HISTORY OF PACKWOOD

WPPSS
Kennewick Office

HISTORY COMMITTEE REPORT

Packwood Community Study Program

The History Committee respectfully submits its report to the Community Study Group. This report covers the upper part of the Big Bottom County on the head waters of the Cowlitz River which includes the Big Bottom Precinct and the remainder of Lewis County East to the summit of the Cascades. The history is centered around that part of the valley which was originally Sulphur Springs, later Lewis, and now Packwood. It is not to be construed as a complete history of the past, but rather as a general story of the area to acquaint people of today with what happened in yester years. From this acquaintance of the past, the Committee hopes, will grow a greater appreciation of what we have today and to face the future with the same confidence as was exemplified by our early pioneers.

Many problems faced the early pioneer in his struggle for survival and security. He, too, wanted a better home, a higher standard of living, better schools for his children and a better and more prosperous community in which to live. There were many others. It is significant that these same questions and problems are with us today. The question of how to achieve these goals is a paramount one to us living in the present as was to the early settler. By the study of early pioneer history, it is learned that only through discussion, such as the type that goes on at our Town Meetings, a cooperative spirit among people, and a united effort in action can people achieve a solution to these problems.

Writing the history of Packwood was a difficult task, not because there was a lack of material but because there was an overwhelming amount of it. The problem of organizing it, checking on the accuracy of facts and dates, chasing down stories and all the other things that go into a history was a real challenge to amateur or would-be historians. The information was collected through the efforts of the Committee and was obtained from diaries, personal interviews, secondary sources, newspapers and records. Much of the information has come directly from early pioneers who still live in the vicinity and from immediate families of early settlers. In all, the Committee feels that the information is accurate and true.

Sincere thanks go to the many people who provided the information and to the ones who gave us needed moral support while assimilating and writing up the material in story form.

While digging through the wealth of material for this report, the Committee finds that there is fertile grounds for further development of this history so that it might include in greater detail many of the episodes of early day life of the community and thereby make the history a more complete one. The Committee also finds that additional effort should be made to collect and preserve items of the past from living pioneers. Much of the past has been lost due to failure to preserve records of the living.

The History Committee recommends that, with the material at hand, a pagenat be considered, a re-living of the past, by the people of our community. A wonderful opportunity is here as a money raiser for the Community Hall and Recreation Center besides the cultural value in such an endeavor.

The committee also recommends that a place be found or built for the start of a local historical museum where items of historical value could be preserved and displayed to the public.

The committee recommends that a more complete History of the entire Big Bottom Country be undertaken.

HISTORY COMMITTEE

                                Mrs. Sherman Combs, Chairman
                                Vera Davis
                                Rudolph Cebull
                                Jean Hall
                                Bee Blankenship
                                Al Kirk
                                Emma Huntington
                                Sherman Combs

HISTORY OF THE UPPER BIG BOTTOM COUNTRY

In the eastern end of Lewis County there is a low valley, about twenty miles in length, reaching far into the Cascade Range of mountains through which the upper Cowlitz River flows. Mt. Rainier stands guard at the north and Mt. Adams at the South. This is known as the Big Bottom country, one of the last frontiers.

History tells us that it was discovered in 1854 by James Longmire and William Packwood, two pioneers who had previously travelled the Naches trail through the Naches Pass. They set out to find a pass that would give them a better route from the west to the east side of the mountains. The route they chose took the two men up the Nisqually River through Longmire, over Bear Prairie Pass, where they found Skate Creek and followed it to where it empties into the Cowlitz River.

Being the first white men seen in the Cowlitz Valley, their appearance caused considerable excitement in the Indian camp at the mouth of Skate Creek. Jim Yoke, a young boy at that time, was fishing Skate Creek and he told people years later, when he was able to speak English, how scared he was. He said, “Me lun-um, me lose pish”.

Not much is know of William Packwood’s trips after the discovery of the Big Bottom country, but he undoubtedly went on exploring and prospecting. He discovered Cowlitz Pass and built a trail to the east side of the Cascades. (See Cowlitz Pass Story) In 1869 he discovered coal in the Coal Creek and Lake Creek areas. Coal Creek and Lake Creek empty into the Cowlitz River. The coal deposit was found about two miles upstream from the mouth of these two streams. James Longmire settled on the Deschutes River near Yelm and later filed and “proved up” on Longmire Springs as a mineral claim. William Packwood lived on the Nisqually flats and at Tenino and Centralia, but he came back each year to the coal mine to do the required assessment work. Upon his death others took over the task and work was done on the mine as recently as 1906.

The valleys, namely Chehalis, Yakima, Nisqually and Lower Cowlitz, which surround the Big Bottom country had been “settled up” many years before Big Bottom. In fact, some of the Cowlitz Indians traveled to the “outside” where they learned of the white man and his civilization. When the white settlers came to this new country the friendly Cowlitz Indians lived along the river. These Indians never engaged in any wars against the white men, consequently there was never a treaty signed nor a reservation set aside for them. They became U. S. citizens instead of wards of the government.

The Cowlitz Indians had many seasonal camps. Some of their favorite summer camp sites were at Muddy Fork, Skate Creek and Hall Creek. Here they fished and hunted deer and dried the fish and meat for winter use. They went to the mountains for huckleberries which they also dried for their winter’s food. In the fall they moved down the river and spent the winter at Nesika and at the Cowlitz Falls on the lower Cowlitz, travelling up and down the river in “dugout” canoes, or overland, following the trails adjacent to the Cowlitz River. One winter the river froze over and the Indians traveled from Muddy Fork to the Falls on the ice. Part of one

trail, as well as cedar trees from which the bark was stripped to make Indian baskets, are preserved in La Wis Wis Park. The first Indian trail to the east of the mountains went up the divide between the Cispus and Cowlitz Rivers and over the Cispus pass. It is known as the “Old Klickitat Trail” and parts of it are still in use.

The best known Indians on the Upper Cowlitz were Jim Yoke and "Bat" Kiona. Jim was born near the mouth of Hall Creek, later taking up a homestead on Skate Creek where he lived all his life. He and his squaw, Annie, who was a Yakima Indian, were familiar figures in the community, always adding local color to the Fourth of July celebrations. Their son, Alex Yoke, worked in the valley and for the Indian Police many years. Jim Suterlick, son of Indian Henry, a Nisqually Indian and son-in-law of Jim Yoke, took up a homestead at Muddy Fork.

In 1878 the Northern Pacific Railroad made a survey down Skate Creek, up the north side of the river and on to Cowlitz Pass. This survey was made before any white settlers had come to this new country. In 1880 they explored the valley, starting at Napavine and coming up the south side of the Cowlitz River. That year they also surveyed up Clear Fork to White Pass, which was names after Charles A. White, engineer of the survey party, and from there to Carlton Pass. The N. P. map of 1880 shows a Packwood trail over the Cowlitz Pass and an Old Indian Trail down the north side of the river to Cowlitz Falls. (See N. P. Story)

This activity definitely influenced the decisions of the homesteaders to settle here. The men usually came first, filed on a claim, built a cabin and then went after their families.

Many hardships faced these early pioneers and perhaps the greatest hardship was transportation. The first settlers, packing everything on their backs, made their own trail through the unexplored wilderness. Later they were able to travel over the trail with pack and saddle horses. Then the trail was widened, wagon wheel notches were cut in logs which sprawled across the ever widening trail. Finally the trail became a road, extending from one homestead to another.

The road was barely passable and it was necessary to ford the river at Cora. A wagon and team took a week to make the trip to Chehalis for supplies. This trip was usually made when the river was low. When the water was too high to ford, the wagons were unloaded and dismantled and load and wagon were taken piece by piece across the river in "dugout" canoes. Sometimes many crossings were made by the "dugout" canoes before all the supplies were moved across the river. Then the hardy individuals swam the horses and reassembled the wagons, loaded, and were ready to go again!

Two of the early settlers were William and Joe VonOy. While returning home from Chehalis, coming through Bear Canyon, one of their team died. William, the smaller and more aggressive of the two, decided the only logical thing to do was to hitch Joe and remaining horse to the wagon. William walked behind and pushed on the wagon. Passing a settlers place Joe was

observed poking the horse Mike in the ribs and was overheard saying "Come on, Mike! do your part!" The following spring William again hitched Joe and the horse to do the plowing. A couple of neighbors came along and asked how they were getting along with their plowing. William replied, "Fine, we are almost done. The only trouble, Joe is too much for the horse." This is indicative of the rugged type of pioneers that "settled up" the Big Bottom country.

When in 1883, Levi Adrian Davis moved his family with his three sons Lewis, Harry and Syrenus, and "took up" homesteads at the mouth of Davis Creek, there were only two earlier settlers in these parts, Judge Pierson and Edward Kilborn, who had settled south of the river. Mr. Davis' homestead became the site of the Cora Post Office, established in 1890. This post office site was discontinued in 1908.

Other pioneers seeking land began settling from Cora to the upper end of the valley, then a wilderness. The land was in the public domain and not yet surveyed and was taken up by filing "squatter's rights" on the land desired. Most of the first settlers were bachelors and many of them abandoned their claims when it became evident that the railroad was not going to build through this part of the country. These abandoned claims were soon filed on again by newcomers. The families who settled in the community from 1883 to 1895 and who continued to live here the remainder of their lives were the Davis', William Owens, David Burton, John Blankenship (father of Bee), Tom Bivin, Charles Hall, John Snyder, Chris Karr and Al Gilleland. Some of the younger generation still live on the old places. Bachelors who stayed the rest of their days were Albert Below, Antone Drohlshagen, August Snyder and John Smith.

In 1890 a second post office was established in this vicinity at the John Blankenship place, which was called Sulphur Springs. The name was taken from a mineral spring across the river from the mouth of Johnson Creek. Later this Sulphur Springs office was moved to the Tom Bivins place, then to Charles Hall's and again to Walter Combs’ where it has remained.

For several years mail was carried by donation labor. Each and every man took his turn at the job. The mail was very light and was carried on a saddle horse. The same horse was used six days a week to make the round trip from Sulphur Springs to Randle and back. This route also included a side trip of three miles to Vance. When the Cora and Sulphur Springs post offices were first established, mail came once a week from Chehalis. Eventually there were two mails weekly. A few years later it was delivered daily, except Sunday; but, as it took two or three days to bring the mail from Chehalis, it was several days old when it arrived.

Each family along the route had a small mail sack made of oil cloth or canvas which was hung on a post near the road. The mail carrier picked these sacks up daily and took them to the post office where the respective mail was placed in them by the Postmaster. The lock sack, which contained the through mail, the carrier tied on behind his saddle. The individual sacks, which were to be delivered along the way, he hung on the saddle horn.

In 1910 the post office was moved to Lewis (Packwood). Shortly after this the parcel post law was passed and the volume of mail was greatly increased. By this time the road was improved and it was possible to use a "hack" or spring wagon for carrying the mail. This vehicle also served as the first passenger stage to Lewis. The daily mail round trip from Randle to Lewis still continued, but teams were changed at each end of the route. In 1916, during an extra heavy snowfall, the road was closed for several days and the mail carrier made the last five or six miles on skis, carrying the letter mail on his back.

After the year 1890, or there about, the desirable locations for farm homes had been "taken up" and the settlers were adjusted to their new surroundings and had settled down to normal living. Since this was a heavily timbered country, and as there was practically no machinery in those days for clearing land, it took several years to develop a piece of farm land large enough to insure a living for a family. Most of these earlier settlers worked at clearing their land in their spare time and found some other occupation which would provide for the necessities of life.

Some folks cut cedar timber into shingle bolts which they “drove” down the Cowlitz to the shingle mills in the vicinity of Kelso. Shingle bolt "drives" were a regular event. The cedar was cut into bolts and stacked along the river banks. They were put into the river at a designated time, which was usually when the water had been low and was rising. A "drive" would last from two to four weeks, the work being done by experienced crews hired by the buyers. Camps were moved along in boats which were usually operated by Indians. Some of the settlers trapped in the winter and worked on their land clearing during the summer months, while others went "outside" and found work until they had earned enough to keep themselves supplied for the balance of the year.

Their personal belongings were carried in a flour sack which became commonly known as a "Big Bottom Suitcase". Still others had enough money saved to carry them through until they could get sufficient land cleared on which to support themselves. It was not many years until the most of them had the parts of their land easiest to clear in cultivation and pasture land. They also acquired a fairly good start of cattle and hogs which they drove to market in Chehalis and Centralia over the country roads. These roads were gradually being improved each year and ferries and bridges were being built.

In 1894, there being no school available, Ed Owens moved into one room of his two-room cabin and insisted that the other room be used for school purposes. The first teacher was Delos Flint. A couple of years later the "Pioneer" school house was built on some vacant land adjoining the Owens homestead. Some of the children went "outside" to school as there was only a three to five months term in the spring and summer at the Pioneer or Cora School.

In the year 1896 the Big Bottom voting precinct was organized, taking in all the upper Cowlitz Valley east of and including the Davis place.

The first election in this precinct was held in the Charles L. Hall residence. There were seventeen voters, including Indian Jim. Charles L. Hall, Sr., L. A. Davis and John Snyder officiated at the election and Mrs. Charles Hall furnished dinner for all who came. Following is a list of voters at this first election:

C. L. Hall David Burton

L. A. Davis William VonOy

Lewis Davis Joe VonOy

Lute Davis Henry Hager

Tim McAndrews August Snyder

Jim McAndrews John Snyder

Albert Below John Blankenship

Antone Drohlshagen Syrenus Davis

Jim Yoke - "Indian Jim"

On June 4, 1891 Congress passed a law giving the President of the United States authority to establish Forest Reserves by proclamation. By that authority, President Cleveland established the Rainier National Forest in 1897 which embraced the lands in the upper Cowlitz Valley. The creation of the Forest Reserves automatically withdrew all the open land within the Reserves from being subject to homestead entry. This status of the lands inside the Forest remained until Congress passed the act of June 11, 1906 which provided that land could be inspected by the Forest Service in case it was applied for by someone wishing to file a homestead claim on it. If it was found to be more valuable for farm land than for timber land, permission would be granted the applicant to make homestead entry. Consequently there was no land available for homesteading between 1897 and 1906.

By this time Public Domain land was becoming more and more scarce all over the west. This newer area was becoming more livable, roads and general conditions were getting better. Several homestead claims applications were made under the act and quite a large number of new families moved into the area. Eight years after the passage of the June 11th Act, as it was called, another law was passed by Congress eliminating the upper Cowlitz Valley farm land from the National Forest and returning it to the Department of the Interior, thus placing it in the public Domain and thereby opening all the public land in the valley to homestead entry. This action paved the way for the only real land rush this area has ever seen. There is still a small amount of privately owned land within the National Forest Boundary. There is also a small amount of the Public Domain land in the upper valley which was never homesteaded. Recently there was a law passed withdrawing this land from homestead entry.

Some of the pioneers had lived here for fifteen years without a way to cross the river at Cora except in a "dugout canoe" or by fording, so it was a very important event when the County built the ferry boat at Cora in 1905. Nearly all the people in the community were present to see the first crossing. Baptiste "Bat" Kiona was the first ferryman and the County paid $30.00 per month for the job. This ferry was used until it went down the river during a high water. It was replaced by another one which was used until the first bridge was built in 1916. This occasion was celebrated by an open air dance on the bridge.

In 1908 more homesteaders had moved in and the area which is now Packwood was badly in need of a school. At this time the community was included in the Mineral School District. Their headquarters were about fifty miles away by road and naturally they knew nothing of our needs. A one-room school was built on the present location, all labor and material being donated by local residents. The building, about 16 x 20' was constructed of unpeeled logs and the cracks chinked with moss. The floor and all furnishings were made of hand split boards. A long table and bench on one side of the building served as desks for the boys while homemade desks on the opposite side of the room were used by the girls. J. E. Nebergall was the first teacher and there were eleven pupils.

It was in this school that the first social club was established. The first organization was the Lewis Debating Club, later called the "Ohanapecosh Literary Society". Social activities, debates, programs, socials, etc., were held regularly in this building until the community hall was built.

During the years 1906--1909 the North Coast Railroad was looking for a practical route over which to build a railroad through the Cascades via either the White or Tieton Passes. They had two survey parties in the field composed of about twenty men each. This gave quite a number of the settlers work during that time and kept most all the pack and saddle horses busy as well. After exploring all possible routes through these passes, it was concluded none were practical so the project was abandoned.

In 1907 the Portland Railway Light and Power Co., which is now the Portland Electric Power Co., started making preliminary surveys for construction of a hydro-electric power plant, which was known locally as the Packwood Lake Power Plant. A survey crew worked during the 1907 and 1908 seasons. This cost the company around $75,000.00 for the two years. Stream gauging, which had been started in 1906, was the only work done during the 1909 season. In 1910 the Valley Development Co., a subsidiary of the Power Company, did a considerable amount of preliminary work toward the building of the power plant. It used 125 men or more and spent about $225,000. A high percentage of this money went to labor, local freighters and for farm produce. The tramway, which was built up the mountain east of Packwood, could be seen for many years. Eventually it became grown over with brush and trees. (See V. D. Story)

During the peak of all these activities the spirits and optimism of the residents of the valley reached their highest point. Hugo Kuhnhausen put in a small store at his home on what is now the J. I. Blankenship place and he and August Snyder hired a surveyor and had the town platted, naming it Lewis after the President of the V. D. Co. Later he moved his store onto the townside and other businesses began to spring up.

About this time Charles Blankenship, Mr. Persall and Mr. Hall built a good sized mill on the Kuhnhausen place. Soon there was plenty of good lumber available at a cheap price and it was not long before Walter Combs started construction of a hotel and several public spirited people built a community hall. The hall was about 40 x 60' and had an

excellent dance floor, a cloakroom, two dressing rooms and a large stage. Mrs. Cunningham, the Ranger's wife, donated a stage curtain imprinted with the name "Ohanapecosh Literary Society" on which she painted a picture of Packwood Lake with the Goat Rocks in the background.

The old building, now known as the old Higgins place and still standing on Main Street, was built for a saloon and gambling hall. For several reasons, one being the objections of the community, the place was never in operation and later was made into a residence.

Freight and stage lines and other businesses were started. Al Huntington and Charles L. Hall, Sr., started a slaughter business which furnished fresh meat to the construction camps as well as the entire community. Farmers had a ready market for all the hay and farm produce they could raise. Homes began to spring up and soon a good little town had started.

Lewis County built a ferry boat about a mile above town in 1910 but there was no regular operator. A canoe was also used and it was everyone's duty to see that when they left the ferry the canoe was on one side of the river and the ferry boat on the other so the next person who came along would be able to cross.

During a slight rise in the river the Forest Supervisor, G. F. Allen, attempted to ford the river on horseback. The horse either stumbled or reared and threw him so he had to swim out. He decided there should be a better way of crossing the river so he had an eight foot suspension bridge constructed in 1913--1914. The bridge washed out in 1920 and from that time until the present bridge was built in 1934 people had to ford, use the canoe or cross in a basket which was suspended from a cable about thirty or forty feet above the water. This basket was powered by hand and many hands and fingers were badly pinched between cable and pulleys and a few fingers were lost.

There were no established churches in the community but services were often held in the school house. Rev. DeLano, who rode a big black horse and was called the “Saddle Bag Missionary”, made regular trips. Occasionally Mormon Missionaries found their way into the valley.

The farmers in the community organized a telephone company and built what was known as the "Farmer's Line". Practically every family along the the road had a phone and it was possible to get through to Morton and on to the "outside" by phone.

In 1914 there was an epidemic of typhoid fever and the community was saddened by the death of Mrs. Lulu Higgins who had moved here with her family in 1912. She was the first person buried in the present cemetery. In fact, there was no cemetery until that time. Arne Arneson donated part of his homestead for that purpose but when he failed to prove up the land reverted back to the U. S. Forest Service. Consequently the cemetery is now located on Government Island.

School District #2l4 was formed by consolidating the Mineral, Morton, Randle and Lewis School Districts. This was then the largest consolidated school district in the United States. Soon new one room school houses were built at Lewis and Cora and one across the river about midway between Skate and William Creeks. Professor F. S. Thompson was Superintendent of District #214 for eighteen years. He homesteaded and proved up on 160 acres near where the highway crosses Lake Creek.

The land opening of 1914 was quite an occasion in the community. For several months before the date set for the "run" there were home seekers and land locators continually coming and going. The "opening" was at 8:00 A. M. May 1st, 1914 and all participants had to start from private property with at least two witnesses and make a run for the place of land desired. The first one to reach the property and stake it was the "Lucky" one. There were may disappointed persons who were unable to get a tract of land, however, there were very few arguments or disputes.

This "land rush" brought a lot of new people into the community and from then on life was anything but dull. Mrs. Martin and Mr. Higgins organized a Sunday School and services were held every Sunday, sometimes having Church afterward. Mrs. Bivins organized a "Sunshine Club" among the women of the community and this club was very active for a number of years. Other community activities included programs, box and pie socials and dances which were held in the new hall. Although transportation was very slow in those days, news seemed to have had a way of getting around all one had to do was mention a dance and there was sure to be a large crowd. They would dance all night to a "fiddle" or two and a piano (which had to be carried from the school house). A midnight lunch was always furnished by the women. All children were brought along, the babies being put to sleep on the stage with room left for the larger ones as they tired out and gave up. People came on horseback and with teams and wagons and stayed until broad daylight.

Miss Frances Mann homesteaded near Coal Creek and taught school at Lewis for three years. The first year she walked four miles to an from school each day for most of the term. When the snow was two feet deep she stayed in town for a week or so. The following year she was a little more prosperous and purchased a saddle horse which she rode to school. She took great pride in her "children" and had parties for them in her log cabin on the homestead, giving them domestic training along with their schooling. She and other people bought several tons of spuds and shipped them out by parcel post one winter when they were worth $120.00 per ton in Tacoma.

During this period the Forest Service headquarters were at the old Ranger Station across the river. The service was gradually growing and expanding, using more men for trail and telephone work and as fire guards who patrolled the trails and higher areas from guard stations where they camped in the summer months.

There was a large demand for pack and saddle horses which were used for Forest Service work, for packing people into the Hot Springs, for packing in fishermen to Packwood Lake and guiding hunters and tourists on vacation trips. Several different pack and saddle outfits were operating.

Numerous sheep companies, whose headquarters were on the east side of the mountains, grazed their bands of sheep on the summit of the Cascades in summer months. It took one herder and one packer or camp tender to each band. The packers made regular trips to Lewis with their pack strings for supplies and it was not unusual to see three or four of these "outfits" along with several local "pack strings" packing up at the same time. There were long "hitching rails" along each side of the road to which the pack horses were tied. Many others were tied to trees while some were tied to the Flag pole and others were packed in the horse corrals. Usually the saddle horses stood "ground tied".

Before 1918 practically all travel was by wagon or horseback. There were a few "hacks" and buggies in the vicinity. There were three Fords in the community and the trip could be made from Lewis to Randle in about four hours in a Ford -- that was really traveling!

After World War I was declared all the young men were required to register. On registration day the people had a big celebration and raised a flag pole. A donation was taken up to purchase a flag.

During the years 1917 and 1918 World War I drew quite heavily on the young men of the valley. Also about this time the "1914 Homesteaders" had proved up on their land and either sold it to timber companies or had moved elsewhere to find employment. Most of the income at this time came from Forest Service employment and from hunters, fishermen and tourist trade. This was about the quietest period the community had experienced. The only businesses in town were one store, one garage, hotel, post office and pack string. In the winter there were only four families here. There were about sixteen school children, most of them being transported by school bus "covered wagon" from down the road.

The road was steadily improved and eventually quite a number of cars drove to Lewis. Frequently someone, expecting to find a town, would drive up to the hotel and inquire, "How far is it to Lewis?" This was the end of the road and everyone stopped at the hotel as it was the only place where one could get anything to eat or a place to sleep. It also housed the post office and the Forest Service telephone switch.

The Ranger Station was moved into an old store building at Lewis in 1923 where it remained until the new station was built at the present location in 1931. There was a Forest Service road built to Clear Fork and the trail from there to the Hot Springs was made passable for cars in 1924. (See Ohanapecosh story)

The Bureau of Public Roads started construction on the highway at Randle in 1922. At this time it was called Carlton Pass Highway. (See White Pass Story) A banner across the street in Morton read - "Boost for Carlton Pass".

Engineers, contractors and working men, bringing their families, moved into the valley to work on construction jobs. The majority of them lived here in summer but left during the winter months and the population would vary as much as 50 to 75%.

The White Pass Highway was completed to Packwood in 1929, most of the construction work up to this point being done by hand and with teams of horses. As the work progressed above town machinery became more popular, consequently more and large equipment was used as the road advanced.

In the late 20’s and early 30’s the Game Department was under the supervision of the County. Otto J. Beusch, Lewis County Game Warden, for several years realized the value of planting fish in the high lakes and streams. Each summer he hired a pack string from Anderson and Combs, Sherman Combs doing the packing. For about six weeks they packed both eyed fish eggs from Packwood Lake and "fry" that were trucked to Packwood from hatcheries, into the high country for planting in some of the lakes and streams. Some of the first plantings were Walupt, Chambers and Glacier Lakes and Goat, Upper and Middle Forks of Johnson and Glacier Creeks in the Johnson Creek and Cispus water sheds; Dumbbell, Hager, Backbone, Snow, Jug, Bluff and many more lakes as well as Summit, Carlton, Cortright, Big and Little Lava Creeks in the Cowlitz water shed. Because of these early plantings there was excellent fishing in these lakes and streams for a number of years. This area should have more of this type of fish planting.

It was on one of these fish planting trips that a horse fell with Mr. Beusch near the Cowlitz Pass. He was seriously injured and had to be carried out to the "Tumac Springs" on a stretcher. The job was done with a mule and the voluntary help of about 25 men. Even so, it was no easy task as he weighed 250 pounds. By securing one stretcher handle on each side of the mule it was possible for it to carry the front part of the load all the way. The mule seemed to realize its responsibility as it handled the load as carefully as did the men on the other end of the stretcher.

The construction of the Clear Fork Salmon Hatchery by the State Food Fish Department was started in 1926. The purpose of the hatchery was to take the eggs from the salmon and eye them for shipping to other places to be planted and to hatch the eggs at the hatchery and plant them back in the streams. Some years there were several million eggs spawned and hatched in this hatchery. By processing the eggs at the hatchery about a 90% hatch of the eggs would be obtained, compared to about a 6% hatch if the salmon were allowed to spawn naturally. This hatchery was operated for several years by a superintendent and his assistant. The first superintendent was M. B. Deadman and his assistant was Herbert Sethe. Both families lived at the hatchery for several years. Mr. Deadman had to take their daughter seven miles to the nearest school at Packwood - then Lewis.

The Community Club was organized in 1930 for the purpose of improving and bettering the conditions of this community. It was instrumental in securing the bridge across the Cowlitz River and Butter Creek, also many road improvements. It worked very diligently for a new school house as well as many other public improvements. The present Improvement Club is the outgrowth of this Community Club.

By this time the name Lewis had lost its significance, besides there was considerable confusion in the mails due to similar names (Fort Lewis and Lewis County) so the name was changed to Packwood in 1930.

A Yakima Company took an option on and started developing the “Davis” coal mines. They built a camp at the mines to accommodate about twenty-five men. They worked parts of two summers installing machinery and completing the plant. The coal had been tested and proven to be exceptionally good, in fact, one of the very few deposits of anthracite coal in the west. After the completion of the plant they discovered that they had installed the wrong machinery and for lack of funds to make necessary corrections the project was abandoned.

There was a C. C. C. Camp built in Packwood in 1933, which was under the supervision of the Forest Service for several years, then was turned over to the E. R. A. for a short period, later being taken over by the National Park Service and again used as a C. C. C. Camp.

The Soda Springs (Tumac Springs) and Johnson Creek Roads were built by the Forest Service about 1934. Construction of the east side highway was started in 1932 at the present “Y” by the State of Washington and completed by the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads to connect with the Chinook Pass Highway at Cayuse Pass in 1940. The Stephens Canyon Road, to connect the east side highway with Paradise Valley, was started in 1933 but the work was discontinued during the war and the road has never been completed.

The suspension bridge across the river was built cooperatively by Lewis County, U. S. Forest Service and C. C. C. labor in 1934. At the completion of the bridge there was a dedication celebration. Mrs. Mary Hall, the oldest living pioneer, cut the ribbon. During the celebration a pageant was given and programmed for this event was an Indian crossing the river in a canoe, a pack string fording and swimming the river and some people crossing in a basket on a cable crossing which is located just above the bridge.

Henry and Wes Kerr, electricians for the C. C. C. Camp, could visualize the possibilities for this part of the country so they moved their sawmill here and installed an electric power plant on Hager Creek. This furnished power to run the mill and lights for Packwood and vicinity. About this same time, Sherman Combs put in a public water system, the water being taken from Snyder Creek a short distance below Snyder Lake. Packwood had become a thriving little village.

The Packwood school became so crowded that the community hall was used temporarily and some of the older pupils were sent to Randle. Henry Kerr was elected school director - Packwood's first director - and the present school was built in 1937 and 38. Another room was added ten years later.

When World War II was declared in 1941 the Government cancelled all existing road contracts and construction crews moved away. This looked like a repetition of the slack period of World War I but it was actually the reverse. The army needed an enormous amount of lumber. It was necessary for the lumber used for certain purposes to have the proper tensile strength. Testing proved the slow-growing timber of this region was the best that could be obtained.

Prior to this time there had been very few Forest Service timber sales, these were small special use sales of posts, poles, etc. When the lumber was needed for the army the Forest Service policy was changed and they began making timber sales. At first only a small amount of timber was sold for local mills but as the demand became greater more timber was sold. These large amounts had to come from higher in the mountains where no roads existed so the only feasible way to get the timber cut was to make sales large enough to justify the purchaser making roads, the road expense being deducted from the sale price.

A number of these large sales have been made, the footage of each sale running into millions of feet of timber. Smith Creek was the first and following in order Davis Creek, Johnson Creek, Skate and Willame Creeks and Summit Creek sales. Miles of roads were built with each sale, some of them dead ending at the sale, while Johnson Creek Road connects with the Cispus Road and the Skate Creek road forms a connecting link between White Pass and the Mountain Highway.

These sales were purchased by large lumber concerns on the Sound and practically all of the logs were taken out to be manufactured. Small timber sales were made regularly by the Forest Service, usually purchased by Packwood Lumber or by "Gypo" loggers. It has been from these sales and private timber that the local mills have been operating. Private timber will be depleted in a few years and then the local mills will be dependent entirely on Forest Service timber.

In 1942 the Federal Housing Authority rebuilt and converted the old C. C. C. Camp into fifteen apartments. This eased the housing considerably but it has always been a serious problem. More and better houses are continually being built.

In 1944 Packwood Lumber Company changed hands - (see Packwood Lbr. Co. story). The following year the new owners built a new modern mill and tore the old one down. The mill runs two shifts daily and employs in the neighborhood of 100 men in the mill, office and trucking operations. An additional 50 men or more are employed in the logging woods. It is the largest source of employment we have. With the financial assistance of this company the Morton Telephone Company extended the telephone line to Packwood, greatly increasing the phone service.

The P. U. D. extended their power lines to Packwood in 1949 and were able to furnish lights and power to all except Packwood Lumber, who manufactured their own until recently when the P. U. D. increased their capacity and now has plenty of power for all.

Following the close of the war in 1945 road construction was revived. After two years the White Pass Highway was completed in 1951. The White Pass Highway Association supervised the dedication which was held at the summit of the Pass.

Due to the large amount of lumbering, construction work on the highways and location of various goverment agencies in this locality Packwood has enjoyed a steady growth and improvement. We now have a good school with five class rooms, basement with kitchen and dining room and a gym; two churches; post office; U. S. Forest Ranger Station; State Liquor Store and State Fish Hatchery. We have electric lights and power, water system, phone service and an airport adjoinging town. There are two up-to-date grocery stores in town and one on the outskirts, one hotel in town and one lodge in outskirts; three good restaurants, one barber shop, several garages and service stations, a number of cabin camps, an apartment court, a riding stable, Rodeo grounds, several small mills and one shingle mill besides the "Biggest Little Mill in the West". There is also a ten acre plot which is platted for home sites and is being built up by local residents. Two modern trailer courts are being built.

Packwood has always been famous for its out of door recreation: scenic horseback trips, rodeos, hunting and fishing, trapping and winter sports. Pack and saddle horses have always been very much in evidence. (At one time there were close to 200 head of pack and saddle horses being operated out of Packwood.) For several years there has been an annual rodeo which compared with some of the much larger shows. Hunting and fishing have been good; game consisting of deer, bear, elk, cougar and wild cats. Mountain goats, which are protected, are becoming quite numerous. There are also some ducks and pheasants. The lakes and streams have a variety of Rainbow, Eastern Brook, Montana Black Spot and Cutthroats. Trappers are reasonably sure of catches of martin, mink, muskrats and coyotes and occasionally an otter, fisher or wolverine. There are plenty of beaver which are protected.

The progress of the community has been due largely to its business and social activities. There have been a number of different clubs organized: Garden Club, P. T. A, Debating Club. Rod and Gun Club, Riding Club Toastmasters, Packwood Improvement Club and Packwood Self-Study Group. It has been through the cooperation and hard work in these clubs that the community derived some of its most important achievements. Some of these were the school house and additional school grounds, the bridge across Butter Creek and improvements on the County Road on the north side of the River, the suspension bridge across the Cowlitz River, Garbage dump, Community Club grounds and a start on the new community hall.

For the information furnished in this report we are deeply indebted to the following:

FAMILY HISTORIES

Story	Contributor	Address

Davis History	Vera Davis	Randle
Hall Family	Alice Hall	Randle
Sethe Story	Emma Huntington	Packwood
Hager Family	Bessie Severson	Chehalis
Snyder Brothers	Herbert Cooper	Morton
Burton Family	Sylvia Easter - Wm. Burton	Seattle & Randle
Owens Brothers	Myrtle Tuttle	Tacoma
John Blankenship	Arleta Sanders	Packwood
J. T. Bivin	Mrs. Wm. Bivin	Chehalis
Clark Allen Huntington	Hazel Gallen	Santa Rosa, Cal.
Combs Family	Sherman Combs	Packwood
Some of My Life at Sulphur Springs	Mary Huntington	Centralia
D. H. Blankenship	J. I. Blankenship	Packwood
Anderson Family	Hubert Anderson	Randle
Hackney Family	Emma Kauer	Randle
Higgins Family	Elizabeth Hall	Brownstown
Mullins Family	Myrtle Cork	Randle
Martin Family	Emma Huntington	Packwood

SOURCES OF HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Paul D. Bentley, P. O. Inspector		Seattle
Chapin D. Foster, Sec. State Historical Society		Tacoma
L. L. Perrin, Manager N. P. Railroad		St. Paul, Minn.
J. H. Agner, Freight Agent, C. M. & St. P. Railroad		Tacoma
Guy R. Ramsey, Post Office Historian		Portland, Ore.
Lewis County Auditor and office staff		Chehalis
Lewis County Engineers		Chehalis

SPECIAL ARTICLES

Forest Service History	William Sethe	Packwood
C. C. C. Camp	William Heckman	Packwood
Garden Club	Cathy Taro	Packwood
Assembly of God Church	Mrs. V. Hanson & Louise Lyda	Packwood
Kerr Brothers	Wesley P. Kerr	Randle
Pack and Saddle Horse Business	Irene Anderson	Packwood
Packwood Lumber Co.	Helen Arnault - Uno Ostrom	Packwood
White Pass Highway	J. A. Combs	Packwood
La Wis Wis Legend	Garden Club	Packwood
Hiaqua Hunter	"The Mountain That Was God"

Ground was cleared by horse and man power. Davis also owned a team of oxen which proved to be of great value to clear the ground in preparation for the planting of crops. Timothy was the first grass seeded as it grew easily without much ground cultivation. Grain was also raised, and before threshing machines it was tramped out by man or horses on a smooth surface and then gathered up and sacked or placed in bins. The first years, everyone used hand tools - grub hoe, scythe, cradle and rake. Sleds were used to haul things on until wagons were brought in on horseback and put together on the place. The first binder and mowing machine was packed in on horseback and assembled on the place.

Mr. Davis planted a large orchard of Ben Davis apple trees but they were a disappointment when they bore fruit. The fruit did not taste like the Ben Davis apples in his old childhood home in Indiana. Pears, prunes, cherries and nut trees were set out in his orchard, also. Friendly Indians gave the early settlers grain to plant, as well as Jenny Lind potatoes, which had very deep eyes, to raise on their new ground.

Mrs. Davis had a herb garden for medicinal use and a flower gar-den for her pleasure. Tansy along the side of the present highway in the vicinity of the old Davis place are from her original herb garden. Mrs. Davis used to say her flowers were her neighbors in those first lonely years in this county. She was the lone white woman this far east in the county. She insisted on a tight fence around her garden to keep the dogs and hunting hounds from destroying her plants.

The Davis boys owned several hunting hounds, the favorite being called Dash. Dash had the reputation of being able to track anything. At one time he picked up a queer looking track in the snow and followed it. The track proved to be made by one of the neighbors who had wrapped gunny sacks around his feet to keep them warm.

The distance to Chehalis was supposed to be 75 miles, but in those days the distance was measured by days of travel over the rough winding Indian trails. The pack horses had to climb over logs and jump fallen trees if they couldn't go around them. Indian dugout canoes were used to take supplies across the Cowlitz River. The Big Bottom could be reached by way of Mossyrock with a place to ford the river at Fulton. Another way to come was by way of Cinebar and Bremer. "Going out" or going "outside" meant a trip to Chehalis by horseback or later by wagon. On one of their trips to Chehalis for supplies the Davis menfolks were asked what they had up there to boast about. They replied, "We have everything - a real menagerie - a couple of wolves, a bear, a tame deer and a white woman".

Mr. Davis was very anxious for a postoffice to serve this neighborhood as more settlers arrived to make their homes. His application for a postoffice was granted on the 14th of June in 1890 and he was named postmaster. He named the office Cora in honor of his favorite niece, Cora M. Ferguson Patterson. He was postmaster until the time of his death in 1901. Then Mrs. Lewis H. Davis (Mary F.) was in charge for

five years. Syrenus Davis was postmaster until 1908 when the office was discontinued. All mail was brought in on horseback by mail carrier. Frye and Knapp had the first contract to carry mail for four years. They re-bid the contract for the second four year period, but sublet it to Rempt Uden. Mail was delivered about once a week.

Beef cattle were raised and when ready for market were driven to Chehalis. Sheep were another source of income. The wool was sheared and packed in long sacks, then the sheep were fattened and driven to market. Hogs were butchered and meat was cured into hams and bacons. The lard was rendered over an open fire in a large iron kettle. Bees gave them strained honey, beeswax and comb honey to sell.

Mr. Davis was known as Uncle Ed by his neighbors. His door was opened with a hearty welcome to friends and strangers. "Come in" was the greeting called to all who came his way in those pioneer days. He gave the first dance in this vicinity on Feb. 14, 1893 in his home and invited everyone to come and enjoy his hospitality. Al Brown and Bert Purcell were the musicians for the dance. Later, dances and other social gatherings were held in the hop house. Fourth of July was always a day of great celebration; a big all day picnic in the fir grove and an all night dance in the hop house.

Mr. Davis was also the Justice of Peace and performed the first marriage up here when Clara Haralson and Joseph Moorcroft were married on March 16, 1893.

On the Davis place one of the first tragic deaths occurred. William Jobe, a worker on the place, was gored by a large Holstein bull. His grave was the first one in the Silver Creek cemetery.

Traveling missionaries brought the church to the early settlers. Mr. Delano, on his big black horse, was known as the "Saddle Bag Missionary". In the summer he preached outdoors and in the winter in the school house or hop house.

The first school house was made ready by Al Gilleland, Ed Pixlee, Jess Burton, Jim and Tim McAndrews, Mr. Burton and Ed and Harry Owens. Mr. Davis brought in the first teacher from Chehalis, a Mr. Flint.

Neighbors of the Davis family were Frank Gates, Ed Kilborn, Judge Pierson, Joe Von Oy, Martin Karr and Fred Sethe.

Baptiste Kiona was also a neighbor and a very good friend. He was an Indian, the son of Columbus Kiona, the leader of the Cowlitz Klickitat tribe. "Bat" worked for the Davis family. He told them about some coal he had found in the hills so the Davis' built a cabin near the mines and did some work toward developing them. When the ferry was put into operation at Cora, Bat was the ferry tender.

Martin (Chris) Karr, a native of Denmark, worked on the Davis ranch in the early days. The bottom land was all taken when he decided

to file on a homestead so he located about three miles above Cora Bridge. He married Sally Curtis and raised three children, Mary, Fred and Virgil. Mary, now Mrs. Ed Watkins, and Virgil still live on the old place.

Joseph Von Oy was on the place nearest the Davis' homestead. He was from Germany. Many are the stories told of his great strength and how he would hitch himself up with a horse to plow. He set out an orchard of pear and prune trees. Like so many early pioneers he shared the dream of the early coming of a railroad so all produce could be easily marketed.

On the other side of the river lived Judge Pierson and Frank Gates and family. Mrs. Frank Gates was a daughter of Mrs. L. A. Davis. These two places now make the Hubert Anderson place.

Harry K. was the first of the Davis men to choose a wife. He was married to Lottie J. Gilleland on March 23, 1897 at her mother's home. Their first home was a small cabin on the Davis place. Their second home was built nearer the other Davis buildings. When the place was sold, Harry reserved a portion for his home near the river and lived there until his death in 1930.

Lewis H. married Mary F. Gilleland on July 3, 1901 at Morton, Wash. Mary F. and Lottie J. were sisters, both being daughters of Mrs. John Blankinship.

Syrenus A. married Laura Hall on Oct. 29, 1901 at the Hall home.

Following are portions from a diary kept by Mary F. Davis, which tell much about pioneer life in the early 1900's:

Aug. 1, 1901 - Got through haying today.

Aug. 6, 1901 -   Bat is cradling the oats today. Harry and Bob
                       McAllister bound the oats. Harley raked. Very
                       warm today.

Aug. 11, 1901 - All went to church at Vance.

Oct. 9, 1901 - Strained honey and melted beeswax today.

Oct. 26, 1901 - Lewis, Harry and Syrenus logged on Syrenus
place all day.

Oct. 31, 1901 -   Charley Blankenship bought turkeys. He paid
                       $20.00 down and will pay rest when he comes
                       back from Tacoma.

Nov. 6, 1901 -- Syrenus started to Chehalis. I went as far as
                       Judd Siler’s with him to get sworn in as acting
                       postmaster. Charged me 25 cents. Lewis and
                       Harry cut timbers for sheep shed.

Dec. 2, 1901 - Lewis fixed 117 lbs. honey to send out.

Jan. 11, 1902 -   Harry went after shingle bolt crew in the
                       wagon. They are to cut for Will and Joe Von Oy
                       on the Ed Owen's place.

Feb. 22, 1902 -   Harry plowed place for onions. Lewis raked and
                       sowed. Lovely day. Dance at hop house. A big
                       crowd there.

Feb. 25, 1902 - Broadbent came up to brand shingle bolts.

Mar. 6, 1902 -   Raining. The boys did the chores and made a
                       skid road in the afternoon. snowing in the
                       evening.

Mar. 17, 1902 - Lewis and Harry finished the landing and skid
road by the river today.

Mar. 22, 1902 - Broadbent paid Lewis and Harry $2.50 per day to
clean out the drift. Raining.

Apr. 2, 1902 -   All the boys hauled shingle bolts - Lewis,
                       Harry, Bob McAllister and Fred Sethe hauled 25
                       cords.

Apr. 22, 1902 -   Assessor here. Harry gave in the stock.
                       Raining. Mr. Kenney stayed all night. Charged
                       50 cents.

May 8, 1902 - High water. Lewis sheared sheep today.
Had one swarm of bees.

June 5, 1902 - Harry started out today with the wool.
He took out 16 bales.

June 13, 1902 - Harry got in from Chehalis this afternoon.

July 4, 1902 - Dance at the hop house at night.
Mamma gave the oyster supper. Raining hard.

Aug. 13, 1902 -   Cradled oats this forenoon. In the afternoon
                       went to look for a deer that Dash put in the
                       river.

Aug. 20, 1902 -   Hauled oats this forenoon. Lewis hoed in
                       garden. Two men, one lady and boy ate dinner
                       here, $1.25.

Sep. 1, 1902 -   Set fire to slashing. Conrads came at noon
                       today, they are on way across the mountains.
                       Conrads had 16 head of horses and 32 head of
                       cattle.

Sep. 10, 1902 - Harry started out this morning with 60 head of
sheep.

Sep. 12, 1902 - Big fire on the Cispus. Very smoky. Harry left
sheep below and came home.

Oct. 26, 1902 - Went hunting, killed a big buck. Lewis and I
went fishing caught 33 large trout.

Nov. 2, 1902 - Rendered lard all day.

Dec. 18, 1902 - Threshing peas. Lewis worked on sled.

Jan. 3, 1903 - The water is very high. The mail carrier didn't
come. Tramping out oats.

May 12, 1903 - Lewis making roads to haul bolts.

May 24, 1903 - Hauled bolts today. Bee killed a bear today,
his first bear.

June 3, 1903 -   Lewis sheared sheep today. Harry went to Ed
                       Owens after potatoes, bought 10 bushels for 50
                       cents per bushel.

July 10, 1903 - Syrenus got back with binder. Conrads came over
with 170 head of horses.

July 13, 1903 - Putting binder together.

July 31, 1903 -   Hauled hay for Bat. Lewis made road for binder
                       into the barley. Kneeland and Swofford here to
                       buy cattle.

Aug. 10, 1903 - Put up Home Comfort stove today.

Aug. 15, 1903 - Magic Lantern and phonograph show at the hop
house. A large crowd present.

Sept. 14, 1903 - Digging Potatoes. Five surveyors here all
night. $2.25.

Nov. 8, 1903 - The threshers came today.

Dec. 9, 1903 - Lewis and Harry started out. Had 427 lbs.
honey strained and 80 lbs. section honey.

July 4, 1904 - Lovely day. Large crowd at dance and
picnic.

July 31, 1904 - Conrads brought over 90 head of horses.
Traded for a horse.

Mar. 6, 1905 - The mail sack was lost in the Cowlitz
River.

Nov. 3, 1905 - Pankengham started out with the cattle.

Nov. 15, 1905 - Cass Harrison came up to look at cascara
bark.

Aug. 27, 1906    -   Albert Bellows set fires on his place
                           Sunday. Fires got away burnt Tom Bivins'
                           and Al's barn up and all their fences.

Ruth had remained with her grandparents and when Henry went after her in the spring, twenty-one year old Will Stoughton returned with him, also. Louella had filed upon a deserted claim near the pioneer school but, by her marriage, lost her right to acquire government land so turned it over to Will, whose coming was a great comfort to her. It was three miles to the nearest woman neighbor and life in the timber was lonely for one who had grown up in a small eastern town among relatives and friends. Will didn't care for the solitary life either and often rode up for a visit, bringing his violin which he played well. Mrs. Tom Bivin often told how they would hear him coming up their trail in the evening, singing or yodeling as he rounded the lake, then he would play his violin for them. He gave Jim Burton his first violin lessons. Will stayed a couple of years and then returned to Pennsylvania to marry.

Cordelia Hager was born in December 1896 and in a few more years there were five of us living in the log house.

Several more acres of land had been cleared and a larger barn built west of the orchard. This barn burned in 1930. The sandy loam was rich and gardens flourished, raspberries had been planted and across the swamp were wild gooseberries. Live stock consisted of a heavy work team called Ben and Buck, a small pony named Johnnie, Daisy the cow, several head of young cattle, pigs and chickens.

I do not remember my father but have often heard men tell of what a worker he was. Mr. R. T. Siler told me that in mowing hay with a scythe or cradling grain, he would circle the field one and a half times while the others went around once, and he would hold that pace all day, from early morning until dark. When I was a few months old my father sustained a head injury and became ill so we left the home-stead while he sought medical treatment in Portland and Chehalis. Some of the cedar fence he built still stands and the trees he planted bear fruit. Hager Lake and Creek are named after him.

Mother returned home after his death but, although the Snyders harvested her crops for her, she was not well and unable to feed and care for the stock, so sold all but the cow and chickens and one horse. Once when the loneliness proved too much, she piled the three of us on Ben and climbed on and headed for her stepmother's, forty miles away. Her father had died and all her relatives were in the east. Mother always disclaimed any right to be called a pioneer and said she possessed none of the pioneering spirit many women did. One time someone sent her a note telling her to keep the children near the house and watch them carefully and not let them go near the woods. Some weeks later she learned that a small pack of gray timber wolves had been seen not far away. That fall of 1902 she sold the rest of the stock and moved to Randle for the winter. Government claims had been thrown back into the forest reserve and to hold on we had to return from time to time.

On Easter Sunday 1903, Mother married Franklin Lambert from Michigan, a new comer in the Valley. We spent our summers on the homestead and our winters at Vance where Ruth and Cordelia, and later I, attended the Maple Grove school. We children looked forward to the trips to and from the ranch but they were rather a chore for the grown-ups. It was an all day trip with picnic lunch at noon. Down the valley were close neighbors, school and church and gatherings such as basket socials and school programs and a Christmas tree at the church. But we loved the homestead. Snyder Creek, which flowed through our meadow, was warm for wading; Hager Creek was cold and full of small trout. We liked to hear the hoot owls at night and sometimes would see a blue crane standing on one leg in the swamp. Occasionally a deer would come to the edge of the clearing and once when Papa, Cordelia and I were on our way to Halls for the mail, I was skipping along ahead and surprised a bear that was starting to cross the road. I don't know who was scared the most, the bear or me.

Our house faced Snyder Mountain and above the door were a pair of deer antlers and one of Johnnie's small shoes for luck.

To the left of the small porch grew a dark red moss rose, started from a rose from Fronia Burton's bridal bouquet. Mother had gone to the wedding, the ceremony was performed by Judd Siler, newly appointed Justice of the Peace, and was his first. All the neighbors turned out for the wedding and the dinner which followed. Most of the settlers were bachelors and were more than pleased to accept an invitation to a good dinner and a chance to cast an eye about for a prospective young cook. The few women in the neighborhood lived so far apart they rarely saw each other and welcomed a get-together, too. Weeks, or even months, sometimes passed that mother saw no other woman and it was usually from one to three weeks between trips to the post office for the mail.

The big fire of 1906 was still smouldering when we left the ranch for school that year. Logs and stumps were burning and a pall of smoke hung over the valley. The fire had been halted above Hall Creek but we had heard the roaring of the flames at our place, three miles away. The bridge had burned and we had to ford upstream and cut across Mr. Hall's hayfield. Tom Bivin and Al Gilleland had lost their barns and hay. A spark had fallen unnoticed into a large box of bedding the Gillelands buried, so, although their house was saved, the bedding burned. In places we had to detour around hot ashes or burning logs lying across the road.

In 1907 more land was thrown open for settlement and new families began moving in. My folks rented the ranch to the Al Huntington family and we remained at Vance that year. In March the Cowlitz went on a rampage and caused the worst flood since the "Shoemaker Flood" years before when the Shoemaker family was drowned. We lived on the Skinner place which was on high ground and everyone on the far side of the valley sought refuge there. They began coming in the evening, some bringing the food they had prepared for supper; all night and next day they came until the log house held twenty-seven, and they stayed five days. Every

day two men would go by canoe to the R. T. Siler farm to feed and milk the cows and bring back milk to supplement our fast dwindling food supply. Siler's barn was set on piling so was above the flood. All the other live stock had been driven to the hillsides. Beds were laid on the floor for the children and men, the latter taking turns sleeping and drying out in front of the fireplace. It rained steadily, water stood three or four feet deep in many houses.

In June, Mother made her final annual trip to the Federal Land office at Vancouver and received title to the homestead and brought Ruth home for the summer vacation. Cordelia and I stayed with grandma at Nesika while Mother was away and on the tray home on the mail stage she caught a cold and was very ill with Pneumonia, lying unconscious for several days. Dr. Lauman came and stayed until danger was past. Recovery was slow and she was never so strong after that.

In August, Mr. Huntington came to the mill at Vance for a load of lumber so mother, Cordelia and I returned with him and spent a week at the ranch. Newly peeled poles lay along the roadside. Telephones had come to Randle and Vance a few months before and now the line was being extended.

When the Huntingtons moved into their new home on the Prairie in the spring of 1908 we went back to the ranch. The Combs family had homesteaded on the Burn. Now there were enough children in the community for a school and mother wrote to the County Superintendent and eventually a four months term was promised if local people would build the schoolhouse. A one room log building was erected by donation labor and in 1908 the first school was opened with Ernest Nebergall of Missouri as teacher and nine pupils; Anna, Audra and Sherman Combs, Herbert and Jeanie Cooper, Clark and Hazel Huntington and Cordelia and Bessie Hager.

The first big social event was Huntington's house warming. All the neighbors were there and friends from down the country came by horseback or wagon, some for a distance of twenty-five miles. Music for dancing was furnished by Jim and Myrtle Burton and a friend of theirs with violin, mandolin and guitar. Conley Hampton also took his turn with the violin. A bounteous lunch was served at midnight, then the dancing continued until daylight, when some went home and others stayed for breakfast. A few, who had come a long way, spent the day.

The first community Christmas tree was at our house. The tree was decorated with garlands of popcorn we and the Huntington children had strung and snap-on clothes pins served as candle holders. Mother had made a lot of candies, including chocolate creams, and Mrs. Snyder sent taffy. We covered cornucopias with silver paper to hold the candies for each guest and they also served as a part of the decorations.

There was a picnic the last day of school. Everyone went, there was a program and prizes were awarded for the best grades in spelling.

The Post Office was still known as Sulphur Springs. It had moved about, being located at various times at the John Blankinship's, Tom Bivin’s and at the Charles Hall home.

There was almost no market for produce, the only things saleable were livestock and hay. Annual stock drives were conducted from Randle by the Conrad Brothers of Yakima and those living above sometimes drove down a few head. My stepfather was a cook by trade and knew almost nothing about stock raising which played such a vital part in the early day farming. Any work obtainable was seasonal, some went as far as Yakima to work in the harvest fields. (Papa usually ran a trap line in winter and two of the cabins he built in the mountains are still standing. A small mountain lake and stream bear his name. When the season ended he would market his furs and then busy himself with building fences, splitting shakes and clearing land until planting time.)

When the Valley Development Company set up camp he went up, hoping to get a job as cook but they had brought one with them. Mother had told Papa to see if they would buy some fresh vegetables but he was a "tin can" cook and wouldn't prepare them; so we snapped a whole flour sack full of green beans and papa hiked back up to camp with them but all he got was fifty cents.

Charlie Hall read the water gauge at Lake Creek for the V. D. and also carried the mail. Everyone made an oil cloth mail sack to hang by the road, so now we went only half a mile for our mail.

In 1909 my folks sold the homestead to the Hugo Kuhnhausens. After spending that winter in Randle we moved to a small farm nine miles west of Chehalis. My stepfather died in 1912 following a thyroid operation and in 1913 Mother sold the farm and we moved to Chehalis.

Ruth's vision was impaired and at thirteen she had entered the State school for the Blind at Vancouver. Sometime after graduating she attended the Northwestern Deaconess School in Seattle and engaged in religious work in Idaho and eastern Oregon for many years. She lives now with friends in Dundee, Oregon.

Cordelia was studious like mother and after high school and State Normal, taught her first term at the school across the river from Packwood. She taught three terms, the last at Cispus, before her marriage in 1919 to Joel Meloy of Naches. She passed away the following year.

Mother worked as a reporter for the Lewis County Advocate for twenty-seven years, retiring in 1940 and in 1941 took a trip back to her old home in Pennsylvania. Her interests were wide and varied; education, politics, civic improvement all shared her attention. She was a charter member and past president of the Chehalis Soroptimist Club and the Business and Professional Women's Club, also of Soroptimist’s International. She read a great deal and possessed an insatiable appetite for learning. She died in 1949 at the age of seventy-seven.

Most of my life has been spent in Chehalis, I am glad I live where it is possible for my husband and me to go to my childhood haunts and visit our friends there, and for them to come to see us. We watch with interest each change and development in the community and are glad that "Packwood is still on the March".

Bessie Hager Severson

BURTON FAMILY

My daddy, David Burton came first to the Big Bottom in 1889, found and homesteaded the place where I now live. He worked it for a while that year but went back to Chehalis where my mother and five children were, to stay the winter. Again in the spring 1890 he came, made a garden, built a small log house and went for them in the fall. They moved their belongings in with pack horses and they all walked, each carrying something. They came by way of Bear Canyon and Morton. I was born in that little log cabin on July 4, 1891. Daddy often showed me the places where they had camped overnight. There was only a trail from Randle to the Davis place, now the Francis Ranch.

The few settlers that were up here were working hard to clear ground and also live at the same time. They raised vegetables and grain and there was no game law so they had all the fish and wild meat they needed. At first they salted their fish and meat in barrels and dried and smoked some, too. The only fruit they had for the first few years was wild blackberries and huckleberries. Soon the orchard began bearing a few apples and cherries. My brother, Jess, worked for a farmer down below Randle to get a cow, so we had milk. The coyotes caught a lot of our chickens and the bears kept the cattle scared wild.

Until 1904 we threshed grain with a flail by placing ripe grain on the floor and using the flails to pound the grain out. At first my folks ground their wheat in a coffee mill when they wanted to make bread. After Mr. Miller put in a flour mill at Randle, Daddy took wheat there to have it ground.

The timber was so big and tall and thick that the homesteaders would get together and help each other clear ground. They only had axes and shovels and grub hoes to work with and they rolled the logs together to burn them. When they had a small plot of ground cleared they raised gardens and grain.

Edward Owens hewed logs to build the first school house this side of the Cora bridge. The first teacher I remember was named Spencer.

Bee Blankenship’s father, John Blankenship, was the first one to bring a wagon to the east side of the river by fording at the lower end of the Gates place, now the Hubert Anderson place.

I was about nine years old when I made my first trip to Chehalis. I walked all the way to help drive a bunch of steers that the homesteaders were taking to market. We then got a wagon load of groceries to bring back. It took us seventeen days to make the trip as the water raised while we were gone. Then we had to take our wagon apart and bring all the groceries and wagon parts across the river in canoes and swim the horses behind the canoes which were hewed out of logs, Indian style.

The first work that anyone had in the Big Bottom to earn money was cutting shingle bolts and driving them down the river to Kelso. Mr. Broadbent was the buyer for the Metcalf & Wade Shingle Co. in Kelso. He paid $2.05 a cord when they were dumped in the river. My first job or trip down the river was in 1906 and I was in the water almost as much as the shingle bolts were. It took us ninety-two days to get to Kelso.

THE DAVID BURTON STORY

David Burton filed on a homestead and the family moved to the Big Bottom in the Spring of 1888. They had to pack everything on horses and all the folks walked except Frona and Sylvia. Our brothers carried us from Chehalis to our little log cabin, which was seventy-five miles.

Our schooling was for three months in the summer for a few years.

Now here is what we kids had to do in the spring, we got up at daylight and went out and got on stumps with bells and tin pans and made all the noise we could to keep the birds out of the wheat field.

Then in summer we picked all the wild fruit we could get to can.

In the fall when the fish started running we caught what we wanted to eat and Dad smoked all we wanted for winter.

When the snow came on we went out hunting coon trees. We smoked the coons out onto limbs and then threw rooks to see who could bring one down so the dog could grab him.

The best part of all was when the snow froze enough so we could walk on top. We built a sled and tied one end of a rope around a calf's neck and the other end to a sled. Then we got on the sled and turned the calf loose. Boy! we thought we were covering ground.

That was a wild wilderness when we first moved up there. Dad had to build the pig and calf pens so the cougars wouldn’t carry them away.

This is about all I can remember of the earliest of our life up there.

Sylvia Easter

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE OWENS BROTHERS

The four Owens brothers were born in Douglas, Ontario, Canada and were the sons of Edward Owens and grandsons of Edward Owens, Sr. and Winifred (Neal) Owens of Tilaheny, Wicklow County, Ireland.

William Owens, my father and one of the subjects of this brief history was born in 1856 and was the second eldest of the boys. Edward Owens, Jr. was born in 1854 and Thomas M. Owens in 1858. The youngest, Henry J. Owens, was born in 1861, the same year their father was fatally injured at a house raising. This accident left the family with responsibility at a very early age.

After receiving their education in the district schools of Ontario the young men went to Manitoba and later to Rolla, North Dakota. There my father bought a farm and met and married my mother, Eliza Ann Farrell. She also was a native of Ontario and of French and Irish descent. Two of my uncles were also married in North Dakota.

My sister Anna May Owens was born in 1886 and in 1888 the folks sold their farm and migrated by train to Centralia, Washington. All my uncles came west at the same time but on a Canadian Route and somewhere along the coast their wives contracted Typhus and died. Uncle Edward was left with three small children and Uncle Harry's baby died with its mother. It was a little later that my mother also contracted Typhus and almost died, and it was several years before she really recovered.

Soon after the brothers went to the Big Bottom Valley and staked homestead claims. Thomas homesteaded by what is now Bivins Lake, Uncle Ed and Uncle Harry were in the old Cora School neighborhood and my father staked one hundred twenty acres on what is now the Owens Creek on the Cline Road. Uncle Thomas married Dora Gilleland and two of their first babies are buried in the little cemetery at Silver Creek. I can remember the very high picket fence that used to enclose their graves.

It seems Thomas and Harry sold their farms after a few years and moved to Raymond, Washington where they went into the lumber business. They both spent the remainder of their lives at Raymond.

Edward married Charlotte L. West in 1889 and raised a large family. Many of the children attended the log schoolhouse at Cora before they sold the farm and moved to Sullivan Lake, Canada in 1908. This was Grace Combs' family.

There were no wagon roads at the time my father moved to the homestead so stoves, furniture and grocery supplies had to be packed in horseback.

Our first house was a log cabin that someone else had built on the place in a little clearing. I still can remember seeing the cabin, although the folks moved to a new house long before I was born. This cabin served as a shed for the horses but always I think of the split board fireplace chimney running up the outside wall and wonder how it was ever used without burning.

Our new house was also of logs, chinked with a white mortar-like substance, the roof of split shakes and the inside lined with split boards.

This part had three rooms, a living room and two bedrooms. The kitchen was a very large room attached to the main cabin and the outside was split board siding. The roof extended on three sides forming two large porches and woodshed. During all my childhood a swing hung from the timbers in the roof and it was pleasant to play in this big open shed. The ever ready ladder and cleats nailed on the roof leading to the chimney were a reminder of the fire hazard of the stove pipes we used.

In order to get to our place with a wagon, we had to ford the Cowlitz River and usually summer was about the only time that was possible. Many a time I remember the wagon floating and the old dog swimming along beside us. Each year my father had to lay out a new course as high waters always changed the river bed.

My sister Anna was one of the pioneer children and the only school was across the river from our place, near the Sethe home, so to attend she had to cross the river in a dugout canoe. I have heard my father tell how she could paddle across when she was twelve years old, even when the waters were quite high, otherwise my father had to take her and meet her after school which meant several miles of traveling for both of them. The only other way to get across was over a log jam or by a four mile trail to the main road at Cora.

My folks took a girl to raise, named Kathleen Philips. Her mother died at her birth and she was six years younger than my sister. She has always been one of the family. My brother Willie Owens was born in 1898 and in his childhood he also attended this school across the river. I, Myrtle (Owens) Tuttle, was born in 1902 and the youngest of the family.

I have heard my folks tell of the terrible flood during their early days which drowned almost all their cattle. It seems they were trapped in the flood and could not reach high land. All my father saved was the hides and it must have been a tragic loss at that time. I remember one flood when the water was up to our porch floor and Willie tried to row out to the cellar in a wash tub to get some potatoes, the tub upset and he had to wade back.

The Kiona Indians lived across the river log jam from us, perhaps two or three miles, and Bat Kiona, the Chief, was one of my father's first friends. Bat had worked with the Hudson Bay Company and knew English quite well. He and my father hunted together often and father mentioned the enormous packs Bat could carry with the help of a forehead strap attached to the pack.

One time in the early days, Mother told me that Bat caught two river salmon and gave her one. In a short time he came back very excited and said he had given her the Indian salmon, that the other was the white man salmon and he must change. It wasn't good for the white man to eat Indian Fish.

All through the years until the last, mother and father were friends to the Indians and many times I sat in the evening listening to the folks visit with then, especially old Jim of Packwood and his stories of the Spirits of Mount Tacoma (Rainier) and Packwood Lake.

The Indians often, even in later years, stopped overnight at our place. They would eat supper with us but never sleep in the house. They always took their blankets and slept on the hay in the barn and were up and gone before daybreak.

My father bought Uncle Harry's eighty acre homestead on the main road and we moved there when I was five years old. It was much nearer a school with the road by the door. We still kept our first home and they were four miles apart by trail but we still had a long trip around by wagon and the river to ford.

By this time Anna was grown up and had finished school in Raymond and soon after married Val Myers and made their home at Alpha. She passed away in 1950 during a pleasure trip up the Alcan Highway.

Kathleen, Willie and myself attended the log school at Cora and Kate married Jacob Jacobsen of Alpha. She still lives near Alpha, Washington.

Finally a road was put through by our homestead, called the Cline road. I think my father was one of the greatest boosters for this road and spent much time with a team helping to clear the ground. After this we could go through with a wagon but it was not until 1917 that a car could travel over it.

In the first barn my father built on the homestead, the timbers were pegged together and square nails held on the shakes, it stood there many years after I was born. He also had a sheep barn and it seems he used to raise sheep to sell until dogs began killing them. I know all my life we had the tanned lambskins for bedside rugs. I still have the spinning wheel that mother used. It had belonged to my father's aunt and had come from Ireland. Auntie taught mother to spin and knit.

Auntie lived on a place next to our homestead and died when I was two years old. I remember her little log cabin, the well with the board wall and pulley, also the hollyhocks by the window but I can't remember her or her name. We always just called her auntie. It seems she came west with her nephews or soon after, because she was always mentioned in connection with mother's early experiences on the homestead. She taught mother so much and helped her as it was a long time before mother regained her health from the Typhoid Fever. She was also very young for the lonely life of a pioneer.

Only lately have I come to appreciate the ability of the pioneers to propagate plants. We had a large orchard and so many of the trees were grafted. Father always boasted of one tree with five different kinds of apples. Then he had hives of bees all setting neatly in a row, elevated on a two foot platform and a shed roof covering all. His specialty was the early honey made from vine maple blossoms. I can still see him in his old bee hat "robbing the bees" as he called it. We might have lacked for sugar but never for honey.

Of course, the old fashioned lilacs had a place and the equally famous yellow Harrison rose. I also remember a beautiful pink rose, perhaps a cabbage rose, yellow daffodils, different from our trumpets of today, also

the yellow, blue and white striped crocus in little formal beds, a dark climbing rose, a bed of white vinca minor at the back of the house, the perennial sweet pea on a stump, flags and fennel with a strong odor. The root house, a sort of basement and one story affair, had a covering of hop vine each summer.

A creek, I believe it is now called the Owens Creek, ran near the house and I can still smell the mint growing near. Every few years this creek would flood and cause some concern but it was our source of water as well water at the back porch was so full of minerals we could never use it.

I still have the horn my father made from a cow horn and it is a symbol of pioneer times. This horn was carried and used as a means of contact in so many ways. If the boat was on the other side of the river the horn was sounded for someone to come and paddle across and meet the party. It was used to call the men from the fields and father always carried it when hunting deer. After he was on the mountain and had located the deer, he blew the horn, then mother turned the dog loose and he went to my father, picked up the deer’s trail and chased it to the river. This usually ended at the mouth of Kilborn Creek. There the deer were killed and carried home. In later years mother used the horn mainly to call us children home and we could never deny hearing it as the sound carried for miles.

Mother told of having a pet fawn. Its mother had been killed and she had carried it home. It must have been quite a pet as she told of it chasing the dog from his warm bed and then cuddling down in the warm spot. This fawn must have been six months old when mother accidentally gave it sour milk and it died. She always loved pets and this must have been heart-breaking for her.

In 1919 I came to Tacoma to go to school, but father and mother stayed on the farm until father's death in 1937. Mother then sold the one farm to Brook Haynes and came to Tacoma. The homestead stayed in the family until after mother died in 1944, and my sister Anna bought it but later sold it.

My father was the last of the early surveyors of that part of the country and for many years he went out with more recent surveyors to point out the original markings on trees or places where the stakes had been.

Willie Owens lived in the Big Bottom country all his life and his last twenty years were spent working for the Forest Service at Packwood. He died in 1945 leaving three sons, one of whom, William Owens, still lives at Packwood.

I remember the forest fire that had its beginning from a slashing. It jumped the road and covered the mountainside and raged for weeks along the mountain in front of our place. This fire spread to the Cispus River. I know Willie sat all night and day in a little barn by the road and put out sparks that blew in. My father had five-gallon kerosene cans filled with water sitting on brackets atop the big barn.

This completes the story of some of the experiences I gleaned from stories my parents told.

Myrtle Tuttle

THE JOHN BLANKENSHIP STORY

John and Martha Jane Blankenship and her four children, Al, Dora, Lottie and Mary Gilleland, left Centralia in 1887 for the Big Bottom country. They rode horseback all the way and pack horses carried their belongings. Even a cat and her kittens were on one of the packs.

Their first house was made of split cedar but it and another house burned down. The house that is there now is the third home they built and it is about forty-one years old.

Al Gilleland homesteaded the land adjoining his mother's.

Tom Owens and brother put logs up for his house, also adjoining Blankenship's and John Blankenship finished it for him in 1890. Tom married Dora Gilleland and they moved into the new home. It still stands on the Wes Kerr Ranch and is well known as the "Bivin House".

The first Sulphur Springs Post Office was at the Blankenship place from 1890 to 1897. John Blankenship was appointed Postmaster but since he worked "outside" much of the time Martha Jane took care of the mail.

Martha Jane acted as midwife on many occasions and often nursed the sick. Their home lodged many travelers.

Many hardships were endured in the early days. They raised most of their own food after clearing the timber land. Their staple foods had to be used with care as it took a weeks journey to Chehalis with team and wagon for supplies.

It was truly a wilderness with many wild animals. Lottie (Gilleland) Davis recalls the time they were playing on the porch when they saw an animal come to smell a deer hanging there. Thinking it was another deer they grabbed the "twenty two" and proceeded to follow it until dark. Imagine their surprise when an aunt finally caught up with them and told them it was a cougar.

The present H. Bee Blankenship farm is the original homestead and he was born there in 1890. His life in the wilderness would be fascinating to the modern boy. He had his own pony, dog and gun. There were only three months of school in the summer time. He killed his first bear at the age of eleven and his first cougar at twelve. His playmates were Indians, Alex Yoke and Jim Kiona, whose folks sometimes camped near his home. He grew up to be quite a bronco buster and often rode at the pioneer celebrations.

In 1912 Bee rode over the trail via Mt. Adams to Glenwood, Washington and married Mollie Borde, whom he had met while she was visiting here at the Kuhnhausens. Their honeymoon was the trip home on horseback, a distance of fifty or sixty miles. He homesteaded a place near Packwood and after several years bought his mother's farm and has lived there ever since.

J. T. BIVIN

Tom Bivin was born in Davis County, Iowa in 1867. He came to Lewis County in 1891 with the idea of making a fortune by raising hops and was employed by Dobson and Long near Chehalis for thirteen years.

He found the girl of his dreams out here and in 1892 married Lena Hix. In 1895 they bought the Tom Owens’ homestead on Bivins Lake and became early pioneers in the Big Bottom country. Like the other pioneers, they were neighborly and hospitable. They cleared the land and made a farm in the wilderness and it was their home as long as they lived.

While proving up on the homestead Mr. Bivin still made trips "outside" in the fall of each year to work in the hop yards at Chehalis.

He became the second Sulphur Springs Postmaster from 1897 to 1902. The Post Office was in their home, the original Owens log house, which is still standing today on the Wesley Kerr ranch. This is the oldest house remaining in the Upper Cowlitz Valley.

In 1902 Bivins rented their place to Charles Hall, Sr. and moved to Chehalis where he managed the Dobson and Long Hop Yards. Mr. Hall became Postmaster at the Bivin place in 1902. When he moved back to his own home the location of the Sulphur Springs Post Office was changed to Hall Creek.

Tom Bivin was Republican Precinct Committeeman, County Road Supervisor and in later years County Commissioner. It was during his term in office that the first Cora bridge was built. He was always a booster for the Big Bottom country and its people.

CLARK ALLEN HUNTINGTON

Clark Allen Huntington, who had spent most of his life in California, spent some months in the Big Bottom country in 1906 and filed on a homestead of 160 acres.

As we moved in from Centralia in the spring of 1907, the family consisted of father, mother, brother Clark and I, Hazel. We had a covered wagon and Grandfather Garrison came to help us move and brought his wagon.

Everything we needed was brought with us, as the nearest store was at Randle and the trip would take two days.

The roads were little better than trails, especially between Randle and the homestead. In many places where there was a tree across the road, a notch was cut out for the wagon wheels to pass through but the horses had to step across the log.

We stopped at farmhouses along the way and stayed over night. People were always welcome but it was customary to pay for the nights lodging and for the care of the horses.

We moved on the Hager place, which father had rented for the first year. We planted a big garden and picked wild blackberries and went to the mountains for huckleberries. I can remember mother canning lots of fruit and vegetables.

Our nearest neighbor was August Snyder, a bachelor, half a mile away. The Halls lived two miles away and John Snyder, his wife and two children lived across the river, three miles distant. The only way to cross the river was in a dugout canoe so we didn't go visiting very often.

Father built our house that winter and we moved in in the spring. In May, Mother gave birth to twin babies, Lester and Leta. There was no doctor in attendance so Mrs. Matt Blankenship delivered the babies.

When the babies were a few months old, Dad and Mother gave a house warming in the form of a dance. All the neighbors came from as far away as Randle. Those were the days when everyone came, had lots of fun and danced all night.

Mother was famous for making the best bread starter in the country. She also still has the old curly maple butter bowl which was brought out west in a covered wagon by her grandmother.

She is now Mrs. Al Kirk, over eighty years young and makes lovely hooked rugs. They still live in the log house built on the homestead.

W. A. (Allie) took a homestead across the road from Kirks.

The WALTER COMBS FAMILY

In 1900 the Walter Combs family moved from Oklahoma and located on Boisfort Hill, 6 miles west of Chehalis, near Adna. The family consisted of Mr. & Mrs. Walter Combs, two girls, Anna and Audra; two boys, Asa and Sherman; Mr. Combs’ mother, Sarrah Combs; and his sister, Florence Combs. In 1905 another daughter, Flossie, was born.

In 1901 Florence Combs met B. J. Blankenship, an oldtimer from Randle, while he was "out" to get a winter's supply of groceries. In the fall of 1902 they were married and she moved to the Blankenship place, 3 miles east of Randle.

During the summer of 1903 Mr. & Mrs. Combs and Sherman, then 6 years old, came to the Big Bottom to visit the Blankenships. It took 3 days to make the trip in a hack powered by a horse called "Old Sam". The family liked the Big Bottom so well they decided to locate there but, due to Mr. Combs’ illness, they went to Texas for a short while.

Most of the land at that time was in the Forest Reserve. The act of June 11, 1906, permitted homesteading of certain lands that were considered more valuable for farming than for timber. Shortly after this Mr. Combs made application for 160 acres. He was allowed 62 ½ acres and later in 1914 was permitted to fill out his original 160-acre claim.

While Mr. Combs and Asa built a log house on the homestead, Mrs. Combs and the rest of the family lived in a 2-room cabin on Silver Creek, near Randle. This cabin was made of hand split cedar, with only one window and no floor in one room.

After the completion of the cabin on the homestead the family was moved in. When they arrived, a tree had fallen across the cabin and had mashed it down to the window sills. The cabin was soon rebuilt and another larger one was built of hand split cedar boards. These two cabins were the first hotel in the community. At that time board and room was $1.00 per day or 25¢ a meal and 25¢ for lodging. Mrs. Combs and the girls did the hotel work.

The first year there was no school so Grandmother Combs and Anna, Audra, and Sherman moved to the Johnnie Purcell place and the children went to the Sethe School. Asa and Flossie stayed at the homestead with Mr. & Mrs. Combs. The following year a 1-room log school was built at Lewis by the community and there were about 12 children the first year of school. Home-made benches and tables made from hand split lumber were used. This school was used until School District #214 was consolidated in 1912. Then a good sized one-room school was built.

THE ANDERSON STORY

Johnathan S. "Zack" Anderson came from Oxford Mills, Ontario, Canada. Our mother was Annie Laurie Jones, who was born at Wildwood, a pioneer community near Adna, Washington. Hubert was born in Chehalis and we (Jessie, Howard and Harold) were born at Claquato, near Chehalis.

Our father made several trips to the Big Bottom country before buying the old Gates and Pearson homesteads about 1910. The river crossing, first a ford and then a ferry, had always been there.

The family made visits to the ranch and once camped for a summer but the moving trip in 1912 stands out in our memory.

Father drove the team and wagon loaded with our worldly goods and mother drove the horse and buggy. We young ones walked most of the way, prancing along ahead to discover what was around each bend in the road. We traveled three days, crossing the Cowlitz River on the ferry at Nesika, Washington and at Cora, our destination.

That summer we lived in the old ferry house across the river from the ranch. Our father had the contract to operate the ferry that year but any member of the family could do it when the river was low.

One corner of the new barn was made into living quarters and we spent the first winter there. The snow was deep and all travel was by horseback. At the ferry was an exciting place to live, for we saw everyone who passed by, we had a winter vacation, too, for there was no school until spring.

The J. B. Hackney family lived in the old house on the place and Mr. Hackney worked at clearing land and burning timber that would be very valuable today.

We attended the "Pioneer School" and then went to Randle High School. Our folks rented a house for us for the school term and we traveled back and forth on weekends with a horse and buggy or on horseback.

We didn't see the "outside" again for five years.

Old "Uncle Billy" Mullins operated the ferry after that and until the bridge was built in 1916. He had the authority to refuse to cross if he considered the water too high for safety. During one high water period two men took the ferry at their own risk and attempted to cross with a team and wagon. As the swift current caught the upper side of the ferry it tipped and the team and wagon slid from the deck into the swollen stream. The horses had been unhitched so were free to swim out. The two men clung to the railing on the upper side until the ferry broke loose from its cables and floated down the river when they were rescued with the "dugout" canoe.

Our father built a new ferry, but for several weeks everyone crossed in the canoe.

When the bridge was built we gave. a dance on the bridge to celebrate the occasion. Japanese lanterns lighted the scene and people came from miles around and danced until daylight.

The old home place is still owned and operated by Hubert, the eldest of the Anderson children.

THE J. B. HACKNEY FAMILY

The J. B. Hackney family came to Mossyrock, Washington from West Virginia in 1906 and came on to Randle around 1909. Mr. and Mrs. Jim Hackney and five children lived on the Anderson farm where Mr. Hackney was employed by Mr. Anderson to clear land.

Mrs. Hackney's father, Bill Mullins, was operating a ferry boat across the Cowlitz River at that time. At first most ferry business was taking people and teams and wagons across but later cars were also ferried.

After moving two or three tines from one place to another the family settled on a homestead about one mile east of Cora Bridge to raise their family of ten children. Mr. Hackney worked at many jobs including farming, road building and some for the Forest Service. Mrs. Hackney was sometimes roused out of bed on word that a new comer was about to arrive in the community, as she was a mid-wife. She can count about sixty by name that she gave their first spanking. Often this help was given free of charge, but if the family could afford it she charged from ten to twenty dollars.

The older Hackney children one year walked four miles one way to a school on the Cline Road. The next few years they attended a school on the Nina Hackney place and then a new and more modern school house was built at the Cline Road which they attended until pupils were sent to Randle.

THE HIGGINS FAMILY

Marion Oliver Higgins was born in Kansas in 1864. His wife Lulu was born in Illinois in 1874. They were married in 1894 in Illinois, where the first son, Maurice, was born in 1896. The second son, Harry, was born in Iowa in 1897. The daughter, Elizabeth, was born after the family moved to a farm near Bellingham, in 1900, leaving there to move to Chehalis in 1910. After staying there for two years they moved to Packwood on October 20, 1912.

During an epidemic of typhoid fever, Lulu Higgins died in the fall of 1914, and was the first person buried in the Packwood Cemetery.

Oliver Higgins remarried in 1920 to a widow, Mrs. Margaret Berry, who was operating the Packwood Hotel. They operated the hotel until 1921, when they opened the first concession at Packwood Lake, supplying boats, meals, and rooms. They operated this concession for several years. He was deputy assessor for Eastern Lewis County for a number of years.

Oliver and Margaret Higgins lived in Packwood until the time of his death in 1944, except for two years when they lived near Auburn, Washington. He is buried beside his wife Lulu at the Packwood Cemetery.

Maurice Higgins died in 1929 and is buried at Silver Creek Cemetery. Harry Higgins died in 1944 and is buried besides his mother and father at Packwood Cemetery. The daughter is Mrs. Fred Hall and lives on a ranch near Wapato, Washington.

THE MULLINS FAMILY

(NOTE-William and Mahalia Mullins with three of their children, Eddie, Sonnie and Polly and her husband, Joe Mullins left Cowan, West Virginia in 1907 for the west. The following year their four remaining children, Scott and Toby Mullins, Eliza and husband, Jim Hackney and Laura and husband, Preston Polly, came out to join them. They all eventually located in the Upper Big Bottom. Many more relatives and friends came in the following years.)

We came to Washington from West Virginia and arrived by train in Chehalis, expecting to see a big city. There were no big buildings and only board walks. We went to the Star Hotel which was run by Sam Gwens. We found a house on Rhode Island Street and lived there for awhile. Then my husband and brother and father rented a horse and buggy from a livery stable owned and operated by a Mr. Van Bibber and went to Mossyrock. That was the only means of transportation at that time and the roads were real bad. They were either just dirt roads cutting around between those tall trees or what they called puncheon roads that was made of slab wood or just poles laid side by side across a wagon road

They came back to get us women and the children after they had found their friend, Harve Blankenship, who lived just east of Mossyrock. It took us about three days to make the trip from Chehalis to Riffe, where they had rented us a place to live. We camped out at night, sleeping on the ground.

I walked a lot of the way. In fact, we all took turns at riding in the wagon and walking the dusty road. I was awfully lonesome and homesick at first for those big, tall trees just didn't appeal to me.

We kept moving from place to place and I began to get better acquainted with people and began to like the country better.

My children, Myrtle and Clarence, were scared to death of the Indians. When they saw them riding their horses up or down the road they would run screaming to the house. But they got used to them after we moved to the Fulton ferry, which was about two and a half miles west of Kosmos.

I ran the ferry across the Cowlitz River at Fulton for a few years. I learned to handle the rowboat and when anyone walking wanted over the river I took them across in the rowboat. The wagons and buggies crossed on the ferry boat.

We got a telephone line through from the Fulton ferry to Randle in 1912. Then the line from Riffe came to the ferry so one could call through from Mossyrock to Randle.

THE MARTIN STORY

S. N. Martin and his family came to Washington from the State of Pennsylvania, where the Martins had lived for generations, in April 1914 bringing with them two teenage children, Ruth and James. Three of the sons, Robert, Harry and Claude were already here.

Their first home in Packwood was on the Henry Hager homestead now owned by J. I. Blankenship. Later Mr. Martin and his three older sons took up homesteads here but only Mr. Martin and Harry proved up on theirs, the other two boys left before their time was up.

A thing to be remembered when one feels as though the world has passed you by is that the Martins had already spent a big part of their lives in Pennsylvania. Mr. Martin was sixty-one and Mrs. Martin fifty-nine years of age, but they came West and at once fell into western ways, leaving the past in Pennsylvania. Mr. Martin said many times he had started life anew after sixty.

Mrs. Martin was a very religious woman, her father was a Methodist "Saddle Bag Preacher" in Pennsylvania. She started a Sunday School in the school house. She had much to give the community and the little school house was full every Sunday. She always went when anyone was sick - yes and preached the funerals for the dead.

They also were great gardeners, canners and raised tomatoes, egg-plant and celery which most people hadn't dared to try out yet.

They were great people to picnic and often they would get in the old hack buggy, take a gallon of home made ice cream and a cake, go to a neighbors and have a "jolly good time" They also enjoyed the fishing and hunting. They were so thrilled the first fall they were here to see all the big salmon coming up to spawn.

Another interesting thing for them was to buy flour in a lovely cloth sack. In the east all came in paper bags. They made such lovely things from the then good flour sacks.

Soon all the children married and moved in ways of their own. After the old folks proved up on their homestead they too moved away - lived in Tenino for many years. They had been married fifty-five years when Mr. Martin passed away. Mrs. Martin lived to be over ninety years old. They both rest in the Glenoma cemetery now, having lived really two lives and given much to this world.

NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD SURVEYS

In response to our request for information on early day railroad surveys in this area the company representatives came up with the following interesting and valuable information:

C O P Y

May 6, 1954
File: A10 - P7

Mr. Sherman Combs
Packwood, Washington

Dear Mr. Combs:

In response to your letter of April 28 I have obtained additional information regarding the surveys made in 1878 to 1880 to White Pass and vicinity.

Answers to your questions in the April 20th letter are:

(1) What was name of chief of party? (4) Why was name "White Pass" used on map? (5) Was the name of the leader of the party "White"?

There were a number of survey parties. The August, 1880 survey party was headed by D. D. Clarke. Another party was led by Charles A. White in 1878, who probably discovered the pass which is called White Pass. It seemed to be the practice to name a pass after the name of the discoverer, as evidenced by Clarke's statement on page 3 of the attached letter, "This was discovered by Mr. Carlton at the time of making his survey in 1867 and hence may be properly called the Carlton Pass."

(2) Were supplies packed in with horses or by men?
Horses were used as far up the trail as possible.

(3) If by men, were Indians used? There is no evidence of any Indians being used on surveys to White Pass, but Indians were used on surveys in other locations.

Early-day history is extremely interesting to us and your letter provided the incentive to dig deep into the archives which uncovered information of value and interest to all of us. I hope that when you have your historical paper printed we may have an opportunity to see a copy. Thank you for writing and if your work requires further correspondence please write us again. We shall be happy to hear from you. Copies of correspondence which may be of interest to you are attached.

Yours very truly,

/s/ L. L. Perrin

(Copy of reconnaisance report)

at this point I found the barometer reading 25.50 - going down the stream half a mile bar. 25.72 one mile var. 25.78 returning to the point first found I went up stream half a mile to the summit bar. 25.41 which for a quarter of a mile is level thence slopes slightly to a large lake one eight of a mile bar. 25.50. Said lake is about three quarters of a mile long by half a mile wide and has an outlet at the east end into Tieton creek. Two streams each larger than the one that heads on the summit, came in from the south from high snow-capped mountains and form the main stream of the Clearwater fork of Cowlitz which continued about four miles in a course S. 75* W where it makes a bend northerly. The mountains on the southern side of the stream are high and somewhat steep and broken though well timbered with but little rock in view lower down, on the north side I could not obtain a good view for timber but the ranges are not so high or broken as on the south side eastwardly from the summit the land appears of the same general character, well timbered and in places rocky at a few places on the north side as rocky slides of which however only one extends down to the lake on the north west side, the southern side of the summit seems free from any slides.

In summing up I found that the stream falls westwardly from the summit for the first half a mile 90 ft., for the second half mile, 220 ft., for the third half mile, 60 ft. or in a mile and a half, 370 ft.

Eastwardly from the summit the fall to the foot of the lake is only 90 ft. for a distance of seven eights of a mile.

Returning by a route further east I crossed the main branch of Tilton creek, a tributary of Natches river, running southeasterly into another large lake, and which drains the summit between Summit Creek and the Clearwater branch of Cowlitz, and arrived the same day at the point of starting and found the barometer reading the same as it did in the morning.

/s/ Chas. A. White

C O P Y

Engineers Office, New Tacoma, Oct. 2, 1878

Milnor W. Roberts, Esq.
Chf. Engineer, Northern Pacific R. R.
Sir:
I herewith submit the following report of a survey made in accordance with instruction furnished me on starting for the work, from the summit of Cowlitz Pass, westward, for the purpose of finding an available route for a railroad, and to connect with a line run by Mr. D. D. Clarke eastward towards the above mentioned pass. On our way to the work we have a general view of the ground over which a line would necessarily have to be run and made such observations as were thought necessary to get a proper idea of the best location for a line with a descending grade of 2 feet in a hundred, the range of mountains on the south side seemed to afford the easiest and most uniform slope for a roadbed, having a less number of rocky bluffs and broken ridges exposed to view than the mountains on the north side of Summit Creek, and believing, from maps in our possession, that a sufficient distance could be obtained, I started therefor at the lowest part found on the summit of Cowlitz Pass and running thence southerly on the slope of the hillside, around the different streams that form the head of Summit creek, about two miles, thence turning westerly down the valley of the Cowlitz, the line from this point runs mostly on steep hillsides, sloping north, with no serious

(Copy of Reconnaisance report)

obstructions for a good roadbed, from sta. 160 to Sta. 210 the ground is springy, numerous springs run on the surface, rock crops out at a great many points and loose rocks are found mixed with the soil, which is light and sandy, the timber consists of larch, pines, fir and some mountain cedar, it is mostly small in size, though in places it is large enough for lumbering the alignment is good up to Sta. 420 where high rocky bluffs intervene and may render heavy curvature necessary. At Sta. 120 a tunnel, 400 ft. long would be found necessary and also one at sta. 272 about 300 ft. long. From sta 420 the entire distance is rock and considerable amount of tunnelling would be necessary as the steepness of the mountain side does not admit of great change or swerving from the contour line of the slope. Having run the line to sta. 470 and finding that I was approaching a sharp point about 200 feet below the crest of the ridge, which is a sharp backbone of rock, and not having sufficient room for a ten degree curve to get around to the south side of the ridge, I offset from Sta. 457 & 45 south across said ridge, having gone down some distance on the south side, to sta. 465, I found my progress further barred by perpendicular bluffs on each side and below me, extending eastwardly around a point in view half a mile off. From this point I obtained a good view of the ground a line would have to traverse down to the mouth of the Muddy fork of the Cowlitz river which in a straight line is about five miles off and finding that I would still have to make a distance of about twenty five miles to get down to the crossing of Cowlitz River, and from which point an up grade would be necessary, and being fully satisfied from a view of the ground before me and from triangulations made to ascertain distance and height of a certain ridge south of here which is too low to be used in distributing the distance that said distance could not be had. I therefore, on my return from a reconnaisance at the head of the Clearwater branch of Cowlitz river, abandoned said line and moved camp to the mouth of the Muddy branch of Cowlitz river. The elevation of the starting point on the summit of Cowlitz pass was found by barometer to be 4965 taken from observations during two days prior to starting, though Mr. D. D. Clarke found in March last the altitude to be 4160 ft. this difference being so large, it was thought that only a line of levels would establish the true altitude, which however, owing to the lateness of the season have to be abandoned.
      I here append the barometer readings at the different points where elevations were established. These readings were obtained within a few hours of each other on the same day and were subsequently tested and compared
      Starting point, Summit Cowlitz Pass,............. bar. 24.98
      Sta. 389 on line above Camp No. 3................ “    25.70 elev. 4203
by Camp No. 3 - 10 miles down Summit Creek............. “    27.55 levels
      Muddy Fork, Cowlitz River........................ “    28.47
      The difference between Sta 389, elevation 4203 or 770 ft. below the summit and the Muddy fork (true elevation as found by levels, 1255) in barometer readings is 277 inches, which would make the true elevation of the summit close upon 4800 ft.
      Starting from the Muddy Fork on the north side of the Cowlitz river with an elevation as obtained by barometer I run with an up grade of 2 ft. in a hundred, the line soon passes on hill sides which for the first 270 stations are moderately steep or rolling, with rocky points projecting above the line – at sta. 176 Ohau creek ravine is encountered 400 ft. wide and 100 ft. deep with rock on both sides. Should the line be located higher up the crossing would be comparatively easy as the ravine narrows in a short distance above the line – at Sta 280 the line turns northwesterly up Squaitz canon and from

(Copy of Reconnaisance report)

here to our junction with Mr. Clark's line at Sta. 463 the work is harder. Steep slopes and frequent ravines are encountered as shown by the profile. Rock is found in place and is shilly basalt. The soil is sandy mixed with loose rock; at different points deep cuts or short tunnels will be necessary as well as high trestling across ravines, though no specific description could be given at this time owing to lack of time, the timber is all dead, though for the first four miles considerable amount of fir, hemlock and cedar is found along Cowlitz river, a line for a railroad could be located higher up without materially increasing the work of building the road though generally the mountain appears more rocky and broken above the line, upon closing on Mr. Clark's line I found that the true elevation of the starting point at Muddy Fork is 1255 feet or 215 lower than given by barometer.
I would say in conclusion that having from late experience found that distances as traveled on Indian trails and over difficult ground, are always overestimated as has been proven when compared with actual measurements in the survey just concluded. I therefore think that in my explorations in the Natches pass I also overestimated the distance and think that in all probability a tunnel could be had there and a considerable elevation avoided without going the distance my report may indicate, the ground thus being rough and rocky and the line of travel not direct, consequently a good deal of time is taken up in going a short distance, and as the barometer readings on the two passes are nearly the same with the advantage of a tunnel in favor of Natches pass and only one summit to overcome, I hereby wish to correct any wrong impressions my report may cause.

Very respectfully, your obt. servant,

Chas. A. White, Asst. Engr.

COPY REPORT OF W. MILNOR ROBERTS, 1878, Oct. 23

There is an alternate route south of Mount Tacoma, crossing a divide about seven miles south of Cowlitz Pass, which, according to our barometrical observations is about 4,350 feet above the sea. The Cowlitz Pass, according to our barometrical and instrumental surveys combined, being about 4,750 feet. This is the lowest pass known to us south of Mount Tacoma. I consider it practicable to reach this summit via the Clearwater Fork of the Cowlitz; but it has not yet been surveyed. From this summit a line may be practicable passing down the waters of the Treton branch of the Naches to the mouth of the Tieton; whence, eastward, it would be the same as the line down the Naches river.

C O P Y

Northern Pacific Railroad Company, Engineers Office
New Tacoma W. T. August 28th, 1880
Col. Isaac W. Smith, Engineer Cascade Mt. Surveys
Dear Sir:
In accordance with your instructions given verbally and by letter of June 1st I have made a survey and examination of the Valley of the Clearwater branch of the Cowlitz River with the view of ascertaining the feasibility of that route as an approach to the White and Cowlitz Passes, and desire to submit the following report:

(Copy of report)

Having organized my party I left New Tacoma on the morning of June 1st and proceeded via NP RR to Napavine Station, and from that point we took our departure the next day with pack animals and supplies for the expedition. Our course was Easterly ascending the Valley of the Cowlitz over the route taken by White and Bogue in April last. It seemed to be advisable for us to take this route rather than the shorter one via Nisqually on account of there being a less number of streams to cross and consequently less danger of delay, the streams all being at flood stage and serious obstacle to overcome. But even on this route we did not altogether avoid difficulties of this nature.

Owing to the danger in crossing the Cowlitz, which was very high from melting snows, we were not able to avail ourselves of the old Indian trail existing on the North bank of the river, but were obliged to make a new trail for the last 30 miles before reaching the mouth of the Clearwater, or after leaving the trail made by White and Bogue at Cispus Prairie.

The dense unbroken forest found along the Cowlitz effectually prevented our making rapid marches and hence it was not till June 25th that we succeeded in reaching our camp on the Clearwater two miles East of the mouth of the Muddy, at en estimated distance of 87 miles from Napavine.

From an inspection of a map showing the position of the several branches of the upper Cowlitz it will be seen that there are two principal routes by which it could be hoped to effect a descent into the Cowlitz Valley from any of the Passes at the head of the Cowlitz or its branches. First, by skirting the ridges at the foot of Mt. Rainier and developing a line along the streams flowing from the North, and second, by a line along the several branches of the Clearwater flowing from the South. In his report upon the surveys made in 1878, Chief Engineer Col. W. Milnor Roberts says that owing to the rugged appearance of the mountains the former plan did not seem to him to be feasible, and accordingly he ordered the survey from Cowlitz Pass to be made along the South side of the valley, Therefore, in continuance of his plan and recommendation it was decided that a survey should be made via the Clearwater as it would serve to develop the line from either the White Pass or the Cowlitz Pass.

In planning the conduct of our survey it was decided to be best to begin in the valley and run up with our grade line instead of going to the summit and running down, on account of the snow which was known to be very deep near the summit of the mountains and also on account of the construction of our pack trail which was thought could best be done as the survey progressed to the Eastward. Accordingly the day after our arrival we began the survey by making connection with the initial point established by Mr. White in 1878, on the West bank of the Muddy Fork about a half mile above its mouth, the elevation of the point being 1254 above sea level. I found upon examination that from the elevation of our starting point it would be impossible to ascend the valley of the Muddy so as to gain any distance and elevation, the stream running in a canyon and having a rapid descent for same distance above our survey, the line was therefore started to the Eastward along the North bank of the Cowlitz. The grade adopted was 2.2 ft. per 100, in accordance with your instructions.

(At this point we are omitting that portion of this report which repeats technical information given in foregoing reports on these surveys.)

The distance made by our survey can be increased a few miles by taking advantage of every curve in the valley, but nevertheless I do not regard it as practicable to develop the length of line required.

Even were it possible to accomplish this part the nature of the mountain slopes is such as to make the construction of a road-bed extremely difficult. Although the mountain sides are generally covered with timber yet the drift does not appear to be very deep and undoubtedly many ledges of solid rock would be found near the surface.

The streams all run in canyons, with walls nearly or quite perpendicular in many places, while the higher slopes of the ridges, varying from 15* to 50*, are very steep, and in places earth and rock slides of considerable extent would have to be crossed, so that the general appearance of the whole region from the summit to the mouth of the Clearwater is of the most rugged character; the mountains to the South being even more formidable than those adjoining our survey. In view of the facts presented above I am led to the conclusion that the Valley of the Clearwater does not afford a feasible route for a railroad.

During the progress of the survey Wm. Packwood, the pioneer explorer in this region was in our camp for a few days, and from him I gained such information regarding the location of the Pass through which the survey made by W. H. Carlton in 1867 crossed the summit as led me to believe that previous information on that point was incorrect. The statements of Mr. Packwood being confirmed by some observation which I had made a few days previously while on the summit of the ridge between Clearwater and Summit Creek, it was deemed advisable to continue our survey along the crest of the mountain as far as the so-called Carlton Pass.

From a point near the summit of the White Pass we therefore ran a meander line along the crest of the main range, noting the distance and elevation of various points. General course of line N. 10* W.

At a distance of 8 miles we reached a point near the old Packwood or Cowlitz trail, which Mr. Packwood described as being the Cowlitz Pass. Near this place and within a half mile of each other I found the point shown me by Longmire in March 1878 as being on the Carlton Survey, and also the initial point established by Mr. White in his survey made the same season. The elevation of the point was ascertained to be 4863 ft.

Continuing the survey 3 miles further to the Northward we found a gap in the dividing ridge which had an elevation of but 4170 ft. or 693 ft. lower than the Cowlitz Pass. The location of this point corresponded with the description given by Packwood of the place there the Carlton survey crossed the summit. The Pass is but a narrow opening through the ridge and is not easily discovered when at any distance to the South.

This depression in the range, as I am informed, was discovered by Mr. Carlton at the time of making his survey in 1867 and hence may properly be called the Carton Pass.

The survey made by Mr. White in 1878 showed that it was impracticable to descend to the Westward from the Cowlitz Pass, using a maximum grade. Notwithstanding that the Carlton Pass is found to be so much lower I think it will be found to be equally impracticable to descend from that summit to the level of the Cowlitz Valley opposite the mouth of the Muddy, but did not make a survey to ascertain the exact distance which could be developed.

The whole length of such a line would fall upon the mountain slopes as in the case of the line to White Pass, and although in this instance the slopes are in some respects more favorable yet very heavy work would be required. Solid rock cliffs would be encountered near the summit and one or

more short tunnels would undoubtedly be necessary. After the completion of the survey to Carlton Pass I made a barometrical reconnaisance to the North-west; following the crest of the range to the base of Mt. Rainier at the head of the main Cowlitz, but at no point did I find the elevation of the summit to be less than 5000 ft. Returning I descended the valley of the Cowlitz and rejoined my party at the mouth of the Clearwater. This upper portion of the Cowlitz Valley is several hundred yards wide in its broadest part, and within 1 ½ miles of the summit has an elevation of but 3360 ft. During the time we were on the summit of the main range July 17-28th the average depth of the snow was from 3 to 6 ft. A few of the most exposed points were entirely bare.

The indications are that in some places during the winter the snow had reached a depth of from 12 to 15 ft. The surveys so far made indicate the impracticability of a line reaching the summit of any of the Passes mentioned by starting from the Cowlitz Valley at the mouth of the Muddy Fork. But if the line should follow the route via Nisqually and the Bear Prairie summit then I think the crossing of the Muddy could be effected at a point some distance from its mouth and having from two to three hundred feet greater elevation than our present crossing. Should this be done it might be possible to develop a considerable length of line by ascending the valley of the Muddy and also the main Cowlitz, the upper course of both of these streams being more favorable than near their mouth.

In the event that sufficient distance could be developed to take the line into the upper part of the Cowlitz Valley two courses would be open, one to seek to ascend to the Carlton Pass by turning to the South along the ridge on the East side of the Cowlitz to a point near the mouth of Summit Creek and thence turning to the N. E. ascending that stream to the summit of Carlton Pass but this would require the line to be suspended upon the steep mountain sides for a long distance, and hence would be a very difficult and expensive piece of work.

Also, further examinations on the East side of the range, near the head of the Cowlitz and North Fork of Bumping River might develop the fact that a low valley was to be found on the East to correspond with the Cowlitz Valley on the West, and that the two might be connected by a tunnel, but it would probably have to be at least two miles in length. Either route mentioned above would necessitate very heavy work, and your attention has been called to them simply because they seem to promise the most favorable opening of any in that region and under some circumstance might possibly be made available.

I have prepared a sketch map showing the lines surveyed by my party this summer and their connection with former surveys. On the map I have marked the elevation of various points, taken by barometer and level and which will enable you to judge of the grades necessary to reach the various Passes. Leaving our camp on Clearwater July 31st we started on our return to New Tacoma and reached our destination August 10th having been engaged two months and ten days in the prosecution of our work.

Yours Respectfully,

D. D. Clarke,

Asst. Engr.

ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH

The Easter of 1936, Mr. and Mrs. Pringle, their son and Orville Danielson came from Ryderwood, Washington and held services in the old Lewis Hall, then used for a school. There was a good crowd. Orville Danielson and the young Mr. Pringle held services outside of the building for the small children. They sang choruses and had Sunday School. Mrs. Pringle taught the Bible Class in the hall.

Later, in May of the same year, the three young men, John Turner, Orville Danielson and Mr. Pringle came and held a series of meetings. Out of these meetings sprang the Full Gospel Church of Packwood. Reverend John Turner and family stayed on and was our Pastor for six years.

Reverend Turner had not been here long until the Lewis Hall burned. Church was then held in first one place and then another.

After a few months, R. A. Neeley purchased a lot from August Snyder and gave it for a church. Trees were given by Mrs. John Snyder and felled by Tom Lyda and John Turner. Ruben Gilleland came from Centralia and hauled them to Kerr's Mill, now Packwood Lumber Company, where they were sawed into lumber. Sam Easter did the loading of the logs. Lee Morris hauled the first load of lumber onto the Church site.

The church was built under the supervision of A. V. Hanson, with members of the Church helping with the building.

March 3rd, 1941 this Church was affiliated with the General Council of the Assemblies of God.

Today we have a nice parsonage and want to add on to the front of our Church building.

Mrs. A. V. Hanson

THE KERR BROTHERS

In 1932 Wesley P. Kerr and Henry L. Kerr, known as Kerr Bros. Logging Company, finished cutting a timber claim at Winlock, Washington. They heard of electric wiring work at the Packwood
C. C. C. Camp and came up to do the job, which lasted about three weeks. While they were here, Henry met Sherman Combs and they discussed the possibility of a power plant for the town of Packwood.

Wesley and Henry decided to build a power plant and Sherman turned a water right over to them. They figured they had enough power to run a small sawmill so they moved their families to Packwood in June 1934 and began building pipe lines and power house. The high water stopped them in November 1934 so they put in a Diesel plant for that winter. The purchase of a 25 K.W. plant started them furnishing Packwood with its first electricity. They had many difficulties, but the people of Packwood had lots of patience so they got along the first winter and spring.

In May 1935 they finished their first power plant - it put out 100-h.p.

In June 1935 they started their sawmill and received an order for timbers for the Laughing Water Creek Bridge in the Rainier National Park. At that time, they were paying $3.50 and $4.00 per day for labor and $1.50 per M for stumpage. They received $14.00 for timbers delivered to the bridge. Veneer blocks were worth $8.00, $11.00 and $14.00 per M delivered in Tacoma.

As time went by, conditions improved, Packwood began to grow and they installed the second power plant - 100 K.W., which took 5300 feet of 16" pipe down to 8". Kerr Bros. operated the sawmill and power plant for nine years. In July 1944 they sold their business to Paul Billings, Uno Ostrom and J. W. Russell and it became known as Packwood Lumber Company.

Henry roved to Brookings, Oregon and continued in the lumber business.

Wesley bought the Bivins Ranch and raises Hereford cattle. Their children were educated in the Packwood Grade School and at Randle High School.

AN OUTLINE OF THE PACK & SADDLE
HORSE BUSINESS 1923 - 54

In the year 1923 Howard Anderson bought William (Bill) Blankenship's interest in the pack and saddle horse business. Bill was associated with Sherman Combs. The outfit consisted of approximately twenty five horses and mules. Some Forest Service packing was done and provisions were packed into the Packwood Lake Resort, operated at that time by Mr. and Mrs. H. O. Higgins, who had the concession there.

The improved road ended at the Packwood Hotel and a road of sorts extended to the Mann place one-half mile southwest of Coal Creek. The trail to the Hot Springs continued from the road's end and all supplies were packed from this point by horses or mules.

Between 1925 - 35 packing was done for the Bureau of Public Roads for the location of the West Side Highway in Mt. Rainier National Park, and for the White Pass and Cayuse Pass locations. This included reconnaissance trips, moving camps in and out and supplying established camps.

Packing for the construction companies followed, while the roads were being built; A. C. Greenwood on the West Side Highway, Grays Harbor Construction Co. on the Chinook Pass and Lucich & Co. on the Stevens Canyon.

In 1929 the Shriner Peak fire broke out and Anderson and Combs furnished horses for this fire, which lasted about three months.

In 1932 there were many trail locations and land survey parties. The pack horse business grew until the company owned one hundred horses.

This stock was wintered around Roy, in the prairie country near Fort Lewis. They were driven down on the highway, taking approximately three days. In the spring a round-up was conducted by Anderson and Combs and many other noted pack and saddle horse men, Dick Williams, Heinie Loss, Frank Morgan and the Bennett brothers. These men are all part of the colorful past which is now vanishing. They all, at sometime or another, furnished pack and saddle stock around Mt. Rainier in different locations. They were all colorful characters.

In 1932 or 33 Anderson and Combs packed the Mountaineer Club on a three week trip around Mt. Rainier. There were sixty people in the party and the trip required five packers and guides.

The C.C.C. Camps were established around the mountain in the early thirties. These camps took about sixty head of horses a season to pack supplies and equipment.

THE GREEDY HIAQUA HUNTER

(It is through such typical Indian legends as that of the Greedy Hiaqua Hunter that we learn how large a place the great mountain (Rainier) filled in the thought of the aboriginees. This myth also explains why an Indian could never be persuaded to make the ascent, farther than the snow line.)

The hero of the Hiaqua Myth is the Indian Rip Van Hinkle. Crazy for hiaqua, or shell money, and persuaded by Moosmoos, the elk divinity, his own totem, that on top of the mountain he would find great store of it, he climbed to the summit. Here he found three big rocks, one of which looked like his friendly Moosmoos. Overturning this after long digging, he uncovered many strings of hiaqua--enough to make him the richest of men. But he meanly seized it all, leaving no thank-offering to the tamahnawas (sorcerers) powers. Thereupon the whole earth shook with a mighty convulsion and the Mountain shot forth terrible fires and poured streams of water (lava?) down its sides.

Panic-stricken at the results of his greed, the man threw down his load of treasure to propitiate the angry deity; and then fell on the ground and entered the land of sleep. Long, long after, he awoke to find himself far from the summit, in a pleasant country of beautiful meadows, carpeted with flowers, and musical with the song of birds. He had grown very old, with snow-white hair falling to his shoulders. Recognizing the scene about him as Saghalie Illahe (Paradise Valley), he sought his old tent. It was where he had left it, and there too was his "klootchman," or wife, grown old, like himself. Back they went to their home on the bank of the Cowlitz, where they spent the rest of their days in great honor. For his tribesmen recognized that the aged Indian's heart had been marvelously softened and his mind enriched by his experience upon the mountain. Thus he became the most respected of all the tamahnawas (sorcerer) men of his time.

THE COWLITZ PASS COUNTRY

The Cowlitz Pass Country, in the early days known as "The Summit", is about four or five miles wide and six or eight miles in length along the summit of the Cascade Mountains.

This terrain is a large rolling plateau with protruding ridges and high peaks and is covered with scattering clumps of alpine timber and many varieties of shrubs, heather and under brush. These are filled in with various sized meadows teeming with different varieties of flowers from early spring till late fall. There are also numerous lakes varying from a few feet across to several hundred acres. From some of the high peaks it is possible to see over 100 lakes. Some of the larger ones are Twin Lakes, Frying Pan, Dumbbell, Fish, Cramer, Bush and numerous others which were planted with fish and furnish excellent fishing today.

It was one of the favorite haunts for the early pioneers as well as the newcomers. Both the old and young went there for recreation, hunting, trapping and prospecting. In later years there were many bands of sheep and cattle ranged on this area in the summer months.

This "play ground" was accessible from the West side by way of the "Old Indian Trail" which came through Packwood (Lewis or Sulphur Springs) going up the Cowlitz River, crossing Clear Fork and continuing up Summit Creek past the Davis Coal Mines and Soda Springs (Tumac Springs) to the old land mark known as "The Signboard Tree". There were several trails from the East side leading through Tieton Basin and up the south fork of the Tieton River past what is now Rimrock Lake and the old Russell Ranch, crossing Indian Creek and up Sand Ridge to Cowlitz Pass.

There were prospectors from both the East and West sides of the mountains in great numbers. There were numerous mines of copper, lead and zinc and some gold prospects. One of the better mines was the Black Jack which was located on Miner's Ridge near Twin Lakes. This mine was worked extensively for several years, several tunnels were driven and one shaft was over 100 feet deep. All machinery and supplies were packed in on horses. At one time the several partners were offered $125,000.00 but refused to sell. Since the shaft filled with water there has been only a little assessment work done however, there is still much evidence of the old mine. When it was operating there were two bunk houses, a cook house, office and blacksmith shop all well constructed of peeled logs. All furniture, tables, chairs, etc., were made from lumber sawed by hand with a "whip saw". These cabins were used for years by trappers, hunters, tourists and the Forest Service, finally either being burned or rotting away. Some of the other mines that were extensively worked were the Green Horn, Black Bear, King Solomon and Copper City.

This was a trapper's paradise. The fur bearing animals were martin, mink, weasel, foxes, bobcats and cougars and occasionally a fisher, linx cat, or wolverine and a few wolves. Later coyotes became abundant. Often the trappers came out in the spring with over 100 martin skins besides all their other catch.

Hunting has always been very good in the high country. Black bear and black-tail deer have always been plentiful and in the more recent years mule deer moved in. Elk were planted on the east side and they moved to the summit in summer months.

THE VALLEY DEVELOPMENT COMPANY

Rhodes "Water Right" Green, the "Mystery Man" came to the valley about 1906. People knew very little of Mr. Green, from where he came or where he went on his trips away from the valley. Not only was he a civil and mining engineer, but he was well versed on water power, timber, farming or most any subject. He could talk to a stranger for a short while and have a good idea of his life history but, regardless of the length of time anyone knew him, there was very little they could learn of his past. He was the promoter of the Valley Development Company.

The intention of the company was to start construction on a power plant and sell it to the city of Tacoma. Their plan was to build a 100 ft. dam at the mouth of Packwood Lake which would back the water up about 5 miles. Summit Creek, Cortright, Clear Fork and Coal Creek were to be flumed or piped in to the lake for storage. There was to have been a tunnel from Packwood Lake through Snyder Mountain to a point about 1800 feet in elevation above Packwood. The water was to be flumed through this tunnel then into a penstock to the power plant at the base of the mountain just back of the August Snyder homestead. Johnson Creek was to be flumed around the mountain to Snyder Lake and brought down to the power plant in a separate plant.

In 1906 they started reading gauges daily and taking stream measurements on all streams from Clear Fork to Johnson Creek, including the Cowlitz River. Charlie Hall, Jr. read these gauges from l906 until 1913, making the trip on horseback.

In 1907 the company started preliminary surveys for a dam site at Packwood Lake and for pipelines from the creeks into the lake. The survey camps were moved by pack horses, and the first packer was C. A. - Clark Allen - Huntington. The job was later taken over by his son, W. A. Huntington, who finished the year of 1907 and 1908. The packing job was then taken over by Walter Stephenson.

Early in the spring of 1910 the company employed Walter Combs as foreman to clear ground and construct a camp for the crew that came in later that year. The location of this camp was on part of August Snyder's place, where the Howard Anderson home is now located.

In the spring of that same year, the post office, Sulphur Springs, was moved to the Combs place. It retained this name until November 4, 1910, when the name was changed to Lewis in honor of Mr. Lewis, the President of the Valley Development Company.

The V. D. Company
(continued)

In the year 1909, John Snyder was given a contract by Mr. Green to rebuild the last four miles of the Packwood Lake Trail, thus eliminating the part of the old trail that went over the top of Snyder Mountain.

Construction of the project started in the spring of 1910. There were about 125 men employed the entire summer. The working men were housed and fed at the company camp while the superintendent, foremen, engineers and bookkeepers all lived in tents with their families. These tent camps were located on the hill approximately where the Sam Newkirk lots are.

The road was constructed around the foot of the hill to the place where the power house was built. A ten-inch pipe line was put in on Snyder Creek and a temporary power plant was installed. The purpose of this plant was to provide lights for the camp and power for operating the cars which were to transport material and equipment up the hill on the tramway.

All machinery and equipment was freighted in from Morton by team and wagon, requiring four days to make a round trip. In those days, teamsters took pride in having good, well-matched teams and there was a great deal of friendly rivalry over who had the best looking and best pulling team. At times there were as many as six or eight wagons to a train, with two, four, and even some six horse teams.

A narrow gauge railroad was constructed from the power house to the head of the penstock, a distance of about 1 ¼ miles with a rise in elevation of approximately 1800 feet. All ties were hand hewn. In places the grade was fairly level, while in some parts the grade was as much as 78%. The work was all done by hand. The rails were laid from the bottom up as the grade was finished and a car was pulled up by hand with tools, powder, etc. A considerable amount of this construction was in solid rock. All drilling was done by hand. Powder and drill steel were packed in by horses or tram car and taken as close as possible to the construction area. It required about four men to carry powder and drill steel for each two men drilling the rock. This tram road was to be used to haul supplies and machinery to the top of the hill during construction of the power plant. Later the railroad would be removed and the penstock pipe placed on the grade. Work on the first couple of miles of flume line was done from the base camp.

There was another camp located at Packwood Lake, all supplies and equipment being packed in on pack horses. There was a cook house, two bunk houses and an office building, all built of peeled logs. These buildings were old land

The V. D. Company
(Continued)

marks for years, later being used by the U. S. Forest Service and State Fisheries Department. At the mouth of the lake they drove several test holes looking for bed rock for foundation for the dam. The lake had been formed by part of the mountain sliding in from the south side and on this side of the creek they were unable to find bed rock, though some of the test holes were 70 feet deep. From the lake they also worked on the upper part of the flume line from Packwood Lake to the head of the penstock.

In addition to the construction of a Packwood Lake Power Plant, Mr. Green envisioned and proposed construction of a hydro-electric power plant at Backbone Lake utilizing the waters of the Chanapecosh and the Muddy Fork of the Cowlitz River. The survey for the flume lines carrying the water from the two streams to Backbone Lake, the survey for the dam at the lake, and the survey for the penstock from the dam at the proposed power plant, which would have been located on the opposite side of the Cowlitz River from La Wis Wis Park, were made in the late autumn of 1908. This was done immediately after completion of the Summit Creek to Packwood Lake flume line survey which was made by W. W. Morse, locating Engineer for the Valley Development Co. Mr. Morse was later City Engineer for Portland, Oregon, for quite a number of years until his death. Shortly after these surveys were completed, a railroad construction company, known as the North Coast Railroad, sensed the possibility that they might need to develop this power site in case they decided to electrify some railroad which they might build over the Cascades from east to west. They consequently made a set of surveys similar to the ones made by the Valley Development Company at Backbone Lake and filed water rights on the same streams as well as doing a small amount of construction on the grade for the flume line from the Muddy Fork to Backbone Lake. The conflicting claims of the two companies threw the whole deal in litigation for several years and, in the meantime, the railroad company, after making very exhaustive investigations of the several mountain passes and different routes, decided against building a railroad at that time and relinquished their claim to the site and the Valley Development Company, for one reason or another, decided the project was not feasible nor practical and so dropped out of that part of the picture.

1910 was a big year for Packwood (then Lewis). There was plenty of work for everybody, the stores, hotel and post office all did a thriving business and there was a good market for all farm produce. The Snyders sold all their hay and rented pasture to the company for their horses. Charles I. Hall, Sur. And C. A. Huntington started a meat market to supply the camps and community. The Snyders

The V. D. Company
(Continued)

furnished the beef, which was running wild on the open land. The butchers hunted them down more or lees like wild animals, drove them to a barn or pasture, if possible, or, if not, they shot them with a rifle in the woods near a road or trail then butchered them on the spot and later brought the meat in by wagon or pack horse.

August Snyder and Hugo Huhnhausen subdivided ten acres and laid out the townsite of Lewis. The townsite was laid out with the two main streets 80 feet wide; now some of the residents are trying to get them narrowed to 60 feet.

When operations closed down in the fall of 1910, there was a good camp established, the tram road was practically finished, the temporary power plant in and working, hoist house built and hoist installed at the head of tram, transmission line in along tramway, grade for flume line partially completed, camp established at Packwood lake and considerable amounts of work done on test shafts at a total expense of approximately $225,000. In fact, most of the preliminary work was pretty well completed and the intention was to come back the following year to start on the main construction. The estimated cost of the completed plant was $7,000,000.

The following spring, in anticipation of the work starting, a number of the laborers came in early. They were practically all broke, with nothing to eat and nowhere to stay. These laborers were mostly foreigners and the residents were a little afraid they would cause trouble if they didn't get something to eat. Eventually they moved into the cook house and one bunk house. The merchants furnished some groceries and the women of the community baked bread and sent it over to them. The men went out to the last year's gardens and gathered any potatoes or other vegetables that were left and so managed to get by. Eventually one of the head men of the company came in and informed the laborers there would be no work until the following year, so they left, pretty badly discouraged, but the local residents were quite relieved when they were gone.

There was no further construction work until 1912, when they worked a small crew on the flume lines and the test holes at Packwood lake, but by this time the City of Tacoma officials had decided that the Project was not feasible. Since the company had spent all of their available finances, the construction work was then discontinued but they kept a couple of men on the job for several years. August Slenkaup and John Peteranick were watchmen at the lake one winter, then Mr. Jennings was watchman and Charlie Hall read the gauges until they put in automatic gauges, which had to be read

The V. D. Company
(Continued)

only once a week. Finally the two jobs were combined and Asa Combs stayed at Lewis and read the gauges weekly, going to Packwood Lake at least once a week to read the gauges there and look after the camp.

Around 1920 they dismantled the power plant, tore up the pipe line and shipped everything to Portland. A few years later they took up all the rails, removed the power line and shipped them to Portland. At this time they discontinued reading gauges and laid off the watchman, and nothing has been done by this company since then.

******

OHANAPECOSH

The Indian name Ohanapecosh has several meanings, some of them being "Oh Look!" or "Looking down on something beautiful", Or "Magnificent!"

The original Ohanapecosh, named by the Indians, was not the hot springs - it was what is now known by the white men as "the blue hole", located on the main fork of the Cowlitz River - now Ohanapecosh River - a short distance about the intersection of Clear Fork. Later the Hot Springs adopted that name and finally the stream, heading in a glacier on Mt. Rainier, and continuing to its junction with Clear Fork was given the name Ohanapecosh by the National Park Service. Also, a glacier and a small section of the Park have the same name.

The first white men to lay eyes on the Ohanapecosh Hot Springs were “Water Right” Green and John Snyder, in the year 1906, on one of their numerous exploration trips. At this time the springs were located in the Rainier – now Gifford Pinchot – National Forest, but later the Rainier National Park was enlarged to take in the Hot Springs and surrounding country.

Although Mr. Green failed to get a government lease on the springs he did do a considerable amount of assessment work. He built a trail from the Cowlitz Pass Trail to the Hot Springs, a distance of about 4 miles; also, he built a one-room cabin and dug a bath hole about 6 x 10 feet and about 5 feet deep which were used by the public for several years. A ladder was used for getting in and out of the bath hole. Usually the people would enter very slowly as the water has a temperature of about 120°. At first, all bathing was done right out in the wide open spaces, but soon women as well as men were taking the baths and a house was built over the springs for their benefit. Also, different hours were established for men and women to use the spring until a separate bath house was built for the women.

OHANAPECOSH
(Continued)

Before the road was built, some people walked, and some rode on horseback, while others were packed in on stretchers to take advantage of the mineral bath. On one occasion, a man with rheumatism was packed in on a stretcher from Packwood (Lewis) a distance of about 14 miles by trail. It took 8 men, taking turns two men carrying at a time, one and a half days to make the trip. To get him into the bath hole he was strapped to the stretcher and lowered by hand. He took the baths for about a month, being attended by a special nurse, then was able to ride out to Lewis. Later he returned and stayed another six weeks and at that time was able to walk out and resume his work.

The springs became so popular that in the summer months there was seldom a day but a pack string would be packing in supplies or packing a party in or out from the springs. Frequently there were several pack strings coming and going on the same days. Until the road was built several years later, all supplies and building material, including lumber, pipes, bath tubs, etc., were taken in on pack horses or mules.

Dr. Bridges obtained a lease from the Government to put in a bath house and cabins. This has brown into a resort, consisting of a hotel, store, bath house and several cabins. There is also a Ranger Station and public camp ground, owned and maintained by the National Park Service.

Soon after the U. S. Forest Service built a road to the Clear Fork Crossing in 1926, Dr Bridges let a contract for the widening of the trail so it was possible for cars to drive to the springs. This was only a one-way road with occasional turnouts. The road was so steep in places there had to be put in what was called "back ups". The contract price for this road was 10¢ per running foot and was raid for by Dr. Bridges personally. A portable saw mill was moved in and timbers and lumber for buildings was sawed near the camp.

In 1932 the State Highway Department built the road from the Y - 8 miles east of Packwood - to the Park boundary. From there the B.P.R. continued the east side highway past the Hot Springs to Cayuse Pass, there connecting with the Chinook Pass Highway. There is also a road under construction through Stevens Canyon connecting the East Side Highway and the Paradise Highway.

PACKWOOD LAKE

Packwood Lake lies about six miles east of Packwood, directly behind Snyder Mountain and near the foot of the Goat Rocks. It is at an elevation of about 2800 feet and is approximately one and one-half miles long and about one-half mile wide. It is reported that at places the depth is unknown. There is about a one-half acre island near the outlet. Looking east from the outlet one gets a good view of the lake with the island in the foreground and the Goat Rocks in the background. From the head of the lake looking west one gets a good view of the lake with Mt. Rainier in the background.

This lake was named after William Packwood who discovered it in the early days. There are falls in the outlet - Lake Creek - which are impossible for fish to ascend so the origin of the Rainbow trout which thrive there so abundantly is a mystery.

The Indians built the first trail to the Lake but it was used very little by them. At one time an Indian woman drowned in the lake. Late in the fall the Indians heard loons screaming at the head of the lake (there are large flocks of ducks, geese, swan and loons which land on the lake in the fall of the year) and thought that it was her spirit returning to this world. On account of this superstition the Indians never returned to the lake. This was the first trail used by early settlers. Later it was rebuilt by the Valley Development Company and again by the U. S. Forest Service.

This was one of the places that had a lot of attraction for the pioneers and all who have come later. They went there for recreation and pleasure as well as to catch large amounts of fish, which they either smoked there or brought home fresh. In the spring the fish would run up the inlets to spawn and in places they were so thick it was impossible to see the bottom of the creek bed. There being no game laws at that time, people would often build a V-shaped dam at some wide, shallow place in the stream and place a sack at an opening of the V. Then the fish were scared down the creek and taken out by the sack full. Many fish have been caught with the bare hands. This was done when the fish were hiding under a log or under the creek bank.

Packwood Lake and vicinity - including Goat Rocks and Lost Lake Country - became very popular for scenic trips as well as for its wonderful rainbow trout. People from all over the northwest came to fish and take pack trips through the mountains.

Until 1921 the only camping facilities was a public camp ground maintained by the U. S. Forest Service. At this time Mr. and Mrs. Higgins established a camp hotel to accomodate the fishermen. They also had boats for rent - no motors allowed. This was also headquarters for the U. S. Forest Service and the State Fish Hatchery men as well as sight seers and tourists on their way to the Goat Rocks.

Until recently the only way into the lake was by foot or on horseback. Now seaplanes are flying in and landing on the lake. Formerly all supplies and equipment, stoves, springs, mattresses, washing machine, as well as boats were packed in on pack horses. There was one mule "Old Jack" which was used especially for packing boats. After a boat was turned upside

IMPORTANT DATES

1854 -- Packwood and Longmire discovered the Upper Big Bottom

1869 -- Packwood discovered coal on Coal and Lake Creeks

1878 - 80 N. P. Surveys

1883 -- Davis family settled

1887 -- John Blankenship family settled

1889 -- August and John Snyder settled

1890 -- Cora Post Office established

1890 -- Sulphur Springs Post Office established - John Blankenship place

1890 -- Hall family settled

1890 -- Owens fanny settled

1891 -- Sethe fanny settled

1891 -- Law passed giving President authority to establish Forest Reserves

1897 -- Sulphur Springs Post Office moved to Bivin place

1897 -- Rainier National Forest established

1902 -- Sulphur Springs Post Office moved to Hall place

1905 -- Ohanapecosh Hot Springs discovered

1905 -- Ferry built at Cora

1906 -- Act of June 11, 1906 permitting homesteads inside Nat. Forests

1906 -- Huntingtons settled

1906 - 09 N. C. Surveys

1906 - 10 V. D. Company

1907 -- Combs family settled

1910 -- Town site of Lewis

1910 -- Sulphur Springs Post Office moved to Lewis--changed name to Lewis

1910 -- Ferry built above Lewis

1911 -- First sawmill

1912 - School District #214 established

1912 -- Community Hall and Hotel built

1913 -- Lewis, Pioneer and school across the river built.

1913 - l4 Suspension bridge above Lewis built

1914 - Land opening

1917 -- Flag Pole raising on Registration Day

1922 - Construction started on White Pass Road at Randle

1923 - Ranger Station moved to Lewis

1924 -- Ohanapecosh road made passable for cars.

1926 -- Clear Fork Hatchery built

1929 -- White Pass Highway completed to Lewis

1926 - 34 Fish planting

1930 -- Post Office changed from Lewis to Packwood

1932 -- Construction on White Pass Highway commenced by State from eastside

1933 -- C. C. C. Camp constructed

1933 -- Rainier Forest dissolved--Columbia Forest enlarged to include Packwood.

1934 -- Construction of roads and bridges by C. C. C.

1934 -- Kerr Bros. mill and lights

1935 -- Water system installed

1937 - 38 New school house

1940 -- Highway completed to Cayuse Pass

1941 -- World War II - Road contracts cancelled

1942 -- Housing project

1944 -- Packwood Lumber changed hands

1945 -- Road Construction resumed

1946 -- Anderson Air Port constructed

1951 -- White Pass Highway completed.

1945 - 54 Timber sales from Forest Lands

1949 -- Columbia National Forest changed name to Gifford Pinchot National
Forest.

Following are explanations of terms used by the pioneers or early settlers:

"Outside" or "going out" -- Taking a trip away from the valley.

"Coming in" -- Coming to the valley.

"Me lun-um, me lose pish" -- He run and me lose fish.

"Squatters" -- People who settled on unsurveyed land.

"Squatter's rights" -- Rights allowed by the Government to settle on
unsurveyed land.

"Taken up" -- When a homestead was filed on.

"Proved up"                --   When they had lived the required time and had
                                cleared sufficient ground the homesteader was
                                issued a patent.

"Settled up" -- When a large portion of land had been
homesteaded.

"Land opening" -- When a portion of the Forest Service land was
made available to homesteading.

"Land Rush" -- A race for land opened for homesteading by the
U. S. D. I. in the spring of 1914.

"Dug-out canoe"            --   Canoe was made from a cedar log by chopping and
                                digging out the center and shaping the outside
                                with an ax.

"Shingle bolt drive" -- Shingle bolts were floated down the river to a
designated place.

"Drove" -- Floated.

"Big Bottom Suit Case" -- A flour sack used for carrying personal
belongings.

"Fry" -- Recently hatched fish.

“Gypo” -- Small logging operator.

"Hacks" -- A heavy buggy or light spring wagon.

"Pack string" -- Several pack animals which were used for moving
camps or packing supplies.

"Pack Outfit" -- (1) Pack saddle, pack bags and saddle blanket
for one horse.

(2) A complete pack and saddle horse business.