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June 30th, Rev. H. T. Cawley, a missionary stationed at Spokane Falls, wrote concerning the attitude of the Indians in that vicinity:
I hasten to give assurance of the pacific disposition of the Spokanes, also of the Snake River, Nez Perce and Palouse Indians camped here. In public council held last Monday at the 'Falls,' they unanimously declared their friendliness toward the whites, and we have found them thus far unusually careful to avoid giving offense. The Spokanes, have, of course, been somewhat alarmed both at the gathering of the whites at Colfax, and at the 'Falls," but now that all have returned to their homes everything has quited down.It is evident that no real danger ever existed and that the scare was utterly baseless in fact. The northern Indians never contemplated an outbreak and the hostile tribes returned east over the Lolo trail, utterly ignoring the Palouse country. Ludicrous though the white stampede may seem, a momentous crisis existed, for such were the conditions prevailing among both whites and Indians that an indiscreet act on the part either might have precipitated a barbarous and sanguinary war.
In 1878 O. B. Parks, one of the pioneer settlers of Lincoln county, came from California and settled one mile north of the present site of Davenport. The same year J. G. Kethroe located on a homestead in the neighborhood of Reardan, and Barney Fitzpatrick settled on a stock ranch and engaged in the business of raising cattle. Soon after the establishment of Fort Spokane he contracted with the
United States government to supply the troops with fresh beef.
Among the very earliest to make a home in Lincoln county were Mr. and Mrs. A. D. Strout. They secured a homestead four and one-half miles southeast of Davenport in 1879. Taking the limit of the number of acres a munificient government grants to every bona fide settler, Mr. Strout's original possession consisted of 160 acres. When he settled on his homestead his property consisted of three horses, a dilapidated wagon and only a few dollars. One of the horses was killed by an accident the first winter. His nearest neighbor lived fifteen miles distant. After erecting a small "shack"' Mr. Strout drove to Colfax for his winter's supplies and seed for the following season. Upon reaching home he had remaining in money just ten cents. Undaunted, himself and wife started in to build up a home in the new country. Their many makeshifts are amusing to talk of at the present day, but were, indeed, trying at the time. They drove a long distance to a neighbor's and made an arrangement by which Mr. Strout took a sow to feed and winter for half the pigs. Mrs. Strout secured a hen, half of the brood to be paid for the use of the bird. During the winter the couple managed to get hold of a Mexican dollar; in the spring it was pawned to a sheep herder for a mutton. Mr. Strout was unable to redeem the pledge. For flour they dried wheat in the oven and ground it in a coffee mill. The shifty expediences to get along were only similar to the experience of many of the early settlers. However, Mr. Strout never despaired. Serious accidents he encountered, once accidentally shooting himself from which he barely recovered. He was treated by physicians from Sprague and Fort Spokane; at another time he suffered from a fearful kick in the face. But adversity did not remain with him always. Gradually he accumulated land and personal property until he became independent.
The original settler to locate a homestead in the "Egypt" country was Joseph M. Nichols, who came there in 1879.
Mr. C. C. May, president of the Big Bend National Bank, Davenport, came to Lincoln county in the earliest days of its eventful history in 1879. At that period he was a member of a government surveying party. He was pleased with the country and decided to locate here. Securing a homestead within five miles of the present site of Davenport he erected a
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small house consisting of one room, measuring from the ground to the ceiling seven feet. A year or two later he added a second room and again a third. Concerning the condition of the country at that pioneer period Mr. May said: "Why, we could travel for weeks and not see a white man. The only white person I remember was 'Wild Goose Bill.' who was holding the fort at what is now the town of Wilbur."
Mr. May has left his impress upon the community in which he resides, and has labored assiduously to build up the country. In 1880 he was chosen one of the commissioners of Spokane county, which then comprised the present counties of Lincoln and Douglas. Although he has been pressed to accept many other offices this is the only one he ever held in this locality.
In 1879 A. G. Courtright settled on a farm a short distance east from where Mondovi now stands. In company with his son he conducted the stage station there for many years. It was an inn, or caravansary, for all travelers who passed back and forth from the Big Bend previous to the advent of railroads. Among other
early pioneers were Mr. and Mrs. L. A. Kennedy who came to the country in 1879, settling on a homestead a few miles southeast of Davenport. T. M. Cooper, who became prominent as a business man and active politician, came also in 1879, settling near the present site of Creston. The same year Byron Richards located on a homestead near old Mondovi. Among others who "spied out the country" the same year and found it good were James Hurlbert, who made his residence one and one-half miles west of Davenport; Horace Parker, locating in the Crab creek country near the present town of Lamona ; and Mr. and Mrs. John Oakley who pitched their tent in Egypt, coming here from California.
Major John Worts. now a resident of Davenport, is a pioneer of Lincoln county, having paid his first visit to the country in 1879. He traveled over the greater portion of the present Lincoln county, and his description of the country at that early period is intensely interesting. Only a few hardy pioneers had preceded him and for miles and miles he pushed on without encountering a white man. Major Worts states that the number of wild fowl then in the country was astonishing, and declares that he dare not make a true statement of the facts, desiring to retain his excellent reputation for veracity. April 21, 1879, Mr. Worts camped at the spring, now in the heart of the city of Davenport, lie did not at this time become a citizen of the town, or of Lincoln county, hut a few years later he came back, made a permanent location and operated a saw mill in the northern part of the county.
The year 1880 witnessed the establishment of a United States government military post within the boundaries of what a few years later became Lincoln county. The condition of the country at this period may be described as wild. There were a few settlers along Crab creek in the southern part of the county and active preparations for the building of the Northern Pacific Railway had induced a few people to come to what is now Sprague. The inhabitants of the eastern upper portion of Lincoln county could, probably, he counted on one's fingers. The site for Fort Spokane, or Post Spokane, as it was first called, was selected in September, 1880, by General (). O. Howard, department commander, and Lieutenant Colonel Merriam, of the Second U. S. Infantry. These officers selected the site on the beautiful bench just above the Spokane river, only a short distance from where that river flows into the Columbia. It was one of the prettiest among the frontier posts and was selected because it was in easy striking distance of the Colville Indian Agency, just across the river. To this newly selected post were brought five companies of the Second Infantry and one troop of the Second Cavalry under command of Lieutenant Colonel Merriam. These troops were brought from the foot of Lake Chelan, where they had been for some time exerting a wholesome
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influence upon the Chelan Indians. Shortly after the establishment of Fort Spokane Lieutenant Colonel Merriam was removed to Fort Colville in Stevens county, and Major Smith became commander-in-chief during his absence. No permanent improvements were made at the new fort until 1882. when Fort Colville was abandoned and Lieutenant Colonel Merriam again assumed command, remaining until the completion of the fort in 1885. With his return the erection of buildings was begun and the place became known as Fort Spokane. The fort was constructed on elaborate principles. The government expended thousands of dollars, installing handsome quarters for officers and privates, such store buildings as were necessary, a system of water works and all the accessories needful for a first-class military station. There were a dozen large frame buildings on the north side of the enclosure, utilized as officers' quarters. There were vast barracks peopled by the men in the ranks, brick guard houses, commissary buildings, stables, etc. A system of water works composed of a pumping station on the river and a large reservoir on the hill side south of the fort, carried water throughout the grounds.
In 1885 the buildings were completed and Lieutenant Colonel Merriam was relieved by Lieutenant Colonel Fletcher, and the Second Infantry was exchanged for three companies of the Fourth Infantry. The following year Major Kent, of the Fourth Infantry, assumed command at the fort. Other commanders in the order named have been: Lieutenant Colonel Mears, of the Fourth Infantry, who died at the fort in 1890; Lieutenant Colonel Cook, of the Fourth; Major Carpenter, of the Fourth; and Major McGoughlin, of the Sixteenth Infantry.
The spot is one of the most beautiful in the state. The grounds are a net-work of sewers and water mains. There was a double system of water works in use at the fort; one a reservoir of pure spring water on the hill, high above the garrison, and piped down to the quarters for the domestic use of both officers and men; the other source of supply was by means of a steam engine located at the Spokane river, forcing water through another set of pipes for the stables, fire and irrigating purposes.
Another prominent Lincoln county settler of 1880 was W. H. Vandine. In the autumn of that year he entered a homestead claim three miles north of what subsequently developed into the town of Davenport. Northern Lincoln county received its first settlers, outside of a few who have been mentioned heretofore, in 1880. Many came to Egypt that fall. The following year others came, nearly all settling in Egypt and quite a colony was there in 1881. William Yarwood was one of the first settlers in central Lincoln county, taking up a homestead near Harrington in 1880. Still, it is true that only a comparatively few hardy pioneers had settled in what later became Lincoln county prior to the building of the Northern Pacific railroad through the southeast corner of the county in 1880-1. With the construction of this line of road settlement began to push out rapidly over the lands in the southern part of the county tributary to the new railroad. The first settler in the Reardan neighborhood was J. F. Rice who went there in 1881. Isaac Mulhiem settled near Mondovi long before the formation of Lincoln county.
The winter of 1881 was one to try the "summer soldier, and the sunshine patriot." Snow fell to a great depth and for many days travel was interrupted. Most of the stock in the country perished. Mr. Barney Fitzpatrick, mentioned elsewhere, and one of the earliest settlers in the county, a number of years afterward told of an experience he had during that severe winter. He was caught in the storm at Deep Creek Falls, and realizing that the blockade would last for some time he struck out for home on horseback. At that time he lived a short distance west of the present townsite of Davenport. There were only a few scattered
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houses over the route traveled by him, but he managed to reach one every night. He was six days making- the trip. The snow was soft and so deep that lie had to break a path for his animal and when he succeeded in gaining his home he was completely exhausted.
In early days the United States government transported all of its army supplies in Washington Territory with four and six mule teams. So frequent were the trips from one post to another that the trails they followed became established roadways for all travelers in those days. The great, heavy army wagons would wear cuts through the prairie sod and the rains would wash these out each season, compelling the army trains to follow a new track along the old one; and these in turn would be washed out, thus continuing this plan annually until a well-defined and clearly marked trail would be developed. For many years after the use of these trails had been abandoned and even after the advent of the railroad through the Territory these government trails
would he referred to in describing the topography of the country. When the settlers came and took up homesteads in the country they would designate their homes as being at such a point along "the old government trail." One of the best known of these trails in eastern Washington traversed what later became Lincoln county. It was in use during the time when army supplies were transported from Walla Walla to Fort Spokane, and was used not only by military men, but also by immigrants and miners who were traveling in this direction. A favorite camping place for these caravans was at Cottonwood Springs, the best water supply along the entire route. A volume of water as large around as the huh of a wagon wheel, and as cold as ice. continually pours out from Cottonwood Springs, creating quite a little stream or creek along the hanks of which a small forest has grown. It was this cool water and the welcome shade that induced the army caravans and the immigrants to camp here. This greatly appreciated spring is in the heart of the city of Davenport, county seat of Lincoln county.
In 1882 and 1883 Lincoln county suffered from a most peculiar pest — the cricket scourge. Pioneers tell us that the cricket epoch was the most remarkable ever encountered in a new country. Myriads of large, black crickets, measuring from one to two inches long swarmed out of the earth and up through the snow, and devastated the fields for two seasons. They made their first appearance in 1882. Settlers combined their forces and dug ditches, surrounding their farms with pits five rods apart, and men, women and children worked day and night with brooms, sweeping the pests into pits and destroying them. The hulk of their crops destroyed, families subsisted on peas and fish throughout the season. If people could have obtained the means to escape, the country would have been depopulated. The scourge was worse during the year 1883 than the previous season. The appearance of the crickets the third year created a panic among the settlers. The people fully realized that the destruction of the crops then meant rum. But they met the enemy with the courage of true Washingtonians — a courage which then amounted almost to ferocity. Deeper were dug the ditches, their mileage was extended, and the broom brigades fought with the desperation of people forced to fight for their lives. Just as the insects were about to conquer for the third time and the settlers were almost ready to yield in despair, a heavy rain set in, succeeded by frost and the crickets tumbled into the pits to rise therefrom no more. Great was the rejoicing when it became known that the cricket pest was completely exterminated.
Prior to the organization of Lincoln county, in 1883, very little was known of country then called "Western Spokane County," except by those who had actually taken up a residence in the new district. There were no. railroads and no stage lines. Occasionally some
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party would make an extended trip on horseback to the western country, the journey required many days and numerous hardships. Returning he would give flowery descriptions of the fertility of this vast region, then containing but a few scattered settlers ; hardy pioneers who had held their place in the van of the advance of civilization. Such was the condition of affairs when the county was organized. At the time of the organization of Lincoln county it was quite sparsely settled. Farms and farm houses were few and far between. Few acres of the fertile soil had been mutilated by the plow. There were no luxuries; few comforts of life. The occasional road was only an indistinct ribbon across the broad expanse of unbroken plain, as erratic in its course as the steps of a drunken sailor. Everything was in the rude, primitive condition common to western pioneer life. Sprague was the only town, given some importance by being the end of a division on the Northern Pacific railroad. Harrington and Davenport were villages, the rudest, cheapest looking, most uninviting imaginable, and Reardan, Wilbur, Almira. Edwall, Odessa and other now flourishing towns were not dreamed of.
Not without strong opposition did the county of Lincoln come into existence. Perhaps no other county in Washington encountered more determined antagonism than this. Judge N. T. Caton, at present a practicing attorney at Davenport, was the author of the bill creating Lincoln county. At that period he was a resident of Walla Walla county and was serving in the Territorial Council. The settlers of the territory proposed to be cut off from Spokane county were unanimously in favor of the bill. The only opposition was from the Northern Pacific Railway Company, yet it was nearly powerful enough to defeat the bill. The reason for the railway's opposition was this: The Northern Pacific Company had determined that Cheney should be the coming town of eastern Washington. Spokane Falls was to remain a village. Cheney was the county seat and would, undoubtedly have remained so for many years with the old Spokane county intact. With the setting off of the western portion the railway company saw that Spokane Falls would be able to secure the county seat as it was more centrally located. With the building of the Northern Pacific road and the location of headquarters at the little town of Sprague, which came into life with the building of the road, Spokane, Cheney and Sprague, all of which were then in Spokane county, entered upon a rivalry that at times became more interesting than friendly. Cheney had been successful over Spokane in a county seat contest; Spokane formed an alliance with Sprague by the terms of which there was to be a new vote on the county seat question, and Lincoln county was to be organized with Sprague as the county seat. The combination worked, and a bill was passed by the legislature providing for a re-vote in the Spokane county seat contest. The success of the latter part of this agreement will be seen by a further perusal of this history.
The bill as originally introduced in the Council provided for the naming of the new county Sprague, in honor of John W. Sprague, at that time general superintendent and agent of the Northern Pacific Railway. It did not name Davenport as the temporary county seat, but left the location of the county seat with the voters. How the county came to be named Lincoln instead of Sprague is told by Judge Caton, the author of the bill, and its most ardent supporter; Colonel Houghton, who had been formerly in the employment of the Northern Pacific Company looking after the company's lands, was not on friendly terms with John W. Sprague. Colonel Houghton was a member of the Territorial Legislature of 1883, and opposed the bill for the creation of Sprague county. It appeared to Mr. Caton that much of this opposition might arise from the proposed name
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of the new county. He sought an interview with the ex-official of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company.
"Colonel," said Mr. Caton, "it appears to me that we are making a mistake in naming this new county after a living person. One can never be sure in such a case that the name will reflect credit upon the community. On the other hand if we name it after some one who has gone before and upon whose name there can be no stain, we run no risk of the name disgracing us. Now, as we are naming the other counties in the Big Bend country after noted Americans who have passed away, what do you say to changing the name of this one from Sprague to Lincoln ?"
"Just the proper thing," replied Colonel Houghton, and from that time he became a supporter of the bill.
The measure passed the Council without a dissenting vote, but in the house it was strongly opposed. I. N. Peyton in 1883 was associated with J. C. Davenport in the control of the townsite of Davenport, and through his influence the bill was amended so as to name Davenport as the temporary county seat. In this form, but not without opposition, it passed the house. It will thus be seen that the first county seat right in Lincoln county occurred prior to the creation of the county. Judge Caton and the supporters of the Lincoln county bill in the Council did not desire to have any town named as the temporary county seat, wishing to leave the matter entirely in the hands of the voters, but to fail to promptly concur in the house amendment would prove fatal to the passage of the measure at this session, as only a few days remained. The Council, therefore, promptly concurred, although much pressure was brought to defeat the bill. Mr. Caton was offered $1,000 to use his influence against concurring in the house bill.
Concerning the manner in which Davenport was named as the temporary county seat of Lincoln county in the bill creating the county, the Sprague Herald of July 2$, 1890, said:
The bill named Sprague as the temporary county seat and also contained a provision for the permanent location of a county seat by popular vote of the people. When the measure reached the house later on it was referred to the committee on counties in that branch. Colonel I. N. Peyton succeeded in having the name of Sprague struck from the bill and Davenport inserted. The people of Cheney were opposed to the bill because the division of Spokane county, of which Cheney was at that time the county seat, meant their death knell. It was thought this change would kill the bill, for the wildest imagination never supposed a county seat would be located at a place thirty miles from a railway and telegraphic communication, and approachable only by wagon roads which during the winter were impassable, and that, too, a place existing only in name. But the people of Sprague concluded to accept the bill as amended relying on the good sense of the voters of Lincoln county to restore her birthright, in which she was not disappointed.The substitution of Davenport for Sprague as the county seat in the Lincoln county bill came perilously near defeating the measure. November 20, N. T. Caton presented a petition to the council signed by 420 persons, objecting to Davenport being named as the capital of the county "as there are only two houses in that locality, and it is forty miles from any railroad line."
In a later number of the Herald appeared the following:
When the bill finally came from the committee on counties, through some occult influence Davenport was substituted for Sprague. It was supposed at that time that Cheney, actuated by spite, and some of the people of Spokane at least, who owned property in Davenport from motives of profit, had brought undue influence to bear upon a member if that
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committee to make the change. When the people of Sprague had been apprised thereof they were justly indignant. A mass-meeting was held which was attended by Senator Whitehouse and others from Spokane who endeavored to explain the change. Sprague had it in her power to kill the bill and allow the division of Spokane county to go by default, and that question was under consideration. But one of her citizens being called upon for an opinion spoke in substance as follows:The bill for the division of Spokane county and the creation of Lincoln county passed the house November 1, 1883, by a vote of 13 to 9, as follows : Ayes — Barlow, Blackwell, Brooks, Clark, Coply, Kincaid, Kuhn, Martin, Miles, Shaw, Shoudy, Young and Mr. Speaker. Nays — Besserer, Brining, Foster, Goodell, Hungate, Lloyd, Ping, Stitzel, Warner, Absent, Turpin. The bill was passed amid much excitement. There was a large audience in the galleries. Jacob Stitzel made a strong speech opposing the measure and was followed by Mr. Smallwood, who, upon invitation by the house, spoke in advocacy of the bill.
'It is true, fellow citizens, that we have been betrayed and deceived. We have asked for bread and have been given a stone. Whether Spokane and her delegation are responsible for this I know not, but this I know, that so long as we remain in the same county with Spokane Falls so long will we be dominated by Spokane capital and Spokane influence. It is better, therefore, for us to cut loose therefrom — accept the bill, then, even in its obnoxious form, and trust to the whirligig of time to set all things right.'
This reasoning prevailed and Spokane county was divided.
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