Cousin Sam: LILLQUIST, Chapter I

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INTRODUCTION

There are a number of reasons why I have attempted to write a history of Coulee City, Washington. Having lived in the Grand Coulee region for the past 32 years, I have developed a strong feeling for the rugged beauty of the Coulee walls. I am most appreciative of the healthful climate and the opportunities that exist for outdoor recreation. During the past 15 years of my employment in the Coulee City School System I have had an opportunity to know and work with many good people. Their support and friendship has been most gratifying to me and my family. Many of these people have lived their entire lives in the Coulee country of eastern Washington. While some are now past the three-quarter century mark in age, they still have a straight back, clear eyes, and a wonderful memory. I admire these people who could neither be discouraged by hardships nor deterred by disaster. They have remained through good times and bad, raised their families and worked to develop their homes and community. Through it all they have retained two important characteristics -- a sense of civic responsibility and a sense of humor.

Having developed a natural interest in geography, history, and anthropology I feel that there is a great need to write an account of Coulee City and its surrounding area.

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Eventually the people who have helped make the history of this community will no longer be part of the scene. Each winter a few old timers are lost and soon no one will be around to relate the experiences and keep the records straight. To my knowledge there is no complete history of Coulee City in existence. Much that has been written about the region is fragmentary and bears on the romantic interest of a wild west frontier town.

     I realize that no history is ever complete and I hope that my efforts may encourage someone to come forward in the future and write a more complete account before the story of the region becomes a dim light in the past and is entirely lost to posterity.

     In order to clarify two terms in the narrative the following deffinitions are used:

     Big Bend. -- All the region in the Big Bend of the Columbia, from the Snake River to the mouth of the Spokane River, lying west of the Palouse and Spokane country,a nd embracing the present counties of Franklin, Adams, Lincoln, Grant, and Douglas in the State of Washington. 1

     Inland Empire. -- A popular and local name used to describe the region of the northwestern United States between the Rocky Mountains and the Cascade Mountains, embracing large portions of eastern Washington, northeastern Oregon, northern Idaho, and western Montana. 2

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     1 William S. Lewis, Early Days in the Big Bend Country (Spokane: W. D. Allen, 1926), p. 3

     2 Johnson E. Fairchild, "The Inland Empire," Colliers Encyclopedia, XIII (New York: Crowell-Collier Educational Corporation, 1968), 21.

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In the following text I will give an account of the natural setting of the Grand Coulee and Coulee City. Information will be given concerning the Indians of the area, and the early history of the region as it passed through the various stages of development. The first white men in the area were associated with the fur trade; they were followed by people who were involved in making a survey or exploration of eastern Washington and who noticed and wrote briefly about the Grand Coulee and its wonders. People who passed through the region in the gold rush era noticed desirable characteristics that later encouraged them to return and settle the land. With the coming of the railroad to the Pacific Northwest, the Columbia region became the last frontier--a place to start a new life. Big Bend pioneers can be called the last representatives of the great pioneer movement which had crossed the American continent. The appeal of free or cheap land teeming with opportunity, and the chance to better themselves drew an increasing number of people into the region. I hope to shed some light on the economy, growth, and life of Coulee City from 1890 to 1925 in this chronologically arranged account.
While many of these pioneers themselves never came into full enjoyment of the prosperity in the Big Bend Country, many of their children and grandchildren have,. Hopefully, this history will make the younger generation more appreciative of the efforts of their forebearers.

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