Lyman's History of old Walla Walla County, Vol. 1 / Embracing Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin counties

by William Denison Lyman

In Judge Miller's paper there is also a most valuable view of the permanent settlements on the Touchet following the close of the wars:

"In 1859 the Indian troubles having ended, the Touchet country was declared safe for settlers. The first to arrive were Indian traders, usually squaw-men, who settled at the different crossings of the old Indian trails and engaged in the business of trading bad whiskey to the Indians for their cayuse ponies. Some of these probably slipped in during the fall of '58, as they were here in the spring of '59 when the first homesteaders arrived looking for locations. Bill Bunton, George Ives and Clubfoot George were at the crossing of Whiskey Creek; Freelon Schnebley, known as 'Stubbs,' and Richard Learn, known as 'Big Red,' at the crossing of the Touchet, where Dayton is located; Bill Rexford was at the crossing of the Patit, and John Turner at Pataha City; these were all bad citizens and all squaw-men except Rexford, and it was generally said among the Indians that he was too mean for a squaw to live with. In addition to these, the following squaw-men, who were much better citizens, were here at that time: Louis Raboin, who lived where the trails crossed the Tucanon, having returned to his old place after the Indian troubles; William and Martin Bailey, who lived with their squaws on what is known as the Rainwater place at the upper end of town, and Joe Ruark, known as 'Kentuck,' who lived with his squaw near the Star schoolhouse. The first real settlers to arrive came in the spring of 1859, most of them from the Willamette Valley, many of them having seen the country while serving as volunteers in the Indian wars. They located claims along the Touchet, laid a foundation of four logs, and posted notices that they had taken the claims, and gone to the valley for their stock, and would return in three months.

THE COURTHOUSE, DAYTON

"As near as I can learn, the only one who remained at that time was Israel Davis, usually known as 'Hogeye' Davis, who settled where the trails left the Hogeye Creek, and raised a small crop that year. This is conceded to be the first crop raised and harvested in the county. Davis was a bachelor, and two years later was killed by the jealous husband of a woman who was cooking for him. The next who came to stay were Sam Gilbreath and his young wife, and John Wells and Tom Davis, both bachelors, who came in August, 1859. Gilbreath took up a homestead and built his first cabin where the trails entered the valley. This would be where the Smith orchard is now located. Tom Davis bought a location from 'Stubbs' and built a cabin in the vicinity of the Railroad Primary; Wells also bought a location from 'Stubbs' and built across the Touchet from the mouth of the Patit. Lambert Hearn and wife came in October, first locating where the Columbia schoolhouse now stands, but afterwards selling out to the Paynes and moving to the Hearn homestead across the Touchet from Dayton.

"Jesse N. Day was among those who located their claims and returned to the valley for their families; he did not return until the fall of 1860. His claim was where the Chandler slaughter house is now located. He looked over the present site of Dayton, but was afraid Chase and LaFontain might return and make him trouble, and located farther down. Many of those who made their locations in the spring came back in the fall and built cabins. The settlers of 1859, traveling from the crossing down the Touchet were as follows: Wells, Davis, Hearn, Gilbreath, John Forsythe at the Angell place, James Dill at Pomona, James Bennett at the Bateman place, Joe Starr at the Starr bridge, Dave Fudge at the Blize place, George Pollard at his present place, John Fudge at Huntsville, and the Whittaker brothers just below, James Fudge on Whiskey Creek below Bunton's, and Israel Davis on the Hogeye.

"They were all bachelors except Gilbreath and Hearn, so that we had two white women in Columbia County at that time, although Dill was a widower and had one boy with him. Those arriving in 1860 were Elisha Ping and family, G. W. Miller and family, my mother and I being the family, Jesse N. Day and family, and three bachelors, Henry B. Day and Jack and Newt Forrest; the Forrests were brothers of Mrs. Day. Miller and Ping settled on their previously located homesteads on the Patit, and Jesse Day on the Touchet; the Forrests had located the Richardson place the year before and settled there, selling out to R. G. Newland in 1861; Henry Day having 320 acres in the valley, was not eligible for a homestead, but engaged in the cattle business.

"The immigration of 1861 was as follows: William Sherry settled on the Patit above Miller; Alexander Montgomery, Albert Woodward and Cyrus Armstrong on the Patit above Rexford; Jonathan Buzzard on the old Cross place in Johnson Hollow, near Dayton; Ambrose Johnson where the trails crossed Johnson Hollow; Tom Whetstone where the trails entered Whetstone Hollow; Amasa West between Stubbs and the Baileys; Uncle Zeke Hobbs between the Baileys and 'Kentuck;' John Winnett and Henry Owsley farther up the Touchet, and Uncle Tom Winnett and his sons, Bill, Dock, Bob and Lew, on Whiskey Creek and the Hogeye. There were three young fellows with the Winnetts, who do not seem to have taken up land at that time; they were Simon Critchfield, Cy Mathew and Fred Yenney. This year the Paynes bought out Hearn at Columbia schoolhouse, and the Forrests sold to R. G. Newland. During this year my father rented the Stubbs place, broke out a portion of the land and fenced it with cottonwood rails made where the Main Street Bridge now crosses the stream.

"The settlers up to this time were stock men, settling along the stream and grazing their stock on the hills in every direction; they raised a little hay and some oats on the fertile bottom lands; the hills were considered of no value except for grazing; wheat was not raised because there was no available market; surplus oats were hauled to Fort Lapwai, but on account of the distance and crude roads this was not very profitable. When the valleys were taken up the growth of the country stopped and the increase in population was very slow."