first Umatilla House was built by A.J. Nixon in 1857. It had a pitched roof. It burned in 1878 and was rebuilt in 1879 with a broad veranda on the front and west sides. It had 120 rooms and a dining room that would accommodate 200 people. It was lighted by kerosene burning chandelier lamps hung from the ceilings. Old Tom, the China boy, kept them shined and filled. The dining room could be and was converted into a ball room for the fireman's ball and other important social events. The old hotel was well known for its hospitality by miners, farmers, soldiers, boatsmen, cowboys, honeymooners, railroaders, sheepmen, salesmen, politicians, emigrants and travelers. It was a stage, boat and rail stop and a meeting place for everyone in the community, Dan Handley died in 1891 and Judd Fish acquired the hotel in 1892. He put in steam heat, electric lights, removed the veranda in 1895 and sold it to Tom Crofton in 1908. It was torn down in 1929. The old Umatilla House was used every year in the Legion Frolics parade was built by August Wintermier of The Dalles at a cost of $1600.

     There was 12 cooks employed in the Umatilla House kitchen and 16 waiters served 600 meals a day. One large delegation of 800 people from Chicago filled the place to capacity once. Dalles railroaders generally paid $20. a month for room and board (1882). The guests ranged from bankers to bums and many miners came down to spend the winter every year, at the old hotel as likewise did sheep and cattleman. The old hotel took in hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was the bank for the railroaders and steam boat men where they came for their pay rolled in gold coins and placed in the safe with the name of each man on the roll. The larger heating stoves took full 4-foot wood. The smaller stoves in each of the 114 rooms had to have shorter wood put in the woodbox by old Tom and his Chinese helpers. Neither Handley nor Sinnott ever sued or dunned a man for an unpaid bill. When it burned in 1878 railroad and steamboat men had had their savings and pay in the safe and they authorized Handley and Sinnott to use their money for a new hotel. Either Handley or Sinnott would meet all trains outside ringing a big brass bell to indicate dinner was being served. The hotel took all the garden produce Chas. Denton and other local gardeners including the Chinese could raise for their kitchen. Their supply room was as big as a grocery store. They stocked 4 ton of hams and bacon at a time. And several hundred dozen eggs. Once they bought 300 dozen of hard boiled eggs from some unknown rogue. They had a butcher shop the largest in town to prepare steaks, roasts, fish and fowl in for the kitchen. Chew Kee was the head cook and he could keep 200 orders in his head, as fast as waiters could bark them at him, and never mix an order up! He had helpers who could do just as good.

     Handley and Sinnott were great story tellers and in describing the spring salmon runs to eastern tourists they said, "the salmon comes up the Columbia river so thick you can walk across the river on their backs! and in the early days when we first came here wild hogs used to go down to the river and eat the salmon during those runs and do you know that it took 3 generations to bread out the salmon taste in their off-springs!" Handley and Sinnott were hotel men before they came to The Dalles.

THE HOTEL DALLES

     The Dalles Hotel today (1952) serves the traveler over the New Oregon Trail (highway 30) the same as the Umatilla House served the traveler of the Old Oregon Trail nearly 100 years ago. Traverler judge a city by the type of hotel hospitality it offers and the Hotel Dalles is known far and wide for its good service. Built in 1910 as a stock company it was leased to Clark & Shipherd who operated it until 1919 when Pat Foley acquired it. Upon his death in 1933 Mrs. Foley took over the management until 1948 when her son Jerome became manager. It is a 4 story modern brick fireproof hotel 100 X 120 conveniently located within 2 blocks of the main shopping and theatre district. Although 40 years old its like the old maid, "it don't show its age." In fact it is just as attractive today as it was when it was built .

     When first built the depot was in the east and of town at First and Madison. In those days the Hotel Dalles operated a horse-drawn bus, the same as the Umatilla House, to meet the trains and boats. Mr. Foley bought and converted the old Thornton Lake dance hall into a cow barn to supply the hotel with milk. Thornton Lake was operated as a recreational area up to that time and its loss for that purpose was keenly felt in the community for a long time afterwards. It was the only lake The Dalles had and it could have been acquired and set aside for public park purposes.

Photographs titled
"Western Queen Ferry"
Fort Dalles Horse Stable"
"Crate Cabin"


THE U.S. MINT

     An impressive monument to the god of gold stands on 3rd street between Monroe and Taylor in the form of a stone structure originally intended for a U.S. Mint. Started in 1885 by an appropriation of $125,000 by Congress the 75 foot square building was made out of sandstone and basalt quarried near the Mill creek school house. Each block was 2 feet square and dressed to perfect shape with smooth borders around a slightly roughened interior by skilled Dalles masons of the 1880 period. The window ledges are of one stone, perfectly set into place. The spacious front doorway is plain but attractive in the massive stone arrangement, with a narrow border just above the door. A wide single stone step leads to the door.

     The interior is divided into one main room with several smaller rooms along the east side. Some of the partitions have been taken out and it does not retain the original floor plan. The smaller rooms were probably intended for offices. A fireplace was built in each room. The same durability of structure marks the interior the partitions being of stone and brick. The basement is a labyrinth of arched stone supports and passageways.

     When gold was discovered in Canyon City and on the Powder river a rush of gold miners passed thru The Dalles. Excitement was high and reports of claims yielding $2000 a day upped miners fever. The Dalles, Walla Walla and Canyon City were the largest towns in the Oregon country then. Livestock and produce were in great demand and commanded high prices. Payment for all commodities were made in gold dust the rate being $15.50 an ounce with quicksilver rates about the same. Everything was gold. The God of Gold reigned supreme in The Dalles. Human values were forgotten. Bags of gold were handled about as freely as other commodities. They were passed across the counter and gambling tables or bars in payment merchandise, debts or drinks. There was no service for less than $1. The Wells Fargo Express Co. carried the gold dust and bullion to the San Francisco mint by boat. The high cost of handling gold, its depreciation and loss in transit, led to the demand for the mint here. The construction work progressed 2 years to the 2nd floor when the politicians in Congress decided the building of the Union Pacific railroad would make the Denver mint available as well as the Carson City, Nevada mint and the San Francisco mint could be reached by boat. These factors, together with the "panning out" of the mines and creek washings led to the abandonment of the mint project in The Dalles in 1887. The incomplete structure was turned over to the state of Oregon to be sold and the proceeds used for the school fund. (if we had had the right type of men in our local public offices then the Mint building and grounds should have been acquired for either a city hall or county courthouse or a school or hospital) (Dalles Chronicle 1922).

THE DALLES PUBLIC LIBRARY

     The public library movement first started in The Dalles in 1898. The Dalles directory of 1903 stated the location of the library was at 310½ Washington street with Annie Lang, librarian and Velesca Liebe as assistant. The directory of 1905 showed Annie Lang as President of the Library Association and Belle Ferguson as Secretary. It was Andrew Carnegie the steel magnet who was stirring up library interest by giving libraries away to small towns without such facilities. He gained much publicity in the newspapers and magazines by his gesture of dividing his fortune in this manner.

     A town the size of The Dalles was entitled to a $10,000 gift for library building purposes, if the site was furnished by the city and the city would guarantee maintenance of $1000 annually. These were reasonable requests. Other cities were taking ad  vantage of the offer and those interested in a library thought we ought to be in on the 'cutting of the melon" while the opportunity still existed.

     The main promoters of the library movement were J.F. Neff, Annie Lang, Mrs. Hugh Logan, Frank French, Nathan Whealdon, Edward Hostetler, W.H. Wilson, Minnie Michell and Mrs. A.S. Bennett. They selected the site, got the city to make the purchase and guarantee maintenance. The Carnegie money was turned over to the city and the above committee carried out the construction program at 4th & Washington streets into the building we see today which was completed in September 1910.

     Wasco county has since contributed to the maintenance of the library and its use has become county-wide especially for school and personal use. Branch libraries are maintained at Mosier, Dufur, Antelope and Tygh and Maupin. Schools at Wamic, Wapinitia, Shaniko, Rowena and Chenowith are loaned material.

     Librarians were Elizabeth Stephens (1910-12); Corenne Metz (1913-19); Flora May Carr (1920-24); Elizabeth Hall (1924-25); Nina Moran (1925-30); Hary Frances Gilbart since 1930. Estelle Morgison, assistant librarian has been there since 1922.

     The Dalles public library, like our other public institutions, is trying to handle a 1952 business in a 1910 building. It needs to be remodeled and doubled in size and capacity. Its doors and floors are worn out. The steps groan with pain when feet tread upon them. Shelves need replacing and modernizing; the furniture should have been consigned to a rummage sale long ago and the lights are so ancient its hardly possible to read by them. Some civic organization that wants to do something for the community should get behind a library expansion and improvement movement.

     The assistance and cooperation we have received from the library staff in the preparation of this. History is acknowledged with thanks. The history stories of Mrs. Lulu D. Crandall, Louis Fritz, Carson C. Masiker, Fred Wilson, Elizabeth Lord, The history of Central Oregon to name a few are all on file for research purposes. There are 105 volumes of clippings from newspapers which contain some of the finest stories about The Dalles ever written about any historical place. People whose hobby is keeping clippings on different phases of our history should file them in this record.

THE CASTLE OF THE DALLES by Irene M. Clark

     No city has grown to maturity that does not boast a castle. Every boy and girl with any imagination has dreamed of a castle somewhere. Even the law of our land says, "a man's home is his castle." For more than 50 years the Castle of The Dalles, the most elaborate and expensive home the city has ever seen occupied the lots at the northwest corner of 10 and Laughlin streets. The story of the stone castle and of its builder, Col. J.H. Neyce, is one of the most romantic stories of the community and merits passing down from one generation to another as it was known to Lulu D. Crandall, early Dalles historian.

     Col. J.H. Neyce, the title being borrowed, came to The Dalles in the early sixties with troops to Old Fort Dalles. He was a clerk in the quartermaster's department of the garrison here. Of slender means he was strongly aristocratic in frame of mind and in common with the people, he believed in putting his "best foot forward"; and before long it was discovered and whispered that the Col. was about to put his best foot forward.(He had inherited quite a sum of money from an estate in the south).

     In 1883 he started building what was for that day and age a home of startling magnificence! Like many gentlemen he had inborn instincts of artists. Everything about the house was beautiful, dignified and planned with an eye to artistic effect. The location, with its sweeping view of the whole beautiful valley, was particularly advantageous. The sandstone of which the house was built was quarried from the ledge that marks the rimrock of the bluffs immediately south of the castle (on Scenic Drive), the cutting from the quarry being still visible on the hillside. The castle was evidently meant to be a monument to his pride for many years. The blocks were 18 inches thick and indeed everything about the place was built with the view to permanence and solidarity. Why this type of stone has not been more generally used for building is not known, perhaps the art of cutting it and preparing it has been lost along with the artisans who did such splendid work in erecting this beautiful place of masonry. Such work is seldom found in these days of get-it-done-quick.'

     Harry Whitmore laid up the stone. Mr. Rintoul, father of the Misses Rintoul -- brilliant Dalles school teachers, cut the fine stone arches over the windows and the sills of the doors and windows, R.W. Crandall, a famous stair builder and a real artist in that difficult profession, built the splendid circular stairway. Pete Rufiner did the plastering, work which is unexcelled. Because of the Gothic architecture, like that of the old Fort Dalles buildings, it is thought that Louis Scholl who designed the Old Fort Dalles buildings, was the architect. The main building measured 50 X 30 and the ell was 18 X 20. It was 2 stories high with a capacious attic and with a large fireplace in each room which lent distinction and comfort to them, particularly in the stately double parlors.

     When the castle-mansion was finished, Col. Neyce, with his wife and boy, took possession and lived there with such pomp and display. His wife rode a fine black Canadian pony, seated on a side saddle, which was the envy of the feminine population. When the family went riding a "nigger coachman" drove the fine span of horses which drew the handsome carriage. The home was handsomely furnished. They lived the lives of gentlemen of leisure to the full. Their little boy, who ran gaily about the stone castle died of measles. His wife has long since been dead. The Col. died at the age of 90 in the poor house at Santa Rosa, California.

     Tales told about the old castle often ran riot in the imagination of the teller. When it was left tenantless and deserted the famous castle became the haunted castle of The Dalles. Dark tales were afloat of strange and fearful raises, heard in the dead of night, and the village imagination conjured up all sorts of screaming victims of the villainous Colonel. The children used to dare each other to go up and ring the doorbell, in the daytime, and then scramble in delicious screaming terror down the steep embankment when a terrible and clanking rattling was heard in the haunted castle. One of the children, braver than the rest, stayed a moment after ringing the bell one day and beheld the source of the mystery. It was a great Newfoundland dog, wagging his tail in glee at seeing someone and dragging behind him a length of heavy chain which his master, who worked nights, used to fasten him, to guard the house during his absence. Older member of the community also had their thrills over ghostly noises which shrieked at stated intervals, from the old castle. Finally it was discovered by some daring soul, who decided to lay in wait for the ghost, that a little piece of tin up on the edge of the roof had become loose and bent screechingly to and fro in the wind, in such a manner as to cause the excitement.

     The house passed from Col. Noyce's hands to the Ladd & Tilton bank of Portland who sold it to Henry Marlin. He sold to Robery Mays of Tygh and for many years it was known as the May's castle. Mays sold it to James Rice of Madras and he to John Burnell. Finally E.O. McCoy came in possession of it and used the stones for a garage. Besides the Neyce, family Gov. Z.F. Moody lived in the castle before he was governor. J.O. Mack, who came to The Dalles in 1884 occupied it from 1889 to 1894. Mrs. Mack was a famous gardener and the grounds were a dream of loveliness during her occupancy. Mr. Mack died in 1903. In 1905 the old castle burned when a burning shingle from the burning home of B.S. Hunington was carried by the wind to the roof of the old castle. It was occupied by H.W. Wells who were away when the disaster occurred. It was reported that the castle cost Col. Neyce $50,000 which in terms of 1952 dollars would mean $200,000! It was therefore by far the most elaborate and expensive home ever erected in The Dalles and one which has left us one of the finest stories that any town could possibly wish for. (The Dalles Chronicle 1921)

Photographs titled
"The Dalles 1867 - Mint Under Construction"
Old Wooden Catholic Church"


THE DALLES HAS THREE COURTHOUSE BUILDINGS

     Few towns in the U.S. can boast of having 3 court house buildings still in existence. The old wooden city hall was formerly the first courthouse in Wasco county, erected in 1858 to serve an area of 130,000 square miles, the largest county ever to exist in the U.S! The contract for the erection of the old wooden courthouse at 3rd and Court streets (Court being named for the courthouse) was let in 1858 and construction completed the next year. The contractor was W.C. Wallace and most of the lumber came from the J.H. Mosier mill at Mosier, being floated to The Dalles on river scows or flatboats by Mr. Mosier although some of the lumber came from the Cascade mill at Cascade Locks. The framing was hewed out by broad-ax and all the materials were worked by hand, including the shingles. J.M. Marden made the doors and windows. The Dalles was known as Wascopam then and its population in 1858 was 600. Orlando Humason, Father of Wasco County, occupied the county judge's office and supervised the erection of the first courthouse. Joseph G. Wilsop was district judge from 1861 to 1870; L.L. McArthur to 1882.

     From 1854 to 1859 there was no courthouse in Wasco county nor any jail. This small frame structure was the first courthouse between the summit of the Cascades and the summit of the Rookies. It provided for an office for the sheriff on the first floor, with a jail at the rear and the courtroom upstairs. The county clerk's office was next door. The cost was not to exceed $2500. The court room was used as a town meeting hall for religious, political and civic bodies to meet in. Inmates of the jail on the first floor soon filled the walls of the building with millions of bed-bugs, lice and other vermin until the presence of the crawling creatures on the fine "Sunday go-to-meeting clothes" of the ladies made it an objectionable place for public gatherings on warm days and hastened the erection of early Dalles churches. The Camera Club picture of the first courthouse and that of the Pioneers' Association was taken by Julius Valarde.

     When Wasco County built its second courthouse at 3rd and Union in 1883 at a cost of $23,000, the first wooden courthouse was used as Dalles City hall and jail until 1909 when the present city hall was erected. During the city hall construction period the old courthouse was moved to a vacant lot next to the Elk's Club and used as a city hall in that location. After the completion of the new city hall the old courthouse was moved to 320 E. 3rd where Matt Schoren, its new owner, remodeled it into a dwelling and later into a lodging house as it appears today.

     The 1883 courthouse, a fine brick structure costing $23,000 was built by N.J. Blagen as a 2-story structure with county offices on the first floor, jail in the rear and a large court room on the second floor. It had a full basement and was heated by warm air wood-burning furnace. The belfry contained the "town clock" which tolled off the hours for the sleepy village. The brick came from the J.H. Blakeney brickyard, out on Brickyard road next to the Odd Fellows cemetery. The large drying kilns of the Blakeney brickyard made most of the brick for the permanent brick structures of that period that we see in The Dalles today. There were other smaller brickyards "up on the bluff" but this was the largest brick manufacturing establishment in The Dalles.

Third Courthouse

     The growth in population, expansion of county business and cheapness of good materials prompted the acquiring of the old Baptist church property at 5th & Washington for $8000 to erect a new, bigger and better courthouse on. C.J. Crandall, husband of Lulu D. Crandall early Dalles historian, was the architect. He and Louis Scholl were s the best two architects in the city's history as the monuments they left to their memory will testify to. A.E. Lake was county judge and he established a sinking fund for the new courthouse which was erected in 1914 at a cost of $159,000 at a fraction of its replacement value today. Its Corinthian architecture design with granite foundation, beautiful white brick, broad picture windows, marble halls and fine furniture have withstood 38 years, of use and weather and is still one of the most beautiful buildings in the Pacific northwest. County business has long since outgrown the building but taxpayers refused to approve an office annex before World War 2 when costs were reasonable and so today about ½ of Wasco county business is transacted in privately owned rented quarters.

WASCO COUNTY

     Wasco county was organized by an act of the territorial 1egislature in 1854 and included everything in the Territory of Oregon between the summit of the Cascades on the west and the summit of the Rookies on the east from the California border on the south to the Columbia river on the north embracing some 130,000 square miles and was the largest county in the U.S. between 1854 and 1869! Cascade Locks, Mt. Hood, Crater Lake, Klamath Falls, all of southern Idaho to Rock Springs, Wyo., north to Yellowstone Park (which was in Wasco county) and to and including Butte, Mont. west and including Grangeville, Idaho, just south of Walla Walla and Wallula to the Columbia river and back down the Columbia to the Cascades was all in Wasco County!

     Wasco county was taken off of Clackamas and Champoeg counties. We once thought Clackamas was larger than Wasco at the time Clackamas county extended to the Canadian boundary and included nearly all of Washington; northern Idaho and a part of Montana from Butte north, but Wasco county was ¼ larger; and even when it ran on up to the imaginary 54-40 or fight parallel in Canada, which was never recognized by treaty, it was never any larger than Wasco county.

     Feb, l4, 1859 Oregon became a state and Wasco county lost Idaho, Wyoming and Montana.

     In 1862 Baker and Umatilla counties was cut off Wasco. Grant was taken off in 1864; then Union and Lake in 1874; Crook and Klamath in 1882; Morrow and Gilliam in 1885; Malheur in l887; Harney in 1888; Sherman in 1891; Wheeler in 1809; Hood River in 1908; Deschutes and Jefferson in 1916 until now it contains only 2387 square miles. Had the proposal to take Nesmith county off Wasco in 1906 materialized, and Antelope made the county seat we would have lost all the territory south of the Deschutes river 1188 square miles and would have been reduced to 1199 square miles. We always count the 500 square miles of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation as a part of Wasco county too.

THE POSTAL SERVICE

     Mail service is always the first to follow settlement so it is not surprising that the post office is the oldest business institution in The Dalles and other communities. Even the early missionaries of The Dalles had letters to forward to the folks at home and missionary boards and never failed to meet the Hudson Bay boats for mail purposes. Military authorities maintained their routes of mail and army orders routes. The Oregon Provincial legislature of 1843 established its own mail service with W.G. T'Vault as postmaster general who established the first post offices and mail routes in the Willamette Valley. Service was not extended to The Dalles as only the mission existed here and they got their mail periodically on trips for supplies to the valley. The first offices established were at Astoria, Vancouver, Oregon City, Champoeg, Salem and Dalles. Mail boats at first only came to Astoria and later to Vancouver, Milwaukee and Oregon City, in 1851 by the Pacific Mail boats Caroline and Oregon. Edward Crate made occasional stops at the mission here enroute down the river and carried messages for the missionaries so he might be termed the first unofficial mail carrier of The Dalles.

     In 1851 Capt. Nathaniel Coe, 1812 war veteran who in 1853 filed on a Donation Land claim at Hood River, was appointed the government postal agent for Oregon, letting contracts for postal routes and establishing post offices in Oregon Territory. He appointed Wm. Gibson as first post master at Fort Dalles Landing and let the first contract to Justin Chenowith, after whom Chenowith creek is named, to transport the mail by dug-out-sail-boat canoe from the Cascades to The Dalles in 1851.

FIRST POST OFFICE AT FORT DALLES LANDING

     John Bell of Salem operated a Sutler's store at the old Fort Dalles in 1850 and he sold to Wm. Gibson who obtained permission of the military authorities to move it down to Nathan Olney's log cabin on the bank of Mill creek at First & Union close to the Landing. This gave the first name to the post office in 1851 as The. Dalles Landing and Fort Dalles Landing which name prevailed for postal purposes until 1853 when it was changed to WASCOPAM. These facts mark Wm. Gibson as the first official postmaster of The Dalles and the establishment of The Dalles post office 101 years ago. Wm. Gibson is credited with being postmaster of The Dalles Landing and Wascopam from 1851 until 1859; the name of the post office being changed from The Dalles Landing to Wascopam Sept. 8, 1853 and remained known as WASCOPAM until it was changed to The Dalles March 22, 1880. We have found no early history on Wm. Gibson, where he came from or where he went to. Historians do say he sold the old log post office and store building to Victor Trevitt who moved it to 103 W 2nd, across from the present post office building. It is apparent that Gibson found better quarters elsewhere for the post office.

JUSTIN CHENOWITH

     History records that Justin Chenowith was born in Illinois (1825) came west to St. Louis where he joined the U.S. Mounted Riflemen and came to Fort Dalles with Col. W.W. Loring in 1849. He was an early Oregon school teacher and legislative assembly clerk, librarian and public land surveyor, a very outstanding man for those early days so it was natural that Nathaniel Coe should meet and be impressed with him the very first thing upon Coe's arrival for postal purposes. His first year on his Donation Land Claim on Chenowith Creek he lived in a "lean-to cave hut" but in 1852 he built a fine home on his place at the mouth of the creek and tried to establish a townsite there. He was licensed to operate the first ferry at (The Dalles) WASCOPAM in 1854 by one of the first acts of the newly formed county government. In 1880 he ran for surveyor of Wasco county but was defeated so started a pack train supply service to the mines (1880-61). He was later a stagecoach driver on The Dalles to Salt Lake City run carrying mail, passengers, gold and Wells Fargo Express. He left The Dalles in 1866, after marrying Mary Vickers of Butteville in 1852 when he was living on the Van Bibber place at the foot of 7 Mile Mountain while building his Chenowith home. He was our first county school superintendent in 1887. He died in Portland March 16, 1898.

MILO M. CUSHING

     Milo M. Cushing was the first Presidential postmaster appointed at WASCOPAM 1859 by President James Buchanan, democrat. He held the office for 6 years, according to Mrs. Wentworth Lord early Dalles historian, and he had no salary except stamp cancellations. He maintained the post office in a log building just east of the Waldron stone building at the foot of Washington street. Later he built a frame building just west of the stone building, which is the oldest building in The Dalles erected in 1859. He maintained the post office and store on the ground floor and living quarters upstairs. Mr. Cushing suffered a $10,000 loss in the flood of 1859 and thinking he might have good luck in the gold fields of Canyon City or Idaho, he appointed Chas. Manfield, republican, to act as postmaster in his absence. But Capt. Thomas Jordan, 2nd in command at Fort Dalles under Col. Geo. Wright and who was "an ardent southern democrat" succeeded in removing Mansfield. Of Capt. Thomas Jordan Judge Fred Wilson says, "after leaving Fort Dalles he served as Chief of Staff in the southern army to Gen. Beauregard, 2nd in command at the battle of Shiloh. Jordan street in The Dalles is named after him and he supervised the erection of the buildings of Fort Dalles."

     Milo M. Cushing came to The Dalles in 1852 with the 4th U.S. Infantry under command of Col. B.E.L. Bonneville, after whom Bonneville Dam is named. He was a Serg. In Capt. Alvord's company enlisting in 1848 in the quartermaster's corps. He was discharged at Fort Dalles in 1853 and surveyed the military reservation which was 10 miles square. He obtained military permission to erect a log hotel on Front street with a store on the lower floor. His rates was 50¢ for beds and 75¢ for meals. He went farming on Mill creek in 1858 and owned a ¼ interest in the steamer Wasco which helped rescue the settlers at the Cascades during the massacre of 1856. In 1876 he moved to his lower 15 mile creek home at the Cushing Falls, just above Seuferts where he died in 1906 at age 86. He married Mary Piggott at The Dalles in 1854 which was the first wedding after the county was formed (see Little Girl of Wilderness).

JACOB JUKER

     Jacob Juker was born in Switzerland (1820) served as 2nd Lt. in the Mexican War of 1846-48 and was mustered out of the army at Vancouver in 1849. He was admitted to citizenship Aug. 11, 1854 at the first session of the District Court held in The Dalles by Justice Olney. He operated a cigar making and selling business and was appointed postmaster by Abraham Lincoln maintaining the office just east of the Columbia hotel (110 E. First). He had 3 girls and 2 boys, according to his son Wm. a carpenter and painter (1930) at Lafayette, and who left The Dalles in 1884. He died at The Dalles in 1869 and was buried in the Masonic Cemetery on Dry Hollow.(Fred Lockley, Oregon Journal Sept. 12, 1930).

H.G. WALDRON

     H.G. Waldron, early Dalles school teacher and beloved pioneer druggist and owner of the old Waldron stone building, oldest in The Dalles, at the foot of Washington street, in 1864 received the appointment as postmaster at The Dalles from Abraham Lincoln and served 12 years. The mail until 1883 arrived in The Dalles by boat and the arrival of the mail boat, each evening, was indeed the big event of the day for the little village of 1000 people; and Mr. Waldron's drug store would be overflowing with anxious citizens awaiting word from loved ones or friends or for news from the outside world. The names of those having mail were called out and if present stepped forward. Mr. Waldron was widely known for his kindness and willingness to serve everyone, friends and stranger alike. If there was no one at General Delivery window, people just reached around and got their own mail, in typical self-service manner. Mr. Waldron died in the big fire of Oct. 27, 1878 as a result of over exertion trying to help others salvage belongings.

ELIZABETH WILSON

     Elizabeth Wilson, mother of Judge Fred W. Wilson, retired, in 1874 was appointed postmaster of The Dalles by President Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War General. Her appointment caused "great consternation" in the community because she was the first woman to receive a presidential appointment and she held the office 12 years. She had to give quite a large size bond and there were no fidelity bond companies in those days. Her bond was signed by prominent business men like Orlando Humason, Daniel Handley, George A. Liebe and R.F. Gibons. She maintained the post office in her home at 209 Union street. The Dalles at that time was the mail distributing post office for all of eastern Oregon until 1883. Ocean steamers brought the mail to Portland and thence by river steamers to The Dalles. Here all the mails were worked over, segregated and delivered to the various stage lines running to Canyon City, Prineville, Walla Walla, Boise, Yakima or Wapinitia.

     After leaving the post office (1886) Mrs. Wilson remained active in social affairs giving a great deal of attention to the Congregationalist church of which she was an early member. She was interested to schools, liked to travel and made several trips to eastern states to see old friends and places. She was born at South Argyle, N.Y. (1630) daughter of James O. Miller and came to Oregon (1851) via Panama as a school teacher and was married to Joseph G. Wilson (1854) son Sam Wilson of N.H. and was educated in Marietta college, Ohio receiving doctor of law degree (18__) coming to Oregon (1852) where he practiced law in the Willamette Valley, was a member of the state supreme court; was elected Congressman (1874), there being only 1 congressmen from Oregon at that time; and had sent his family east to his old home at College Hill, Ohio (Cincinnati) intending to follow but was urged to stay in Oregon and campaign for Pres. U.S. Grant, which he did; and left for Washington, D,C. intending to meet his family at College Hi1l where Fred W. Wilson was born Sept. 10, 1872. After his arrival the family went with him to Washington. He Was invited to deliver the commencement address of Marietta College on July 3, 1873. On the evening of July 2nd he was suddenly stricken and died in a very few minutes about a year after his election, leaving the widow and 4 children: Genevieve (Mrs. Pierce Mays); Grace (Mrs. Chas. W. Taylor); Lucy (Mrs. Joe Peters); Fred W. Wilson, retired Circuit Court Judge of The Dalles, and a graduate of Whitman College and John Hopkins University (1893). The family moved to The Dalles in 1863. Elizabeth Wilson died Feb. 12, 1913 and is buried in the Old Pioneer Cemetery. (Biography by Judge Fred W. Wilson).

     During the flood of 1872 the post office had to be moved to Krohn's Sawmill, courthouse location at 3rd & Union. The 1880 flood compelled its removal to the Congregationalist church at 2nd & Wash. in 1921 the Wilson post office property was used as a Y.W.C.A.

JAMES B. CROSSEN

     James B. Crosson, Dalles auctioneer of 1883 was appointed postmaster by James A. Garfield in 1885 and moved the office to new quarters in the Gates building, which still stands at 3rd and Union. After 1883 the mail was handled by the railroad the trains stopping at the Umatilla House for passenger and mall service. The boats landed at the foot of Union street in those days making the Umatilla House corner at First and Union the most important location in the city. Edward Patterson and Senator P.J. Stadelman were postal clerks under Mr. Crossen.

Mike T. Nolan

     Mike T. Nolan was appointed postmaster of The Dalles by Grover Cleveland in 1689 and he moved the office to 309 Washington street. During the flood of 1894 people rowed their boats right in the front door of the post office for their mail. Mr. Nolan's clerks were Horace Beanly and Mr. Chittenden, a Civil War veteran who retired to the old soldier's home at Roseburg in 1899. During the 1894 flood platforms ware installed in the office and raised as the water rose to keep the, mails dry while the clerks wore hip boots or remained mounted on the platforms to keep dry. The floods cut off the eastern mails and all the city had was what little that came up from Portland on the boats for nearly 3 weeks; and outgoing mail had to be dispatched to Portland by boat. The local papers suspended publication and most of the people were busy with the flood work so mail took a holiday with the flood.

JAMES A. CROSSEN

     James A. Crosson, son of James B. Crosson, served under Benj. Harrison until 1893. He moved the office to the Masonic Building on 3rd street. One night the post office in this location was robbed and a stolen mail bag was found the next day on the Academy grounds at 10 & Washington streets. He later moved the office to the Vogt building where Davie's Drug store is at 318 E 2nd. John Cooper, Mr. Chittenden and Glenn Allen were clerks. Mr. Allen stated that he started work at 3 A.M. and quit for the night at 10 P.M. He slept on a cot in the back of the post office for 5 or 6 hours each night and received $80 a month for the 16 hour day and he said he quit after a year because "the hours were too long." Nat Gorman brought the mail from the depot to the post office in a hand push cart. Henry H. Riddell was the next postmaster serving until 1897 when he was relieved by his bondsmen and the office placed in charge of Forest Fisher until 1901. Paul Childers was a clerk.

CIVIL SERVICE

     It was while Jerry M. Patterson, prominent Civil War veteran and community leader was postmaster (1901-05) that the classification of the office was raised from 3rd to 2nd and the Civil Service act of 1903 became effective permitting the establishment of City Delivery service and Rural Delivery service to farms. Jerry M. Patterson was born in Ohio (1845) served in Co. A 15 Ohio Infantry. In 1888 he was a telegraph operator for the Northwestern railroad. He came to Oregon via the Panama Canal in 1869 settling at Salem and later to The Dalles as book keeper for A.M. Williams and Cashier for the U.S. bank. His son Edward was a post office clerk under James B. Crossen (1886-1890); his daughter Buluah served from 1902 to 1947 in the post office and his daughter Prudence was for years Clerk for school district 12. Maud Mitchell was assistant postmaster and Horace Bewley, mailing clerk.

     Richard French, Dalles to Goldendale stagecoach driver (see under stages) became a City Carrier in 1903 and Edward Lemerson, Spanish-American war veteran also became a City Carrier in 1903, and he later transferred to Fresno, Calif. where he recently died. In those days City Carriers rode bicycles to serve the well-spaced houses "up in the pines." Lewis Moore was substitute. Mail then consisted mainly of letters and a few "home town" papers. Mails were not commercialized by business institutions then as they are now.

RURAL MAIL SERVICE

     The Rural Mail service was sponsored by Grange legislation (1894) to bring free delivery of the mails to the farms of America which were at that time served largely by 44,000 small village post offices. There was much "city prejudice" against the rural mail service both in and out of the post office and some of it prevails even to this day. The petition for the first R.F.D. service at The Dalles was circulated by the late Si Evans of Upper 3 Mile creek in 1904 for service up 3 Mile and the Obrist grade to Dutch Flat, down the Hog's Back between 3 & 5 mile to the Benson school and back to Thompson Addition over the Benson road and to the post office. The first carrier (1904) was Chester Bell, after whom the Bell grade at the 3 Mile school was named. He was followed by Chas. Creighton (1905-06) prominent pioneer lodge man of The Dalles. Then Lewis Johnson, Civil War veteran father of Roy T. Johnson carried from 1907 to 1909. Wm. Obrist, son of Jacob Obrist pioneer settler of Dutch Flat, carried in 1910. He was followed by Joe Chandler, Allen E. Canfield, George Young, John Bunn, Klickitat county PUD director; Frank Gibson 1925; Wm. H. McNeal, compiler of this history, 1926-1948 and Dan Kindred since 1947, former Dalles City Carrier.

     In 1930 the post office department engaged in an "economy drive" reducing the number of rural routes in the U.S. from 45,000 to 32,000 and included in this program was the consolidation of R.1, The Dalles and R.2, Boyd. R.1 was then re-routed to go east through Thompson's Addition, out the Old Dufur road to highway 23 and up 8 Mile and the Walston Grade (which rises 1000 feet in 14 miles); across Pleasant Ridge, down Jap Hollow, back the Old Dufur road to 5 Mile; up 5 Mile to the Grey school house and back in 3 Mile to the post office a distance of 51 miles. Under that consolidation step Blake Gallaher, carrier R.2, Boyd (1917-1930) was transferred by the department to R.4, The Dalles where he carried until his retirement Oct. 31, 1951. The consolidated section of the Boyd R.2, was established by George Walston (1910) son of Dr. M.C. Walston after whom Walston grade was named. He was followed by Chas. Deams, Chas. McCafferty, Blake Gallaher of Boyd and Wm. H. McNeal, compiler of this history, and Dan Kindred. The establishment of R.2, Boyd resulted in the discontinuance of the Endersby post office on The Dalles to Wapinitia horse-drawn Concord stage line (1878-1910). Roy T. Johnson, local P.U.D. director, started substituting for his father on R.1 in 1910 and had more than 30 years of continuous substitute service in when he resigned in 1944.

EDWARD HOSTETLER

     In 1905 Edward Hostetler, brother of Jess the Cashier for years in French & Co. bank, was appointed postmaster by Theodore Roosevelt. Maud Mitchell served as assistant and later Acy Stogsdill became the assistant and the office was moved to the Odd Fellows building at 2nd & Laughlin which was closer to the railroad depot at First & Madison. If the post office is within 3 or 4 blocks of the depot the railroad must pay for the transportation of the mail from the depot to the office, it is therefore government economy to keep post offices close to depots.

     Hugh Fagan, son of Peter who came from Kansas to The Dalles in 1893, was appointed City Carrier in 1908 and retired as assistant postmaster in 1952. Robert Falcon was a City Carrier for a short while. Jacob Seherrer, World War 1 Veteran and now superintendent of mails received his appointment in 1908. Guy Fagan, brother of Hugh became a city carrier in 1909 and retired as a Rural Carrier on R.3 in 1945. Thomas Hill was appointed City Carrier in 1910, retired in 1934 and died 1952. John Harris became a City Carrier in 1909 and retired as a clerk in 1922. George Morris and Howard Hazelette became City Carriers during this period. Bert Wyatt became a City Carrier 1910, resigned during W.W.I, was reinstated and retired as a clerk in 1935. On Jan. 22, 1911 the press reported a deposit of $24 was made on the first day of operation of the postal savings in The Dalles.

Photographs titled
"Winter Roads"


ROUTE 2

     The R.F.D. to the Mill creek area of The Dalles was established in 1906 with the route following up Mill creek to Spicenger canyon (known in prohibition days as Whiskey Gulch); thence up to Dutch Flat and across to the James M. Hartman grade and down to the old Issac Matney post office which served the employees of the Sam John's mill; down upper Mill creek and Suicide Grade to Lower Mill creek and back to the office. This was a standard 24 mile horse and buggy route. The first carrier was Dan Stuart (1906-09) who drove a 1 horse cart, rode a saddle horse in muddy weather and just as often walked the 24 miles in good weather! They tell a story on Dan. He hated women and there was a pretty school mom teaching the Dutch Flat school, One Friday she asked Dan if she could go to town with him. "Sure", he said, "be ready when I come by tomorrow." The next day Dan walked his route and the most humiliated school mom in Wasco county stayed home.

     The next carrier was Chas. Thompson who later went to Portland and then Fred Campbell, brother of Bert the Taxidermist; Jim Pardue who later went to Portland; John Bunn the brother of Chas. later moved to Kelso (1920-21); Harold Canfield (1922-24); Roy Johnson (1925); Frank Gibson (1926-1947) retired on disability; Harold Ryan (1947-51); Ivan Gallager, son of Blake retired carrier of R.4, 1952. The Economy Act of 1932 made a re-routing of R.2 up Mill creek to the foot of Suicide grade and return to Spicenger Canyon for a re-trace service; then up the Skyline road, across Dutch Flat and down 3 Mile and Dry Hollow back to the post office, 46 miles. In the old days when R.2 went down the Hartman and Suicide grades it was classed as the WORST RURAL MAIL ROUTE ROADS OF ANY ROUTE IN THE U.S. by the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association who sent a representative over the road to confirm their belief. In icy and snowy weather to bring a car down Suicide grade and stay right-side-up was one of the few thrilling experiences the average person ever has in a lifetime of driving; yet the rural carrier was expected to successfully do it every day as a part of his job! When the facts were brought to the attention of the Post Office Department they discontinued service over that part of the route, making the re-routing mentioned above.

     The climb of 1000 feet up the Walston grade, in 1¼ miles, on R.1, up 8 Mile, is practically as steep as the descent down the Suicide grade was. It is not a fit road for public travel in bad weather and service has been suspended on Pleasant Ridge in bad weather for that reason. The roads up there are unimproved dirt roads, for the most part, and become blocked with snow and bottomless in mud, slick death traps when icy, and much winter time fog-bound driving.

ROUTE 3

     Route 3 was established by Roy T. Johnson in 1909 as a 30 mile horse and buggy route going out through Thompson's Addition on east 9 street to the Old Dufur road and following it to the old dirt Wrentham road just beyond 5 Mile creek; out the Wrentham road to the Gilpin corner; thence through the Columbia district to the old post office of English at the Hay 4-corners; thence south down to Freebridge post office on the Great Southern railroad; following down 15 Mile creek past Brookhouser Fulton, Fairbanks, Petersburg and back on what is now highway 30 to the post office. Phil Moore was the first carrier in 1910 followed by Joe Chandler, Allen E. Canfield, D.G. Remple (1920-29), Guy Fagan (1929-45) and Wm. H. McNeal, compiler of this history, since 1945.

   During World War I days R.3 was converted from a "horse and buggy route" to what the post office Department was calling "Motor Routes" and it was officially changed from Route 3 to Motor Route A. Later the motor route designations
were changed back to Rural Routes for the reason that practically all Rural Routes in the U.S. were fast becoming "motor routes" without "official knowledge of the department." Later on extension was made from the Gilpin corner, to the Wrentham post office, then south to the Summit Ridge school and down the Emerson-Roberts market road back to the Columbia district. With minor changes the run now is 56.56 with 144 boxes through the "bread basket of Wasco county" where ranches are large and houses a mile or more apart. This is a great country for snow drifts in the winter, especially in the higher elevations and carriers have found that unless the road is plowed out there is no traveling possible in the hard packed drifts and stinging east wind.

ROUTE 4

     Route 4 was laid out in 1912 as a standard 24 mile horse and buggy route following out the Chenowith road, up Chenowith creek to Brown's creek; up the Doyle grade, another of those 1000 foot rises in 1¼ miles which became unfit for public travel in bad weather; across 7 Mile mountain to the old State road and Ortley corner; back the state road to Chenowith creek and the post office. The establishment of the route was made by Lewis Falmer, a World War I veteran who carried 1912 to 1914, later operated a dairy on Snipes acres and then moved to Gresham. Alfred E. Canfield and his daughter Vera Canfield were the next two carriers. They were followed by Jess Stilwell, Spanish-American war veteran who now lives in Portland. Next was Owen McCorkle a World War I veteran then Roy T. Johnson and Don Davis. Don was a World War I veteran. Blake Gallaher carried from 1930 to 1951 when he retired. Harold Ryan transferred from R.2 to R.4 in 1951.

     During the Economy Act the Post Office Department in 1936 transferred Wm. Sendlinger, Carrier of R.1, Mosier to the newly consolidated Dufur Rural routes. The Department then re-routes R. 4 out the Chenowith paved road to the school, re-traced to the Cemetery-Brickyard road to Cherry Heights and down Brown's creek to Chenowith, over to highway 30 and down to Mosier; up Mosier creek and back; returning to The Dalles over the old State road to highway 30 and the post office. The distance is 64 miles and there are nearly 400 boxes. This route has made a phenomenal growth since the installation of the Chenowith water district. In the old days of the horse and buggy they didn't even need to label the little case for the few papers and letters. Now Mr. Ryan has the equal of two standard cases and will need more room and will soon need extra office help to handle the mail. This route now works out of both The Dalles and Mosier post offices and requires more than 44 hours a week.

FEDERAL BUILDING IN THE DALLES

     Robert E. Williams received the democratic appointment for postmaster from Woodrow Wilson in 1913, The Odd Fellows fire of August 1914 burned the post office and several other business firms on the north side of 2nd in the 400 block, and since the depot was built in the west and of towns the government bought property at 2nd and Union for the new federal building. The Optimist of Feb. 18, 1915 said, "George Isackson, Portland contractor, was awarded construction of the new federal building at 2nd and Union, to begin work at once; the building to cost $73,978 and to be built of TENYOO sandstone. An appropriation of $60,000 was made for furnishings and equipment. The structure is to house the post office and the U.S. land office."

     The Chronicle of Dec. 24, 1951 said, "Any increase in population will further tax the present 37 year old post office building already overcrowded and inadequate for good service. The post office department has made a complete survey of the present building and recommendations were made for enlarging and remodeling prior to planning for the building of The Dalles dam which will increase the present normal number of 36 employees by 5 more letter carriers and 1 parcel post carrier, 2 clerks and 1 supervisor and 4 substitute clerk-carriers. At least 500 more boxes will be needed. There are now 632 with demand for 100 more. The lobby is at least 4 feet too narrow. More office space is needed. The assistant postmaster and superintendent of mails need an office. The money order, registry and COD departments are inadequate. The vaults have long been outgrown for proper storage of records and stock. Insufficient space for handling and dispatch of mails, new city delivery cases for loading and unloading mail, parcel post, sacked mail and storage. Present floor space totals 2,880 sq. ft. including a 13 X 60 ft. lobby, a 15 X 32 ft. finance room and 6 X 8 foot vault. The postmaster's office is 14 ft. square with an 8 X 10 vault too small for stocks required to be carried. The basement storage room is very crowded now. The furnace room is large enough. The 15 X 32 swing room is inadequate for an increased force. Other government agencies use the 2nd floor. Even if the extra space requested is granted the office will be taxed to capacity during the construction of the dam. Doubling of the present floor space would care for the normal increase in population for years to come." On April 30,1952 the Chronicle said, "The Dalles post office is in the market for an extra building. This morning Bertha Darnielle, postmaster, put up a notice in the post office offering to lease 1650 sq. ft. of floor space in a separate building for dispatching and rural carriers' sections. The additional space must be on a single floor and should be as close to the post office as possible and people having such property are asked to get in touch with the postmaster by May 31 and she will provide the proper application for a lease for 5 years available Nov. l. Post office inspectors have calculated the amount of additional space needed to be about ½ the amount of space available in the present building. With the lack of post office space becoming critical and with crowded conditions expected in the near future the only solution is to build an addition to the present post office or find more space elsewhere since there is at present no authorization to build an addition to the post office."(Note -- the installation of an elevator, portable working cases for clerical separation of incoming mail, re-wiring of the building, installation of a modern air conditioning system and oil or electrical heat, a telephone switch board for more extensions, a 2 way talkie system, more parking for cars, would double the capacity of the present building by utilizing all the upper floor and basement floor for postal purposes." This would ease the congestion until an extension could be added to the building).

UNDER MR. WILLIAMS 1913-1921

     During this period of time the parcel post system was established. Jess Stillwell was the first parcel post carrier using a horse and cart. The 2-wheel cart had a box the full width between the wheels, with sections for parcels. A step the full width of the cart was provided for the carrier to stand on. Thomas Hill was the next parcel post carrier. He was a city carrier from 1910 to 1936. The next parcel post carrier was George Morris followed by Harold Ryman (1927) and Elmore Zerflush (1938) who served in China as a WW2 veteran.

     Olive Williams (1915-1926) was appointed registry clerk by her father. Dan Kindred became a City Carrier in 1918. Mark Sullivan (1917-1951) served as Custodian until WWI and when he came back from the navy he served as a City Carrier until he retired in 1951. Edward Hanlon, who entered the postal service as a City Carrier in New York City in 1908 traded with Harbert Cluff, Clerk (1918). Ed is now one of the separation and mailing clerks. Ed. Lemison the Spanish-American war veteran city carrier resigned here and in 1916 went to Fresno, Calif. where he was reinstated and continued to carry until his retirement. Joe LaFoe entered as a janitor during W.W.I. Janitor help was hard to get during WWI and the boys tell a story about having to hire a sheep herder from the Antelope country to help out one winter. The first fire he built soon had the furnace just dancing and the pop-off valve hissing steam, the building shaking. The poor frightened sheep herder tore up the stairs yelling, "run for your lives, she's going to blow up" and out the back door and down past the Hotel Dalles he ran like a hare. In the meantime Ed. Hanlon realized the radiators were turned off and opened them all up allowing the pressure to go down to normal but they say that if the sheep herder is still going at the same pace as last seen he ought to be over in Australia by now.

Robert E. Williams was the son of Robert E. Williams pioneer of 1852 who died at Wells Springs in Morrow county so Mr. Williams never knew his father, being only a year old. The family went on down to Oregon City by log raft where Mr. Williams spent his boyhood and knew Dr. McLaughlin, next door neighbor, and described him as straight in statue with long white hair, wore a broad rimmed black hat, carried a one and had a strong deep voice that could be heard for a block. He knew all the Barlow family too. He came to The Dalles in 1889 and married Violet Matlock and worked for Brooks & Peters and S L. Brooks mercantile co. In 1895 he went farming on 5 mile where he remained 16 years until he became postmaster. He died in The Dalles about 1928.

SIMON BOLTON 1921-29

     Simon Bolton, son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Fullweider) Bolton who settled on 15 mile creek in 1854, was county clerk of both Klickitat and Wasco counties and for a number of years operated The Dalles Abstract office became postmaster under Warren G. Harding in 1921 serving until 1929. During this period Chas. Medley (1921-1940) entered the custodian service. James Beck became a city carrier in 1922 later trading with Carl Pratt, WWI veteran and Rural Carrier at Maupin (1932) and Mr. Pratt retired on disability shortly after the trade. Frank Gibson was appointed clerk-carrier substitute in 1922 transferring to R.1 in 1925 and to R.2 In 1926. W.H. McNeal, compiler of this history and WWI veteran was appointed, clerk-carrier substitute in 1925 and transferred to R.l in 1926 and to R.3 in 1946. George Herman was appointed City Carrier in 1926 and is now Registry clerk. George French, son of Richard French City Carrier of 1903 entered the service as a mailing clerk in 1927 and in 1939 he traded with Percy Forbes (1939-1951) of Los Angeles a WWI veteran who entered the City Carrier service in 1924 at Los Angeles. George French is now a clerk at Tucson, Arizona. Dr. D.G. Remple, chiropractor and post office clerk of Prineville transferred to The Dalles in 1920 where he was the carrier on R.3 (1920-1929) trading with Guy Fagan, for a clerkship and retired in 1926. His son Gerhard Remple was clerk from 1924 to his death in 1948. Gerhard's wife Vira Remple was appointed clerk cashier-auditor (duties of Assistant postmaster) 1948. Don Davis was a Rural Carrier on R.4 (1946) later a city carrier in the office and finally transferred to Portland where he carries a down-town route. Harold Ryan became a City Carrier in 1926, parcel post carrier, R.2 Carrier (1947-51), R.4 Carrier since 1951.

JAMES B. KIRK 1929-1936

     James B. Kirk, Spanish-American war veteran and proprietor of The Dalles Iron Works and first automobile garage in The Dalles received in 1929 the last republican appointment for a postmastership at The Dalles from Calvin Coolidge. That was 23 years ago. A whole generation has grown to manhood and womanhood since the republicans have held office. Only a pioneer can remember that far back! (Some of the above mentioned appointments were made by Mr. Kirk, those made between 1929 and 1936 and even other later postmasters made some of the appointments mentioned above to make a better reading story.) James B. Kirk was born (1866) at Naoso, Mo. the son of Wm. H. and Harriett (Crain) Kirk of Scotland. The family moved from Mo. to Kan. (1882) and came west to Spokane that same year by covered wagon. He went to school at Walla Walla and moved to Portland in 1890. In 1896 he enlisted in the navy on the Monterey and served until 1899. He was married in 1899 to Lillie Johnson and moved to The Dalles in 1905 starting The Dalles Iron Works and first garage in eastern Oregon. He has served intermittently on The Dalles school board from 1915 to 1926, a thankless job with no pay. He was postmaster at The Dalles from 1929 to 1936. He served as Wasco County Judge from 1940 to 1947. Mr. and Mrs. Kirk's children were Bonita (Mrs. Roscoe Roberts) of The Dalles; Loyal, proprietor of The Dalles Iron Works; Grant, with the Pacific Telephone & Tel. Co. Portland; Elbert with the Bonneville Power Administration in Spokane; Letha (Mrs. Arthur Matlot) Brookings.

     H.E. Barr was the first democratic postmaster appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt here in 1936. Upon his death in office Ralph Bennett, WWI Veteran and editor of the Optimist was appointed to fill the vacancy in 1938.

BERTHA DARNIELLE

     Bertha Darnielle was appointed postmaster by Harry Truman in 1945 the first time since 1874 that a woman has held the office. She is the wife of Willis Darnielle, pioneer 8 Mile family and democratic central committeeman of Wasco county for a number of years, and Dalles real estate merchant. As stated on the preceding page the volume of mail has doubled and the population has greatly - increased since WW2 which has doubled the size of the postal crew and brought about the need for more office space to handle the business which Mrs. Darnielle has had to meet with and solve.

    The more recent employees are Earl Sawtel1 (1937) WW2 veteran, clerk; Elmore Zerflush (1938) WW2 veteran, parcel post carrier; Roscoe Sexton (1945) WW2 veteran, clerk; Leo. Smith (1945) WW2 veteran, clerk; Joe Blessenback, WW2 veteran, transferee (1948) from St. Paul as a City Carrier, retired on disability to in 1951; Duane Miller, 1945 WW2 veteran, clerk; Don Ott (1946) WW2 veteran, City Carrier; Ivan Ga1laher (1947) WW2 veteran, City Carrier, transferred 1951 to R.2; Keith Gallaher (1948) city carrier; Marion Gray (1947) WW2 veteran, custodian and city carrier; Roy Courtney (1948) WW2 veteran, city carrier; James Savage (1946) WW2 veteran, clerk; Richard Savage (1947) WW2 veteran, city carrier; Joe Hendricks (1951) WW2 veteran; resigned; Herman Spec (1948) WW2 & Korean veteran, now on military leave as Lt. in aviation; Ralph Carnahan (1949) WW2 veteran sub. clerk-carrier; Wm. Ross (1935) janitor; Elmer Swett (1949) janitor; Frank Brown (1951) janitor; Euguene Wright (reinstated 1951) sub clerk-carrier; LeRoy Ryan (1951) sub clerk-carrier; C.M. Henderson (1951) WW2 veteran sub. clerk; Doris Proctor (1942) indefinite war appointment as clerk; James Wilds, sub on R. 2; Mrs. Letha Robertson, sub on R.1; Mrs. Bert Clayton, sub. On R.3. Roy Johnson was for 30 years substitute on all the Rural Routes. Roy Duvall was a janitor for a short period of time.

OMISSIONS

     We have in this postal history endeavored to list only the regular employees or those who have 4 classified status. There are probably just as many more people associated with the post office such as special delivery messengers, mail contractors, stage line-operators, Christmas help, temporary carriers, etc, as there were regular employees. Human memory also has its limitations as to exact names, dates and spelling or other omissions by error that the reader may note. This postal history was read at a farewell retirement party Oct. 20, 1951, at the banquet hall of the Congregational Church for Mark Sullivan, Blake Gallaher and, Percy Forbes and attended by 70 members of families of Dalles postal employees on the 100 anniversary of the founding of The Dalles post office in 1851.

GENERAL POSTAL HISTORY

     For the student who would like to have a little more about the general history of the postal service a study shows it to be man's oldest service for one another. Inscriptions of clay and papyrus was used by kings and noblemen and others (who could afford to do so) to pass along messages or orders or decrees. The histories of Babylon and China 6000 years ago made notes of the use of seals on writings to indicate official nature of contents. Army leaders had to resort to written messages to keep in touch with far-flung forces or empires. Mail and communications was, for thousands of years, used solely by royalty and denied the common people. The Romans seemed to have adopted the first mail service 3 A.D. with runners on horseback who carried messages in relays, much after the pattern of the American Pony Express. The and of each relay and the beginning of the next was marked by a post or "posts", hence is derived the word "post office". The fall of Rome brought an end to this service.

     In 807 Charlemagne had a short-lived similar service which was re-established by Louis XI in 1464 "with posts on all the high roads of France" and this seems to be the real fore-runner of our present postal system. A similar English postal service was established in the 18th century to carry both the kings messages and provide a means of travel for the public at wayside inn post offices; and "post haste" meant utmost speed on messages needing speedy service or Special Delivery. Other countries introduced the postal service about this same time as government monopolies.

     In 1653 John Hill undertook a City Delivery system for London which included both delivery and pick-up service of letters and parcels. He established the penny postage for England. In 1660 the English parliament voted themselves a franking privilege. In 1680 the registry and insured service was established in England and Hill is credited with establishing the lowly postage stamp which is used by every nation in the world. His efforts in both delivering and picking up both parcel post and letters have not been duplicated since that time, except in the American Rural Mail delivery service.

AMERICAN POSTAL SERVICE

     The postal service of the American colonies was adopted after the English system and were in fact a part of the English system before the Revolution. The general court of Mass. "ordered Richard Fairbanks and his house in Boston to be the appointed place to receive and dispatch letters from beyond the seas and be allowed a penny a letter for his service." In Va. the colonial law of 1657 required every planter to provide a messenger to convey dispatches as they arrived to the next plantation or forfeit a hogshead of tobacco in default. In N.Y. (1672) a post from N.Y. to Boston was established on a monthly basis. In 1692 the office of Postmaster General for America was created altho Benj. Franklin seems to be the first postmaster general appointed 1737 and took office in 1753. He personally visited and inspected all main post offices. He and an assistant had a salary of $3000 "if he could make that much profit out of the office"; but he reported "that the first 4 years cost him $4500 out of his own pocket", but he finally made it pay before he retired in 1774. On July 26, 1775 Congress took over the post offices and re-appointed Franklin which made him the first Postmaster General and "father" of the postal service, the same as John Paul Jones is "father" of the Navy and George Washington is "father" of the Army. Richard Bache took Franklin's place in 1775 when he was ambassador to France. In 1789 there were 75 post offices; 1800, 903; 1825, 5677; 1875, 35,734; 1885 51,252; 1890, 82,401; 1895, 70,064; 1900 76,688; 1905, 68,131; 1943 48,000.

     Postage rates were reduced from 3¢ to 2¢ on letters in 1883 and raised back to 3¢ in the 1930's. Previous to 1863 a zone rate applied to letters 3¢ up to 300 miles and 10¢ for all above that. The postage stamp act was passed by Congress March 3, 1847. The City Delivery Service was established in 1862 with "free service" March 3, 1883 with 685 carriers; by 1884 there were 3890 carriers; in 1901 there were 16,389. Special Delivery service was established in 1885; registry 1864; sea post offices aboard ship 1890; postal telegraph 1888; postal savings 1898; railway mail following Civil War and in 1943 had 21,000 clerks; there are 12,000 star routes and 32,000 R.F.D routes) 225 power boats; air mail established in 1918.

R. F. D. SERVICE

     L.J. Tabor, mater of the national grange some years ago in a paper said, "it was in the 1880's that one of our Grange women went to the city to visit a friend and on her return she discussed her trip at a grange meeting and asked, 'I cannot understand why the government carries the mail to the people in town who have paved streets and live close to the post office, and does not carry it to us farmers who live on mud roads miles from town?' This question was presented to Pomona grange, later to a state grange to be followed at national grange with the result that after several years the Rural Delivery of mail was established. It was a long hard row to hoe. Big city newspapers poked all manner of fun and ridicule at the idea. The post office department said 'It couldn't be done?" Politicians showed very little interest in the matter, but finally with continued pressure year after year by farmers and grangers an experimental appropriation was secured in 1891 providing John Wanamaker, P.M. General under Benj. Harrison, with $10,000 to experiment with for Rural Delivery of mail outside towns and villages. Action on the matter awaited Grover Cleveland in 1894 and even then it was slow and not until Oct. 1896 that 5 routes were established in Va. and closely following these were 83 other routes in 28 states by July 1897. Carriers salaries were $12.50 a month but this had to be upped to $300 to find carriers. The number of routes grew to a peak of 45,000 in 1928 and have since leveled off at about 32,000 serving 32,000,000 people. In 1902 there were 290 different patterns of "approved" Rural Mail boxes. These have been reduced to 2 -- the large No. 2 and small No. 1 box, to be erected about 44 inches from the ground to the bottom of the box and in groups where there are more than one box. This makes for better service. The peak number of post offices in 1900 of 76,688 have been reduced to about 42,000 by the establishment of Rural Routes. There are 11,000 Star or contract routes in the sparsely settled part of the country some of which serve boxes as well as post offices established in 1845 for stage coaches and pony express, railroads and boat service.

SUBSIDIES

     Before we leave the field of postal service we want to touch upon the subject of subsidies. The dictionary says, "a subsidy is a grant of money by the government to aid or encourage a private enterprise that serves to benefit the public."

     "The salaries paid to postal employees are always pointed to as the reason the post office department has an annual deficit or operates in the red," so says the representatives of big business when they appear before congressional committee hearings and our reply is this:

     The U. S. Mail service was established for the purpose of providing a means whereby the common small man or woman could write a personal message to a friend or relative and have that message delivered to its destination anywhere in the civilized world or at least in the U.S. for the small fee of 3¢ (it used to be 2¢ in the old days back to the 1880's). That 3¢ for letters was practically the only classification of mail that ever paid its own way.

Magazines & Newspapers

     Then right away Congress said to the newspaper and magazine men, "You don't have to pay 3¢ for each item you mail, we will let you mail at a bulk POUND RATE per zone, and FREE in the COUNTY in which they were mailed and a cheap rate in the state and nearby zone." This was the first subsidy made to newspapers and magazines years and years ago "so the public could become better educated." The railroads charge just as much to haul newspapers and magazines as they do first class letters and the salaries of the clerks and carriers who handle newspapers and magazines are exactly the same as when they handle first class mail. The difference is taken out of national INCOME TAXES. The people are therefore paying a direct subsidy to magazines and newspapers whether they are subscribers or not. Its time to call a halt on magazine subsidies and make them pay their own way,

Advertisements

     The same rule applies to advertisements. If you want to mail an unsealed Christmas card, as a private citizen, you are stuck for 2¢; but Congress says to the business man, "if you will mail more than 200 identical pieces of mail we will let you mail them for l¢ each." As stated above the rail and labor costs are identical whether its a first class letter or an advertisement; so Congress merely takes the difference out of your Income Taxes to subsidize the merchant who has been pestering you with unwanted advertisements. Its time to tell your Congressman to apply the 2¢ rate to the business man who don't need any subsidy from your Income Taxes in these days of prosperity, as he charges you.

Parcel Post

     The parcel post rate is identical for everyone, but the rate was never high enough to pay for the rail and labor costs required to handle it. Congress of course merely took the difference out of your Income Taxes to subsidize Catalogue Houses and merchants who use that type of service and can and should pay for it themselves and not take it out of your Income Taxes.

FREE MAIL

     Who ever heard tell of getting anything free? All these "free things" are taken out of the income Tax payers pocket. Congressmen have proclaimed themselves a free Franking privilege, under which tons of government printed matter is sent through the mails "free"; and they have told all, other government agencies that they too could mail "free" if it was "official government business". The railroads don't handle that matter free it is charged for at the same rate as first class letters. Employees salaries are not suspended when that stuff is presented for mailing; so that deficit is taken out of Income Taxes. Its tine to tell your Congressman to make each bureau and branch of the government place postage on the matter they mail. You would be surprised how much of it wouldn't be necessary if they had to present their postal bill to congress. Free mailing is always abused.

RAILROAD SUBSIDIES

     It costs $6000 a car to roll a mail car from Chicago to Portland, Seattle or San Francisco. Its questionable whether those cars carry enough mail at the above cheap rates, to pay the railroad for its transportation rates to say nothing of the salaries of railway mail clerks and terminal mail handlers. Railroad rates are set by the Interstate Commerce Commission and there is nothing the post office or anyone else can do about them. The post office department is letting out some contracts to freight truck lines at figures much lower than rail rates as indicated by the recent Portland to Seattle contract. There are also "highway post offices" being established in various localities through-out the U.S. at a savings to the government. These highway post offices are regular busses fixed up as railroad mail cars were, for sorting mail by clerks between post offices. A recent Portland to Corvallis run over highway 99W was established to give better service and cut rail costs. If the revenue received for the bulky magazines and catalogues and periodicals is not enough to pay the railroads for long hauls congress merely takes it out of your Income Taxes. President Truman has asked the congress to increase rates but congress has taken no action.

STEAMSHIP and AIR LINE SUBSIDIES

     Some years ago the steamship subsidies reached an all-time high of $34,000 per pound for carrying mail to and from foreign countries. The revenue the government received was less than $1. The other $33,999 was taken out of your Income Taxes to pay the boat line for each pound carried. The Maritime Commission sets the rates, there is nothing the post office can do. The Aeronautic Commission sets the their rates and you pay the difference in Income Taxes.

     So the next time you hear or read where the salaries of postal employees are creating all the postal deficits, just remember its NOT the salaries at all which create deficits its SUBSIDIES TO AMERICAN BUSINESS FIRMS who don't need in these days of prosperity; for free mail, rail, air & ship subsidies all at the expense of your 1st class 3¢ letters which are delayed to give first class service on subsidy mail for newspapers, magazines and business houses!

THE POSTAL SERVICE AS AN OCCUPATION OR CAREER FOR THE YOUNG MAN

     We want to point out on this page some of the advantages and disadvantages in working for the postal service.

ADVANTAGES

1. Most, but not all of the work, is day work or between the hours of 5 A.M. and 10 P.M., for the beginner at the smaller        first and second class offices like The Dalles. In Portland and the larger offices all the clerical beginners are on night            work.

2. The hours are regular, after a regular appointment is received. There is some variation to this rule but generally speaking        the employees know when they are going to work, when the lunch period will be and when the day is done.

3. The pay is dependable every two weeks and the rate set by Congress.

4. It is year-around steady work with Sundays and holidays off or comp time off if required to work.

5. In case of injury on the job the pay goes on while being hospitalized and during recovery; the hospital bills paid                   regardless of how long the injury lasts. There is also 15 days of sick leave granted each employee, with full pay, each           year the unused portions being carried over into the next year. Some employees have 6 months of accumulated sick           leave.

6. In case of total disability, after 5 years of service, an employee can retire on a reduced annuity the amount depending            upon the number of years of service from about $50. up.

7. An employee can retire on a reduced annuity, without a disability, after 25 years of service. The annuity would be less          than $75. a month. Full retirement annuity is granted at age 63 and amounts from $125 a month up to about $200 a            month at age 70 after 40 years of service.

8. The widows annuity amounts to ½ of the amount drawn by the employee, after the employee dies. Social Security pays        the widow after 60 whether the employee is deceased or not. Social Security also pays the widow while she has minor        children in school while federal coverage don't.

9. The working conditions as a rule are classified as "pleasant and favorable." There are many exceptions to this rule.

10. The best job in the postal service is that of the Rural Mail carrier who serves the farms of the nation. They are sought          after by postmasters, inspectors, clerks, city carriers, railway mail clerks and others. Rural carriers can always trade            with other postal workers. Rural Carriers work by the mile and not by the hour. When they are in and check their postal      business for dispatch they are through for the day. They are NOT on the clock. They do have to see that their                    equipment is in running order for the next day's run. The farm patron they serve appreciate the mail service more than          city dwellers because their city cousins receive so many other services.

11. Postal employees are granted from 15 to 26 days paid vacation annually. In the case of Rural Mail carriers the                    Comptroller General has ruled, "that when a holiday falls within a week Rural Carriers are given gratis BOTH                     Saturdays, Sunday, and the holiday being charged with only 4 days vacation." There are 6 such holidays annually                 (exclusive of Christmas) which permits the older Rural Carriers to take 6 weeks vacation annually on 24 of their 26             days of annual leave. Other postal employees will use up their 26 days vacation in one calendar month. Sick leave is           granted Rural Carriers on the same basis of Gratis Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Older employees who need               physical check- ups and more rest or recuperation periods from colds and ailments have an advantage of at least three       full weeks off annually for sick purposes. Other postal employees won't get much more than 2 weeks.

DISADVANTAGES

1. The pay is poor. Very few federal workers are able to save anything from their salaries.

2. Federal workers are restrained from augmenting their income from other sources.

3. As public servants they are subject to much criticism and very little praise.

4. The overloaded City Carrier breaks down his body and health at an early age. He is subject to injury in street accidents        by bad dogs, icy steps and walks and bad weather.

5. Beginners era broken in as City Carriers. About 20% of their patrons are "floaters" who move every time the rent is due.     Keeping track of "floater addresses" is a City Carrier headache.

6. In filling clerical vacancies City Carriers are seldom given an opportunity to fill clerical jobs, They are often required to         work as City Carriers until retirement.

7. Formerly the pension benefits were the big drawing car# for the postal service but since the establishment of Social              Security by the time the young man of 1952 becomes eligible to retire in 1982 Social Security will be strengthened and        the federal system absorbed into it.

8. The chance for advancement in the postal system is very poor. Postmaster vacancies in most of the smaller first class            offices and the second class offices are filled by party patronage being given to inexperienced outsiders. Most business        institutions require long years of experience with the firm before being entrusted as the manager.

9. Ambitious young men desiring to acquire wealth or make a big name for themselves are advised NOT to enter the postal      service. Go seek a higher education and enter the business, industrial, education, communication, power or                          transportation field. In entering the postal service you must lay aside self and "selfish ambitions" and in its place cultivate      the desire for service to your fellow man without thought of reward for self or family. The satisfaction of helping your            friends and neighbors with 30 or 40 years of selfless service will bring lots of enjoyment for after all LIVING the Golden      Rule is the greatest job any of us can do in this earthly life.

THE DALLES IN 1910

     The Polk directory for 1910 said, "The Dalles had a population of 7000 and 3 lines of steamers, ply between The Dalles and Portland. Railroads were the Columbia Southern into Shaniko, the Great Southern to Dufur and the Harriman line known as the O.R. & N Co. from Portland to the east. The city is just entering upon extensive municipal improvements in the way of paving, electric street car lines with electric suburban connections, the development of water power within 27 miles of The Dalles which will bring manufacturing including timber resources. Public schools had a corps of 20 teachers. Both the Hill and Harriman railroad systems are penetrating Central Oregon. Boats from Lewiston arrive at Celilo 3 times a week where The Dalles to Celilo Portage railroad makes connections and serves construction work on The Dalles-Celilo canal.

     The mayor of The Dalles was E.M. Wingate, recorder P.B. Davis, marshal James H. Harper who had John Crate and Ralph Gibons as policemen. The fire chief was Ed. Kurtz with Mike Curran assistant and George Brown engineer the department had the Jackson Engine Co., The Dalles Hook and Ladder Co., the Columbia Hose and Chemical Co., the East And Hose Co., the Mt. Hood Hose Co., the Fort Dalles Hose Co. and the South Side (Kelley Ave.) Hose Co. The school board members were John Gavin, chairman, Simeon Bolton, F.S. Gunning, Wm. L. Bradshaw and E.C. Pease. A.C. Strange was superintendent, Wm. B. Young, high school principal and Maude Eddon, clerk. A.E. Lake was county judge, F.R. Angle, clerk, Levi Christmas, sheriff, F.S. Gunning, treasurer, J.T. Neff, school superintendent, J.W. Koontz, assessor, C.N. Burget, coroner, A.W. Mohr, surveyor and C.H. Stoughton and H.C. Rooper, commissioners. W.L. Bradshaw was circuit judge here. L.H. Arneson was receiver of the U.S. Land office, J.A. Douthit was justice of the peace. Elizabeth Stevens was librarian. Ed. Kurtz was Pres. of the business men's association and Judd Fish, secretary. The courthouse was at 3rd and Union.

SCHOOLS

     St. Marys, Sister Mary Bernadette, Superior; Academy Park Harriet Alexander, Ambrosine Murphy, Kate Roche, Mary Simonsen. Court Street Etta Wrenn, Tena Rintoul, Dora Nielsen, Mrs. Jennie Wheeler, Shirley Dorsey. East Hill Florence Chapin and Janet Young. High School Wm. Young, J.R. Ward, Minnie U. Michell, Bertha P. White, Hattie R. Crawford, Alle Miller, Lora Foster, Daisy McAnulty and Estella F. Ross. Thompson Addition Myrthena Taylor. West Hill Ethel Osburn and Evelyn Hayes.

TRANSPORTATION

     O.R. & N. Co. depot 1 & Madison, J.R. Stehley, agent. Great Southern Railroad, depot 1005 E 2nd John G. Heimrich, Treasurer and General Manager. Oregon Trunk Railroad 3053 E 2nd, LeRoy Park, Sec. Treas., Ralph Budd, Chief Engineer, 920 Bluff street (1952 is president of Great Northern railroad). Central Oregon Auto Stage Co. 208 E 2nd R.J. Gorman, agent. The Dalles to Dufur Auto stage, 219 E. 2 Betts (Chas. B.) Auto Co. The Dalles to Celilo railroad construction train left Umatilla House every morning with workmen for canal and once a week made connections with boat to Lewiston. O.R. & N. Co. also made connections with Lewiston boat for north river points. The Dalles to Celilo railroad also made connections for the Oregon Trunk railroad and the Great Southern railroad made connections with the Oregon Trunk for supplies to Freebridge and Boyd for construction crews, on the Oregon Trunk.

     Steamboats: The Dalles-Portland-Astoria Navigation Co. 201 E First operated steamer Dalles City which left for Portland Monday, Wednesday and Fridays at 7 A.M. and the Bailey Gatzert left every afternoon at 3 P.M. for Portland. The Mid-Columbia Transportation Co. operated the small turbine steamer Geo. W. Simons between here and Cascade Locks. It left at 2 P.M. in competition with the Bailey Gatzert. The Open River Transportation Co. operated the steamer J.N. Teal Monday, Wednesday and, Fridays in competition with The Dalles City. The Dalles to ROCKLAND (Northdalles) ferry Western Queen operated by Capt. C.J. Price made continuous trips across the river here.

     Tom Phillips was manager of the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co. 212 Washington. J.W. Condos was the manager of the Seufert & Condon Telephone Co. 304 Washington and the Western Union Telegraph Co. was moved from the Umatilla House to 317 E. 2nd with Elizabeth Vanderslice manager. The Casino, theatre, first movie house in The Dalles at 312 E. 2nd was managed by Lew Cullins, the Grand theatre operated by F.A. Lacey was the second movie theatre in The Dalles. The Max Vogt Grand Opera House at 309 E. 3rd was managed by Wm. Birgfeld, outstanding orchestra leader of The Dalles. There were 25 saloons in business in The Dalles In 1910, 7 cigar stores and pool rooms. C.J. Crandall was the leading architect of The Dalles and J.C. Thrall was an auctioneer and Kirk's Garage (The Dalles Iron Works) was the only garage in The Dalles in 1910! Bakers Were Fred Benzer's Fort Dalles Bakery at 18 & Garrison, Kellers, Groehlers and Hagenbuchers. French & Co. and the First National were the 2 Dalles banks. Barbers were John Thompson, Frank Goff, Carr & Swift, A.G. Dowd, F.H. Hahn, W.R. Rainey, Geo. Wilehart. Blacksmiths F.S. Gunning, Lane & Sexton, W.M. Morrison, Matt Sohoren, Thompson & Wiley.

STORES

     I.C. Nickelson, books; clothing Joe Cohen, Ben Ablowwitz, Henry Herbring, A.E. Lake, J.P. McInerny, New York Cash, Edw. C. Pease, Phillip Perlman, Rice & McCoy, A.M. Williams; Phettyplace Kandy Kitchen; Al Hoering, Bertha Keller, A.A. Light, candy; drugs A.E. Crosby, M.Z. Donnell, Geo. Blakeley; dry goods J.C. Brill, Fred Meyers, Pease & Williams; groceries S.H. Davis, Ed. Ball, Rebecca Bayard, Cherry City Grocery (312 Wash), J.H. Cross, J.M. Dunahoo, Maier & Schanno, E.C. Pease, L. Rorden, J.H. Worsley; hardware Lane & Sexton, Maier & Schanno, E.C. Pease, Walther-Williams; harness Dalles Saddlery and Victor Marden; meat Dalles Dressed, Lofft & Larsen, Milne Bros. Cafes Alberto & Ross, George Firzgerald, Mrs. Hugh Frazer, Gus Hanson, Lee Wong, Bob Lynan, H.F. Mercer, James Morris, Peter Padres, Phettyplace Kandy Kitchen, J.A. Reynolds, C.N. Sargent, Tai Said, Sue Wong, Dalles Hotel, Columbia hotel, Farmers hotel, Umatilla House, European hotel.

DOCTORS in 1910

     O.D. Doane, J.A. Router, C.E. Kennedy, Hugh Logan. J.M. Love, Wm. Shackelford, Elmer E. & Belle Ferguson, J.E. Anderson, osteopath. W.E. Case, chiropractor. A.L. Golder, optometrist. Nurses Elizabeth Campbell, Mrs. H.J. Emerson, Ida Falmer, Mrs. Sarah Francisco, Allie E. Groat, Mrs. J.M. Roberson, Frances Sampson and Mrs. L.E. Wilder. B.C. Olinger, Eason & Sturdevant, dentists.

CONTRACTORS

    Campbell & Harris, R.D. Maxon, F.C. Tyler, J.C. Baker, J.M. Franz, C.G. Hedges, Warren Construction Co.(paving), J.W. Heebner (plaster), railroad contractors Porter Bros., Twohy Bros, Randall & Baker. For laborers Wing Yuen & Co.

REAL ESTATE

     Hudson Lend Co., W.O. Hadley, L. B. Laughlin, Acme Real Estate, Chesebro Investment Co., J.A. Douthit, Hugh Farmer, J.B. Goit, R.J. Gorman, O.J. Laing, W.E. Mills, M.T. Nolan, Wm. Ridsdale, W.A. Sexton, Nathan Whealdon.

LAWYERS

     W.A. Bell, Bennett (A.S) & Sinnott (Nick), C.J. Bright, J.A. Douthit, John Gavin, Frank Menefee, C.L. Pepper, Fred W. Wilson, H.S. Wilson and W. H. Wilson.

LIVERY STABLES & DRAYS

     Criger & Kelley, Root & Morgan, Ward & Robertson. Drays Earl Berlin, James Ferguson, J.S. Miller, C.A. Taylor, Claude Gordion, Harry Learned, Jim Like, Nelson Love, A.J. Dashney, James W. Cathcart, Earl Vickers, American Express driver. Wm. Sawtell, drayman. Willis Zachary and Chas. Swinford (1914).

PAINTERS

     C.B. Betts, John Flinn & Wallace, H.M. Ford, C.F. Kennedy, W.S. Woolsey, Dave Vause, Louis Fritz.

PHOTOGRAPHERS

     C.Y. Lamb, Ed. Ledgerwood and D.D. Wilder. (Lamb had succeeded Benj. A. Gifford).

JEWELERS

     George Baker, Clark & George Newhouse, Herbert Knox, David Linquist.

     Fred Bailey was grocery department manager for Edw. C. Pease; H.S. Berryman was auditor for the Great Southern railroad; Henry Bertrand was a clerk for the American Express Co. with Ed Kurtz as agent; John Blaser was a wagonmaker and Walt Blaser clerked in Claud Knight's Paint store; Chas. Burchtorf was a machinist for Walther-Williams; Ira Calbreath operated a steam wood-saw and burned peoples wood to make steam while he was sawing and took plenty along to tide him over to the next wood pile; W.A. (Burt) Campbell was a taxidermist whose work around The Dalles is a living monument to his memory. The Carnegie library had just been built at 4th & Washington. Paul Childers was a clerk for Frank Menefee. Fred Christen was learning the plumbing trade at Joe Kirchoff's shop. The Cherry City Grocery Co. was located at 3rd & Washington with Avery Longmire the manager. The Chronicle Pub. Co. president was A.S. MacAllister, J.C. Hostetler, Secretary and H.G. Miller publisher. Louis Comini operated his marble works at 417 E. 2nd until burned out by the fire of 1914. Daniel Cooper, the Civil War veteran sold real estate at 700 Case. Charley Corson was a candymaker at the Oregon Bakery. W.L. Crichton was agent for the Dalles-Portland-Astoria Nav. Co. Tom Crofton operated the Umatilla House. Henry Cue and Addison Bennett ran The Dalles Optimist. The Dalles Box & Lumber Co. was operated by C.H. Brown, G.R. Sellinger and Ed. Kurtz, the latter being also the American Express agent and President of The Dalles Business Men's Association. J.T. Rorick and Peter Agidius ran The Dalles Creamery. Ed. Kurtz was also listed as Chief of The Dalles Fire Department and City treasurer, the No. 1 citizen of The Dalles in 1910; President of The Dalles Fruit Co.

     The Dalles Soda Works was operated by John Rose. L.E. Dawson was an electrician for the Wasco Warehouse Milling Co. John Fitzgerald was county jailer, George Fitzgerald was a restaurant operator at 115 E. 2nd., Wm. Fitzgerald was call boy for the railroad, Elizabeth was a telephone operator for the Seufert & Condon telephone Co. and May was also an operator with Elizabeth. FRENCH & CO. bank Inc. E.H. French, Pros., Paul French, V.P., V.H. French, Sec., J.C. Hostetler, cashier, Smith French, trustee for D.M. French estate with Samantha French (wid. D.M.); Laura French was widow of Joshua W; Frank French was prop. of the Now York cash store; the French bank building was at 2nd & Washington. The Great Northern Furniture store was operated by Phil Perlman while Prinz & Nitschke operated the only other furniture store in The Dalles. Hans Hanson ran the Columbia Lumber Co. Herman Hays was a well known negro porter about town for the next 35 years. C.H. Logue was prop. of the Hotel Albert, while the Hotel Dalles was operated by N.K. Clark. T.A. Hudson of the Hudson Land Co. said they had been in business in The Dalles since 1882, would locate customers on government homesteads, bought and sold land script, gave abstracts of title, made real estate investments and listed all types of land for sale, made loans, sold insurance and handled city property. James W. Hunington and Harry E. Greene were insurance brokers at 300 E 2nd. Julius Jensen was a merchant taylor. Frank J. Kargl was a helper in the Eastern Oregon Brewery. George Kasburger drove for Maier & Schanno, John Kasburger was a hostler for the railroad and John J. was a fireman for the railroad. Tom Klint was a driver for The Dalles Creamery. Ollie Krier operated the men's clothing department for A.M. Williams. John McArthur managed the electrical department of the Wasco Warehouse Milling Co. Harold Maier was a driver for Maier & Schanno. John Paddock kept the Ft. Dalles museum, 500 W. 15. The 7 Scherrar Bros. lived at 1619 E. 9 and all served in World War I. Dora Sexton was beekeeper for Lane & Sexton. Wm. Tackman operated a greenhouse at 1515 Elm (E. 11). The Velarde Bros. were house movers by horse and wench. Fred, George, Gus, Adolph, Harvey and Wm. Walther were all associated with the Walther-Williams Hardware store at 400 E. 2nd. Rex Ward was agent for the Great Southern Railroad. The Frank Watts Marble Works was at 508 E. 2nd. The Woolsey family, all painters, lived at 1615 Bridge and the Zigenhagens all lived at 901 Jordan.

POINTS OF INTEREST IN AND ABOUT THE DALLES

FORT ROCK, camping spot of Lewis & Clark 1805, just west of Mill creek on 2nd at Sandstone marker.

METHODIST MISSION GROUNDS (private) established 1838 all of block between 11 & 12, Federal & Washington.

PULPIT ROCK at 12 & Court used by Methodist missionaries to preach to Indians in 1838-1848.

CATHOLIC MISSION GROUNDS, established 1848, County Hospital and Catholic cemetery grounds, used to 1861

END OF OLD OREGON TRAIL (1843-1906) marker in city park at 8 & Union dedicated by Ezra Meeker 1906.

FEDERAL BUILDING 2nd & Union, erected 1915 of Tenio, Washington sandstone.

WILSON HOME 209 Union, Elizabeth Wilson first lady presidential postmaster served 1870-1882 there.

WITNESS ROCK (submerged) 1 & Union ferry landing; starting point for all city surveys.

FIRST COURTHOUSE (private) 320 E 3rd (1859-1883); used as first city hall (1883-1910); was at 3rd & Court.

SECOND COURTHOUSE 3rd & Union (1883-1914); cost $23,000.

THIRD COURTHOUSE 5th & Washington, erected 1914 at cost of $159,000 and a very beautiful building.

CITY HALL 3rd & Court, erected 1910 at a cost of $30,000 on site of FIRST COURTHOUSE.

AUDITORIUM 4th & Federal, erected 1922 at a cost of $100,000; is a veterans memorial building.

WALDRON BUILDING NW corner First & Washington, erected 1854; is oldest building in The Dalles.

GRANT ROCK on 18th dust below Radio-KODL; never visited by Gen. U.S. Grant.

GRANT PILLAR, 12 & Lincoln; never visited by Gen. U.S. Grant.

SUGAR LOAF ROCK on 12 between Washington & Federal, marks SW corner of first city survey.

WASCOPAM SPRING at 11 & Court; Wasco Indian tribal camping site, now high school football field.

HIGH SCHOOL 10 & Washington; site of Wasco Independent Academy (1881- 1889).

HERMIT WOODFORD'S CAVE in cliff just above Catholic cemetery (1905- 1917).

CAMP FREEMONT (1843) 15 & Dry Hollow Road; Gen. Freemont's campsite of 1843, at spring.

ST. MARY'S ACADEMY established 1863 at 3rd & Lincoln; present building erected 1881.

ST. PETER'S CATHOLIC CHURCH erected 1896; 148 foot spire; 3rd & Lincoln.

TREATY OAK (Nielsen Place) 2 miles out Mill creek road; 1855 Indian treaty signed here by Joel Palmer,

FORT DALLES SAWMILL SITE (private) 9 & Mill creek, north side of street.

FORT HALLES HISTORICAL BUILDING erected 1859, 18 & Garrison, last of Ft. Dalles buildings.

FORT DALLES PARADE GROUNDS, Col. Wright school grounds 14 & Trevitt; flag pole site same.

PIONEER CEMETERY, Scenic Drive, established 1859. MASONIC CEMETERY ½ Mile east down Dry Hollow.

EASTERN OREGON STATE TUBERCULOSIS HOSPITAL, established 1926 on Scenic Drive.

SOROSIS PARK, just west of T.B. Hospital on Scenic Drive; city owned) excellent view of city.

RADIO K.O.D.L. Scenic Drive; also site of some of the newer and better homes of The Dalles.

PORT OF THE DALLES First & Union, docks & granaries; site of UMATILLA HOUSE (1859-1914) and wharfs.

U.S. MINT built 1888 on Third between Monroe & Taylor at a cost of $100,000 see story).

GENERAL MILLS FLOUR PLANT built 1912 for Wasco Warehouse Milling Co.

WOOD PRESERVING PLANT, one of largest in west; on east river road next to railroad yards.

SHIPYARDS AND OIL TOWN, highway 30 & River road west; industrial sites.

THE DALLES DAM, 4 miles east of The Dalles on highway 30. President Truman signed bill authorizing funds for Dam         Oct. 25, 1951 ($4,000,000); the contract was let by the Corps of Army engineers to the S.A. Healy Co. of White             Plains, N.Y. Col. E.B. Elder is resident engineer. The first work started February 18, 1952 with drilling on the                     Washington side of the Columbia river. It will have 14 generators of 78,000 KW capacity producing 1,092,000                  kilowatts of power (about twice that of Bonneville and ½ that of Coulee) upon completion in 1956.

CELILO FALLS on the Columbia 12 miles east of The Dalles on highway 30; is an ancient Indian fishing grounds which         will be submerged by The Dalles dam in 1956.

THE DALLES-CELILO CANAL extends from Big Eddy on the Columbia to Celilo, about 8 miles; built in 1915 at a cost       of $5,000,000 to permit river navigation to Lewiston, Idaho. While it did NOT haul much traffic it saved the people of       the Inland Empire millions of dollars in lower freight rates since 1915. It will be submerged by The Dalles Dam.

THE DALLES OF THE COLUMBIA from which the city of The Dalles takes its name is the narrow chutes on the                Spearfish (Speedis) Washington side, about 50 yards wide and 1 mile long where the Columbia river "turns on edge".          Will be submerged by The Dalles Dam.

SPEARFISH (SPEEDIS), WASHINGTON, site of the ancient Indian village of WISHRAM and historic WISHRAM             MOUND, the largest in the Pacific northwest, once an earthen pyramid burial spot for the "mound builders of the west"       predecessors of the Indians who recorded their writings in Petroglyph Canyon just east of Spearfish. Will be                       submerged in 1956.

MARYHILL CASTLE-MUSIUM 18 miles east of The Dalles on Washington highway 830; established as an art museum      by Samuel Hill in 1926. Open from April to November. One of the most outstanding and interesting places in the west.        (see special story on).

DESCHUTES RIVER 18 miles east of The Dalles on highway 30 where 100,000 emigrants forded across. One of the            finest fishing streams in Pacific northwest.

OLD OREGON TRAIL from the Deschutes to Fairbanks, follow the bluff road; Fairbanks west up Company Hollow to        Kuykendal hill and down to highway 23; take old road across Bettengen Flat to east 9 street and down Brewery grade      and Third street to Union street park. (1843-1906).

OLD BARLOW ROAD follow out Third and east 9th and old Dufur road to Dufur; old road to Kingsley and old road to        Tygh and old road to Wamic; to Smock, Rock creek, Gate creek, White river and Mt. Hood Loop road to                        Government Camp and thence to Sandy (1846- 1919).

THE DALLES COUNTRY CLUB established in 1922 with a 9 hole golf course 5 miles west of The Dalles on highway           30, a very beautiful and well kept grounds, and clubhouse.

CRATES POINT, across the road (highway 30) from The Dalles Country Club is the mouth of Chenowith creek where           emigrants made ready their rafts of logs to float their wagons and possessions down the Columbia to the Cascades,             (portaging) and down to Milwaukee (1843-1884). They drove their livestock over 7 Mile Mt. to Mosier, Dee, Lost           Lake, Bull Run to Sandy.

ROWENA LOOPS VISTA POINT and the SACAJAWEA STATUE-located about ½ mile east of Lyle, Washington          and approximately 2/3rds of the way up the K1ickitat mountain will be seen the large rock- pattern statue of                      Sacagawea and her papoose strapped to her back, resting high on the mountain side and waiting for Lewis & Clark to        catch up with her. (The brush is partly obliterating the statue).

MEMALOOSE ISLAND 12 miles west of The Dalles on highway 30 is a vista point overlooking Memaloose Island               ancient Indian burial grounds. The white marker is the resting place of Victor Trevitt of The Dalles (see special story            on).

THE DALLES AIRPORT located at North Dalles, Washington in 1942 on account of air currents making landings and           take-offs dangerous on the Oregon side. City owned.

MOUNTAIN PEAKS: Mt. Hood 11,245 a fine lodge and skiing, well developed roads and accommodations. Mt. Adams       12,307, excellent hunting, fishing and huckle berrying; gravel roads. Mt. St. Helens 9,671, good road to spirit lake,              good fishing.

Mt. Rainier 14,408 National Park with hotel and fishing and mountain climbing.

Mt. Jefferson 10,495 and 3 sisters reached by pack train, excellent fishing. Crater Lake 6,177, about 8 miles across, very         deep beautiful changeable blue, 20 miles in circumference a profoundly inspiring sight.

BONNEVILLE DAM the first effort of man to harness the Columbia for power and navigation improvements about 46            miles west of The Dalles on highway 30, a world famous section of highway.

IMPORTANT MID-COLUMBIA EVENTS

NAME OF EVENT                                                                                                 PLACE                 DATE

1.  Mid-Columbia movie entertainment				Dalles	       Change weekly.
2.  Mid-Columbia shopping center				Dalles	       Every Sat.
3.  Frank Wink's Livestock sale for the Mid-Columbia area 	Dalles	       Every Sat.
4.  Indian Root Feast						Celilo	       April
5.  Salmon Run in Columbia					Ce1i1o	       April & Sept.
6.  Wasco County Pioneers' Meeting First Saturday in May	Dalles	       May
7.  Maryhill, Wash Museum - open from April to September	Maryhill, Wn.
8.  Rose Festival in Portland, 
interests many Mid-Columbia people Portland May 9. Farmers' Union Picnic and parade Dufur June 10. The Mt. Adams Story and Pageant White Salmon June 11. 4-H and FFA Fat Stock Show The Dalles June 12. Old Fort Dalles Legion Frolics and parade. Dalles Late June 13. Fishing Season Apri1 to September 14. Cherry Harvest at The Dalles and Mosier June-July 15. School vacation June, July and August;
As also Tourist Season dates. 16. Legion's Mt. Hood Climb at Cloud Capp Inn. 4th of July 17. Wheat Harvest in Mid-Columbia area July & Aug. 18. Sherman County Fair Moro Early Aug. 19. Wasco County Fair Tygh Late Aug. 20. Klickitat County Fair Goldendale Early Sept. 21. Oregon State Fair Salem Labor Day 22. Pendleton Round-up Pendleton Sept. 23. School starts in September 24. Hunting season for deer; elk, antelope, birds. Oct. & Nov. 25, Music season for fall and winter
starts in October and to April. Dalles 26. Football season Sept to Thanksgiving 27. Apple Harvest in Hood River-Valley starts in October. Hood River October 28. Pacific International Livestock Show
in Portland in October, Portland October 29. Thanksgiving. Last Thurs. in Nov. 30. Christmas.

DALLES CITY

     From 1855 to 1863 Dalles City had a President rather than a Mayor. W. C. Laughlin was President in 1855; H.B. Isaac was President in 1856; Col. N.H. Gates was President in 1857 and 1858; L.W. Coe was President in 1859 and 1860 and R.E. Miller was President in 1861 and 1862. The charter was then amended to provide for a Mayor. Col. James K. Kelley, afterwards U.S. Senator from Oregon served as first Mayor of Dalles City in 1863. In 1864 C.P. Meigs was mayor; in 1865 Col. N.H. Gates; 1867 Orlando Humason; 1868 E.M. Wingate; 1870 Wm. Harman; 1871 N.H. Gates; 1872 J.M. Bird; 1873 R. Grant; 1874-75 G.A. Liebe; 1876 E.P. Fitzgerald; 1877-78 Col. N.H. Gates again; 1879-80 J.B. Condon; 1881-1882-1883 G.A. Liebe again; 1884 O.S. Savage; 1885 R.F. Gibons; 1886 Col. N.H. Gates; 1887-88 J.S. Storey; 1889-90 Malcolm Moody afterwards Congressman; 1891-92 Robert Mays; 1893 W.C. Rhinehart; 1894 G.V. Bolton; 1895-96 Frank Menefee, attorney; 1897-98 M.T. Nolan; 1899 H.L. Kuck; 1900 E.B. Dufur; 1901 G.J. Parley; 1902-03 F.S. Gunning; 1904-05 Frank Seufert; 1905-1908 J.L. Kelley; 1908-1911 E.M. Wingate; 1911-12 John H. Wood; 1913 Judd S. Fish; 1914-15 Frank French; 1915-16-17 Dr. J.E. Anderson; 1917-18 W.A. Hunter; 1919-1928 Peter J. Stadelman; 1929-30 A.W. Manchester; 1931-34 Dr. Fred F. Thompson; 1935-38 H.E. Willerton; 1939-42 Norval H. Martin; 1943-46 George P. Stadelman; 1948-48 Howard Dent; 1949-50 Fred Mauser; 1951-52- Marshall Nelson. The city manager form of government was adopted in 1949 and the city council selected Loyd Brady who has served as City Manager since that date.

WATER

     The progress edition of the April 1952 Chronicle said the gravity water system provides 2,400,000 gallons and that the two city wells provided 5,140,000 gallons a supply to meet whatever expansion might come in the future and with a rate below the average and earnings sufficient to retire all revenue bonds with income from 2908 outlets supplying 9500 people. Water for the municipal swimming pool, city parks and cemeteries are free."

FINANCES

     The same issue of the Chronicle said, "property taxes were $104,912; state gas tax refund $43,733; Parking meters $25,948; surplus $15,452; from franchises $24,011.53; reimbursements $14,180; rentals $11,988; licenses $10,236; fines $9,420; miscellaneous $7396; from library $$8927; state liquor refunds $5677; insurance recovered $5640; natatorium $5479; building permits $2625; auditorium $713."

     The city spent the following, "streets & sewers $55,199; fire $53,688; police $46,614; general $27,706; administration $24,459; engineering $22,150; library $12,675; airport $9151; natatorium $7192; auditorium $4186; health $2782; housing $1867; other $2610. The city was also expecting to sell $50,000 worth of ripe timber from its watershed."

GENERAL FACTS

     The altitude of the city hall is 100 feet. The area of the city is 2.47 (2½) sq. miles. The area of Wasco county is only 2387 sq. miles. The growing season at The Dalles is 195 days. The 1950 population was 7933 and the county population 15,552. There were 4200 telephones and equipment on hand for 400 more. The city has 19 miles of paved streets an increase of 4 miles since 1925 and 4 miles of graveled streets. The Dalles is 92 miles from Portland and 192 miles from the coast or a pleasant afternoons drive to the seashore over fine highways in your own car. Our two shows seat 1388 patrons. The city has a fine Olympic standard size municipal natatorium.

CITY OFFICIALS

     Marshall Nelson, Mayor; Lloyd Brady, City Manager; A.C. Grindle, city clerk; Chas. A. Phipps, city attorney; Homer Wall, city engineer; Sam Van. Vactor, city recorder; Virgil Kelley, Farwell Booth, H.F. McKee, Lay Carlisle and Dr. John Skirving, city councilmen; other employees are John Dyball, city housing; Larry Moore, airport manager; Earnest Ferrell, engineer; Shirley Severson and Verna Champie, secretaries. Police Department: Jack Lyons, chief; Keith Palmer, Sergeant and patrolmen Delphia Goss, Grant Cyphers, Bernard Jansse, Robert Brower, Earnest Brock, Robert Snider, Fred Kaufman, John Bordeaux, Emery Dalton, Thomas Kesterson, dog warden; E.A. Scholar, recreation superintendent, Earl Watson, civic auditorium custodian, Howard Selleck, city parks. Fire Department: Chas. Roth, fire chief; J. Ben Penners, assistant chief; Frank Bonn, captain; Robert Wilson, George Cameron, Lester Spickerman, Joe Des Rochers, Jim Fulmer, A.L. Comini, Geo. Telfer and Kenneth Kesler. Street Department: W.E. Ginn, foreman; L. Dowell, Roy Moyer, Geo. Reeves, S.F. Dixon, Mel Fulkerson, W.M. Dyer, Euguene McCorkle, Clyde Phillips and J.L. House. Water Department: Ina Milne, cashier; Frank Johnson, superintendent; Albert Spickerman, assistant superintendent; Duane Jones, foreman, Dewey Gosson, filter plant operator, Ed Sandoz, fire patrol, Doris Briles, clerk; Tilford Payne, James Kiser, Dale Specht; Chas. Head, Dale Stump, Carlton Walters, Martin Thompson. Library (see special article on) Mary Francis Gilbert, librarian, Estelle Morgison, assistant librarian, Anne Miller, assistant librarian, Truman Brooks, janitor. Within 10 years very few of these names will appear on the city record. In none of the city historical records have a complete list of our public servants appeared. We thought it would be a gesture of appreciation to mention their names in this record. The History of Central Oregon records the names of our councilmen down to 1905 but since the record from 1905 to 1952 is not available, none of the names were placed herein lest those omitted would feel hurt and this applies to other city employees for the same reasons. The above record is complete as of June 15, 1952 according to the record of A.C. Grindle, city clerk.

ORGANIZATIONS OF THE DALLES AT A GLANCE

1838 Methodist Mission established at The Dalles by Daniel Lee & H.K.W. Perkins.

1848 Catholic Mission established by Father Rosseau at Wasco County hospital grounds. 1856 Odd Fellows lodge                    established Nov. 1.

1856 Methodist church established by H.K. Hines.

1857 Wasco Lodge No. 15 A.F. & A.M. established March 28 with R.R. Thompson, W.M. 1859 The Dalles Fire                     Department founded.

1859 Congregationalist church organized with Rev. W.A. Tenny the first pastor.

1864 Royal Arch Masons organized.

1872 First Baptist church founded Sept. 3 by Rev. O.D. Taylor. 1863 Ladies Aid Society of Congregationalist church                founded. 1876 St. Paul's Guild founded Jan. 1.

1879 Good Intent Society of Methodist church founded.

1881 Knights of Pythias, Friendship Lodge No. 9 established Sept. 24.

1880 Ancient order of United Workman founded (predecessor to the A.F. of L.)

1881 The Women's Christian Temperance Union was founded. They threw the saloons out in 1915. 1883 The Dalles                  Chamber of Commerce was organized.

1885 St. Vincent Charitable. Catholic Society formed.

1884 The Grand Army of the Republic, J.W. Nesmith Post of Civil War Veterans founded. 1889 Women's Relief Corps             of the G.A.R. founded.

1888 Presbyterian church of The Dalles formed.

1890 Woodmen of the World, Mt. Hood Camp No. 59 formed.

1892 Ladies' Aid Society of the Christian church formed.

1894 Degree of Honor was established April 7.

1894 The Willing Workers of the Baptist church were started.

1895 Cedar Circle, Woman of Woodcraft were organized.

1895 Eastern Star, Columbia Chapter No. 83 was formed February 7. 1895 Knights of Maccabees were organized May            27.

1895 Elks Lodge No. 303 organized at Cascade Locks.

1896 March Elks Lodge of Cascade Locks was moved to The Dalles.

1896 The United Artisans was organized February 20.

1897 The brick Catholic church was built at 4th and Lincoln.

1898 Rebecca Lodge of the I.O.O.F was founded.

1898 The Lutheran church of The Dalles was organized April 17.

1898 Co. G, O.N.G., 2nd Oregon Volunteers was mustered in for the Spanish-American war.

1901 The Calvary Baptist church was organized January 27. 1902 The Fort Dalles Historical Society was formed.

1910 Fraternal Order of Eagles lodge secretary was R.J. German, manager Central Ore. Stage Line.

1919 The Dalles Post No. 19, American Legion was chartered. Dr. T. Coberth was first commander.

1920 The Business & Professional Women's Club was organized Oct. 13 with Dora Sexton, Pros.

1920 The Mill Creek and Chenowith Creek Granges were established.

1922 The Kiwanis and Country Clubs were formed; the P.T.A. movement started and Pioneers formed.

1925 Cherry Park Grange was established.

1926 The Lion's Club and T.B. Association were formed.

1927 The Rainbow Girls appeared.

1932 The Veterans of Foreign Wars were organized.

1937 The Scout movement was established although some Scouting work was done in 1915.

1944 The Fruit & Produce League was formed.

1945 The 20-30 Club and Shrine Club was formed.

1946 The Toastmasters and Bar Association were formed.

1947 The Fort-Dalles Riders were "officially mounted".

THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

     The Dalles directory of 1883 says the first steps were taken for the organization of the Board of Trade Jan. 22, 1883 with Col. T.S. Lang as President and F. Pierce Mays the secretary. A committee composed of Robert Mays, C.N. Thornbury, S.L. Brooks, H.M. Beall and J.W. French were appointed to draw up and constitution and by-laws for adoption at the Jan. 31 meeting when the organization was effected with L.L. McArthur, president; George Leibe, vice-president; E.B. McFarland 2nd vice-pres., Col. T.S. Lang, secretary and John S. Schenck, treasurer. Business men of The Dalles were appealed to for enrollment in the club. Their first program looked forward to the building of highways or better roads for freight and passenger hauling; the construction of a bridge across the Columbia river at The Dalles and additional appropriations for construction of the canal at Cascade Locks.

   The Dalles directory of 1898 called the organization The Dalles Commercial Club and H.M. Beal, cashier of the First National Bank was secretary. In the directory of 1905 it was still referred to as the Commercial Club and Henry Mater was president and L.E. Crowe, secretary. The directory of 1909 listed A.E. Laco as president and J.M. Patterson the se  cretary with offices at 207 Washington. The 1910 directory listed the organization as The Dalles Business Mans' Association and Ed. Kurtz was the president while Judd Fish was secretary at the 207 Washington street address. Shortly thereafter it was moved (about 1914) to a glass front building on railroad property opposite the hotel Dalles.

     During World War I days (1917-18) the organization's name was changed to The Dalles Chamber of Commerce while Thomas B. Phillips was secretary.

WALLACE S. NELSON

     Wallace S. Nelson became the Executive Secretary of The Dalles Chamber of Commerce in 1921 and it has been under his leadership that we have seen the development of the power and navigation program of the Columbia river unfold before our eyes into reality from his visions of 20 years ago! There are many chamber of commerce organizations of the Pacific northwest that would like to have Mr. Nelson as their leader at more than double the pittance he receives here for his public efforts. But the heart of Mr. Nelson is in The Dalles. It is here that he can point with pride to Bonneville dam, to the distribution towers that comb our hills, to McNary, The Dalles and other dams in the making; to the Port of The Dalles grain and dock facilities; to our expanding orchard program; to the electrification of our farms and cheap power for The Dalles; a bridge across the Columbia.

     Yes Mr. Nelson stands at the top of the list of the most outstanding men in the 100 years of Wasco County history! He stands beside Marcus Whitman who brought the first emigrants to The Dalles in 1843! He stands beside Samuel K. Barlow who founded the road over the Cascades in 1848. He is rightfully as great as Col. Wright who made the country safe from Indians in 1858. The benefits Mr. Nelson has brought to the people of the Mid-Columbia and Inland Empire made us all owe a deep debt of gratitude to him. These benefits will be with us as long as we are a nation. The "white coal" he has brought to Oregon and Washington has tremendous beneficial possibilities for the farmer, home owner, business man and industrialist.

     Of course Mr. Nelson did not do the task all alone. He had lots of help and we want to point out that down through the years his ever faithful office secretary Elfrede Zutz merits a place beside the outstanding women of Wasco County for her devotion of help to the community, to the Chamber and to Mr. Nelson. It was Freda who met the tourist with a smile and told him where fishing was best or what to see. It was Freda who wrote up the reports of the 20 Chamber committees of 350 members, helped arrange meetings, luncheons and make a never-ending series of phone calls on hundreds of subjects including research work. Letters by the hundreds has came from her typewriter and copies by the thousands from her printing press made into books, briefs and reports. Yes, her heart, like that of Mr. Nelson and many, many other Dalles people is right in the old home town and she is devoting the best years of her life to the betterment of the community.

     In 1958 when the President of the U.S. comes to The Dalles to dedicate The Dalles Dam upon its completion we sincerely hope Mr. Nelson will be there to give the introduction and receive from the President an award of merit for his crowning achievement, the completion of The Dalles Dam and bridge across the Columbia and the deep sea-boat channel from Vancouver to The Dalles!

     There is a 21 man Board of Directors who meet with Mr. Nelson every week. He has lots of help and he needs lots of help for he has a big job to direct.

The AMERICAN LEGION FROLICS

     Another of our outstanding organizations which has been active in the community for over 30 years is The Dalles Post of the American Legion. Their annual activity which they are best remembered for is the sponsoring of the Old Fort Dalles Frolics, a 3 day celebration now held on the 4th of July holiday week-and. It was established in 1924 as a fun festival period, turning the clock back to Old Fort Dalles days and re-enacting the life of the community as it existed in those gold rush days.

     The first general chairman of the Frolics was Lewis Gunning, partner with his father Frank Gunning in a service station and blacksmith business at 501 E. 2nd. He was assisted by C.W. Daigh, county agent, the whole Legion Post and most of the community. The Post decided that one of the best methods of Frolics publicity would be the raising of "whiskers of Old Fort Dalles period" and the Unknown soldier of old Fort Dalles was chosen as a model for tonsorial growths. It was supposed that in Old Fort Dalles days the soldiers wore whiskers as a sort of a "smoke screen" to hide behind, as they were always in the public limelight and gaze. Prizes were offered for the best "gardens" grown by both the Legion members and townsmen, including those for goatees, side burns, mustaches or just plain brush. In those early days, before other Oregon towns got to wearing them too, tourists often thought the local fun makers were just a bunch of "hill billies" down from the upper creek regions to get fitted with a "par of boots" out here where the west begins at the "and of the Old Oregon Trail".

     The attendance the first few years was at least 5000 people and the whole town joined in the fun. The Frolics committee elected their own "city officials" for the 3 day period and those "elected" Legion officials "enforced the law" and violators were "caged up in public" to let their whiskers grow or fined for lack of support of the Frolics. A big parade always marked the opening date of the Frolics, in which old-time vehicles that served The Dalles in the horse and buggy days were once again gotten out, greased, dusted off and harness fitted to horses which brought them down the streets or otherwise made to operate as in the case of old cars or tall bicycles. Costumes of the days of '49 were rented and shipped from Seattle so that everyone from preachers, gamblers, trappers, musicians, cowmen, stage drivers to the ladies with the wide hoop skirts and side saddles was there. Children who had forgot the horse even existed, witnessed everything from a single buggy horse to spans up to 8 hitched to 2 wagons stacked high with wool or sacked wheat that was once an important freight wagon cargo. The chimes of the lead bells was music to the ears of pioneers. The covered wagon of 1843 with its oxen or horse teams was there again bringing our fore-parents to Oregon. The fire equipment with prancing steeds was ready for the sound of the alarm. The old Wells Fargo stage coach and its span of 4 again took off for Salt Lake City. I.N. Wiley drove his cab in the parade with Lincoln and Douglas seated therein on their debate tour of Wisconsin in 1859 same as he drove them that year during their great slavery debates and other burning questions of the day. He made his last drive in 1927. The old hearse was there ready to haul the corpse away to the Pioneer cemetery. A horse-drawn mail cart showed how service was rendered to the farmers in 1905. The pack horse train showed how supplies was taken to the mines before we had wagon roads. George Vogel and the boys at the U.P. roundhouse made a duplication of the 1884 steam train drawn by Virgil Rawson's "locomotive", with Lisle Minion the "engineer behind the throttle" and the "cars" loaded with kiddies. Frank Gibson duplicated the Hudson Bay Co. flatboats several seasons for the parade. The Umatilla House and hotel Dalles busses met the trains and boats as of yore. Ed Millers team generally handled the Umatilla House bus. Floyd Daniels furnished the 4 and 8 horse teams for the stage coach which he drove. Si and Roy Evans furnished around 20 head or horses for other vehicles. Truman Brooks generally brought in 4 to 8 head from his 3 mile place. Harold Sexton who was generally the General parade chairman sometimes let someone else act in that capacity while he drove his 2 horses in tandem to one of the buggies. The French buggy was there. The Moody surrey and the George Cooper surrey was in the parade every year. August Buehler's brewery wagon again made deliveries of beer kegs for guzzlers to smack their lips over in memory to a departed industry (1868-1916). The above Wells Fargo stage was later on The Dalles to Prineville run and Jess M. Gray one of the original drivers on The Dalles to Shaniko division of that run and also known as The Dalles to Canyon City run (1899-1910) drove that stage at different times on both the parade and its former regular runs. He now (1952) lives in Mosier. He is the last of the old stage coach drivers still living and drove for a time, (1910-1914) on The Dalles to Wapinitia run and freighted from Shaniko to Central Oregon with an 8-horse "jerk line" team and 2 wagons.

     One year (about 1932) we were able to bring in the DeMoss family stage coach from DeMoss Springs in Shaman county for the parade and got George DeMoss to dress up like he did in the '80's when the De Moss family used it on their musical tours, and just like he drove it on those tours with 4 matched greys in the harness and lead bells demanding the right-of-way as they pranced down 2nd street. This was George DeMosse's "last ride" and he must have known that it would be for he handled the famous old Concord coach in about the most proud manner that any gentleman ever drove any vehicle in any parades He may have studied music in the Royal Academy of London and played before all the crowned heads of Europe and theatre goers of America, but on that last ride down 2nd street in his old home town, there was more fire in his eyes, more joy in his face and more life in his body for his advanced age than he could have ever displayed in any of those world-wide concerts. That was his last public performance before the people he really loved so deeply in his old home town he loved so dearly. He and the coach alike were a beautiful sight in the fall sunset; the coach being filled with lovely ladies dressed in their old-time costumes. They were applauded the full length of the street. The scene will never be duplicated. George is gone. The DeMoss coach was sold to Sacramento collectors for a song while the people of The Dalles who have millions to spend on other items of less importance lost a priceless historical relic.

     Horses were easier to get in those days for parade purposes than they are now so more of that type of vehicle could be featured. The Legion never did provide a descent place with any protection from the weather for the vehicles so many of them have fallen into ruin by general neglect. During the PWA days the city took charge of them and re-conditioned them as a PWA project and for a few years they looked good but lack of a protective storage place has since brought them the same condition as the old PWA days found them. If the storage problem is not solved it won't be long until these vehicles will all be only a memory.

     Many of the old automobiles were resurrected from the junk heaps of Wasco and Sherman counties by Bert Agsten, W.H. McNeal, Harold Sexton, Lisle Minion, Linn Creighton and others. About all that was necessary was to ask for them in the name of the Legion, for parade purposes, and they were graciously given. Lisle Minion and Linn Creighton were "head mechanics" for the old smokers. Linn would gather up all the surplus car batteries in town for the old electric car.

     Malcolm Moody's Knox could always be depended upon to tow the boiling smokers in case they "choked up" and died of pneumonia. Many of these old cars are now housed in local garages by their owners free and are therefore kept in much better condition than the wagons.

     Dalles McCartney's 1880 Whisker band was the oldest "musical" organization in each parade. "Pop" Endicott's band was there every year and George Vogel's City Band was on hand. The High school Booster Girl's Drum Corps and the Legion Drum Corps led by Euguene Elton furnished parade music.

     After the parade the opening show was at 7 P.M. at the auditorium which was managed by George Sherar, Rex Miles and others different years, and supported by a large home town cast of local talent. It is and always was surprising where so much musical and dancing talent of The Dalles stayed between annual Frolic events. It was easy to arrange an hour and a half show of local talent well worth seeing. The Friday night style show featured the fall clothing available at local stores and the models of local talent did their part well. Following the shows the crowds could play roulette, faro, cards, dice or other games of chance same as when the town was "wide open" in the 1860's. The "bar" was operated the ladies of the Legion auxiliary who were dressed like a "lady called Lou". Bar lunches were served all evening. Pokes of Dust were the negotiable currency and Rod Cooper generally acted as cashier and head banker with several "counting assistants" and Poke salesmen.

     Rex Miles handled the editing and publishing of the Fort Dalles Times, the official publication of the Fort Dalles Frolics which carried stories of Old Fort Dalles and early Dalles history, pictures of early Dalles history and citizens. It contained the 3 day program and was circulated in 5 counties with from 3000 to 5000 copies published and mailed out or delivered to Dalles homes. The advertisements paid for the publication and made a little money for the Post. The dance in the auditorium ball room was another Frolic money maker. Several local bands played different years. It was in charge of Lisle Minion.

     It was always felt that what the Frolics lacked was an afternoon show. In 1911, when the Pendleton Round-up was founded in The Dalles, that was an exclusive afternoon show, without an evening counterpart. The Frolics was an evening show without an afternoon counterpart, and that proved the very good reason for the development of the Wasco County Recreational grounds, west of the city, so that an afternoon horse or other type of show could be held out there. For a number of years Wasco County Court budgeted $2000 for the leveling of the grounds and other necessary improvements. Since that time a joint Dalles City-Wasco County-School District 12 Recreational Commission was formed. The county, city and school district each budgeted $2000 a year which was turned over to this commission. The members of this commission were not interested in the county Recreational grounds so they have spent the Joint budget on other recreational grounds within the city and too small for the larger horse and other types of shows. The result is the community still does NOT have a place for a large out-of-door afternoon show. Fences, grandstands, stables and exhibit buildings need to be constructed for an afternoon show on these county grounds. But with high speed cars and public race tracks leading to other cities and locations which will provide shows; people go elsewhere for entertainment and a place to spend their money on recreational events that could be held here. With a new commercial highway being built from here to Portland, upon its completion thrill be just a little more than an hour for the "Cannon Ball Baker" divers to make it to Portland where they can spend the rest of the evening at the dog races, shows, or plush-seat beer parlors and return home by daylight; so there is not much need for a place for local events anymore.

     The Frolics is like the Old Grey Mare, "she's not what she use to be." There is less need for it. There is less enthusiasm for it. The interest of the young folks and old alike lies in other channels. The interest in historical matters concerning the community has been supplanted by the radio, movies, athletic events. People now can tell you all about certain movie stars or athletes but they don't even know their next door neighbor! If we are not sold on our own community, its people and historical events we certainly can't sell our community to other people. When we realize there is no place or people on earth as good as those in The Dalles, then other people will look to us for leadership and follow us.

The GRANGE

     The Grange was established in 1887, 85 years ago. At that time they adopted the following DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE for the farmer:

     To develop higher manhood and womanhood among ourselves; to improve our homes; to learn to cooperate with one another; to seek means of reducing our farm expenses; discontinuance of the credit and mortgage system of finance; dispense with the middleman; development of cheap electric power for the farm; maintaining cheap water transportation; opposition to monopolies and cartels; opposition to high salaries and excessive profits and high interest rates; better education for young America; better roads and equal rights for women.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

1. 8000 Granges and nearly a million members with 30,000 in Oregon.

2. Establishment of rural schools, urban high schools and agricultural colleges.

3. Restriction on foreign labor and low standards of living.

4. Establishment of the Australian secret ballot system for public elections; direct primary laws; voting directly for senators;      initiative and referendum and recall laws in Oregon.

5. Formation of cooperatives and marketing associations to keep prices down.

6. The lowering of interest sates from l0% and more in 1867 to 2½% in 1952.

7. Securing rural post offices and rural free delivery of mail to 25,000,000 farmers.

8. Keeping our rivers open for cheap transportation.

9. The establishment of the INTERSTATE COMERCE COMMISSION to regulate railroads and their rates.

10. Enactment of the Federal Road act of 1916 which has provided the highway system of America and the improved               roads to the farms back off the highways.

11. Enactment of laws controlling our natural resources such as oil, forests, electric power.

12. Equal rights for women was endorsed in 1874. The Woman's Suffrage Law amendment to our national constitution              was made in 1820, after a fight of 45 years!

13. The establishment of the Department of Agriculture, a 13 year fight from 1876 to 1889.

14. The establishment of Land Grant subsidized agricultural colleges, the graduates from which have transformed America         into a land of enchantment compared to foreign countries. They have brought improved clothing, improved fruits,                 improved cereals, improved foods of all types and flavors too.

15. The establishment of the weather bureau which gives us daily and even hourly reports.

16. Establishment of the County Agent law in 1911 for trained men to help local farmers.

17. Establishment of the Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916 a 27 year fight against our bankers.

IN WASCO COUNTY THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE:

1. Bringing mail to 90% of the farms of Wasco county, daily.

2. Surfacing 75% of the main traveled roads of the county on which 90% of the farms are located.

3. Establishment of rural schools and school bus transportation to better schools.

4. Establishment of the county agent office here in 1918 to help farmers.

5. Keeping alive the county fair and the interest of the children in this project.

8. Establishment of the forest service and fire protective measures and patrols.

7. The battle against to local private power trust to bring cheap electricity to the farms.

8. The distribution of cheap electricity by the PUD and REA after the local private power company refused to extend their      lines to the farms of Wasco county.

9. Establishment of local cooperatives to market farm products and keep, costs down.

10. Bringing irrigation to many of our farms.

11. Cheap Grange Insurance for dwellings, cars, farms, health, accident and ordinary life.

12. Use of grange halls as community gathering spots, for meetings, voting, dances etc.

13. Building of the Port docks to keep transportation costs down.

14. Building of the Columbia river dams for the same reason.

15. Building of the highway system in the county for better farm transportation service.

16. Sponsoring of agricultural and other types of meetings which benefit farmers.

17. Working with other organizations for a better community.

     The Barlow Gate Grange at Wamic and the Ramsay Park Grange at Dufur are the oldest in the county. The Mill Creek and Chenowith granges of The Dalles area were organized in 1920 while Cherry Park was established in 1925. Granges are not new to this area.

     There are many organizations which justify their existence on only one or two objectives without any accomplishments at all. Others exist for only local accomplishments. We dare say that no organization in America has a record equal to the Grange for accomplishments. It is a family organization and all farmers should hold a membership. There is some ritualistic work for those who enjoy that type of lodge work, but in the main its general betterment of farm life that keeps the Grange the No. 1 organization of rural America.

THE OLD WASCO COUNTY PIONEERS' ASSOCIATION by Amy J. Clausen, Secretary (1952)

     The old Wasco County Pioneers' Association, which has a membership of 1040, was organized May 2. 1922. The introductory minutes of that meeting are as follows:

     "Due to the efforts of Mrs. Benton Mays, President of the Old Fort Dalles Historical Society and Lulu D. Crandall, early Dalles Historian, a roll call was held at the municipal auditorium in The Dalles May 2, 1922 for all persons who ever lived in Wasco county between the dates of 1854 to and including the year of 1882, for the purpose of organizing an Old Wasco County Pioneers' Association. It was stated that these dates were selected as pioneer days of Wasco County for the reason that on the 11 of January 1854, Wasco County was organized, which included all territory of Oregon between the Cascades and the Rocky mountains. The date of the completion of the railroad between Portland and The Dalles (1882) has been chosen as the close of the pioneer period. It was stated that the 2nd day of May was a very appropriate date for the pioneers, to observe, as on that date the settlers met at Champoeg, Oregon and voted, under the leadership of Joe Meek, 52 in favor and 50 against, to organize a civil government under the protection of the flag of the U.S."

     The present rule of eligibility is, "any person who was a resident of the area then called Wasco county and which now comprises the counties of Wheeler, Crook, Deschutes, Hood River, Sherman, Gilliam, Jefferson and Wasco; or who was a resident of the present Wasco county at least 50 years or more ago."

     It has been found more convenient for the members from distant places at attend on a week and, so the first Saturday of May is now the date of the annual meeting. It begins at 10 A.M. at The Dalles auditorium with registration, renewing old acquaintances and viewing the very large collection of Pioneer pictures. The Association owns all the tables, chairs, linen, dishes, etc. necessary to serve 800 to 700 members who attend the famous basket noon dinner, where over 300 pounds of Royal Chinook Columbia river salmon, cooked to perfection, is served with ice cream and coffee by the Association. A business meeting and program is held during the afternoon. The evening hour of 9 marks the Grand march to the Old Wasco County Pioneer Associations' annual ball, where pioneers find that "Do see do" and "Alaman left" have the same thrill of 50 years ago.

     The Association has erected markers and plaques at the mouth of the Deschutes, where the pioneers crossed that stream; at the site of the first Catholic mission at The Dalles; at a pioneer grave near Fairbanks; and at Biggs where the Old Oregon Trail first reaches the Columbia.

     Mrs. Benton Mays acted as Chairman of the first meeting in 1922. Fred W. Wilson was president for 1923 and 1924.

     Mrs. Benton Mays was president in 1925.

     Viola McFarlane Price served in 1928; George W. Johnson in 1927; James L. Kelley in 1928; Fredrick C. Clausen in 1929; Albert S. Roberts in 1930; Cyrus C. Cooper in 1931; Lucy Wilson Peters in 1932; Martin Z. Donnell in 1933; J. Park Bolton in 1934; George Obarr in 1935; Levi Christman in 1938; Joseph T. Peters in 1937; Leo Schanno in 1938; Ralph Moody in 1939; Capt. A.J. Price in 1940; Joseph H. Steers in 1941; Rufus McCorkle in 1942; Bertha Steers Taylor 1948; no meeting in 1944; Roy Powell in 1945; John A. Silvertooth in 1948; D.V. Bolton 1947; Ray F. Kelley 1948; Edward Ward 1949; H.E. Willerton 1950; Francis Sexton 1951 and Edna Ropper Bolton 1952. Robert L. Murray was elected for 1953.

    George C. Blakeley, Lee Bolton and Edward C. Pease have served as honorary presidents since 1943,

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OREGON PIONEERS RE-UNION OF 1904 in PORTLAND

     Those in attendance from Wasco county were:

     Mrs. Mellisson Klinger of Dufur, pioneer of 1844; S.L. Brooks of The Dalles pioneer 1850; Elizabeth Lord of The Dalles, 1850; Horace and Mrs. E. J. Rice of Rice, pioneers of 1851; J.J. Woolery and Mrs. M. Moody, pioneers of 1852; Mrs. E. Southwell pioneer of 1853; Mrs. S.H. Moffat and Lulu D. Crandall pioneers of 1854; Wentworth Lord and Mary Cremen pioneers of 1858.

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     If the applicant for membership in these Historical and Pioneer Associations were required to fill out a biography page listing time and place of birth; parents names including given and maiden name of mother; place or places where he lived and went to school; year married and to whom; names of any children; public, military, organizational or other services and address; the secretary would have a very fine biographical history which could be filed for reference in a loose leaf book. Each of our pioneer families have an interesting history to be proud of. Why not urge its preservation? And who is better qualified as keeper of that record than these Associations?

THE DALLES COUNTRY CLUB

     Another of the outstanding organizations of The Dalles is the Country Club who own an 80 acre golf course of 9 holes worth $60,000 at Crates Point, 7 miles west of The Dalles on highway 30. It was organized in 1922. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Houghton donated $6000 toward construction of the $10,000 clubhouse. Other members matched that sum in donations which went to buy the land. Dues and initiation fees together with a loan of $4000 from George C. Blakeley made up the balance needed.

     By 1925 the wind had blew most all the vegetation off the property, except the well rooted trees, so a well to water the greens was the next problem. The driller went down to 250 feet before a noticeable supply was struck, but it wasn't enough. More money was raised and the driller brought in a 440 gallon per minute well at 350 feet. By the time the well, pump and underground irrigation system were completed $15,000 was the bill. Notes from members brought in $6000 and George Blakeley, Fred Houghton and Judge A.S. Bennett made a loan of another $4000 upping their mortgage to $8000. The greens were laid out by George Junor during the depression of the early 30's.

     Then the Columbia Gorge Mining company got permission from the Club's Board to probe for quick silver and silver one but gave up the venture in 1934 after spending $40,000. In the meantime the above notes were finally paid off and the Club now owns one of the best greens in the state.

     Family membership initiation is $75 and the dues $7.80 a month.

     Among golf title winners have been Dick Twiss, Dick Maier, Ron Clark, Bill Spivey. Among the celebrities who have played here are Byron Nelson, king of them all; Ben Hogan, Patty Berg and Mrs. Opal Hill. These celebrities say, "the lie of the fairways is the best of any in the U.S." --- Progress Edition of The Dalles Chronicle, 1952

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THE BOOSTER GIRLS

     The Dalles Booster Girls' Club originated Oct. 2, 1924 for the purpose of creating interest in The Dalles high school activities has grown until today it is rated as one of the best all-girl drum and bugle corps in the Pacific northwest. The original group were a pep squad for half-time entertainment at football games. The drum corps came into existence in 1927 under the direction of C.H. (Pop) Endicott, band director at the school. There were 40 girls in that first group and the Lions Club furnished the instruments and uniforms of crimson and grey-crimson skirts, grey sweaters, crimson hats and grey stockings.

     The Booster Girls attended the 1928 American Legion convention, taking along 8 boys as buglers. In 1929 bugles were added eliminating the necessity for male band buglers. Bill Bennett became the leader in 1837 and 38 and he assisted them in improving both their marching ability and playing.

     In the fall or 1938 Homer Curtiss became their leader to remain with them for the next 10 years until William Seivers, high school music instructor took charge and is now their leader. In 1940, the girls lost their equipment in the high school fire but business men soon raised the money for replacement of the equipment. Their uniforms have changed to white slacks, red blouses and trench helmets in 1938. In 1939 they adopted the crimson overseas cap and blouse with white skirts.

     They have appeared in the Portland Rose Festival parade 8 times and 3 times have been awarded first place in their division. Many outside requests for their services are received and must be denied for lack of transportation and expense money. Each year new groups of junior girls arrive to take the place of seniors' lost in graduation. The 30 new juniors generally have to start drills two weeks before the start of school to be ready for the first games. ---Dalles Chronicle, Sept. 29, 1948.

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     On page 44 there is a long list of organizations of The Dalles, but all of them are NOT included on that page because they did NOT furnish any date of establishment to the Chamber of Commerce upon request of that body for this publication. Those listed herein in more detail are the more active organizations of our community, but these are not ALL of the active organizations we have. There are others such as the Lions, Kiwanis, but there is no known record available of their activities.

THE MOST OUTSTANDING CITIZENS IN THE 100 YEARS OF DALLES & WASCO COUNTY HISTORY

     While we believe that the first 5 citizens, listed below, merit their positions in the order named; the names in the rest of the list would require months of study by a committee to place them in the order they might merit. We do NOT consider this to be a complete list of all of our outstanding citizens. This list contains merely the names that has come to the attention of the writer in his study of Wasco County history. The basis of judgment has been, "what the citizen did to benefit all the people of The Dalles or Wasco county at the time he lived or afterwards;" and NOT how popular, wealthy or influential he might have been.

1. SACAJAWEA; the Bird Woman of the Mandans who guided Lewis 8 Clark from the Dakotas to Astoria and return. She received no pay and is the most outstanding Indian maiden we have any historical record of in American history, far more noted than Pocahontas.

2. DR. MARCUS WHITMAN; he guided he first emigrant train from St. Joseph, Mo. to The Dalles, Ore. in 1843 thereby saving the Oregon country for the U.S. after the Canadians thought they had it sewed up for England. He was massacred at Walla Walla by Indians in 1847.

3. WALLACE S. NELSON; for 30 years manager of The Dalles Chamber of Commerce (1922-1952), under whose leadership we have removed Columbia river power development which has brought cheap electricity for our homes, farms and industries.

4. SAMUEL K. BARLOW; Barlow toll road builder of 1848 from The Dalles via Tygh, Wamic, Mt. Hood, Sandy to Oregon City, for use of emigrants and public (1848-1908). From 1843 to 1848 emigrants had to float down the Columbia on rafts and drive cattle over the mountains.

5. CAPT. ORLANDO HUMASON; Father of Wasco County who introduced the legislation creating the county, held a number of the first offices in the county and city government; organized The Dalles company of mounted volunteers in the Yakima Indian War of 1858.

6. CAPT. NATHAN OLNEY; first permanent resident, citizen and merchant of The Dalles; friend of both the Indians and emigrants; held a number of the first public offices in The Dalles and county; organized a Co. of mounted volunteers in the Cayuse Indian war of 1848.

7. COL. GEORGE WRIGHT; in charge of Old Fort Dalles during Yakima Indian War of 1858, won that last Indian uprising by killing the Indian's horses leaving them dismounted and unable to fight and helping to place them on reservations for care and education.

8. MADAM DORION; helped the W.P. Hunt expedition and exploration party blaze the Old Oregon Trail in 1811; guided that party to the Columbia such the same as Sacajawea. All the early exploration parties followed that trail to The Dalles as well as emigrants.

9. JOSEPH HENRY SHERAR; of Sherars Bridge; road builder (1862-1908) providing a wagon bridge at Sherars Bridge thereby opening the first road from The Dalles to Canyon City (1882) when those 2 cities were the largest in the northwest. His bridge also cut 100 miles off the Old Oregon Trail for the emigrant between Cottonwood canyon and Oregon City!

10. HENRY H. WHEELER; operator of The Dalles to Canyon City stage line (1884-1888) provided a means of quicker passenger and mail and express communication between the northwest's 2 largest cities in defiance of renegade Indians and bad roads.

11. HOWARD MAUPIN; of Antelope stage station on Henry Wheeler's stage line (1864-1868) together with James N. Clark, driver on the Antelope-Mitchell section of Wheeler's stage line, in 1887 shot and killed the renegade Indian Chief Paulina, near Ashwood, for stealing stage horses and settlers livestock; making Central Oregon safer for settlement.

12. DR. THOMAS CONDON (1852-1878) pioneer geologist and minister of The Dalles who recognized many of our first geology facts, leaving us a geological history and later heading the Department of Geology at the University of Oregon.

13. EDWARD CRATE; 2nd permanent resident of Wasco county; friend of Indians; Canadian voyager; pilot for emigrants and friend of white Americans when they had few friends in Oregon; citizen of The Dalles from 1849 to 1897 -- 52 years!

14. CAPT. J.C. AINSWORTH (1882-1882) head of the Oregon Steam Navigation Co. which brought river transportation from Astoria to Lewiston, Idaho when that service was needed.

15. HENRY VALLARD; (1882-88) builder of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Co. which brought the railroad from Portland through The Dalles to eastern Oregon and Washington with a connection via Spokane to Chicago.

16. SAMUEL J. LANCASTER (1915-1925) engineer in charge of the building of the Columbia River highway from Portland to The Dalles, a feat engineers thought impossible with the equip-ment at hand in 1915.

17. SAMUEL HILL (1913-1918); promoter whose leadership formed the highway department and raised the money for the building of the Columbia river highway from Portland to The Dalles; and the founder and builder of Maryhill castle-museum at Maryhill, Washington.

18. BENJAMIN A. GIFFORD pioneer Dalles photographer (1892-1908) preserved Dalles and mid-Columbia history in picture form, any of which are world famous.

19. COL. N.B. SINNOTT and MAJOR DANIEL HANDLEY; proprietors of the Umatilla House (1880-1891), best known hotel on the pacific coast for hospitality. They staked hundreds of miners and travelers, no man ever was turned down who needed food, lodging or medical care while they ran the hotel. (See story on pages 24 and 25).

20. COL. N.H. GATES and JAMES K. KELLEY, (1858-1898) pioneer fathers of Dalles City government; Mr. Kelley being the first Mayor and Mr. Gates Mayor several different times.

21. D.M. & J.W. FRENCH, pioneer bankers of The Dalles (1860-1890) who back The Dalles and its pioneer Business men when credit was hard to got and friends of The Dalles were few.

22. RALPH GIFFORD, Internationally known photographer.

23. GOV. ZENITH MOODY (1860-1890) developed a market for the wool sheepmen of Wasco County were raising and financially backed many sheepmen without requiring signed notes!

24. CONGRESSMAN MALCOLM MOODY (1898-l904) son Gov. Z.F. Moody sponsored the legislation which resulted in the building of The Dalles-Celilo canal which kept freight rates down saving millions of dollars for people of eastern Oregon and Washington.

25. EMIL SCHANNO and DR. G.E. SANDERS, horticulturalists of the 1890's, who, at personal financial sacrifice to themselves, developed our cherry orchards which re-sulted in the 10,000 ton -- $2,000,000 cherry industry here.

26. WENTWORTH LORD established the Wasco Warehouse Milling company which encouraged the raising of wheat and its marketing in the 1890's and 1900's in The Dalles.

27. ELIZABETH (Mrs. Wentworth)LORD; author of REMINISCENCES OF EASTERN OREGON, an early history of The Dalles and some of its people; 300 copies of which were published by Irwin Hodson in Portland in 1903 most of which she and her daughter, Mrs. Fred Houghton have given away free to friends. The Dalles library has a copy to loan.

28. LULU D. CRANDALL (1854-1931) Dalles and Wasco county historian whose clippings of articles on our history made up 105 volumes in The Dalles library and is the acknowledged basis for much of this history. She had said, "I hope in time to write a history of the settlement and development of Wasco County." We hope this history measures up to, the plans she had in mind, but never fulfilled.

29. JONAS MOSIER, the first contractor of The Dalles (1853); founder of the city of Mosier making that area safe for settlement and free from Indian molestation.

30. T. HUSTEN JOHNSON, Dufur merchant, banker and stockman of 1905 who pioneered in the establishment of the Great Southern railroad which brought transportation to farmers of the 15 mile creek basin before they had roads to haul produce over.

31. JOHN HEIMRICK, builder of the Great Southern railroad which provided the transportation to the rich section of Wasco County mentioned in the paragraph above.

32. FRANK SEUFERT, came to The Dalles in 1882 and developed the fishing business so both the Indians and white fishermen would have a market for their catches.

33. CHIEF JOSEPH, outstanding Indian military leader who opposed oppression by the white man.

34. FREDRICK HOMER BALCH, author of the Bride of the Gods, the greatest and best known Indian legend story the west has ever produced (1861-1891). Mr. Balch died before his book was published. It was a "best seller" with 27 editions!

35. PETER SKENE OGDEN and his wife PRINCESS JULIA; early Wasco County traders and trappers; Oregon ambassador to Washington, D.C. bringing recognition to Oregon and helped to form it a state (1849). Princess Julia was an outstanding wife to a fine man.

36. FATHER T. MESPLIE helped keep peace among the Indians here during the Cayuse and Yakima Indian wars when Old Fort Dalles was the BASE OF SUPPLIES for those campaigns.

37. H.K.W. PERKINS, missionary at the Methodist Mission here (1843-1847) helped the sick and starving emigrants who arrived destitute in The Dalles 2000 miles from friends and their loved ones in the east.

38. JUDGE FRED W. WILSON, historian of The Dalles and the Columbia river transportation. His assist-ance in the preparation of this history is acknowledge with appreciation.

39. PROF. WILLIAM BERGFELD (1884-1921) outstanding orchestra leader and music teacher of The Dalles who sacrificed fame and fortune for love of The Dalles and Mid-Columbia recreational advantages.

40 to 44 HENRY, GEORGE, LIZZIE AND MINNIE DE MOSS; internationally known musicians who played before all the crowned heads of Europe and main theatres of America between 1872 and 1927, but no matter where they were their hearts were in The Dalles and Sherman county home at DeMoss Springs.

45. GEORGE VAUSE, (1915-1952)composer and pianist of Los Angeles; student of Prof. Bergfeld. His compositions are being enjoyed in the music world all over the U.S.

46. GRIFFITH WILLIAM, orchestra leader of San Francisco and now of Chicago; student of Prof. Wm. Bergfeld. His music is broadcast nightly from Chicago for all to enjoy over NBC.

48. ROBERT L. MURRAY, athletic coach in The Dalles (1906-1950) for school and city. His students are all fine citizens learning their lessons well from the Dean of Coaches.

49. PETER J. STADELMAN, State Senator and Secretary of State for Oregon; has, unknown to most citizens of The Dalles, given a university education to more than a dozen young man and women of The Dalles.

50. FRANK WINK, Dalles auctioneer (1937-1952) has provided a place for the sale of the farmers' livestock for The Dalles and 5 surrounding counties. All buyers have an equal chance and sellers can withdraw livestock if sales are not satisfactory. His auction yards are used free for the annual Fat Stock show and sale.

51 to 54. ROY JOHNSON, HOWARD ROBINSON, W.R. BAILEY & CHAS. HARTH, the 4-Horsemen of Public Power.

55 to 63. Alf Wernmark, Chas. Foster, Chas. Hampton; Wm. Seufert, . Eric Johnson, L.V. Broughton, Jess Ott, Geo. Newhouse and Cecil Byers, with the 4-Horsemen have brought cheap electricity to the homes and farms of 5 Mid-Columbia counties!

54. CAPT. A. LEPALUOTO's barge service saves people millions of dollars In freight costs.

SACAJAWEA, the BIRDWOMAN

     The following account of Sacajawea, guide for the Lewes & Clark party, was published in the 1905 edition of the Souvenir of Western Women, and loaned for this record from the library of Mrs. Fred Houghton of The Dalles:

     Interwoven with the history of the American Indians there is a thread of romance. None of the Indian chieftains, leaders or heroes commands a more intense interest or admiration than that of Sacajawea, the Birdwoman of the Mandans. This little daughter of the wilderness was taken captive by the Mandans of the upper Missouri river and became the slave wife of French voyager, Charboneau, at the age of 15. Lewis & Clark spent the first winter of their expedition in the Mandan country where Charboneau and his slave-wife lived and they engaged Charboneau as interpreter. They thought his wife would be of service when they reached the territory of her people.

     In February 1805 this girl-wife, 18, gave birth to a son and would have died but for the care bestowed by Lewis & Clark. Throughout the long journey, burdened with her baby strapped to her back, she labored with the men. She proved her presence of mind when their canoe became swamped and part of the cargo floated away upon the stream when with great courage she saved not only herself and baby but grasped right and left securing the most valuable packages of the cargo.

     While in the heart of the Rookies late that summer the expedition became lost and talk of abandon-ment was made when the Birdwoman recognized the valley they had entered was the one from which she had been taken captive years before. Later some squaws were brought into camp by the explorers and one young girl recognized Sacajawea and rushed toward her. She had been taken captive with Sacajawea, but had made her escape and returned to her people. The two embraced tenderly in the Shoshone camp. The Shoshone women acting a guides and intercessors, brought the warriors to Lewis & Clark. At the council which followed, Sacajawea began to interpret the speech of the chief, and lo, to her joy she found it was her own brother's words she was translating. She had made further progress for the expedition possible. The Shoshones furnished horses and guides and passed the party on to the Flat-heads and they in turn to the friendly Nez Perces.

     In the councils Sacajawea was always the interpreter and her presence with the party assured the Indians it was not a war party. She stayed with the expedition to camp Clatsop at Astoria. On the return trip the party sometimes followed new paths and became lost but Sacajawea always delivered them to safety for she had been through the country as a child and remembered it like a bird and was called the "bird-woman" for her directional ability as dependable as a compass. When the party had returned to the Mandan country Charboneau decided to continue to live among these people and Sacajawea remained with him.

     He received $500 for their services. In 1811 Breckenridge reported meeting the old Frenchman who crossed the continent with Lewis & Clark and Sacajawea who seemed fond of white people.

     A bronze statue of Sacajawea, made from copper from an Oregon mine, was designed by Miss Alice Cooper of Denver, Colorado will stand in the Portland, Oregon public park for generations as a monument to her love, devotion and self-sacrifice.

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     Sacajawea had been taken captive from the Shoshone tribe at the early age of 10 and had lived 8 years as a slave in the Mandan country when Lewis & Clark came through there. The above mentioned baby's name was Baptiste and he was educated in the schools of St. Louis, Mo. by Capt. Clark (later General Clark) who was very much attached to Sacajawea during the expedition and showed his deep appreciation for what she did for them by educating her son.

     Baptiste Charboneau made visits to his mother Sacajawea on the Shoshone Indian reservation in Wyoming, where she died April 9, 1884 peaceably in her sleep at age 88. Baptiste Charboneau was well and widely known by the Wyeth expedition; by Joe Meek of Oregon; by Jim Bridger the "Daniel Boone of the Rocky Mountains"; by the Freemont exploration party and Kit Carson. Sacajawea's accomplishments make her far more famous than Pocahontas or any other known North American Indian maiden and her inestimateable contribution to Oregon history by her accomplishments should not be forgotten by the lover of western history. (Grace Raymond Hebard, 1933, best known American authority on the life of Sacajawea.)

The NATURAL STONE STATUE OF SACAJAWEA

     High on the cliffs or Klickitat mountain-side, about ½ mile east of Lyle, Wash. sets Sacajawea and her baby Baptiste Charboneau strapped to her back, outlined in natural rook, showing tresses, short dress, blanket and profile of mother and child. The setting evening sun brings out the bold relief. It is best viewed from Rowena Loops observation point and at Rowena.

SACAJAWEA POEM

In yonder city, glory-crowned,
To see her fair memorial stand
Where art will vie with art to keep
Among the honored names that be-

The memories of those heroes green
Her face toward the sunset, still-
The flush of conscious pride should leap
Her finger lifted toward the seal
- Huffman.

DR. MARCUS WHITMAN

     Dr. Marcus Whitman the No. 2 outstanding citizen in our 100 years of history (1802-1847) was best known by most historians as the first missionary at Walla Walla (1836) having came west with Capt. Nathaniel Wyatt in his second expedition, abandoning their wagons at Fort Hall or converting them into 2-wheel carts for the trip on to Walla Walla. But we of The Dalles and Wasco County remember him for his super-human trip east, in the dead of winter (Oct. 1842 to Feb. 1843) to save Oregon for the U.S. and to guide, the first emigrant train over the Old Oregon Trail to The Dalles in 1843.

     The more detailed account of this trip is listed on page 3 (under The Dalles). For more reading about Dr. Whitman and details of this trip ask your Wasco County Library, the Oregon State Library or the Marcus Whitman university library at Walla Walla; and when in the Walla Walla country be sure to visit the Marcus Whitman memorial, it's the least you can do in appreciation for what he has did for you and I.

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WALLACE S. NELSON

     Wallace S. Nelson who is listed on page 45 (under The Dalles Chamber of Commerce) was born at La Grande, Oregon in 1888 the son of Nels and Christina Nelson; went to school at La Grande and Weston, and went to work for the Union Pacific railroad at La Grande as a call boy in 1905 rising to the position of agent which he held in The Dalles during World War I. He was with Libby cannery for a short period and has been with The Dalles Chamber of Commerce as Secretary-Manager since 1922. It was under his leadership that the Inland Waterways Association was formed which group is com-posed of chambers of Commerce representatives from all over the Inland Empire and crystallizes and directs the combined efforts into one channel for Columbia river development. He has held offices in this organization and assisted in its policy and program besides directing the affairs of the local Chamber of Commerce. His services had been bid for at a much greater salary than the pittance he receives here, but his heart is in The Dalles which he loves and like other great men who have lived here "would rather die a beggar than move from the friends and place he loves so well." Indeed he is known and loved by his fellow townsmen as not only its No. 1 citizen but also very close to, if not at, the top of the list of all the citizens that have ever lived in Wasco County in its 100 years of History! He cannot be replaced at any price but human physical endurance will compel his retirement, but it will be in a glory of fine deeds done for his fellow man, -- a job well done, good and faithful servant.

     He married Clara Watrus in 1910, and their only son Marshall Nelson is Mayor of Dalles City.

SAMUEL K. BARLOW

     Samuel K. Barlow the pioneer road-builder and proprietor of the Barlow Toll Road from Wamic to Sandy, Oregon was born in Kentucky and came west in the Joel Palmer emigrant train of 1845. The Dalles at that time, as the monument in Union Street Park says, was the AND OF THE OLD OREGON TRAIL. There being nothing but Indians and the handful of whites at the Methodist Mission here the inducement was to go on to the Willamette Valley where American settlers had established little villages and a provincial government and had boat communication with the outside world a few times a year at least, and where provisions could be exchanged or purchased, children could go to school and they could attend church.

     To get on down the Columbia river meant building of logs rafts at The Dalles. As Elizabeth Laughlin explained, "these logs were felled from the pines which grew about the city and creek valleys and hauled by emigrant wagons to the mouth of Chenowith creek were they were made into rafts on which a few (about 6) wagons could be loaded and floated down to the cascades, unloaded, portaged around, loaded back on the rafts and floated down to the banks of the Willamette where they were again unloaded. Their oxen and other cattle had to be driven down Indian trails in the gorge or via of Lost Lake and Bull Run and to the wagons which were driven to Oregon City or other valley points."

     That took a lot of time, a lot of very, hard work and was an extremely dangerous trip for "landlubbers" who knew nothing about water and boats or rafts. Many rafts and their human cargoes were lost. To build a wagon road down the Columbia river gorge was impossible. Wagons by the hundreds were abandoned at The Dalles and only personal belongings taken down the river by Indian canoes or Hudson Bay Co. bateaux or flat boats which would hold up to 5 or 6 ton and could "shoot the rapids" at the Cascades or be lowered much easier than rafts.

     When the Palmer-Barlow train reached The Dalles in 1845 those were the transportation problems and there were hundreds of emigrants in "tent city" here waiting for transportation or making their own transportation rafts at this bottleneck. But Palmer and Barlow were, men of practical vision. Instead of setting around and "waiting for George to help them" they struck out to find a pass over the mountains under the theory that "God never made a mountain range without making a pass to get through it". Their saddle-horse scouts probed Chenowith creek, Mill creek, 3 Mile, upper 15 mile, the Friend country, and finally the Wamic country which proved "passable up to Mt. Hood via White River, except for the trees." If trees were all that was stopping them, that meant just a matter of time sawing them down or going around them. But the further up into the mountains they went the thicker and closer together the trees grew slowing their progress until the all snows finally had them licked. They packed their provisions and children on the cattle and horses and pushed on through the snows to Oregon City, over Indian trails, intending to return for their wagons the next spring. At Oregon City both Mr. Palmer and Mr. Barlow appeared before the Oregon Provincial legislature and argued as only "silver tongued orators can" for permission to cut and maintain a toll road which emigrants might use to come over the mountains to Oregon City. Samuel K. Barlow and Phillip Foster were granted the charter for the toll road.

     They returned in the spring of 1846 with 50 men and hewed out a pass for wagons over the Cascade mountains from Wamic to Sandy and operated it as a toll road from 1898 until 1909 when it was taken over by the state. The first tolls were $5. a wagon, cheap enough in comparison to the work and dangers of rafting down the Columbia. Loose stock was 10¢ a head. By 1880 the tolls were reduced to $2.50 per wagon. No one was ever denied passage and many articles of value were accepted in lieu of money. Widow women were never charged. The east toll gate was near Smock. Barlows toll collect-ors were therefore the "first residents of the Wamic area." Samuel K. Barlow died at Canemanah, on the Willamette in 1867 and is buried at Barlow, Oregon. The establishment of this road by Samuel K. Barlow, for the benefit of emigrants to Oregon, places him among the first 5 of the outstanding citizens in the 100 years of Wasco county history.

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CAPT. ORLANDO HUMASON, FATHER OF WASCO COUNTY, by Lulu D. Crandall, Chronicle 1914.

     In 1853 there came to the military post of The Dalles a young man by the name of Orlando Humason. He was a native of Vienna, Ohio where he was born in 1828, was a graduate of Vienna academy and the Western Reserve College at Warren where he studied law and practiced with Todd & Hutchins. He headed for the Gold Fields of California in 1849 with John A. Simms as a partner. After the gold fields played out they came north by saddle pony to Champoeg where he took a Donation land claim. Later they moved to Oregon City where he became Clackamas county legislative representative and worked on the Statesman with Victor Trevitt, He moved to The Dalles and worked for the Hudson Bay Co. store here in 1853 being the second business man at "The Dalles Landing". In 1854 he opened up a store with John A. Simms as a partner at the northeast corner of First and Union, where the Umatilla House later stood for so many years. The settlement at "the landing" here grew and prospered under the protective arm of the military authorities at Fort Dalles. The emigrants found stores at this point to replace their depleted stocks at and many of them looked about for land to locate on and build their homes east of the Cascades.

     Since 1850 the military authorities had been all the law that this part of the country knew. The commanding officer Major Granville O. Haller (1854) was much opposed to a civil government here for 2 reasons, "the country was too big and he claimed there were only 35 white people east of the Cascades." He may have been a little jealous of civil authority. (There were closer to 350 than 35).

     At the legislative session of 1853-64 Orlando Humason, a representative from Clackamas county, but a resident of The Dalles Landing and a merchant of this place and lawyer, realized that the little town must have protection by laws of the peoples' own making. Oregon City, the county seat, was too far away to be practicable, so there was only one thing to do, create a new county and plat a town of their own for mutual protection. Being a lawyer he most probably drew up the bill which created the county and recommend the men to administer its affairs. The new county would extend from the summit of the Cascades to the summit of the Rookies and from the Columbia river to the California boundary, an area of 130,000 square miles embracing Butte, Mont., Yellowstone Park and South Pass on the Old Oregon Trail. It remained that size until Washington Territory was created Feb. 14, 1859 and was at the time considered the largest county in the U.S.

     After the organization of Wasco county Orlando Humason was instrumental in starting the municipal government of Dalles City, drafting the first papers for that purpose in Sept. 1855. He served on the first Board of Trustees, which action makes him "Father of Dalles City" also.

     He was Captain of Dalles Company B, 80 Dalles volunteers who were mounted Oct. 1855 and served to May 1858 in the Yakima Indian war. They captured Pen Pen Mox Mox, Cayuse Indian Chief near Walla Walla. They served under Col. J.W. Nesmith to May 19, 1858. Some of the other prominent Dalles men serving -with Company B. were Nathan Olney, Indian agent who saved the company from annihilation; Victor Trevitt, the Beau Bremmel of The Dalles at that time; Cornelius McFarland; Amos Underwood who shot and killed more redskins than any other single member of the expedition and Daniel W. Butler whose biography appears under Tygh Valley.

Builds River Boat at Dufur

     In 1857 he went out to his father-in-law's sawmill (Jonathan Jackson) at Dufur, with R.R. Thompson, and built a 270 foot boat with an 11½ foot beam, which would carry 80 ton of freight, and towed it along on rollers and planks up and across the Deschutes river breaks, with 8 head of oxen! It took 3 weeks to make the trip and got it down to the mouth of the Deschutes river at DESCHUTESVILLE, where they landed it and christened it the MOUNTAINEER, and operated it with sails and poles, steering it with oars, between Deschutesville and Wallula. It paid for itself the first trip and was the first commercial boat on the upper Columbia. They hired Indians as crewmen.

     Orlando Zumason and R.R. Thompson organized The Dalles to Deschutesville Portage Freight and Passenger Co., which they operated from 1857 to 1863, over the old Oregon Trail via Fairbanks. After gold was discovered this freight and passenger portage road handled a constant stream of mammoth freight wagons, the largest ever seen in Oregon. They charged $15 a ton for freight between The Dalles and Deschutesville and there was never a time during that 6 years that they were able to move all the freight received. Passenger stages were operated by them leaving the Umatilla House at 5 A.M. to make boat connections at Deschutesville at 7 A.M. Freight wagons operated from daylight to dark.

     They maintained a half-way station known as Company Hollow (see under Fairbanks) where oxen, mules and horses were changed; wagons repaired, stock shod, mule skinners fed and bunked, a regular little town about the size of Boyd.

Boats Built at Deschutesville

     They built boats at Deschutesville, first the scow or sail type then the steamer Colonel Wright. In 1862 they merged with the powerful Oregon Steam Navigation Co. who built The Dalles to Celilo railroad and all activities were transferred to Celilo until the coming of the railroad in 1882. (The descendents of R.R. Thompson today own the Multnomah hotel block in Portland.)

     Orlando Humason drafted the bill for the establishment of the U.S. Mint in The Dalles which Senator J.W. Nesmith got congress to adopt. (See story on Mint). He drew up the bill for the building of Cascade Locks canal which gave us an open river to Astoria upon its completion in 1896. His last act was the represent Dalles City in its action against the Methodist Mission Society of N.Y. for possession of 113 acres of their abandoned property here. He died in Sept. 1875 at age 47, before this suit, which was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, was decided in favor of the city.

     He married (1857) Phoebe Jackson, daughter of Jonathan Jackson sawmill owner of Dufur. He was a member of the legislature in 1854, 1862 and 1866. He was county Judge in 1858 and supervised the building of the first courthouse at 3rd & Court, where the city hall now stands. The Dalles was known as WASCOPAM then to the post office and boat companies. The Humason home was at 710 Court where Mrs. F.L. Houghton now lives. The Humason children were Ivan of Portland and Clara Waldo, after whom Waldo Hall at Corvallis is named.

CAPT. NATHAN OLNEY

     Nathan Olney came from an Iowa family of 8 brothers a 3 sisters to Oregon in the Joel Palmer and Samuel K. Barlow train of 1845 settling in the Willamette valley. In 1847 he returned to The Dalles to become the first permanent resident and operated the first store here in a log hut, on the bank of Mill creek at First and Union. When Dr. Marcus Whitman was massacred at Walla Walla in Nov. of that year he hurried down the river to organize a company of mounted volunteers, which he was captain of in the Cayuse Indian War of 1848, fought mostly in the Walla Walla area under Col. Gilliam. The Dalles was known to the troops as Fort Drum and Camp Drum at that time. The abandoned Methodist Mission buildings were used by the troops as a fort. The rails of the fence around the Mission property were taken up and placed close together, on and, around the buildings thus fortifying them with a high stockade fence.

     In 1848 he continued to operate his little store here with his Indian Wife Annette, trading with both the Indians and whites. The news of the California gold rush of 1849, reached Oregon by sailing vessels which had put into Portland to buy miners supplies; and the fever was too great to resist so he and his brother Biron went to California, leaving the store with his Indian wife. They made some money. Byron stayed there as a gambler but Nathan returned to his wife and store here. That fall (1849) the troops of Col. W.D. Loring, under the direction of Gen. B.E.L. Bonneville (after whom the Bonneville Dam is named), reached The Dalles worn out and ragged from Fort Leavenworth, Kan., with orders to establish a military post here. In the spring of 1650 Maj. S.S. Tucker proclaimed the Fort Dalles Military reservation to be 10 square miles, and he made Nathan Olney move his log store "out of town;" so Olney built another log store on Olney (Chenowith) creek, about where highway 30 crosses and continued to trade with Indians, soldiers and emigrants from that location.

     Elizabeth Lord, in her REMINISCENCE says, "My father W.C. Laughlin and my mother Mary (Yeargin) Laughlin came by ox-team to The Dalles in 1850. Nathan Olney had a store on Olney creek and father erected a log house, with the help of mother, near Olney's store, in which we lived that winter. Our cabin didn't even have a floor except for the good old earth. We were so poor that winter that mother made shirts out of canvass from wagon covers. Salt was sold by Nathan Olney for 12½¢ a pound."

     In 1850 J.W. Covington said, "The Dalles Landing was a desolate looking place of 100 abandoned wagons, starved cattle roaming about the flats and hillsides. There was only one cabin in The Dalles at that time, located on the bank of Mill creek and used by Nathan Olney who came here in 1848, as a combination store and dwelling." In 1852 Nathan Olney sold out to Dr. C.W. Shaug and established a ferry at the mouth of the Deschutes to help the 18,000 emigrants of that year across the river. The next year he raised stock at Fairbanks and traded with the Indians and emigrants. He sold his place at Fairbanks to J.M. Bird and bought at the mouth of 5 Mile (Ketchum place) where he raised stock.

     When the county was organized in 1854 he was the first Justice of the Peace. In 1856 he was a deputy sheriff. During the Yakima Indian War of 1856 he was Indian agent with Capt. Orlando Huma-son's Dalles company and guide and interpreter and saved the company from annihilation on its march from Wallula to Walla Walla. In 1884 he was City Marshall of The Dalles. He helped organize the Republican party here. He left his Indian wife Annette, to marry a white woman but the match was very short lived. He returned to Annette, a very beautiful Indian maiden, and legally married her. He met death in 1867 by infection from an Indian arrow while on a campaign against the coast Indians and was buried at Fort Simcoe Wash. He played both the accordion and violin. He had sons George, Frank and William all of whom lived on the Yakima Indian reservation with their mother following Nathan Olney's death. He had bothers Orville and Ben who came out to Oregon with him and became distinguished men. A brother Richard was Secretary of State under President Grover Cleveland. Judge Cyrus Olney, another brother, was a member of the Oregon Supreme Court.

     Nathan Olney's grandson Ben Olney (son of George Olney) was in attendance at the May 1952 Pioneers' meeting and demonstrated how Nathan Olney played his violin and type of music played.

COL. GEORGE WRIGHT

     Col. Wright was born in Vermont and was a West Point graduate of 1822. He was a veteran of the Florida and Mexican wars in addition to the Yakima Indian campaign of 1856 when he was in charge of Old Fort Dalles. At that time all the expeditions into eastern Oregon and Washington were out-fitted at Old Fort Dalles which was at the head of river navigation. They had to be portaged around the rapids at the Cascades so a blockhouse and defense supplies were kept there to defend that key location. This was the situation on March 26, 1856 when Col. George Wright's troops of the 9 U.S. infantry was called to defend the Cascades during the massacre.

     The Indians fled from Col. Sheridan and Col. Wright's troops as soon as they reached the Cascades. But that was merely a starter of trouble for all the Indians from Seattle to The Dalles took up arms and went on the warpath in defense of their homes and property. Col. Wright's military tactics was destruction of all Indian ponies that they could find, thus dismounting the Indians and preventing their rapid escape in case they chose to fight, which they did NOT do. He also prevented them from fishing and hunting or otherwise obtaining food from their usual places, thus starving them into submission to where they would talk with Indian agents and consent to residence on reservations where they could have their own homes (Tepees), horses, "hunt and fish in their usual and accustomed places," receive aid of food and clothing and medical attention, and education or could farm or raise stock. He fought a successful campaign with the minimum loss of life on both sides, a great credit to his military ability and making him one of the most outstanding men in our 100 years of history.

     After the Yakima Indian campaign he rebuilt Old Fort Dalles, replacing the old log buildings with modern sawed lumber from the military sawmill at 9 & Mill creek and some from another mill at the first bridge up Mill creek in 1857 and 1858. It required 2 years to rebuild the old Fort and seasoned lumber was used. Col. Wright's headquarters cost $90,000. The stone was quarried out of the sandstone bluff east of the present location of the T.B. Hospital and Pioneer Cemetery on Scenic Drive or Sunset Hill. Louis Scholl was architect. The lesser buildings cost from $5000 to $22,000 each. Some of the buildings remained standing 50 years and the old Surgeons quarters, for years used as a historical museum, is crowding the 100 year mark. It has been estimated that the total cost for all the old Fort buildings amounted to $500,000.

     In 1861 Col. Wright was promoted to brigadier general and placed in command of the Pacific department at San Francisco where he remained until 1865 at which time the Oregon department was established with headquarters at Fort Vancouver. Returning to Vancouver on the steamer Brother Jonathan, the vessel struck a reef off Crescent City in a storm and sank within minutes with a loss of 200 lives including that of Col. (Gen.) George Wright and his wife July 9, 1865. Their bodies were found 150 miles south of the wreck and buried with military honors in the state house square at Sacramento, Calif. The Times-Mountaineer said, "None knew him but to love him; none named him but to praise him. The lives of the general and his wife were beautiful examples of unvarying devotion; and in death they were not divided." The Col. Wright School was dedicated in his honor and named for him at ceremonies in 1925. The parade grounds of Old Fort Dalles and the school play-grounds are identical.

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MADAM MARIE DORION

     Another Indian maiden, Madam Marie Dorion, is among our outstanding citizens. She was the wife of Pierre Dorion. She was interpreter and guide, with her husband, for the William Price Hunt expedition of 1811, which blazed the original old Oregon Train from St. Louis, Missouri to Astoria, Oregon, which was followed by so many other explorers, hunters, traders, trappers, emigrants and gold seekers. Like Sacajawea of the Lewis & Clark party, "her unerring bird instinct, dependable as a compass, guided the expedition, which was otherwise many times LOST, to its intended destination."

     In 1812 she was returning with her husband and a party of 11 hunters all of whom were wiped out by Indians. Alone in the world with 2 babies, in a hostile Indian country in the foothills of the Blue mountains this heroic mother kept them alive through the long winter of snow and cold, on the skins and meat and limited amount of food she had and could get hold of. Early the next spring she crossed the Blue mountains in the snow to the Astor camp near Wallula. She is credited with being buried in the St. Louis Catholic church yard at Gervais, Oregon.

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JOSEPH HENRY SHERAR

     A complete biography of the life of Joseph Henry Sherar appears under Sherars Bridge, Oregon.

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HENRY H. WHEELER

     The Biography of Henry H. Wheeler appears under The Dalles to Canyon City Stage Line

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HOWARD MAUPIN

     The Biography of Howard Maupin appears under the story on Antelope, Oregon.

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DR. THOMAS CONDON, Ph.D.

     Dr. Thomas Condon was professor of geology, University of Oregon, 2nd minister of The Dalles Congregationalist church; a resident of The Dalles from 1852 to 1873 at 515 E. 3rd and one of the most outstanding men in the 100 years of Wasco County history.

     Dr. Thomas Condon was born in Ireland (1828) and came to New York as a boy 11 where he lived near Central Park. He studied rabbits, birds and flowers and "collected rooks" for study. His first fossil rock contained a little sea-creature, and that was really fascinating for it taught him that sometimes a flower, a little animal or fish became buried it just the right kind of soil or sand to permanently preserve it in what they called a "fossiled condition" by chemical action becoming hard as stone. He kept a sharp lookout for that kind of rocks, and got so he could recognize them and made a hobby of collecting them.

     One of his first jobs was helping farmers gather, raise and sell their flowers in the New York markets, His next job was an office boy for a New York physician and he worked around the doctor's home where he had much taught to him of an evening. By the time he was 19 he was able to teach school himself. He also went to college where he studied both geology and for the ministry. At college he was able to broaden his knowledge of rooks and fossils. When he graduated in 1852 he married and was sent to The Dalles on missionary church work, making the trip around the Horn by boat. He became the 2nd pastor of the local Congregationalist church and was one of the earliest pioneer residents of The Dalles. His home was at 515 East Third.

     The trip from New York to The Dalles in 1852 was a "big adventure" in the lives of the young couple and they made the most of it, a glorious 12,000 mile honeymoon that perhaps no other young married couple of Oregon has ever taken on their honeymoon.

     Dr. Condon made trips into Central Oregon with army supply trains from Old Fort Dalles to Old Fort Harney, near Burns, and other military posts in the 1850's and 1860's. They generally went and returned via old Camp Watson, a military camp, on the John Day river near which he found his first fossils at Turtle Cove. After the Indian troubles quieted down he made further explorations into the vast John Day river valley along the old Dalles to Canyon City road. He always came back with rich rewards of teeth, bones or other important parts of animals that lived ages ago. He cultivated the friendly acquaintance with army teamsters, with pack train and freight wagon operators who were taking supplies to Canyon City and generally returning to The Dalles practically empty and they would gladly haul sacks full of bones or other fossils back to The Dalles for him, free. Phil Sharp, the father of Edward Sharp of 404 E. 4 (formerly Wasco County surveyor) said his father was one of the teamsters between The Dalles and Canyon City and that his father has hauled "wagon loads of bones and fossils back to The Dalles for Dr. Condon never charging him a cent."

     His classification books were all too few and there were no libraries or universities in those days from which books could be  borrowed. Occasionally other geologists would make the boat trip to The Dalles and those visits were the high points in the life of Dr. Condon. Among his visitors were Clarence King of the U.S. geological survey; Dr. Newberry, specialist of leaves from Columbia univer-sity; Dr. Geo. Blake (1867); Mr. Hogue (1870). Dr. Condon shipped specimens to Dr. Leidy of the Philadelphia Academy of Science; to Prof. Marsh of Yale. Dr. Diller, of the U.S. geodic survey, accepted Dr. Condon's theory of Inland seas and lakes (See special story TWO ISLANDS) applicable to this region, in his official report to the government. Some of the fossils sent to the above scientists were like finding "missing links" in their pre-historic puzzle pictures, or adding new chapters to their stories. Most of the scientists gave Dr. Condon full credit for his discoveries altho some did not even mention his name in their reports and kept his rarest specimens too.

     Dr. Condon was one of the few Christian ministers who recognized his Creator in the rocks and fossils. He held religious ceremonies right out in the fossil beds where he would tell his audiences amazing stories of pre-historic world history. He generally worked alone altho his daughter Ellen Condon (McCornack) enjoyed being with him on many of his trips and later was with him at the University of Oregon and helped with his papers and books on geological subjects. Part of this biography is of her composition. Very few Christians of Dr. Condon's day were open minded enough to be able to accept many of his theories on geology and evolution and that was the reason he gave up the ministry and went into the teaching field where young people, with open minds for greater learning, could see the truth of his teachings and would follow his theories. His university students and fellow professors became deeply devoted to him and his work.

     In 1873 he joined the staff of the Pacific university at Forest Grove where he remained until 1876 when he was asked to take the Presidency of the newly formed University of Oregon. He felt that others were better qualified to handle the organizational and political business necessary for the university to get properly started; but he did accept the chair as professor of geology and natural history being one of the first members of the faculty chosen by the Board of Higher Education. No instructor was better loved than he and few, if any, have stayed with the universally longer. He was 82 when his health forced him to give up! His little blackboard is still at the university and the last words he wrote on it are still there! They have never been erased!

     After he retired from the university his friends hunted fossils for him. He always had time for children and the university students. He answered all their questions to the best of his ability. He was credited with producing some of Oregon's best geology students. He had a world reputation as one of the foremost geologists of his age. Business men came to him with their questions about coal, water, oil, copper, asbestos, marble or other mineral problems. He counseled cautiously with them. His book TWO ISLANDS is reviewed elsewhere herein. He died in 1908 at 84.

EDWARD CRATE

     The following story on Edward Crate was given to the Chronicle June 1921 by his son John Crate.

     Edward Crate served with the Hudson Bay Co. in various ways, but mostly as a post rider, carry-ing messages (mail) from Vancouver to The Dalles, Wallula, Okanogan and British Columbia Points. These trips to and from Vancouver were made in a bateau or flat bottomed boat, with 5 rowers on each side and large enough to carry several passengers and 3 to 8 tons of freight. Mrs. Crate, with their children, accompanied him on many of his post to post trips. In 1847 a trip was taken to Fort Walla Walla (Wallula), when the outbreak of the Cayuse Indian war led to the massacre of Dr. Whitman. They were camped near the fort when a band of Indians descended upon them. It was the custom of Indians to leave their horses standing in a regular line. Mrs. Crate evaded the Indians, with her 3 small children (Edw., Nancy and Jane) by crawling under the bellies of that long 1ine of horses! to gain access to the fort.

     The massacre which took place at the mission, 85 miles distant, resulted in the death of Dr. Marcus Whitman and 12 others. The Indians had planned on killing Henry Spaulding, near Pendleton, where he was teaching the Umatilla Indians, but he escaped with his wife, and under the protection of the Hudson Bay Co., they joined the Whitman survivors and were brought in boats to Vancouver by Edward Crate. The Indians were a constant menace as they made their trip down the river. Many times they appeared on the banks and shot their arrow at the occupants of the boats, causing them to have to lie in the bottom of the boat much of the time.

     Edward Crate accompanied a band of volunteers who went to Walla Walla to punish the Indians. While in the mountains 65 men including himself were surrounded by Indians for 8 days and nights. The Indians used bows and arrows. The volunteers used muskets and one small cannon which shot small pieces of iron. The superiority of their weapons saved them. After 48 hours the Indians retreated.

     In 1849 Edward Crate severed connections with the Hudson Bay Co., and came to The Dalles to take up a Donation Land Claim at Crates Point about 7 miles west of The Dalles. Each man and his wife were given 320 acres. He had the choice of ALL THE LAND HERE and was the second permanent white settler. On account of the natural landing he chose the land on the south bank of the Columbia at the mouth of Chenowith creek. A log house was built on the land (1849 - burned in 1948). Edward Crate was born in Canada in 1821 coming to Fort Vancouver in 1836. He filed on his Donation Land Claim in 1851 because of the small boat moorage at Crates Point and because of the abundance of fresh-water mussels and fish available, an important food item in those pioneer days. He married Sophia Boucher (1844) and they had 14 children. John Crate, who supplied this biography, was born at Oregon City (1850) in Dr. McLaughlin's flour mill on an island in the Willamette river coming to The Dalles to live three weeks thereafter and had been a resident of The Dalles for 71 years (1921) which was longer than any other resident of Wasco county at that time.

     John Crates earliest recollection was the excitement caused when George Snipes killed an Indian at Rowena in 1854 (see story under Rowena). The Klickitat Indians had stolen some of the Warm Springs Indian papooses here causing friction between the tribes. The Klickitats would cross the river at night and make raids on Indian and settlers property and when they challenged Snipes he returned the fire killing one of them and wounding at least one other before they retreated in the darkness with their loses, never bothering him anymore. A family by the name of Oliver who had taken up a home on the Washington side of the river had their home burned by Indians after they abandoned it for the safety of the settlement at The Dalles. The Warm Springs Indians were always friendly toward the whites.

     Nathan Olney operated 4 store on Chenowith creek, then called Olney creek, a short distance below where the present highway crosses. He sold supplies to the emigrants and early settlers in 1847 to 1852 when he left that vicinity.

     My father bought oxen from the emigrants but the winter of 1851-2 was so severe that when spring came he had only one yoke of work oxen left. Ten years later he again bought more work stock but the winter of 1861-2 lasted until April with deep snows and cold 24 below weather which took all of his stock that time.

     They raised grain and vegetables on the land. The first seed came from Vancouver. Father paid $1. for 12 grains of corn! Seed for next year (1880) was carefully saved.

     My brother Ed. Jr. carried mail to Walla Walla in 1881-92 when he was only 14 years of age. The discovery of gold on Powder River (near Baker) brought people from all parts of the east and California to The Dalles where they packed from here to the mines. Miners returned to The Dalles for the winter. They with teamsters, cowboys, soldiers, gamblers, stockmen, rivermen made up the varied population of The Dalles. Cattle in those days fed on bunch grass which grew all over the hills of eastern Oregon and Washington. Sheep and horses were added to the herds. When father died in 1894 he had been 45 years a resident of Crates Point.

     In 1872 I (John Crate) drove cattle for Ben Snipes in the Yakima area. Ben Snipes, brother of George, was the "cattle king" of the state of Washington at that time. (He was also a druggist of The Dalles). In 1875 I worked for the Michalbach Meat Market (120 E. 2nd). In 1881 I went into the cattle buying business. In 1892 I became a member of The Dalles police force where I served in that capacity for 20 years! In 1905 I was shot by Frank Summers in the White House saloon, while making an arrest. The shot passed through the lung just above the heart, going through the body. The bullet dropped from the clothing when it was removed. The wound healed but has caused some discomfort ever since. I have been a member of the fire department since 1875. The fires of 1878 and 1891 were our most serious fires.

CAPT. J.C. AINSWORTH

     Capt. J.C. Ainsworth was a Portland capitalist. The Marine History of the Columbia river shows he was Captain on several river boats in the early 1860's. He was a man of vision and saw the full possibilities of buying and controlling all the boats he could command on both the Columbia and Willamette rivers. This took considerable capital for those days but there were a lot of other men interested in Columbia river steamboating who likewise knew about the profits to be made so it was not difficult for them to organize the Oregon Steam Navigation Co. Boats were built in Portland for the run to the Cascades. Other boats were built at the upper Cascades and The Dalles for middle river traffic and the Cascade Portage railroad rails of wood were replaced with iron, bigger and better rolling equipment.

     A railroad was built (1862) from The Dalles through the sandunes to Celilo at a cost of $50,000 per mile. Rolling stock was made here in the steamboat machine shops on First, west across Mill creek (where at that time the wharf boat existed), except for the locomotive which was shipped by boat from the east, hauled up the river, run over the Cascade portage, hauled by boat to The Dalles where it made a twice daily (and sometimes oftener) run to Celilo and return. This railroad could haul, in one run, more tonnage than the old wagon portage road could haul in a week. The trip could be made in an hour while wagons took all day. It was a clean ride compared to the dust and or mud and snow the wagons had to encounter. Even if the railroad did cost $750,000 complete it paid for itself in short order and it was operated for 20 years! -- from 1862 to 1882.

     Boats were built by direction of Mr. Ainsworth at Celilo for the Oregon Steam Navigation service on the upper Columbia to Lewiston, Wallula, White Bluff, Umatilla and other points, and most of them paid for themselves on the first or by the second run.

     For a more detailed account of the activities of the Oregon Steam Navigation company please refer to Judge Fred W. Wilson's LURE OF THE RIVER story in this history, taken from the Oregon Historical Society Quarterly. As Judge Wilson's story shows, J.C. Ainsworth and Capt. R.R. Thompson were among the most outstanding men in the history of our county. There may be ether steamboat men that should be in this classification but our limited studies will not permit their selection.

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HENRY VALLARD

     Henry Vallard was a railroad capitalist with much the same vision with railroads that Captain Ainsworth had 20 years earlier for the boat transportation business. Vallard received capital from German investors and built his first railroad from Portland south eventually connecting with San Francisco. His next move was to get more capital and head east through the Columbia river gorge. He acquired the wagon road right-of-way Joel Palmer had obtained for his unsuccessful road and started up the gorge in 1881. Heartbreaking difficulties were encountered. Some of the swamps had to have piling driven to build the road over. Yawning canyons had to be bridged. "Galloping Gertie" the sliding mountain at Cascade Looks kept pushing his construction work into the river. Shell Rock mountain was really a SHALE MOUNTAIN big enough to scare the bravest of engineers with their limited earth moving equipment of those days. Yes a lot of credit and admiration has to be given to Henry Vallard and his engineers of 1880 for being able to put their rail connections into The Dalles. It was an outstanding piece of engineering which places Henry Vallard among the most outstanding men in the history of Wasco county.

     His competitors were the Oregon Steam Navigation Co. He had to buy them out. Their business was a good paying proposition. The sale price was high but Henry Vallard had to pay it and while he acquired a lot of old worn out boats he also acquired the Cascade Locks Portage Railroad right-of-way to operate his trains over; and The Dalles to Celilo railroad right-of-way to get through the drifting sanddunes to Celilo. From there on to Umatilla was easy construction except for the rivers to bridge. He eventually built the road on into Spokane and from there the railroad followed the Lt. John Mullen Pass through the Rockies, used by emigrants and military men and now by highway 10. Until 1888 mail and passengers to and from the east to The Dalles and Portland went and returned via Spokane and the Mullen Pass to Chicago. Later the Oregon Short Line was extended through Idaho for a connection with the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Co. at Hunington (1886) so traffic could take the shorter route through Ogden and the Old Oregon Trail route to Omaha.

     But Henry Vallard started his efforts too soon. There was not enough business to justify the investment in railroads in 1882 and he quickly went into the hands of the receiver and was forced out of the railroad business. Regardless of how short-lived he was in the business, he neverthe-less benefited all the people in Oregon and Washington to say nothing of the other states his early railroads passed through.

     As we have pointed out on page 16 railroad construction hurt Dalles business men because it took the eastern Oregon and eastern Washington markets away from them. They were badly hurt again when the shops were moved to Portland in 1883. But generally speaking the people at large benefited from their extension.

     For more information on railroads see under that heading.

SAMUEL LANCASTER

     Samuel Lancaster was the great highway engineer who built the Columbia river highway from Portland to The Dalles. It was in 1913 that he was asked to fix the location of the Columbia river highway. There was no money for highways in those days! There was no highway commission to handle construction of highways, even there had of been money! Most engineers of that day didn't consider it possible to build an automobile road down the Columbia river gorge with grades of less than 25% which was too steep for the weak, wheezing things called automobiles in those days!

Shell Rock Mountain

     Gov. Oswald West had taken some prison labor to Shell Rock Mountain where Simon Benson put up $10,000 for their maintenance, and constructed the rock wall we are all so familiar with, to hold the sliding shale in check. This work was done under Lancaster's direction and proved to be good engineering.

Multnomah Falls

     The next bottle-neck was at Multnomah Falls. There was nothing there but the side of a bluff to hang a road on! The railroad owned all decent level approaches and it couldn't be moved on account of the Columbia river lapping on the bank holding it up! There was no place for even a surveyor to set a transient! No human being could walk over the right-of-way even! His men rode and walked the railroad track into Multnomah Falls. They chipped out enough places for cement posts to rest on the lower (river) side, put in the forms and built a concrete bridge! When that was completed Portland men were brought up by boat to view how they had licked the worst place. They bridged other yawning chasms and canyons with concrete construction which has with-stood torrents of rain, mountains of snow, blizzards of cold weather for nearly 40 years! Yes, Samuel Lancaster learned his engineering well and he completed the worst and hardest piece of road construction that had ever been attempted in America within 2 years! It was paved in 1916.

     Not only that but he built the whole Columbia river highway from Portland to The Dalles for less money than the INTEREST will amount to on the construction of the new commercial highway between here and Portland! Of course Uncle Sam is paying for most of the now commercial highway and when Sam pays for it "money is just like water" easy come, easy go; but the day of judgment is coming, and he will wake up one of these mornings with a headache worse than a drunken man, broke and with an awful hangover. When that occurs we will pray for more Samuel Lancaster economy.

     As we all know the completion of the Columbia river highway opened up the road from The Dalles to the sea-shore. The Portland markets were opened for the farmers. The stores were opened for our shoppers. The theatres were opened for our entertainment. We could come and go as we pleased. Yes the road was narrow but in those days we had more time than money. Now we have neither time nor money. True we have a fine new road in the making but commercial traffic will have it torn to pieces before it is paid for -- while the railroad along side of it goes broke for want of traffic to haul! With the completion of the Columbia river highway in 1917 every person in Wasco county benefited, we can therefore place the name of Samuel Lancaster among the most outstanding men in our history.

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SAMUEL HILL

     Samuel Hill the Quaker son of Dr. Nathan Hill of Charlotte, N.C. and builder of the Maryhill, Wn. Castle-museum, was the sponsor who obtained enough interest among wealthy Portland business men to undertake the construction of the Columbia river highway between Portland and The Dalles. He had tried to get the state of Washington to build what we now know as the Evergreen highway, in those days back in 1913-15, but most of the influential people of Washington lived in the Puget Sound area around Seattle and were NOT interested in any highways up the Columbia river gorge.

     So Hill, who was a wealthy man in his own right, and a graduate of American and German schools in civil engineering, a good talker and easy to make friends with, set out to influence Portland business, men to PIONEER, like our forefathers, and build the first decent roads in the state to advertise our incomparable beauties of the Columbia river gorge.

     He interested Simon Benson, John B. Yeon, Amos S. Benson, R.A. Booth, J.K. Adams, Osmon Royal, George Sheppard, Jacob Kanzer, Mark Mayor, Rufus Holman and a host of other big business men of Portland to become "the millionaire county commissioners of Multnomah county", and start construction of a road up the Columbia river gorge, so they could whisk their friends up to Multnomah Falls, Council Crest or other vista places and thereby advertise the wonderful scenery of Oregon to our tourists and at the same time have an improved road to operate cars over for pleasure purposes.

     As stated above (under Samuel Lancaster) it wasn't thought possible that a road could be put up the river. But Hill said he had the man in mind who could do the job if they would get the necessary machinery in action, like raising money, acquiring property, transporting men, housing and feeding them, etc. Most of the above named business men bought property for the right-of-way and donated it to the county or state as public parks. Then they had passed (levied) more money for road purposes. Simon Benson built a number of the construction camps, in lumber camp fashion, and provided the men. Other business men made like contributions of money, material, tools, transportation by boat or train, etc. They also got legislation passed establishing the Highway Commission and seen to it that their men served on the Commission so as to employ engineers, buy materials and get started.

     It took a lot of organizational ability to get started on our highway program which Oregon pioneered and which has been copied by the other 48 states and foreign countries; and Samuel Hill was the man back of that program. Samuel Hill has benefited every person in this county! We therefore have placed his name among the most outstanding people in our history.

BENJAMIN A. GIFFORD

     Benjamin A. Gifford, internationally known photographer of The Dalles and later of Portland was born in Illinois (1859) son of Henry Gifford, traveling Illinois singing teacher and Marietta Corbin-Gifford. He received very little schooling and went to Fort Scott, Kansas (1880) where he attended normal school and apprenticed in photography and went to Sedalia, Mo., to finish the apprenticeship under Wm. LaTour. He returned to Ft. Schoot and went into partnership with E.P. Tressler but after 2 years sold out and went to Chestopa, Kan. and there a friend named Brundage influenced me to come out to Oregon (1888) where I started a studio in Portland diagonally across from the Portland hotel at 6 & Morrison.

     "In those days dry plates were just beginning to come in and when we went out to take scenic views we had to carry all of our equipment with us. Our plates was a plain piece of glass over which we poured collodian and then immersed it in a silver bath. We exposed the plate while it was still wet and had to develop it at once, before it got dry. The paper, on which it was printed was albumenized and you had to silver your own paper. I was the first photographer in Portland to make an enlargement, by an electric light. In those days we had no daylight electric service, the electricity was not turned on until night, so I had to make my enlargements at night.

     "I became tremendously interested in the scenic Columbia river. I was the first person to get out an album of Columbia river views which I called "Snapshots of the Columbia". I moved to The Dalles in 1892 where I opened a studio in the Vogt Building (now occupied by The Dalles Camera Club) and began taking pictures of the Indians. The pictures of the wheat fields of Dufur I showed to A.L. Craig, general passenger agent for the O.R. & N railroad and said, 'a few hundred pictures like these, scattered out in the east, will do more to bring farmers and settlers to Oregon, than all the books you can print!' He agreed with me and for years, I finished enlarged photographs of scenic and farm views to the railroad companies.

     "You have probably seen the book entitled, 'Art Work of Oregon'. It sold for $$40 a copy (1900). For years the Oregon Journal published full page pictures of mine each Sunday. (These may be seen in the Portland Public library.

     "In 1908 I sold my gallery at The Dalles to Chas. Y. Lamb, who had worked for me since 1905, and I moved back to Portland. In 1920 I moved to my "We-ne-ka" home in Clark county, Wn. near Vancouver. In 1901 I took Mt. Hood from Lost Lake. I have sold thousands of copies of that all over the world. I was offered and refused $1000 for the negative!

     "I married (1884) Myrtle Peck and had son Ralph who was born in Portland in 1894." His second marriage was to Rachel Morgan, daughter of Seth and Margaret (Hamilton) Morgan a pioneer school teacher who assisted Mr. Gifford (1912-1919) with the art work of the studio. Mr. Gifford died at Vancouver in 1936 and is buried in the Mt. Scott cemetery in Portland. Mrs. Gifford lives at Oswego. He always regarded his Sunset on the Columbia and sometimes known as Tepees on the Columbia as the masterpiece of his lifetime. It rates with his Lost Lake and Trout Lake pictures and the Typical Sheephearder, Indian Madonna and many others. Regarding the Sunset picture he said,

     "I had gone up near Maryhill to photograph a band of sheep (Typical Sheephearder). After getting my picture I went down to the Columbia and it seemed illuminated with subterranean light. The sun was setting, the shadows were gathering over the hills; beside the river were 2 tepees; a dugout was drawn upon the river bank. No Indians were in sight. As I turned my back on the tepees, to take the cap off my camera, a rock struck close to me. I turned quickly but couldn't see anyone. Once more I turned my back and a rock whizzed by my head. Dropping the black cloth which I had over my arm, I reached in my back pocket and ran for one of the tepees. Two Indians who had been hiding back of the tepees bolted. I went back to my camera and secured the picture. When I showed the picture to an Indian he said, "Wa-ne-ka", which as near as I can find, means going down of the evening sun! I have photographed untold numbers of Indians and this was the first time I had ever had any trouble with them. During the Lewis & Clark Exposition photographers of the state assemb-led in Portland in a convention and came to The Dalles on an excursion steamer. On the return trip there were a lot of Indians aboard dressed up in their finery, going to the exposition in Portland. The photographers were wild to take pictures of these Indians, but they shook their heads and said, 'no take our picture. Gifford, he take our picture, nobody else.' (Fred Lockley, Oregon Journal, 1929).

RALPH GIFFORD

     Ralph Gifford, according, to his wife at Salem first ran a picture gallery at White River on the Mt. Hood Loop road and later was in the moving picture business. Then he joined the travel and information department of the Oregon State Highway Commission and like his father, took his own camera and went out and took all the wonderful pictures illustrated in the folders of the Commission, and published in national magazines, of the scenic beauties of the state of Oregon which he loved so well. H.B. Say did the story writing that went with the pictures. It was Ralph Gifford's suggest-ion that they establish that department to advertise Oregon. The state owned neither camera nor dark room for picture purposes. The idea went over big and that department has a manager and a battery of stenographers, mailing out material and answering letters. As time goes on his work will be apprec-iated more and more. Like his father his work has international fame. Ralph died at Ontario, Oregon in 1947. He was attending a newspaper mans' convention at the time and really just worked himself to death. He married (1918) Wanda Theobald and their son Benjamin Lyle Gifford, graduate of Oregon State College is doing photography work at the Jensen-Miller studios in Salem.

     Owing to the internationally famous work both Benjamin A. and Ralph Gifford has did for Oregon they are placed in this history among the most outstanding men in our 100 years of history.

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COL. N.H. GATES

     Col. N.H. Gates was born in Virginia (1836) son of W.H. Gates. He went to Ohio in 1841 and to the gold rush in California in 1849 where he practiced law at Marysville in 1850. He returned east in 1851 and came out again with the "big emigration" of 1852 to Vancouver where he shipped the first 10 barrels of salted salmon in 1853 by sailing ship to England.

     He came to The Dallas in 1854, as a lawyer, with his family. He surveyed the site for the city of The Dallas, drafted the first bill for a charter under the name of Fort Dallas, but the bill was amended by striking out the word Fort and adding the word City, was adopted by the legislature and our city has since been legally known as Dallas City altho the post office was at that time known as Wascopam being changed about 8 years later to The Dalles. When the railroad came herein 1882 they also adopted The Dalles for their name; but since 1862 The Dallas was a city with 2 names.

     The Gates Addition to The Dallas was named in his honor and his home was at 5th and Union. He built the Gates Hotel at 3rd and Union, the oldest hotel in town. He was a veteran of the Yakima Indian war of 1855. He was mayor of The Dallas in 1865, 1871, 1877 and 1878. Everytime they needed a mayor and no one else wanted the unwelcome job, Col. Gates was "drafted" to run. He is credited with being the "Father of Dallas City" and done a lot for the people in those early days in helping them get the municipal government of the city started in this wild little sagebrush town of 1854-1885 and is therefore placed among the most outstanding men in our history.

     He was speaker of the house of representatives in 1859. His daughter Kate Roach was a pioneer teacher in The Dallas public schools and he had a son Wm. and a son Nat. He was a state senator in 1857 and always a hard worker for The Dalles. (The Dallas Chronicle).

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DANIEL M. FRENCH

     Daniel M. French was born in Holland (1828) son of Joshua and Polly (Mead) French of Holland, Vermont, where he attended school. He spent 2 years in Mass. and 2 years in La. He went by the Isthmus to the California gold fields in 1849 with his brothers. In 1862 he came to The Dalles and opened a general merchandise store with G.B. Gillman and his brothers Joshua and Joseph M. French. Later Daniel and Joshua purchased the business and it became known as French & Co. until 1875 when they sold to Brooks & McFarland. In 1873 they started their money brokerage business and it grew into the banking house of French & Co. (1877) and continued to be the leading financial institution of Central Oregon until it closed its doors during the big depression of 1933 which wiped out banks by the thousands all over the U.S.

     Daniel M. French was a natural born financier, he received schooling in the business and worked long and hard hours at it. He labored for the growth and upbuilding of The Dalles helping his follow citizens in times of depression. He headed the Gilman-French Land & Livestock Co., was a director in the Arlington National bank and the Wasco Warehouse Co.

     In 1865 he married Allie Gee and had Elsie (Mrs. Chas. Pease) of Calif. After Mrs. French's death in 1875 he married Samantha Darter and they had Elizabeth (Mrs. Ernst Lueddemann); Ruth and Paul. D.M. French died in 1902.

JOSHUA W. FRENCH

     Joshua W. French, brother of D.M. (above) was born at Holland, Vermont (1830) and went to Calif. in 1852 and was associated with his brothers in business and came to The Dallas in 1864 where he engaged in the businesses mentioned above with his brother Daniel and took charge of the banking business when Daniel died in 1902. Smith French was another partner in the business.

     Joshua married Ellen Burke and they had Nellie (Bolton) and Edward H. French, bank teller and Vivian, assistant manager of the Wasco Warehouse Milling Co.

SMITH FRENCH

     Smith French was a brother of the two Frenches mentioned above. He came to The Dallas in 1875 and associated himself with the Brooks & McFarland mercantile firm, buying out Brooks and did a big business for 15 years, sold out and retired except for management of the Gilman-French Land & Livestock Co. one of the biggest cattle raising companies in Oregon (1905) and a member of the firm of Bolton & Co. at Antelope, a stockholder of the Wasco Mill, a director of the Arlington bank, He married Esther Magee (1861) and their children were Dr. Gertrude French of The Dallas; Grace (Mrs. J.W. Condon) of The Dallas and Frank French well known merchant of The Dalles.

     These three pioneer French brothers, for years the financial backers of The Dalles were the main ones who put up the cash that built the city and provided the banking institution for handling gold and exchanges and are given credit for being among the most outstanding men in our history. --- History of Central Oregon.

The MOODYS

     For the biography on Governor Zenith Moody and Congressmen Malcolm Moody, see under the post office of MOODY, Oregon.

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AMIEL SCHANNO

     Amiel Schanno was born in the French province of Alsace-Lorraine son of Francis Schanno. He came to The Dalles in 1880 with his brothers Charlie and Joe and father. They established the Columbia brewery, at the foot of the Brewery grade, which they later sold to August Buehler.

     Amiel was very much interested in the fruit business, after they sold the brewery, and he acquired an orchard on Sunset hill, back of the T.B. hospital. In those days prunes, cots, and apples were the main crops of fruit. Cherries were in the experimentation stage in those pioneer days and not very much was known about them. After the establishment of the Oregon State College Mr. Schanno got in touch with the horticulture department, obtained some cherry trees through them and set out one of the first orchards here. There were a lot of unknown problems about growing cherries, more baffling in those days than X-disease and little cherry is today and Mr. Schanno's file of correspondence with the horticulture department of the college, nurseries and other sources grew to be as thick as Montgomery Ward's catalogue. In addition he spent money, time, work and travel pioneering the cherry industry and horticulture in Wasco county, our third largest source of farm income. He is therefore classified among the first 50 of our most outstanding citizens in the history of our county.

     He married Eliza Schuster daughter of August Schuster and his children were Leo (who married Cecelia LeDuc, mother of Delaney Schanno); Alma and Josephene (Mrs. Henry Meier). The Dalles directory of 1910 said Amiel Schanno was deceased and his widow Elizabeth lived at 505 W. 4th and that Leo Schanno was one of the partners in the Maier & Schanno store. The Schannos also owned the Schanno building at 2nd and Court (201 E. 2nd). (Biography by Mrs. Leo Schanno).

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     Dr. G.E. Sanders was born in Portland, N.Y. (1853) son of George who moved with the family to Corrunna, Mich. where he went to school, majoring in dentistry at the University of Michigan. He came to The Dalles in 1892 establishing a dental office in the Odd Fellows building where he remained until the fire of 1914 burned him out and he moved to the Vogt block. Dr Sanders was induced to come to The Dalles by the literature circulated by the Rev. O.D. Taylor who was promoting real estate across the river in the Gay 90's (See under Dallesport for full Taylor story)."

     Dr. Sanders, like Amiel Schanno and a number of others was interested in horticulture and he bought an orchard about 4 miles out (at the and of the pavement) on Three mile creek, now occupied by his son Arthur Sanders. That was the Sanders home and it contained a small orchard. Among the trees there were a number of cherries which did NOT bear. He thought it was because they froze out during the bloom each year, so he installed a smudge pot system, the first used here of the oil type, building a large cistern to hold the oil and having a tank wagon for the distribution to his pots. But still the trees refused to bear any fruit, up to 1908.

     In 1910 he got Prof. C.R. Gardner of Oregon State College to come up with a number of students and investigate why the orchard would NOT bear fruit and their conclusions were that it was sterile from lack of pollenization. They grafted in some Tartarian pollenizer limbs but very few of the grafts lived. Next year the group came up and "brush-pollened" the trees, by hand. Those brushed bore fruit but the rest of the Annes and Lamberts were sterile. In 1912 they planted some seedlings, waterhouses and republicans and grafted a few waterhouses and as those pollenizers grew the orchard commended to bear and has remained in production to the present time.

     All of this took a lot of time, money, work and perseverance for this pioneer cherry grower to pave the way for the cherry industry in Wasco county and for his efforts we are listing Dr. G.E. Sanders as another of our most outstanding citizens in our 100 years of history.

     He married Emily J. Christ and they had George who took horticulture at OAC in 1910 and who died in the military service in World War I; Karl Owen of Portland; Edna (Mrs. H.E. Kaesemeyer of Los Angeles; Arthur who lives on the old home place on 3 Mile and Robert of The Dalles.

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JONAS MOSIER

     The biography of Jonas Mosier is listed under Mosier, Oregon

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T. HUET JOHNSON

     The biography of T. Huet Johnson is listed under Dufur, Oregon

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WENTWORTH LORD

     Wentworth Lord was born in Denmark, Maine (1832) the son of Jacob and Evelyn (Ingall) Lord. He received his early education in Maine and went to California in 1857 by boat. The next year he came on up to Portland by water and finally arrived at The Dalles (1858) where he engaged in the mercantile business during the gold rush days of 1860's with considerable success. He branched out in other activities and finally became the outstanding business manager and president of the Wasco Warehouse Co. receivers of wool, hides, grains and hay. Having a local agency to buy and handle grain was a big inducement and encouragement to farmers to expand into the grain raising business. Later the Wasco Warehouse Co., through the encouragement of Mr. Lord branched out into the milling business. A source of power was needed (see the Story of Electricity) so the White River site was developed under the guidance of Mr. Lord, the power line built into The Dalles which furnished not only enough for the mill but a surplus for sale to the public.

     Mr. Lord can be credited with encouraging the expansion and raising of wheat in both Wasco and Sherman counties and the expansion of electrical power use at a time when the use of electricity was a very new and mysterious source of energy. He is therefore among the first 50 of our most outstanding citizens in the 100 years of Wasco county history.

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ELIZABETH LAUGHLIN (MRS. WENTWORTH LORD)

     Elizabeth (Laughlin) Mrs. Wentworth Lord was born in Scotland Co. Missouri (1841) the daughter of W.C. and Mary (Yeargin) Laughlin 1850 pioneers of The Dalles. She was educated in the schools of The Dalles, and the Sisters Convent of Vancouver. In her book REMINISCENCES she said, "My father, J.C. Laughlin and my mother Mary (Yeargin) Laughlin came by ox-team to The Dalles in 1850. Father erected a log house on Chenowith creek, with the help of mother, near Olney's store, in which we lived that winter. The cabin didn't even have a floor in it, except for the good old earth. We were so poor that winter that mother made shirts out of canvass from wagon covers.

     "The garrison buildings of Old Fort Dalles consisted of 8 log buildings. The soldiers were housed in tents. There were 100 men working at the Fort Dalles sawmill that winter. The pine trees on the hill were just small bushes in those days. A wagon could drive over any of them! When we ran out of money, flour and other food mother stewed birds or worked a little for some flour from John Dell's sutler store at the old Fort. Father worked in the government sawmill. He had a cow and sold milk at the Fort. Mother made gloves for the soldiers out of buckskin. She remodeled officers uniforms to help make a living.

     In 1851 when the soldiers left Fort Dalles we lived in one of the Fort cabins. We finally accumulated a small herd of beef and sold fresh meat to the emigrants. The emigrants would abandon their poor, weak, thin animals here at The Dalles and father would buy them and pasture them until next year when they shapened into good stock which could be sold for good prices. We also had pickles, butter, eggs and garden stuff which we sold the emigrants who almost went wild to get some real American food after 8 months of dried food.

     In 1852 we started a trading store at Fairbanks, with Frank Camp, selling beef flour, dried fruit, cakes, bread, pickles, coffee, tea, candy; or traded them for horses and cattle. By fall we had 100 head of cattle and horses. They increased to 400 head by winter. That fall we went to Hood River with Dr. Farnsworth and lost nearly all our livestock in the deep cold winter down there. We only has 14 head of cattle and 17 horses left out of 400!

     We came back to The Dalles in 1853 to stay and by that time there were several houses in town and it was a regular city of tents. In 1854 N.H. Gates built his hotel. Lt. Forsythe built the Pioneer hotel. A.H. Curtiss built a hotel. Mr. Martin built the Oregon House and sold it to my father in 1880. Louis Eppinger built the Occidental hotel. From 1850 to 1854 the city was domi-nated by the gamblers and tough element. First and Washington was the business corner of the town.

     Henry Williams (later of 8 Mile) and S.L. Brooks (carpenter) helped erect the log buildings of old Fort Dalles. In 1853 the military reservation was cut down from 10 square miles to one square mile permitting settlement at The Dalles Landing. Mr. and Mrs. Lord were married in 1881.

     Mrs. Lord's REMINISCENCES OF EASTERN OREGON contains much very valuable early history of The Dalles much of which is quoted in this history to be handed down to our children for study. Any person who will take the time and trouble and effort to record current history of their times for the benefit of our children and history lovers is indeed an outstanding person whose name and deeds should not be forgotten. Mrs. Lord is therefore classified among the first 50 of the most outstanding people in the history of Wasco county.

     Mrs. Lord's daughter Evelyn (Mrs. Fred Houghton) of The Dalles stated her mother only printed 300 copies of her Reminiscences of Eastern Oregon. None of them were ever sold. They were given to friends of Mrs. Lord and Mrs. Houghton. Only a few remain in the possession of Mrs. Houghton. The Dalles Public Library has a loan copy for anyone interested in reading the original account. The Lord-Houghton home on Court street was formerly the Orlando Humason home built in 1880. Mrs. Houghton was born in The Dalles in 1883. Mr. Houghton was a Dalles druggist. She graduated from the old Wasco Independent Academy in 1884 and has lived in The Dalles all her 88 years. Her assistance and cooperation is most graciously appreciated.

LULU D. CRANDALL

     Lulu D. Crandall, outstanding Wasco County Historian and community leader whose life was a "living chapter in the personification of the Golden Rule" by her unselfish devotion and all--consuming desire to preserve our history in written form for use of our children, places her among the first 50 of the most outstanding people in the 100 years of Masco county history.

     She was the daughter of Zelek M. and Camilla (Tomson) Donnell of Decatur County, Indiana. Her parents were married in Feb. 1852 and left almost immediately for St. Joseph, Mo. where they outfitted with oxen and wagons, and supplies for the long 2000 mile honeymoon across the trackless plains and mountains to Oregon. Her mother was a frail woman and was not expected to survive the long journey, but she arrived in The Dalles in September 1852 after having "walked most of the way across the U.S.!" She was accompanied during the long walk, by Mary Stevenson who afterwards became the wife of Gov. Z.F. Moody of The Dalles and Harriett Snider who later became the mother of Fredrick Homer Balch, author of The Bridge of the Gods.

     The Donnells went on down to Portland and from there to Brownsville where they took up a Donation Land Claim on which they lived until 1858 when they sold to Capt. James Blakeley the father of George C. Blakeley prominent Dalles druggist. The Donnells moved back to The Dalles and settled at Fairbanks (1858) ranging cattle between the Deschutes and John Day rivers in what is now Sherman county but at that time was all "open country". Mr. Donnell died at Fairbanks in 1873. He was state senator from Wasco county in 1864. Their children were Orville of Montana; Laurie; Martin Z. Donnell, prominent Dalles druggist and Lulu D. (Crandall). The country was very thinly settled when the Donnells moved here in 1858. Gold had just been discovered and the influx of miners was having its effect on the city and business here. The hard winter of 1862 wiped out practically all their livestock, a very severe blow to the family and they moved to town in 1864 for the educational advantages of the children. Mrs. Donnell had prepared her children for school by teaching them the 3 R's at home. Lulu was 12 years old before she entered the first public school house of The Dalles located at the foot of the hospital steps on Jefferson street. In 1872-73 she attended Pacific University.

     In 1874-75 she taught school in the old Union street school. In 1877 she married Capt. George F. Sampson, a Columbia river boat captain. Their children Georgia Sampson (Brown) of Kellogg, Idaho and Victor Sampson of Portland were born here. A son Fred was killed on the ice at Alamota, Idaho where Capt. Sampson died in 1888. Lulu married (1892) C.J. Crandall, prominent Dalles architect who designed our present courthouse at 5th & Washington, a monument in marble and granite which had not been equaled at the time of his death in 1917.

     Mrs. Crandall had a deep love and affection for the old home town seldom equaled and she took an active interest in its history, which she studied avidly and wrote on without remuneration. The history of Wasco county became an all-consuming passion that engulfed her whole being. She lived slept, ate, talked and listened and read everything she could find about our history and made a written record of most of her findings. She was an authority on historical matters in this area. In the later years of her life she devoted practically all her time to the writing and searching for historical matter. The Dalles public library has 105 loose-leaf volumes of her clippings which has been reviewed and liberally quoted from in this history with full credit to her. She had a very keen and active memory for dates and places and names and she said, "I have written a good deal about Oregon early days and I hope in time to write a book giving the history of this settle-ment and the development of Wasco county."

     Jean Strachan in the Oregonian in 1927 said of her, "she was a historian, musician, teacher, philosopher, psychologist and friend. In music she was credited with starting George Vause, pianist, on a musical career, when a little boy of 9 when she was organist at the Episcopal church. Mrs. Crandall "picked up" her music lessons from friends. Her father bought her a Prince melodeon for $250. It had a double key-board and rosewood case and was like a little square piano. On this she learned to play and work out a sort of 'Sunning System' of self-taught music. She played in later years for the Salvation Army."

     The crowning glory to her lifetime of work and success was the writing and presentation of the original Pageant of Wascopam. It was presented in The Dalles Auto Park grounds in 1922, 1923 and 1924. Walla Walla and many other cities has since used her script and methods as a pattern after which all pageants of the country are staged. She organized the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and War of 1812; she was chairman of the Chautauqua held here annually for many years; she organized the Y.W.C.A.; she was President of the Wasco County Pioneers' Association which she helped organize; she was a lifelong member of the Congregational church and secretary of the Oregon and Washington state Historical Societies. She always had time or found time to help another human being. Her whole life was an example of how to LIVE THE GOLDEN RULE. She died June 21, 1931 and was buried in the local I.O.O.F. cemetery. It is regrettable that she never got around to write that history of Wasco County. It would have been a priceless addition to the collection of our historical accounts. She had joined other pioneers. She was a good neighbor who just moved into another neighborhood where her friends will be many.

JONAS MOSIER

     The biography of Jonas Mosier appears under Mosier, Oregon.

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T. HUETT JOHNSON

     The biography of T. Huett Johnson appears under Dufur, Oregon.

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JOHN HEIMICK

     The biography and accomplishments of John Heimrick appears under the Great Southern Railroad.

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FRANK SEUFERT.

     The biography of Frank Seufert appears under Seufert, Oregon.

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CHIEF JOSEPH

     The story of Chief Joseph appears under the title INDIANS.

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PETER SKENE OGDEN & PRINCESS JULIA

     The story of Peter Skene Ogden and Princess Julia is one of the most romantic stories of early Wasco county history and was best summarized by Margaret Thompson in the Junior Historical Journal.

     Princess Julia belonged to the Flathead Indian tribe and Peter Skene Ogden was her lover. He had noticed her at a tribal council meeting between the representatives of the Hudson Bay Co., for whom he worked, and the Indians over hunting and trapping. He was seized by the Indians after a dispute over the ownership of a horse which both Ogden and the Indians claimed.

     In true Pocahontas fashion this Indian maiden first required Ogden to replace the horse to its rightful owners and then as a token for her hand he offered 50 horses to her father, which was considered a handsome price to pay for a bride; but she told her father she was not interested in horses but that Ogden had something worth far more than all the horses, it was the "white man's book of heaven," she explained, and as many of the Flatheads were Christians they knew of the "book of Heaven" but had never seen one. They had heard that Ogden owned one, and any man who owned the "book of Heaven" was worthy of her hand. Julia and Ogden were married, in Indian manner, and lived together for more than 30 years!

     Peter Skene Ogden was born in Quebec (1794) and became a law clerk in Montreal for the Astor Fur Co. In 1811 he joined the Northwest Fur Co. which later was consolidated by British law with the Hudson Bay Co. He spent his first 7 years at Lake Athabaska and then came out to the Spokane House in 1818 with the Montreal Express. He was a typical football athlete, about medium height, broad shoulders and quick of action. In 1823 he was in charge of the Western Express. In 1824 he started his 5 year service in the Snake and Flathead Indian country a very dangerous field yet important to the Hudson Bay Co. as a source of skins. He was Chief Factor for that district. His hard life in the Snake river country cut him down to skin and bones. By 1845 he made Ft. Vancouver his headquarters. He was noted for his good humor, tact and amusement. He was considered a well read man for his times and spoke 3 languages. One of his outstanding achievements was the rescue of the survivors of the Whitman mass-acre (1847). He met the sullen Cayuses ALONE. He argued with them for a whole day before he could persuade the chiefs to release the survivors. He was the "trouble shooter" for the Hudson Bay Co.

     As a wife Princess Julia was worth many times more than 50 ponies. She was a fun-loving and a wonderfully agreeable companion on all his hunting expeditions in the wilderness of old Wasco county. Her bravery saved him from disaster on more than one occasion from Indian raiders. Rival fur traders once stole their fur packs. She overtook them on her horse and cut out the pack horses with the furs returning them to her camp. On another time their furs were about to be swept away in flood waters when Julia jumped into the raging waters, towed their raft to safety with Ogden and her children on it. She was a powerful swimmer and could swim the Snake river when it was cold enough to leave a ring of ice about her pretty neck! Ogden built a home for Julia on "the cliffs" at Oregon City in 1846 and it was there that she nursed him on his deathbed in 1854. Princess Julia died in British Columbia in 1888 at age 98! Her daughter Sarah married Archibald McKinley.

     These two life-long lovers are among the most outstanding people in the 100 years of Wasco county history. Neither could have survived and made history without the other partner.

FREDRICK HOMER BALCH

     Fredrick Homer Balch, the most outstanding author the state of Oregon and Wasco county as well as the state of Washington has ever produced. His internationally famous book the BRIDGE OF THE GODS is still a widely read "best seller" with 27 editions!

     He was born at Lebanon, Oregon (1861) son of James Anderson Balch, a Lebanon photographer and Harriet Snider Balch who came to Oregon by ox-team with Lulu Crandall's mother (Mrs. Zelek Donnell). The family moved from Lebanon to Goldendale and back to Portland where Mr. Balch went to school for a short time. His mother's health was bad in Portland so the family returned to Goldendale. Fredrick read books at night before the fireplace, in Abraham Lincoln manner, to acquire self-education as his opportunity to attend school amounted to only 6 months. In 1886 the family moved to Hood River (then a part of Wasco county) where Fredrick Homer Balch "rode the range" in true western cowboy fashion. During rail-road construction days, east out of The Dalles, he was a member of the railroad construction gangs which worked their way into the Wallula and Walla Walla country. While up in that country he wrote his first manuscript for a book he called WALLULA, a story of the Indians. He didn't like the story after he wrote it so he burned the manuscript.

The Bridge of the Gods

     Then he wrote the Bridge of the Gods, one of the most beautiful Indians stories the west has ever produced. Much of the Indian lore used in the Bridge of the Gods was furnished by Mrs. A.H. Jewett of White Salmon, Wn. She and her husband operated a health resort at White Salmon and came there from Wisconsin in 1874. There were more Indians in White Salmon in 1874 than there were white people. Mrs. Jewett learned the Chinook jargon and became very friendly with the Indians. They carried mail between White Salmon and Troutlake. Mr. Jewett was an old Civil War veteran and at one time Commander of the Hood River G.A.R. Post. The Jewetts were authorities on Indian mythology and Indian stories of all types and Mrs. Jewett related many of these to Mr. Balch who made them the basis for his book.

     After he had spent so many trying hours compiling the manuscript for the Bridge of the Gods he could find no magazine that would publish the story! and his book became a joke; but he continued to send it to publishers until the H.C. McClurg & Co. agreed to publish it but they wanted all the income from the first 1000 books sold! He was to receive 10% of all sales over 1000. He accepted the terms never dreaming his book would become a "best seller" and he never actually received one penny for his work because he died June 3, 1891 before the first 1000 of his books were sold! Since that time more than 27 editions have been published, according to his sister Mrs. James W. Ingalls of Hood River who received the royalties twice a year.

     Fredrick Homer Balch became a congregational church rider in Oregon and Washington, in his latter years. He fell deeply in love with Genevra Whitcomb of Lyle but her tragic death with pneumonia in The Dalles blighted his life. He preached her funeral and it was by far the hardest sermon that any man was ever called upon to preach in this mortal life. She was his only sweetheart and was 20 when she died.

     He attended the Oakland, California Seminary to better his education. He had little money and it is believed he starved himself into such a run-down condition that he lost his strength and became the victim of T.B. He was admitted to the Good Samaritan hospital in Portland for treatment but died of tuberculosis June 3, 1891 and was buried at Lyle, Wn. A Klickitat county granite monument was erected at his burial site in 1908. At death besides his sister he had a brother Herbert Edward Balch. The minister Cecil Grey, in the Bridge of the Gods story is Fredrick Homer Balch. His grave is 3 miles northwest of Lyle and it was marked by the ladies of the Fort Dalles Historical Society. It is located near the Balch school which he helped build in 1887.

     The play Bridge of the Gods was put on at the Portland stadium Aug. 24 - Sept. 8, 1911 by a cast of 130 directed by Mable Ferris. Later the play was purchased by the Astoria Chamber of Commerce and put on down there, and advertised as "the Passion Play of the West."

THE BRIDGE OF THF GODS

     It was the dream of Cecil Gray (Fredrick Homer Balch) that there existed a natural bridge over the great river of the west (Columbia) over which the Indians and their horses crossed and re-crossed. He Gray lived among the Indians and was with the Cayuses when they were summoned to a great tribal council by Chief Multnomah of the Willamettes (near Portland). They followed the Columbia down past The Dalles rapids to the Bridge of the Gods which he had seen in his vision, riding over the bridge to the north shore and down to Columbia to opposite Wappato island where they swam their horses over to the Multnomah's camp.

     Then there occurred a great earthquake, with Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams a sheet of fire and flames which caused the bridge, to fall and with it the fall of the Multnomah tribe and their power.

     This is a beautiful story which must be read in all its details to be appreciated and no lover of western history should pass it by. It is the greatest story we have so far produced and Fredrick Homer Balch is classified as one of the most outstanding men in our 100 years of history for having the inspiration to set the story into words. He has gone on to join his sweetheart Genevra in a better 1ife among higher raised spirit persons. We shall all join them before too long, but while he was here he made a contribution to our history which can never be forgotten. His life here was one tragedy following another. Reading an account of his life will cause the most callous among us to thank our Heavenly Father for the many blessings He daily rains upon us.

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FATHER MESPLIE

     The story of Father Mesplie appears under the Catholic Mission.

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H.K.W. PERKINS

     The story of H.K.W. Perkins appears under the Methodist Mission. First resident of The Dalles.

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JUDGE FRED W. WILSON

     Judge Fred W. Wilson, retired, is the son of Joseph G. Wilson, judge of the first Circuit or District of Masco county after it was organized in 1854. He held court in the old wooden courthouse at 3rd & Court streets (where the city hall is now located) being appointed in 1881 by Gov. A.C. Gibbs. In other words Judge Joseph G. Wilson was our first Circuit Court Judge (1861-1870) while his son Judge Fred W. Wilson held the same position from 1917 to 1948 in our new courthouse building at 5th and Washington streets.

     In 1870 Judge Joseph G. Wilson resigned for an appointment to congress and was elected to congress in 1872. At that time Oregon had only one congressman. Congressman Joseph G. Wilson had sent his wife, Elizabeth Wilson (see page 30 for biography) and his children to his old home at College Hill, Ohio, intending to follow. But he was urged by the Oregon Republicans to campaign for President Grant which he did, before leaving for Washington, D.C. Judge Fred W. Wilson was in the meantime born September 10, 1872 at College Hill, Ohio. After the arrival of Judge (Congressman) Joseph G. Wilson the family went on with him to Washington, D.C. to make their residence.

     Congressman Joseph G. Wilson was invited to deliver the commencement address at his home town college of Marietta July 3, 1873. On the evening of July 2 he was suddenly stricken and died in a very few minutes leaving his widow Elizabeth who was appointed by President Grant as the first lady Presidential appointee in the U.S. at The Dalles (see page 30) and she served as postmaster here for 12 years. The children were Genevieve (Mrs. Pierce Mays); Grace (Mrs. Chas. W. Taylor); Lucy (Mrs. Joe Peters) and Judge Fred W. Wilson who has spent practically all his life in The Dalles.

     Judge Fred W. Wilson received his early education in the public schools of The Dalles and his academic education from the old Wasco Independent Academy. Later he attended the Marcus Whitman Memorial College at Walla Walla, Wn. His final degrees were received from the John Hopkins University in 1893. Returning to The Dalles he became associated as a law partner with B.S. Hunington. In 1908 he was elected District Attorney of Wasco county and in 1917 was appointed circuit judge to fill the vacancy created by the death of Judge W.L. Bradshaw. In 1918 he was elected to the office which he held until his retirement in 1948.

     Judge Wilson lived at the old home place at 208 Union, where his mother maintained the post office from 1874 to 1888, until 1921 when he moved to his 9 & Lewis street home. He married Content Elton and has a son Joseph G. Wilson of Portland and a daughter Elizabeth.

     Judge Wilson is both student and writer of history of The Dalles and the Columbia river. His Walk Down Second Street in 1882 is quoted on page 17 of this history and his Lure of the River is quoted under the section on BOATS. He has written many other fine articles and is the "silver tongued orator" whose addresses are always enjoyed before our many organizations. He is an authority on local history and has read most of this manuscript, loaned books for the compilation of this history, always been most cooperative in answering questions or suggesting where answers may be obtained all of which we acknowledge with grateful thanks. He was purser for a time on our river boats and attends the annual Steamboat Mens' Association meeting at Champoeg. He is always in the front ranks at the Old Wasco County Pioneers annual May meeting assisting in every way he can and cordially greeting any of the old pioneers he has not recently seen.

     For his interest in preserving our history Judge Fred W. Wilson /gong our first 50 outstanding citizens in the 100 years of Wasco county history.

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PROFESSOR WILLIAM BERGFELD

     The biography of Prof. Wm. Bergfeld appears in the MUSIC chapter of this history.

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GEORGE, HENRY, LIZZIE and MINNIE DE MOSS

     The biography of the De Mosses appears in the MUSIC chapter of this history.

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VICTOR TREVITT

     Literally hundreds of thousands of travelers up and down the Columbia river gorge have had their attention drawn to Memaloose island, located between Lyle and Mosier, with its lone white granite marker and wondered what it all meant? There has been many other memaloose island burial grounds of the Indians in all our rivers of the west, but none of them has received even a fraction of the publicity of this one; and this one was just another rock in the channel of the river until Victor Trevitt was buried there in 1883. This one was officially set aside by the U.S. Land office for use of the farm Springs Indians as a burial grounds the action being necessary because a number of white men threatened to take its 5 or 6 acres over for fishing purposes. Before the high water of 1894 several Indian houses on the island contained the bones of deceased Indians together with their bows, arrows, guns, saddles, knives, blankets and other items they might need in the spiritual world, in spirit form.

     Victor Trevitt was born in New Hampshire in 1827. He served throughout the Mexican War of 1846 in which he received a saber cut which left one eye brow with a comical tilt. In 1847 he was a "printer's Devil" on the Oregon Statesman at Oregon City and he served with Nathan Olney's company in the Cayuse Indian War of 1848, fought mostly in the Walla Walla country following the slaying of Dr. Marcus Whitman and some 8 others of his mission there. In 1853 he came to The Dalles and opened the Mt. Hood saloon and historians claim that his saloon was "a gentleman's palace, no one being allowed therein in a drunken condition, nor was loud and profane language tolerated." In 1854 he filed on a 33 acre Donation Land Claim now known as Trevitt's Addition to The Dalles and about the same time he filed on a larger Donation Land claim out on 3 mile creek which included the present Reason place. In 1858 he was legislative representative from The Dalles and in 1868 he was state senator from Wasco county. He also served for a short time in the Yakima Indian war of 1856.

     The Chronicle of December 16, 1940 listed Victor Trevitt as one of the most outstanding persons in the history of Wasco county because he was "a friend of the Indians." But we believe he was outstanding for 2 more reasons: 1. He had the courage to make known his anti-Christian religious views at a time when feeling toward anyone who dared criticize Christianity meant being ostracized from society; and 2. the international publicity he has brought to Wasco county.

     Victor Trevitt married Worthy Hunt (the wife of Judge Frank Miller of Boise) in 1865. She had been his sweetheart before she married Judge Miller and they lived in The Dalles until 1882 when they went to San Francisco for Victor's health which did not improve. As the and drew near he made what was then regarded as a strange and unusual request which was, "I have but one desire after I die, it is to be laid away on Memaloose Island with the Indians. They are more honest than the whites. They live up to the highest light they have. In the resurrection I will take my chance with the Indians. I wouldn't have any chance to get into the white man's heaven anyway. Maybe I can slip in with the Indians into their heaven. They keep their word with St. Peter and he will let them into heaven while he will bar a lot of white men." That opinion was heresy or a belief in opposition to the orthodox belief of the Christian church and any man who dared to express such an opinion in 1882 was ostracized from Christian society with his friends and neighbors and that took a lot of courage, far more than any other man in the history of our county, to make that statement in 1882. Victor Trevitt might therefore be properly called "the Tom Paine of Wasco county" for the above "Age of Reason" statement.

     Victor Trevitt died in San Francisco Jan. 27, 1883. His body was shipped to Portland on the steamer State of California and consigned to Col. John McCrakin, also a Mexican War veteran. It was taken to the Clarenden hotel where Capt. Thomas Mountain took the casket. The river at that time was frozen over and prevented immediate burial. After the weather cleared up in February services at Memaloose Island was arranged for by the Masonic lodge, of which Trevitt was a member. A special boat was chartered and as many as could crowd on made the trip. The body was placed in a brick arch and sealed up by a brick mason and a 13 foot white granite shaft was erected to mark the place and its that shaft that has drew the attention of hundreds of thousands of river, rail, air and highway tourists and travelers.

     It has afterwards been said, countless times, "that since Victor Trevitt was buried on Memaloose Island the Indians wouldn't bury their dead there anymore;" the implication being that the Indians had no more use for Victor Trevitt than the Christians had. But that is only half the story. The real story is that Trevitt's burial called to the attention of Christians and other whites alike that there were many Indian skulls on the island and other burial trophies. White cemetery thieves, some of whom belonged to our Dalles Christian churches, made so many trips to Memaloose Island to steal Indian bones and relics (in violation of the Christian code in the Christian bible) that they (the whites) cleaned the island of everything. "Railroad contractor Haller's men in 1882 and 1883 stripped the island of many bones" according to Lulu D. Crandall's Chronicle clippings of 1926. The History of Central Oregon tells how "gunnysack-fuls of bones were shipped KLICKATATS KNOCKED DOWN by boat to The Dalles." The Indians not wanting their dead disturbed any more than do the whites, refused to use the island for burial purposes any more. ---Wm. Juker (son Jacob Juker of The Dalles) Fred Lockley's column, Oregon Journal Sept. 12, 1930, on file at the Portland public library; contributor of most of the above data.

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GEORGE VAUSE

     The biography of George Vause appears in the MUSIC chapter of this history.

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GRIFFITH WILLIAMS

     The biography of Griffith Williams Appears in the music chapter of this history.

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HERBERT G. MILLER

     Herbert G. (Bert) Miller is listed among the outstanding citizens of Wasco county for his efforts in providing a market for cherries through The Dalles Co-operative Growers' Association, which he managed for 18 years; and for his efforts in preserving the history of Wasco county by photography.

    Bert was born in Illinois (1877) the son of George L. and Florence (Shanklin) Miller. He received his early school training in Nebraska, Chicago and Kansas. His father was a newspaper man and Bert learned to set type (1887-88) in his fathers shop. He survived the big blizzard of 1888 alone in a house for 3 days, an experience that any 11 year old boy would never forget. His mother died in (1894) Indiana and by 1899 he had served his apprenticeship in the printing trade and went to Still-water, Minn. (1902-05) and then to Dillon, Montana where he went on the road as a salesman for the Unitype Co. He first came to The Dalles in 1908 and took over the management of the Chronicle, while still traveling for the Unitype Co. In 1907 and 1908 he spent in New Zealand and Australia in the foreign sales service of the Unitype Co. He returned to The Dalles in 1908 and bought the Chronicle and continued to publish it until 1915.

     In 1909 he acquired his orchard property and gradually developed it. He married Louise Rush, the daughter of George Rush pioneer merchant, in May 1908 and has lived in The Dalles continuously since that time. In 1918-17 Mr. Miller was with the Wittenburg-King Dry process food company who pioneered in potato chips and like dried foods here in The Dalles.

     In 1918 he installed the printing department of The Dalles High school and continued to direct it until the close of the school year of 1928. A lot of boys and girls took that training who are men and women of this community today and they learned a lot about the philosophy of life and business management and principles during those 8 years.

     In 1927 he became the manager of The Dalles Cooperative Growers Association. This cherry coop-erative was in its infancy and created because growers were at the mercy of buyers who were taking advantage of the on-coming depression to force prices down as low as they could. Up to that time cherries were mainly sold to canners, Ray Mailing A Bros. taking 500 ton. There was practically no fresh market and the barreling of cherries was unknown. In 1928 Mr. Miller worked with Prof. Earnest H. Weigand of the horticulture department of Oregon Agriculture College in the use of sulphur dioxide and lime to bleach and preserve cherries for the candy market, in the cooperative plant here, and those were the first brine packed cherries.

     The next problem was to establish & market for those cherries. Italian and French cherries had always been shipped in to fill the glaze or candy market. To get any of that market meant a fight for a higher tariff on imported cherries. W.S. Nelson of The Dilley Chamber of Commerce and Egbert Smith, representing the California cherry growers went to Washington, D.C., appeared before the tariff commission and members of congress and secured higher import duties on cherries which provided a market for Dalles and cherries of other localities. Mr. Miller went to New York and found a broker who would market our cherries. Each year more cherries were barreled which helped to up the price of cannery cherries. By 1931 there were 3400 barrels of cherries, next year there were 7000 and that figure grew to 27,000 barrels in 1938 when the price cannery offered dropped to 2¢ a pound; 27,000 barrels represents about 3000 ton and that year 2000 tons of cherries fell to the ground for owners who did not belong to the co-op. The barreled cherries brought 3½¢. After 16 years service as manager or the co-op H.G. Miller retired in August 1943, his place being taken by Allan Phillips who is the present manager. Two other co-operative cherry grower associations have since been formed. George Stadelman of the Stadelman Cooperative can be credited with establishing a fresh market for Dalles cherries which also helped to relieve pressure on the cannery market.

     Bert Miller's hobby with the camera and his camera shop, one of the finest amateur shops in The Dalles, while not so well known as his cherry activities; has been devoted to preservation of historical photographs. In co-operation with The Dalles Camera Club he printed and assembled 50 albums of 27 very fine 8 X 10 photos. He presented one to the Oregon State Library at Salem and one to the Oregon Historical Society in Portland. The others he sold for the Camera Club. (A list of the pictures appears by title in the Historical Photograph chapter of this history). For these efforts in helping so many people Mr. Miller is listed among our most outstanding citizens in the 100 years of Wasco county history.

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ROBERT L. MURRAY

     Robert L.(Bob) Murray, dean of athletic coaches for schools, Legion and city from 1904 to 1950 has done more in promoting fine sportsmanship Lid citizenship among the boys and girls of The Dalles, through athletics, than any other man in the 100 years of our history)

     Bob Murray was born in The Dalles(1880)son of Cornelius and Nancy(Roberts)Murray. His father worked for Joe Peters lumber company. Bob was educated in the schools of The Dalles and first worked for the railroad starting in as call boy then as brakeman.

     In 1904 he began coaching football for The Dalles high school. In those days the rules of foot-ball was much different than now and the coach could BOTH play and coach the team. They played any teams they could find to play such as different Portland teams, Hood River, Dufur, Heppner, Goldendale. The Dalles team was known as "the invincibles" they just couldn't be conquered) Some of the players, besides Bob, were Guy Fagan, Ben Morgan, Guy Sexton, Nick White, Chas. Conroy, Ben Morgan; and most all of them played baseball too which made the whole team what we now term as "all-around athletes." When they went to Hood River and Portland to play they went and returned both by rail and steamboat. When they went to Heppner they went by rail but when they went to Goldendale or to Dufur it was by "wagonette" a large wagon drawn by 6 horses. On the trip to Goldendale the team would leave about sundown and travel all night arriving in Goldendale for breakfast and a bit of practice before the actual game on Sunday would start. Then they played a hard fast game, with no holds barred, literally walking all over their opponents. Those were in the good old days of Jim Thorp when no one thought of getting hurt playing football! They had wooden ships and iron men, in those days, now we have iron ships and wooden men) After the game they went to quarters and cleaned up and to. the boarding house for a bite to eat and then clamored aboard the wagonette and drove back to The Dalles through the darkness of Sunday night so they would be ready for classes Monday morning! They played for fun in those days, according to Guy Fagan and really enjoyed the trips. In playing Antelope they went out by train to Shaniko and by stage from there to Antelope "a short night ride" as the train got into Shaniko in the evening.

     The "invincibles" lasted several years and. from 1906 to 1910 Reed Alexander was the outstanding all-around athlete of The Dalles High school, as was Hollis Hunnington.

Regular Schedules in 1911

    It was in 1911, according to Bob Murray, when regular high school football schedules were lined up. The Dalles played and beat Lincoln high of Portland that year and played Hood River, Pendelton, Baker and Dufur. This schedule, with some deviations from year to year, was the general picture.

First State Champions in 1914

     It was in 1914 that Bob Murray's Dalles High school team first became what was acknowledged as Oregon state champions. That year they played the Chemawa Indians, St. James Athletic club, the Portland Academy; Pacific University whom they beat 56 to 7 and like scores among other opponents. The players on that team were Guy Elton and Hank Bernard on ends; Wilbur Hostetler, center; Ole Moore, Harold Ganger; Matt Duffy and Orville Gibson on the line and Bill Steers, Si Cohen, Johnny Harriman, Seward Philpot in the back. Bill Steers was the heavy punter who generally always punted In the 70 yard bracket. The Dalles always kicked off first. If the opponents steam rollered down the field, when The Dalles did get the ball Bill punted it back 72 yards or more so the opponents would wear themselves out bucking it back down the field again. After the opponents did that 3 or 4 times then The Dalles would open up on them. It was said the Bill Steers had the longest "stiff arm jab" of any football player in Oregon and a man's whole face would disappear in the palm of his hand while the head of the opponent would snap back like it was on hinges. He could dodge, run fast, zig zag and change paces without effort, it seemed. The line could always drill a hole wherever the signals directed and the back field was the "4-horsemen of 14". They too were invincible! Hood River was crushed 114 to 0 that year. Most of the players of this team played baseball, basketball and went out for track so they too were "all-around athletes" of the school. They learned their lessons from Bob Murray well and every player were afterwards fine citizens.

State Champions of 1920

     The next state champion teem Bob Murray produced was that of 1920, for the area outside of Portland. This team had Gene Wright, Marion Cochran, Wilson Jeffers, Enoch Chase, Orville and Dizzy Mann, John McLeod, Kneut Wernmark, Babe Lamborn, Wayne Wright, Bob Sanders and Frank Deardorff, who was the "Bill Steers" of this team. As Bob Sanders says, "it never seemed like Frank could run but he was always there with the ball just the same. When we played Salem they won 13 to 6 because they cut down the quarters without notifying The Dalles, to 12 minutes. The Dalles protested the cut and refused to acknowledge the game as lost because they had 3 more minutes to play and could have tied easily." At Everett, Wash. this team took a walloping 90 to 6 because Everett had older and heavier players much like our 1914 team.

     The all-around athletes of this team were Frank Deardorff, Gene Wright, Marion Cochran, Orville Mann, Bob Sanders and Babe Lamborn. There may have been others which eludes our memory.

State Champions of 1923

     Again in 1923, the team Wilbur Stadelman directed as quarterback ware state champions. On that team Ron Van Orman, Horton Van Orman, Ole Jamison, Arol Bolton, Kenneth Cook, Bill Martin, Juell Carlson, Paul Schiller, Ted Gibson, Frank Cramer, Morie Cooper, Gerald Pattee, Frank George and Harold Davis, were well coached by Bob Murray. The all-around athletes of that year, as recalled by Bill Martin were Juel Carlson, Horton Van Oman and Kenneth Cook; and there may have been others.

     The next state championship team produced by Bob Murray was that of 1928. The players were Tommy Ward, Val Gibson, Aurley Miller, Pete Miles, Paul Cyphers, Al Dizney, Jack McEchran Ben Bartholdi, Lawrence Ulrich, Russel Sheffer, Abe Westland and George Stadelman. More than half of this team were all-around athletes participating in other school sports. According to the best recollections of Pete Miles the list included George Stadelman, Abe Westland, Al Dizney, Pete Miles, Val Gibson and Tommy Ward.

     During the period from 1923 to 1929 several of the football teams were runner-ups for state honors and Audrey Miller and Alton Ingram were among the all-around athletes produced up to the time Bob Murray left The Dalles high school as coach in 1929. As soon as Murray left the coaching staff a law was enacted, "requiring high school coaches to have a college degree in education." As Murray was the only high school coach in Oregon without such a degree this legislation was in reality directed against him, which shows how much the teams he produced were feared by officials of opposing schools.

     Being legislated out of the coaching staffs of the schools of Oregon Bob Murray then became director of non-school athletics in the community, including the city swimming pool, American Legion teams, town teams and privately sponsored teams which he is still active with. Bob Murray has made a tremendous impression on the boys and girls of The Dalles for the past 50 years and has no equal in producing better sportsmanship and citizenship in the community. In studying the history of Wasco county for the past 100 years we find that Bob Murray ranks among the first 50 of the most outstanding citizens in the 100 years of Wasco county history! The Dean of athletics in The Dalles was last May elected President of the Old Wasco County Pioneers Association, a fitting tribute to his unselfish devotion for 72 years to the old home town he loves so well.

Champions of 1941

     The high school team of 1941 under coach McGinnis was an acknowledged undefeated team. The line-up on this team according to the best memory of William Dick was Ed Dick, Ben Holcomb, Euguene Schmidt, Keith DeCoursey, Jim Berwick, Homer Baker, Duane Smith, Dutch Scholtz, Henry Steers and Howdy Steers. The all-around athletes of this 1941-42 pre-war period were Ed., Wm., John and Roger Dick, Keith DeCorsey, Ben Holcomb and Lester Tibbetts.

     There was no baseball nor track events during the war period from 1942 to 1948. Basketball was kept alive and football all but perished on account of any young man qualified to play football was generally classified by the draft board as good military material; and a football team com-posed of 4-Fers just couldn't be a winner even though it was against 4-Fers from other schools.

    But after the war the 1947 high school team were state champions. According to the best memory of Gene Morrow some of the players on this team were, besides himself, Dick Wilkins, Phil Turner, Chas. May, Dale Browning, Don Erickson, Jerry Clements and Pete Stadelman; and from among these players the all-around athletes were Gene Morrow, Dick Wilkins, Chas. May, Don Erickson and Jerry Clements.

     For 1952 the all-around and outstanding athlete was Eddie Urness who was hired as a baseball pitcher by the Boston Red Socks at a salary of $9000 a year. If Eddie continues with the big leagues and makes good in the baseball world he will go down in the records as another one of Wasco county's most outstanding citizens; but it is too soon to give him that classification yet for many things may present his climbing to higher success.

     In the 1890's Arthur Stubling was active in coaching both football and baseball town teams. That was the period before athletics was taken up in schools to any great extent. It was thought in those days that you went to school to get "something in your head" and if you wanted or needed exercise there was always plenty of wood to chop, gardens to hoe or other chores for the boy big enough to play football or baseball. Athletic events were left to Sunday picnics, fairs or special occasions, at least there was no money for schools to "spend on such foolishness." In the last 50 years the pendulum has swung over to the other side, until today athletics comes first and education, if at all necessary in our higher schools, comes last. The high point in that trend seems to have been passed and we may look for economy demanding less attention to athletics and more to general education.

     Edward Sharp remembers when athletic events were held on the old fair grounds between Kelley Avenue and G and 10 and 12 streets; in the 1880's, which included baseball, horse racing and some track events. Home town teams like the firemen against the United Workmen or the Moose against the Eagles drew the crowds. Elmer Bettengin's father Al use to tell of the Mexican Bull fights that were held at 4th & Liberty by the Mexican pack train operators to the mines in 1859 to 1882 every Sunday in good weather. This gory event was very popular in The Dalles in those early days, nearly as popular as the free-for-alls fought out in the saloons with sawdust floors to absorb the blood, in the early days of The Dalles. The Irish soldiers from Old Fort Dalles never needed any reasons for a fight, all they needed was an opportunity. The Dalles had a long athletic history if only someone would take the time and effort to ferret it out.

FRANK WINK

     There are a lot of people who may question whether Frank Wink, as an auctioneer, is one of the really outstanding men in the history of Wasco county. Frank is one of the best known men in the Mid-Columbia and Central Oregon areas today, a very friendly and democratic person that anyone can talk to, and with a heart just as big as he is. He was born in Iowa (1882) son of Peter Wink, where he received his early education and lived on a farm. The crop failures of 1934, together with the great depression of those years, drove many thousands of people out of the mid-west bankrupt by both of those factors. Frank was an auctioneer and had been an auctioneer since 1905 and is the oldest practicing auctioneer in Oregon today!

     When Frank Wink came to The Dalles in 1937 the stockmen of Wasco county was at the mercy of all the individual buyers! Unless he trucked his livestock to Portland he generally took what the buyer offered. To illustrate the point Carl Benson tells how one buyer came out to his farm to buy a hog, about the time Frank first came to The Dalles. Carl sold the buyer the hog and requested permission to keep the hind quarters, which was granted. Later Carl got a bill from the buyer for the hind quarters he kept which was more than the buyer offered for the balance of the hog! and Carl had to pay the difference!

     The Dalles was at that time (1937) the center of the Mid-Columbia area which raised around 100,000 head of livestock annually. To get that livestock brought to The Dalles for sale purposes took time. Mr. Wink started out at the old Jacob Scherer auction yard on west 8th. As the business increased more room was needed for pens and better pens of concrete with more loading and unloading room. Mr. Scherer was not willing to modernize his buildings and pens so Mr. Wink acquired acreage closer to Chenowith creek and on highway 30 where he developed, with his sons Bernard and Donald one of the most modern and up-to-date livestock auction yards in the northwest for its size.

     Frank Wink's auction sales are held in The Dalles every Saturday. Livestock men from all 5 of the Mid-Columbia counties bring their animals to The Dalles for auction every Saturday and these are not all for they come from the coast, Yakima, Portland, eastern and central Oregon. Now the buyers bid, mostly by the pound but sometimes by the animal or small herd, for livestock offered for sale. The Portland and California buyers are right in the ringside along with local buyers all bidding together for livestock, The farmer therefore gets a far better break than he did in the old days, especially the small man who had only a few animals. It is these wide benefits that Frank Wink and his sons have brought to the livestock men of the five Mid-Columbia counties that marks Frank, Bernard and Donald Wink as outstanding men in the history of Wasco county. Frank Wink's wife was Maude Davis and she as well as the wives of the Wink sons are bookkeepers who take in the money or pass it out, as cash transactions for both buyer and seller each business day. Cash for sale of livestock was not always forthcoming in the old days before Mr. Wink's yards.

     In addition to The Dalles auction yards the Winks operate yards at Redmond for the benefit of the Central Oregon farmers and livestock men, with sales 1n the middle of the week up there. About 1500 head of livestock pass through each auction yard each week and this figure is gradually gain-ing as the popularity of the yards increase.-

     In early June each year the Winks turn over their auction yards for the FFA and 4-H Fat Stock show and sale. They help the young boys and girls of the Mid-Columbia area. Their auction pens then become show pens for hogs, sheep and cattle, sponsored by the Eastern Oregon Wheat League. After the Judging the prime livestock is auctioned off to buyers by the Winks and the prices are generally higher than regular market quotations. A lot of "future farmers" and future livestock men are NOT going to forget that pleasing gesture of friendship the Winks show them each year. If you don't know the Winks you have missed knowing some of your finest neighbors in Wasco county. They have re-established The Dalles as a "trading center" for livestock a prestige lost with the construction of the railroad in 1882.

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ROY T. JOHNSON

     Roy T. Johnson, Public Utility Director and cherry orchardist, was one of the 4 Horsemen who brought cheap electricity to The Dalles; and brought electricity to the farms of Wasco county when the local private power company refused to expand their lines and serve the farms (see the Story of Electricity in this history).

     Roy Johnson was born in Goldendale (1891) son of Lewis Johnson (a Civil War veteran) and Eunice (Lake) Johnson. He received his early education in The Dalles and followed farming as an occupation and was for 30 years a Rural Mail Carrier on all the rural routes out of The Dalles. He has been a member of Cherry Park Grange 25 years and when the Grange became interested in electricity for the farms, homes and irrigation Roy was in the front ranks pushing for it where he has been ever since. For his efforts in bringing electricity to our farms and cheaper power for The Dalles we are listing him among the most outstanding men in the 100 years of Wasco county history.

     He married Hattie Ford, daughter of H.M. Ford and their children are Eunice (Mrs. Arthur Wisner) of Guam; Hazel (Mrs. Vern Wilcox) of Ellensburg, Wn.; Georgia (Mrs. Jack Busie) of The Dalles; Robert of Mosier and Kenneth of The Dalles.

     Roy is just as fine a neighbor as you will find in Wasco county and always takes time for friendly counsel on our many problems. His accomplishments can never be forgotten, the lantern has been replaced by him on the farms, with electricity. He helped give the housewife electric lights and others electrical comforts she will ever be thankful to him for.

HOWARD R. ROBINSON

     Howard R. Robinson was another one of the 4 Horsemen who brought public power to The Dalles and to the farms of Wasco county when the local private utility refused to expand their lines to serve our farms. Howard Robinson at that time was a member of Chenowith Grange and Wasco County Fire Warden and lived at Rowena. When the Granges became interested in taking advantage of Bonneville power to reduce the cost of electricity in The Dalles and bring power to our farms for pumping, lights, general tasks and the house appliances, Howard Robinson was in the front ranks and helped fight some of those early disheartening battles.

     Howard Robinson was born in Vermont and spent his early life in Canada and some of his early school-ing at Yachats down on the Oregon coast where he later taught school in 1914. He was a resident of The Dalles about 12 years before he went down to Depot Bay where he is now a grocery merchant. He helped circulate the original petitions for the PUD and helped form the PUD which has knocked 20% off our power bills at a time when power costs have been advanced by the local utility in other places without a PUD. Yes Howard Robinson will always be remembered by the farmers of Wasco County as one of the most outstanding men in our 100 years of history for bringing power to their farms.

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WALTER R. BAILEY

     Walter R. Bailey, like Roy Johnson and Howard Robinson, was another one of the powerful 4 Horsemen who brought electricity to the farms of Wasco county when the local private utility refused to expand their lines to serve the farms. Before that electricity could be brought to the farms, a Public Utility District to be responsible under the law for its distribution, had to be formed. Walter Bailey was a member of the Mill Creek Grange and he was out in front pushing the public power movement for his friends and neighbors.

     Mr. Bailey was born (1888) at Steptoe, Wash. son of Frank and Olive (Young) Bailey. He was educated at Parkplace and the University of Oregon and came to The Dalles in 1923 engaging in the fruit business. In 1938 he became manager for the Columbia Fruit Growers Cooperative. He married Mable Withers and has son Don of The Dales, director of school district 12; Jack and Jerry of The Dalles and Bonny (Mrs. Paul Murdga). Mr. Bailey was for years a director of school district 12; a director of the Mid-Columbia Productive Credit Association and Master of the Wasco County Pomona Grange.

     For his efforts in bringing cheap electricity to The Dalles and the farms of Wasco county where it has benefited every one of our 18,000 friends and neighbors, Walter R. Bailey will always be remembered as one of the most outstanding men in the 100 years of Wasco county history.

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CHARLIE HARTH

     Chas. Harth was the 4th member of the 4-Horsemen who brought cheap electricity to The Dalles and to the farms of Wasco county at a time when the local power utility refused to expand their lines to serve the farms of Wasco county. He was for 28 years Treasurer of Wasco County Pomona Grange and when the subject of the need for a Public Utility District to be responsible under the law for receiving and distributing Bonneville power, was first brought up and discussed, Charlie, who had lived for many years on a farm without electric power was 100% in favor of the movement, talked for it and worked for it until the PUD was formed and then got back of the REA to help with the distribution to the farms. (See story of Electricity in this history).

     Chas. Harth was born (1877) son of George and Phoebe (Simms) Harth in South Dakota where he received his early education and at Madison, Wis. He came to Scappoose, Oregon in 1891 and to the Columbia district of The Dalles in 1894 where he farmed up to about 4 years ago when he sold out to Earl Meeker. For a while during World War I he farmed at Tygh Valley.

     Chas. Harth's efforts in forming the PUD and the REA to bring power to the farms of 5 Mid-Columbia counties, benefiting more than 30,000 people of that area makes him another fine friend and neighbor who is another one of the most outstanding citizens in the 100 years of Wasco county history.

     These 4 Horsemen of the Public Power and REA movement were assisted by the 8 Granges of Wasco county and the Grange membership; by The Dalles Optimist, a friendly newspaper most always on the side of the people; and by the Public Power and Industrial Club headed by Alf Wernmark, President and such active members as Charlie Foster, Wm. Seufert, Chas. Hampton, Eric Johnson, L.V. Broughton, Jess Ott, George Newhouse, Cecil Byers and many others. (See story of Electricity).

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ERIC JOHNSON

     Eric Johnson, Manager of both the Public Utility District and farmers R.E.A. Power company, is a native son of the lower 15 mile (Fairbanks) district, the farmer son of Otto Johnson. He became the REA manager Oct. 28, 1940 which has grown into a $2,000,000 business serving 1400 customers (farms) with 1000 miles of lines in 5 Mid-Columbia counties. He became P.U.D. manager Nov. 1, 1951 which serves about 800 customers in The Dalles. Eric is the business manager and "wheel-horse" of the public power and REA movement and 30,000 people in the 5 Mid-Columbia counties will always remember him as one of Wasco County's most outstanding men for bringing power to their farms.

CAPTAIN ARVID LEPPALUOTO

     Capt. Arvid Leppaluoto manager of the Inland Navigation Co., River Terminals and allied companies, with their 10 tugs and 35 barges have brought about lower costs in cheap water transportation which is reflected in the low rates we pay for gasoline and oil products, saving Mid-Columbia users many millions of dollars annually; and the keeping of wheat transportation costs down for the farmers.

     Capt. Leppaluoto was born in Astoria (1908) and grew up in the towboat business around Grays Harbor. He holds a Master Pilot's license, a Chief Engineer's license and an airplane pilot license. In 1935 he operated the tugs Ostrander and Mystic in coastwise and log towing service. Next he assisted the Corps of Army Engineers in Columbia river channel improvement work between The Dalles-Celilo canal and Umatilla with his tug Mystic the first screw-propelled tug above The Dalles in 1936 and doing some general towing work on the Columbia. His tug Ostrander brought the first tow of logs through Bonneville locks upon their completion in 1936. In 1938 he moved his first load of wheat with the Mystic from Roosevelt, Wn. In 1939 bulk wheat was handled.

     In 1943 the River Terminals started building the present "shipyards" and office and warehouse at The Dalles under his direction, and started building barges here. The tug Winquatt has a 4050 horse power rating for river and ocean service while the Ostrander is 220 H.P. The Imnaha on the Snake is rated at 190 H.P. The Wenaha will have 330 H.P. for Snake river service with mail, passenger and freight capacity. The barges rate from 500 to 4000 ton capacity and some of them are combination wheat and petroleum barges.

     Capt. A. Leppaluoto was elected president of the Portland Area council of the Boy Scouts of America in 1952 the first time in 30 years that a non-resident of Portland has been elected president, and he made a trip to Valley Forge with the scouts. This rise was made after he became chairman of a Cub Pack at Joseph Wilson school then in 1949 chairman of The Dalles district, then a member of the National council representing Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. He is one of the very few business men who can and will take time out to devote to the boys and the Boy Scouts of Wasco county will always remember Capt. Lappaluoto as one of the most outstanding men in the history of Wasco county for his unselfish service to their cause.

     We grown-ups, who have to watch our budget in these days of high taxes and 50¢ dollars, will remember that the good Captain kept the price of gasoline down for our gas buggies, when other costs went up -- including gas in other places which he did not serve; so naturally we car owners recognize him as an outstanding man for a different reason than the scouts do. Then there is the farmer who is faced with increasing rai1 rates. He thinks Capt. Leppaluoto is an outstanding man because he kept wheat transportation costs down. Now that it is called to our attention we all think the good Captain is not only a fine friend, neighbor and leader but is gust as great a man as has ever lived in Wasco county.

JOAQUIN MILLER, Poet of the Sierras.

     Of all the items published on Joaquin Miller, the Poet of the Sierras, few, if any, can be found mentioning that he was ever a resident of Wasco county, but while he lived at Canyon City 1863-1867 for at least one year of that time Canyon City was in Wasco county. He was born in Indiana (1841) and came to Oregon in 1852 as a lawyer, being admitted to the bar before age 21. He brought one law book to Oregon and two 6-shooters. Since nobody was interested in law he established a Pony Express service from Walla Walla to Millersburg, Idaho and later from Lewis-ton to Millersburg. They (he and George Mossman) changed horses 5 to 10 times daily, rode at desperate speeds on Indian ponies -- almost living on horseback, with little food and less sleep, but the business did NOT pay. Trails became snowbound in the winter and rivers icebound. Their service was simple, equipment was cheap, the job full of hardships, long riding hours, day and night work in all kinds of weather, with desperate as well as good men on the trail to Grangerville.

     He gave up the Pony Express and went to Canyon City in 1863 and became editor of the paper at that place in which both he and his wife published their poems. His wife was considered the best poet of the two at that time and he said, "it is rare for poets to abuse the English language like I have done" - quoting Gen. Beal a Miller critic of "Kit Carson's Ride." In 1866 he was elected County Judge of Grant county. He was editor of the Euguene Register before he went to Canyon City and through his work on that paper met and married Minnie Myrtle poet of Port Orford and they had 2 sons who disappeared. Previous to that he had married a Yreka Indian princess who died. His 3rd marriage was to Abby Leland and they had a daughter Juanita. In 1870 he went to England where poets acclaimed his work and came back to America a "new found American poet". His Piedmont Hills, Calif. home at Oakland became a mecca for American poets from 1887 to his death in 1913. He was one of the most outstanding men in the history of Wasco county; another fine neighbor and friend.

     His poem WOMAN was one of his best contributions; we quote in part:

Be a woman, naught is higher
On the gilded list of fame,
On the catalogue of glory
There's no higher, holier name

But deep in the walled-up woman's heart
Of the woman that would not yield,
But bravely, silently, bore her part,
Lo, there is the battlefield

No troops nor bivouac song
No banner to gleam or wave;
Her battles last so long,
From babyhood to the grave.

JOHN EDWARD KURTZ

     The story of Ed Kurtz and the American (Railway) Express Co. Is one of the best stories about The Dalles in our 100 years of history. John Edward Kurtz was born (1883) at Joanna, Penn. the son of John and Harriett (Gabrie1) Kurtz. He received his early education in his old home town and left for the west in 1879 as a railroader, then entering the railway mail service on the Omaha to Ogden run which was later shortened to Green River, Wyo. and then to Cheyenne and Cheyenne to Ogden; and when the Oregon Short Line railroad construction was completed west to Hunington, Oregon (1888) the run was from Green River to Hunington for a short time. Then the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Co. pushed their lines east from Umatilla through Pendleton, La Grande, Baker to the connection with the O.S.L. at Hunington (1888).

     This connection was bad for railway mail clerks for their run was again lengthened Omaha, Neb. to Green River, Wyo. and Green River to Portland, Oregon. These two runs, both worked by Ed. Kurtz was the longest, hardest, dirtiest and roughest runs in the U.S.! and very few railway mail clerks could stand the physical wear and tear on the human body very long and live to talk about it! But Ed Kurtz did! until it was shortened from Portland to Pocatello, Idaho which helped a lot.

     Ed. Kurtz was on the Portland to Pocatello run for a good many years, according to Henry Bertrand, and Ed used to tell about how he and the other clerks watched the setting out of a prune orchard near Payette, Idaho (near the Oregon border); they watched the little trees grow into a nice looking orchard. Ed always wanted to own a little orchard so he bought 20 acres of those prunes. The orchard turned out to be worthless seedlings, planted solely to sell by unscrupulous real estate agents! The story proves that he was on that run for at least 7 or 8 years, possibly more.

     The run was later shortened from Portland to Hunington (its now Portland to Baker). He married Elizabeth Bently in 1887 at La Grande which shows he was in that part of the country shortly after the completion of the railroads into Hunington, and most probably as soon as they were completed. On his many runs through The Dalles he became very much impressed with the type and quality of fruit grown in this locality and shipped by express to eastern points, there being no parcel post mailing in those days.

     He left the long grueling railway mail run to become an express messenger for the Pacific (Fruit) Express Co. which operated over this line from Portland to Omaha from 1882 to about 1908 when the American Express Co. took over; they operated to about 1837 and since that time the business has been known as the Railway Express.

     The Dalles directory of 1883 shows the Wells Fargo and Northern Pacific Express companies doing business in The Dalles and other older directories show them here in the early 1880's (see Under Pony Express and Stages). In those days (l880's and 1890's) the rail-road express companies did all the fast parcel post or package shipments of small lots which included boxes of fruit, iced shipments of fish and other perishables. Slower articles were sent by rail and boat shipment. The Pacific Express company in those days did more business in one day than it will do in a month now. The main reason is that when the government started parcel post service with their low rates, which never did cover the cost of the service, all the government needed to do was take the difference out of federal taxes; but the Railroad Express companies don't have access to the taxpayer's pocketbook so they have to depend on higher shipping rates. As their rates went up their business dropped off and went to the post office parcel post service. That made the "postal deficit" a little greater so they dug a little deeper into the taxpayer's pocket instead of raising rates enough to cover costs of the service. That type of government taxpayer subsidized competition was and still is very unfair to this private business. Congress has raised parcel post rates some and they should go up more until the express companies can once again give parcel post service to their city customers.

The Express Company Robbery at The Dalles

     Express messengers in the "Gay 90's" ran from Portland to Hunington and return, quite a bit shorter and easier than the railway mail run to Pocatello and return. There was no future or any "retirement plans" for old or disabled railway mail clerks, except the poor house in those days. An express messenger could expect advancement to an agency if he was honest, faithful and depend-able, sober, alert clerk prepared for any advancements when they were open. He had been on the Portland to Hunington run quite a while when one night a shipment of $14,000 in gold was shoved in the car, under Ed. Kurtz's care, consigned to French & Co. banker at The Dalles. Mr. Hill and his night clerk at The Dalles received the shipment, locked it up in the old express office at First and Madison streets and went home, so the story goes; and during the night the express office was robbed! This was about 1898.

     The telegraph wires were just red hot and popping with messages about the robbery. Detectives of the Pacific-Express company and the railroad swarmed into The Dalles for investigation. The local police and sheriff were in a very hot spot. Nothing was left unturned. The loot was found buried in a hole on the vacant lot just west of the old Cosmopolitan hotel which was located on the north side of First between Court and Washington streets. Two local men went on trial and one was sent to the penitentiary at Salem for the robbery. (The record of the trial is on file in the Wasco county clerk's office. We don't want to hurt any family's feelings by publishing names).

     Ed Kurtz went on east with his train in the blackness of that night but a wire at Pendleton instructed him to turn his duties over to a relief messenger and catch the next train for The Dalles to help with the robbery solution. He gave officials all the help and evidence he could which helped lead to the finding of the $14,000 in gold and its safe delivery to French & Co.

     Mr. Hill was relieved as agent for the Pacific Express company, as a result of the robbery, and Mr. Kurtz was appointed agent to take his place and he remained as agent of the company until after 1910, Wm. Seckler, bookkeeper for Porter Bros. became the next agent. Besides Henry Bertrand some of the other employees who worked under Ed Kurtz for the express company were Nat Gorman, Clarence Patton, Henry Riddell and Earl Vickers. Henry Bertrand, who supplied some of this biography, was both day and night clerk under Mr. Kurtz. Henry was born in France (1887) and came to America (1894) where he received some of his early education in Connecticut and at Prineville, coming to The Dalles in 1908 and has been here ever since. He married Laura Foster who died of flu in 1918 and their children were Louise (Mrs. Joe Miller) Terrebonne; Henry of San Francisco and Elizabeth of Seattle. Henry now operates a news stand at the post office and he recently lost his "seeing-eye dog" Paula.

     The Dalles directories of the 1900-05 period show that Mr. Kurtz, besides being the express agent, was the manager of The Dalles Fruit Pacing Co. which shipped annually around 83,000 boxes of fruit from The Dalles all over the U.S. by express. This fruit represent 1,000,000 express pounds (34 cars) and The Dalles Fruit Growers' Union shipped 25,000 boxes of peaches through Mr. Kurtz, as their agent, to all points in the U.S. and many were shipped by indivi-duals also. This netted an income to growers of $125,000 (1908), ($750,000 1952). Apples sold at $2.50 a box then and top cherry prices were 8¢ a pound, peaches brought $1 a box. These prices were obtained by Mr. Kurtz and this market developed by Mr. Kurtz and the farmers of that period regarded Mr. Kurtz as one of the outstanding men of the county at that time for developing a sales market for them and handling their products.

     From 1904 to 1913 Mr. Kurtz was treasurer of Dalles City. He was city marshal and police commissioner 5 years. He was President of the Business Mens' Association in those early years. He was a member of the Columbia Hose and Chemical Co. of the local fire department from the time he came to The Dalles until they were disbanded. He was buyer and receiver for different fruit companies until after the organization of the local fruit cooperatives and operated a small orchard of his own out 3 Mile way. He was a director of school district 12 from 1921 until his death in 1939. His children were Alice (Mrs. J. Arthur Riggs) of The Dalles; Laura (Mrs. Earl Doian) of Seattle; Dorice (Mrs. P. Baer) Marshfield; Margarite (Mrs. Earnest Peck) Hoquiam, Wn.; Ruth (Mrs. Earl Phettyplace) The Dalles.

Other Local Express Employees

     Some of the other express agents were Herbert Stoneman, now supervisor out of Walla Walla, Al Moss, Al Obermiller, C.G. Bertrand, twice local agent, Harold Christensen. John Conklin and the present agent Wm. Robinson.

     Besides the employees listed above some of the more recent ones were Joe Kasberger, athletic coach of New Jersey; Bill Steers, famous Dalles and University of Oregon athlete; Harold Ganger now of San Diego; Curley Ober; Barney Pashek of Spokane; Homer Harriman of The Dalles and Fred Wegner who has been with the company since 1919, 33 years.

    This is a fine record of a lot of friends and neighbors of ours that we are proud of.

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OLD BESS, the Faithful American Express Horse by Ruth Sheldon 1924

     Since 1918, Bess, the American Express horse at The Dalles has never missed a Christmas but now her friends are missing Bessie for she has "retired", her days or work are over. For 8 years she plied her gentle way in snow storms, fog, rain and sweltering sun, or waited in front of shop windows nudging the passerby as a hint for the sweets she was fond of. Fred Wegner, hardriver, never had to tell Bessie where to stop for she knew all their best customers. At the Royal Cafe she knew the tables within had bowls of sugar and by stamping her well shod foot and tossing her pretty head, with alert ears and pretty eyes, she would gain attention, and if not would climb upon the curbing and stand across the walk blocking all traffic until George Fitzgerald or Tex Meynard or Mr. Green would come out armed with sugar or confection to coax her back off the walk. She was fond of pie, cake, apples, carrots and their consumption caused her to put on too much weight and she would have to be sent out to pasture to reduce.

     She was a Percheon filly from the Ruby Stock farm at Fairview and she was troubled with colic in her final years from "over-indulgence on 2nd street sweets" and that together with foot trouble caused the express company to sell her to the fox farm for fox feed. But one of Bessie's old horse-loving friends Malcolm Moody (ex-congressman) learning of Bessie's "retirement" to the fox farm wrote H.B. Smith, superintendent of American Express horses in Portland, asking him to permit him (Moody) to retire Bessie to one of his farms at Dufur where she would have no work to do and would receive the best of care for the rest of her days. Mr. Moody's letter was referred to the San Francisco head office and A. Christeson, vice president for western departments wrote, "the authority for turning Bess over to you has already been granted. Your action is so unusual that it is evident from letters reaching us from our agent at The Dalles, that Bess has endeared herself to the community and it is with pride that we turn her over to you where she will not wish for a better end."

     Bess was taken to Dufur over the old soft dirt Dufur road to the Moody ranch occupied by Angus McLeod (afterwards county commissioner) and he says Bessie is already "queen" out there with a number of other horses for playmates; while her friends in The Dalles will tell their children stories about Bessie, "the Darling of The Dalles." --- The Da11es Chronicle, December 7, 1924.

C.M. LOCKWOOD

     Another one of our pioneer neighbors who became one of our first outstanding mien was C.M. Lockwood operator of The Dalles to Salt Lake City Stage and Express line in 1868, 67 and 88. The mere mental picture of the torture the human body would have to endure to make dust ONE trip in a Concord horse-drawn stage coach over our dirt roads from here to Salt Lake City in 1952 would put a person in the hospital; but Mr. Lockwood and his drivers made that a daily business! It was 800 of the toughest, roughest, bumpiest, dirty, dusty or muddy miles, over great mountains, deserts, rivers, creeks; through country infested with Indians, rattlesnakes, bad water, wild game or blinding rain or snow storms, or the blackness of night or withering heat of the day that they took their stages and precious human loads! In this day and age of airplanes, foam rubber pullman cars, easy riding automobiles and smooth ribbons of concrete to run them on it is hard for us to draw a mental picture of a wagon without springs being drawn, on the run, over a rock-strewn trail in the blackness of night, with passengers strapped into their seats in order to be kept from being pitched bodily out of the doors! That was the stage service from The Dalles to Salt Lake city in 1868 and passengers paid $240 for a one-way ticket over that 800 mile cow trail which emigrants called "The Old Oregon Trail."

     It wasn't near so grueling to make the trip in an emigrant schooner at 2 miles an hour, or by saddle pony or on foot; but to be strapped into a stage coach seat and have your eye teeth shaken out and have to pay $240 for the privilege besides was what made "hair grown on the chest" of stage coach drivers and their passengers of those early days! It is no wonder that passengers preferred a sea-sick trip of 4 months down around the tip of South America in an old sailing vessel than to have hell shaken out of them by an 800 or 1000 mile stage coach trip between The Dalles and Salt Lake City in those days. If they wanted to endure the trip on to Atchison, Kansas the fare was $540 from The Dalles, one way!

     With this picture in mind the reader of 1952 will have a greater appreciation of the life and hardships endured by C.M. Lockwood and other stage and freight line operators of that period. We don't know where Mr. Lockwood was born in 1835 nor anything about his early life. The Times--Mountaineer reported that he started out in 1864 from The Dalles to Canyon City with ONE Ox--team as a freighter to the mines. That was the first year any road was open from here to Canyon City by Scherars Bridge and Mitchell to Canyon City. Before that supplies were carried by pack train and without doubt Mr. Lockwood operated one of those pack trains in order to be familiar with the routes, its mountains, rivers, creeks, Indians, snakes, trails, people and other general problems confronting a pioneer freighter.

    We know too from the records (see under stages) that Ben Holliday was given his first contracts for mail and express between Aitchson, Kan. via Denver, Salt Lake to California in 1864; and he sub-contracted from Fort Hall, Idaho west to The Dalles where he made connection by boat for Portland. John Hailey and Greathouse were the sub-contractors who hel d the run for 2 years until our pioneer Dalles friend C.M. Lockwood took the contract under Ben Holliday, in the place of Greathouse, retaining John Hailey as general manager or superintendent of the Fort Hall section of the Northwest Stage Co. From Boise west he was associated with Teal and Goldsmith and on this western section they monopolized practically all the freighting and passenger (stage) business; he contracted the mails from The Dalles, to Salt Lake City, according to the Times-Mountaineer of The Dalles and their rates was high enough and business good enough that they made $400,000 in 8 years from 1864 to 1872 (more than $1,000,000 1952); but in so doing, the Mountaineer continued, Mr. Lockwood worked day and night, in all kind's of weather, under tremendous hardships that would take the heart right out of the biggest of men, -- he wore himself out and died in Detroit, Mich. Where he sought medical aid from PARYALIIS in 1873 - at the youthful age of 38!

     "He was a man of GREAT ENERGY, and determination; a fine gentleman respected by all," continued the Mountaineer, "and he leaves a wife and 2 children." One of the children, Lucy, died in The Da11es the following July 4, 1873 and is buried in the old Masonic cemetery here, according to the records of Lulu D, Crandall on cemeteries. C.M. Lockwood underbid Wells Fargo in 1868 and his western section became known as the Utah-Idaho-Oregon Stage Co.

     With the completion of the Union Pacific railroad to its function with the Central Pacific at Promontory Point in 1889 the Utah terminal for Lockwood's stages, mail, freight and passengers was shortened from Salt Lake City to Kelton Junction, Utah. In 1888 Wells Fargo bought out Ben Holliday (see story under stages) and assumed the Holiday contracts which C.M. Lockwood underbid them and got as mentioned above. Finally The Dalles to Kelton run apparently became too much for Mr. Lockwood's human ability to supervise and in 1869 John Haley was given part of the contract until 1870 when the line was sold to the Northwest Stage Co. who operated it until 1874 (after Lockwood's death) to Boise, when the Rocky Bar (a good name) line took it over. John Haley continued to handle the contract for the Northwest Stage Co.

     The problem of maintaining stage grid freight stations with horses, feed, men, equipment, supplies, making of repairs, fighting storms, snowbound conditions, sick horses, traveling horseshoers, highway bandits for 800 miles would take the heart out of the stoutest man. Just to keep dependable drivers who could withstand the battering the road gave them was a problem in itself. Keeping horses shod and supplying the shoes was no little problem. Shipping grain and hay to horse stations, hundreds of miles from nowhere, would scare a 1852 man! Raising and supplying good horses was another gigantic problem! We don't believe that anyone will question the greatness of C.M. Lockwood and John Hailey, 2 more of the outstanding men in our history.

CAPT. ROBERT R. THOMPSON

     When Capt. Robert R. Thompson first came to The Dalles and filed on his donation land claim in Thompson's Addition to The Dalles, on property adjoining the writer of this history, he and his family were so poor, according to the writings of Lulu D. Crandall that the children had to herd sheep and cattle to help make the family living here in 1854. He was a member of the early 1845 emigrants who settled in the Willamette valley because there was nothing at The Dalles except the Methodist mission, no place to buy supplies or trade. As soon as settlement was permitted here in 1850 Mr. Thompson returned with his family.

     He started out with Orlando Humason, in the river boat transportation service on the upper Columbia. He and Mr. Humason went out to Dufur where they built the Mountaineer, the only known river boat ever built at Dufur, and towed it by oxen and rollers on planks from Dufur to the mouth of the Deschutes where the successfully launched it and operated it as a sort of a sail boat, with oars and an Indian crew, between Deschutesville (at the mouth of the Deschutes) and Umatilla and Wallula. They carried enough merchandise and at high enough rates to pay for the boat the very first trip! From then on the Mountaineer was all profit and they used those profits to build the Col. George Wright at Deschutesville, a steamer of good qualities which was a regular gold mine, carrying freight at $60 a ton from the Deschutes to Wallula for the miners and early Walla Walls merchants; and all the passenger space was generally taken at equally high rates.

     To get their cargos up to Deschutesville they built some of the biggest freight wagons in The Dalles that ever operated in the west and they charged $15 a ton to haul freight from here to their boat at Deschutesville. They had more business than they could take care of so they built another steamer the Tenino at Deschutesville so they could have a boat leaving every morning for Wallula. And still the profits rolled in from the three gold mines they had to milk the miners with. Capt. L.W. Coe of Hood River and The Dalles operated the Wright.

     Then in 1862 the Oregon Steam Navigation Co. bought them out, some cash and lots of profit-able stock in the O.S.N. and for the next 20 years the profits continued to roll in as they had an exclusive monopoly in the steamboat business on the entire river and set their own high rates and really vent to town (see story under Lure of River and Boats). No one knows what the family was worth when the OSH sold out to the railroad in 1882 and moved to Portland where they invested in real estate.

     The Thompsons continued to live in Portland and San Francisco until Mr. Thompson's death in San Francisco in 1907 when the Portland Oregonian reported Mrs. Thompson was left with an estate valued at $2,500,000 (about $7,000,000 1952) which included the block housing the Multnomah hotel, a half block at 2nd & Davis, half of the Fleischner-Meyer block, 3/4 of a block on Front street from Pine to Ash, 34 acres on White House road, ¼ block at 3rd & Ash, a farm in Yamhill county worth $60,000, Tacoma, Wn. holdings worth $30,000. Their son Robert H. Thompson lived in Portland and helped his mother manage the Portland holdings. The other children: Walter, Frank, Eliza (King), Mrs. S.A. Pollock, Mrs. Lillian Yates and Mrs. Ivy Borden all lived in San Francisco. The Mult-nomah hotel is still part of the Thompson estate.

     Robert R. Thompson was one of the 4-Horsemen of Columbia River Transportation in the old steamboat days. The others were D.F. Bradford, J.C. Ainsworth and S.G. Reed. The life of R.R. Thompson was like an Arabian Night story! Everything he touched turned to gold! He never made an investment but what brought him in more money! The acres of Diamonds was surely in his back yard, a man so poor when he came to The Dalles that he was a trucker for Bradford in his warehouse, his children were sheepherders and his wife took in washing. He died a multi-millionaire at 88 and was truly one of the most outstanding men in the 100 years of Wasco county history.

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CAPT. W.D. GRAY

     In the River Boat section of this history will be found the stories pertaining thereto and as we have read the history pertaining to river steamboating, the name of Capt. W.P. Gray stands a way out in front of most of the others. He was born in Oregon City (1845) and the first boat he handled was the Sarah Gray from Deschutesville to Wallula (1860-81) which made 3 trips a week.

     He then went to Alaska where in 1877 he operated the Stilkeen from Ft. Wrangle to Telegraph creek. Then he took the St. Michaels (1899) from Seattle to Alaska on the inside passage. While in Alaska the first time he piloted the Nora from Dawson to Whitehorse on the Yukon on a pitch dark night! and on a river he had never seen before! On the upper Columbia here in the 1860's he ran the Ellensburg over Rock Island rapids up to the Okanogan mines where no other Captain had ever put a steamboat. He had a reputation for being able to operate a steamboat where an Indian would be afraid to paddle a canoe! and he never lost a boat in all his career. He had no charts or marks in the Columbia or any of the other rivers to go by or lights at night! He could tell by the sound of the paddle wheel, as the blades struck the water, how deep the water was under the hull. He could tell by the current how safe the water was! At night, when it was pitch black and no lights he could still tell by the echo of the whistle and the paddle of the wheel dust where he was at in the river! Capt. Gray was truly one of the most outstand-ing captains in the steamboat history of the Columbia river.

JOEL PALMER

     Joel Palmer the "trail blazer" came out to Oregon with the Samuel K. Barlow train in 1845. Joel Palmer and Dr. Marcus Whitman were probably the two best loved men in early Wasco county and Oregon history! Every word written and every word spoken about these two men were well spiced with praise that was sincere and came from the depth of the heart! These two men were the George Washington and Abraham Lincoln of Oregon history! There is no words at the command of this writer suitable as eulogy.

     Joel Palmer was born in Canada (1810) where he spent his early years and in 1836 he married Sarah Derbyshire of Penn. He was a contractor on the White Water canal at Cedar Grove, Ind. and an Indiana legislator and farmer. On the trip out to Oregon with Samuel K. Barlow he came alone, leaving his family in Indiana. He kept a detail diary of his trip, needs for the journey, perils to prepare for as well as his experiences.

     He helped Barlow find the passage over the Cascades from Wamic to Sandy, appeared with him before the Provincial legislature at Oregon City asking that body for permission to build and collect tolls on a toll road over the Cascades; which permission was granted Barlow altho Palmer never participated in the revenues received therefrom.

     Joel Palmer returned east in 1846 to get his family and bring them out, and he published his diary, or the main parts thereof and circulated thousands of copies as a guide for emigrants to follow over the old Oregon Trail. It gave all the details necessary for a successful trip across the U.S. by wagon; the amount of food, what kind, clothing and kind, type of wagons, spare parts, oxen vs. horses arguments, necessities to farm with, extras for sale or trading purposes, guns, amount of ammunition, medicine. Palmer's Guide of 1846 was far better known in Missouri in those days than the best auto guide ever published!

     In 1847 he brought his family out to Oregon and lead the emigrant trains. All the emigrants wanted to "travel with Palmer", which was not possible. He supervised the splitting up of the trains under other Captains. That shows how greatly he was loved and admired as a leader. The trip itself was uneventful, no Indian trouble, few deaths and injuries, no starvation, very little wagon or road troubles! He settled at Dayton. Later Governor Abernethy made him Quarter-master General of troops during the Cayuse Indian War following the massacre of Dr. Marcus Whitman and 8 of his party at Walla Walla November of 1847 shortly after his train passed through Walla Walla. After the troops returned from the Cayuse Indian war Palmer led a group of men to the newly discovered gold mines along the Feather river and Yuba river districts of California.

     In 1853 he was Superintendent of Indian affairs for Oregon and made most of the famous Indian treaties of 1853 and 1854 in eastern Oregon and in 1856 help gather the Indians into the various designated reservations. Along in the 1870's he built a passable wagon road down the south bank of the Columbia river from Hood River to the Sandy and operated ferries over both of those rivers! When one looks at the Columbia river gorge and realized that even a cow trail could have been put down the south bank he shakes his head in dizzy wonderment. How could any man in 1870 put any kind of a trail down there, much less a passable road? but Palmer did! It was only a summer road and not too good then. He sold his right-of-way to the railroad in 1879. It was known as The Dalles and Sandy road and was used mainly as a cattle toll trail. In 1874 he was a legislative representative. He died in 1881 a great man loved by every Oregonian.

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DAVID THOMPSON, the Great Surveyor of the West

     David Thompson was a poor boy from London who came to the Pacific Northwest in 1811 as a map maker and explorer. His maps and surveys of the Oregon country were go accurate both the U.S. government and the British government accepted them and they have never been improved upon since, despite better instruments and better education of later surveyors. His maps are the BASIS from which all maps today are taken from.

     David was born in London (1770) and placed in a charity school at 7. In addition to the 3 R's he learned navigation in that school. The Hudson Bay Co. wanted 4 boys for American settlement (1783) and he was apprenticed to them at age 14 for 7 years! They sent him to Ft. Churchill on the Hudson Bay where he clerked 2 years at York, hunted to provide food. In 1797 they sent him to the wilds of Saskatchewan to establish a post and trade with the Indians and there he began his meteorological observations and surveys for 3 years up to Raindeer and Athabaska lakes. In 1897 he left them for the Northwest Fur Co.

     In July 1811 he reached the mouth of the Columbia river fully completing a survey of the Pacific northwest of America from the Atlantic to the Pacific. He determined the position of rivers, mountains, lakes and general topography of the land. The work took 27 years and he was 41 years old when he retired. In 1816 England appointed him to survey the boundary between the U.S. and Canada under the treaty of Ghent. It took him 9 years to make the survey but his maps are still (1952) the "official maps" for both the U.S. and England) and the line runs from Heine to Victoria) the long-est single survey job in the history of North America.

     David Thompson died Feb. 10, 1857 at Ontario, age 87, one of the greatest surveyors that ever lived, a fine man of the highest type; a man seldom mentioned in history, forgotten almost, yet one of the greatest men in the history of the west; the first surveyor of Wasco county. Portland Oregonian July 18, 1911.

The LITTLE GIRL OF THE WILDERNESS By Margaret Walker

     This outstanding story of The Dalles was published in the Chronicle about 30 years ago and is all worth preservation in our historical archives.

     Mary Pigott was born in Cork county, Ireland, June 11, 1834 and while her father had a good home her mother was dead. Feeling terribly alone, as any little girl would without a mother, she had a great desire to get away from it all and come to America. She had an uncle in New York City, whose wife had just died, leaving him with 2 small children; and an invitation from him to her to come to America and take care of his children was the welcomed opportunity she had prayed and hoped for, or her father would never have consented to her coming to America under any other circumstances. After the long voyage across the Atlantic she arrived and lived at her uncle's home in New York. One morning when she was reading the New York Sun, she saw an advertisement asking for a girl to assist in the care of 2 small children in a family who were going on a long journey. Mary immediately went to the address and applied for the position. The woman who answered her call was a tall beauti-ful woman and gave her the job without any parley. The family consisted of Major O.G. Haller of the 9th U.S. Infantry, his wife May and children May and Maurice. The time was July 1852, 100 years ago!

     Plans were being made by the family to come to Oregon to protect the settlers from Indians. Eight companies of soldiers, under Col. B.E.L. Bonneville (after whom Bonneville dam is named), sailed for the Isthmus of Panama, then walked across to the Pacific, where those who survived took boats to San Francisco. Their heavy baggage and several officers and their families were to come by boat around Cape Horn (the tip of South America); but owing to climatic conditions the journey could not begin until fall. So in November, the Free Doner, a sailing vessel, left New York for the journey to the wilderness of Oregon.

     The weather was good and they had good times on the boat with guitar and violin music, singing and dancing every evening. The boat had a fine cook and the food and service was good. In rounding Cape Horn they had 5 days of terrible weather; the wind blew so hard that nothing moveable was left outside; it seemed that the Pacific ocean would swallow the boat, but after that there was no more bad weather.

    Stops were made for fresh water and provisions. The passengers saw, through spy glasses, the cannibals gathered in groups on the beaches of the Patagonia islands. A stop was made at Juan Fernandez islands, where Robinson Crusoe was supposed to have been wrecked; at that time it was used as a convict prison island and while the governor had a nice home the other houses were thatched huts. At Callo the passengers went on land, the houses there being low with flat roofs. The Catholic cathedral was of marble and very beautiful. Interesting statues of the apostles, in white marble, appeared lifelike
and it seemed as if they could speak to us. From Callo a small railroad took the visitors to Lima where they saw tropical flowers and fruits.

     After several months of travel the little boat finally arrived at San Francisco where short walks were taken in that small frontier town as there was no conveyances of travel like the street cars and taxies of today. The military party embarked on the Columbia, a small steam-boat, to complete the journey to Oregon. Landings were impossible until they reached the Columbia river at Astoria, where a pilot came out in a small boat to guide the big boat over the bar. Landing was made at Vancouver, Washington in August 1853 after 9 months of travel! The 4th of July celebration at Vancouver was repeated for our benefit. It was a joyful demonstration of welcome. Parties and balls were given in our honor. We remained in Vancouver 2 weeks. Plans were made for part of the soldier to go to Seattle and part of them to come to Fort Dalles.

     The trip from Vancouver to The Dalles was made in a small steamer called the Fashion. The passengers had to walk from the lower to the upper Cascades. The baggage and supplies were taken around in small boats by Indians, working under Chenowith who had a contract with the government to carry supplies around the rapids. The women, children and officers were entertained for 2 or 3 days at the Chenowith home, until the boat from The Dalles arrived to take us up the river.

     The boat from The Dalles was called the Allen, a small flat boat commanded by Captain Gladwell. He did all he could to make the passengers comfortable. The women and children sat on mattresses laid on the deck. When we arrived at The Dalles there was only 2 buildings to be seen! One building was a small store at the mouth of Mill creek (the Olney log store operated by Dr. C.W. Shaug) and the other a store belonging to the Hudson Bay Co. and standing near the site of the Umatilla House (NE corner of 1 & Union); it was built on stilts and the Indians used to gather under it to drink and gamble. There was nothing at Hood River then. There were a few tents on First street and a few emigrant wagons.

     A water cart, drawn by a one-eyed mule that always wanted to pull to one side, was sent from Fort Dalles to take the women up the hill to the Fort, the girls and children following behind the cart. The party consisted of 3 officers, their wives, 5 children and 3 girls who cared for the children. Major Haller's family had 2 rooms at the Fort and ate at the mess house where the soldier and his wife prepared the meals. A "lean-to" bedroom was built for little May Haller and myself to sleep in. Mrs. Haller told me that if I ever awakened in the night and heard any-thing, which might be Indians prowling about, to get May and run to the main building, quick, and be sure to lock the door behind me!

     After they had got settled at the Fort the women were told that Mr. Milo Cushing had received several boxes of men and womens shoes at his store. Little Mary decided that she had better get a pair while she had the opportunity. Her call at the Cushing store began her acquaintance with Milo Morris Cushing. The "supply of shoes" consisted of one pair! Mr. Cushing was very much impressed with the beauty and daintiness of the little 19 year old "girl of the wilderness." Mr. Cushing insisted on giving her the only pair of ladies shoes in The Dalles at that time for public sale, but Mary would not accept them without paying. Mary and Milos acquaintance grew into inseparateable love and they were married in 1854, the first wedding to take place after Wasco county was formed.

     Mary left the Haller family to live in a "wing" of the Cushing store. Later Mr. Cushing built a stone store on the southwest corner of First and Washington (Model laundry location). The high water undermined the foundation and it fell down 2 years later. Mr. Cushing then built the Cushing House, a hotel on the North side of First between the Cosmopolitan hotel and the Umatilla House. He also owned a ¼ interest in the steamer Mary, named for the "Little Girl of the Wilderness" (his wife). It ran between The Dalles and the Cascades.

     Mary hadn't been at the Fort long (1853) when one of the soldiers was killed by the Indians of The Dalles. The Indians gave very little trouble at night, but we never knew when we went to bed whether we would be scalped before daylight or not so we kept the doors to our quarters bolted at night. Now (1915) as I look back and see the great improvements which have taken place in the 62 years since I have been in The Dalles, from the loneliness of the wilderness which seemed at the time most desolate (compared to New York City and Ireland); and now our beautiful homes and public buildings, I can truly say, "I have never regretted my first trip up tile Columbia. My first turkey dinner in The Dalles was at the Wm. C. Laughlin home and that turkey was the only turkey in The Dalles at that time!"

MILO M. CUSHING

     Milo M. Cushing, the husband of the Little Girl of the Wilderness, came to The Dalles in 1852 with the 4th U.S. Infantry under command of Col. B.E.L. Bonneville. He was a Sergeant in Capt. Benjamin Alvord's company. He had enlisted in the Mexican War of 1848 and was discharged at Fort Dalles in 1853. He assisted in surveying the boundaries of old Fort Dalles. Knowing the officers of old Fort Dalles as well as he did he obtained permission from them to erect a log store and house combination on First street in which he had his small store and Cushing House hotel. His being the first hotel in The Dalles it is noteworthy to record his prices of 50¢ for a bed and 75¢ for a meal.

     He preferred farming to a business life and sold out in 1858 to go farming on Mill creek. He owned ¼ interest in the little steamer Wasco which rescued the survivors of the Cascade Indian massacre of 1856. He sold his Mill creek holdings and located near the mouth of 15 Mile creek, at Cushing Falls (now occupied by the Joe Re family) where in 1876 he operated the first hospital in Wasco county.

     He was born in New York in 1820. His grandfather Caleb was a veteran of the American Revolu-tion and his father Morris served in the War of 1812 as a musician. He was postmaster of The Dalles in 1851, a grocery merchant at 2nd and Court in 1856 and later was Wasco county Treasurer. He died in 1906 at age 86 at his 15 Mile creek home. The place was occupied by his son Milo M. Cushing until along in the 1930's when the Re family acquired it. A grandson Morris Cushing works for The Dalles Lumber Co.

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The FIRST LADY OF THE DALLES

     The historical writings of Lulu D. Crandall credits Mary (Yeargin) Laughlin as the First Lady of The Dalles; meaning the first white lady who became a permanent settler of The Dalles. We have already given much space to this fine lady on page 6 under her daughter Elizabeth Lord's early history of The Dalles. When Mary Laughlin came to The Dalles in 1850 they were so poor they lived in a tent and later in a board shack and log huts while Mr. W.C. Laughlin worked erecting the log buildings of Old Fort Dalles. Mrs. Laughlin cooked for the soldiers, mended officers clothing, made gloves for the soldiers and sold milk, butter and cheese to the soldiers of Old Fort Dalles. The W.C. Laughlin Donation Land claim was ½ mile wide and 2 miles long, commencing at the river on Washington street and running east. Their house stood where the Stadelman Ice plant is now located (First & Laughlin) and they had the first vegetable garden and first flower garden in The Dalles and Mrs. Laughlin's roses were the most beautiful things pioneers had ever seen in those days. Their children besides Elizabeth were James and Frank.

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HENRY KLINT, the Stone Mason

     Henry Klint, the pioneer stonemason of The Dalles was born in Germany (1830) where he learned his trade and came to th  e U.S. in 1851 and was married (1854) in Iowa to his wife and came to The Dalles by ox-team in 1862. A number of the old stone buildings and rip-rap stone walls of The Dalles are monuments to the memory of Henry Klint, just as good today as they were 90 years ago when he put them up! Our so-called permanent concrete and brick buildings are not that old. In 1868 they moved to the Klint place, near the mouth of Chenowith creek where he built the large house we see down that way. Their children were George, Charlie, Walter who occupies the home place; Amalie Walter and Alvina Nielsen, pioneer of Mill creek and mother of Klint and Allie Nielsen of that area. At one time (about 1860) Justin Chenowith tried to establish a town down where the old Klint home is located, but was not successful.

The DONNER PARTY

     No account of historical importance about the west would be considered complete if the terrible sufferings of the survivors of the Capt. Geo. F. Donner party of 1848-47, were not at least mentioned. This is especially true of any history about The Dalles and Wasco county for TWO survivors of that fateful emigrant train were virtual life long residents of The Dalles! There is no story in American history that parallels the Donner tragedy!

     The Donner party, like many others, started out from Independence, Mo., on the Old Oregon Trail in 1846 headed for California. The angel of bad luck seemed to follow them almost all the way, with sickness, accidents, deaths, wrong roads, bad advise, worse weather. Theirs was the greatest loss of life of any single wagon train! The slow starvation they experienced during the long winter they were held in the vice-like fastness of the Sierra Nevada mountains, near Lake Tahoe, that drove them by madness to cannibalism, after they consumed their meager supplies of food and oxen, has never been experienced before or since by any similar group of Americana.

     Of the 88 men, women and children of the Donner party, 42 perished; 6 died in the deserts of Utah and Nevada, 36 died in the mountain camps near Lake Tahoe. All this suffering and loss of life may be ascribed to the primary mistake of taking the "southern route" around Great Salt Lake from Ft. Bridger, Utah, instead of the usual course around the north end. The Wasatog mountains delayed them one month. The sands and deserts caused further delay. The Humbolt Sink stalled their wagons and starved their cattle! The party was in a starving condition when it reached the Truckee Meadows, the present site of Reno, Nevada Oct. 19, 1846, at which place they were met by Chas. Stanton, who had returned from California with Indians and provisions. The party pushed on but the early snows of Oct. 23 stalled them at the 6000 foot mark, about 1200 feet below the summit! Two to five feet of snow had fallen! More continued to fall bringing it to 10 feet.

     All the party was not in one place. Some were at Prosser creek, some at Alder creek. They erected tents and brush huts around which they wrapped their canvass wagon covers, overcoats, quilts and hides of cattle! It was in that manner that 81 persons, 24 men, 15 women and 43 child-ren were housed! The wind howled a blizzard and the snow continued to fall and drift! Of the women only 5 died and of those 5, 4 gave their lives heroically to aid and comfort their child-ren or companions.

     On December 16, what was known as the "forlorn hope party" of 9 men and 5 women and one boy, started out over the snow on improvised snow shoes, toward California for help! Six days later Stanton, the rescuer, gave out and was abandoned in the snowdrifts to starve and freeze to death! A Christmas storm halted them for a week! Three men died and were eaten by their companions to keep from starving to death themselves! On January 4 another man died and was eaten! Then Wm. Foster shot the Indians and they were eaten. The rescue party came out of the snow Jan. 11 and were aided by Indians, who provided acorn bread and helped them to reach Johnson's ranch! They had been 32 days out from the marooned Donner party! Eight men died! Two men survived and all the women survived!

     The experiences of the four relief parties from Sutter's Fort, February 5 to April 13, were similar to the "forlorn hope party." Going in on snowshoes, the relief parties cached their provisions for the return trips. On the way back out they found that wild animals had destroyed their caches! -- and their return trips were struggles with death and starvation until they too had to eat one another to survive!

     The last rescue party of April 13 of 7 men under Wm. Gallon reached Donner (Tahoe) Lake in 4 days. Lewis Kaseburg was the only survivor of the winter! The relief party demanded money of Kaseburg! He gave them $500 which he said Mrs. Donner had gave him to give to their children should they survive. Mrs. George Donner had sacrificed her life to stay with her husband at his death! Mrs. Jacob Donner remained with her 4 children! Mrs. Graves stayed with her 4 children. Mrs. Murphy cared for her son and 3 grandchildren! Mrs. Breens heroism in remaining with her husband and 11 children, who had been left in the snow by a rescue party, when their cache had been destroyed, kept the fires burning and nursed the children with a little sugar water thus keeping them alive until rescue came! She would NOT feed upon the bodies of some who had died, nor did the children, with her knowledge. The efforts of James Reed is credited with saving many lives; he had been banished from the party on account of a fight and had came on to California by saddle horse, ahead of the Donner party, and had spread the alarm which caused the first relief party to be dispatched; and he led the 2nd relief party himself!

     In this day and age of modern winter comforts we don't have any mental conception of the sufferings these emigrant heroes experienced. During the winter of 1951-52 a Southern Pacific crack streamliner City of San Francisco became marooned in Donner Pass in a similar snowstorm. All the great snowplows of that railroad were helpless in those drifts! The massive bull-dozer snow plows of the California highway department, after a week or 10 days, opened up a path to the train. A few of the passengers had cold feet and every newspaper in America headlined the story.

NAOMI SCHENCK and HARRIETT NYE

     The following story of Naomi Schanck and her mother Harriett Nye, both of The Dalles and our very own survivors of the fateful Donner Emigrant Party, written by Irene M. Clark and published in The Dalles Chronicle about 30 years ago.

THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST MOTHER LOVE STORIES EVER WRITTEN!

     A dear little silver haired lady, a face alight with the pleasure of sharing with another her wonderful experiences of by-gone times, she tells of toiling across the plains, streams and mountains, with a long line of prairie schooners, horses, cattle,- the Donner Party of 1848. Among these people one saw a happy little family group, the stalwart young father and a dainty little 19 year old mother, with her two little girls, baby Catherine and little 3 year old Naomi. Lured from a luxurious home by the call of the trackless wilds, their campfires made gay by songs, dancing and laughter, their days enlivened by the many novel and exciting occurrences.

     But sorrow and disaster stalked in the shadow of the party. One day an accidental bullet ended the life of the young father (Wm. M. Pike); but the girl-mother, Harriett F. Pike, bearing her burden of grief gathered her babies (Naomi and Catherine) more closely to her breast and pressed on to the "promised land of California!" Trouble pressed closely upon them. Hundreds of miles from every supply point, their provisions were giving out! Winter was almost upon them and the uncharted mountain wilds of the Sierra Nevadas lay ahead. They had not come so far to be discouraged now. Caught in the deep snows, unable to go forward or back, they dug in and with what rude shelters they could construct, prepared to fight for life!

     The misery of those starving, freezing, huddled groups of once happy prosperous people, out-distances the imagination! The little mother Harriett, made bold by her babies' sufferings, left them with their grandmother and offered herself as one of a party who volunteered to bring relief! After 32 days of suffering and privations, under which all but 8 of the original 15 in the party died, she staggered into a camp on the California side of the mountains and started a relief pack train back to bring out the imprisoned sufferers! With what eagerness she awaited their return! And when they came, of her loved little family, there was only little Naomi and she was almost dead with hunger and cold, but smiling wanly with joy at being transferred from the arms of the brave young man, who had carried her in his arms on snow shoes over 40 miles of wintery mountain waste, to the breast of the indomitable little mother, whose fierce burning mother love had literally conquered death for her and her companions!

     While the scene changed, winter wastes, starvation, death and sorrow all lay behind like a phantom dream, the soft light of the summer sun on the fields of waving grass, yellow grain and poppies, with cattle browsing contently along a river; Indians and Mexicans in picturesque dress, went slowly about their duties. Peace and plenty were everywhere. In the shadow of an abode house the dainty little mother kept a watchful eye upon a happy little girl, playing among the grass and flowers, for little Naomi, then 5 years old, was the treasure of the countryside, the only little white girl in a radius of hundreds of miles! Rough men, who came to the ranch, stood worshipfully before her baby grace and begged, "please ma'am, may I hold the little girl a spell? then hurried shamefacedly away! The baby would query, "why mens cwy, mamma?"; leaving the baby's hand full of gold nuggets in memory of their own little ones back in the states!

     One day the childish eyes beheld, all unknowingly, the beginning of California's great gold rush. Her new father (Col. H.C. Nye) rushed in off the cattle range, one afternoon, excited and minus his hat and coat. Immediately a crowd of men gathered around him with loud talk. Little Naomi asked no questions but concluded the Indians had robbed her father of his hat and coat. Rut her father was loved by all the Indians and on that day he had met several of them and one of the Indians held out a handful of gold nuggets and asked, "is that the stuff they are making such a fuss about at Fort Sutter?"

     "Yea," replied Col. Nye, "what do you want for them?"

     "Me takum hat," said one Indian; and a fine Peruvian hat and the Indian's nuggets changed hands! "That same thing," grunted another Indian holding out a buckskin bag of gold flakes

     "Yes," replied Nye, "what will you take for that?"

     "Me takum coat," said the Indian and a fine Mexican bolero jacket soon graced the Indian.

     Finding out where the gold was discovered Naomi's father and his men went to the spot and verified the belief that gold beyond the dreams of avarice was looked therein the earth. Borne on the winds the magic word GOLD proved the "open sesame!" to emigration and thus the rush 1848 and 1849 to California began! Naomi's father had a flourishing store and a large cattle ranch but he decided to leave the wilds of Marysville for the Oregon country, about 1885.

     According to Judge Fred W. Wilson the family lived in Hood River about 2 years on a stock farm then moved to The Dalles where he bought about 2000 acres at the mouth of 5 mile creek, now known as the Schanno place, where he continued in the stock raising business. Col. Nye sold his holdings here to D.E. Thompson and went to Prinevi11e where he died in the early 1880's. He was a good stockman, had fine stock and excellent men working for him. His wife Harriett F. (Pike) Nye died in The Dalles in 1890 and was buried at Marysville, California. (Obituary on next page, please).

OBITUARY OF HARRIETT NYE

     Harriett Nye, wife of Col. H.C. Nye of the Nye Ranch at Marysville, California died at The Dalles Oregon. She was a sister of Mary Colville, after whom Marysville, California was named. She came to California in 1848 with the ill-fated Donner party. She was one, out of 16, who left the marooned emigrants, on snowshoes, over the mountains to Fort Sutter for relief. She leaves a husband and daughter, Mrs. B.W. Mitchell (later Mrs. John Schenck) of The Dalles, Oregon. --- Maryville Standard October 8, 1870 (Copied from Times-Mountaineer of The Dalles Sept. 1, 1870.)

NEOMI L. (Mrs. John. S.) SCHENCK

     Neomi L. Pike came to The Dalles with her step-father (Col. H.C. Nye) and her mother Harriett Nye, in 1864 and married Dr. B.W. Mitchell who died a short time after their marriage. Then in the early 1880's she married John S. Schenck, prominent Dalles banker who came here in 1862 as agent for the Oregon Steam Navigation Co. at both The Dalles and Umatilla. He was later associated in partner-ship with Hamilton M. Beall, clerk with the Oregon Steam Navigation Co. in the Schenck & Beall bank. In 1885 they dissolved partnership and Mr. Schenck established the First National Bank of The Dalles, then located at 303 E. 2nd. This bank prospered and in May 1911 they built the building now occupied by the U.S. National bank at 3rd and Washington. The first board of directors included David Thompson, president; H.M. Beall, cashier; John S. Schenck, Griffith Williams, George Leibe and David Thompson directors. J.M. Patterson was cashier in 1893. Mr. Beal replaced him in 1896. In 1892 John S. Schenck was elected president and remained in that capacity until his death in 1913. Mr. Beall went to San Francisco in 1906. Max Vogt became president upon Mr. Schenck's death and served until his death in 1919. Edward M. Williams then assumed the presidential duties followed by LaDrew Barnum who occupied the chair when the bank folded up during the depression of 1934.

     Neomi Schenck always refused to talk about the horrors of the Donner party and what she and her devoted mother went through until about 3 or 4 years before her death in 1934. David Hazen of the Portland Oregonian asked Judge Fred W. Wilson to arrange with her for an interview, if possible, which she granted, revealing much of the remarkable account of her and her mother's life, as recorded above. A few additional details are listed below.

     Neomi Pike came to The Dalles in 1864 as the bride of Dr. B.W. Mitchell. Enroute through Portland she recalled that that was a very muddy town with single plank walks. After Dr. Mitchell's death she married John S. Schenck in 1877. Pike's Peak in Colorado was named for an uncle of her father Zebulon Pike. In 1851 she made the trip both ways by water to the eastern states and return. She went back by water again in 1853 and returned to Oregon by wagon in 1854 when she met and knew Jim Bridger of Fort Bridger, Utah. After her mother left for rescue and the snowdrifts became 40 feet deep in their marooned camps near Donner (Tahoe) Lake. She said they were mis-led by ill advise to take the out-off road at Fort Bridger to save time but which brought delay, starvation and death to the party. After eating their food and oxen they boiled and ate the hides of their oxen! Then had to commence eating one another as their companions died of starvation or exposure! They even tried to eat their boots and shoes! Mrs. Schenck's baby sister Catherine and her grand-mother both perished! She was carried out on the back of a young man who had promised her mother at Fort Sutter to bring her out, if alive, or die with her strapped to his back in the effort! She gave her mother's watch and tie pin to the Donner historical collection of California.

     The Donner party has had many books and magazine articles written about the tragedy, in all our libraries; but none of them carry this account of the imperishable mother love so deeply burning that at least one daughter was snatched from the haws of death by her prayers; and her own determination and unconquerable spirit led to the rescue of the survivors. This is one of the most outstanding stories in the 100 years of Wasco county history. It should always be preserved in our memories and in the archives of our records.

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ANNIE CAPLINGER

     Annie Caplinger arrived in The Dalles in 1845 with the S.K. Barlow emigrant train. Their oxen were worn out on the trip and had to be abandoned at The Dalles along with their prairie schooner. They were able to get one old run down horse on which they put some food, bedding and their two children and started out on foot via Hood River and Lost Lake, Bull Run and Sandy for Oregon City! The snow got too deep for the horse and its burden between Lost Lake and Bull Run river, so Annie had to carry one of the children through that early winter sleet and snow, over the mountain. Her husband carried the gun and led the horse and broke trail. Her husband worked in a sawmill at Oregon City for 2 years until the acquired enough money to start a home on a Donation Land claim at Salem where they lived for more than 50 years!

     This story by Fred Lockley in the Oregon Journal showed that not all the emigrants went down the Columbia river on rafts (1845) nor did they follow Barlow over his trail. Some at least followed the Lee Cattle or Indian Trail over the mountains to the Willamette valley. They must have did so much walking across the plains that the mountains and the snow didn't look too tough.

The GEORGE SNIPES LOVE STORY

     This is the No. 1 pioneer love story in the history of Wasco county. We have read 7 different versions of this story by that many writers. While the thread of the different stories were the same there were some bits of meat in one that was mission in another. Some facts mentioned herein may be new to the reader who have not read all 7 versions.

     A Cussing father, a haughty youth, a pretty maid, those were the factors of a True Pioneer Romance of The Dalles; so said the Portland Oregonian in 1920.

     George Snipes was born (1832) near Raleigh, N.C. At age 5 he went to Tenn. with his parents and in 1850 they went to Iowa.

     Martha Imbler, daughter of Pater Imbler was born (1836) at Louisville, Ky. and her family went to Iowa in 1850.

     Emigrants for Oregon were notified in 1852 to meet at Koekuk and it was there that George Snipes and Wm. Luce net. George hired to Luce as an ox teem driver to Oregon for next March. On the Old Oregon Trail, headed west, one day George's team came to a creek where Peter Imbler's oxen stalled and no amount of gouging could get them started. When George had made the opposite bank, Imbler called to him for help to get the Imbler team out of the mire. Snipes replied that he had troubles of his own and had no time to devote to the draying business.

     This angered Imbler and he spoke unprintable words to Snipes, who replied in like kind; about that time a pretty girl put her beautiful head out of the wagon canvass and laughed. George Snipes smiled back. That was their introduction and the beginning of the greatest pioneer love story in the recorded history of Wasco county. It was love at first sight and every night Snipes sought out the Imbler wagon and whenever Peter Imbler wasn't around he talked dove-like to the idol of his dreams. Soon the father heard of these meetings and forbade Martha to speak to the unkind driver, who wouldn't pull them out of the mud. But these orders were NOT obeyed and long before they reached Oregon George Snipes and Martha Imbler was engaged to wed at the earliest opportunity. Peter Imbler took good care that the opportunity did not come easily or soon.

     On September 1, 1853 the party arrived at Dufur where they decided to rest a few days before going on the Willamette valley; and that evening the lovesick Snipes wandered around camp wishing a thousand times he had pulled the Imbler wagon out of the mire. Then he saw the business card of Dr. C.W. Shaug of The Dalles, lying on the ground. Dr. Shaug had been the Snipes family doctor in Iowa, so George borrowed a horse and rode to town to see Dr. Shaug.

     There were only three white families in The Dalles at that time. He related his tale of woe to Dr. Shaug and asked advice. Dr. Shaug hit upon the idea of getting a friend to take a note to Martha Imbler from George, who asked his lady love to steal away from their wagons, follow the bearer of the note to a horse so they could ride to town, like mad, and get married. It all worked out like a charm. Dr. Shaug (a Justice of the Peace) had the license and they were married by Rev. Gustavus Hines, a Methodist preacher. Snipes only had $1.75 to begin married life on. He went to work for Dr. Shaug, then secured a horse and some stock and moved to Rowena in 1855. He had to beat off an Indian attack down there so they moved back to The Dalles with Joe Marsh where all took refuge at Fort Dalles for protection from Indians. Later he moved to his Snipes acres home just west of the county Fair grounds. From 1854 to 56 he was a deputy sheriff under Bon Reynolds and had to ride to Eugene (1854) after a murderer Maurice Thompkins. --- Portland Oregonian 1920.

ELIZABETH LORD'S VERSION, Published in her Reminiscences of 1902.

     I came across the plains in 1853 and arriving at 10 mile creek (Fairbanks) I met Nathan Olney, who was from Jefferson county, Iowa. He asked me if I knew his people and I told him I did but could not remember him as he had been gone so long. As we were hitching up to start, intending to take the Barlow Pass road to the Valley. I saw a card on the ground and picking it up I saw the name of Dr. C.W. Shaug of The Dalles on it. I had known him in Iowa where he was our family physician. I asked one of the boys to drive to 15 Mile (Dufur) while I went to town to see Dr. Shaug and would meet them later at 15 Mile. The doctor was out to his ranch, the place I now have. He thought I ought to stop at The Dalles and offered to help pick out a place here for me.

     I told him that was what I wanted but that I had to go on as I was going to get married when I got to the valley; that the old man wouldn't give me his girl and that I would have to steal her as soon as I got there. He wanted to know if the girl was willing to be stolen and I told him she said, "yes".

     "Hell, why not steal her and stay here?" he asked, "I'll get some fellows to go with you and I'll furnish the horses and I know where I can get a side saddle for the girl; and you can steal her now. Lets go back to town and talk it over with my wife."

     We went back to town and Mrs. Shaug was delighted with the plan and I concluded to try it. They told me to go into the tent and write a letter to Martha telling her just what to do. In the meantime the doctor got Jim Thompson and Jim Griffin to go with me and he furnished the cayuses for the 3 of us and one with a side-saddle for the girl. When we got to 15 Mile (Dufur) we found my train but the Imblers had gone. We went on to the Brookhouse place and found the Imblers had made a dry camp.

     Griffin and myself waited at a safe distance while Thompson rode to camp. He tied his horse to a wagon and went to where they were eating supper. He asked for Mr. Imbler and told a yarn about expecting to meet a brother with that train. He was asked to eat supper but replied that he had just had supper but would be sociable and drink a cup of coffee with them. On waiting until Miss Imbler went to the wagon, he made an excuse to tend to his horse and managed to give her the note. He returned to the campfire and told so many yarns that when he finally took leave the old man became suspicious and called the men together and told them he believed that a gang was coming to steal their stock. They all got excited, rounded up the stock and stood guard over them.

     When Miss Imbler got the letter, she called her sister who brought a candle and they read it together. By the time she was ready to start the cattle had been rounded up and her two brothers were standing guard over them directly opposite her wagon. There was nothing to do but wait with patience for an opportunity to escape. While the boys were talking with their backs to the wagon she slipped away and walked down the road to where we three were waiting for her. Upon joining us we quickly mounted and started for The Dalles where we arrived at 2:30 A.M. at Dr. Shaug's tent.

    We told him everything was all right and he said, "I have good news for you. I have a preacher here. Rev. Hines came up on the boat to meet a brother."

     We had expected to have to go to Portland to be married. The doctor called in several witnesses and we were married within an hour after our arrival.

The JAMES SNIPES VERSION, as related May 17, 1918

     The oldest man in Wasco county and all of eastern Oregon, in point of residence, is George R. Snipes who lives 11 miles west of The Dalles on Chenowith Road, in Snipes Acres, named for him. He has lived in Wasco county 65 years (1918) and on his Snipes Acres ranch 58 years! When Mr. Snipes came to The Dalles all of eastern Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming, Yellowstone Park and Montana to the crest of the Rockies belonged to Clackamas county as Wasco county was not yet set off! Mr. Snipes is now 86 years of age but he don't look it. He was born near Raleigh, N.C. in 1832. His father was Elam Snipes and his mother Asenath Rawson and they had 7 children who came out to The Dalles in 1863. The brothers and sisters were: Ed. Snipes of Glenwood; Martha (Lyle) of Lyle, Wn.; Benj. Snipes Dalles druggist, banker and cattle king whose only son Ben died in Alaska; Jane Snipes of The Dalles; Fannis (Allen); John who died in Iowa; George, the subject of this story.

     The children of George and Martha (Imbler) Snipes were: George Jr. died 1874; Edgar drowned in the Columbia swimming cattle across 1887; Wilda killed by a horse in 1890; Fred died 1918; Frank died 1920 at Toppenish; Henry died here in 1928; Frances (McCown) died here in 1928; Susie (Adams) died Illinois 1928; James died Nehalem 1932; Mary (Meuden) died here 1924; Leander died Toppenish 1936; Levester died in Calif.; Littlie (Mrs. Ebon Waterman) died in Spokane; Charlie died in Seattle. Our subject George and his wife Martha both died here.

     The children of James the druggist and cattle king were Bessie of Portland; George of Clatskanie; Joe of Portland; Harry of Oregon City: Jeannette (Mrs. L.M. Martin) 610 E. 7, The Dalles who supplied the James Snipes version of this story and James Jr. of Portland.

     Wm. Snipes was a veteran of the American Revolution and when the British surrounded his home and burnt him out he hid in a blackberry patch. The soldier hung Cudgy, his negro slave for not revealing where his master was.

     I was 5 years old when we moved to Tennessee where we lived near an iron works and rolling mill which employed 500 negroes, where we lived for 10 years then father moved to Iowa, then called the New Purchase. We went to Wapello county first then to Jefferson county, Fairfield where I lived until I came to Oregon in 1853. Father's family did not come to Oregon until 1863. Father was a farmer.

     The reason I came to Oregon when I did, leaving my family, was because of my girl. She was leaving Iowa for Oregon with the spring emigration with the Imbler family. I took the next ox-train that left 2 weeks later. We did not overtake the Imbler train until we reached Salmon Falls, Idaho. Then we traveled a day behind or a day ahead until we reached The Dalles on the 16th of September when I was a day ahead of their train. I was 21 years old the day we entered South Pass. I came with the Luces, 2 brothers. We took the north side of the Platte river. The emigration of 1853 was very heavy, there was a long procession of wagons as far as you could see, before and behind. There were about 23 men over 20 years old in the Luce train and 8 women. The Luces had a fine wagons with oxen. We had no trouble with Indians and saw a good many. One was killed near Fort Laramie for trying to steal a red headed girl. We saw a few buffalo and killed one. Antelope were thick but fleet of foot although I killed one accidentally. As I raised my gun to aim, it went off and broke an antelope's back. We had plenty of provisions through to The Dalles.

     Dr. Fisher was the only member of our train that died. One of his oxen at the Snake river died and he cut it open to see what the cause was as there had been quite a loss of cattle on the road. He scratched his wrist, infection set in and he died within 3 days and we buried him opposite the mouth of the Boise river. When I went to Boise to meet father's train in 1883 I found the Doctor's grave. It had been opened by coyotes down to the log chains which had been wrapped about the box.

     When our train got to Fairbanks, on 10 mile creek, I met Nathan Olney and learned he came from my home county in Iowa and that he knew the older members of our family. He had been gone too long for me to remember him. There were 3 of the Olneys here. We stayed all night on 10 Mile.

     The next morning when hitching up my team, I found a card of Dr. C.W. Shaug of The Dalles. I asked one of the boys to drive my team, stating that I wanted to go to The Dalles to see Dr. Shaug. He had been our family doctor in Iowa and I was anxious to see him. He came to Oregon the year before, had wintered in Portland and came back to The Dalles in the spring. He had a store at the mouth of Mill creek in the Nathan Olney log cabin), then called the "Landing", and he was trading with the Indians and emigrants. When I came to The Dalles Dr. and Mrs. Shaug were living in a tent, but they were building a house. He took the claim where I now live (Snipes Acres) under the Donation Land Claim Act. He bought the rights of Keith and Keith bought of Nathan Olney who went there in 1847! -- the first American to settle here.

     Dr. Shaug went back to Portland in 1856. He sold to Roby, and he to Noble and Scholl. It was in 1860 that I bought this place at Sheriff's sale, an undivided half. A man named H.P. Issac (early Dalles merchant) had a mortgage on the other half. He closed the mortgage and sold to me for the amount of the mortgage, $2300. I paid $1900 for the first half. (Note: - this is very important history for the hundreds of people who now own and live in Snipes Acres, just west of the county farm at The Dalles, comprising the square mile section joining the Catholic Mission claim, extending from the Snipes-Shaug claim to Mission street in The Dalles. The Snipes-Shaug claim commences on the west and of the county-owned 40 acres, runs from the bluff to the rail-road, west down the railroad and highway 30 about a mile, then south to the bluff and back to point of beginning. The Snipes brick house was about a mile west of the county grounds, on the north side of the Chenowith road. The brick house burned in 1924).

     When I came to The Dalles that 16 day of Sept. 1853 to see Dr. Shaug he wanted me to stay and work for him, but I told him I couldn't; and when he insisted I told him I was going to get married and go to the Willamette Valley. I told him I would have to steal my girl, for her old man objected. Dr. Shaug told me this was the place for me to stop for there were good chances for a young man here. He asked me who my girl was and when I told him Martha Imbler he said he knew them in Iowa. He said he would get some horses and knew 2 men, Jim Griffin and Jim Thompson who would help me get my girl. When we got out to 15 Mile (Dufur) the girl was gone. They had gone about 7 miles to Pine Hollow and camped there. The name Imbler was on their wagon sheets. I stayed at 15 Mile and they went to the Imbler camp and asked for Mr. Imbler. They were setting on the ground eating supper and asked Jim to tie his horse to the wagon and eat with them. He sat opposite the girl and drank a cup of coffee. When Martha got up and went to the wagon where Jim had tied his horse, he followed to get his horse and slipped the letter under the wagon cover to the girl. Martha called her sister and they got a candle and read the letter and she told Jim that as soon as they were in bed she would be ready. By this time Mr. Imbler had discovered the other man below camp and told the family there was two men, and that he didn't like the way they talked and to guard the cattle. So they put a guard out and built a big fire with Martha's brother as guard about 20 steps away. When his back was turned she got out of the wagon and left.

     It was not until the next morning that her old man knew that one of his girls had "flew the coop," and he was good and wrathy. When they returned to 15 Mile with Martha I joined them and rode to The Dalles bareback. It was 2:30 in the morning when we got here. One of the boys told me a Methodist preacher had arrived that evening and was sleeping in a tent over there, pointing. I halloed at the tent and asked if there was preacher in there, and a sleepy voice said, "yes, what do you want?" I replied, "I want you to come out and marry a couple." The preacher was Joseph Hines. He did not stay here long. Our marriage took place in that tent, on the bank of hill creek, not far from the Umatilla House (First & Union).

     Wasco county was then a part of Clackamas county, and Oregon City was the county seat. Our marriage record is among the earlies filed in the county courthouse at Oregon City". No license was needed then. The preacher or Justice of Peace filed a notice at the county seat that he had performed such a marriage in that county, and that was all there was of it. Our marriage was not the first in old Wasco county, the Bushaliers were before us.

     When we were married, all the money I had was $1.80 but when we were standing up to get -married, married Dr. Shaug slipped me $20 and I gave the preacher $10 of it that Sunday morning September 18, 1853. I took my wife to Dr. Shaugs and I worked for him for $1 a day helping him to build a log house on his (Snipes Acres) claim where I live now. The house was about 24 X 20.

     In 1854 we went to Rowena to live. (Note: the history of Central Oregon says George Snipes was the first settler at Rowena. Where the claim for payment by the Bonneville Administration for flood rights in connection with Bonneville dam, Boyd Tindall claims all the records the property there to belong to Elam Snipes, father of George; so Elam no doubt finished claim proof. The Snipes place at Rowena is now (1952) known as the Richard-Campbell place, a 2 story white house on which an addition was made in 1905. George Snipes sold to his father Elam in 1865 and Elam to his son Edward Snipes. Shortly after George and Martha removed to Rowena, and got their house up one night they were attacked by a band of 5 renegade Indians. The dog came whimpering in the darkness to the door. When they let him in George noticed he had an arrow in his body. He asked Martha to get up and load their guns while he chipped the mud from between the logs of the house so as to see the Indians in the moonlight. He fired and seen one Indian fall. A shower of arrows rained upon the house. He fired again and another Indian fell. That was enough for them, they retreated with one dead and one wounded Indian to the Washington shore. Next morning he and Martha returned to the security of Fort Dalles, made their report to military authorities, and continued to live close to town for protection. The Yakima Indian war broke out that fall making it unsafe during the fall of 1856 and during 1868 to be away from protection.

     I plowed the first furrow ever turned on the old Shaug place. I split and hauled the rails that went into that old rail fence on the place. In 1854 we made a garden and sowed some grain as fast as I could get the ground broken up. I did this with a yoke of oxen that Luce left with me when he went on to the Willamette Valley. In 1855 the snow was 5 feet deep. In 1862 we lived on snow birds for a while! In 1856 Dr. Shaug set out an orchard, planted locust tree seed which made big trees down by the spring on this place. They are all gone now (1918) fell over about 5 years ago. That year two other orchards were started besides Shrugs. "Shoo-fly" Brown, who lived on west Chenowith (Brown's Creek), where the W.H. Wilson place now is (at the Forks about 4 miles above Chenowith Grange hall), planted fruit trees. I planted fruit trees on my Donation Land Claim at Rowena; we went to Lwelling's Nursery at Milwaukee for apples, pears, cherries and peaches. Three of those pear trees are living now, one a Bartlett, is small, the others are larger. There is one Astrachan apple tree, 3 Golden Sweets, 1 Yellow Newtown Pippin and 1 big red apple. They bear every year. The Golden Sweet is a fine apple, compares favorably with fruit from modern orchards, bears well - good crops for 62 years! These are what is left of the first fruit trees planted in all of eastern Oregon.

     In 1862 we came back to The Dalles from Rowena and lived here ever since. I filed on a homestead in 1865 or 66 where the brick house now stands. In 1867 we built the brick house and I am living in it at this time, May 17, 1918. (It burned in 1924.) We had 14 children, quite a flock of birds, all born either here or at Rowena. Martha died in 1901.

     In 1877 Mr. Imbler came to Mr. Snipes and acknowledged his mistake in opposing the marriage of George Snipes, a penniless young man, to his daughter Martha. He had not reckoned with the determination of Mr. Snipes, who left home a penniless boy to work his way across the U.S. as an ox-team driver, 2000 miles to Oregon, so as to be near as possible to his sweetheart and be able to marry her at the first opportunity! His father-in-law needed a loan of money and Mr. Snipes made the loan to Mr. Imbler which indicated all was forgiven and no permanent hard feelings existed between the two. If more young men of today (1952) had to work their way across the U.S. to get their sweethearts, marriages would be more secure and permanent.

     Mrs. Crandall's clippings in The Dalles Library says our Dufur neighbors were in 1860 W.R. Menefee, John Cooks, George Herbert, Wm. Logan, Lew Henderson, Henry Jackson, David P. Imbler, John and Richard Brookhouse, John Cates, Thomas Angle, Wm. Gilliam, Tom Ward, Mike Christman, Herman Mahn, Sam and John Price, Sam Brookhouse, Warren Hibbard, Tom Whitehurst, Joseph Sherar, Wm. Pearson, Absolm Bolton, Daniel Bolton, Horace Rice, Sam Todd, Dan Butler and Robert Mays.

     Carson C. Masiker, the step son of Sam Price, in the Optimist in 1927, said that when he went to school at Dufur in 1860 (see under Dufur) among the other children were Mary Imbler, Francs Imbler, Nancy Imbler and Annie Imbler. We presume these are father, and sisters of Martt Imbler. The Imbler boys seemed to have went on down to Eugene where they settled for a time and then returned via The Dalles to Union county where they founded the town of Imbler, Oregon with Albert Imbler first postmaster in 1891.

The FAMOUS BENJAMIN SNIPES CATTLE RIDE

     Capt. W.P. Grey tells of the remarkable ride made by Ben Snipes, Dalles banker, druggist and Cattle King of Klickitat county, Wn., from The Dalles to the Canadian boundary, 280 miles in 62 hours, by saddle horse. The Captain wrote:

     I think this ride deserves a place in early survival endurances for this part of the Wild and Wooly West. In 1861 Ben Snipes and his cattle partner Murphy, rounded up 500 head of cattle at Assoyas Lake to drive to the Carribb mines. The mosquitoes were so thick at the Junction of the Sanilkanian and Okanogan rivers and along the lake shores that stock stopping for a drink would be covered with mosquitoes instantly! A hand, placed on a horse, while drinking, would be covered with blood. The cattle cut trails belly deep while roaring and bawling up and down the valley, unable to drink or eat day or night! Many fell exhausted and were trampled to death.

     Word was sent to Ben at The Dalles at 5 A.M. He left The Dalles riding a bald faced roan half breed. He rode over the Klickitat mountain, through Klickitat Valley, over Simcoe mountain, through the Yakima Indian reservation, over the divide, through Kittitas valley, over Wenatchee mountains, swam the Columbia river at Moses Lake, across the Big Bend country, swam the Columbia river again at Fort Okanogan, up the Akan to Assogas Lake to where I lived.

     He had arrived at 7 P.M. on the 3rd day after 62 hours in the saddle on one horse! He had rode full width of the territory of Washington, 260 miles. He supervised the driving of the cattle across the Canadian boundary to the mines of Canada where there was a shortage of meat and prices at their best.

     Ben Snipes, the cattle king, it is said, "lost so many cattle during the hard winter of 1862 that you could walk up the side of Klickitat mountain on their carcasses without touching the ground." This appears to be an exaggeration, but Snipes did own lots of cattle. It appears also from this story by Capt. Gray that Ben Snipes came west shortly after George did and before Elam.

JESS IMBLER

     Most probably a brother of Martha, was a native of Kentucky (1842) came to Iowa and then to Ore-gon in 1853, settling at Eugene with his father. He was a veteran of the Rogue river Indian was of 1856 at age 16, fighting with 2 older brothers. After the war of 56 he came back to The Dalles with his father and raised cattle in 1868 the family went to Imbler, Oregon where they acquired a 1000 acre ranch and continued he cattle business.

Lewis A. McARTHUR

     In keeping with our policy of not forgetting anyone who has ever assisted to any important degree in preserving our history, we believe that Lewis A. McArthur's Oregon Geographic Names, the third edition which will be off the press of Binford and Mort in Portland in November, is one of the most important contributions to our history so far made by any one man for the state of Oregon. Mr. McArthur, in cooperation with the Oregon Historical Society and Edwin R. Payne, post office clerk of Salem, hired girls to copy the old Oregon post office ledgers, in the National Archives, and came up with 4000 sheets of names of offices, dates of establishment, who many of the first postmasters were, in what county the office was established in and what county it was discontinued in (in case of discontinuance) and dates of discontinuance. The post offices, and data pertaining thereto, applicable to the counties of eastern Oregon which used to all be a part of Wasco county, was obtained from Edwin Payne and appears in this history.

     Mr. McArthur took his master copy of postal names and added thereto the names of rivers, creeks, buttes, mountains, lakes, points of interest and other geographic information. He corresponded with historians and old times from every Oregon county to get as much MORE information about each post office as he could. His first edition in 192S had a wealth of information and is on file in the Wasco county library for reference purposes only. His 1948 edition contained all his findings up to that time and it is also on file in our library. Both these editions are out of print and virtually impossible to obtain. As stated above Binford and Mort will have the 1952 edition off the press in November, the price is $8. get your order in now as they too will soon be out of print an not available. It is one of the most important histories in Oregon.

     Lewis A. McArthur is a Dalles native son of Judge L.L. McArthur of our local Circuit Court in the 1880's. He selected the electrical field for his occupation and became a vice president of the Pacific Power & Light Co. with headquarters in Portland. His brother Pat McArthur was a congressman from the Portland district. The McArthurs lived on 4th street, about 112 West 4th, according to M.Z. Donnell, in the house later occupied by Frank Seufert. Lewis McArthur held various posts in the Oregon Historical Society and is one of the most outstanding men in the 100 years of Wasco county history.

JUDGE WARD R. WEBBER & The Dalles Bridge.

     In 1858 the charter of Dalles City was empowered by the Oregon State Legislature to construct a bridge across the Columbia river. For all those years the "do nothing policy" of our city fathers even permitted private ownership and exploitation of the ferry service which, if owned by the city, would have long ago laid aside funds sufficient to built the bridge across the Columbia river, which they were authorized to build, and operate it virtually free of tolls.

     The people were forced to wait and pay ferry tolls until 1950 when Judge Ward R. Webber, of the Wasco County Court, became the leader under whose direction the ferry was purchased July 1, 1950 for $300,000. It could have been bought by Dalles City In 1908 for $8000. Dalles City transferred its option to Wasco County in 1950. The first survey by the county called for a cantilever bridge at Covington Point 3.4 east of The Dalles at the intersection of highways 23 and 30, which site was acceptable to the Oregon and Washington highway officials since 1947. Col. Ralph Tudor, San Francisco bridge engineer selected the site and designed the bridge. The engineering firm of Cloverdale and Colpitts of New York made the traffic survey showing the bonds and investment was good up to $2,450,000 with traffic increasing from 17,813 vehicles a year to 878,000 a year in 1973. A.C. Allyn & Co. of Chicago took the bonds. A lawsuit to test the legality of the bridge act was carried to the state Supreme Court in 1949. The bridge was expected to pay the bonds off in 10 years. District Attorney Don Heisler and Ralph Moody of Salem laid out the legal groundwork. The main span was to be 1458 feet with all the piers on dry land. There was a 970 foot fill and S.P. & S railroad overpass and 3-110 foot deck girder spans and the road connection with Washington highway 830.

     The sketch of The Dalles Dam, published in the Optimist Dec. 8, 1951, showed the Washington portion of The Dalles bridge to be a part of the dam. On Feb. 7, 1952 T.T. McKenzie, bridge engineer, reported all piers in place and the bridge 29% complete with the steel ordered. Then the Army Engineers re-designed the location of The Dalles Dam, after tests made at Bonneville Dam, showing a site 500 feet up-stream would be better. Further tests showed the spillway of The Dalles Dam would eventually wash the basalt foundation out from under the piers of The Dalles Bridge, making the Covington site and piers constructed worthless, except for a foot bridge in connection with the building of the dam for workmen. The Covington bridge site was condemned.

     Further engineering showed the Three Mile Rapids Site would cost about one million dollars more than the Army Engineers offered for the condemned Covington site, which sum Wasco county asked for in the federal court in Portland. Judge Ward Weber held conferences with top Army Engineers in Washington, D.C. and successfully arrived at a new settlement figure. He has called for bids for a new bridge at Three Mile Rapids. When these bids are accepted new piers will be erected so as to use the bridge steel in storage. The delay will cost the county a year's tolls. The set-backs have been one grand "headache" for all condemned, but perseverance is the pass word that has kept Judge Webber and his county staff at work on the project.

     The Guy F. Atkison Co. was awarded the Covington Point bridge contract for $1,988,000. The Army Engineers offered the county $895,000 for the piers and Covington Bridge site. Later negotiations brought forth the million dollars difference. The April 1952 Chronicle said, "when completed the bridge will be an important milestone of progress speeding the flow of traffic between Oregon highway 30 and Washington highway 830. The relocation of The Dalles-California highway (23) approach up Three Mile creek to connect with the O1d Dufur Market road and highway 23 at 8 Mile creek, is in the plans of the Three Mile Rapids site. The county applied for the permit to construct the bridge July 5, 1949. On March 17, 1950 the Secretary of the Army issued the permit to Wasco county to construct The Dalles Bridge at Covington Point. Work on the bridge was started in January 1951. Hearings on the federal condemnation action were held in Judge James Alger Fee's court Monday February 25, 1952. Judge Weber left Friday March 7, 1952 with Col. Ralph Tudor, consulting engineer of San Francisco and District Attorney Donald Heisler to confer with Senator Wayne Morse and high army officials at Washington, D.C., on the additional million dollars needed for a bridge at the Three Mile Rapids location.

     While this bridge is NOT completed, we have every reason to believe that it will be, (barring an act of God). There are a lot of headaches yet to iron out by Judge Webber, and county commissioners S.M. Hix and Vernon Obrist and attorneys and engineers. It was under Judge Webber's leadership that this was all done, after waiting nearly 100 years for Dalles City to do the job.

     Judge Webber was born (1893) at Ozark, Missouri the son of Sam and Alta (Morris) Webber. He received his early education in Kansas and came to The Dalles in 1913 to establish Webber's Cleaners and Taylors business which he turned over to his partners George Wedikind and Louis Powell when he became Wasco county judge in 1948. He was a member of the Port of The Dalles Commissioners and has always been an active member of The Dalles Chamber of Commerce. The day The Dalles Bridge is opened for traffic will mark the date Judge Webber will be acclaimed another one of the most outstanding citizens in our 100 years of history for benefiting so many people of the Mid-Columbia area with better road transportation.

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EDWARD C. PEASE

     Edward C. Pease, prominent pioneer merchant of The Dalles, was born in San Francisco (1860) son of Wm. Pease, a contractor who went to California in the gold rush days of 1849, and his wife Harriett (Cartwright) Pease. He graduated in 1878 from the San Francisco high school and came to Portland in 1882 with the building of the railroads into the northwest. In 1884 he came on up to The Dalles and clerked in the Smith French and E.B. McFarland mercantile store for 7 years. In 1891 he became associated with Robert Mays and bought out McFarland & French. They continued to do business as Pease & Mays until about 1900 when Mr. Mays retired and Mr. Pease assumed ownership. During that period of time (1884-1900) long lines of freight teams bore freight from the Pease & Mays warehouse to Central Oregon and the Goldendale area of Washington.

     Upon the completion of the Columbia Southern railroad into Shaniko Mr. Pease established the leading mercantile store in that city which operated to about 1912, till the completion of railroads up the Deschutes to Central Oregon. The Shaniko store did a tremendous business, more than The Dalles store, during the railroad and settlement boom, with long lines of freight teams at his Shaniko warehouse.

     Mr. Pease was a member of the Oregon State Board of Higher Education; of the Whitman College Advisory Board and of the Federal Reserve Board; an active member of the Chamber of Commerce and Honorary President of the Wasco County Pioneers' Association. It was his friendship with J.P. O'Brian, Superintendent of the O.R. & N. railroad that got the re-location of the Union Pacific Wood Preserving plant in The Dalles, now called the "tie plant" which employs over 200 men. But it was in the days of the dark depression of the 1930's that Mr. Pease did his greatest work, very quietly, for the people of Oregon and Washington.

     When The Dalles Chamber of Commerce was working so hard to get Bonneville Dam, which didn't have too much support from Portland interests, Mr. Pease was asked to set on the Bonneville Dam committee. Money was hard to get and the Chamber was operating on a "shoe string" with hardly enough money in the till for postage stamps to say nothing of telegrams and phone calls which were luxuries in those days. Yet speed and long distant calls were necessary to Washington, D.C. in connection with the Chamber work. It was Edward C. Pease that took the phone off the hook and spared no expense to himself, who was hard hit by the depression too, to call up Charlie McNary, his friend, and get him to see President Roosevelt for authorization of Bonneville Dam construction. Not just once but many, many calls were made and many, many hours were spent by him, on our behalf, to get Bonneville Dam in 1933. This dam has had such tremendous benefits to Oregon and Washington people that it is with pleasure that we designate Mr. Pease as another one of our outstanding men. He married Elizabeth Bailey and their children were Williwe and Edna (Mrs. Randall Pratt) of Portland. (Bonneville Dam PWA Project was authorized Sept. 30, 1933).

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     As we have previously stated, these are NOT ALL of the outstanding citizens of Wasco county. There must be many more. Who are they? When did they live? What did they do for all the people? Its not how wealthy they were; how high up the social ladder they climbed; what fraternal order or church or political party they belonged to, its WHAT THEY DID TO HELP ALL THE PEOPLE?

BIOGRAPHIES LISTED IN THE HISTORY OF CENTRAL OREGON 1905

WASCO COUNTY

Adams, Manual D.
Adams, Stephen B.
Adkisson, Joshua T.
Allen, Andy M.
Anderson, Alexander J.
Anderson, Enoch E.
Anderson, Milton J.

Balch, Charles P.
Bartell, Gustav E.
Bartmess, Sam E.
Bauer, Venz
Belieu, Benj. F.
Bernard, Charles
Bishop, Thomas
Blakeney, Jess W.
Blowers, Amby S.
Blowers, Laurence N.
Boggs, James C.
Bolton, Absalom D.
Bolton, Lewis P.
Bolton, Wilbur
Bonney, Augustus A.
Booth, John S.
Bourland, Oliver M.
Bradley, Eber R.
Bradshaw, Wm. L.
Brooks, Samuel L.
Brookhouse, Wm.
Brosius, Famton
Brown, John W.
Buehler, August
Bunn, George
Burgess, J. Newton
Burget, Chas. N.
Butler, Isiah J.
Butler, Leslie
Butler, Polk
Butler, Ralph E.
Butler, Roy D.
Butler, Truman

Caddy, Frank
Campbell, George C.
Campbell, Julius
Cates, Daniel L.
Caster, George R.
Champlin, Charles V.
Chandler, Charles
Chandler, Frank
Chittenden, Hiram
Church, Frank G.
Clark, Lucius E.
Clark, Newton
Clark, Wm. L.
Clarke, Charles N.
Clausen, Fredrick
Cochran, Samuel
Coe, Henry C.
Cook, Omer W.
Coon, Thomas R.
Cooper, Daniel J.
Cooper, David R.
Cooper, George
Copple, Simpson
Cox, Perez A.
Craft, Jacob
Crapper, Wm. S.
Creighton, David
Crockett, Hezekiah
Crosson, James B.
Crowe, Luther E.
Culbertson, George D.
Cunning, Thomas J.
Cushing, Milo M.
Cushing, Wm. H.

Dallas, Theodore
Davidson, Arthur J.
Davidson, Charles
Davidson, Horatio F.
Davidson, Payton S.
Davis, Daniel O.
Davis, Wm. H.
Deckert, August
Deni, Joseph
Dethman, Christian
Dickson, James W.
Dodds, Hiram C.
Donnell, Zelek M.
Doyle, Albert G.
Doyle, Michael
Drake, Riley V.
Dufur, Andrew J.
Dufur, W.H.
Dumble, Howard L.

Ehrck, Wm.
Elton, John W.
Elwood, John L.
Evans, Leander

Everett, S.I.
Fargher, Arthur W.
Fargher, Horatio
Fargher, Thomas
Ferguson, Alfred
Ferguson, Belle R.
Ferguson, Elmer R.
Fitzpatrick, John H.
Fitzpatrick, Will
Fligg, George W.
Forman, Ben, L.
Fraley, Charles
Fraser, Alexander
Frazier, Aaron
French, Daniel M.
French, Joshua W.
French, Smith
Fulton, James
Fulton, J. Frank

Gibbons, John J.
Gilbert, Clinton
Gillmore, James H.
Gilman, Charles N.
Ginger, Frank
Glavey, Michael M.
Glavey, Thomas W.
Glisan, Edwin T.
Gorman, Richard J.
Gribble, Wm. S.
Grimes, Clayton M.
Grimes, F. Leroy
Gulliford, Jacob A.

Hampshire, John F.
Hansen, Hans
Harbison, Robert E.
Harriman, Arthur M.
Harris, John H.
Harriman, Edward M.
Harriman, William J.
Harth, George A.
Haynes, Bert H.
Haynes, Ellsworth A.
Haynes, Joseph
Haynes, William R.
Heisser, Alexander
Heisler, Charles M.
Heisler, Monroe
Heisler, William
Hemman, C. Ernest
Henderson, John L.
Henderson, Walter
Hendricson, Morvin
Hendrix, Willis A.
Hibbard, Henry J.
Hill, Edwin M.
Hill, Marshall
Hillgen, Frederic H.
Hinman, Eli T.
Hixson, Augustus
Howe, Alma L.
Howie, Andrew J.
Hunter, William A.

Irvine, Frank
Isenberg, Howard
Isenberg, Miles P.

Jackson, Francis M.
Jaksha, Martin
Jayne, Andrew A.
Jenkins, Carey H.
Johns, Samuel S.
Johnston, Charles W.
Johnson, George W.
Johnson, J. Henry
Johnson, Samuel B.
Johnson, Thomas Huett
Jones, Owen

Keller, A. Ad.
Kelley, Hampton
Kelley, Lucern
Kimsey, Doctor S.
Kirchheiner, Peter A.
Klint, Henry
Klinger, Louis J.
Koberg, John H.

Lage, Hans
Lage, Henry
Lamb, Larkin
Larne, Andrew W.
Lane, Louis L.
Lane, Norris M.
Lang, Thomas S.
Laughlin, Robert A.
Laughlin, Wm. C.
Lewis, James J.
Limeroth, Paulus
Linton, Kathleen
Longren, August
Lord, Elizabeth L.
Lueddemann, Max

MacAllister, Abie1 S.
Magill, John B.
Marden, John M.
Marden, Victor
Markman, Claude F.
Markman, James F.
Marquiss, James W.
Marsh, Abel Y.
Martin, P.H.
Marvel, Arthur A.
Mason, Albert I.
Mayes, Edward S.
Mayes, Joseph W.
Mayhew, Henry L.
McAtee, Alvira
McAtee, John B.
McBeth, Finlay
McClure, Thomas
McCorkle, Wm. M.
McCoy, Dennis R.
McCoy, Henson
McCoy, Joseph H.
McHargue, James
Menefee, Frank
Menefee, Wm. R.
Mehl, Carl F.
Michell, John
Miller, John I.
Moad, Archibald C.
Morris, Clarrence L.
Morris, Thomas F.
Morse, Lewis F.
Morton, Joseph W.
Mosier, Jefferson
Mosier, Jonah H.

Nace, Seraphine
Nicholson, Charles J.
Nicholson, Ingwert C.
Nickelson, Martin H.
Nolin, James M.
Nolin, John W.

Obrist, Jacob
Odell, William

Parker, Asenath L.
Patterson, Jonathan N.
Patterson, Jeremiah M.
Peabody, John C.
Pealer, Russel
Perkins, George
Peters, Joseph T.
Phipps, John S.
Potter, Eleanor
Powne, Charles, T.
Prigge, Henry
Purser, Joseph

Rand, J. Elmer
Rand, Robert
Reed, Chas. H.
Reuter, John A.
Rice, Austin C.
Rice, George W.
Rice, Horace
Richmond, Horace S.
Rigby, Jess W.
Ring, Hewett
Rondeau, Leon
Rondeau, Hemi
Rooper, Herbert C.
Root, Amos
Roth, John M.
Ryan, Thomas F.

Sandoz, Charles E.
Sandoz, Louis A.
Sanford, Alfred C.
Sargent, Isaac N.
Selleck, Bernard
Selleck, Menzo C.
Seufert, Theodore J.
Sexton, Felix C.
Shelly, Hoswell
Sherar, Joseph H.
Sherrieb, Frank C.
Sieverkropp, Henry O.
Sigman, Alvin
Sigman, Melvin
Sigman, Richard
Slocom, George
Slusher, Thomas W.
Smith, Ezra L.
Smith, James M.
Smith, Lyman
Southern, Charles H.
Sproat, Boyd N.
Staats, Wm. H.
Stark, Frank J.
Stewart, Alexander
Sternweis, John H.
Stogsdill, Asa G.
Stoller, Peter
Stranahan, Albert K.
Stranahan, Charles H.
Stranahan, James A.
Stranahan, Oscar L.
Stratton, Prank R.
Stubling, O. Johann
Swett, Charles H.

Taylor, Wm. H.
Thomas, Alvin E.
Thomas, Daniel E.
Thomas, Lindsay B.
Thorburn, Matthew H.
Tomlinson, Henry H.
Trudell, Gregoire
Trudell, Alfred
Turner, David A.

Urquhart, Andrew

Vanderpool, George W.
Vanderpool, Willard L.
Vanderpool, Wm. T.

Wakerlig, Henry
Wallace, Nathaniel
Walter, Albert A.
Walter, Orre L.
Walther, Wm. E.
Walther, Wm. E.
Ward, Joseph W.
Ward, Thomas
Waterman, Ezekiel
Waterman, John N.
Waterman, Martin M.
West, John I.
Whitehead, Albert
Whitten, John D.
Williams, Chas. F.
Williams, George E.
Williams, Griffith E.
Williams, Wm. H.
Williamson, John N.
Wilson, David C.
Wilson, John E.
Wilson, Joseph A.
Wilson, Joseph G.
Winchell, Virgil
Wing, Chas.
Wingfield, Joseph G.
Wingfield, Orville
Woodworth, Gilford D.
Woolery, John J.

Young, George A.
Zachary, Daniel L.

SHERMAN COUNTY

Barnum, Ladru
Belshee, Joseph F.
Bennett, Milton & Walter
Biggs, Wm. H.
Brock, George
Buckley, Charles A.

DeMoss, George
DeMoss, Henry
DeMoss, James

Fulton, James, John, Dave

Ginn, Robert
Glass, Harleigh

Hall, Arthur
Harvey, James
Hildebrand, George
Hill, Ira F.
Huck, Ceasar & Herman

Kaseberg, Edw. & John
Krause, Henry
Krusow, Fred
Martin, Harvey & John
Medler, 9 Families
Miller, James & Joe & Wm.
Moore, Chas. W.

Nish, Alexander

Peetz, Ben, Curl, Lou, Otto
Pike, Ben & Irwin
Porter, Al

Ragsdale, C.P. & Wm.
Rich, O.H.

Schadewitz, Henry & Louis
Schassen, John
Scott, Alex
Smith, Hugh, Jim & John

Tate, W.
Thompson, Geo. & Elwood
Tom, Chas.

VanGilder, Milon

Young, Dave

BIOGRAPHIES

     We want to repeat here, for the purpose of emphasis, the importance of biographies. Every farm, every dwelling, every business and institution has a history and its important to the people who follow.

     Everything we see and do is history. Some of it has importance, especially so when it effects the whole community or county.

     Our children can't get an education with-out history. Its our duty to help them by keeping records and providing that history. There is no history any more important than that about your self, to your children and to your neighbors.

     So keep a biography about yourself for them. Our Pioneers' Association and Historical Society to make that a requirement for membership. The undertaker has to have it for the preacher. Why make someone else do the job.

THE DALLES PUBLIC SCHOOLS

     The first school of The Dalles was at the Methodist Mission located in the block bounded by 11 & 12 and from Washington to Federal, using the Wiley spring for water at 210 east 11 in 1838. In the mission school Indian children and whites were taught simple household duties such as cooking, sewing, making clothing. The necessity for reading never existed as there was nothing to read. The men and boys were taught saddle making, carpentering, gardening and a few of the outside tasks. The missionaries also preached to the Indians and all their sermons were not of a religious nature, some of them were general education. Sermons for larger gatherings were delivered from Pulpit Rock at 11 & Court, but for smaller gatherings they were often delivered at the Perkins House.

The Simms Log School

     The next school, a log affair, located at 11 & Washington about where the high school tennis court is now located, was constructed in 1854 and called the Simms school because it set on the Simms Donation Land Claim. Serg. Peter Fair of the military garrison of Fort Dalles was the teacher. He belonged to Co. E. 9th Infantry of Fort Dalles and he died in San Francisco in 1890. Serg. Fair was succeeded by Chas. R. Meigs who taught for a while in 1855 until Nathan Olney enticed him into joining the volunteers for the Yakima Indian war. After the war he became a Dalles attorneys and principal of the Laughlin school.

     The third school was a private one in a home on 4th between Court and Union. Miss Sconce was the teacher.

     The old log school was moved closer to the "landing" and the History of Central Oregon says it was used for many years but that the school records had been burned (in the fire of 1894) making details lacking.

The 4th and Laughlin School of 1859

     The first public school erected by the taxpayers was at 4th & Laughlin, at the foot of the hospital steps. The first teacher was Frank Johnson who later taught at the University of Chicago. It first had only one room. Later as the school population increased another room was added. In 1863 2 more rooms were added on giving it a T shape. The desks were 2 inches thick in order to give the boys lots of material to whittle on! In 1888 this school was moved to Union Street Park at 6th & Union and was called the Union Street Annex in 1900. Some of the students who went to the Laughlin street school were Congressman Malcolm Moody, C.M. Grimes, Dr. Hugh Logan, E.B. McFarland, Clara Humason, later regent of Oregon State College in whose honor Waldo Hall is named; John Day, Portland detective; Ellen Condon, geologist who worked with her father Dr. Thomas Condon of the University of Oregon staff. Chas. R. Meigs, teacher in the log cabin school above was first principle of this school.

     Subjects taught in the Laughlin school were music, algebra, latin, geometry, history, geolo-gy in addition to the three R's and spelling. Spelling Bees were the big event of this school. The girls always spelled down the boys who stood at the "foot of the spelling class." This shows that boys of The Dalles have been notoriously bad spellers for 100 years; so please have tolerance with the writer of this history as he is only upholding the tradition of this community)

     Capt. James Gray told Fred Lockley of the Oregon Journal "that Prof. Post of the Laughlin school used to start school at 3 A.M. and dismiss it at 9 A.M. in hot weather!" This would not be physically possible in 1952 for either teacher or pupil)

     The Union street school was rebuilt out of the lumber of the Laughlin school at which Annie Lang first taught in 1883. The students of the Laughlin school were "passed" whenever the teacher though it was best; until 1884 when school examinations were established.

The Brick Union Street School

     The wood Union Street school was erected in 1873 in the street dust below the cut and faced north with lots of playgrounds for out-of-door games. The children used to decorate their desks with the moss from the rooks of the bluff back of the school. It was called the "little blue school house" and was not used until 1880 by which time it was overcrowded, due to the railroad boom, and school classes were only ½ day affairs. A room in the Methodist church was rented for the primary class. In 1882 the brick Union Street School of 4 rooms were completed and occupied by the 8th Grade and High School; the little blue school was continued for the lower grades. The brick Union Street school had another 4 rooms added on in 1910 and was called the Court street school to distinguish it from the wooden Union street school, which was moved into the city park to make room for the opening of Union street and later torn down.

The Joseph Wilson School

     The original Joseph Wilson school, was an old 2 room wooden building erected at 11 & Union in 1889. The first teachers of this school were Anne and Elizabeth Lang. In 1894 it was moved to the Joseph Wilson school location and called the EAST HILL PRIMARY SCHOOL. Its name was changed to the Joseph Wilson school in honor of congressman Joseph Wilson the father of Judge Fred W. Wi1son. Congressman Wilson was also Judge of the local Circuit court. (See biography under Elizabeth Wilson and under Judge Fred W. Wilson)

The Dalles High School Grounds

     The Dalles High school grounds was given by Dalles City to School District 12 in 1872 and comprises 2½ acres between 10 and 11 and Union to Washington. It was originally a part of the Methodist Mission claim won by Dalles City, from the Mission board in a suit carried to the U.S. supreme Court. The high school grounds was the home camping grounds for the Wasco Indian tribe.

THE WASCO INDEPENDENT ACADEMY

     The Wasco Independent Academy Association, Inc. was organized in 1880 and the Academy building was erected by January 1881. It was a non-profit corporation (charitable) with all income to go to build up and maintain the institution. The $500 stockholders were Samuel L. Brooks, Robert Mays, J.W. French, D.W. French, E.B. McFarland, Wentworth Lord, Ben Snipes, Mary Laughlin, Alexander Rogers, Dan J. Cooper, Joseph Henry Sherar, Hugh Frasier. The $250 holders were Thomas Miller, Gov. Zenith Moody, Smith French, George Rush, N.H. Gates, Wm. M. Hand, Griffith Williams, George Liebe, J.B. Dickerson, Col. Jim Fulton, O.S. Savage, August Buchler, Vogt & Chapman, W. Lair Hill. The $200 contributors J.B. Condon, D.E. Thompson, L.L. McArthur, Geo. Allen, A. Bunnell. $150 were Louis Davenport, A.B. Moore, I.C. Nickelson, P.T. Sharp, Blumaner & Son. The $100 group were A. Baltmore, Wm. Floyd, L.P. Henderson, T. Moore, Hugh Logan, J.A. Richardson, B.F. Laughlin, R.F. Gibons, Emile Schanno, J.B. Crosson, Ben Korten, R.B. Hood, A. Wintermeier, W. Mitchell, W.H. VanBibber, Hugh Glenn, R. Lusher, O. Kinersley, F. Drew, Maj. Daniel Handley, N.B. Sinnott, A.H. Curtiss, C.E. Christman, Joe Beegley, T.B. Hoover, Daniel Bolton, J.E. At-water, J.A. Guilliford, Grant; and the $50 group F.P. Mays, J.H. Bird, D. Siddell, N.C. Long, O. Sylvester, L.D. Frank, Sam Klein, Geo. Holbrook, C.E. Dunham, E. Beck, G.W. Rowland, J.G. Fredden, J.W. Lansing, W.R. Abrams, W.S. Johns, Victor Trevitt, John Marden, H.L. Waters, Frank Irvine, H.C. Nielsen, C.J. Crandall, E.C. Price, H.E. Groenninger, J.B. Hunington, H. Callenbury, Peter Godfrey, T.J. Gehres, Wm. S. Myers, John Morgan, Henry Klint, Tim Baldwin, Tom Smith, Fred Dehm, John Michell, J.H. Jackson, J.L. Thompson, G.C. Munger, U. Wigle, A. Velarde, B. Wolf, J.M. Benson, Louis Klinger, Geo. Halvor.

     The board of directors were (1880) Col. N.H. Gates, S.L. Brooks, E.B. McFarland, W. Lord, Robert Mays, L.L. McArthur and W. Lair Hill who was also first president and Dr. Hugh Logan, Secretary. D.M. French succeeded N.H. Gates in 1881; G.A. Liebe took the place of L.L. McArthur in 1886; F.A. McDonald was the 2nd president and B.F. Laughlin took Geo. Leibe's place in 1889. W.E. Sylvester bid $9423.75 for erection of the building. It was opened Jan. 5, 1881 with Prof. T.M. Gatch as principal. He was succeeded by R.H. Willis in 1887. Other faculty members were Mrs. S.A. Stowell, preceptess, Miss Marie Smith, primary with opening attendance of 60. It was described as a beautiful structure and the largest east of Portland and was the crowning institu-tion of learning in eastern Oregon.

     In 1889 an act of the legislature made the academy a branch normal school of Oregon with David Torbet, principal and graduates were Cora Allen, Annie Lang, Elnora Mays for 1882. Graduates of 1883 were Wilbur Bolton, Bessie Lang, Gertrude French, Minnie Michell, Leigh Gatch, Laura Rogers, Nettie Williams. In 1884 J.W. Condon, Eve Lord, E.C. Hill, Eunice Mays, Minnie Wigle. In 1885 Nannie Cooper, Ruth Gatch, Grace French, Anna Moore, Anna Turner, Avis Smith. In 1886 Lulu Bird, Maud French, C.J. Bright, Ethel Grubb, Mary Frasier, Amanda Hildebrandt and Perry Rothrook. In 1887 Mamie Cooper, Fannie Robinson, Hattie Golstein, Sula Rush, Mattie Johns, John Taylor, Jessie Kinsey, Jessie Welsh, Edwin Mays, Laura Welch, Nettie Mitchell, Lee Wigle. In 1888 Nick Sinnott. In 1893 the last commencement was held the financial support being insufficient to support to school expenses.

     The property was deeded to School District 12 June 12, 1894.

     The old academy school remained as a grade school, on the site of the present high school at 10 and Washington until 1914 when it was razed to make way for a new and larger high school which burned Feb. 6, 1940 at a $250,000 loss and was replaced by the present high school.

WHITTIER JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

     The Whittler Junior high school was erected as The Dalles high school to replace the Union street high school in 1882. It continued as the high school until the erection of the building, as mentioned above, in l914.

COL. WRIGHT SCHOOL

     The little WEST END school located at 11 & Mt. Hood was replaced by the more modern Col. Geo. Wright school of 1924. Col. Wright was commander at Fort Dalles during the Yakima Indian war of 1856. The Fort Dalles parade grounds and the Col. Wright school grounds are identical; and the flag pole for both the old Fort and the school occupy identical spots, the old location of the Fort Dalles band stand. Patents, not deeds, was given by the U.S. Government to School District 12, for the ground, being part of the old military reservation.

THOMPSON ADDITION

     The Thompson Addition wooden school was established about 1900 and is one of the best in the district. To get away from the high cost of masonry buildings which are obsolete before the bonds are paid off, many Oregon districts are resorting to artificial log schools of one story low cost construction. It will be interesting to see how long it will take the taxpayers of district 12 to economize by using low-cost, single floor buildings of artificial logs or lumber.

     The Kurtz gymnasium was erected in 1938 at a cost of $106,000. Ed Kurtz was a school director from 1921 until his death in 1939, liked and promoted athletics. The directors named the gym in his honor.

     Principals of the school down to 1905 were J.D. Robb, E.P. Roberts, J.W. Miller, Dr. O.D. Doane, Levi Walker, Patton, S.P. Barrett, F.W. Grubbs, W.L. Worthington, J.S. Browne, Chas. Davidson, Nap Davis, Price and M.W. Smith, John Gavin 1898, J.S. Landers, Julius Orcutt, 1905, A.C. Strange 1909. -- History of Central Oregon.

ST. MARY'S ACADEMY by Margaret Walker

     The Catholic Mission site was laid out at The Dalles in 1847 by Father Rosseau and Bishop Blanchet. Christmas of that year a company of mounted volunteers of the Cayuse Indian war came up by boat from Oregon City, under Major H.A.G. Lee, following the Whitman Massacre that fall; and these troops occupied the Methodist Mission buildings as a fort, called Fort Lee. Major Lee informed Bishop Blanchet that due to Indian troubles they could not permit construction of a Mission that would allow the Indians to gather together for another possible Whitman episode. So all they could accomplish was to lay out the 640 acre Catholic Mission Claim and erect a shelter for Father Rosseau. The military volunteers being ragged and without provisions and food for the oncoming cold winter Bishop Blanchet gave them several head of cattle, without charge, which Major Lee graciously accepted. Bishop Blanchet returned to Walla Walla.

     By June of 1848 Father Rosseau had erected a church near the Wasco county hospital spring, with Indian help, and enlarged his dwelling. George Snipes, an 1853 emigrant, attended religious ser-vices in that log church without a floor, verified its location next to the county owned spring, and said, "the little church was lined with mats on the walls and floor (for Indians to set on) and had a very pleasant appearance. Services were in both Latin and Chinook, neither of which I understood, but I enjoyed the services anyway. The little church burned Feb. 26, 1855, when the Indian matting caught fire from a candle. The second Indian Mission church was erected near the first one."

     Rev. Father Toussaint Mesplie became parish priest in 1851. He estimated 500 baptisms, 30 con-formations and about 30 marriages at the first mission church. Father Mesplie made a deep impress-ion on the Indians who never bore arms against the white troops or settlers. (His brother Theodore took up a Donation Land Claim on Mill creek which in 1925 was occupied by Julius Mesplie.) After the burning of the log Mission church, Father Mesplie erected a more church-like building with a steeple and bell out of sawed lumber from the government military sawmill at 9 & Mill creek. It was located just west of the present Catholic cemetery.

     In 1881 it was replaced by the white Catholic church at 3rd & Lincoln which faced north. The present brick church was erected under the guidance of Father Alphonsus Brongeest in 1898. By 1907 most of the 640 acre Catholic Mission claim had been sold to private individuals, except for the cemetery.

St. Marys

     St. Mary's Academy was established in 1864 by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. These Sisters of Charity from Montreal came to Oregon in 1856 to locate charitable and educational institutions. While they were assisted by the ladies of the Catholic churches of the Pacific northwest they endured great privations and hardships; but they did establish boarding schools and 2 orphanages, one for boys and one for girls where they nurtured and educated several hundred children. Others Sisters came in 1859 via Panama to help in the work of education, orphanages, and nursing the sick at night after teaching during, the day.

     It was not until 1864 that 4 of those sisters came to The Dalles where they founded St. Mary's school in a small wooden building on 3rd street across from the present academy.

A HISTORY OF ST. MARY'S ACADEMY by Maryan Foley

     August of 1864 saw a tiny but brave party of Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary come to the growing town of The Dalles to found another of their private schools, St. Mary's Academy. This group of Sisters was composed of Sister Mary Francis of Assisi, Superior, Sister Mary Francis Xavier, Sister Mary Arsenius, Sister Mary Agatha. Although these 4 women pioneers endured numer-ous hardships, through the goodness of the townspeople, who presented them with $411.25 obtained through a social assembly, the first Catholic school in eastern Oregon was soon established in a small 2 story frame building on 4th & Lincoln streets. During the first year, 62 boys and 81 girls were crowded through the doors of this grade and high school. It was the only high school in Wasco county in 1864. A boarding school was added in 1867 which brought many out-of-town students desiring a Catholic education. By 1871 the influx of students forced the Sisters to move the school (across from St. Peter's of the north side of Third street and was then known as the "Convent of Mary Immaculate." Within a short time 2 wings were added, the smaller for the chapel and the larger for the new music department.

The Brick Academy School

     Due to the constant increase of students, this wooden school, too, proved inadequate. With the cooperation of The Dalles people and Rev. Alphonsus Bronsgeest, St. Peter's pastor, plans for a new and larger school were drawn up in 1883. Members of the building committee were Emile Schanno, Michael Fitzgerald and Henry Herbring. The building expenses were obtained through local subscriptions and civic activities. (Since that time the school's maintenance has been primarily through tuition.) Work progressed rapidly on the school and on July 29 of 1883, the cornerstone of the present Academy was blessed by Archbishop Charles J. Seghers, D.D. On February 20, 1884, the 5 Sisters and 20 boarders moved into the present building. The Sisters' chronicle for this day reads, "The Wasco Independent Academy Band serenaded the inmates of the Convent to signalize their occupancy of the new building. Our boarders were surprised and delighted when at 9 P.M. melodious strains greeted their ears; the young ladies especially were jubilant over this delicate mark of attention." One year later St. Mary's chapel was annexed to the west and of the building.

     Within the first decade of the present St. Mary's existence, the school witnessed the two greatest threats that it has ever had. The first occurred on the afternoon of September 2, 1891, when the horrified cry of FIRE rang through the small city. The blaze started in the eastern and of town, and nourished by a strong east wind soon swept devastation throughout 18 blocks of residential and business establishments. Then disaster to the school seemed almost inevitable, with the hungry flames only 2 blocks away and steadily drawing nearer, the beseeching prayers of the Sisters and their friends proved fruitful. The course of the wind was suddenly reversed and the fire soon burned itself out, leaving the school unharmed to serve as a shelter to some of the less fortunate citizens who lost home and possessions.

     Just 3 years later, during the summer of 1894, disaster really struck the Sisters a harsh blow in the form of a flood. On June 7, within one week of an early dismissal of school (due to the rise of the Columbia river) flood waters stood 61 inches in the first floor hall. June 10 saw the waters beginning to recede, leaving on the walls and floor a thick coating of mud and debris, to be scraped off and thoroughly washed before a complete refinishing process could be begun. Much disease and sickness followed the flood and at this time of distress the school was partially converted into a hospital.

     St. Mary's, in its 88 years in The Dalles, has graduated numerous students who have disting-uished themselves in the fields of teaching, business, religious life, medicine, music, science, writing and agriculture. The Music Department, under the direction of Sister Claire Marie, provincial supervisor, is recognized throughout the community for its fine work in training young musicians. Students from this department annually entertain members of the local organizations such as the Kiwanis, Lions, Pioneers' Association and Knights of Columbus. All the local hospitals have enjoyed musical programs presented by the students. The school enrollment is 237 students with considerable increase anticipated for the years ahead with 40 children registered for the first grade next September. Plans are being made to take care of this increase in the lower grades as well as the upper grades and the high school department.

     As a historical landmark and beacon of culture St. Mary's has watched the tiny village of The Dalles grow, steadily increasing to the city it is today. Many Dalles families, through several generations, have boasted a St. Mary's education and graduation. For almost a century the high principles and standards of this academy have influenced the lives and actions of hundreds of people in this and surrounding vicinities. St. Mary's has appreciated the friend-liness of The Dalles citizens and hopes to continue to share with them for many years to come her advantages and contributions.

     The Dalles Directory of 1881 said, "Pupils of all denominations are equally received and all interference with their convictions are scrupulously avoided. The main building is 60 X 90 with an external chapel 23 X 40. It is 3 stories high with 11, 15 and 14 foot ceilings. The center is the recitation room and there is music, drawing and sewing rooms. The third floor has a large dormitory with bath. The entire second floor can be made to open into one room by sliding doors so it can be used for assemblies or reunions. The school can accommodate 50 boarders and 150 pupils. The Sisters may well be content with their laudable undertaking and improvement over the old wooden building. It cost $20,000 and pupils of all denominations are received. The school offers music, drawing, sewing, and grade school and high school subjects."

     The History of Central Oregon in 1905 said, "The academy was completed in 1884 and founded in 1864 by the Catholic pioneers of The Dalles and in charge of the Sisters of the Holy Name from Montreal. Friends made generous contributions toward its erection. It is incorporated and authorized by the State of Oregon to confer academic honors. Its patronage extends to the neighboring counties and into Washington. On the ground floor is the kitchen, dining room and recreation room for children. On the floor above are the parlors, office, 2 music, rooms, 3 class rooms, community room and liberty. The studio, infirmary and dormitories are on the upper floor with bath and toilet rooms. The building is heated by hot water. The school is divided into 13 grades. The music department offers piano, organ, banjo, violin, mandolin, zither, guitar and harp. The art department offers pastel, oil, metallic, mineral and water colors and also crayon."

     The Chronicle of 1950 said, "The teaching staff is now 14. The athletic department is coached by Father Wm. Roden. In the last 3 years the entire wiring system has been replaced to comply with fire safety regulations. The school is self-supporting with all expenses taken care of through tuition which is $50 a year for grade children and $60 for high school students."

     In 1952 the Chronicle said; "The problem of growing schools in The Dalles is not confined to the public schools as St. Mary's is having the same problems to even a greater degree than the public schools. Enrollment is 237 for this year, according to Sister Rosa Marie, principal, and that is an absolute limit which the school can handle which included 62 in high school and 20 in the residence hall from as far away as Los Angeles. Any child whose parents want him to have a Catholic education may enroll in St. Mary's, if there is room!" The school staff numbers 16. Like a lot of other schools this one is trying to educate 1952 students under 1882 conditions. 

   and needs enlarging and modernizing. It is a tax free institution, yet the parents of the children pay taxes for support of our public schools. It appears that our school laws should be amended for support of private schools from public funds, subject to state approval of schools.

     The Chronicle of Dec. 23, 1951 said, "School District 12 expects 2000 new school children by 1958, due to The Dalles Dam construction and Supt. Dave Bates estimated needs at $1,345,000. The budget is now just under $500,000 per year, about $100,000 higher than the 6% limitation. The Dalles will need federal help for schools and this should include help for St. Mary's.

EARLY DALLES SCHOOLS

     The Times-Mountaineer of May 17, 1898, borrowed from the library of Mrs. Fred Houghton of The Dalles had the following to say on our public school system:

     The first schools of the village of Wascopum were those of the missionaries and the private schools maintained by the soldiers of Old Fort Dalles stationed here to defend the white settlers against the Indians. In the spring of 1854 the first school of the post, a small log building, was erected a little south-west of the Academy Park (high school) school now stands (1898). In the summer of 1855 Chas. Meigs taught a private school in the same building, but he left the school in the fall to join a company of volunteers organized by Nathan Olney to fight the Indians. (This was better known as Orlando Humason's Dalles company of volunteers of the Yakima Indian war to which Olney was attached as Indian agent.)

School District Formed in 1859

     One of the early schools was taught by Miss Scounce, a sister of Mrs. Put Bradford and later the wife of Col. Ebie; taught in a private house on 4th street between Court and Union. In November 1859 the school district was organized and this foundation of the public schools of The Dalles was streng-thened by the building of a public school house, one public school room at 4th and Laughlin streets. Another room was added a few years later and in 1863 2 more rooms were built giving the school the form of a T. The desks of the first 2 rooms gave sad proof of the fact that young America is anxious to make his mark in the world. The school directors furnished one of the new rooms with desks 2 inches thick to give the boys sufficient material to whittle on! In later years the part built on in 1863 was known as the little blue school house. In 1888 it was moved to Union street at 6th and is now known as the Union street annex.

     The Union street school was first erected in 1873. It first stood in the street, just below the cut the main entrance being from the north. The grounds were ample and the boys and girls found room for out door games. Many flowers and beautiful mosses grew on the bluff near the building and great was the children's delight when they were allowed to decorate their desks with the mosses. The little blue school house was not used for a time. By 1890 the attendance of the schools had increased so that every room had to be used and then not all the pupils were accommodated. In the lower grades half day sessions were maintained and a room in the Methodist church was rented to provide for a primary class. Such were the conditions when the citizens voted a tax to erect a brick building of 4 rooms. The building was completed in 1882 and is now occupied by the 8th grade and the high school pupils.

The Joseph Wilson School

     A building of 2 rooms was erected at 11 & Union in 1889 and moved to the site of the Joseph G. Wilson school in 1894. That same year the Wasco Independent Academy, with all the property of the Academy Association, was purchased by the school district. In 1898 the school district owned 10 acres of land and 5 school buildings valued at $53,000. A high school building is being built on the Academy Park grounds (10 & Court) at a cost of $19,000 after the taxpayer bonded for $20,000.

The Teachers

     Mr. Hathaway taught school in 1856-57 when "all the grades were in one grade". H.J. Waldron was another pioneer teacher. He was a man of great ability and helped shape the destiny of our early schools, He was the last person to teach when "all the grades were in one". Later principals were J.R. Robb, E.P. Roberts, J.W. Miller, Dr. O.D. Doane, Levi Walker Patton, S.C. Barrett, G.W. Grubbs, W.L. Worthington, J.S. Brown, Chas. Davisdon, Nap. Davis, M.W. Smith. There were no grades nor examinations, passing or graduations in those early schools. The later system was worked out slowly and sometimes painfully. The work of the pioneer schools should be judged by the results and not the methods used. The boys and girls of the 1860's who attended these schools are the active men and women of today and many of them are most successful. Mistakes were made, then as now. We find more to commend than to criticize. The pioneer school lost much by making arithmetic the test of a child's ability, a mistake not limited to The Dalles. More time should have been devoted to language and our work would have been stronger. It was impossible to grade a school successfully when there were but 5 teachers as late as 1880. In the place of written examinations the teacher promoted the pupil when he thought best. No pupil asked, "did you pass?" Instead it was "can you do the sums?" The monthly examination plan was followed in every grade since Chas. Davidson took-charge of the schools in 1884.

The High School

     In 1884 the high school work was added to the schools the first class graduating in June 1885. The classes completed the same studies in 1886-87. There was no class in 1888. In 1889 5 girls completed the longer course. The high school department was not maintained during the next 5 years as the Wasco Independent Academy offered the same line of work. When the property of the Academy passed into the hands of the school district the high school was revived in 1894 with algebra, rhetoric, civil government, physiology, physical geography, English, higher arithmetic, bookkeeping, physics, geometry, history, geology, political economy. A class of 9 completed the course in 1897 and the next year 13 and the next 17. In 1896 there were 24 high schools in Oregon and 1897 they grew to 43, 4 years being required to enter the University of Oregon.

     In 1898 the school were managed by John Gavin, principal for the past 6 years, assisted by 18 teachers. J.S. Landers was assistant principal. There were 1351 children from 4 to 20 years of age in the district in 1898, 760 being enrolled in school. (Melissa Hill, author of item).

The TIE PLANT

     The biggest industry of The Dalles, aside from the railroad, is our wood preserving plant commonly called the "tie plant" because of the hundreds of thousands of railroad ties always stacked in the yards. The Tie Plant employs from 140 to 220 men, depending on the season and demands, with an annual payroll of $800,000. The immense piles of timbers make an impressive sight for the tourist and native alike regardless of whether they are interested in that type of industry or not. The 6 cranes that continually shift and move their burdens about, the men who work outside, day and night, in all kinds of weather, and the little diesel school-boy engine and cars are all a very unusual industrial activity of our community.

     The Union Pacific Railroad's Tie Treating Plant was first established at Wyeth, about 8 miles east of Cascade Locks in 1906 with 40 employees. They also had a similar plant at Laramie, Wyo. A.C. Pestel was the first superintendent down there. The ties were rafted in from Wind River, a close source of supply for Wyeth. But the continual rain and bad weather in that part of the Columbia river gorge caused the railroad officials to look elsewhere for a location for their plant. Their engineers had made some very extensive studies and investigations of other likely localities. At The Dalles they found not only a nice climate for the men with nearly 200 days of sunshine, but they also found that a carload of wood, lumber or ties could be unloaded at The Dalles, let set for only 60 days and the MOISTURE LOSS would not only pay for the loading and unloading of the ties or lumber, but they could also make a saving on freight charges between The Dalles and eastern markets on the drier lumber. But that wasn't enough. Other cities be-tween here and the Blue Mountains had similar weather conditions and some of those other cities wanted that tie plant and its payroll dust as bad as The Dalles.

     It was the close friendship between Edward C. Pease of The Dalles and J.P. O'Brian, General Manager of the O.W.R. & N. Co. division of the Union Pacific that swung the plant to The Dalles. Mr. Pease, pioneer merchant of The Dalles, has always regarded this achievement with lots of personal pride and joy for having been successful in bringing this $600,000 annual payroll to The Dalles to compensate for the loss of the O.R. & N. Co. railroad shops to Portland in 1893, and its 300 employees (1200 population).

     In 1923 the Union Pacific Wood Preserving (tie) Plant was erected at The Dalles to treat bridge timbers and railroad ties. There was a demand for wood preserved products by other concerns but at that time the railroad laws prevented the Union Pacific from serving other firms in that manner; so in 1931 the Union Pacific railroad leased the plant to the Nebraska Bridge and Supply Co. Mr. Pestel was retained as manager until 1942 when Arthur Bode took charge remaining until 1951 in which year the lease was bought by the J.H. Baxter Co. of San Francisco who operate it under their trade name of BAXCO Corp. Joe Napier is manager. They operate plants at Long Beach and Alameda, California.

     The size of the plant, the number of men employed and the amount of business has grown by leaps and bounds since World War 2. It is 5 times as large as it was when they moved here 20 years ago! The plant endeavors to keep a half a million ties in the process of treatment. They have 4 large retorts, 8 foot in diameter and 150 feet long, capable of taking the long telephone and power poles we see about our landscape. These poles can be peeled of their bark in the yards, drilled for cross arms, braces and other needs before treatment. All bridge timbers are "framed" sawed and drilled to map specifications in the framing yards before treatment. The saws and the drills are a constant tune of musical activity day and night. There are 6 cranes with an average 5-man crew, each operating 3-8 hour shifts. The men work a 40 hour week although the plant operates 7 days a week.

     In the retorts, the green, long, power and phone poles require 98 hours of "cooking" in boiling creosote although 8 hours of "cooking" will be enough for 8 foot railroad ties. A.C. Van Diver and Chas. S. (Scotty) Mac Gregor are the "head cooks" who prepare the soup for the lumber. Creosote is a by-product of coke and comes from the Utah smelters just south of Salt Lake City. The plant has a million gallon storage capacity for creosote. It is shipped here in railroad tank car lots at a cost of 16¢ a gallon in the storage tanks. From 6 to 8 pounds of creosote is used per cubic foot of lumber and penetrates about inch. The cars of timbers are run into the retorts, the doors are closed and bolted. A vacuum is then created to extract any moisture. Then the boiling hot creosote is pumped into the retorts for the 8 hours or more "cooking" process, after which the creosote is pumped out and the timbers taken out into the yards to be stacked up by cranes to dry.

     While the 6 big cranes do most all the heavy lifting work some work must be done by hand. There are Paul Bunyan MEN who pick up and handle 150 pound railroad ties like they are toothpicks! The 800 pound 18 foot switch-ties require two of Paul's sons. The handling of tie's requires a great amount of good team-work to prevent accidents and accomplish the task with the minimum of effort, in addition to the he-man brawn and brains. The severe out door winter weather is their greatest enemy especially when ice and snow causes uncertain foot security.

     The oldest employee is Reuben Johnson who has been with the company since 1911. P.N. Larsen is the next oldest as a crane operator since 1920. Walter Driver, Tom Haynes, Kenneth Haynes and George Powell went to work in 1923. John Mackey and A.C. Vandiver are 1922 employees. Vern Sewell and Chas. (Scotty) MacGregor have been there since 1924. Robert Johnson is general foreman. George Eubanks is foreman of the pole yards. Jess Stanek is foreman of the tie yards. David Patterson was the only man killed in the 46 years of plant operation. One man came close to being cooked by boiling creosote when he got into the retort one day ahead of the timber cars, a "near miss", as an aviator would say. It scared Walt Driver almost as bad as it did his brakeman-victim.

THE DALLES DAM

     The following item on The Dalles Dam appeared in the December 2, 1951 edition of the Spokesman Review of Spokane, Wash., written by Thomas H. Lipscomb, U.S. Army Engineers' Office, Portland, Oregon, in charge of designing and constructing The Dalles Dam; and loaned for this history by H.G. Miller, retired cherry orchardist of The Dalles.

     The Dalles Dam will eliminate the turbulent waters of the Columbia river above The Dalles which climax in Celilo Falls. The construction of the new unit of the corps of engineers' comprehensive multiple-purpose plan of development for the Columbia river basin, within the U.S., will get under way in March 1952, now that congress has appropriated $4,000,000 for it.

     (The S.A. Healy Co. of New York, project contractor started construction Feb. 18, 1952. The official dedication ceremonies by Gov. Douglas McKay; Mayor Marshall Nelson of The Dalles, W.S. Nelson of the local Chamber of Commerce, Col. Thomas H. Lipscomb, Portland division corps of army engineers, H.B. Elder, resident engineer on the dam were held at Big Eddy March 12, 1952. The program was proceeded by a parade down 2nd street. The talks were broadcast by radio station KODL of The Dalles and a banquet at the Elks Temple that evening closed ceremonies.)

     To be located at the head of Bonneville dam pool, 192.5 miles above the mouth of the Columbia river and approximately 3 miles east of The Dalles, Oregon, the dam will consist of a navigation look, spillway, powerhouse and non-overflow dam sections totaling about 7800 feet in length. The early work will consist of underwater excavation for the cofferdam and powerhouse and for the approach channels to the powerhouse. Preliminary planning indicates that approximately 20,000 acres of land will be required for the damsite, construction area and the reservoir.

     Authorized in the 1950 river and harbor and flood control act, The Dalles Dam is an important link in the proposed development of the Columbia river and the Pacific Northwest. With the project's construction cost, with 14 generating units installed, estimated to be about $350,000,000, it can readily be seen than an appropriation of $4,000,000 will do little more than get the work started. In addition to starting the excavation work, the initial funds will be used for land acquisition, modification of The Dalles bridge now under construction, and down payments on power-house generators which must be ordered early if they are to be ready for installation on schedule. Prospective completion date of the project is 1957, if possible, dependent upon appropriation of funds by congress.

     The navigation lock, located on the Washington shore, will be 86 feet by 675 feet in clear plan dimensions and will provide a 15 foot depth of water over the sills at five foot draw-down of the pool. Necessary guard walls and channel improvements will be provided in the vicinity of the lock to vacillate better approach conditions to the lock. The gate-controlled spillway will be 1848 feet long. The initial power development will include 14 units rated at 78,000 kilowatts each, or a total of 1,092,000 kilowatts. (Bonneville is rated at 504,000 K.W.; McNary is 980,000 K.W. and Grand Coulee is 1,944,000 K.W.; total of the 4 dams 4,520,000 K.W.)

     Fish ladders and powerhouse collecting systems similar to those at Bonneville dam and the recent improvements in design for McNary dam are proposed for the project. Downstream migrants would have access both to fish ladders and fingerling by-passes. The cost of salmon hatchery facilities is included in the project estimates. The dam will provide a 25 miles slackwater pool for navigation; provide the needed power generating capacity for the northwest power pool; reduce the pumping lift required for irrigation, and provide recreational possibilities of the type now available to residents of the area. It is estimated that approximately 6 years will be required to complete the project.

     Although its power production now greatly overshadows all its other purposes, future historians will want their readers to remember the dam as the 4th stage of development of the Columbia river at The Dalles in the interest of navigation. Looking back it is interesting to note that prior to 1883, the link between the boats operating on the upper, river above Celilo and those with their terminal at The Dalles, was an old Wagon road portage. (The Old Oregon Trail via Fairbanks). Then in the spring of 1863 the Oregon Steam Navigation Co. completed a 14 mile iron-railed portage line along the Oregon shore between The Dalles and Celilo, operating regularly and at a profit for a number (20) of years. With the aid of a telegraph line, installed parallel to the track, the train could always be on hand to meet incoming boats to speed their cargo in either direction.

     Increased river traffic, especially on the upper river, soon justified the construction of The Dalles-Celilo Canal, completed in May 1915 at a cost of $4,480,000, just a little more than the initial appropriation for The Dalles Dam. Since the completion of the project; some $500,000 additional funds have been expended in modernizing the canal and locks. A single lift lock re-placed the slower tandem looks at Big Eddy in March 1941. At the same time an electrification system was installed, fender and guide piles were constructed at the lower entrance to the canal. The upper entrance was improved in 1943 and 44; but the canal is narrow and river operators must break up their tows to get through the locks. Today the navigation project of 1915 is considered obsolete, but it will continue to function throughout the construction period of The Dalles Dam, moving barges and boats up and down the Columbia river.

     Resident engineer of the new Columbia river project (Dalles Dam) will be Hurbert B. Elder, a man of considerable engineering and construction experience who has been transferred to the Portland district office from Nashville, Tenn. During the last war he served with the corps of engineers as a lieutenant-colonel. Being a resident engineer is not a new position for Elder who has served as a resident engineer at the Callipolis dam on the Ohio river, Dale Hollow dam on the Obey river and the Center Hill dam on the Caney Fork river. During the war (WW2) Elder served with the corps of engineers in the southwest Pacific from Australia to Japan, part of which time he was in the brigade of Gen. Orville E. Walsh, now north Pacific Division engineer. He was responsible for restoring the main aqueduct into the city of Manila, under fire from the Japanese on two differ-ent occasions, and was awarded the Legion of Merit for building a dock in Manila in record time. --- Col. Thomas H. Lipscomb.

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The Dalles Dam

     The Progress edition of The Dalles Chronicle, April 1952, said, "The Dalles Dam is designed for ultimate installation of 22 generators (Col. Lipscomb's report, above, was 14 generators); that will wrest from the fast-flowing Columbia river 1,716,000 kilowatts. The half-mile-long powerhouse will have space for 16 units with a substructure capable of housing at least 6 units at some later time when upstream storage projects provide enough water to make their operation feasible. As initially provided, however, the powerhouse will have 14 units of 1,092,000 K.W. The first generator will be installed in November 1956. Bonneville capacity is now 518,000 K.W., Coulee 1,944,000 K.W., McNary 980,000 K.W., Chief Joseph 1,024,000 K.W., total 5,558,000 K.W. for the 5 dams either completed or under construction. The height of The Dalles Dam will be 87.5, Bonneville is 66, McNary 92, Chief Joseph 220 and Grand Coulee 330 feet. The powerhouse of The Dalles Dam will be as high as a 12 story building, about ½ mile long and with base 20 feet below sea level; about one square mile of rock, 10 feet deep has to be removed for it (10,000,000 cubic yards). Concrete for the dam will build 1000 miles of highway; 80,000 tons of steel and other metals will require 3000 freight cars. Each generator will weigh 4,200,000 pounds. There will be 2½ fish ladders to help the fish over the dam.

     "The number of workers required will reach a peak of 3600 in 1956, who with their families will amount to 6200 additional population not including service workers in other businesses and occupations not connected with the dam project. The 1952 appropriation was $30,000,000 to keep the work going. The original cost was estimated to be $226,266,000 and has since risen to $348,000,000 and that does NOT provide for an estimated $23,000,000 in damages to the Indians for their fishing rights under the treaties of 1856. Benefits when completed, power for sale $20,520,000 annually; navigation $564,000; irrigation $13,000; public use $44,000.

     "The relocation of the Union Pacific railroad will cost $23,323,000; relocating highway 30 will cost $6,315,000; relocating the S.P. & S. railroad $19,611,000; switching yards at Wishram will cost $3,210,000; modification of the S.P. & S. railroad bridge $2,157,000; county roads and power lines $814,000.

     "The rates for power generated at The Dalles Dam to set by the Bonneville Power Act at $17.50 a kilowatt year ($14.50 within 5 miles of a dam) and sales of power are made through the Bonneville Power Administration with headquarters in Portland, Oregon. This rate may go up to $22.50 a K.W. year by 1954 if costs do not quit rising. With the completion of the dam the navigation bottle-neck will be eliminated between Big Eddy and Celilo. It is estimated that the northwest will need 9,000,000 K.W. by 1957. The total amount now generated is just under 5,000,000 by both private and government owned plants. The Dalles, McNary and Chief Joseph will only add 3,000,000 more K.W. to the pool therefore Ice Harbor, John Day, Hells Canyon and the other projects are definitely needed."

Ivan Bloch's Conclusions

     Ivan Bloch, industrial consultant of Portland for The Dalles Chamber of Commerce says, "At site power at The Dalles Dam will not occur before the end of 1956 with an installed capacity of 140,000 K.W., however the Bonneville Power Administration will serve large industries at The Dalles under certain conditions before 1956. A 2-mill power rate will save an industry as much as $51 million in 20 years! An aluminum plant costing $36 to $42 millions would employ 600 to 700 persons and use 123,000 K.W. of power. They would import 300,000 ton of raw material and export 60,000 tons of metal. The figures vary for different industries that might locate near The Dalles Dam. He mentioned titanium metal plant, magnesium, iron, stainless steel, ferro alloys, electrolytic iron, electrolytic manganese, artificial abrasives, calcium carbide, calcium cyanamid, metallic sodium, calcium, chromium, silicon, lithium, fluocarbons. Some of these types of plants would require the transportation of raw materials by deep-draft navigation to The Dalles and could make important return cargo shipments of products from The Dalles and vicinity to South American and other Pacific markets.

     The Dalles Dam will be the first down-river structure having substantial industrial acreage within close proximity of the dam's powerhouse and a unique variety of rail and river transportation facilities. The savings from this advantage may facilitate the location of new industries. The Dalles Dam is a powerful link in the chain of economic development of the Pacific Northwest, bringing closer the wealth of the Inland Empire to the lower Columbia river area outlets to world trade. The citizens of the region owe a profound debt of thanks to those in public and private life who have pressed for favorable action on these appropriations. The job is NOT completed. There re-mains more dams in the development program and 200 miles of navigation improvements, several hundred thousands of acres of land to be irrigated.

THE STORY OF ELECTRICITY IN THE DALLES

     The story of electrical service in The Dalles dates back to July 2, 1888 when Ed. Handley, son of Major Dan Handley of the Umatilla House fame and Hugh Glenn were given a franchise by Dalles City for the erection of a wood-burning electric light plant at 7th & Union streets at a cost of $20,000, and the right to distribute electricity within the city limits. Wood to feed the boilers of this little steam plant was obtained from scows on the banks of the Columbia river and from the Johns Lumber mill flume at 14 and Mt. Hood streets. This plant was a success, in a small way and it was called The Dalles Electric Light Co.

The Dalles Electric Telephone and Power Co.

     On February 6, 1892 the little pioneer plant was sold to The Dalles Electric Telephone and Power Co. The Dalles directory of 1898 shows D.M. French was President, Smith French was secretary and J.W. French was treasurer and Wentworth Lord a co-owner of this company. John A. McArthur was the manager and he lived at 104 W. 3rd. This company moved the plant to the north-west corner of First and Laughlin. L.E. Dawson and Arthur Creighton worked for this company in 1895. The plant continued to operate as a steam plant until 1902. It had just a small dynamo and it wag very quest-ionable whether the little 10-watt globes they allowed customers to install, gave any more or any better light than the kerosene lamps of that day and age. A customer was allowed to burn 10 of the little dim 10-watt globes, each evening, f0r a month, for $1.50 and that sum of money in those days was about the same as $6 in 1952: The electricity was shut off in the day time because no one would burn a lamp when it was light enough to see, -- that would be a "waste" of electricity. In 1902 the plant was acquired by the Wasco Warehouse Milling Co.

The Wasco Warehouse Milling Company.

     The Times-Mountaineer of 1898 said the Wasco Warehouse Co. was incorporated Sept. 11, 1883, with the establishment of the railroad in The Dalles by J.W. French, S.L. Brooks and F.B. McFarland. This warehouse company was the forerunner of the old Wasco mill. They had a warehouse storage capacity of 80,000 sq. ft. and their business both locally and out-of-town included the buying and selling of wool, wheat, hides. They sorted and baled wool and they stored the above type of products for owners. They sold feed, flour, barbed wire, nails, salt, lime, cement, sheep and stockmen's supplies. They shipped merchandise to Sherman county, Gilliam, Grant, Crook, Harney, Lake and Klickitat to the amount of 3200 ton in 1897. Baled wool from their new Grove press amounted to 4 million pounds worth $521,000 ($2,000,000 1952). They handled 200,000 bushels of wheat worth $150,000. Their feed business amounted to $35,000. They sold $28,000 worth of flour. They maintained $484,000 ($2,000,000 1952) in their checking account besides doing a cash business of $143,000. This big pick-up in business was under the management of Wentworth Lord. The Warehouse company was reorganized in 1901 under the incorporated name of the Wasco Warehouse Milling Co.

     Under the new company name they constructed the old wooden mill that burned in 1911. They had to have a source of power to turn the machinery of the mill. They looked at several sites, at least 2 on the Deschutes river were considered before they settled on the White River Falls site at Tygh where they built their power house and strung about 30 miles of transmission lines to The Dalles via Dufur in 1902. The Times-Mountaineer of January 7, 1902 said, "The Wasco Warehouse Milling Co. plant at White River is the most modern and complete on the coast. It consists of a concrete dam across the river above the falls, with the necessary intakes and headgates; with a 54 inch convey pipe dorm the canyon into the powerhouse. There are two impulse-turbine water wheels of 640 horsepower each. These wheels connect to two large generators of 1500 horsepower, furnishing 2300 volts to transformers to be stepped up to 22,500 for transmission to The Dalles.

     "This voltage was received in the substation at The Dalles and is then stepped down to the voltage suitable for household use and lighting purposes. The company strung wires to the houses and gave people a 30 day free trial. If they liked the electricity they were to pay $1.50 a month flat rate for 24-hour service for bulbs not to exceed 100 watts." E.O. McCoy replaced Mr. Lord as manager in 1902.

Electrical Thinking 50 Years Ago

     The Shaniko Leader of 1902 said, "If the Columbia river had a dam at or near Cascade Locks to take advantage of the fall in the river there; and one at the rapids above The Dalles, those two dams and power projects would supply the industries of the U.S. with power."

     We know now that all the dams proposed and built on the Columbia river won't even supply the power of the Pacific northwest to say nothing of the rest of the U.S.

     In 1905 Wasco County Court published a booklet to advertise the county's resources at the Lewis & Clark Fair in Portland (a copy is on file in the Oregon State Library) and in that booklet they said, "The Wasco Warehouse Milling Co., with E.O. McCoy, manager, raised the capital stock of $300,000 and bought a 2000 horsepower dynamo to install in their White River plant, located 27 miles southeast of The Dalles, so as to furnish 600 horsepower for their mill at The Dalles, furnish Dufur with power and build the transmission line to The Dalles to sell surplus power for electric lights at both The Dalles and Dufur. The plant capacity could be doubled if it becomes necessary."

     The little steam plant on the northeast corner of First and Jefferson continued to be used as a "stand-by plant," in case of line failures or plant failure at Tygh. In those days there were no motors like we have now, heaters, ice boxes, toasters, irons, pads, stove or large globes.

     The power poles of the company followed the south side of Second street while the north side was occupied by the poles of the Seufert-Condon Telephone Co. The poles of both of these firms made excellent hitching racks for farmer's horses when they came to town to shop. The Dalles Camera Club has a photo of this period showing how these poles lined the street.

The Pacific Power and Light Co.

     The Wasco Milling Company, upon the advise of their general manager Mr. McCoy sold their electrical holdings to the Pacific Power and Light Co. in 1910, after 8 years of service. This was an Atlantic seaboard company of eastern speculators interested solely in the profits they could milk out of the people of the west. None of them ever lived out here or knew anything about the west. They hired their "brains" to manage the company exactly as they hired their brawn to string the wires and dig holes for the poles. They started out by buying up all the little companies, like the one in The Dalles, with the idea of tying them all into a "grid" or one large company. They paid around $500,000 for the Wasco Mill's electrical plant, lines and business. The mill itself remained their best customer and has since that time paid the P.P. & L. more for electricity than the mill got for their plant and holdings in 1910!

     Frank Seufert in 1910 was a director of the Wasco Mill and he warned the mill board of directors "that if they sold their electrical holdings that they were selling their best assets and would never again see the day when they would be on as sound a financial basis as they then enjoyed; and if they sold these electrical holdings he, (Seufert) would sell his stock in the Wasco Mill and with-draw from the company." The board sold to the P.P. & L. Frank Seufert sold all his stock in the mill; and with one or two exceptions they never paid another dividend from that day until they sold out to the United Mills! When Mr. Seufert died his estate was as liquid as cash and Mill stock was worth about 25¢ on the dollar.

The 29 Year Monopoly

     From 1910 to 1933 the Pacific Power and Light Co. had a complete and unopposed monopoly in the electric light business in The Dalles. During that period of time small motors by the thousands came into use on fans, ice boxes, furnaces, pumps, household and workshop appliances, to say nothing of the larger ones in businesses, factories, elevators, large pumps. Electric irons, stoves, plates, mixers, heaters, cleaners, choppers, hair cutters by the thousands came into use. Heating of water used another large block of power. Larger globes from 100 to 1000 watts replaced the little 10-watt affairs in 3000 offices and homes in The Dalles alone. The minimum charge was $1. for 10 K.W.H. but motors were $1 per month, per horsepower and the amount of electricity used was over and above that! In fact they had more than 17 different rates they charged for the one commodity, electricity. If a merchant could charge 17 different prices for a dozen eggs he could get rich in a hurry too, but he don't have a monopoly on the business so one price is all his competitors will let him charge. The power company in those days didn't trust their customers either, they required that each customer make a deposit equal to one average month bill; that wasn't just "some customers", no it was everybody, they didn't trust a living soul in The Dalles that patronized them in the 1920's and 1960's. Would you patronize a merchant if he required you to put up enough cash IN ADVANCE to guarantee your monthly grub bill? phone bill? fuel bill? or other services? and then cut you off if you didn't pay promptly by the 10th?

     If the service was poor, not enough power to heat the stove, or the lights got so dim at 8 P.M. you couldn't read the words of praise the Chronicle had for the P.P. & L., or if the radio sounded like 4th of July fire crackers; there was no use to complain about it, nothing could be done about it, might as well buy an oil lamp or get a battery radio and a wood or oil stove. That was the business-managed private power company in 1920 and 1930 in The Dalles. They were just as independent an outfit as the U.S. army is in time of wars.

When Frank Seufert Wanted Power

     It was during this period of time that Frank Seufert wanted power for his cannery from a line the company was extending out that way enroute to Wishram, Wash. According to Henry Wickman they told Mr. Seufert they didn't intend to run the line on his property and if he wanted service he could pay $50 a pole to have it brought down to the cannery. Nothing doing, Frank wouldn't pay so the P.P. & L. crossed the hills following 15 Mile creek to the Fairbanks district and thence over the hill to the Wishram bridge. They had to put 2 power poles on Seufert to get to the bridge, so back they came to see Frank, and he again reminded them that he wanted power at his cannery FIRST before any poles could be put on his property. Nothing doing, the P.P. & L. would span the distance without poles. Mr. Seufert reminded them that there was only one trouble about that, "the Wishram railroad bridge, by agreement with him, was to be used for railroad purposes ONLY; but that if they (the P.P. & L.) would construct that power line link to his cannery, free of all charges, he (Seufert) would permit them to set the 2 poles at the Wishram bridge on his property and use the Wishram bridge for their lines PROVIDED they (the P.P. & L.) would build the line to his cannery FIRST and supply power over that line BEFORE any wires were placed on the Wishram bridges.

     Seufert's Cannery was one of the largest industries in Wasco county at that time, yet the Pacific Power and Light Co. refused to serve that industry without Mr. Seufert bringing pressure to bear on them and forcing them to do so. The business man who was NOT in a position to bring pressure to bear on that "business managed private monopoly" of the 1920's didn't fare so well, they had to wait for service until the company took their sweet time about getting around to it, and they had to either like it or install their own private Delco power plant. They were, what we might call the "independent business men of 1920!" Within the city of The Dalles they did better than that, they were eager to serve heavy users like business men and commercial establishments.

Farmers wanted Power

     The lighting of homes and businesses, the sale of motors and appliances was very keenly observed by the farmers of Wasco county and the Mid-Columbia area. They too wanted their farms, which are food producing factories, to have power to pump water for cattle, irrigation and house use, to grind feed, to operate motors in their workshops to repair farm equipment, for outside farm lighting and dairy equipment and a hundred other uses. In their homes they too wanted ice boxes, washing machines, ironers, sweepers, fans, motors, food mixers, hot water heaters, stoves, lights and all the other comforts of an electrical home.

     They came in and asked the Pacific Power and Light Co. to extend their lines to serve the farms. The power company explained to them that unless there were 4 customers to the mile they couldn't afford to extend their lines. If the farmers in the outlaying districts (beyond the 4 to a mile) wanted power they (the farmers) would have to pay $50 a pole and the poles and wires were to belong to the P.P. & L. after the farmers "bought and paid for them". For 10 years the farmers appealed to this private-managed power monopoly to give them power. For 10 years that was substantially the story the power company representatives gave the farmers; adding "they were sorry there just wasn't anything they could do about it, if they wanted electricity they could got their own power plants."

     Some of the farmers did buy their own small 32 volt Delco power plants but they soon found them unsatisfactory. Further appeals were made to the power company but they all fe1l on deaf ears. The power company just didn't care if the housewife had no appliances to help with her work; they just didn't care whether the farmer pumped water by hand or carried it to the house and for stock; they just didn't care whether the farmer could see after night or not. That was the attitude of our so-called "business-managed power company" in the 1920's. There was no threat of competition in those days and they could be just as despotic and autocratic about the matter as they pleased. There was NO APPEAL either to their business reasoning nor from their dictatorial powers. They were the power Czars of The Dalles with just as much power as the Czar of Russia in the matter! There was a Public Utility Commissioner at Salem but all you could got out of him was a "letter of sympathy."

The Appeal To Congress

     Then in 1932 Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President of the U.S. and with him a congress who would do his bidding toward helping get us out of the Panic President Hoover could do nothing about. Upon the appeal of the Granges, Chambers of Commerce, labor unions and other groups President Roosevelt gave Charlie McNary his Bonneville Dam and Washington its Grand Coulee, in first steps toward harnessing the Columbia river for poorer for farms, homes and industrial use.

     "What will we do with so much power?", P.P. & L. representatives asked in a whispering propaganda campaign, "who will use it? How will it be distributed? Where will it be sold? There is no demand for such blocks of power! Its all a waste of public money!" Bonneville Dam was authorized as a PWA, project Sept. 30, 1933 with the first power generated for sale purpose; in the spring of 1938. In November 1933 Grand Coulee was started as Federal Works Project No. 9. and its generators cut in just before WW2. The power generated by these two dams were to be sold by the Bonneville Power, administrator, who had power to erect transmission lines.

     The Bonneville Power Act provided that preference in sale of power should go to city owned power plants and other publicly owned power districts FIRST; to cooperatives second; to industries, third; and interruptible power to privately owned companies, last. J.D. Ross was appointed administrator. He was immediately subject to much personal abuse by private power advocates.

     When the farmers appealed to Mr. Ross for power he advised them that under the Bonneville Act, they would have to first organize a Public Utility District in order to have an agency to be res-ponsible, under the law, to receive power and distribute it to the people. The Public Utility District Law of the State of Oregon was fought by the private power companies, but adopted, and it provided for the legal steps which could be taken in order to form a Public Utility District in Oregon.

Grange Action

     The Granges of Wasco county in 1938, acting collectively through their Pomona Grange legislative body, for and on behalf of the farmers of Wasco County, petitioned the Oregon Hydroelectric (1938) Commission of Salem, to conduct a survey in Wasco County, as provided by the PUD law, to see if there was enough customers, use and demand for electricity to justify the building of a system, or buying out the private power company, and at what value or price. The commission made their report, that the district was feasible and that for a cost of $456,000 (1938) they could serve the people. The next step was to hold an election to form the district. This election was fought by the local private power company and the proposal defeated on account of the opposition within Dalles City. The defeat was a very serious blow to the farmers of Wasco County for it meant NO ELECTRICITY FOR THEIR FARMS. The election was held November 8, 1938. Even the Parent-Teachers Association became a tool of the private power company and "opposed" the forming of the PUD on the grounds that the PUD paid no taxes and if they acquired the P.P. & L. holdings they would be removed from the tax rolls. The Grange arguments were that rates in The Dalles were $4.24 per 100 KWH while those in Tacoma were only $2.25 per 100; that the PUD would pay taxes and lower the rates here eventually down to the Tacoma rates, when bonds were paid off; that lines would be extended to serve the farms now without power. The power-company maintained the $4.24 rates "were among the lowest in the U.S."; that the PUD would NOT pay taxes. The Dalles Chronicle said, "the low PUD proposed rates ($2.45 per 100) are not possible in The Dalles within 30 years!" Col. Ayres was one of the paid propagandists of the Oregon Business Investors against the PUD proposal.

     The Wasco County Property Owners Educational Committee, Walt Hanna, Chairman and B. M. Keith, Secretary said, "the proposed district hides this information from you -- $1,060,000 in general obligation bonds by a special election. Taxes without limit, over a million dollars at the pleasure of 5 men. You will be a stockholder without a vote and a rate-payer without a right of protest."

     The Pomona Grange Power Committee, Howard Robinson, Chairman, Chas. Harth, Secretary said, "a vote for the Peoples Utility District will be taking full advantage of Bonneville power and a vote for lower light and power rates, will bring in industries and payrolls."

     Bulletin No. 26 of the Bonneville Power Administration quoted J.D. Ross, administrator as saying, "Bonneville power will not come automatically to the people. Retailing of power is a local task and the responsibility of the men and women of each community. During the years of 1938 and 1939 there will be only 86,000 kilowatts of power available. Cities and PUD districts should act promptly to get their share. Cities and districts will be served in the order they file applications. Today merchants in this area are paying from $60 to $100 a month for power which can be had for $30. The people in each community must decide whether they want public or private service -- it is the cost to the user at the end of the line that counts. There must be a "new deal" in power distribution to get low rates. Preference to sale of Bonneville Power is given public bodies under the Bonneville Act."

     The Chronicle in an editorial Oct. 14, 1938, "denied that the amount of advertising the Pacific Power and Light Co. placed in its publication was an act of buying off the newspaper. The proposed J.D. Ross wholesale power schedule of $17.50 a KW year was opposed by the Chronicle because it gave every city in the northwest the same advantages." P.P. & L. advertising was more than $1000 a month. The assessed valuation of the P.P. & L. holdings in Wasco county in 1938 were $652,932 which included $160,000 for the White River generating plant.

     The 2nd pamphlet put out by the local Property Owners Educational Committee of Walt Hanna, Chairman and B.M. Keith, Secretary said, "no industrial executive in his right mind would locate a plant in any county where the power rates can be raised by the whims of PUD managers. No industry will ever come here in the face of absolutely certain increase in taxes. Industries must have "reliable" power service. No hard-headed business manager would depend upon power service run by inexperienced amateurs who have never been inside a power plant and who don't know one switch from another. No large industry has yet come to Portland or The Dalles or any other site in the Bonneville district & Bonneville generators are idly wasting their power. Isn't that the plain, cold, disheartening truth? The reasons industries have not come to The Dalles is simply the fear of PUD politics. We can safely invite industries to The Dalles NOW and deal with them on a business basis with the "protection" of state regulated rates. We can always get in to a PUD but we can never get out. That's the law. Lets be sure what we are getting into."

     J.D. Ross, Bonneville Administrator on Oct. 27, 1938 in Portland said, "private utilities were fighting the establishment of public power districts by means of a ring of fake so-called tax-payers leagues and peoples power committees, using a campaign of misrepresentation. Public Utility Districts pay off their bonds and reduce rates while private power companies never pay off their bonds. Financial manipulation of these companies during the depression has milked them until they cannot survive under lower rates." He added that the Oregon Public Utility Law should be amended to permit issuance of revenue bonds in place of general obligation bonds, payable from the income of the district.

     Walter M. Pierce, Congressman for this district on Nov. 4, 1938 said, "It isn't in the cards for the Pacific Power & Light Co. to buy Bonneville power and retail it at reasonable rates. He produced figures showing the debt of the P.P. & L. Co. amounted to $678.47 per customer! In Tacoma the debt is only $138.27 per customer! In Eugene its only $36.25 per customer! No matter what the P.P. & L. may say its not in its power to give you low rates. If you have an affection for Wall Street and want to continue to pay them tribute then turn down the PUD."

     The proposal to create the PUD at the Nov. 9, 1938 election was defeated by less than 300 votes. The property owners' educational committee spent $1027.62, according to Bert Keith, Secretary to defeat the district. The Grange spent $131.40 for the proposal, according to Chas. Harth, Secretary.

     After the election one of The Dalles business leaders said, "we have some very near-sighted business men here who have been frightened out of their ability to sanely think on the PUD prop-osition. The announcement from J.D. Ross that there will be no Bonneville power for The Dalles without a responsible agency to receive and distribute it has brought some of these men to their senses. We had no hesitation in fighting the railroad when we wanted the port and deep sea navigation and we should not lay down before the P.P. & L. Co. More than 90% of the business men on second street are in favor of the power district, but only 5%, are in any position to state their feelings! for fear of retaliation in one way or another. The P.P. & L. Co. contributes $200 annually to the Chamber of Commerce (1938) and J. Ralph Brown of the P.P. & L. is one of the Chamber directors who never fails to attend a meeting. We have got to have back bone enough to tell the P.P. & L. to go to hell, the welfare of the community comes before the utility. The Dalles Chamber of Commerce has not sold out to the P.P. & L. but its members have been scared out! In one way or another the opponents of the PUD have threatened every individual in the community, whom they could bring any pressure to bear upon, to oppose the PUD. Of course, he continued, they cannot touch the farmers. They are the last bulwark of freedom in our county. We business men in The Dalles who are tongue tied owe a debt of gratitude to the farmers of Wasco county. Keep fighting we will do all we can to help you, but it will be a long, hard, dirty, uphill fight." --- A Dalles Business man whose name is in the confidential files of Grange records.

     The January 1939 legislative session in Salem enacted the revenue bond law for PUD's. This law was sponsored by the Oregon state Grange and endorsed by Gov. Chas. Sprague in his address to the opening session of the legislature Jan. 9, 1939.

     On January 25, 1939 the Wasco County Property Owners' Educational Committee changed their name to the Wasco County Taxpayers' Association, retaining Walt Hanna as Chairman.

     On January 31, 1939 the P.P. & L. Co. announced a reduction in power rates of about 25¢ a month per customer. On February 10, 1939 the Chronicle listed about a dozen reasons why they were opposed to the new PUD bill being considered the by legislature. (It is very doubtful if the Chronicle staff, at that time, could have drawn up a bill themselves -- that they would not have been opposed to.)

J.D. ROSS DIES

     The death of J.D. Ross, Bonneville Power Administrator in March 1939 was a blow to the PUD movement. He was a man from the northwest (Seattle) who knew northwest conditions. Actions in the northwest could not agree upon another win so Roosevelt appointed Dr. Raver an Illinois man to take Mr. Rosses place. The Dalles Chronicle on March 18, 1939 said, "The death of J.D. Ross -- -Oregon cannot hope now to change the power distribution policies inaugurated by Ross, but this state (paper) at least would like to have an administrator familiar with our problems and sympa-thetic to our interests; and -- although we hate to say it at a time like this, the suspicion did exist in some quarters that Ross was more concerned with protecting the interests of Seattle and the state of Washington as a whole, than he was with giving Oregon full benefit of its natural heritage." Even in death, this great engineer, had the breath of fury and hate blown over his dead body by The Dalles Chronicle! It made every citizen bow their heads in shame that our leading newspaper would do such a thing. A more impartial man could never have occupied the position. Every area of Oregon rejected Bonneville Power while nearly every district in Washington approved it, formed districts to distribute it for the people. It was not the fruit of Ross.

     The Pacific Engineer and Builder said of Ross, "A hundred years from now when history of public ownership is written; a name will loom large, it is that of J.D. Ross, father of Seattle's City Light. His death in the midst of his task as Bonneville Administrator and while the great Skagit Project (3 times as large as Bonneville was still unfinished, leaves a vacancy that no one man can fill. These projects will go forward but the sad part of it is that J.D. Ross was not to be spared to see his dreams come true. A builder of men, as well as, a builder of great masonry structures, his contributions to mankind will endure long after his dams and power plants have crumbled to dust." Mr. Ross was 66 at the time of his death Mar. 15, 1939 of a heart attack at the Mayo clinic, Rochester, Minn. The Oregon Grange Bulletin said, "The passing of J.D. Ross was a great loss to the northwest. He was subbed to ridicule and abuse by those who place profit before the welfare of the people."

The Dalles Public Power and Industrial Club

     On Monday May 8, 1939 a group of Dalles so business men who could not be coerced, nor frightened by the Pacific Power and Light Co. gathered that evening at Mack's Cafe and formed The Dalles Public Power and Industrial Club, with Alf Wernmark, a shoe merchant, as chairman. The object of the club was assistance to the Grange in the formation of a Public Utility District in order to bring Bonneville Power to The Dalles for business, industrial and commercial use, so that The Dalles would be in a position to attract industries to this locality. Their immediate objective was a campaign of education. W.S. Nelson explained the Bonneville Power, act and how public districts and cities were given preference under the law. Wm. J. Seufert, acknowledged we had many scoffers in our city who didn't believe in our future growth. County Judge G.G. Shults said he couldn't understand why the PUD was turned down when Bonneville power is what we need for our community growth and advancement. Chas. Foster said rates in Tacoma, where he came from were ½ of what they were here because of public ownership. Others present were Chas. Hampton, Chas. McMahon, Kenneth Grossmiller, Archie and Fred Hovey, Wm. H. McNeal, John McClaskey, Joe Thomism, Harry Frosberg, Charlie Roth, Roy Johnson, William Dielschneider. Others who later joined the club were Willis Darnielle, L.V. Broughton, W.R. Bailey, Howard Robinson, W.J. Wilcox, Chas. Harth, Karl Benson, J.O. Belden, Edward McMahon, Fred Hedges, Ferris Mayfield, Frank Gill, Grover Slusher, Kenneth Grossmiller, Emile Schanno, A.W. Manchester, Fred Wetle, Harry Frosberg, Jess Ott, Cecil Byers, Dr. Geo. Newhouse, Edward Seufert, J.C. Syme, Ed. Adams, Stan Wood, H. Walther.

Second PUD Election Aug. 15, 1939

     The second election for the formation of a Public Utility District in Wasco County was held August 15, 1939 and formed with a Board of Directors composed of W.J. Seufert, Chas. Foster, Roy Johnson, Jess Ott and Cecil Byers. Upon the death of Chas. Foster Dr. George Newhouse was selected and later elected to take his place. When Mr. Ott resigned W.R. Bailey was appointed in his place. The vote in the Aug. 15, 1939 election was 1735 for and 1194 against; 541 majority for. On Aug. 9 the Pacific Power & Light Co. in a letter to the people, "promised to pass on any savings to the people from any Bonneville power they might handle. The company has been in The Dalles 29 years and they asked, is there any grounds for assuming the proposed PUD would offer any advantages to offset the risks involved in creating a tax-levying agency?"

     Teunis Wyers of Hood River was appointed PUD attorney because no Dalles attorney favorable to the PUD could be found and he reported the first lawsuit filed against the Hood River district testing the validity of some phases of the PUD law. Dr. Paul Raver, Bonneville Administrator was empowered by the local PUD board to negotiate with the P.P. & L. for sale of their holdings in this district; but he was unsuccessful. The Bonneville Act provided that until 1941 all Bonneville power was reserved for public districts the P.P. & L. could not buy Bonneville power in 1939.

TAXES

     During the PUD election campaign of 1939 the P.P. & L. said they paid $27,000 a year in taxes to Wasco county. We now all realize that all telephone and power utilities are TAX COLLECTORS who collect taxes from their customers or users, and they charge MORE for collecting taxes than the sheriff or the State Tax Commission. The users of the service are the taxpayers! The Hydroelectric commission report said the PUD would collect from users only $15,505 annually about ½ the P.P. & L. bill.

Hydroelectric Commission Report

     Some of the other hydroelectric commission figures were interesting. They said the P.P. & L. had 41.5 miles of transmission lines; 71.2 of distribution lines; had substations at Dufur and The Dalles and served 2795 customers from whom they collected $235,430.98 annually. The value of the entire P.P. & L. holdings within the PUD district was $455,612. PUD bonds retirement in 20 to 30 years was figured in the above values and their cost would be taken out of the annual operating expenses of $108,150. There would be enough surplus at existing rates to make a reduction in rates and as bonds were paid off further rate reductions could be made. The area of the district was about 440 square miles and the population 9350 (some districts have less than 300 population). The White River plant of the P.P. & L. generated 2250 kilowatts and the Hood River plant 6000. There were 1764 homes served in The Dalles, 327 commercial stores, 19 industries and 25 public buildings on which the taxpayers paid the P.P.& L. $18,140.08. The 327 commercial users passed on their $70,712.41 electrical bills to their customers and the 19 industries passed on to the users of their products their $18,282.50 power bill. In addition to shouldering most of the above $107,114 the residential users in The Dalles, who cannot pass their electrical bills on to anyone else, paid $83,404.16 for power to the P.P. & L, and when added to the above $107,114.97 it makes a load of $190,519.13 that residents (householders) or The PEOPLE of The Dalles actually pay for power annually - Your merchant, industrialist and politicians ALL have to pass their power bills on to the PEOPLE of the city to pay; it therefore is clear to the thinking residential user of the city that his own power bill on his home is less than half of the total power bill he pays annually! Since the PEOPLE (homeowners and renters) pay ALL electrical costs in The Dalles they therefore have every right to demand and receive electrical service through their own publicly created district! Neither the Pacific Power and Light Co. nor any other utility is greater than the PEOPLE of The Dalles! THE CREATURE CAN NEVER BECOME GREATER THAN THE CREATOR!

P.P. & L. Rates

     The P.P. & L. periodically makes the claim that they "voluntarily reduce rates." The reason they "volunteer" to do so was the creation of 2000 municipal and public districts in the U.S. many of them in Oregon and Washington. The electrical utilities in the U.S. have over 3000 different rate prices they charge for electricity, according to the Public Ownership League of America to which the above 2000 public districts (owned and operated by the PEOPLE) belong to. Suppose that your local merchant sold you a dozen eggs with 3000 different prices attached to them, what would you think of his mental condition? Suppose he wanted to charge you 50¢ a dozen in case you wanted to fry them?; 85¢ a dozen if you wanted to poach them; 70¢ a dozen if you wanted to boil them; 62¢ a dozen if you wanted to bake a cake with them; and so on 3000 times! That's the kind of a skin game the private power companies use on the people. The P.P. & L. only uses 35 or 40 of those rates for the one product they sell (power) and there is NOTHING you, the customer, can do about it, except CREATE YOUR OWN DISTRICT AND SERVE YOURSELF AT RATES THAT PLEASE YOU and not the company!

     Part of the high rates private power companies charge are due to high $100,000 a year executive salaries for officers that sit behind mahogany desks in multi-million dollar buildings in Portland, Chicago or New York and in all 3 places! Can those salaries be reduced, just ask one of the men who receive it and see. He will tell you he has to live in a $30,000 home and drive a $10,000 car to "meet" the class of people he must talk to! When he travels it must be on a private plane or in a private car attached to a train, on account of the people he has to meet and talk to. When he goes into a hotel he has to have a suite of rooms at $50 a day or more, a single $5 room would be an insult to his station in life! His tips for meals must be greater than the common man pays for a meal or he would never be considered anybody. His suits of clothes must be in the $500 bracket, he can't be "shabbily dressed" like his employees or common customers of his utility! As a customer of the P.P. & L., don't it make the tears come to your eyes when you think of the hardships and problems these $50,000 P.P. & L. Vice-presidents and $100,000 presidents and general managers have?

     Advertising is another reason for their high rates. Private power companies want you to believe that that item is necessary. Any business who has an unopposed MONOPOLY does NOT have to advertise. They have the business anyway. There is no place else the customer can turn? Most of the newspaper advertising, especially in our dailies, is for good political reasons. Newspapers have lots of influence. They survive on advertising. Newspapers know which side of the bread the butter is on and they are not "going to bite the hand that feeds them." An advertising income of $1000 a month from a utility is not peanuts and they are going to give big advertisers like that all the breaks they can. The utility don't care what the bill is, the Oregon Public Utility Commissioner permits them to add it to your electric light bill. You, their customer, pays all their advertising propa-ganda bills, most, if not all, of which are UNNECESSARY burdens. There is nothing you can do about it except to become a customer of your own publicly created district. The Federal Power Commission says, "The Pacific Power & Light Co., Puget Sound Power & Light and Washington Water Power Co. in the 5 years up to 1941 spent $1,037,518 on advertising and other costs in fighting the PEOPLES publicly owned districts and municipal-city created districts; ½ of which was charged to their operating expenses. Their front organizations included "taxpayers & Citizens Committees."

P.P. & L. Stock

     None of the stock of a private utility is ever paid off! As expansion money is needed, more stock is sold, The Public Utility Commissioner of Oregon allows them to charge off enough for depreciation to retire much of their worthless watered stock, but it is not compulsory. The result is that after a few years they cease to have any real value, possibly 25¢ on the dollar. We remember how vividly this was called to our attention during the depression of the 1930'3. Previously, in the prosperous 1920!s, the P.P. & L. Co. sold lots of 7% preferred stock to people in The Dalles. During the depression years some of those "preferred" stockholders didn't have enough money to pay their power bills, so they had the happy thought that all they needed to do when the "rainy day" hit them was to bring some of that "preferred stock" down and tender it in payment on their power bills. It was rejected by the P.P. & L.'s local office. Right then and there a lot of Dalles people got a very liberal education in how worthless Pacific Power and Light Co. stock really was! Any suggestion you would make to a public utility to retire their stock with their depreciation money would meet with ridicule.

     The only thing you can do, if you don't want to be milked for worthless stock dividends, is to become a patron of your own Publicly Owned People Utility District, they are compelled to pay their bonds all off in 20 to 30 years!

Front Organizations

     The May 10,1940 edition of the Optimist quoted a Federal Power Commission report, "that the P.P. & L. Co. paid J.L. Kelley of The Dalles $1000 to contest the formation of a Public Utility District at The Dalles in 1939. The front organization was called A SPECIAL COMMITTEE. In November 1940 they paid $121.35 to the Electricity Users and Taxpayers Committee which opposed a bond issue of the PUD."

     In November 1940 the Revenue Bond Issue of $475,000 carried at the general election by a vote of 2288 in favor of and 1877 against. Gus Soloman, Portland Federal Judge, was PUD attorney.

Bonneville Power

     The contract for the Bonneville transmission line to The Dalles was awarded to Fritz Zeibarth in February 1940. The transmission line was to be 38 miles long, constructed of wood poles capable of carrying cable for a 115,000 volt line. The bid was $248,989,25. It was completed May 9, 1941, energized May 20, 1941, according to Eric Johnson, PUD & REA Manager, who was quoted at the time as saying the REA had 30 miles of ling ready for juice. A public celebration was held at the Bonneville Power sub-station on Chenowith road May 22, 1941 at which Mrs. Paul Raver attended in the place of Dr. Paul Raver, Bonneville Power administrator. Directors and officials of both the local PUD, REA, Granges and Public Power Club were in attendance. W.E. Davis threw in the switch which lighted the REA farm-homes that afternoon. We REA movement had the wholehearted endorsement of the PUD board. Without that endorsement and support there could never have been an REA within the legal limits of the PUD! Eric Johnson was RFA Superintendent and W.E. Davis was president.

The R.E.A.

     The REA stands fair the Rural Electrification Administration which was setup by an act of congress May 11, 1935 so that funds could be made available to REA Cooperatives, Public Utility Districts and Private Power companies to build lines into rural areas not being served by power. The Wasco Electric Cooperative, Inc. (REA) held their first meeting April 4, 1920 in the Dufur City Hall and elected a Board of Incorporators as follows: Mrs. Ada Davis, Mrs. Edna Renkin, J.W. DePriest, S.M. Hix, Charlie Harth, Karl Benson, Ralph Kaufman, W.E. Davis and Eric Johnson. They acted as the first board of directors for the REA. Ray N. Kortge was hired as coordinator to sign up farmers as members of the cooperative. Norman McKinsey was hired as Pre-allotment engineer and he prepared the maps of our project that were sent to the REA at Washington, D.C. for approval for the allocation of $240,000 for the construction of 264 miles of lines to 342 members of Wasco county in August 30, 1940. Very shortly after this Preston Adkins, electrical engineer, was hired by the board as project engineer to design and stake our lines.

     We held our first annual meeting Oct. 29, 1940 at the auditorium in The Dalles. The following members were elected to the board of directors and took over the management of the cooperative for the ensuing year: W.E. Davis, S.M. Hix, Chas. Harth, Karl Benson, Euguene Chase, R.R. Crabtree, J.W. DePriest, M.J.G. Godknecht and R.N. Kortge. On Nov. 12, 1940 the Wasco Electric office was opened at 319 E. 3rd, The Dalles. Eric Johnson was hired as superintendent and Irma Gedney was office secretary. On Nov. 15, 1940 our first bid was opened in the Circuit court room of the Wasco county courthouse. Only 2 bids were received and since 3 were required, they had to be turned down. On Dec. 19, 1940 another bid opening was held and the Newport Construction Co. was given the contract to construct 264 miles of transmission and distribution lines at a cost of $196,899.11. This bid was sent to the REA in Washington, D.C. for their approval which we received Feb. 7, 1941. Actual construction began on March 30, 1941. The contractor made good progress with 85 miles by May 22 and service ready for 30 customers by that date. City people don't realize what electricity means to these farm homes. None of this would have been possible without the PUD first being organized. The cooperation of the members of the REA and their board of directors was needed. The county court's cooperation, the help of city officials, the county Agent, the members of the PUD board.

     The REA law compelled the local REA to run their lines "just beyond the last pole of the P.P.& L." This cost extra money but the REA continued to extend until today they serve 95% of the farms of Wasco county. They have pushed on into Sherman, Gilliam, Morrow, Wheeler, Jefferson counties.

     Their customers are about a mile apart on their lines. Their rates are understandably higher than in The Dalles, but farmers without power, whom the P.P.& L. refused to serve, are glad to pay a little more to have power. The cost of the first 284 miles amounted to $742 a mile. The P.P.& L. wanted $600 a mile and then wanted to claim ownership of the line after they built it and made the farmers pay for it! In a few years the REA lines will be paid off, will belong to the farmers themselves, debt free, and then rates can be reduced still farther. Wasco county farmers have shown good judgment by not becoming a victim of the local "business managed" power monopoly.

     The REA now has a modern office and shop building at 4th & Union in The Dalles which was opened June 7, 1951 just 10 years after the REA started May 24, 1941. It cost $74,000. The entire REA system is valued at $1,900,000. All notes have been paid as they fell due. They serve 1400 farms in the 6 counties, which the P.P. & L. refused to serve and said, "couldn't be served." The average REA customer uses 800 KWH a month. They read their own meters, something most P.P. & L. customers can't do on account of obsolete meters. They own 1000 miles of new lines! Their largest customers are the Tygh Valley Lumber Co. and the Dant & Russel (Kaiser) Perlite Co. of Dant, on the Deschutes river. There are maintenance crews at Grass Valley, Maupin and The Dalles. Their contract with Bonneville is for prime power, meaning unlimited amounts on first call. If there is any shortage in power, private power companies are cut off first. Cooperatives, cities and PUD's have first preference under the law! (Last generator was placed in Bonneville dam Dec. 15, 1943.)

     The REA owns the spring fed plant at Oak Springs, near Maupin, which supplies 108,000 KWH per month. W.E. Davis was president of the REA for 10 years! Eric Johnson has been manager since it was first started. He is also the PUD manager. He is the "wheel-horse" of the REA movement and one of the best friends the people have in The Dalles.

     REA loans are amortized over 35 years at 2% interest, retired by earnings. There are no donations, subsidies or grants given REAs. From the income reserves for depreciation is set up with the interests, general maintenance and amortization of the debt of $1,931,000. Reserve funds are kept in government bonds. There are 2 maintenance men in Maupin, and a collection office in Maupin; 2 maintenance men at Grass Valley and 3 at The Dalles. A two-way radio system speeds maintenance. Officers are Raymond Crabtree, President, Roy Foreman, Vice-president, Lester DePriest, secretary, Leo Hammel, Treasurer and a board of Harold Eakin, James Paulson, Norris Brown, W.E. Davis and Dean Pinkerton.

PUD FRANCHISE -1940 & 1941

     On October 13, 1940 the PUD board asked Dalles City council for a franchise to operate in The Dalles. On May 4, 1941 Dalles City Council denied the petition of the PUD board for a franchise - within Dalles City "because of possible competition with the Pacific Power & Light Co."

     At the July 1941 meeting of the PUD board it was announced that 2/3rds of the P.P. & L. Co.'s customers (2000 )had signed agreements to take power from the PUD when they went into business. The PUD board made their SECOND request of the Dalles City council for a franchise in July 1941. On Monday August 3rd Dalles City Council for the 2nd time rejected the request of the PUD board.

Validating Decree

     In April 194E the local circuit court hands down a decree validating all proceedings of the PUD, after the P.P. & L. Co. attacked the district alleging it had been brought into being in contravention of the state constitution. The opinion was handed down by Judge Carl Hendricks of Fossil. On April 28, 1943 the Oregon Supreme Court sustained Judge Hendricks and the local PUD. (This was a delaying action by the P.P. & L. to keep the PUD from going into business.)

Conference with P.P. & L.

     On Feb. 15, 1945 a conference between PUD director Chas. Foster and Paul B. McKee, president of the P.P. & L. the latter said, "they did not care to sell any part of the P.P. & L. and the local PUD could condemn if they desired." This meeting was arranged by George Stadelman, mayor of Dalles City. Others in attendance were George Bragg, general manager of the P.P. & L. and Glenn Corey, local manager. Besides Chas. Foster, other PUD members in attendance were Roy Johnson, Cecil Byers, Jess Ott, Eric Johnson. The meeting took place in the local P.P. & L. offices.

Franchise Refused in 1945

     Again on March 4, 1945 Dalles City Council unanimously refused the PUD board a franchise to operate in Dalles city for the reason that the council felt, " two electrical systems here was wrong." Chas. Foster argued that the Revenue Bond election of 1940 was a mandate from the people to the council for a franchise.

Petitions For Franchise Election

     The PUD board and The Dalles Industrial Club then circulated petitions calling for a franchise election Sept. 18, 1945. These petitions containing 700 names was filed July 19, 1945 with Dalles City clerk (recorder). The council rejected the Sept. 18 date for the election and set November 1948 as the date (during the general election).

     The PUD board then filed suit in the local Circuit Court July 22, 1945 to compel Dalles City to hold an election Sept. 15, 1945. City Attorney Celia Gavin sparred for time at the court hearing in August. But the court found for the PUD in an August 15 decision and ordered the election for Sept. 18, 1945, Judge Earl C. Latourette on Aug. 16, 1945 filed a peremptory writ against the mayor and Dalles City council "to do their duty under the city charter and hold the Franchise election as asked for by the PUD. Celia Gavin, Dalles City attorney appealed the case to the Oregon Supreme Court. Those named defendants in the suit were George Stadelman, mayor and councilmen Paul Weigelt, Virgil Kelley, Roscoe Roberts, W.L. Kirk, and Ben Calloway. J.H. Steers, recorder.

     The Optimist of Aug. 24, 1945 said, "the mayor and council have only one purpose, to stall the election of Sept. 18. They are taking an appeal to the Supreme Court, another stall and flouting the people's will."

Another Lawsuit

     On January 2, 1947 the Pacific Power & Light Co. filed suit in the local circuit court to enjoin the Public Utility District from issuing $225,000 of revenue bonds. They alleged construction costs had risen and that the issue of $475,000, allowed by the people at the Nov. 5, 1940 election, was not enough to construct facilities to serve the district and instead the PUD board intended to serve only a small part of the district. The plaintiffs besides the power company were: Tom Gurdane, Royal Boltman, James Palmer, L.J. Gates, Gordon Proctor, L.C. Cove, E.A. Parrish, Neva Foster, L.C. Addington, M.M. Adkisson, Lester Marvel, John Underhill, Jim Underhill, Nicholas Fax, W.M. Stanley, C.H. Anderson, Eldon Emerson, Hugh Hillgen, Paul Kortge, Bruce Underhill, Frank Ingalls, James Hunt, Clarence Gardner, Walter Hanna. Defendants were the PUD board. --- Optimist Jan. 3, 1947.

     In reply to the P.P. & L. Co. allegations the PUD board said, "the funds were adequate to serve the district and since the district was organized 7 years ago the P.P. & L. had reduced rates 4 times, which was as many as they had made in the 28 previous years! from 1913 to 1939. The district had already saved the people money and rates will be reduced around 20% more when the district goes into business! -- Optimist January 10, 1947

     On Monday June 15, 1947 dispositions were filed with Judge Walter Tooze. On the 29th of June the judge took the case "under advisement." -- Optimist June 20, 1947.

     In an opinion of Judge Tooze court October 7, 1947, he denied the P.P. & L. injunction against the sale of PUD bonds -- a clear cut victory for the local PUD. -- Optimist Oct. 10, 1947

     This suit was just another delaying action.

Union County PUD Suit

     The Union County PUD at La Grande was upheld, in an opinion by the Oregon Supreme Court, regard-ing that PUD's action in issuance of revenue bonds to purchase part of the California-Pacific Utility, serving that area. The court held the notice of election for issuing the revenue bonds in the amount of $925,000 for acquiring an electrical distributing system "within or partly within" the limits of the district, by either purchase or construction or both. Don Heisler, local PUD attorney, pointed out the similarity of the legal battles here and at La Grande. -- (Optimist Jan. 2/48)

P.P. & L Substation

     The March 5 Optimist reported the P.P. & L. Co, was spending $250,000 on a sub-station west of The Dalles to receive Bonneville power. This was a waste of P.P. & L. funds as the PUD could obtain all the power needed without the expenditure of this money, for The Dalles and surrounding area!

Revenue Bond Sales

     Bids for the purchase of $225,000 in revenue bonds for construction of the first unit of an electric distributing system, by the PEOPLE, in The Dalles, were opened Tuesday Sept. 8, 1948 by the directors of the PUD. The district was organized August 22, 1939, 9 years before.

     Robert Welty, PUD engineer told the board he could complete plans for a system within 2 weeks, but another 2 weeks would be required to get bids for construction.

     The bids for these bonds were called for after the Oregon Supreme Court had upheld the decision of the Circuit Court that the PUD was entitled to proceed with sale of bonds and construction. The suit was filed by the P.P. & L. Co. as a delaying action January 2, 1947. -- (Optimist Sept. 10, 1948)

P.P. & L. Appeals to Hydroelectric Commission

     The P.P. & L. Co. requested the Oregon Hydroelectric Commission for a hearing on the feasibility of the local PUD's plans to build a duplicate power system in The Dalles. The petition was filed by Glenn Corey, local P.P. & L. manager jointly with Dr. John A. Reuter, chairman of the Citizens (front) Committee. The petition said, "it doesn't make sense to spend $200,000 to stick up another set of poles and wires in The Dalles alongside those already here."

     (The PUD engineers had advised the board that the old rotten poles and wires of the P.P. & L. system would have to be replaced in The Dalles, so it didn't make sense to offer the P.P. & L. a million dollars for their junk and then have to replace it with a new system anyway)

     The petition of the P.P. & L. was denied by the Hydroelectric Commission. (Optimist Nov. 19, 1948).

PUD Construction

     On November 18, 1948 work was started by the PUD on the first unit, after the Oregon Hydro. electric Commission approved bids of the contractors. The Montgomery Electric Co. of Portland was the successful bidder and commenced setting up poles immediately and stringing wires. The PUD was to install all meters and transformers with their own crew, according to L.R. Martin, Manager. The new PUD system will be in competition with the P.P. & L. Co. They had refused to sell to the PUD although the PUD directors favored the purchase of the P.P. & L. (Optimist Nov. 19, 1948).

P.P. & L. Co. Blocks Alleys

     The Optimist of Nov. 28, 1948 said the P.P. & L. Co. moved to block down town alleys with its own power poles. Their action was assailed by L.R. Martin "as an attempt to block the PUD from building lines to serve the area. Up to now the P.P. & L. carried poles on one side of the alleys, but the setting of poles on the opposite side for H construction, will block the entire alley with overhead wires and structures. The P.P. & L. has been talking a lot about duplication of poles and then they put in 3-systems in place of one!" The P.P. & L. announced their down-town construction job would amount to $25,000 (a confession that their system was about to fall down) and would cover 10 downtown blocks with new poles and heavier wires. They worked double shifts and on Thanksgiving Day in hopes of blocking the alleys so the PUD could not run their lines in downtown alleys.

     This $25,000 "love token" to the business men was 9 years too late to do any good!

     The January 4, 1946 Optimist quoted George Stadelman, Mayor as saying in a radio address in defense of his and the council's action, "I am defending myself and Dalles City council on the PUD franchise vote. The date set for primary elections was May 17, 1946. The city was not stalling the election. The issue in the election, is private power vs. public power. It has never been decided by a vote of the people of the city."

     George Stadelman was defeated for reelection by Howard Dent November 4, 1946.

     On January 18, 1946 the Optimist said the PUD board was willing to accept Dalles City council's date of May 17 for the franchise vote by the people to prevent further legal expense and delays, that they had met with the council Jan. 16 and agreed to the date of May 17 for a vote by the people of The Dalles on a non-exclusive franchise in The Dalles so the PUD could go into business. The council meeting of April 3, 1946 set the franchise election date for May 17 to give the

     PUD the same privileges to use the streets and alleys as the P.P. & L., and to pay the city a 3% tax. The P.P. & L. Co. immediately put door bell ringers in the city to "talk with their customers." This is the first time in 36 years the P.P. & L. was willing to listen to what a customer might have to say!

The Supreme Court Decision

     The Optimist of April 12, 1946 said, "the Oregon Superior Court handed down a decision supporting the local PUD board on all points and dismissing the appeal of Dalles City and ordering Dalles City to proceed immediately with an election on the franchise issue, and to accept the initiative petitions filed by the PUD last July. Judge Earl Latourette was affirmed in every respect."

     The same issue of the Optimist quoted the PUD board as saying the P. P. & L. claimed the PUD was socialism. The PUD board replied that the Public Utility District was a non-profit public body, created by the people to bring Bonneville power to themselves. A favorable vote on the franchise will permit the PUD board to serve customers (the people) the same as the P.P. & L. A vote for the franchise is a vote to help heat our own homes by electricity with low-cost Bonneville power. (Note: on that date the P.P. & L. was so short of power that they could not permit the installation of house heating equipment by their customers.)

Richard Neuberger's answer to the Charge of Socialism

     The Optimist of May 10, 1940 quoted Richard Neuberger, Portland writer and state senator as saying, "I believe in free enterprise but I don't believe in a holding company 3000 miles away, owned by people who never seen The Dalles; that is absentee monopoly! This same holding company, fighting The Dalles franchise for the PUD, brought DUPLICATING SYSTEMS INTO PORTLAND! THEY WERE NOT OPPOSED TO DUPLICATING SYSTEMS IN PORTLAND! They were merely want to continue their EXCLUSIVE MONOPOLY HERE. Is education of our children in public schools, socialism? Are publicly owned bridges and roads, socialism? Are public streets, socialism? Are public libraries, socialism? Is your local water system, socialism? At Salem the private power company's lobbyists buttonholed us and tried to buy our dinners, liquor or throw a party for us, expecting in return for us to vote to ruin and wreck the PUD law. We in Portland hope you will pass the franchise permit."

PUD Board Needed Franchise

     The PUD board at their May 6, 1946 meeting issued a public statement, "That they had to have the franchise whether they purchased the P.P.& L. lines, condemned the P.P.& L. or built, a modern system of their own. The present P.P.& L. lines are obsolete and wouldn't carry the load demands! They would have to be replaced! The board might as well build a new system. The P.P. & L. is not stronger than the people of The Dalles!"

     On May 10, 1946, Fred Mauser, chairman and Eugene Courtney, secretary of the Citizens (front) Committee said, "Two electric systems in The Dalles are a wasteful duplication." (That was the theme song of the Power company during and since the franchise election.)

The Franchise Vote

     The vote of the PEOPLE OF THE DALLES in the Franchise election of May 17, 1946 was yes 1141 and no 1018, a majority of 124 in favor of. The election gave the PUD a 20 year non-exclusive franchise. It was the hottest election since prohibition in 1915. P.P. & L. Co. checkers were allowed by the city to be at each table, in each polling place, checking off the names of each known power company supporter. --Optimist May 2-1, 1946.

     The Pacific Power and Light Co. spent $12,605.52, or $12.47 for each vote cast for them! They imported 19 door bell ringers (professional out-of-town transits) and had 23 local employees working for them. Their Citizens (front) Committee spent $352.62 according to Eugene Courtney, secretary, and all but $68.50 of that sum was contributed by the P.P. & L. Co. (Optimist May 31, 1946). The PUD board spent $1472.80. The Dalles Industrial and Pub1ic Power Club spent $469.83, according to L.V. Broughton, secretary; and that sum was contributed by individuals in amounts from $1 to $50. (Optimist May 31, 1946).

Wasco County Court

     The June 1946 session of the Wasco County Court granted the PUD board a franchise to use county roads.

     The July session of the PUD board employed L.R. Martin, an REA engineer, as PUD Manager here. On July 19, 1940 the Optimist reported the PUD board had offered the P.P. & L. Co. $439,451 for their obsolete private power holdings in The Dalles.

     At the Dec. 2, 1946 meeting of the PUD board they authorized the sale of $225,000 of bonds to construct on electrical distribution system, after deciding against the high cost of condemning the holdings of the P.P.& L. Co., whose system had to be rebuilt to give adequate service.

P.U.D. Suit Against P.P. & L.

     On December 3, 1948 the P.U.D. filed suit in the local Circuit Court to halt the P.P. & L.'s $25,000 construction project to block down-town alleys of The Dalles. The suit was called, "added waste of public money" by Glenn Corey, local P.P. & L. manager on whom the papers had been served. We are not the ones causing waste. We are doing a necessary job."

     On December 10, 1948 the P.U.D. suit against the P.P. & L. for blocking downtown alleys of The Dalles with their new power poles, was settled out of court by agreement between attorneys and engineers of both utilities. The P.P. & L. agreed to make space available for the PUD service on the south side of the alleys and the P.P.& L. agreed to push their construction and get out of the way of the PUD crews. Gus Soloman, now federal judge of Portland, was PUD attorney. Allen Smith was the P.P.& L. attorney.

     Glenn Corey, manager of the local P.P.& L. office was removed from management of the local office in January 1949 and replaced by M.C. Thorn.

     L.R. Martin, PUD manager explained to Cherry Park Grange at their December 1948 meeting, "that after Judge David Vandenberg, who tried the case, was observed by P.P. & L. authorities making a personal inspection of the alleys with the H-frame pole construction by the P.P.& L., attorneys for the power company asked PUD attorneys for a friendly settlement of the disputed right-of-way. This is the first instance that the P.P.& L. has ever made any gesture of friendship and consideration toward the PEOPLES determination to supply themselves with cheap Bonneville power through their local PUD. Engineers worked out details of the agreement. The PUD is better off now than previous to the suit proceedings with work progressing satisfactory and the district expecting to serve customers by February." Chronicle Dec. 12, 1948).

First P.U.D Customers Served

     The first PUD customers were served April 7, 1949, according to L.R. Martin, PUD manager, as published in the Optimist, April 6, 1949.

P.P. & L. To Match P.U.D. Rates

     M.C. Thorn, manager of the local P.P. & L. office announced in the Optimist April 15, 1949, "that the P.P.& L. would match the rates of the P.U.D. It's the only way the P.P.& L. can prevent destruction of their system to serve The Dalles. The P.P.& L. will file new rates with the Oregon Public Utility Commissioner to go into effect as soon as permitted; May 19, if possible."

     At the June 3, 1949 PUC hearings pertaining the new P.P. & L. rate schedule at The Dalles, Gus Soloman argued "the rate reduction, if granted, would be discriminatory because they were not designed to apply to other areas served by the P.P. & L., with services similar to that in The Dalles!" Ed. Graham, PUC examiner, rules Solomon's arguments were a legal question and not within the pro-vince of the hearing; and that the evidence should be confined as to whether the rate reductions here would be passed on to other areas.

     The P.P.& L., through Will Neill, their attorney said, "other customers of the P.P. & L. would not be assessed higher rates to offset possible losses because of lower rates in The Dalles and that they would set up separate accounting system here. He admitted the P.P.& L. rates proposed for The Dalles were purely for the purpose of meeting competition of the PUD." They did NOT admit they would not be making money under the lower schedule, which was a 20% cut over what they had been milking out of Dalles customers!

George Flagg Grants P.P.& L. Rate Reduction

     On July 10, 1949 George Flagg, Public Utility Commissioner and former newspaperman of The Dalles granted a 20% reduction in rates applied for by the P.P. & L., covering the area served by the PUD at The Dalles! effective July 11, 1949. Flagg said he had ample authority to grant the reduction under a recent opinion of the attorney general, holding such action legal. To deny the P.P.& L. the right to reduce rates in The Dalles, would condemn it to slow starvation and death in that territory. Loss of revenue to the P.P.& L. would be $62,000 annually, if they had all the business, and higher as the P.U.D. gains customers. If the P.P & L. fails to meet rates of its competitor it would event-ually lose most, if not all, of their customers in The Dalles. This loss in business would result in the liquidation of an investment, which in turn, would adversely effect customers of the P.P.& L. in other territories. This is the first time in Oregon that an order has been issued authorizing a private power company to reduce rates to meet competition of a P.U.D.

     This infamous "Benedict Arnold" decision against the PEOPLE OF THE DALLES by an Oregon State created body, will long be remembered in the history of Wasco county. After the PEOPLE spent 10 long, hard fought years to bring cheaper electric rates for themselves, a state created body authorized a State of Maine corporation, to compete with those rates in less than 30 DAYS!

Retaliation Campaign

     There has never been anything like this long sordid electrical story. In all our 100 years of history there is no parallel. As this is being written, friends of the private power company make threats of retaliation against any business man who dares patronize the PEOPLES DISTRICT! Threats of boycott. Threats by landlords to move tenants out if they connect with the PUD! Pressure is brought to bear upon employees, by employers, in some cases. We always thought we were FREE AMERICAN CITIZENS in The Dalles, able to choose the business we preferred to patronize; without coercion! We never dreamed that an outside corporation could come to town and take our freedom from us! We never believed THAT THE CREATURE WOULD BECOME GREATER THAN THE CREATOR!

     There are 850 free citizens (families) in The Dalles who are patronizing the PEOPLES district. Does your freedom permit you to join these 850? That is the issue in The Dalles today!

NEWSPAPERS OF THE DALLES

     Our first paper was The Dalles Journal published April 1, 1859 at the Old Fort Dalles garrison. In 1860 W.H. Newell bought the Journal and moved it to First & Union changing its names to the Mountaineer. It became a daily in 1882 but reverted back to a weekly in 1889. T.S. Lang became the owner in 1881. This was the only paper between here and St. Joe, Mo.

     The Dalles Times was established in 1880, during the railroad boom. It was consolidated with the Mountaineer in 1882 and became known as the Times-Mountaineer, a 9 column paper published for a while in the afternoons and then in the mornings. By 1900 it became a weekly, then semi--weekly in 1901, J.A. Douthit, editor. He retired in 1904 which date marked its suspension. The old files are in possession of the Oregon Historical Society in Portland.

     There were a number of other short-lived papers such as The Weekly (1860); The Daily Journal of 1863; The Dalles Tribune (1875); The Inland Empire (1876); The Wasco Sun (1881); The Oregon Democrat-Journal (1884); The Trade Journal (1896); The Dalles Optimist 1906.

The Dalles Chronicle 1890.

     In 1890 D.M. French, J.W. French, Robert Mays, B.F. Laughlin, Wentworth Lord, I.C. Nickelson, Max Vogt, Hugh Glenn, S.L. Brooks, C.L. Phillips and A.S. McAllister formed a corporation known as The Chronicle Publishing Co. No one knew how long it would last. The first editor was J.H. Cradlebaugh. In 1907 Ben R. Litfin of Clearwater, Minn., joined the staff, being sent for by H.G. Miller, manager. Litfin was foreman of the composing room of the morning daily under Miller, but an afternoon paper proved better for employees. In 1908 Miller and Litfin bought all stock available and by 1909 became sole owners with Harry Hopkins, editor. During World War I Clarence Hedges of Salinas, Calif. bought out Miller and Litfin. Then on May 2, 1920 Litfin and W.P. Mary became the owners. In 1923 Ben Litfin became the sole owner and remained in charge until he retired in 1947.

     The Chronicle was a 6 column, 4 page paper in those days with about as much local news as it has now. In 1927 it was changed to 8 columns. Fire of 1946 destroyed the paper's quarters and for a time it was published on the Optimist press. Ben Litfin had a light heart attack during the fire and doctors advised his retirement so he sold in 1947 to Victor Morgan of Clearwater, Florida. He changed its policies by publishing a Sunday paper in place of the Saturday edition. In January 1948 the Chronicle moved to its new quarters at First and Madison. In December 1948 Morgan sold to Robert Howard who sold a part interest to the Scripps league of chain papers in 1949. The Western Publishers are the present owners with George Skaugset, publisher. They have 30 people in the plant, about 30 delivery boys. Its circulation is more than 4000.

The Optimist

     The Dalles Weekly Optimist was established in 1906 by Addison Bennett. He later was associated with Henry Cue who acquired the paper about 1910 and operated it until 1922 when George Flagg of St. Helens and Prineville became a partner. They sold to Ralph Bennett in 1932. During the years of the forming of the Peoples Utility District the P.P. & L. boycotted the Optimist and along toward the last, before Bennett died, practically no P.P.& L. ads appeared in the Optimist. Mrs. Bennett sold the paper to George Lindsay and Ralph Hogan of Buhl, Idaho July 5, 1946 and have since maintained one of the most democratic and friendly newspapers in Oregon, generally always on the side of the PEOPLE and opposed to selfishness.

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THE EASTERN OREGON STATE TUBERCULOSIS HOSPITAL

     The Eastern Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital and the Eastern Oregon College of Education were established by a vote of the people in 1926. The Dalles wanted that Normal school bad and the local Chamber of Commerce gathered a lot of figures and facts in support of its location here, but Walter Pierce was governor and he was from La Grande so the school went up there. No one even thought of asking for the T.B. Hospital! Finally one of the members of the State Board of Control asked W.S. Nelson if we "might want the T.B. Hospital since we put so much into the request for the school?" Mr. Nelson was "swept off his feet" by the question! Frankly he didn't know, but he would find out. The newspapers carried the story. People questioned the wisdom of whether we wanted the city filled with T.B. patients waiting for entry into the hospital; or patients at large on busy streets spreading the malady.

     Dr. James M. Odell, superintendent of the hospital, explained that patients come here for treat-ment and when admitted to the institution they are confined there and not permitted on the streets. They are not dismissed unless the case is arrested. Except for local cases, waiting patients wait in their own localities and not in The Dalles. That was all that was needed to satisfy the people. They were all out for the hospital.

     Dalles City owned a large track of land up on Sunset Hill, called Sorosis Park. A portion of that would make an ideal hospital site, a wonderful panorama view of the Columbia gorge and the city. The city dads were willing to deed to the state any amount they needed. With those assurances Mr. Nelson submitted a brief in behalf The Dalles for the T.B. Hospital and the Board of Control awarded it to The Dalles in 1927. State officials came up and looked over the grounds, obtained the deeds for property wanted and returned to Salem to draw plans for the main hospital building and to landscape the grounds and put water thereon.

     The main hospital building is a concrete structure consisting of a basement and 3 floors completed in 1929. The basement has quarters for employees, storage, refrigeration plant. The main floor has the offices; employees quarters, main kitchen and dining rooms. The upper 2 floors are for patients with the 2nd including the laboratory, dental and X-ray equipment, examination rooms, surgery. On the 3rd floor is the auditorium for entertainments and church services, movies.

     The hospital annex, nurses' home, physicians residence, heating plant and laundry were com-pleted in 1938. The hospital annex is a one-story building of frame construction, containing 12 wards of 4 beds each and 2 single rooms. It has its own diet kitchen and dining room, a recreat-ion room and a 2-channel radio system. The annex houses 44 patients, the pavilion 30 patients.

     The pavilion is a one-story frame building of 2 large wards having 15 beds each. There is a nice dormitory for orderlies, housekeeper's, cooks, waiters, and other general help, both male and female, single and married, in addition to the nurses home. There are 3 houses for doctors, and a laundry building. The dormitory houses 49 staff members.

     The X-ray department is completely equipped including a 500 millampere automatic board, photo-florographic unit, a urological-unit, a portable X-ray, a liminagraph and dental X-ray machine.

     The clinical laboratory is completely equipped with a competent technician in charge.

     Patients are admitted to the main hospital and kept there until diagnosis is made and treatment outlined. Those who are most ill and need close observation and medical care are kept in the main hospital where facilities for pneumothorax treatment and surgery are available. When improvement is shown the patients are moved to the hospital annex. If the usual medical care, including bed rest and a correct diet, does not effect an arrestment of the disease, various surgical measures are brought into use including pneumothorax, phrenicectomies, pneumonolysis and thoracoplasties. All patients are constantly under close observation and graduate nurses supervise the undergrad-uates and nurse aids. The nursing shortage has made it necessary to use undergraduates and aids. Competent consultants are available when necessary in dealing with diseases other than tuberculosis.

     Each patient undergoes a complete physical examination on admittance, including a dental survey. Serial roentgenograms are taken of the chest as directed by the attending physician, and the gastro-intestinal tract is X-rayed when necessary. Any other films required are also taken. Complete laboratory studies are made, and all findings are then correlated and correct treatment instituted. Physical defects which would retard progress of the patient are remedied as soon as possible. Admittance is reserved for patients who are financially unable to provide care elsewhere. The hospital and various health associations throughout the eastern part of the state are in close cooperation.

     Dr. J.M. Odell, superintendent, is appointed by the state board of control at a salary of $6000 a year. The hospital carries a full load of 170 patients with no gain made nationally on the number of people who acquire T.B. New treatments of the drug isonicotinic acid hydrazide derived from coal tar, was first administered in 1952 to 10 patients last April on an experimental basis. First experiments with the drug at Sea View included elimination of fever, weight gains and reduction or elimination of coughs.

     One person in every 100 has T.B. and about 50,400 die of it each year. Care of patients costs $215 a month. The next building needed is one for diagnosis. Patients being diagnosed for illness cannot be housed with those having T.B.

     There are many heroes up there on Sunset Hill fighting the battle of the great white plague! Some are patients have been in bed for years fighting the battle! Others are the nurses and aids and doctors struggling to save lives. You can help by becoming the "god-father or god-mother" to one of those patients. Many are friendless and without income and your help might save a life. The gratitude of a patient whose life you have helped save will be everlasting to both of you!

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THE FIRST FLOWERS IN THE DALLES

     The first cultivated flowers in The Dalles were grown at the home of Judge W.C. Laughlin and Captain Lawrence Coe. When I brought my first rose cuttings from Portland to The Dalles on the steamer Idaho in 1868, the attention I received was only ridicule that I should hope any of them would grow. I scarcely think of any of my cuttings being the ancestors of our beautiful rose bushes of The Dalles today (1898). Attempts to beautify the home and make life's surroundings better are never lost. Today our green lawns and flowers speak of homes of refinement and culture. A home is not only a house but also the surroundings and their influence. A little flower garden space, near the home, on which the eye may rest after the days toil, lightens the burden. Children will leave the home which has forgotten mother's old fashion flower garden.

     The easiest house plant to grow is the geranium. There are many beautiful varieties grown. They must be protected from the winter frost but a little care will reward the grower with beautiful flowers to add freshness to the home.

     Our Oregon grape state flower with its brilliant green leaves and deep crimson flowers surpasses the world famous English Holly. It grows from the Pacific ocean to the Rocky mountains and from California to the Columbia river, all over old Wasco county when it covered those limits! - the biggest county, ever to exist in the U.S.!

     Our wild flowers include the Indian Potato, first to bloom in January; then the Golden Stars, Purple Eyed Grass, Blue Bells, Yellow Bells, Rock Lilies, larkspurs, peonies, lupines of all shades, summer firey glow, penstemons, sun flowers, lacy slippers, service berry, wild cherry, yellow currant, ocean spray and sand lilies. --- Mrs. S. Brooks; Times-Mountaineer May 17, 1898; Mrs. Fred Houghton's library.

SOME OF OUR RAILROAD HISTORY

     The Story of the railroads of the west is a big story. It has never been written. Fragments of it appear in all our histories but none are complete. This account of the railroads in Wasco county is just another fragment.

The Cascade Looks Portage Railroad

     The first railroad in the Columbia gorge was the Cascade Locks Portage railroad of 1851 owned by Bradford & Co., operated by F.A. Chenowith on the north (Washington) side of the Columbia river at the Cascades. It was about 2½ miles in length. The roadway was made of 2 boards with square wooden rails on each side. Two mules or horses pulled one car between the upper and the middle Cascades, hauling freight for the J.P. Flint steamer which operated between there and The Dalles. Passengers walked the plank railroad. This portage operated between 1851 and 1882, 30 years.

The Bonneville--Cascade Locks R.R.

     The Bonneville-Cascade Looks railroad had its beginning date Aug. 29, 1857, according to records of the Union Pacific railroad. In 1858 its owners were Joseph Ruckel and Harrison Olmstead. The engineer who built it was John M. Bargee and it was a very tough engineering job he mastered. The topography of the region was some of the worst in the U.S. to build any kind of a road over. The railroad was owned by Olmstead but it was known as the Ruckel railroad to distinguish it from the road on the north side of the river. It was also built of wood with a 5 foot gauge track. The first motive power was mules, but in May 1862 the Oregon Steam Navigation Co., who acquired ownership, put the historic Oregon Pony in operation. It was a wood burning locomotive built by the Vulcan Iron Works of San Francisco and was the first locomotive west of St. Joe, Mo. It went into service March 31, 1862 when iron bars were laid over the old wooden rails. The Oregonian in July 31,1862 said, "It seems like going to America to ride over Col. Ruckel's road where we had the pleasure of being dragged through the mountain gorges on a train of cars drawn by a live, smoking, panting, fire-breathing iron horse." On Oct. 18, 1888 the Oregon Pony was shipped to San Francisco as the property of David Hewes who used it on street construction work. In 1905 he sent it to the Levis & Clark fair in Portland and then gave it to the Oregon State Historical Society.

     Previous to the building of this railroad Col. Joe Ruckel operated the steamer Fashion between Portland and the Cascades at Eagle Creek where Ruckel had his residence and commonly called the Lower Cascades. From there an old wagon portage road took the freight to the Upper Cascades. The continuous rainy weather made the road into a quagmire of mud so they had to plank it with lumber and made rails out of 4 X 4's for the wagon wheels to operate on, flanging the tires. At Cascade Looks the steamer Wasco made a trip every-other day to The Dalles and return the following day. The Oregon Transportation Co. bought the Chipman lease and operated the Mountain Buck between Portland and the Cascades; on the Ruckel run. The Ruckel railroad was 4½ miles long. It suffered from the high water each year as much of it was timber trestle. The rolling stock was 4 or 5 small horse-drawn cars.

The Oregon Steam Navigation Co.

     On May 12, 1860 the Oregon Steam Navigation Co. was established by D.F. Bradford, S.G. Reed, Col. Joseph Ruckel, Capt. J.C. Ainsworth, R.R. Thompson and others, with Ainsworth president and general manager. For the next 20 years they were the owners and operators of both the river and railroad transportation on the Columbia. They began with 8 small steamboats and the discovery of gold in eastern Oregon and Idaho made a sensational increase in business for them at the highest rates ever charged in our history. (For more story see under BOATS and LURE OF THE RIVER).

The Dalles--Celilo Railroad

     The Dalles to Celilo Portage railroad was constructed by the Oregon Steam Navigation Co. in 1862, at a cost of $50,000 a mile for the 14 miles, to take the place of the old obsolete wagon portage road used by Orlando Humason and R.R. Thompson, over the Old Oregon Trail via Fairbanks to their transportation city of Deschutesville at the mouth of the Deschutes river. That Old Oregon Trail road was 20 long, hard, hot, dusty miles in the summer and a quagmire of mud in the winter that would flounder a saddle horse! It was a slow road under the best of conditions.

     The rails on this road were of iron, the roadbed was on a water grade, with lots of trestle work in the sand dunes. The first locomotive was of the Oregon Pony design and built by the Vulcan Iron Woks of San Francisco, but larger. Later standard locomotives were ordered from Danford & Cook at Patterson, N.J. for service between here and Celilo. Small passenger and freight cars in use in those days on other lines, were put in service here. Brakemen in those days had to ride the front end of the cars and brake the speed as the engineer indicated by whistle, in other words they were actually brakemen like switchmen in the yards today. It was a cold job in bad winter weather.

     On April 20, 1863 the first regular trains were operated over The Dalles to Celilo railroad carrying passengers and freight between here and Celilo, 13 miles distant and the new terminal for the upper river boats. The dock at Celilo was 1100 feet long, long as the Port docks in The Dalles but only about 30 feet wide. A telegraph line was installed to speed the handling of freight and passengers. Boats didn't run on perfect schedules so the departure time for trains from The Dalles was guided by arrival of boats at Celilo. The records of the Union Pacific system credit The Dalles to Celilo railroad the oldest portion of the 10,000 miles of the Union Pacific railroads The Ruckel-Olmstead railroad was a little older than The Dalles to Celilo railroad, but it was discontinued in 1863, The Oregon Steam Navigation Co. using the portage railroad on the north or Washington side of the Columbia river for 20 years, between 1863 and 1883, when the tracks of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Co. (O.R.& N. Co.) used the Oregon side.

     The Union Pacific railroad was built west from Omaha, Neb. following the Civil War in 1865. About the same time Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins and a number of California capitalists started to build the Central Pacific east from San Francisco via Reno, Nev. The two roads met and the famous golden spike was driven at Promontory Point in Utah in 1870. The Central Pacific has since been absorbed by the Union Pacific.

     In 1872 the Wallula to Walla-Walla wooden-rail railroad was built by Dr. Dorsey Baker. Its rails were split fir mortised to ties and later reinforced by strap iron and was called the "strap iron & rawhide railroad." It was sold to the O.R. & N. Co. in 1878 for $321,132.

Henry Vallard

     The Dalles-Celilo Railroad of 1862 was therefore the earliest railroad venture in Wasco county. Its completion and first train service April 20, 1863 was a big event for The Dalles. The transportation business grew by leaps and bounds. They could not keep up with demands of miners and merchants for freight and passenger service during the gold rush days up to 1870. In 1879 Henry Vallard took his option to purchase the Oregon Steam Navigation Co. and next year he raised the $5,000,000 to make the purchase. In 1861 he built the first section of railroad between Celilo and Wallula where he connected with his Northern Pacific railroad and followed the Mullen Pass through the Rockies back to Chicago. Later he planned connections with the Union Pacific in Utah. His Columbia River Railroad acquired the Strap Iron & Rawhide Walla Walla railroad, modernized it into Wallula and extended it down the Columbia to a connection with his O.R.& N. line at or near Messner. His Columbia River railroad became the Northern Pacific.

     In 1863 Joel Palmer built a passable wagon road (in the summer) from Hood River to Troutdale and maintained it as a toll road with ferries at Hood River and on the Sandy. In 1879 he sold his toll road right-of-way to Henry Vallard who used it for his O.R.& N right-of-way. A railroad bed on the Oregon side of the Columbia was a Paul Bunyan engineering problem with some of the hardest construction anywhere in the U.S. and it all had to be done with horses, black powder and by hand. Union Pacific records show the first passenger train from Portland reached The Dalles November 20, 1882. March 16, 1833 marked the big railroad celebration date in The Dalles. In August 1883 the Northern Pacific completed its lines into Wallula giving a connection for mail and passengers and freight between Portland and Chicago by rail!

     The first O.R. & N. train reached Pendleton September 11, 1882. The line was extended on over the Blue mountains into La Grande June 16, 1884; Baker was reached on August 18 and Hunington on Nov. 10, 1884.

Connection With Oregon Short Line

     On November 25, 1884 the tracks of the Oregon Short Line and the O.R. & N. Co. joined at Hunington with ceremonies during the driving of the last spike. On December 1, 1884 trains could operate between Portland, Oregon and Omaha, Neb. via the Union Pacific railroad. The O.R. & N. Co. remained a "connecting link" between both the Northern Pacific and the Union Pacific into Portland until 1887 when the Union Pacific took it over by lease and in 1889 by purchase of the capital stock.

Railroad Boom Days

     All this railroad construction brought a big railroad boom to The Dalles for two or 3 years, equal to the gold rush days of 1860. But after the completion of construction The Dalles lost its important position as a trading center for eastern Oregon eastern Washington and Idaho, a blow from which it has never recovered. Only the trade with Central Oregon remained and a little in the Goldendale area. The Central Oregon business dried up with the construction of the Columbia Southern railroad from Biggs to Shaniko in 1901. The lines up the Deschutes into Central Oregon in 1910 finished off the rest of the trade.

The Railroad Shops

     The Oregon Steam Navigation Co. established their railroad and steamboat shops just across Mill creek on First street in 1862 and they were acquired by the railroad in 1882. They included 1.8 acres of ground, offices, tin shops, car repair shops, carpenter shops, machine shops, blacksmith shops, upholstering shops, a large roundhouse for engine service, drafting rooms, foundry, pump works, sheds, tanks and store rooms. The Dalles directory of 1883 lists over 500 men on the rail-road payroll in The Dalles! Soon after the Union Pacific acquired the O.R. & N. holdings, they moved the shops to Portland in 1893. Over 400 workmen and 1200 people moved out of The Dalles that year! That was the second blow the railroad delivered to The Dalles from which it never fully recovered.

Rolling Stock

     In 1884 the railroad passenger train consisted of 9 small 28 foot cars. Now passenger trains are made up of 16 cars 60 foot long. Coaches were lighted by candles or oil lamps in those days as compared to electricity now. Locomotives in those days weighed around 36,000 pounds while now they are 300,000. In 1884 top speed was 25 miles an hour, on account of hand braking of all trains by brakeman; now freight trains will double that speed and passenger streamliners will top 100 miles an hour on straight runs. Freight engines weigh up to 600,000 and will pull 120 oars as against 25 or 30 cars in 1884 hauling only 10 ton each.

The Sliding Mountain

     The History of Central Oregon in 1905 said "the O.R.R N was constantly bothered about a mile below Cascade Locks with the famous Sliding Mountain of Wasco County. This phenomenon has been going on many years. The entire mountain back for 6 or 7 miles, and about a mile along the river in width, is gradually slipping into the Columbia river. The sliding is not regular. Some years it is more than others. In 1894 it moved 40 feet! - pushing a mile of track into the river! They have to keep men there to shovel away the accumulation of earth." They have since tiled off the water eliminating much of this pioneer problem.

The Blizzard of 1884

     The following account of how the blizzard of 1884 paralyzed railroad traffic was told to Fred Lockley, Oregon Journal writer, by J.N. Soesbe of Hood River.

     In 1894 I was living at Hood River (then a part of Wasco county). I was making improvements on a preemption claim at Deschutes (Sherman county). I had gone to my claim just before the big storm of 1881 broke. My claim was on a high hill, overlooking the Columbia river and the blizzard commenced while I was working there. For 3 days and nights it snowed furiously; and on the morning of the 4th day I started, intending to catch a train to The Dalles. When I was about half way down the hill I was caught in a snow-slide and carried to within a few feet of the station. As the snow was very 1ight I suffered no inconvenience further than being somewhat smothered and considerably frightened. I was about 20 minutes ahead of the train going into The Dalles. That was the last train over the road for 2 weeks.

     When I reached The Dalles I learned that a passenger train that had left for Portland that morning was stuck in the snow somewhere below Hood River and that the snow plow and crew were to be sent after it. I made arrangements to be a member of the crew. The railroad shop crew worked all night constructing a snow plow attachment for the front of a locomotive. With this snow plow and NINE additional locomotives (all the railroad had here then) to help push it, we left The Dalles at 8 A.M., expecting to go right through to Hood River. Instead we hung up at the first cut where we ran into 10 feet of drifted snow. It was necessary to shovel the engines clear of snow so that they could back up and take a ram at the drifts again with sufficient force to push through. This operation was repeated at every cut. We were all day making the 22 miles to Hood River!

     From Hood River on we were able to make good time as much of the road was over trestles where there was no snow. We reached Viento running about 25 miles an hour. The passenger train was stuck in the snow about a mile below Viento. Conductor Lyons, expecting a relief train, had came back to Viento. Hearing our approach he climbed the water tank to give the danger signal. When the engineers saw the red light and heard the pistol shots they thought they were running into the passenger train and applied the emergency brakes, which, together with 5 feet of snow caused them to stop in a jiffy.

     For some unknown reason, the last engine and baggage car, with the work crew, were running about 200 yards behind. They couldn't stop and ran into the 9 small locomotives with enough force to knock nearly all them off the track! By morning every locomotive that was not wrecked was dead for lack of fuel and water. Our relief train had only increased the seriousness of the situation by bringing about 50 more hungry men and no provisions for feeding anyone!

     The next morning Roadmaster Donly asked for someone to go back to Hood River with a message. I volunteered. It was still snowing furiously! The temperature was below zero! The wind was howling a gale! It was not possible to see 100 feet ahead in the blizzard! There was no sign of a train ever having passed over the road! Every cut was filled with fine drifting snow, sometimes 20 feet deep! It took me 8 hours to make the 7 miles back to Hood River to deliver the message! Word came immediately from The Dalles to send provisions at any cost. Captain Nathaniel Coe organized a crew of 16 men and we left the next morning with cooked provisions. That was a mistake as everything cooked froze before we got through; so we took uncooked supplies thereafter and did the cooking at the Viento section house. We made a trip every day for 10 days! It never let up snowing or blowing all during that time!

     Since the O.R.& N. had wrecked its entire locomotive equipment the 300 passengers on the marooned train would have been there until the spring thaws melted the snow if Supt. Buckley of the Northern Pacific had not come down with a snowplow, wrecker and a train load of provisions and men and cut a way through to Portland. The storm occurred during the first week of December 1884.

Wm. A. Beardsley's Version

     Wm. A. Beardsley, O.R.& N. telegraph operator at Coyote when the blizzard struck, said there was 3 feet of snow at Walla Walla and 8 to 11 feet at The Dalles! It started to snow in the middle of December and continued without an intermission.

Lulu D. Crandall's Version

     For 15 days the train at Viento with 7 cars and 150 passengers was snowbound at Viento with Ed Lyons conductor, from Dec. 19 to Jan. 3, 1885. It was later held at Cascade Locks while 1000 shovel men hacked at solid ice and snow between Oneonta and Multnomah Falls. They reached Portland Jan. 7, 1685. They had waited for advise on snow conditions in the gorge and Supt. H.S. Rowe and Ed Lyons decided to chance making it through. Chas. Evans train from Umatilla was consolidated here. On the 22 of Dec. all able bodied men started walking toward Cascade Locks, 11 miles west. Most of them made it. Some stopped at farm houses. Others walked on into Portland. The river was frozen. After they ran out of coal the men cut wood for heat. Ed Lyons walked to the Cascades for supplies of bacon, beans, coffee from fishermen. It was a bad Christmas for them all. Engineer Hudson was killed when his snowplow upset. J.M. Buckley brought the Northern Pacific relief train down from Wallula on December 30. He was able to open the road to Bonneville in two days. Traffic was opened up January 7 when a Chinook wind replaced the blizzard and help melt the snow and ease working conditions. The blockade cost the railroad $5000 a day.

     It was the worst blizzard we ever had.

     The blizzard of 1884 compares favorably to the Southern Pacific blizzard of January 1952 when their crack. streamliner "City of San Francisco" was marooned at Donner Pass for a week despite all the powerful modern machinery we have for moving snow in blizzards.

Other Railroad Lines

     The Heppner branch of the Union Pacific is the oldest of our branch lines. Then came the Col-umbia Southern through Sherman county to Shaniko, built in 1901 and completed in 1902. The Arlington to Condon branch was built by the Union Pacific in 1905.

The S.P.& S.

     The Seattle, Portland, and Spokane railroad, commonly called "the north bank road" being on the north side of the Columbia river between Pasco, Wn. And Vancouver, Wn. is one of the many railroad babies of James J. Hill. Hill had always wanted a Portland terminal. His lines over the Cascades into the Puget Sound area of Washington and thence down to Portland over the jointly owned and operated Portland to Seattle road, was a long, hard, costly route over 2 mountain chains. By build-ing from Pasco into Portland, 200 miles, he not only eliminated the mountains, but he cut the distance by 1/3rd. The roadbed is a water grade and one of the fastest anywhere in the west. Ed. Herriman, owner Of the Union and Southern Pacific railroads, resented James J. Hill's encroachment on "his" Portland territory grid they had legal battles, similar to the Pacific Power & Light Co. against the local P.U.D., trying to prevent Hill from coming into Portland. Hill, like the P.U.D., won every battle in court against Harriman's legal delay tactics.

     The years of 1907-08-09 and 1910 were the big railroad boom years again. The S.P.& S., jointly owned by the Northern Pacific and Great Northern pushed their construction on the north bank of the Columbia river in 1907 and 1908. In those years the blasts rocked the homes of The Dalles as rooks spattered into the Columbia river. Their steam drills sang a constant 10 hour day humm and buzz, followed by the evening's roar of powder. The Dalles ferry, the Rowena and Mosier and Hood River ferries did a land office business in those prosperous days carrying supplies, men, mail and equipment back and forth across the Columbia. The little tent cities, pitched among the rocks and rattlesnakes, moved with construction. A tent saloon and gambling hall followed construction and the foreign workers didn't always know, when they went to bed at night, whether they were seeing "whiskey-snakes" or real ones; but they always maintained whiskey was a "snake bite remedy," whether applied internally or externally and there was no use arguing with them. Most of them believed in "free love" and came to The Dalles on Saturday nights to see their sweethearts. Rome, in its most pagan times, never put on any parties comparable to those put on in The Dalles during those railroad boom construction days. Night life was a riot and the saloons here were mints for coining money during those 4 memorable years. The Dalles police force was only 2 men for the 24 hour period, so unless a shooting scrape occurred, the town was wide open. It was best not to start anything you couldn't stop in those days. They never needed any reason for a fight all they needed was an opportunity. The whiskey provided enough "energy" for a bare-fisted one round battle. The sawdust on the floors of the saloons, like those in butchershops, were there to soak up the blood and make them quicker and easier to clean and to fall in. Construction work in 1952 has lost all its night-life glamour, compared to conditions 40 years ago in The Dalles.

Up the Deschutes to Central Oregon

     Jim Hill was just mad enough at Harriman that he didn't stop at Portland he went on down to Astoria with his lines for good measure, on the Oregon side. Then he headed up the Deschutes river with his Oregon Trunk Line for Bend and Klamath Falls and on into California to really whittle down on Harriman's monopolistic railroad income. Hill's Oregon Trunk line crossed the Columbia river at Wishram, at that time called Fall Bridge, with a ferry railroad barge and according to Henry Wickman of The Dalles who for years worked at Seufert's cannery, Captain Haywood operated the steamer Normal which propelled the barges between Wishram (Fallbridge) and the mouth of the Deschutes river at Moody, on the Wasco county side where a long line of wooden piling ran out into the Columbia river for a mile or more. The river was shallow at that point, near the Deschutes, was one reason for the long line of piers, and another was that heavy railroad locomotives and loaded cars with steel and other supplies made barges ride low in the water; also the rise and fall in the Columbia river had to be provided for and a gentle grade for approach. That railroad ferry was a difficult piece of engineering, in 1908.

The Wishram Railroad Bridge

     The $3,000,000 S.P.& S steel railroad bridge at Tum Water Falls, gave the name to the railroad town of FALLBRIDGE, bridge over Tum Water Falls of the Columbia. It was later named Wishram, after the ancient Indian village and mound city of Wishram, now called Spearfish and about 4 miles west of Wishram the S.P. & S. railroad division town (formerly Fallbridge). The railroad ferry from Fallbridge to Moody was just a temporary proposition. They were dickering with Frank Seufert for a right-of-way across his property at Tum Water Falls, on the Oregon side. According to Henry Wickman Frank first told them that they could have the right-of-way for $50,000. S.P. & S. attorneys "blew their top" and went back to Portland. Next time they came up prepared to give Frank his $50,000. Frank turned it down. He told them he had changed his mind, he thought the right-of-way was worth $100,000. Again they "blew their top" and went back to Portland. Up they came a third time and this time it was $200,000. They just pawed the air and told Frank, "the railroad had the power of eminent domain and could condemn his worthless ground and take it for a fraction of that high figure." "Sure you can," Frank replied, "but my attorneys can keep you in courts of Oregon for years, if they so desire, and TIME is an important factor to you. You can't wait YEARS for that bridge! You have to have it NOW or very soon. The price, gentlemen, is $200,000. Good day, gentlemen." The S.P.&S attorneys were dumbfounded. Their case was tried "right before their eyes to the supreme court of the state of Oregon" with all the legal delays that the minds of lawyers can employ. Mr. Seufert got his money. The S.P.& S. finished their bridge in 1911 and its still in use. It is one of the finest railroad bridges in the west. It will be raised upon completion of The Dalles dam.

WISHRAM or FALLBRIDGE

     The story of Wishram or Fallbridge, Wash., according to Mrs. Dan Bunn in the historical edition of the 1948 Chronicle, dates back to 1911 when Fallbridge was established as a division point on the S.P.& S railroad, in the place of its former division point at Cliffs, Wash. It retained the name of Fallbridge until 1926 when the Columbia River Historical Society asked the railroad to change the name to WISHRAM, in honor of the ancient Indian mound (pyramid) city of Wishram, about 4 miles west and now called Spearfish, where Lewis & Clark camped in 1805. The old Indian village of Wishram (Spearfish) was destroyed by Col. Wright during the Yakima Indian War of 1856 to prevent the Indians from living there or fishing there during that war. (For more details see under Indians). More recently the Indian population of the Indian village of Wishram (Spearfish or Speedis) was wiped out by a flu epidemic until now practically none of the original tribes exist there. It will be submerged by the building of The Dalles dam in 1956. The old Indian burial island of Tenino, in the Columbia river opposite the old Indian village of Wishram (Spearfish or Speedis) contained one of the most rare collections of Indian burial records, in the west, according to Henry Wickman, who has been on the island. The old Indian saddles of the Spanish wide-horn type, the old muzzle loading flintlock guns, Indian Wasco bowls, beads, arrows and other relics were all moved some years ago, under government supervision. The Indian remains were moved to their cemetery at Speedis.

     Until the completion of the railroad bridge S.P.& S. trains for the Oregon Trunk branch up the Deschutes river were ferried across the Columbia by the steamer Normal, from a site just east of Wishram (Fallbridge). Trains consisting of an engine and about 4 cars were run into the ferry-barge about the same as automobiles are today. Fallbridge in those days had about 8 or 9 families and a number of single men who worked on the railroad. The families lived in tents or graindoor shacks. They had a 2-room school building. The high school of 1913 occupied one of those rooms! and 10 students attended. Teachers received $100 a month. Recreation was difficult and they had to walk miles to dance. Many medicine dances were held in the Indian village of Tum Water, just west of the railroad bridge. The population of Wishram has grown to 700 (1948) and a modern school with a gymnasium has replaced the former school. Wishram is across the Columbia from Celilo, is an unincorporated railroad town.

The Deschutes Line of the U.P.

     It was in 1909 that both the Union Pacific and S.P.& S. started up the Deschutes river toward Bend and other Central Oregon Points. The Union Pacific took off at Sherman, a junction just this side of Biggs to get elevation. The Union Pacific built roads down into the canyon, that would scare a coyote to walk on, about every 10 miles. They hauled supplies from Wasco, Moro, Grass Valley, Shaniko terminal down into the east side of the canyon. Aside from the various section houses the U.P. had, there were no important connections until they reached Sharer Bridge (Fargher). Next place was Hunts Ferry - later called Maupin; McLennan, Two Springs, Cove Creek, North Junction, Jersey and South junction where the Union Pacific climbed out of the canyon following Trout creek up to Gateway, Paxton, Madras and to Metolius. By the time their lines reached Metolius Ed Harriman suddenly died and officials of the two railroads got their heads together and jointly constructed and maintained the line from that point through Culver, Terrebonne, Prineville Junction, Redmond, Deschutes and Bend.

The Oregon Trunk Line of the S.P. & S.

     As mentioned above the Oregon Trunk first used the ferry between Wishram (Fallbridge) and Moody until 1911 when the steel railroad bridge was completed and put into use. After Moody their next stop was Kloan an important place during construction days. They used the Great Southern railroad to haul supplies out to Neabeck where Lou Kelley ran the warehouse and received for Towhy Bros., the contractors from Spokane. The supplies were hauled down over Freebridge (Rattlesnake) Grade to Kloan. It was at Neabeck that Dr. Fred Thompson operated a hospital to care for injured men of the Towhy Bros. Oregon Trunk Crew. Some of these injuries were due to Union Pacific crews setting off charges of dynamite without warning S.P.& S. construction crews. Rocks would fill the air and often strike the workers. This was illegal and unlawful but law enforcement officers in those days just "winked at the law" when these two railroad companies went to work. Both construction crews were guilty of the same thing. In addition they used to throw lighted sticks of dynamite at each other, across the river. It made business good for Dr. Thompson and he had a little cemetery at Neabeck where they planted those too badly torn to pieces to sew back together again. Supplies were hauled down to Dike from Wrentham on the Great Southern. Another road ran down in the vicinity of Oakbrook served from both Wrentham and Boyd on the Great Southern. Sherars Bridge was served out of Boyd over the old Dalles to Canyon City stage and mail route road. Supplies for the Maupin section was freighted from the Shaniko terminal by wagon. They jointly used the McLennan, Two Springs, Cove Creek, North Junction and South Junction roads, with U.P. supply wagons. Rope ferries of the one wagon barge type, took them across the river. At Nena there was an old road down off Wapinitia flat. A road through the Warm Springs Indian Reservation ran down to Kaskela and Nathan (named for Nathaniel J. Wyeth, explorer of 1834). Kaskelia was the first Indian chief at Warm Springs Reservation. These last 3 roads would break the back of a rattlesnake to follow but they did haul supplies over them!

     The Oregon Trunk line followed on up the Deschutes from South Junction to Mecca where freight was dropped off for the Warm Springs Indian Reservation between 1911 and 1923. The Oregon Trunk line left the canyon at Pelton, where the private power companies want to build a dam, and followed Willow creek up to Madras. That was a very poor grade. It washed out easily and was hard to maintain so they turned it back to the jackrabbits and made a "joint usership agreement" with the Union Pacific between South Junction and Metolius, and later took up their rails.

U.P. Line Abandoned

     During the great depression of the early 1930's it became necessary for the railroads to be economy minded the same as everyone else. They made application to Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon the line, which was granted, and the rails and ties of value were removed on 80 miles of railroad up to South Junction. By agreement with the S.P. & S. there is "joint usership" of the entire line of 152.5 miles from Oregon Trunk Junction, near Celilo to Bend. The way it stands today the S.P. & S. owns the line to South Junction. The U.P. owns it from there to Metolius, 24 miles, and they jointly own the next 41 miles into Bend. They jointly maintain the entire line. James J. Hill, the empire builder himself, drove the last spike in Bend in 1911 marking completion of the line and harmony. Later he extended his lines to Klamath Falls where they join up with his Western Pacific lines and go on down to San Francisco. The Union Pacific abandoned the Grass Valley to Shaniko section of their Shaniko branch railroad for economy reasons. They wanted to abandon the entire line but the people in Sherman county opposed the move. The line is used now for heavy wheat hauling purposes only, lighter freight and mail being contracted by truck. The business don't justify the maintenance of this line. The Condon branch does better and the Heppner branch always was good.

U.P. Service Improvements

     At the conclusion of World War 2 the U.P. established their City of Portland crack streamliner service, June 6, 1935 with 6-roundtrips per month. On Feb. 15, 1947 this service was daily both ways with the running time between Portland and Chicago 42 hours and 60 hours or 2½ days to N.Y! If they never stopped at all they would have to average 50 miles an hour! To makeup for lost stopping time it got to be around 75! and that's fast ground speed! If you want it any faster than that you had better take to the air where it is safer! Before the war it was 60 hours to Chicago!

     At The Dalles, in 1950, the U.P. remodeled their passenger depot and added on a freight receiv-ing house and clerical quarters for that department at First and Liberty at a cost of $40,000. The freight house was 170 foot long with room for 3 railroad cars at one time and plenty of room on the city side for trucks to receive and discharge freight. Five switch engines are working on a 3 crew, 24 hour basis. The Dalles division runs from the Albina yards in Portland to Hinkle in Umatilla county, 99 miles east of The Dalles. About 60 of the locomotives in The Dalles division are diesels. New jet-type locomotives are on order. The big gas-turbine locomotives rate 4500 horsepower.

     The Union Pacific railroad employs 314 men in The Dalles, according to Angus McAllister, Oregon Division Superintendent. Trainmen and enginemen number 177; 55 are in the mechanical department; 30 in the maintenance of way; 37 in the freight and yard department and 15 in the signal department. The Dalles will continue to be a division for crews despite its short distance of only 86 miles to Portland. The Dalles is an important freight point on the Union Pacific with a gross business in 1951 of $1,254,928.

The Railroad Hotel at Hinkle

     Hinkle is a model terminal with a glass brick roundhouse kept clean as a whistle and 25 miles of yards, for trains and switching. The McNary Dam made the Umatilla Yards obsolete on account of so much roadbed having to be moved. The Hinkle hotel contains 70 rooms and a restaurant. As men check in, vacant rooms are indicated on the panel in the lobby, by envelopes on panel hooks. He removes the envelope and key therein and places 25¢ in the envelope together with his name and occupation and time he wants to be called. The room is his for 12 hours for 25¢! Most of the rooms are used twice daily. The restaurant used a railroad carload of food every week. It takes a crew of 15 to operate the hotel.

Railroad Costs

     We often heard it said that railroad costs are too high, as indicated by the 1¼ million dollar freight bill, we pay annually. But $10,000 freight cars now cost $425,000 and more; steel has shot up in price and there is lots of steel in a railroad. Taxes plague the railroad as they do you and I. It would scare a man to think of the price of a locomotive. Oil to operate locomotives don't flow out of every hillside. Tracks have to be maintained and rolling equipment breaks down and has to be serviced. The public don't maintain the roads like they do for commercial truck and bus owners who compete with tax-paying railroads. The annual payroll for 314 men, in a town the size of The Dalles, together with the above outlined expenses is far more than $1,254,928 we pay for rail service

Railroad Crews

     Railroad trainmen are paid either by the mile, for open road work; or in case their day is more than 8 hours, it is then by the hour up to 16 hours, after which they tie up and sleep. Most of the work is by the mile for they generally make a division, like between here and Hinkle, in less than 8 hours, but they are paid for 8 hours just the same. A freight run is 100 miles and a passenger run about twice as far as freight runs. Trainmen work out of a "pool." Soon as they arrive at say the Hinkle terminal, their names are placed at the foot of the call list. As crews are called their names advance until they are at the top and are "next out." Trainmen never get any regular sleep or meals. Each shift or call are different hours than the last run! They have to maintain a place to live in TWO places! They may arrive at midnight, sleep to 9 A.M. and be called at 3 A.M. for the next run and not be done until noon. Then they will try to sleep 8 hours and be called next time at noon the next day. You have got to learn to sleep like a dog, any time, any place and have a cast iron stomach with a copper lining! Have tolerance with the next trainman that talks gruffly to you. He may not be awake yet! The pay of other railroaders is about, the lowest in America. Its a life of service with little personal reward!

The Great Southern Railroad

     The Great Southern Railroad from The Dalles to Dufur and Friend was constructed in 1904 by John Heimrick, Sr., a mining man of Colorado who liked the Pacific Northwest and invested his profits here, in Portland and Seattle. He was a very large man weighing around 300 and as genial and good natured as he was big. He saw a big future in the timber and wheat resources of Wasco county and in 1904 started his railroad to Dufur. The History of Central Oregon said the grading to Dufur was complete, the depot and engine house under construction and much excitement prevailed as to the future of Dufur as a railroad terminus (1904). In 1913 the line was extended to Friend preliminary to tapping the timber resources of that area. The Great Southern Railroad Co. laid out the platted town of Friend and the company had options or owned timber reserves almost up to the Mt. Hood Loop highway. George Joseph was attorney for the railroad. The late Governor Julius Meier, of Meier & Frank in Portland, was among the stockholders, who, with the Heimrich family held the controlling interest. John Heimrich, Jr. was manager, co-owner and treasurer.

     The first train operated over the road in the fall of 1905. The Dalles Business Mens' Association in 1908 published a pamphlet in which it shows the first train in operation, consisting of a 3-drive wheel locomotive, a combination baggage and passenger car and two other passenger chair cars, out in the Dufur valley with Mt. Hood in the background, a very beautiful Benj. A. Gifford photograph.

     Dufur was the home terminal for the train crews, 1905 to 1913. The train left Dufur around 8 A.M. arriving at The Dalles in time to make connection with the Union Pacific noon trains with passengers and mail or express, arriving back in Dufur that evening. The mail contract paid $5000 a year. In 1913 the line was extended to Friend and with that extension The Dalles replaced Dufur as the railroad terminal, with the engine or roundhouse here.

     The other stations besides Dufur and Friend were Boyd, Rice, Wrentham, Emerson, Neabeck, Freebridge, Brookhouse, Fulton, Fairbanks, Petersburg, Seuferts and The Dalles. The train would stop anywhere along the line for passengers, freight or express. Post Offices were maintained at Fair-banks, Freebridge, Wrentham, Boyd, Dufur and Friend at which daily stops were made for mail. The mail for each of these offices was pouched by The Dalles post office. All of the stations were points for wheat receiving where farmers brought their sacked wheat from nearby ranches to the warehouses, during harvest, and later loaded on to cars for The Dalles. Dufur and Friend were lumber shipping points. Freebridge, Wrentham, Boyd and Dufur were busy places in 1910 when so much freight supplies were taken out for Towhy Bros. construction crews building the Oregon Trunk railroad up the Deschutes river. The Great Southern followed 15 Mile creek from Seuferts to Dufur.

     Some of the men who made the Great Southern Railroad click, besides the hard working John Heim-rick were Rex Ward, Al Frombling and S.H.S. Berryman, auditors of The Dalles; Dave Freeman and Albert Johnson, enginemen; Frank Bird and John Kunsman, firemen; J.D. Tobin, Tom Carson and Jim Kunsman, conductors; Henry Curl, Wm. Phillips, Mike Toby were among the trainmen. Trainman Reese got wiped off a box car by a telephone wire and killed, the only known fatal accident on the line. Trainmen had their troubles with snowbound trains in the winter, which had to be dug out by hand. Washed out bridges during spring high waters of 15 Mile creek was a headache. Rock and earth slides covered the tracks during rain storms and February thaws or weakened roadbed by thaws caused the train to fall off the track. Stray livestock on the tracks was always a menace. Broken equipment or rolling stock added to their railroad woes. The depot at 1005 E. 2nd street burned during the Wasco Warehouse mill fire of 1911 and was replaced by the one now used across 2nd street at 1008 by the drive-in cafe. The engine house is used by the Mauser Lumber Co. to store lumber in.

     Before the great depression of the early 1930's, when wheat got down to 25¢ a bushel and the sheriff was knocking at everybody's door for taxes, (in 1928) Great Southern rail-road lost its $5000 a year mail contract. Wheat wasn't worth the shipping costs so it laid in the warehouses or remained on the farms, or just wasn't produced, and that condition remained for several years! In the meantime the termites was eating up the ties on the railroad until it got so the rails wouldn't hold up a fully loaded oar of wheat! - yet they charged the farmers the full car rate. The farmers got mad and hauled their wheat to The Dalles in trucks, which were just being made, in wheat-hauling models. Some hauling was done by wagons. Since wheat hauling was the principle source of revenue for the railroad, that was the blow that wrecked the railroad. The building of highway 23, from The Dalles through Dufur in 1922 and the gradual increase in size and capacity of trucks from that date to 1940 spelled finis to the railroad.

     John Heimrick organized the Black Butte Lumber Co., during the depression, to try to salvage the timber holdings and make the road pay hauling lumber from Friend to The Dalles; and even converting the road into a logging railroad with the view of having his mill at what is now Seufert's Old Mill Trailer Court on highway 30 at 3 Mile creek. But the dreadful deadening business depression had closed about all the banks in Oregon and there was no one to be found with money and confidence to back the venture, so that too collapsed. Trains were eliminated. A small diesel car handled the business. Taxes became delinquent and unpaid bills forced foreclosure. The rails were taken up, sold for junk to Japan who fired them back at the Americans during WW2! The real estate was held by The Dalles Land Co. with Stephen Hull of Portland and Seattle the administrator and owner. Some of the real estate is still being sold, rented and leased. John Heimrick went back to Colorado and made good in the mines his father held. The Great Southern train crews had passes good over other railroads and their service was credited by the Railroad Retirement Act, for pension purposes. The Heimrick home was at 303 E. 10.

The RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE

     The Railway Mail service was established in the east during the Civil War period and came west with the building of the Union Pacific railroad to California (1870); later followed the Northern Pacific west in 1883 and the Oregon Short Line and O.R.& N. Co. from Ogden to Portland in 1886. As we have outlined in the biography of Ed. Kurtz (page 97) when Ed Kurtz entered the Railway Mail service-on the Union Pacific out of Omaha, Neb. to Cheyenne, Wyo. about 1880, then the run was from Cheyenne to Pocatello, Idaho and later he worked from Pocatello, Idaho into Portland, Oregon and return, according to Henry Bertrand. The runs were changed from time to time. But Ed Kurtz is our oldest and best known Railway Mail clerk, afterwards Express messenger and Express Agent. He came west with the railroads into The Dalles and Portland with the first Railway Mail clerks.

     We hear the iron horses roar by in the night, belching smoke and fire, with shrieking whistles and lights gleaming in the darkness from coaches with sleeping passengers. Little do we realize that on those roaring monsters of the 20th century, that there are men, human beings like you and I, working long, hard hours on our behalf, both as train crew members and Railway Mail clerks. The magazine ads say, "be a Railway Mail Clerk, travel and see the country. Big pay. Young men wanted."

     We talked in Portland with two of those "young men" now retired Railway Mail Clerks, Walter Conners and Glenn Kearney. Mr. Conners entered the Railway Mail service in 1899 on the Oregon Short Line run from Pocatello, Idaho to Portland, Oregon, a 26 hour run without sleep. In 1915 this run was shorted to Baker from Portland. He worked the Portland to Dunsmuir, California 13 hour Southern Pacific railroad run. He has worked the Portland to Seattle 8 hour run. He was on the Portland to Seaside S.P.& S. run for a time. He says two of the longest runs in the U.S. are from Los Angeles to Albuquerque, New Mexico, a 16 hour run and the Spokane, Wash. to Fargo, North Dakota run of like length. But for the purposes of our story the old original Union Pacific runs were from Omaha, Neb, to Cheyenne, Wyo.; then from Cheyenne, Wyo. to Hunington, Oregon and from Hunington to Portland. Each of those runs were about 700 miles each ways. Later, as indicated above, they were shortened. The El Paso, Texas - to Los Angeles, Calif. was another long run over the Southern Pacific. In those early days they got no pay for extra hours put in on account of storms, wrecks or other delays. In fact they were required to work an extra day in the terminals at Portland, Pocatello etc. when mails were heavy or at Christmas time. The 8 hour day didn't go in until just before World War I.

     Mr. Connors knew several of the original (1865-1900) Railway Mail clerks. He did not know Mr. Kurtz as a railway mail clerk because Mr. Kurtz left that service before 1896. He knew George Foster (1885-1900) who later became a member of the Baker (Oregon) Loan. Co. Others were Wm. T. Hall, Ed. O'Connors and Ed. Wetzler. Following them in service were George Foster, Wm. Hall, F.A.M. Stewart, Joe Graham, Jay Oliver and Albert Rand.

     Before the establishment of the railroads the Oregon Steam Navigation Co. brought the mails up from Portland and The Dalles to Kelton, Utah Star Line met the Union Pacific trains at Kelton. Walter Connors worked on boats between Portland and Astoria, before the S.P.& S. extended their railroad down to Astoria. Some of those boats were the J.T. Potter, Lurdine, Undine, Harvest Queen. Before the O.R.& N. built into Spokane the Northern Pacific operated between there and Walla Walla, Umatilla and Pendleton. The Portland to Spokane Union Pacific run was started in 1910. The 1900 Portland to Pocatello run was shortened to Portland-Baker in 1915. The old run to Pocatello was 730 miles and took 30 to 45 hours each ways - of CONTINIOUS WORK, without sleeps - a long hard grind even for a young man. The glamour of the Railway Mail service soon faded after a few months on that run! It passed through The Dalles ever night, each way, every day for years and years. It was one of the longest runs in the U.S. and one of the hardest man-killers in the U.S! -- it still (1952) is one of the heaviest, hardest, toughest grinds in the U.S.!

     On this Portland-Pocatello and Portland-Baker run through here, each way, every day; the long 20 to 40 hours, without sleep, caused the clerks to be able to "sleep like a horse, standing up," and snore dust like they were in a feather beds. They would shake each other, throw water in each others faces, rub snow on each other, open the doors and let the cold air rush in until their hands became too numb to work mail, trying to keep awake on the job. They had to collect in the pouches, from the catchers, as they flew by in the blackness of the nights; and dispatch pouches and papers in like manner. It was not possible to catch any sleep, unless the train was late or unless the mails were light; and even then only one man could sleep for an hour or so, out of a crew of 3 to 5 men.

     After the 8 hour day went in, on the long 12 to 16 hour runs, they were allowed 8 hours sleep at terminals, then could be called for another 16 hour run. Six of those 32-hour round trip runs was a months work and they stayed home the rest of the time. On the 12 hour runs, generally one round trip was compensated by allowing the boys off 4 days before another run. In the early days there was no substance money to pay for meals and room away from home; that was allowed with the 8 hour day law. While the VOLUME of mail is heavier today, due to subsidized magazines, parcel post and advertising matter, the volume of work per man, was greater then than now. The railroad, before 1917 carried mail by weight and about every 4 years "mail weighers" had to ride the trains for 3 months to get "an average weight basis" for railroad fees. They are now paid on the cubic foot-mile basis which amounts to about 50¢ a mile (1952) for each cubic foot. A 60 foot storage car of advertising, magazines and parcel post costs the government about $6000 from Chicago to Portland and its questionable whether the government gets that much revenue out of the matter carried, on many cars. The Union Pacific Railway Mail cars are 15 X 30 feet of working space which costs the government $3000 per car from Chicago to Portland. The Northern Pacific Terminal Co. pays the mail handlers at the Union depot. About 75% of the mail trains are night trains here.

The Branch Lines

     The branch railway mail lines from Biggs to Shaniko, in Wasco and Sherman counties, were established in 1909 with George Buck, Ben Campbell, Al Jeffery and Wm. Keitle, clerks until the line was suspended in 1920. The Arlington to Condon service was established in 1915 and is still in operation. The Willow's-and Heppner branch only lasted about 2 years. There was never any rail-way mail service on the Great Southern. The Dalles to Bend branch operated out of The Dalles over the Union Pacific line from 1914 to 1928, according to Glenn Kearney who lived at The Dalles while on the Bend run. After the Union Pacific suspended service in 1928, Glenn Kearney, Tom Finley and Chas. Dizney continued to live in The Dalles but worked out of Wishram to Bend and return over the Oregon Trunk (S.P. & S.) line. Finally those clerks were ordered into Portland where they worked out of Portland on S.P. & S. Alaskan Trains No. 3 & 4 which make connections at Wishram with the Oregon Trunk (Bend) train No. 102 at midnight arriving at Bend at 6:16. They slept all day in Bend, returned to Wishram on 103 at 8 P.M arriving at Wishram at 2:15 A.M. for connections with S.P. & S. No. 3 North Coast Limited which arrived back in Portland at 7 A.M. That was a 12 hour run, each way, and when they got back into Portland they had 4 days off before they made the run again.

Unusual Experiences

     Some of the unusual experiences of Mr. Connors, were the freezing OPEN of mail car doors, by ice! When that occurred the clerks would nearly freeze until they arrived at the next stop where service men would thaw the doors out with water or steam. Snow bound trains in the winter were not un-common and made long runs. Mud, over the tracks at Bridal Veil Falls delayed trains. Once near Corbett station, a hay truck parked too close to the tracks and they grabbed a bale of hay off the truck with their catcher bar, which was extended to catch a mail pouch at Corbett. The hay just flew thru the air. Sometimes, in the blackness of the night, their catcher bar would be straightened out by "hooking a bridge" One time at Karkela the pouch was tied to the crane by a string and that time the catcher-bar took the crane along with the pouch. It sounded like a freight truck has plowed into the train. Often at Meacham it was 50 below there in the Blue Mountains but it never seemed that cold for there was seldom any wind. The snow in the Columbia Gorge at Warrendale and Oneonta Gorge, Multnomah Falls would freeze into solid blocks of ice that nothing could touch but a hand pick! It would take days to clean out those ice pockets and in such cases the mail would be trans-ferred by hand from one train to another, sometimes ½ mile away. Japs and Mexican labor used to do that kind of work. Once we had 100 pouches of registered mail that had to be transferred that way by Japs from the train to the steamer Harvest Queen at the Cascades because of road blockages. In case of wrecks the mail was always scattered out of the cases and had to be picked up and worked at the nearest post office, by terminal crews or on other trains. When the lights would go out, candles, lanterns and flashlights were used. When the steam went off their hands would get so numb they couldn't hardly work their fingers, even with gloves on. Clerks always know where they are, even on the blackest night, despite the roar of the train, "by the way the mail car lurched and traveled on the track and curves, the momentum of the car and its swing, engine whistles, bridges, bluffs, warehouses or towns, told them exactly where they were." They learned these sounds on the Baker, Seattle, Spokane and Dunsmuir runs and knew them all in all types of weather.

     Walter Conners was born in Ohio (1877) son of John Conners a railway mail clerk (1884-1910) on the Chicago and Cincinnati run and later on the Virginia run. His father was removed by the democrats during the Cleveland administration but later restored by the republicans. Walter retied in 1938.

The Bend Run

     The Portland-Wishram-Bend run was a long hard run, according to Glenn Kearney. The clerks are required to know the Portland separation scheme for city carriers, rural routes and sub-stations and all their many changes. If they are in the Spokane or Seattle run it means they have to keep up with those schemes and all their changes too. The responsibility is greater than they can cope with and unless they change those requirements railway mail clerks DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT YOUNG MEN ENTER THAT SERVICE AS AN OCCUPATION. On some of those runs 5 ton of mail must be handled and separated.

     Geographical changes and offices must be kept up with. Its too much for human endurance. Mr. Kearney was born in Minn. (1877) son of A.E. Kearney. He came to Redmond in 1911 and entered the Pocatello to Hunington run in 1913. He married Ada Young and their son Ty is with the Bureau of Public Roads in Portland. Glenn retired in 1948.

Unusual Experiences

     Up the Deschutes the Ox-Bow Bend, about 4 miles below Sherar's Bridge is the most scenic and outstanding point of interest. It was a very difficult piece of engineering, with 2 bridges and a tunnel for the S.P.& S. The tapioca snows, washouts and slides of the Deschutes canyon is the worst winter trouble. He was on the Bend branch for 17 years! and the Portland to Pasco run (S.P.& S.) from 1939 to 1948. They were tied up at Maupin one time for 2 weeks with tapioca snow slides which covered the railroad tracks 20 feet deep) and then froze on top. Another time they were tied up 3 weeks at The Dalles on account of snow slides. Between Gateway and North Junction they were tied up once for 3 days without food and ran out of fuel. The years of and 1919 were worst. A cloudburst in 1921, raised the Deschutes 10 feet and washed out the railroad bed in places, took a number of buildings, and one or two bridges and ferries.

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HIGHWAY POST OFFICES

     The first highway post office was established Feb. 10, 1941 at Harrisonburg, Va. with a 147 mile run. In 1941, California and Indiana had routes. Today there is 91 highway post office routes, in 23 states including one between Portland and Corvallis over 99W. It picks up mail at the various offices and puts mail off, operating like railway post offices with Railway Postal Clerks.

THE MIGHTY RIVER OF THE WEST

     The Story of the Columbia river is too big to ever be told. Its use as a commercial artery and road-way of communication for both the Indian and white man has a long history that has never been written. As a source of food it has fed both the Indian and white man. It has always been a sanctuary for game birds and wild animals for the same purpose. The magnitude of its stored-up power is awe inspiring. Its beauty defies description. No words at our command describe our Creator as He reveals Himself to us as the Columbia river!

Tributaries

     The Columbia river is the great drainage artery of the Pacific Northwest comprising more than 250,000 square miles! It is 1000 miles from Astoria, Oregon, on the Columbia to Revelstoke, B.C. and a11 that distance was navigable for the Indian and Hudson Bay Co. traders and trappers! The Columbia river rises in the Rockies 264 miles north and east of Revelstoke. In early steamboat days it was navigable from Astoria for 700 miles inland! The Kootenai and Clark fork are its main Canadian tributaries. The Spokane and Okanogan are the first two American tributaries followed by the Yakima and Snake. The Walla Walla, Umatilla and John Day rivers are too small to amount to much, but the Deschutes flows about the same volume as the Willamette. The Washington rivers of the Klickitat, White Salmon, Wind, Washougal, Lewis and Cowlitz add considerable volume and are important fishing streams. It is 11 miles wide at Cathlamet Bay and 6 miles at Astoria. During the June high water it flows out into the Pacific ocean for 100 miles! The volume of flow is about the same as the Mississippi river and when harnessed for electrical power will produce about 40% of all electricity that can be generated in the U.S. by river power! The dams now completed and under construction will produce around 5 million kilowatts or 7 million horse-power!

Geology

     The geological history of the Columbia river shows that at one time it flowed about 10 times the amount of water it flows today! With the rising of the Cascade mountain chain Columbia lake was formed. The overflow of the lake at the Cascade low point cut the channel through the mountains we see today, according to Ira Williams, geologist. As a glacial or tropical stream, at different periods, snows were 50 feet deep in the mountains in the winters with a tremendous run-off in the spring and summer months, which were lots hotter than they are now. In that early period it rained "Cloudbursts" much of the time, making an "average river flow" about 10 times the present size of the Columbia. Foley Lakes was once the channel of the Columbia and the sand-rock, near the T.B. Hospital, was once the "sandy beach!"

Food

     The Columbia river has been a source of food supply for the Indians for hundreds of years. In the earliest pioneer and exploration days the salmon runs on the Columbia were a perpetual year around affair which provided food for the Indians in such an abundance that all the important salmon fishing sites, like the Cascades, The Dalles, Wishram Indian Village, Celilo, Sherars on the Deschutes, Umatilla Rapids, the falls along the Snake and other rivers, Kettle Falls above Grand Coulee and big sites on the Spokane and Canadian rivers, Good fishing prevailed until the white man exterminated the runs by commercialism. Sturgeon, catfish, mussels and a horde of other fish food was always provided by our Creator for His children in the waters of the Columbia. The river attracted game birds and wild animals, another source of food for variety. Its streams and banks provided roots, berries, fruits, nuts and other foods in abundance. The Indian tribes which held control of important Columbia river food sites were the "wealthy" Indians. At their annual "Olympic" gatherings at The Dalles and across the river, Indians attended from the coast, from California, from the plains of Kansas to the Dakotas as well as Canada. They held great athletic events, traded, bought slaves and had a "hi you time" (for more story--see under Indians).

Natural Beauties

     The beauty of the Columbia river is matchless. From the wilds of Canada to the Oregon seashore there is no river in comparison! The magnitude of the Canadian Rockies, in all its primitive wildness has no comparison in America! First it flows north over 100 miles as if seeking an artic outlet before bending to the south. There is every reason to believe that in ancient geological times that what we now call the Frasier river was its outlet to the sea! The great Columbia lake in Canada testifies to the topography of the country. The wilds of eastern Washington are a vivid contrast to the wooded Canadian wilds. Then the sage brush deserts of eastern Washington and Oregon thirsty for the waters that flow by, rich as any soil in America. Then the Celilo Falls, inter-nationally famous as an Indian fishing grounds from ancient times. The amazing compression of the mighty river into a channel only 135 feet wide and 475 feet deep, where it "turns on edge" at The Dalles rapids, soon (1956) to be flooded out by The Dalles Dam. The Old Wishram Indian Pyramid Village at The Dalles narrows. Then the beautiful Columbia River Gorge through the Cascade Mount-ain range to the sea, covered with forests and trees of all descriptions and studded with sparking sentinel snow capped mountain peaks, -- the Alps of America at our backdoor.

     The next page (125) describes the arrival of M.Z. Donnell's mother and father 1n The Dalles in 1852, 100 years ago and their trip down the Columbia river; an eye witness account 100 years ago.

     Pages 126, 127 and 128 entitled THE LURE OF THE RIVER by Judge Fred W. Wilson, retired, of The Dalles, who was a purser on our river boats, very vividly describes much of the history of steam-boating on the Columbia, as it effected The Dalles and Wasco county history.

CROSSING THE PLAINS IN 1852 by Camilla Thomson (Mrs. Zelick M. Donnell)
(The Dalles and the Columbia River in 1852)

     In 1896 Mrs. Donnell, mother of Lulu D. Crandall, local Dalles Historian and mother of M.Z. Donnell, local Dalles druggist, together with her brother Orville Thomson published a limited edition of book-lets, under the above title who were able to borrow a copy from the library of Mrs. Fred Houghton and are pleased to make the following quotations which will be of interest to lovers of Dalles history.

     It has been 44 years (1896) since the occurrence of the events herein narrated. While many have passed "over yonder" they are not forgotten and this is a fragrant remembrance to them. This is a memory picture drawn by Mrs. Camilla (Thomson) Donnell especially for this little work. Westward Ho! over the snow--capped mountains in 1852 to cast our lots and seek our fortunes in the "Far West". It was not all light and joyous. It meant a world of things to us: it meant leaving our homes and loved ones, parents and friends - those whom we had grown up with - to endure the hardships of a long and tedious journey; to brave the dangers of camp life in mountain wilds, added to the terror from fear of molestation by the Indians. While courage and enthusiasm was kept up, deep down in our hearts was a load of sadness!

     In 1850 Congress passed the Donation Land Claim Act giving a man and wife 640 acres from any unoccupied lands and to a single man or unmarried woman 320 acres. These inducements caused many home and gold seekers to turn their thoughts toward the setting sun. My brother Origen Thomson, sly husband Zelik M. Donnell and myself decided to attempt the journey mapped as "The Great American Desert" with a company from Indiana, Ohio and Illinois consisting of near 100 persons. The expedition was a matter of great interest to the entire community and was the chief topic of discussion for months previous to its departure. The persons composing the party were among the oldest and best known families of that section and were well fixed financially. There were many newly married couples seeking a home.

     A boat was taken from Madison to St. Joseph, Mo. down the Ohio to the Mississippi. We bought our teams and supplies at St. Joe, enough to last all the way across the plains. We crossed the Missouri river by rope ferry at. Omaha, then uninhabited except for Indians. We had stout covered wagons drawn by oxen, some had mules and horses. Wagons were packed with boxes, bundles, bedding, tin cans, camping equipment. We were cut off from all communications when we left the Missouri and started up the Platte one continuous line of prairie schooners. The grass seemed to reach to the tops of the wagons. There were very few landmarks to measure distances by. The clearness of the air made distant objects seem too near. Independence Rock seemed only ½ mile away but was nearer 10 miles. We seen a number of Indians from time to time. Wood was scarce so we had to practice economy. Each wagon messed by itself and did its own cooking. Our wagons formed a camp corral circle with the stock inside until driven out for feed. The night was divided into 3 watches with a man always on guard. Fifteen to 20 miles was a good day's journey. The summit of the Rockies was reached on the 4th of July.

AT THE DALLES

     Arriving at The Dalles after fording the Deschutes river, we found but one house and a few old log buildings belonging to the Methodist Mission. The beach of the Columbia river was covered with tents and there must have been a thousand persons living in them at the time of our arrival, awaiting trans-portation by batteaux to the Willamette valley. Our cattle ware taken overland by trail along the Columbia to Dog (Hood) river valley. The rest of the party took passage in the batteaux in charge of French Canadians. We crossed the Cascades by means of a horse car over a portage 1½ miles long. We arrived at Portland late at night and the lights of the village filled our hearts with warmth. We stayed there 2 weeks and went to Dayton where we camped on the Yamhill river and looked around for a place to live. My husband and brother worked in Joel Palmer's sawmill and I taught school for $50 a month to 15 pupils. After 4 months we moved over near Brownsville where we took a Donation Land Claim.

     There was a ferry over the Deschutes in 1852 although it could be forded at the island at the mouth. The now flourishing city of The Dalles was then a dirty hamlet of a few miserable huts, giving no promise of the lively city of this day. On Sept. 13, 1852 we camped about 3 miles from the store at The Dalles and the next day we drove into town where we spent the next 2 days making ready to drive our 11 head of cattle down the trail. We were on our way by 3 o'clock crossing the branch (Mill creek) above the sawmill. The trail leads across the bottom (Chenowith flats) crosses a little branch (Chenowith) and camped about 2 miles up the mountain where the grass was good feeding.

     Camilla Thomson was born in Indiana in 1827 was married in 1852 to Z.M. Donnell and came west to Oregon on her honeymoon. She was a frail woman and her parents never thought she would be able to stand the hardships of the trip across the plains, but she WALKED ALL THE WAY and reached Oregon in the best of health she ever had. Her closest chum on the trip was Mary Stevenson who afterwards be-came the wife of Gov. Zenath F. Moody of The Dalles and Harriett Snider, the mother of Fredrick Homer Balch (author of the Bridge of the Gods). She was the mother of 4 children Orville, Lowry, Martin Z. and Lulu D. They returned to The Dalles in 1858 with cattle over the old Barlow road and settled near Freebridge on 15 mile creek. She died at The Dalles in 1872 at age 45.

     It was from her mother that aunt Lulu Crandall received the inspiration for writing so much about Dalles and Wasco county history. She set a fine example for her daughter Lulu to follow. Lovers of Dalles history owe both of these pioneers a debt of gratitude.

THE LURE OF THE RIVER by Fred W. Wilson

     The Dalles is history. It is a treasure house of Indian lore, river romance and tales of the days when men strove and conquered. It was a river town. Men talked steamboats. They lived with them. The coming and going of the boats were the crowning activities of the day. The captains, engineers, pilots, mates and pursers were the best known men about town. When evening came and when the steamer's whistle was heard as she rounded Crates Point the most interesting hour of the 24 had come. As the passengers reached the Umatilla House, the symbol of hospitality, the townfolk gathered. Old friendships were renewed; new acquaintances quickly made. The news and gossip of the outside world was told to eager listeners, while the town boys looked with admiring eyes on the men who ran the boats and they would debate about who landed the boat with the most skill.

First Boats

     Before 1851 pioneers who reached The Dalles, after 6 months across the plains, found river trans-portation to be Indian canoes, Hudson Bay batteaux and rude rafts. In that year the James P. Flint echoed the hills with her whistle after which came the Allen, small of size and short of life. In 1854 the Mary made her appearance, followed by the Wasco and in 1857 the Hassalo; then the Col. Wright in 1858, built at Deschutesville above Celilo.

The Cascade Massacre

     The Mary must be given a leading place for her participation in the Indian massacre at the Upper Cascades in 1856 where she was berthed when terror stalked along the river banks. The soldiers were at The Dalles 40 miles away. There was no telegraph. The Indians were threatening every settlement between White Salmon and the Cascades. Steam was raised in the little 80 foot side-wheeler and those who could escape rushed aboard her while bullets crashed through the pilot house but she escaped and made her way to The Dalles. Next morning the Mary and Wasco were loaded with soldiers under Col. Wright and started for the Cascades where they met troops under Lt. Philip Sheridan to complete the rescue.

The Upper Columbia

     In 1858 R.R. Thompson and Lawrence Coe built the R.R. Thompson at Deschutesville for river service above Celilo Falls. Those who have taken the river trip from Celilo to Lewiston know what courage it took to navigate for the first time the rapids at Squally Hook, John Day, Umatilla, Palouse and the narrow Snake. In 1865 the Col. Wright was dismantled, her work done and it was in July of the same year that Brigadier General George Wright went down with his wife in the sinking of the Brother Jonathan off Crescent City, Calif.

Discovery of Gold

     Then gold was discovered in the early 1860's along Salmon River, at Auburn and this brought added burdens for the river. New and bigger boats had to be built. Capt. J.C. Ainsworth met the challenge by organizing the Oregon Steam Navigation Co. As fast as the miners came from Calif. by ocean steamer the O.S.N. was ready to carry them on to the mines. Boat builders laid new keels to the rhythmic music of caulking hammers and there was no busier place than The Dalles for here was the center of all boat activity. Boats were built at Celilo for the Lewiston run; at The Dalles for the middle river run. At Celilo the Okanogan was built in 1861; the Spray and Tenino in 1862; Nez Perce Chief in 1663 with the Kiyus and the Owykee, Webfoot and Yakima in 1864. At The Dalles the Idaho in 1860; Iris and Oneonta in 1863. On the lower river the Belle, Carrie Ladd, Jennie Clark, Mountain Buck, Cascades, New World and Wilson G. Hunt aided with the rush to the mines.

Profits

     The down river steamers brought the gold for shipment to San Francisco to the mint while upriver went the supplies and men with an immense passenger traffic which thronged the docks. Figures kept by John S. Schenck, Dalles Agent for the O.S.N. show the up trips for the Col. Wright brought in from $1570 to $2625 in March of 1862; the Tenino April 9 $1405; the Okanogan $1020 to $3540 and these sales represented tickets for one up trip only, for each boat mentioned. The down stream fares ran from $1100 to $4000 on each trip. Return from freight shipments were simply enormous the Tenino in one trip in May produced over $16,000 in freight, fares, meals and births. The Nez Perce Chief brought down $382,000 In gold dust on its Oct. 29, 1863 trip.

Travelers

     Upon arrival of the boats or portage train the streets of The Dalles thronged with people. Miners outfitted here; business was brisk; money came and went easily and the river was the source of it all. The Umatilla House was the stopping place for the miners for it was the civic center of The Dalles in those days. Everyone went to the Umatilla House if they wanted to find anyone else. In its spacious dining room the dancers gathered at the firemen's ball or other social festivities. In the lobby one could see the men who were making history, military officers, civil engineers, mining men, stockmen, newspapermen, captains, engineers, dockhands, they were all there and talk was lively and full of interest. No one ever went hungry for lack of means, if they were destitute Col. N.B. Sinnott and Major Daniel Handley bade them make the Umatilla House their home. These were the days when men played poker and chewed tobacco, but they paid their debts and were kind to the poor and tolerant.

Daisy Ainsworth

     The Daisy Ainsworth marks a distinctive epoch in the lure of the river. She was one of the most luxurious boats that ever operated on the river. It was built by John Holland for the O.S.N. at The Dalles and in April 1873 when it was ready for launching all the townfolks thronged the river bank and cheered as she glided down the ways to bury her hull in the waiting waters. She was built for speed and her cabins were elegant with Brussel carpets on their floors and glittering chandeliers gave light and cheer. For 4 years she was the pride and joy of the river as she daily ran between The Dalles and the Cascades with unbroken records for speed. The in November 1876 when Martin Spelling, pilot under Capt. John McNulty, was placed in command of the steamer and ordered to make a night trip to the Cascades with a load of cattle, while Capt. McNulty took the Idaho down with the mail and passen-gers. The night was dark and stormy but by midnight she was loaded and they took off into the black-ness of the storm with the cargo of frightened cattle. They passed the bar at Cayuse rock, held to the Washington shore at Lyle, picked out the narrow channel at Memaloose Island where the pilot must know exactly where he is before he turns the wheel to the path of safety. But Spelling knew the way, dodged the Mosier rocks, made the tortuous 18 Mile Island channel. There were no lights on the river that inky black night as they cut through the storm. The only light he expected would be at the Upper Cascades. Blackness hid Wind Mountain. There was no beacon lights. The only way he could check his course was by sound of the whistle and the echo as it comes back allowed him to calculate his distance from shore.

     As the whistle cut into the blackness of the night the sound frightened the cattle and they became more frantic and surged to gain their freedom.

Ainsworth Wrecked

     Upper Cascades was less than a mile away. Then something happened. Opinions differ, but it was said that the watchman in charge of the Upper Cascades warfboat, thinking the steamer would not arrive for some time yet, took his lantern and walked up the portage railroad track a mile for a cup of coffee.

     He had left his light in direct line with a rocky ledge at the head of the rapids. Martin Spelling, seeing the light presumed it was on the warfboat and steered directly for it. Suddenly there was a crash and the steamer lay a helpless wreck. No lives were lost but most of the cattle were drowned. The blow that struck the Daisy Ainsworth struck Martin Spelling with equal force. From that fateful night his health and spirits went into rapid decline and in a few months his earthly career was ended. The doctors called it T.B. His friends called it a broken heart. Capt. Samuel Gill a few years, ago said, "the whole plan was hazardous and one that had never been attempted before. I don't suppose there was a light on either shore of the river for 45 miles. How Spelling ever got as far as he did, I can't comprehend. It was a nasty morning and cold with wind and snow squalls. We had to wait until daylight to make out the location of the wreck or get the position of the boat."

Grain Trade

     By the 1870's the mines gave out and the mineral cargo was replaced by wheat grown in the Walla Walla Valley, shipped by boat to Portland and by steamer to Europe. The Tenino, Almota and Annie Faxon handled the wheat cargos. Capt. James W. Troup, the 21 year old "boy captain" of the upper Columbia induced Capt. J.C. Ainsworth, Manager of the O.S.N. Co. to build a larger boat and he finally in 1878 authorized the construction of the Harvest Queen, 200 feet in length and with large carrying capacity and beautiful cabins and the youthful Capt. Trump in charge.

Boats and Boatmen of The Dalles

     On the middle and lower river the building of the Wide West, R.R. Thompson and S.G. Reed in 1878 brought up the debatable question as to which was the finest boat? They were all the last word in fine boat architecture. On the upper river that same year there was added the D.S. Baker and John Crates. These fine boats made the trip from Portland to Lewiston one of comfort and sheer delight all the way. The steamboatmen were polished gentlemen, skilled and daring navigators. The solemn-faced Capt. John Wolf of the S.G. Reed would bring the passengers to the Cascades where the R.R. Thompson, in charge of Capt. John McNulty would bring them to The Dalles where they could stay at the Umatilla House all night or entrain for Celilo and sleep aboard the Harvest Queen to be greeted next morning by Capt. Troup who would pilot them through Hell Gate, John Day Rapids, Squally Hook, Indian Rapids, Umatilla Rapids until late that night the Warf at Wallula would mark the and of the days trip; or those for Walla Walla would entrain for that city on the narrow gauge railroad. Passengers for Lewiston would transfer to the John Gates or Almota. At Lewiston most of the townspeople would be at the warf when the boat came in. There is no form of transportation that compares with that wonderful boat trip.

     With the building of the railroad there were more boats on the upper Columbia than business justi-fied and from time to time they were brought down over Celilo Falls, Tumwater Rapids and the dalles narrows, from which the city takes its name, during high water in June. Capt. Thomas J. Stump in 1866 is credited with bringing the Okanogan over Celilo Falls and through the narrows to The Dalles. Other boats brought down over Celilo Falls were the Nez Perce Chief, Harvest Queen, D.S. Baker all of which were also taken over the rapids at the Cascades.

Barges

     Wood barges played an important part in the lore of the river. The country east of The Dalles is woodless and in the early days boatmen built flat bottom barges, with a mast and sail. When the wind was from the west that would sail their cargoes of cordwood, taken from the forests along the river, to The Dalles. In the late '70's Joseph T. Peters organized and controlled the wood business. Some of those wood barges that Mr. Peters had built had the look of a sailing ship and when the wind was fair and the sail unfurled, the barge made a pretty sight as it sailed up the river. One called Interstate had black port holes painted on the hull to resemble gun ports. Barge men knew the river and every rook and eddy in it and many of them graduated to steam boat captains. It was a pleasant picture to see the R.R. Thompson and barge Interstate coming up the river abreast. The steamer was faster but it had to transact business at landings while the barge went steadily on with the wind. It was always a question which would reach The Dalles first.

D.P.A.N. Co.

     When the D.S. Baker was taken over the Cascades in June 1893 by Capt. Martineau to the lower river the last of the O.S.N. steamers was gone from the middle and upper Columbia. The railroad company with-drew from steamboating, as had been anticipated by the people of the Dalles. The Dalles and Portland Navigation Co. was then organized by Robert Mays, D.M. and J.W. French, Joseph T. Peters, Edward M. Williams, S.L. Brooks, B.F. Laughlin, Hugh Glenn, Wentworth Lord, Maximilian Vogt and others of like standing. The locks at the Cascades were not yet open. The organization of this boat company hastened the state of Oregon in building a portage road around the rapids. Two large boats were built, the Regulator at The Dalles to run from here to the Cascades; and the Dalles City built at Portland for the Cascades to Portland run. The company met with great success and brought large financial returns to these men who had faith in steamboating on the Columbia. The high water of 1894 stood at 59 feet at The Dalles. Miles of railroad track was washed away and railroad traffic suspended for 8 weeks and a harvest of profits rolled in for the steamboat men for they carried all the passengers, mail, express and fast freight that would have went by rail. The Regulator and Da1les City cleared $38,000 for the company during the flood season.

Flood 1894

     The railroad company was desperate to get a boat on the middle river to haul their traffic. They got Capt. Bailey to try to bring the Harvest Queen up over the roaring Cascades during the flood crest but the mighty river crashed her against the rocky shore with a hole in her hull. They next hired Capt. Martineau to try to bring the D.S. Baker up over the rapids. Long cables were attached to her windlass which together with every ounce of steam she could muster were not enough. The strain upon her was terrific as she stood stationary amid the surging water, her timbers quivering in the valiant battle." But the river was too much and Capt. Martineau called from the pilot house, "It can't be done. No boat or man can turn this trick. I brought her down but she can't go back." No further attempts were made and the railroad company paid the boat company for carrying passengers, mail and express during the flood.

White Collar Line

     The people of The Dalles took great pride and real pleasure in their home owned boat line and the river again took a predominant part in the commercial life of the town; excursions by boat were frequent and enjoyable. Employment was given to the home town folks. Quite a number of Dalles boys had their first business training as pursers on the Regulator or Dalles City, among them being Truman Butler, banker of Hood River; John Hampshire, afterwards treasurer of Wasco County; Frank French, later mayor of The Dalles; Edward M. Wingate, Dalles merchant and the writer (Fred W. Wilson). The Dalles and Portland Nav. Co. was sold to the White Collar Line with a handsome profit to the original organizers. The White Collar Line put the Bailey Gatzert on The Dalles run.

The Bailey Gatzert

     This splendid steamer was built under the supervision of the ever reliable John Holland, at Seattle. The Bailey Gatzert was a stately steamer. Whatever has been said of the Wide West, R.R. Thompson and S.G. Reed applies equally to the Bailey Gatzert. In size, speed and beauty, as well as excellence of her dining service and cabin elegance, she takes her place on the roll among the best of all our splendid river steamers. When the Bailey Gatzert was launched John Holland's work was done. He built no more boats. With the coming of the Bailey Gatzert passenger travel on the river came back with a bound. A round trip was made each day, leaving Portland at 9 in the morning, reaching The Dalles at 3 and arriving back in Portland at 9:30 in the evening. The fare of $l attracted the traveling public and every trip the boat was crowded. Her schedule was maintained with exactitude of a railroad train and people of The Dalles could set their watches by her whistle as she rounded Crates Point below town. It was part of the days entertainment for the town folks to gather at the wharf, when the Bailey came in. Different captains were in command including F.H. Sherman, Chas. Alden, Sidney Scammon, Archie Geer. The business done by the Bailey attracted opposition from Capt. E.W. Spencer who built the Chas. R. Spencer and the rivalry soon became intense. The Spencer was in the same class as the Bailey for speed and each boat tried to reach the Cascades first, each day, so that the other would have to wait while the first was being locked through. The one that passed through the lock first would beat its rival to The Dalles. During one of the high waters Captain Geer took the Bailey over the rapids at the Cascades with 125 passengers aboard, a lifelong desire fulfilled and an incident that placed the Bailey with other boats which have, shot the rapids.

The Dalles City

     Sidney Schammon was the only captain on the Dalles City during its Dalles to Portland run. It was the Dalles City that made the local calls for settlers along the Columbia who awaited the blast of the whistle for their mail or freight or transportation to or from the trading centers. A flutter of a white flag brought the sound of the whistle and landing. Sometimes a row-boat hastened out into mid- stream with a passenger and his carpet bag or to receive mail for a home hidden in the trees. Many of the river bank stops were for wood for fuel from the many wood piles along the river banks. The wood, in 4 foot lengths, was cast upon the deck by the crew and trucked to storage near the fireman who throwed it into the roaring furnace at short intervals. At other landing the Dalles City took on livestock and their resistance to being put aboard was always exciting to passengers. There was always a card game going on at the round card table in the men's quarters. A waiter was generally on hand between meals to play an accordion for enjoyment of tired passengers. The trip was always beautiful, regardless of which boat or weather conditions.

Columbia River Steam Boats

     The Marine History of Oregon says the Columbia river steam boats were all built very much alike, with paddle wheel behind; a level main deck, for the boiler which was up forward, close to the cord-wood fuel. In later days they burned oil but in the cordwood days they burned a cord an hour which made the fireman's job a very hot, hard job. Steam pipes ran from the boiler to cylinders of the engines astern, where massive cranks and connecting rods manipulated the stern wheel which drew about 18 inches of water to propel the boat. Above the main deck was the saloon deck for passengers. A few state-rooms were generally on this deck for passengers as were the spacious attractive dining rooms. The Bailey Gatzert and Daisy Ainsworth were among the most lavishly furnished boats on the river and were often referred to as "floating palaces." Food was excellent and reasonably priced. The pilot house on top was where the wheel for steering the boat was connected with chains to the rudder, back of the paddle wheel. The Captain or First Mate were generally responsible for the safety of the vessel, cargo and passengers and he instructed the pilot as to the course of the vessel.

     Steamboat Captains were generally men with a strong arm and capable of making quick decisions. They could generally swear fluently and in more than one language. They were drinkers of hard liquor but they were fine men, as a general rule. Their jobs were not pleasant, especially, in foggy or stormy weather or during unavoidable delays.

Captains on the Upper River

     Some of these captains on the upper river from Celilo east were: J.O. Van Bergen, E.W. Buchanan, Dan Boughman, Leonard White, Thomas Stump who died at the wheel near Wallula, Eugene Coe, DeWitt VanPelt, J.H.D. Gray, WM. P. Gray, James T. Gray, Albert Gray, Geo. F. Sampson, J.C. Ainsworth, C.C. Felton, John McNulty, J.D. Miller, Sabastan E. Miller, J.O. VanBergen, John H. Wolfe, Earnest W. Spencer, James W. Troup, John Stump, Geo. Gore, Arthur Riggs, J.E. Aikens, Stewart Winslow, Cy Smith.

     Some of the Upper River boats they served on were: James P. Flint, Mary, Hassalo, Wasco, Col. Geo. Wright, all of 1859; later the Phoenix, Clinton (60), Cayuse (63), Spokane, Yakima, Twin Cities, In-land Empire, Lewiston, Harvest Queen, Mountain Queen and Shoshone. The Col. Geo. Wright was built by Capt. Lawrence Coe and Capt. R.R. Thompson at Deschutesville in 1859. It was 110 feet long with a 21 beam and draw 5 feet of water. Its first trip was to Wallula (1859). It went up one day and back the next. Next year (1860) it made regular trips up the Snake to the Palouse river with military supplies for Ft. Colville. Its last run was in 1865. Capt. Leonard White was her master, 1860.

Captains on the Middle River

     Some of the river boat Captains on the Middle River from The Dalles to the Cascades and later, after the locks were finished (1896) from The Dalles to Portland: Clark Sprague, E.F. Coe, H.C. Coe, L.A. Bailey, Sam Colson, Willis Snow, Frank Smith, Thomas Stump, Samuel Holmes, Sabastan E. Miller, Wm. P. Gray, E.W. Baughman, Lennard White, Fred Wilson (1878), Chas. E. Filton, E.W. Buchanan (76), Geo. F. Sampson (78), Geo. Gore (76), J.W. Troup (63), DeWitt VanPelt (83), J.T. Apperson, John Jolf, Isaac McFarland (72), A.P. Ankney, James G. Gray, once worked 114 hours on Lurline without sleep, N.B. Ingalls, Tom White, Dan O'Niell, Geo. Pease, Joseph Kelley, J.C. Ainsworth, Alex Murray, A.F. Hughes, Chas. Bennett, R.R. Thompson, John McClosky, F.H. Sherman, Chas. Alden, Sidney Scammon, Archie Geer, Geo. Waud, E.W. Spencer, John H. McNaulty, Chas. McNaulty, Arthur Riggs, Stewart Winslow, J.O. VanBergen, C.G. Felton, J.E. Aikens, Richard Hoyt, Tom Wright, S.G. Reed, Ben Stark, J.C. Graham, Chas. Sweitzer, Edwin Sullivan, W.H. Haile.

Boats on the Middle River

     Daisy Ainsworth 78, Alamoto 78, Annie Faxon 79, Allen 51, Bonita, Belle 63, D.S. Baker 69, Bailey Gatzert (1891-1915), Beaver of Hudson Bay 1840, Black Hawk 50, Barrel Boat 51, E.D. Baker, Col. Geo. Wright 65, Cascadilla 60, Clinton 60, Carrie Ladd 60, Canermah 60, Columbia 70, Canermah 79, Dalles City (1891-1915), Elk, Eagle 79, Enterprise 55, Express 60, Fashion, Flint 51, Game Cock, Gazelle 50, John Gates, Geo. L. Simons 1910, Gov. Grover 70, Wm. Hunt 60, Hoosier 60, Emma Hayward 71, Hassalo 57, 2nd Hassalo still exists, O.W. Hill 60, Harvest Queen 78, Independence, Iris 60, Idaho 80, Inland Empire 78, Jerrie Clark 63, Julia, Kiyus 63, Peter Kerr 79, Lurline-pilot house blew off in a gale of 79, Lot Whitcomb - lower river, Little Columbia 48, Lewiston, Multnomah, Mt. Buck 60, Mary 59, Mountaineer, upper river 58, Mountain Queen 77, Northwest 79, New Tenino 79, Nez Pares 63, New World 63, Oneonta 63, 0yyhee 64, Okanagan, also upper river 61, Onward 79, Portland, lower river 60, T.J. Potter 79, Rival 62, Relief 65, Reliance 65, S.J. Reed a very beautiful boat 78, R.R. Thompson 78, Regulator (1891-1915), R.R. Spencer (1891-1917), Spokane, upper river gunboat of 1878, Spray 62, Senorita, named for Dalles Mexican woman 1857, Shoshone, Snake river 62, Stag Hound, Success 78, Suprise 65, Dixie Thompson 70's, Twin Cities, Tenino 62, Tahoma (1890-1918), Telephone 1890, Teaser Gov. Moody's boat in opposition to the O.S.N. 1878, J.N. Teal (1890-1917), Union, Undine 90, Wasco 54, West Side, very beautiful 78, Wheeler, Yakima 64.

     Some of the above boats were built on the upper river where they operated for a time, then served on the middle river and still later on the lower river. There may be a few lower river boats credited to the middle river. The point is, there were just a lot of steamboats operating on the lower, middle and upper Columbia river in the 1860's and 1870's to the coming of the railroad in 1883, as the above names and dates indicate; and a lot of fine men who followed the river as an occupation.

     The "banner year" for the Oregon Steam Navigation Co. was 1862 when they just couldn't take care of the business offered. They worked double crews on their boats, boat crews at the portages and still the express wagons had to remain in line DAY & NIGHT for months, in Portland, to get to the docks. Gold shipped that year was valued at $2,483,095 ($10,000,000 1952). They hauled 4,000 passengers and 14,000 ton freight. In 1863 22,000 passengers and 1864 36,000 passengers at $8 fare from Portland to The Dalles.

The Shoshone's Trip Through Hell Canyon

     Of all the thrilling steamboat stories of the west, that of the Snake river steamer Shoshone shooting the rapids down through Hells Canyon of the Snake River, is the most thrilling of all!

     The river steamer Shoshone was built near Hunington, Oregon, on the Snake river, during the gold rush days of 1866, in the Idaho mines. The lumber for the boat, engines and boilers were all taken by boat to Umatilla for transportation by wagons to Hunington. It was a very costly run, in those days, from Farewell Bend (Hunington) to the mouth of the Owyhee river, and teamsters could save 2 days by meeting the boat at Owyhee, on the trip between Silver City and Boise, then a part of Wasco county! It worked out all right for about 4 years until the Union Pacific railroad built their lines into Kelton, Utah, around the north end of Great Salt Lake near Promontory Point. Then Boise merchants went to Kelton for supplies rather than to the Columbia river at Umatilla. That broke the Shoshone trade and it was tied up at Farewell Bend (Hunington). O.S.N. officials wanted the boat brought down to Lewiston, Idaho where it could be used in the lower snake river trade. Capt. Thomas Stump, one of the finest Captains the O.S.N. had said, "it couldn't be brought down through Hells Canyon!" But Captain J.C. Ainsworth, General Manager of the O.S.N. knew that Captain Sabastan Miller had piloted river boats between Oregon City and Eugene, on the Willamette, when no other Captain had ever did so; so he offered Captain Miller $2000 to bring the Shoshone down to Lewiston or wreck her in the attempt!" Captain Miller chose James Gallaher as engineer and Sam Owens as Mate, John Smith as fireman and W.S. Hodges as one of the 3 deck hands," said Capt. W.P. Gray (1925).

Hell Canyon

     Captain Cy Smith had (1870) taken the Shoshone down to Lime Point, 150 miles below Boise, where he turned it over to Capt. Sabastan Miller, and engineer Daniel E. Buchanan and a crew of 5, accord-ing to Capt. Smith. The 100 miles of Hell Canyon is 1000 feet deeper than the Grand Canyon of the Colorado river! and the waters were reported by miners to be just as turbulent and treacherous. No boat of any size had ever been down the Snake river through Hells Canyon! No man or beast had ever been able to even walk down through there on account of the perpendicular walls of the canyon! These 7 men therefore didn't know whether it was possible to get out of the canyon even if they wrecked the boat! Hells Canyon was just a hell of a good place to stay out of! - was about all the information that could get.

The First Wreck

     With no time to calk seams, they threw on 10 cord of wood at $8 a cord, started the deck pumps and shoved off into the high April waters of the Snake. The planking swelled and closed the gaps and by April 20 they ran her over Copper Ledge Falls, with engines backing for steerage control; but the eddies and whirlpools turned them around 3 times in 200 feet and plunged them over a 15 foot falls which left the front and down and the paddle wheel out of water and engine just racing. After losing 8 foot of the bow they finally went over the falls but wrecked the paddle wheel and rudders They spent the next day repairing the bow and paddle wheel and rudder. By 9 A.M. of the 3rd day they were ready to steam further down the unexplored Snake river.

Rapids Rough

     They passed through several rapids and whirlpools, which washed the deck and drove the fireman from the hold! They stopped at noon at a clump of trees to cut wood for fuel, losing 2 hours. More bad whirlpools washed their deck and made the fireman leave the hold! The walls of the river canyon were straight up and down! The river noise drowned out all other noises. The river was so rough that the pilot house buckled sufficiently to ring the engineer's gongs so that he had to be doubly careful about signals. They tied up that evening and made repairs to the paddle wheel.

Took Steamboat Through Hell

     On the morning of the 23rd they traveled, only about 3 hours when strong headwinds prevented keeping the boat in the proper channel. On the 24th they made 10 miles and tied up for more fuel. On the 26th they had 3 hours of "good water". Then a series of short bends made ticklish going! It was so swift that with engines backing they made 6 miles in 20 minutes. By 4 P.M. they reached the mouth of the Grande Ronde river and knew the worst was over! At 7 the next morning they shot the Wild Goose Rapids and made Lewiston by 9 A.M., and when the city came in sight Captain Millers hollered through the speaking tube to Buchanan and said, "I say Buck, if the O.S.N. wants a couple of men to take a steamboat through hell, they would probably send for you and me!"

     At that time the Hell Canyon section of the Snake river had not been given that name, so these two men actually did take the boat through hell. Its never been accomplished since. The boat was pretty well chewed up by rocks and the lower guards were gone but it was serviceable and ran several years between The Dalles and the Cascades as a cattle boat. Miller brought the boat down over Celilo Falls, and the Dalles Rapids to The Dalles for repairs. Later it ran into a snag near Salem, on the Willamette and sank a total loss.

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Shooting the Cascade Rapids

     Some of the boats which have shot the rapids at Cascade Locks before the canal of 1896 were the Bailey Gatzert with 125 passengers June 20, 1917 with Capt. A. Geer at the wheel; the D.S. Baker June 26, 1893; the Wasco June 15, 1869; the Gold Dust May 26, 1868; the Mountain Queen May 25, 1884; the Elvina July 6, 1882; the R.R. Thompson June 7, 1882. The canal was flooded when the Bailey shot the rapids in 1917. Shooting The Dalles Rapids was more thrilling than at the Cascades.

Down the Columbia River in 1862

     This item was published in the Times-Mountaineer by Capt. John Mullen, builder (1853) of the military and emigrant road from Walla Walla through Mullen Pass in the Rockies, now used by highway 10 and the Northern Pacific railroad, to Fort Benton on the Missouri river near Great Falls, Mont., a distance of 624 miles for a northern route east in place of the Old Oregon Trail.

     The mode of travel from Walla Walla to the Columbia river in 1862 is by daily stage, a journey of 6 hours at a cost of $5., where you take steamers for Celilo. At Wallula (on the Columbia) one is pleased with the commercial character which this point is fast assuming. Freight is strewn along the levee for half a mile and everything has a prosperous future. Wallula has many advantages as a commercial point. We took passage on the steamer Tenino and in 8 hours were landed at Celilo, a point 2 miles below Deschutes Landing (Deschutesville), where the Oregon Steam Navigation Co. have already formed the nucleus of a thriving village. The freshets of the past season has strewn the banks of the Columbia with cord wood in abundance. It commands $10 a cord. The John Day Wood Yard is the chief depot for fuel. (Located near the mouth of the John Day river).

     We saw 2 steamers building, one already launched, owned by Capt. F. Gray, at Celilo; the other of larger dimensions. The fare from Wallula to Celilo is $10. River steamer competition has reduced the fare from The Dalles to Portland to $1. A ride of 3 hours (by stagecoach) brings us to The Dalles, which point is showing visible signs of improvement and increasing trade with the mines of John Day and Powder rivers. It is distained to make a point of commercial import. The O.S.N. Co. has resumed work of grading and ballasting and it is the desire of the company to have the first cars running by the first of May 1883, on The Dalles to Celilo railroad. The road bed is prepared for some 5 or 6 miles out from The Dalles and iron track is laid for 2 miles.

     The portage at the Cascades (the Oregon side of Columbia) one takes but a brief half hour on cars without danger. An extra dollar is charged, though if you prefer you can walk in nearly the same time free of cost. A run of 7 hours from there brings us to Portland. I fear from the present appearance of Vancouver, that all chances of commercial rivalry with Portland have been banished. The large crowd that assembles on the Portland wharf, on the arrival of the steamer from The Dalles, is a barometer of the interest felt in the development of the upper country. The establishment of a branch mint at The Dalles or Portland, is daily becoming a subject of commercial necessity. The great bulk of gold must flow to The Dalles, -- the GOLDEN GATE OF THE UPPER COLUMBIA.

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Boats of the 1890 to 1917 Period

     The Dalles-Portland-Astoria Navigation Co. was established in 1890 as the best known of the Columbia river transportation companies, following the Oregon Steam Navigation Co. and operated up to the completion of the Columbia river highway in 1920. The owners were Dalles business men, with Hugh Glenn, President, M.T. Nolan, Vice-President, C.L. Phillips, Secretary and directors: H. Glenn, M.T. Nolan, Joe Peters, S.L. Brooks, E.M. Williams, J.P. McInerny and L.E. Crowe. Their general agent here at The Dalles was Walter C. Allaway who entered the transportation service with the Fort Scott and Gulf railroad at Baxter Springs, Kan. in 1876. He came to Oregon in 1884 as agent and dispatcher for the O.R.& N. Co. at Baker, Pendleton, The Dalles and Troutdale. In 1892 he became the agent and general manager for the D.P.A.N. Co. here and continued in that capacity until they sold out to the White Collar Line about 1914. Mrs. Belle (McNeal) Allaway was a sister of this writer's grand-father, Wm. E. McNeal, who cut and sold cordwood fuel to the boat companies, during that period of time.

     The D.P.A.N. Co. operated the Bailey Gatzert who had several captains, as Judge Wilson has ex-plained in his excellent article on page 126; the Dalles City whose only captain was Sidney Schammon; the Regulator on which captains Orrin Waud and C.M. Alden served and the Metlako. The Bailey Gatzert in one year took in $52,000 which was about as well as any of the old O.S.N. boats ever did in any one year! It left the Alder street dock in Portland every morning at 7, arrived in The Dalles at 3, returning to Portland that afternoon and evening for arrival there at 9:45, a long 12 hour day. The fare was a dollar each way, except on excursions when it was $1.50 a roundtrip. Passengers could come up by boat and return by rail for $3.55. Its stops were Vancouver, Cascades, Carson, Stevenson, White Salmon, Hood River and The Dalles, with flag stops at Lyle.

     The slower freight passenger schedule of the Dalles City and Regulator included Vancouver Ellsworth, Washougal, Fishers, Stotts, Corbett, Mt. Pleasant, Cape Horn, Butter, McGowans cannery, Warrendale, Hamilton, Bonneville, Moffatts, Cascades, Stevenson, Carson, Collins Landing, 13 Mile Point, Cooks Landing, Viento, Drano, Mitchell Point, Menominee, Galligan, Underwood, White Salmon, Hood River, Stanley, Bingen, Mosier, Brooks, Upper Mosier (Chatfield), Hewitts (Wn*), Husbands, Or., Rowena, Lyle, Crates, The Dalles. (*)Washington towns or landings).

     The Dalles Transportation Co. operated the Chas. R. Spencer, with Capt. E.W. Spencer in charge. The Spencer was just as speedy as the Bailey Gatzert for excursion trips but followed the slower all day schedule for freight revenue purposes. It operated from about 1896 to 1914.

     The White Star Line of this same period operated the Ione and other boats. The Mid-Columbia Transportation Co. from 1907 to 1911 operated the Geo. W. Simons and Tahoma during S.P.& S. Rail-road construction days on the north bank of the Columbia river.

The Scenic Columbia River

     The ads and folders put out by The Dalles-Portland-Astoria Navigation Co. for excursions trips up the Columbia river from Portland to The Dalles and return (1890-1917) used to say, "The Columbia river scenery between Portland and The Dalles is unsurpassed by any scenery in the world! It exceeds that of the Rhine in Germany, the Hudson in New York, St. Lawrence of Canada. The classic domes and stately castles, mighty battlements tower above the river, a story of centuries, lending inspi-ration to everyone. Down the Willamette from Portland, the world's lumber shipping center; wheat and flour mills, harbor and lighthouse at the confluence of the Columbia; then east, with Mt. Hood dominating the landscape; past islands, rock quarries, and the towns of Washougal and Camas to the Columbia river gorge; Rooster Rock, Cape Horn with its chiseled columns rising hundreds of feet (2500). Then past Multnomah Falls with their drop of 840 feet; past the canneries and fish wheels to be seen on either side of the river catching salmon; the Castle Rock Pillar of the Bridge of the Gods and thru the rapids to Cascade Locks, which raised the boat 24 feet. Leaving the locks there is Wind Mountain on the north and Shell Rock Mountain on the south. Hood River with its world famous apples and fine strawberries. Mem-a-loose Island, burial place of Victor Trevitt. Neither space nor word will convey, the beauty of the trip, that you must come and see!

A more detailed listing of the points of Interest

     Portland waterfront, University Park, St. Johns, Linnton, the Lighthouse, Vancouver, the brickyard, Ellsworth, Wn., Biddles, Government Island, Thompsons, Remingtons, Hoods, Stone Quarrie, Ladle's Island, Stotts, Camas, Wn., Washougal, Wn., Reeds Island, Tunnel, Rooster Rock, Wn., Mt. Pleasant, Wn., Latorelle Falls, Cape Horn, Wn., Lone Rock, Bridel Veil Falls., Mist Falls, Prundles, Gordon Falls, Multnomah Falls, Oneonta Gorge; Freeze, Butlers, Horse Tail Falls, Linstrums, McGowans Cannery, Castle Rock, Wn., Columbia Beach, Mosquito Island, Warrendale; Hamilton, Bonneville; Old Garrison, Wn., Old Portage, Wn., Garrison Rapids, Moffets Hot Springs, Bradford Island, Middle Landing, Squaw Island, Sheridan Point, Cascade Locks, the Blockhouse; Stevenson, Nelson Creek, Carson, Wn., St. Martin's Hot Springs, Wn., Wind Mt., Wn., 13 Mile Point, Cooks Landing, Wn., Viento, Drano, Wn., McClay's Mill, Owl Rock, Underwood, Wn., White Salmon, Wn., Hood River, Stanleys, Bingen, Wn., 18 Mile Island, Straights, Brooks, Wn., Mosier, Upper Mosier, Rowlands, Memaloose Island, Squaw Rock (outline of Sacajawea on Klickatat Hills at Lyle), McClure's Landing, Lyle) Wn., Rowena, Crates Point, The Dalles.

The Battleship Oregon

     This 1898 relic of the Spanish-American War was (1925) berthed in Portland after it was taken out of commission, following World War I. It was built in 1893 and decommissioned in 1919 and preserved as a historical shrine in Portland harbor. In 1942 it was scrapped for the metal and during WW2 was towed to Guam where the hull is at anchor on coral reefs. In 1898 it made the 15,000 mile 92 day run around Cape Horn to Manila where it participated in the battle of Santiago, defeating Admiral Cervera's flagship and turning the Spanish war in our favor. Other American ships may have won that war but the Oregon's 15,000 mile trip around the Horn demonstrated to the American people the need for the Panama Canal, which was started around 1900 and finished in 1915 in time for WW I. (The writer of this history was a member of the decommission crew of the Oregon in 1919, the Bulldog of the Navy).

The Dalles Ferry

     In 1854 Wasco County authorized Orlando Humason to operate ferries here and on the Snake river in Idaho. He probably never personally operated either of them, but sold the licenses.

     In 1859 The Dalles Ferry was owned and operated by James Herman and John Golden, founder of Goldendale, Wash. was credited with being his FIRST passenger. Before that Indians canoed any travelers across the river or they swam their horses. The soldiers during the Yakima Indian War of 1856 swam the river and rowed their supplies across in dugouts, rafts, canoes and boats. Some of those military rafts, with sails and oars, might be considered "the first ferry here". The charter granted Dalles City, by the Oregon legislature (1857) authorized the city to build a bridge across the Columbia and or to own and operate a ferry here.

     The Dalles directory of 1863 (Portland and Salem libraries) shows J.B. Dickerson operating the ferry, at The Dalles, as a sort of a scow with sails and oars. It probably didn't make more than one trip per day, in good weather.

     Capt. A.J. Price, former operator of The Dalles steam ferry Western Queen, now living at North Bonneville, Wn., says, "The Dalles Ferry Co. was organized in 1879 and they built the steam ferry Western Queen." It burned 4-foot cordwood.

     The Dalles directory of 1883 at The Dalles library shows The Dalles ferry owned by the Rockland Ferry Co. with T.M. Mouritzen, proprietor. The Dalles directories of 1898 and 1901, saved by John Gavin, shows The Dalles and Rockland ferry Western Queen owned by J.W. Curtiss.

     A.J. Price says that in 1905 the owners were A.H. Curtiss, Bill Brune, Joe Peters, L.W. Curtiss. In 1908 L.W. Curtiss bought the others out for $8000. Dalles City could have acquired the ferry at that time for that price, operated it, taken the profits and put them in a sinking fund for the bridge they were authorized to build, if Dalles City had had the proper leaders. In 1914 Curtiss sold to W.P. Reed. In 1917 Reed sold to Fred Smith and Fred sold to C.T. Smith.

     In 1948 Wasco County paid $300,000 for an $8000 ferry! (1908 value).

     In 1953 Wasco County will bond for $3,000,000 to build the bridge that Dalles City could have paid for in profits from the $8000 ferry of 1908 -- 45 years ago!

Other Important River Historical Events

     The "Gunboat" Spokane, a stern Wheeler of the O.S.N. Co., was hired by military authorities at a fee of $1500 a day, to patrol the upper Columbia river in 1872, between the Deschutes and Wallula, to keep the Bannock and Piute Indians, who were on the war-path in Central Oregon, from crossing the Columbia river and joining the Indians on that side under Chief Moses and his powerful Yakima tribe, who was still smarting from their defeat of 1856 and willing to take to the warpath again 3500 strong. Wherever the Spokane saw any Indian canoes, on the south bank of the Columbia, the soldiers opened fire with their small cannon, which made lots of noise, and rifles; landed once or twice to destroy canoes and prevented a union of tribes. Maj. John Cress of the 4th U.S. Artillery was in command of the troops and volunteers "aboard the gunboat Spokane" the only "gunboat" the army had in the west.

Pontoon Bridge Across Columbia

     At Rufus, during World War 2, government Army engineers, built several pontoon bridges across the Columbia river to give troops practice in bridging the Rhine river in Germany before the invasion

Celilo Canal

     The Celilo Canal dedication ceremonies were held at Big Eddy May 15, 1915 in celebration of the completion of that 8½ mile key connection which opened the Columbia river for navigation between Astoria and Lewiston, Idaho. Very few boats passed through the canal up to the Great Depression of the 1930's, but its existence kept freight rates DOWN saving the farmers and people of the Inland Empire millions of dollars in freight bills. When freight rates did increase in the late 1920's, boats once again made use of the canal, first the old stern wheel steamers which brought down sacked wheat. One was wrecked at Crates Point by wind and waves. These were followed by the barge service we are all so familiar with today. The opening of the Celilo canal was of equal importance with the opening of the Cascade Locks canal in 1896 which allowed boats to come on up to The Dalles. The Celilo canal cost about $5,000,000 and saved the people 10 times that in low freight rates. The last stern paddle-wheel steamer The Dalles passed through the canal in 1935. Its capacity was only 400 ton.

Bonneville Dam Locks

     On June 9, 1938, upon completion of the big SEA LOCKS in Bonneville Dam, the ocean-going freighter Charles L. Wheeler, sailed up the Columbia river from San Francisco, through the big marine locks in Bonneville Dam to The Dalles where it tied up to the Port of The Dalles docks and discharged a cargo of merchandise on the local wharves 200 miles inland from the ocean. It was greeted here by a big celebration and 10,000 people. That date marked the first voyage of an ocean vessel to The Dalles, except for fishing boats.

     The Wheeler was accompanied on that memorial trip by the U.S. Army Engineers' survey boat Lighthouse and the U.S. Coast Guard tender Rhododendron, two other ocean-going boats. The river steamers Cascades, Lake Bonneville, The Dalles, Melville and tug Inland Chief also made the trip. The big celebration was sponsored by W.S. "Tugboat" Nelson, Manager of The Dalles Chamber of Commerce, with the backing of that body and the support of local merchants. Regular service by ocean-going vessels had to await the completion of a 24 foot channel between Vancouver and Bonneville. Much of the present channel is only 9 feet. Each year the government is doing more dredging $630,000 being appropriated this last year.

The Dalles, An Inland Seaport

     October 9, 1942 marks the date when The Dalles became an Inland Seaport with regular service for ocean-going barges. On that date Captain A. Lepaluoto of the Inland Navigation Co. brought the FIRST ocean-going barge of 500,000 gallons of gasoline to the oil dock of the Port of The Dalles; and has since made regular repeat barge service to the 3,000,000 gallon "oil farm" at The Dalles where the loads are transferred (pumped) to tanks and later reloaded in smaller barges for the Pasco "oil farm" and other upper river points. Pasco stores 3,000,000 and Umatilla 6,000,000 gallons.

Barge Service

     The old stern-wheel steamers couldn't haul enough to make any money at low rates. The barges could haul much greater loads, so by 1950 100 barges had replaced the old steamers and they were propelled by 25 powerful tugs. Petroleum products make up the main cargo which passes through The Dalles to Umatilla, Attalla and Pasco, Wn. Some of the barges can bring wheat back down the river making the business for profitable for their owners and saving wheat farmers money in freight rates, from Pasco, Attalia, Umatilla and Arlington as well as other shipping points.

     In 1937 Kirk Thompson of Spokane, founder of the Tidewater Transportation Co., came to The Dalles with his tug Mary Gail and one barge, to make barge history, with that first load of gasoline. Capt. A. Leppaluoto of Grays Harbor had came here in 1933 to organize the upper Columbia River Towing Co. but he had to await the channel dredging which started in 1935 and was completed in 1937, when he started in with his tugs Ostrander and Mystic. The Columbia River Towing Co. consolidated with the Inland Navigation Co. of Seattle and Portland and built the Inland Chief, a self-propelled tug-tanker, 1000 ton capacity. First barges of 1940 rated from 300,000 to ½ million gallons, propelled by the Keith, a 2000 HP tug; then the Winquatt of 4000 HP. In 1940 he organized the River Terminals shipyard. They built the Inland Chief, L.H. Coolidge, Frances and Nez Perce, and 100 other tugs on the river. Traffic through the Celilo Canal "bottleneck" has risen from 139,535 tons in 1939 to 912,582 tons in 1949! Tug crews work two 6 hour shifts (12 hours) out of every 24 and its just as hard for them to see in a Columbia river fog as it is for you. The Upper Columbia rival channel varies from 100 to 150 feet in width. A barge is 40 feet wide and when a 50 mile an hour wind pushes against it that channel don't look wide enough for tug boat captains. The Dalles and John Day Dams will help navigation.

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