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

by William Denison Lyman

Although settlement has not been in any way uniform in these four counties and there has been some shingling over from one to another, it may be said that in a general way the movement was from west to east and northeast. While the decade of the '60s was peculiarly the foundation period of Walla Walla and Columbia, that of the '70s may be regarded as peculiarly the pioneer age of Garfield, while that of Asotin may be assigned to the latter part of the '70s and beginning of the '80s.

We find, however, that a few of the foundation builders were already in their permanent homes in Garfield County in the '60s, long prior to the formation of the county. We have already given a list of these first locations, and our main purpose in this chapter is to take up the story with county creation. For the sake of topical clearness, however, it is well to present a summary, even at the expense of a little repetition, of the first settlement of the different regions of what became the permanent Garfield County.

As authority for such precounty history we find a very valuable special number of the East Washingtonian. This is the "First Garfield County Pioneer Edition" of June 6, 1914. This issuance of so elaborate a number of the paper is a great demonstration of the enterprise of the publishers of that paper, as well as of the local ambition of the Pioneer Association of the County, an association which holds an annual two-day session and which has done much to fasten genuine historical and patriotic sentiments in the memory of the people of the county.

COURTHOUSE, POMEROY

From this highly commendable edition of the East Washingtonian we derive the following summary of first events:

SUMMARY OF THE FIRST EVENTS: THE DAWN OF CIVILIZATION IN THIS TERRITORY

The first white persons that ever came through Garfield County were the members of the Lewis and Clark expedition. They arrived at Rigsby's Grove May 3, 1806, and camped for dinner, eating what was left of two dogs they had purchased from the Indians.

The first steamboat passed up Snake River in 1860.