The City of Walla Walla was originally incorporated by an act of the Territorial Legislature, passed on January 11, 1862. By the provisions of said act the city embraced within its limits the south half of the southwest quarter of section 20, township 7 north, range 36 east, of the Willamette meridian. The charter made provision also for the election, on the first Tuesday in April of each year, of a mayor, recorder, five councilmen, marshal, assessor, treasurer and surveyor, all vacancies, save in the offices of mayor and recorder, to be filled by appointment by the council, which was also given the power of appointing a clerk and city attorney. No salary was to attach to the offices of mayor or councilman until the population of the city had reached one thousand individuals, when the stipend awarded these officers was to be fixed by an ordinance enacted by the council. The charter designated the following officers to serve until the first regular election under said charter: Mayor, B. P. Standefer; recorder, James Galbreath; councilmen, H. C. Coulson, B. F. Stone, E. B. Whitman, D. S. Baker, and M. Schwabacher; marshal, George H. Porter. The council assembled on the 1st of March to perfect its organization, when it developed that Mr. Schwabacher was ineligible for office, as was also Mr. Coulson, who proved to be a non-resident. Mr. Stone presiding, the council proceeded to fill the two vacancies by balloting, and James McAuliff and George E. Cole thus became members of the council, S. F. Ledyard being appointed clerk. The council again met, pursuant to adjournment, on the 4th of the same month, when Mr. Cole was chosen chairman; Edward Nugent, city attorney; and Messrs. McAuliff, Whitman and Stone were appointed to prepare a code of rules for the government of the council.
Four hundred and twenty-two votes were cast at the first election, held April 1, 1862, the following being the result: Mayor, E. B. Whitman; councilmen, J. F. Abbott, R. Jacobs, I. T. Reese, B. F. Stone and B. Sheideman; recorder, W. P. Horton; marshal, George H. Porter; attorney, Edward Nugent; assessor, L. W. Greenwell; treasurer, E. E. Kelly; surveyor, A. I. Chapman; clerk, S. F. Ledyard. On the 11th of April, W. Phillips was appointed councilman in place of J. F. Abbott, while in the succeeding year it appears that H. Hellmuth had been appointed in the place of B. F. Stone. The recorder resigned in January, 1863, his successor, J. W. Barry, being chosen at a special election held on the last day of that month. H. B. Lane succeeded Mr. Greenwell as assessor; on April 11, 1862, Henry Howard was appointed treasurer, and W. W. DeLacy, surveyor, while in January, 1863, H. B. Lane was noted as clerk. The city revenue for the first six months aggregated $4,283.25, of which sum liquor and gaming licenses contributed $1,875. When it is remembered that this was at the height of the gold excitement, this last item may be well understood.
During the last quarter of the year the revenue of the new city was $2,714.19, but so large were the expenditures that the opening of the year 1863 found in the treasury a balance of less than five dollars. The value of property in the city was assessed in 1862 at $300,000, the succeeding year witnessing the increase of the same to $500,000.
Such may be regarded as the establishment of Walla Walla City up to the time of incorporation. During the period from January 19, 1859, the appointment by the Legislature of the Territory of officers for the county, down to the date of the incorporation of the city, the county organization had been launched after the typical American fashion. The two only absolutely sure things in this world—death and taxes—were established. It is certain that there were deaths in that time, and at the meeting of the county commissioners on May 7, 1860, a tax levy of seven mills was voted. At the same meeting the county was redivided into voting precincts for the coming election in July. It gives some conception of the points of the beginnings of settlements to note that the precincts were as follows: Walla Walla, Dry Creek, Snake River, East Touchet, and West Touchet. Coppei Creek was the dividing line between the two last-named precincts. The following extract from Colonel Gilbert's "Historic Sketches" will give a view of conditions:
"At this election the question of whether a tax for building a courthouse and jail should be levied, was submitted to the people, and though, as before stated, no returns are on file, a negative vote is indicated from the fact that neither were built at that time, prisoners being sent to Fort Vancouver for incarceration. From their official bonds it appears that the following named were the successful aspirants for office at the election of July, 1860:
Auditor and Recorder—James Galbreath.
Sheriff—James A. Buckley.
Surveyor—M. J. Noyse.
Assessor—C. Langley.
Coroner—Almiron Dagget.
Justice of Peace, Walla Walla—William J. Horton.
Justice of Peace, Dry Creek—John Sheets.
Justice of Peace, East Touchet—Horace Strong.
Justice of Peace, West Touchet—Elisha Everetts.
Justice of Peace, —— —— —William B. Kelly.
"No footprint of transactions coming under supervision of the board while this set of officers were acting, prior to October 12, 1861, remains, and we are forced to skip the intervening time, and commence again with the latter date. A county election had occurred in July, 1861, and W. H. Patton, S. Maxson and John Sheets appear at this time as the board of commissioners. November 5th, Sheriff James Buckley, who was ex officio tax collector, was appointed county assessor in place of S. Owens, who, having been elected in 1861, failed to qualify. On the 8th of the same month a contract was given Charles Russell to build a county jail at a cost of $3,350. He finished the work in 1862, was paid $6,700 in script for it, and in 1881 re-purchased the same building from the county for $120, and, tearing it down, moved it out to his ranch.
CONDITION OF THE COUNTY IN 1860
"Up to 1861, there had been nothing of special moment, calculated for inducing emigration to settle in the vicinity of the Blue Mountains. There was unoccupied land enough in various parts of the United States to prevent its soil from being much of an inducement, and, at that time the agricultural portion of Eastern Washington was supposed to exist in limited quantities. There was, practically, no market for farm products, as they would not pay the expense of shipment, and, outside of the garrison, its employes and dependents, there was no one to purchase them; still a few people had found their way into the country from Oregon, in 1859 and 1860, with stock, and had taken up ranches along the various streams. Very few came to locate with a view of establishing a home here, their purpose being to graze stock for a few years and then abandon the country, raising some grain in the meantime for their own use, and possibly a little to sell, if anybody should wish to buy. Had the military post been abandoned in 1860, but few whites would have remained east of the Cascades, and stock raising would have been the only inducement for any one to remain there."
Perhaps in no other way can we give so perfect a view of the Walla Walla of 1861 as by extracts from the first issue of the Washington Statesman. The beginning of the paper was itself one of the most notable events of the time. It was not only the first newspaper in Walla Walla, but the first in the whole vast region between the Missouri and the Cascade Mountains. We are indebted to Dr. Frank Rees for the opportunity to use the priceless treasure of a complete file of the paper for the period from the first number, November 29, 1861, through the remainder of that year and those following. We find at the heading of this paper that it was issued every Friday morning and that N. Northrop, R. D. Smith and R. R. Rees were the editors and proprietors, and that the office was on Main Street, Walla Walla, W. T. The rates of subscription were $5.00 per year, $2.50 for six months, and 25 cents for a single copy.