“History of Lincoln County, Washington, 1854-1881” describes the formation and early history of Lincoln County, Washington. The text details the county’s origins as part of larger territories like Walla Walla and Spokane Counties, highlighting the challenges of governing such vast areas with few inhabitants. It recounts the influx of settlers drawn by mining opportunities and the eventual establishment of towns like Sprague and Davenport, emphasizing the ruggedness of pioneer life. The account also covers significant events like the Nez Perce War scare of 1877, the devastating cricket infestation of the early 1880s, and the contentious 1884 county seat election between Sprague and Davenport. Finally, the text touches upon the economic boom and bust cycle that characterized the late 19th century in Lincoln County, leaving readers with a glimpse into the county’s formative years.
Table of Contents
Early County Formations (1854-1883)
The original county formed in eastern Washington was Walla Walla. It was the creation of the first Territorial Legislature of Washington, in 1854. These were its boundaries: Commencing its line on the north bank of the Columbia River, opposite the mouth of the Des Chutes River, in Oregon, and thence running north to the 49th parallel of north latitude, and it comprised all of Washington Territory between this line and the Rocky Mountains, which at that time included what is now northern Idaho and a part of the present state of Montana, in addition to the greater part of the present eastern Washington. The whole of this vast territory then contained less than a dozen American citizens and the creation of Walla Walla County has been spoken of as a “legislative absurdity.”
The officials appointed to jurisdiction over this immense county failed to qualify; the succeeding legislature in 1855 appointed others. In this age of place-hunting and patronage-begging it is interesting to note that none of the gentlemen last appointed seemed to desire the honors or emoluments of public office, and as none of them qualified for their positions the Walla Walla County organization was of merely nominal character as was the case the year previous. But in January, 1859, Walla Walla County was successfully organized. The county seat was located at a small settlement which had sprung up near Mill Creek. Its first name was Steptoeville; then Waiilatpu, and at the first meeting of the commissioners it was given the name of Walla Walla. In 1858 the Territorial Legislature organized the county of Spokane. These were the boundaries: Beginning at the mouth of the Snake River, thence following the river to the 46th parallel; thence east to the crest of the Rocky Mountains; thence following the divide of the Rocky Mountains north to the 49th parallel; thence down the Columbia River to the place of beginning. In the bill, county commissioners and other officials were named, but county organization did not materialize de facto. The following year new officials were named with the result that none qualified. It was a duplication of the Walla Walla organization. In 1860 another “act to create and organize the county of Spokane,” was passed by the Territorial Legislature. County organization was effected — a county comprising about one-third of the state of Washington, and portions of Idaho and Montana. Pinkney City, about three miles from the present town of Colville, Stevens County, was named as the county seat of all this wide expanse of territory.
In January, 1863, the legislature created the county of Stevens, the same being taken from Walla Walla County. It was located at that period entirely west of the Columbia River and along the borders of the British Possessions, and north of the Wenatchee River. March 3, 1863, Congress forced a division of this large county by organizing the Territory of Idaho from the eastern portion of Washington. This greatly reduced the size of the Brobdingnagian Spokane County.
In 1864, by legislative act the county of Spokane ceased to exist, and thenceforth it was known as Stevens County. The county seat remained at Pinkney City, or Fort Colville, these names being interchangeable. Whitman County was cut off in 1871; at that period it included Adams and Franklin counties. October 30, 1879, Spokane County was organized from a part of Stevens County. At that time the area included Spokane, Douglas and Lincoln counties. The boundaries of Spokane County, as created at that time were as follows: Commencing at a point where the section line between sections 21 and 28, in township 14, range 27, Willamette Meridian, Washington Territory, strikes the main body of the Columbia River on the west side of the island; thence west to the mid-channel of the Columbia River; thence up the mid-channel of the Columbia River to the Spokane River; thence up the mid-channel of the Spokane River to the Little Spokane River; thence north to the township line between townships 29 and 30; thence east to the boundary line between Washington and Idaho Territories; thence south on the said boundary line to the fifth standard parallel; thence west on said parallel to the Columbia guide meridian; thence south on said meridian to the fourth standard parallel; thence west on fourth standard parallel to the range line between ranges 27 and 28; thence south on said range line to the section line between sections Nos. 24 and 25, in township 14 north, range 27 east, Willamette Meridian; thence west to the place of beginning.
The Creation of Lincoln County
Within these boundaries were the present counties of Spokane, Lincoln and Douglas, with an area of 8,844 square miles. The legislative session of 1883 changed the map of eastern Washington. In the Big Bend country, with which we have to deal particularly, the four counties which form that country were created ; Lincoln and Douglas from the western portion of Spokane county, and Adams and Franklin from the western part of Whitman county.
We have traced the county formations of eastern Washington so far as they affect Lincoln County. Spokane County, as formed in 1879, remained intact until 1883, when the present Lincoln County was formed. But before proceeding with the creation of the county, let us look into the early settlement before it became a county. All these changes indicated a period of voluminous immigration. The days of the aborigines, the explorers, the fur traders, and the missionaries, which we have glanced at in brief panorama, were merging into those of the agriculturist, the miner, the tradesman, and the scholar, with the soldier on the stage during the brief intervals between acts.
Early Exploration and Settlement (1853-1879)
Previous to the advent of white men, Lincoln County contained an Indian trail extending from east to west. It was considered one of the most popular Indian thoroughfares in eastern Washington. The overnight camping place was the spring where now is located the town of Davenport. Bunch grass was abundant in the neighborhood, and the present site of Davenport was in the nature of an oasis.
Otto Woolweber, residing eight miles north of Reardan, Lincoln County, an enthusiastic delver after data relating to the early history of the West, has in his possession valuable writings and maps, once the property of Governor Isaac Ingalls Stevens’ surveying party which passed through the Territory of Washington in 1853. From this source, we learn that a detachment of this party under Lieutenant Richard Arnold traversed a portion of what is now Lincoln County. From Fort Colville, Lieutenant Arnold followed the Columbia down to the point where Hunter Creek (Paw-W’aw) forms a confluence with that stream. From here he crossed over the ridge toward the Spokane River, camping November 16, 1853, on the north side of this stream where now is located the Detillion Bridge. On the 17th he crossed the Spokane and traversed the Spokane and Columbia bluffs to the Columbia River and that evening camped where Peach, or Orchard Valley is now located. Still following the bluffs down the Columbia, he camped on the 18th near Hellgate and on the evening of the 19th near where Tipso is located. The party entered the Grand Coulee, the altitude at this point registering 1,435 feet, and on the 20th went into camp where now stands Coulee City, Douglas County. At this place, Lieutenant Arnold found the altitude to be 1,642 feet above sea level. They explored and followed the Grand Coulee to the Columbia River, reaching it November 25th. From this point, the party marched to Fort Walla Walla.
So early as 1858, what is now Lincoln County was traversed by a party of miners on their way to the famous Fraser River mines. Hundreds of sanguine, stalwart men passed through the Territory of Washington and up the Okanogan River that year to the newly discovered gold fields, which, at that period, had created the wildest excitement, as did the Klondike country in the 90s. There is substantial evidence that at least one party en route to the Fraser River made its way there via Lincoln County. A company of 350 men and several thousand head of stock left The Dalles, Oregon, bound for Fraser River. They traveled from The Dalles to Walla Walla where government officials were then building the fort. Here the company employed an Indian to guide them to the mouth of the Okanogan River. The guide lost the trail and the mining party struck the Columbia, opposite the mouth of the Sans Poil River. From there they made their way to the Okanogan country. It required a number of days to cross the Columbia. In due time, they made their way to the Fraser River, about thirty days out from The Dalles to the diggings.
Among the party who crossed the Big Bend plains in 1858 were J. R. Whitaker, who in 1881 returned to Lincoln County and settled on a ranch near Harrington, and Hiram F. Smith, better known in politics and mining circles as “Okanogan Smith.” Returning from the Fraser River country in 1860, Mr. Smith took up a ranch at the foot of Osoyoos Lake, in what is now Okanogan County. Here he resided for many years and did much for the advancement of that northern country. In 1861, William Newman, after whom Newman’s Lake was named, came to the present site of Sprague. Here he became proprietor of a station for travelers and government express animals. At that early period, Mr. Newman’s nearest neighbors were a lone settler at the mouth of the Palouse River, and Mr. James Monaghan. The latter came to this country in 1860 and established a ferry on the newly completed military road where it crossed the Spokane River, some twenty miles below the falls. Mr. Monaghan subsequently had charge of what was known as the Lapray Bridge.
One of the first permanent settlers—if not the first—to locate in what afterward became Lincoln County was R. M. Bacon. Mr. Bacon left his home in Boston in 1860 and headed for the West. Three years later he came to the Divide Valley, in Stevens County, where he remained until 1871. He then came to the Crab Creek country, in Lincoln County, and engaged in raising cattle. Save for an occasional band of Indians and the wild animals that ranged over the prairies, the entire country was a wild waste, destitute of life and denounced by military authority as a howling desert. Mr. Bacon confesses that he was a trifle lonesome the first year he passed in the Crab Creek country, but after that, he was satisfied with his lot. He says that occasionally the Indians were a little ugly, but he was never molested and did not think there was ever real cause for alarm. Within a few years after Mr. Bacon’s arrival in this part of the country, other hardy pioneers came and settled in his vicinity. In course of time, a post office was established on Crab Creek, known as the Crab Creek Post Office. Mr. Bacon became the first postmaster in Lincoln County. Mail was received once a week by stage.
When the first settlers ventured out upon the broad bunch grass plains of Lincoln County and other parts of Central Washington, only the bottom lands along flowing creeks were considered of any value, and in such places these early pioneers sought to make themselves homes. For agricultural purposes, the uplands were considered worthless; fit only for roving bands of cattle, horses, and sheep. But a few years later, it was discovered that the uplands were the better, and settlers who located upon them soon found that they were more eligibly situated than those who had preceded them and chosen homes on creek bottoms.
The Story of “Wild Goose Bill” Condin (1859-1895)
Undoubtedly the oldest settler of Lincoln County, or of the whole Big Bend country, was Samuel Wilbur Condin (sometimes spelled Condit), but who was better known throughout the Northwest as “Wild Goose Bill.” February 1, 1895, the Wilbur Register explained editorially, as follows:
“As there seems to be some question concerning the correct orthography of ‘Wild Goose Bill’s’ name, the Register will state, on the authority of his own signature, that the proper spelling is Samuel Wilbur Condit. The surname was originally Condin, but some years ago it was erroneously spelled Condit in a patent from the government, and this orthography Bill accepted, and has since spelled his name accordingly.”
Samuel Wilbur Condit, who was known personally or by reputation to almost every man, woman, or child in the Pacific Northwest as “Wild Goose Bill,” was born in Orange, New Jersey, about 1835. Being from childhood of an adventurous disposition, he struck out early for the West in search of fortune. He stopped for a time in Illinois, but soon pushed on to the golden shore of California, where he arrived at an early day. Thence he drifted northward, and in the 60s, he was engaged in freighting over the trackless plains of the Big Bend from Walla Walla to the placer camps along the Columbia River. The exact date that he came to this country is uncertain. In an interview in 1889, he made the statement that he had lived in the Big Bend thirty years, which would make the period of his arrival in 1859. Condit, or Condin, was a “squaw man,” and for years lived in a country where the face of a white man was seldom seen. About 1875, he became known to the few early settlers of eastern Washington. At that period, he was proprietor of a cayuse pack train engaged in transporting supplies from Walla Walla and other points which were then supply depots for the unsettled region embracing northern Idaho and northeastern Washington, to miners and prospectors scattered through the mountains, and to surveyors who were then exploring the country, seeking a feasible route to the seaboard for the Northern Pacific Railroad. Condin had made frequent trips through the Big Bend country to the mines of the north. It was one day, long ago, that he first saw the site where Wilbur now stands. He stood on the dividing ridge south of town and saw the clear waters of the Little Ridge, fringed with a luxuriant growth of aspens, willows, and cottonwoods, meandering down the valley and off through a natural meadow to the beautiful lake nestling among the rocks a mile below. Then and there he resolved that at some future time he would call this charming spot his home, and he frequently made it his resting place during long and toilsome journeys.
At length, probably about 1875, becoming wearied of his nomadic life, he pitched his tent in this beautiful valley and made it his permanent home. The land at that time was unsurveyed, but he staked off his claim, built a cabin, disposed of his pack train, invested all of his available cash in horses and cattle, and branched out into the stock-growing business. Later, when the land was surveyed, Condit made his filing, and afterwards made final proof and acquired title from the United States government to the land on which is now located the town of Wilbur. It was at this time that the government made the mistake of engrossing the papers and land patent under the name of “Condit.”
According to the rude forms of marriage practiced among her tribe, he took to himself an Indian maiden. His frontier ranch, marked on the early maps by hardy explorers as “Wild Goose Bill’s Place,” was the ground occupied by the site of the present flourishing town of Wilbur. Here, for many years, he continued to reside with his Indian wife by whom he had three sons. A mass of sensational stories have been floated concerning Condin’s wild life. It has been asserted that he had killed innumerable Indians “for interfering with his domestic relations.” His killing record, however, embraced five Indians, shot in a running fight while resisting arrest. The story which has been repeated many times, that he killed the man who first dubbed him “Wild Goose Bill,” is untrue. The following, his last will and testament, made just prior to his tragic death, is of historical interest:
“Condin’s Ferry, January 19, 1895. Know all men by these presents that I, Samuel Wilbur Condit, being in my right mind and knowing that life is uncertain, do make my last will and testament on this day of our Lord January the nineteenth eighteen hundred and ninety-five. It is my desire to give my son George Condit my property known as Condin’s Ferry and to will and bequeath to my son Willey Condit five dollars and fifty cents; the balance of my property, real and personal, to my crippled son Charles, excepting my interest that myself and R. J. Reaves hold jointly on Section Eight. I will my interest on the same to R. J. Reaves and his heirs and assigns. Also, I appoint E. J. Reaves my administrator and executor without bonds, stipulating that he see to my crippled son Charles and that he be well taken care of as long as he lives. My property known as the Mitchell place I bequeath to R. J. Reaves provided he pays the mortgage on the same. It is my desire that R. J. Reaves rents my property and applies the rents to the maintenance of my crippled son Charles. In case of his death, it is my desire that my sole property shall be applied to the school fund of Wilbur, and also that there be enough sold to pay all of my just debts. Hoping and trusting that R. J. Reaves will act in good faith, I revoke all former wills up to this date. Witness my hand and seal.
Samuel Wilbur Condit
Witness: George G. James”
“Burt D. Woodin” “Wild Goose Bill” had his good traits, but, raised in a rough school, in which self-reliance and the unbounded freedom of the frontier inculcates the impression that might makes right, endowed a man with unconventional characteristics that would not be regarded as entirely the pink of propriety. Bill also had his weaknesses. Condin located and lived on the land now embraced in the townsite of Wilbur. He also owned a ferry on the Columbia River, which was operated for many years, and other collateral that made him a comparatively wealthy man. There were no white women in the land when Condin first settled therein, and he took unto himself an Indian wife. By her he had several children. Later in life, he married another squaw and a child was born that developed into a helpless cripple. In his later years, the white affection of the old man was concentrated in this deformed, epileptic, speechless offspring. His intense love for the unfortunate child was a redeeming feature in the rough frontier man’s life.
The manner in which S. W. Condin secured the cognomen “Wild Goose Bill” is told by the Lincoln County Times:
“It is said that Mr. Condin received his picturesque nickname when he was a callow youth of twenty summers. The Big Bend country was, as yet, unsettled. Condin was out on a hunting expedition and he wanted game. Suddenly he espied a large flock of geese on a little rivulet. His heart stood still. Cautiously he crept closer and closer to the unsuspecting quarry. The geese rose and fell on each little ripple, and with the proverbial stupidity of geese imagined themselves in safety.
“The huntsman drew nearer and nearer.
“Suddenly the sport commenced. Condin began shooting, and in a short time had bagged the entire flock. Then a woman who had settled on a neighboring clearing approached and viewed the scene of slaughter.
‘What business have you killing my pets?’ she yelled in a voice pitched in C sharp.
“The story got out, and the man who mistook a flock of tame birds for wild ones wore the original title, ‘Wild Goose Bill,’ until his death. The virago was appeased by the payment of several pieces of silver, but the incident came down from mouth to mouth to the present generation.”
Other Notable Pioneers (1864-1881)
Many years previous to the advent of white men in the Big Bend country, it is known that Chinamen carried on placer mining along the upper Columbia River. These Celestials worked the gold from the sands of that river ever since, in a primitive way, and undoubtedly fortunes have been secured. One of many spots visited in the early days by the Chinese was in Lincoln County, opposite the mouth of the Sans Poil River.
Sam Wow, an aged Chinaman and a pioneer miner of the Columbia bars in this vicinity, is now a resident of Wilbur. Sam claims to have first done placer mining here about 1864, and travelers through the country ten years after this date state that he was engaged in work there. Sam is uncertain of the exact date when he came to the country, but he remembers that he was ushered in by the worst snowstorm that ever visited the locality. According to his description, any storm of later years would certainly have to take second place in the climatology of Washington. He came in from the east and states that in places the snow was ten feet deep and the cold terrible. As a consequence of that first trip to the Columbia placer fields, Sam Wow lost the first joint from each one of his ten fingers and also suffered the separation between himself and several of his toes. But he was not to be deterred by such a calamity. He had entered upon a prospecting tour which included a visit to the upper Columbia, and thither he went. Age and continual stooping while shoveling the gravel from placer beds have imparted a permanent twist to his body; his manner of walking imparts the impression of an animated corkscrew.
Captain John McGourin, an early settler of Lincoln County, came about 1875.
The Establishment of Fort Spokane (1880-1885)
June 14, 1877, Chief Joseph’s band of Nez Perces took up arms, their field of operations being Camas Prairie in Idaho. The United States government at once proceeded with vigor to suppress the uprising, but the troops did not arrive in time to prevent the murder by Indians of many defenseless and inoffensive settlers. Reports gained currency that the Palouses, Couer d’Alenes, and Spokanes had gone on the warpath, and that Chief Moses was on his way south to join the hostile warriors. A general feeling of uneasiness prevailed among the settlers of eastern Washington. Then the people were thrown into a panic, and the wildest and most ludicrous excitement prevailed. Utterly unfounded rumors of massacres and depredations were passed from person to person and, as is usual in such cases, they lost nothing of their hideous aspect in the course of their travels. In Whitman County, fear assumed the proportions of a panic. Reason appeared to have temporarily surrendered her citadel and wild fancy ruled. The stock, which at the time happened to be in corrals, was left without food or drink, while the animals fortunate enough to be at liberty when the “scare” developed, wandered about at will. Settlers hastily repaired to Colfax. Wagons were driven down the steep hills heading to the Whitman County seat town at a gallop. Never before or since have the streets of Colfax witnessed such a scene of turmoil. It is certain that had there been any Indians in the vicinity disposed to make an attack, but feeble resistance could have been uttered under the circumstances. Many of the fugitives dared not trust even Colfax or Palouse for protection, but pushed on until Walla Walla or Dayton had been reached. Rifles, revolvers, shotguns, and weapons of all kinds were hurriedly made ready for use. Men rushed about excitedly while women and children greeted each new report of butcheries with loud lamentations and wailings. The Indians, many miles away, were no doubt totally unconscious of the commotion they were causing, and, as was afterwards discovered, the northern Indians were somewhat perturbed, believing the whites were meditating offensive rather than defensive warfare.
Settlers on Crab Creek, now within the territory comprising the counties of Lincoln and Douglas, like those in Whitman and other parts of eastern Washington, abandoned their homes as soon as the first danger signals were sounded. They set out for Walla Walla and other points, but before proceeding far, some of the bolder ones decided to return to their homes and brave any dangers. Meanwhile, a small band of Columbia River Indians, on their way from the camas grounds, discovered that everything was deserted and helped themselves to whatever they could find in the way of provisions, clothing, and stock. The returned farmers saw these depredations and, not staying to ascertain their true extent, fled in haste, spreading all sorts of exaggerated reports. These stories confirmed the general impression of an uprising of the northern Indians. Among the many settlers who rushed to Colfax, a few, being more logical, sought certain evidence of the presence of Indians in their section. About twenty of these organized themselves into a scouting party and set out on the second day of the scare. They found no traces of hostilities; none of the farms they visited had been disturbed. However, the cattle in the corrals were beginning to suffer from hunger and thirst, signaling their needs. At Fort Howard, Idaho, the party learned that Joseph’s band had not crossed the Clearwater, which must have been reassuring news for those at home.
It was reported that the Catholic missionary, Father Cataldo, was being detained at his mission by the Coeur d’Alene Indians. Two members of the party, D. S. Bowman and James Tipton, set out to investigate, while the rest returned to Colfax. Bowman and Tipton found the Indians greatly agitated, believing the “Bostons,” as they called the Americans, were preparing to attack them. The Indians had interpreted the warlike preparations as evidence of hostile intent on the part of the whites and were preparing to defend themselves if attacked. The same was true of the Palouse and Spokane tribes. The service of Bowman and Tipton proved invaluable. They allayed the fears of the red men, explaining the true situation and convincing them of the peaceful intentions of the whites. The account they brought back to Colfax had a pacifying effect, and as further evidence of peaceful intentions, they brought certificates of peaceful intentions from the chiefs, procured by Father Cataldo. The arrival of Bowman and Tipton was most opportune. The settlers returned to their homes and found that, in some instances, the Indians, far from harboring hostile thoughts, had even protected the crops from damage by loose cattle and taken care of the deserted property.
June 30th, Rev. H. T. Cawley, a missionary stationed at Spokane Falls, wrote concerning the attitude of the Indians in that vicinity: “I hasten to give assurance of the pacific disposition of the Spokanes, also of the Snake River, Nez Perce and Palouse Indians camped here. In public council held last Monday at the ‘Falls,’ they unanimously declared their friendliness toward the whites, and we have found them thus far unusually careful to avoid giving offense. The Spokanes have, of course, been somewhat alarmed both at the gathering of the whites at Colfax, and at the ‘Falls,’ but now that all have returned to their homes everything has quieted down.”
It is evident that no real danger ever existed and that the scare was utterly baseless in fact. The northern Indians never contemplated an outbreak and the hostile tribes returned east over the Lolo trail, utterly ignoring the Palouse country. Ludicrous though the white stampede may seem, a momentous crisis existed, for such were the conditions prevailing among both whites and Indians that an indiscreet act on the part of either might have precipitated a barbarous and sanguinary war.
In 1878 O. B. Parks, one of the pioneer settlers of Lincoln county, came from California and settled one mile north of the present site of Davenport. The same year J. G. Kethroe located on a homestead in the neighborhood of Reardan, and Barney Fitzpatrick settled on a stock ranch and engaged in the business of raising cattle. Soon after the establishment of Fort Spokane he contracted with the United States government to supply the troops with fresh beef.
Continued Growth and Development (1880-1881)
Among the very earliest to make a home in Lincoln county were Mr. and Mrs. A. D. Strout. They secured a homestead four and one-half miles southeast of Davenport in 1879. Taking the limit of the number of acres a munificent government grants to every bona fide settler, Mr. Strout’s original possession consisted of 160 acres. When he settled on his homestead his property consisted of three horses, a dilapidated wagon and only a few dollars. One of the horses was killed by an accident the first winter. His nearest neighbor lived fifteen miles distant. After erecting a small “shack” Mr. Strout drove to Colfax for his winter’s supplies and seed for the following season. Upon reaching home he had remaining in money just ten cents. Undaunted, himself and wife started in to build up a home in the new country. Their many make-shifts are amusing to talk of at the present day, but were, indeed, trying at the time. They drove a long distance to a neighbor’s and made an arrangement by which Mr. Strout took a sow to feed and winter for half the pigs. Mrs. Strout secured a hen, half of the brood to be paid for the use of the bird. During the winter the couple managed to get hold of a Mexican dollar; in the spring it was pawned to a sheep herder for a mutton. Mr. Strout was unable to redeem the pledge. For flour they dried wheat in the oven and ground it in a coffee mill. The shifty expedients to get along were only similar to the experience of many of the early settlers. However, Mr. Strout never despaired. Serious accidents he encountered, once accidentally shooting himself from which he barely recovered. He was treated by physicians from Sprague and Fort Spokane; at another time he suffered from a fearful kick in the face. But adversity did not remain with him always. Gradually he accumulated land and personal property until he became independent.
The original settler to locate a homestead in the “Egypt” country was Joseph M. Nichols, who came there in 1879.
Mr. C. C. May, president of the Big Bend National Bank, Davenport, came to Lincoln county in the earliest days of its eventful history in 1879. At that period he was a member of a government surveying party. He was pleased with the country and decided to locate here. Securing a homestead within five miles of the present site of Davenport he erected a small house consisting of one room, measuring from the ground to the ceiling seven feet. A year or two later he added a second room and again a third. Concerning the condition of the country at that pioneer period Mr. May said: “Why, we could travel for weeks and not see a white man. The only white person I remember was ‘Wild Goose Bill,’ who was holding the fort at what is now the town of Wilbur.”
Mr. May has left his impress upon the community in which he resides, and has labored assiduously to build up the country. In 1880 he was chosen one of the commissioners of Spokane county, which then comprised the present counties of Lincoln and Douglas. Although he has been pressed to accept many other offices this is the only one he ever held in this locality.
In 1879 A. G. Courtright settled on a farm a short distance east from where Mondovi now stands. In company with his son he conducted the stage station there for many years. It was an inn, or caravansary, for all travelers who passed back and forth from the Big Bend previous to the advent of railroads. Among other early pioneers were Mr. and Mrs. L. A. Kennedy who came to the country in 1879, settling on a homestead a few miles southeast of Davenport. T. M. Cooper, who became prominent as a business man and active politician, came also in 1879, settling near the present site of Creston. The same year Byron Richards located on a homestead near old Mondovi. Among others who “spied out the country” the same year and found it good were James Humbert, who made his residence one and one-half miles west of Davenport; Horace Parker, locating in the Crab creek country near the present town of Lamona; and Mr. and Mrs. John Oakley who pitched their tent in Egypt, coming here from California.
Major John Worts, now a resident of Davenport, is a pioneer of Lincoln county, having paid his first visit to the country in 1879. He traveled over the greater portion of the present Lincoln county, and his description of the country at that early period is intensely interesting. Only a few hardy pioneers had preceded him and for miles and miles he pushed on without encountering a white man. Major Worts states that the number of wild fowl then in the country was astonishing, and declares that he dare not make a true statement of the facts, desiring to retain his excellent reputation for veracity. April 21, 1879, Mr. Worts camped at the spring, now in the heart of the city of Davenport. He did not at this time become a citizen of the town, or of Lincoln county, but a few years later he came back, made a permanent location and operated a sawmill in the northern part of the county.
The year 1880 witnessed the establishment of a United States government military post within the boundaries of what a few years later became Lincoln county. The condition of the country at this period may be described as wild. There were a few settlers along Crab Creek in the southern part of the county and active preparations for the building of the Northern Pacific Railway had induced a few people to come to what is now Sprague. The inhabitants of the eastern upper portion of Lincoln county could, probably, be counted on one’s fingers. The site for Fort Spokane, or Post Spokane, as it was first called, was selected in September, 1880, by General O. O. Howard, department commander, and Lieutenant Colonel Merriam, of the Second U. S. Infantry. These officers selected the site on the beautiful bench just above the Spokane River, only a short distance from where that river flows into the Columbia. It was one of the prettiest among the frontier posts and was selected because it was in easy striking distance of the Colville Indian Agency, just across the river. To this newly selected post were brought two companies of the Second Infantry and the troop of the Second Cavalry under command of Lieutenant Colonel Merriam. These troops were brought from the foot of Lake Chelan, where they had been for some time exerting a wholesome influence upon the Chelan Indians.
Shortly after the establishment of Fort Spokane Lieutenant Colonel Merriam was removed to Fort Colville, in Stevens county, and Major Smith became commander-in-chief during his absence. No permanent improvements were made at the new fort until 1882, when Fort Colville was abandoned and Lieutenant Colonel Merriam again assumed command, remaining until the completion of the fort in 1885. With his return the erection of buildings was begun and the place became known as Fort Spokane. The fort was constructed on elaborate principles. The government expended thousands of dollars, installing handsome quarters for officers and privates, such store buildings as were necessary, a system of water works and all the accessories needful for a first-class military station. There were a dozen large frame buildings on the north side of the enclosure, utilized as officers’ quarters. There were vast barracks peopled by the men in the ranks, brick guard houses, commissary buildings, stables, etc. A system of water works composed of a pumping station on the river and a large reservoir on the hillside south of the fort, carried water throughout the grounds.
The Cricket Infestation of 1882-1883
In 1885 the buildings were completed and Lieutenant Colonel Merriam was relieved by Lieutenant Colonel Fletcher, and the Second Infantry was exchanged for three companies of the Fourth Infantry. The following year Major Kent, of the Fourth Infantry, assumed command at the fort. Other commanders in the order named have been: Lieutenant Colonel Mears, of the Fourth Infantry, who died at the fort in 1890; Lieutenant Colonel Cook, of the Fourth; Major Carpenter, of the Fourth; and Major McGoughlin, of the Sixteenth Infantry.
The spot is one of the most beautiful in the state. The grounds are a network of sewers and water mains. There was a double system of water works in use at the fort; one a reservoir of pure spring water on the hill, high above the garrison, and piped down to the quarters for the domestic use of both officers and men; the other source of supply was by means of a steam engine located at the Spokane River, forcing water through another set of pipes for the stables, fire, and irrigating purposes.
Another prominent Lincoln county settler of 1880 was W. H. Vandine. In the autumn of that year he entered a homestead claim three miles north of what subsequently developed into the town of Davenport. Northern Lincoln county received its first settlers, outside of a few who have been mentioned heretofore, in 1880. Many came to Egypt that fall. The following year others came, nearly all settling in Egypt and quite a colony was there in 1881. William Yarwood was one of the first settlers in central Lincoln county, taking up a homestead near Harrington in 1880. Still, it is true that only a comparatively few hardy pioneers had settled in what later became Lincoln county prior to the building of the Northern Pacific Railroad through the southeast corner of the county in 1880-1. With the construction of this line of road settlement began to push out rapidly over the lands in the southern part of the county tributary to the new railroad. The first settler in the Reardan neighborhood was J. F. Rice who went there in 1881. Isaac Mulheim settled near Mondovi long before the formation of Lincoln county.
The winter of 1881 was one to try the “summer soldier, and the sunshine patriot.” Snow fell to a great depth and for many days travel was interrupted. Most of the stock in the country perished. Mr. Barney Fitzpatrick, mentioned elsewhere, and one of the earliest settlers in the county, a number of years afterward told of an experience he had during that severe winter. He was caught in the storm at Deep Creek Falls, and realizing that the blockade would last for some time he struck out for home on horseback. At that time he lived a short distance west of the present townsite of Davenport. There were only a few scattered houses over the route traveled by him, but he managed to reach one every night. He was six days making the trip. The snow was soft and so deep that he had to break a path for his animal and when he succeeded in gaining his home he was completely exhausted.
In early days the United States government transported all of its army supplies in Washington Territory with four and six mule teams. So frequent were the trips from one post to another that the trails they followed became established roadways for all travelers in those days. The great, heavy army wagons would wear cuts through the prairie sod and the rains would wash these out each season, compelling the army trains to follow a new track along the old one; and these in turn would be washed out, thus continuing this plan annually until a well-defined and clearly marked trail would be developed. For many years after the use of these trails had been abandoned and even after the advent of the railroad through the Territory these government trails would be referred to in describing the topography of the country. When the settlers came and took up homesteads in the country they would designate their homes as being at such a point along “the old government trail.” One of the best known of these trails in eastern Washington traversed what later became Lincoln county. It was in use during the time when army supplies were transported from Walla Walla to Fort Spokane, and was used not only by military men, but also by immigrants and miners who were traveling in this direction. A favorite camping place for these caravans was at Cottonwood Springs, the best water supply along the entire route. A volume of water as large around as the hub of a wagon wheel, and as cold as ice, continually pours out from Cottonwood Springs, creating quite a little stream or creek along the banks of which a small forest has grown. It was this cool water and the welcome shade that induced the army caravans and the immigrants to camp here. This greatly appreciated spring is in the heart of the city of Davenport, county seat of Lincoln county.
In 1882 and 1883 Lincoln county suffered from a most peculiar pest—the crickets. Pioneers tell us that the cricket epoch was the most remarkable ever encountered in a new country. Myriads of large, black crickets, measuring from one to two inches long swarmed out of the earth and up through the snow, and devastated the fields for two seasons. They made their first appearance in 1882. Settlers combined their forces and dug ditches, surrounding their farms with pits five rods apart, and men, women, and children worked day and night with brooms, sweeping the pests into pits and destroying them. The bulk of their crops destroyed, families subsisted on peas and fish throughout the season. If people could have obtained the means to escape, the country would have been depopulated. The scourge was worse during the year 1883 than the previous season. The appearance of the crickets the third year created a panic among the settlers. The people fully realized that the destruction of the crops then meant ruin. But they met the enemy with the courage of true Washingtonians—a courage which then amounted almost to ferocity. Deeper were dug the ditches, their mileage was extended, and the broom brigades fought with the desperation of people forced to fight for their lives. Just as the insects were about to conquer for the third time and the settlers were almost ready to yield in despair, a heavy rain set in, succeeded by frost and the crickets tumbled into the pits to rise therefrom no more. Great was the rejoicing when it became known that the cricket pest was completely exterminated.
The Formation of Lincoln County and the County Seat War (1883)
Prior to the organization of Lincoln County in 1883, very little was known of the country then called “Western Spokane County,” except by those who had actually taken up residence in the new district. There were no railroads and no stage lines. Occasionally some party would make an extended trip on horseback to the western country, the journey requiring many days and numerous hardships. Returning, he would give flowery descriptions of the fertility of this vast region, then containing but a few scattered settlers; hardy pioneers who had held their place in the van of the advance of civilization. Such was the condition of affairs when the county was organized. At the time of the organization of Lincoln County it was quite sparsely settled. Farms and farmhouses were few and far between. Few acres of the fertile soil had been mutilated by the plow. There were no luxuries; few comforts of life. The occasional road was only an indistinct ribbon across the broad expanse of unbroken plain, as erratic in its course as the steps of a drunken sailor. Everything was in the rude, primitive condition common to western pioneer life. Sprague was the only town, given some importance by being the end of a division on the Northern Pacific railroad. Harrington and Davenport were villages, the rudest, cheapest looking, most uninviting imaginable, and Reardan, Wilbur, Almira, Edwall, Odessa, and other now flourishing towns were not dreamed of.
Not without strong opposition did the county of Lincoln come into existence. Perhaps no other county in Washington encountered more determined antagonism than this. Judge N. T. Caton, at present a practicing attorney at Davenport, was the author of the bill creating Lincoln County. At that period he was a resident of Walla Walla County and was serving in the Territorial Council. The settlers of the territory proposed to be cut off from Spokane County were unanimously in favor of the bill. The only opposition was from the Northern Pacific Railway Company, yet it was nearly powerful enough to defeat the bill. The reason for the railway’s opposition was this: The Northern Pacific Company had determined that Cheney should be the coming town of eastern Washington. Spokane Falls was to remain a village. Cheney was the county seat and would undoubtedly have remained so for many years with the old Spokane County intact. With the setting off of the western portion, the railway company saw that Spokane Falls would be able to secure the county seat as it was more centrally located. With the building of the Northern Pacific road and the location of headquarters at the little town of Sprague, which came into life with the building of the road, Spokane, Cheney, and Sprague, all of which were then in Spokane County, entered upon a rivalry that at times became more interesting than friendly. Cheney had been successful over Spokane in a county seat contest; Spokane formed an alliance with Sprague by the terms of which there was to be a new vote on the county seat question, and Lincoln County was to be organized with Sprague as the county seat. The combination worked, and a bill was passed by the legislature providing for a revote in the Spokane county seat contest. The success of the latter part of this agreement will be seen by a further perusal of this history.
The bill as originally introduced in the Council provided for the naming of the new county Sprague, in honor of John W. Sprague, at that time general superintendent and agent of the Northern Pacific Railway. It did not name Davenport as the temporary county seat, but left the location of the county seat with the voters. How the county came to be named Lincoln instead of Sprague is told by Judge Caton, the author of the bill and its most ardent supporter. Colonel Houghton, who had been formerly in the employment of the Northern Pacific Company looking after the company’s lands, was not on friendly terms with John W. Sprague. Colonel Houghton was a member of the Territorial Legislature of 1883, and opposed the bill for the creation of Sprague County. It appeared to Mr. Caton that much of this opposition might arise from the proposed name of the new county. He sought an interview with the ex-official of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company.
“Colonel,” said Mr. Caton, “it appears to me that we are making a mistake in naming this new county after a living person. One can never be sure in such a case that the name will reflect credit upon the community. On the other hand if we name it after someone who has gone before and upon whose name there can be no stain, we run no risk of the name disgracing us. Now, as we are naming the other counties in the Big Bend country after noted Americans who have passed away, what do you say to changing the name of this one from Sprague to Lincoln?”
“Just the proper thing,” replied Colonel Houghton, and from that time he became a supporter of the bill.
The measure passed the Council without a dissenting vote, but in the House it was strongly opposed. I. N. Peyton in 1883 was associated with J. C. Davenport in the control of the townsite of Davenport, and through his influence the bill was amended so as to name Davenport as the temporary county seat. In this form, but not without opposition, it passed the House. It will thus be seen that the first county seat fight in Lincoln County occurred prior to the creation of the county. Judge Caton and the supporters of the Lincoln County bill in the Council did not desire to have any town named as the temporary county seat, wishing to leave the matter entirely in the hands of the voters, but to fail to promptly concur in the House amendment would prove fatal to the passage of the measure at this session, as only a few days remained. The Council, therefore, promptly concurred, although much pressure was brought to defeat the bill. Mr. Caton was offered $1,000 to use his influence against concurring in the House bill.
Concerning the manner in which Davenport was named as the temporary county seat of Lincoln County in the bill creating the county, the Sprague Herald of July 23, 1890, said:
“The bill named Sprague as the temporary county seat and also contained a provision for the permanent location of a county seat by popular vote of the people. When the measure reached the House later on it was referred to the committee on counties in that branch. Colonel I. N. Peyton succeeded in having the name of Sprague struck from the bill and Davenport inserted. The people of Cheney were opposed to the bill because the division of Spokane County, of which Cheney was at that time the county seat, meant their death knell. It was thought this change would kill the bill, for the wildest imagination never supposed a county seat would be located at a place thirty miles from a railway and telegraphic communication, and approachable only by wagon roads which during the winter were impassable, and that, too, a place existing only in name. But the people of Sprague concluded to accept the bill as amended relying on the good sense of the voters of Lincoln County to restore her birthright, in which she was not disappointed.”
The substitution of Davenport for Sprague as the county seat in the Lincoln County bill came perilously near defeating the measure. November 20, N. T. Caton presented a petition to the council signed by 420 persons, objecting to Davenport being named as the capital of the county “as there are only two houses in that locality, and it is forty miles from any railroad line.”
In a later number of the Herald appeared the following:
“When the bill finally came from the committee on counties, through some occult influence Davenport was substituted for Sprague. It was supposed at that time that Cheney, actuated by spite, and some of the people of Spokane at least, who owned property in Davenport from motives of profit, had brought undue influence to bear upon a member of that committee to make the change. When the people of Sprague had been apprised thereof they were justly indignant. A mass-meeting was held which was attended by Senator Whitehouse and others from Spokane who endeavored to explain the change. Sprague had it in her power to kill the bill and allow the division of Spokane County to go by default, and that question was under consideration. But one of her citizens being called upon for an opinion spoke in substance as follows:
“It is true, fellow citizens, that we have been betrayed and deceived. We have asked for bread and have been given a stone. Whether Spokane and her delegation are responsible for this I know not, but this I know, that so long as we remain in the same county with Spokane Falls so long will we be dominated by Spokane capital and Spokane influence. It is better, therefore, for us to cut loose therefrom — accept the bill, then, even in its obnoxious form, and trust to the whirligig of time to set all things right.”
“This reasoning prevailed and Spokane County was divided.”
The bill for the division of Spokane County and the creation of Lincoln County passed the house November 1, 1883, by a vote of 13 to 9, as follows: Ayes — Barlow, Blackwell, Brooks, Clark, Coply, Kincaid, Kuhn, Martin, Miles, Shaw, Shoudy, Young and Mr. Speaker. Nays — Besserer, Brining, Foster, Goodell, Hungate, Lloyd, Ping, Stitzel, Warner. Absent, Turpin. The bill was passed amid much excitement. There was a large audience in the galleries. Jacob Stitzel made a strong speech opposing the measure and was followed by Mr. Smallwood, who, upon invitation by the house, spoke in advocacy of the bill.
Following is the text of the measure as it finally passed:
An Act to create and organize the County of Lincoln.
Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Washington: That all that portion of Spokane County, Washington Territory, described as follows: Beginning at the point in Township No. 27 north, where the Colville guide meridian between ranges 39 and 40 east, Willamette meridian, intersects the Spokane River, and running thence south along said meridian line to the township line between townships numbered 20 and 21 north; thence west along said township line to its intersection with the Columbia guide meridian between ranges numbered 30 and 31, east Willamette meridian; thence south along said meridian line to the township line between townships numbered 16 and 17 north; thence west on said township line to the range line between ranges 27 and 28 east, Willamette meridian; thence south on said range line to the section line between sections numbered 24 and 25 in township No. 14, north of range No. 27 east, Willamette meridian; thence west on said section line to the mid-channel of the Columbia River; thence up said river in the middle of the channel thereof to the mouth of the Spokane River, in the middle of the channel thereof, to the place of beginning, shall be known and designated as the County of Lincoln.
Sec. 2. That John Bartol, Edward D. Willis, and John McGourin are hereby appointed county commissioners of said County of Lincoln.
Sec. 3. The county commissioners above named are hereby authorized within twenty days after the approval of this act, and upon ten days notice, to qualify and enter upon the discharge of their duties as such commissioners, and are hereby empowered to appoint all necessary county officers necessary to perfect the organization of said county; and the county commissioners aforesaid, sheriff, auditor, and the other officers appointed shall hold their offices until the next general election and until their successors are elected and qualified according to law.
Sec. 4. That the justices of the peace, constables, road supervisors, and other precinct and school officers heretofore elected and qualified, and now acting as such, residing in that portion of Spokane County which is by the provisions of this act included in the County of Lincoln, are hereby continued as such officers in said County of Lincoln until the next general election, and until their successors are elected and qualified.
Sec. 5. That all taxes levied and assessed for the year 1883 upon the persons and property within the boundaries of Lincoln County, as herein described, shall be collected and paid to the treasurer of the County of Spokane, and shall thereafter be paid upon demand, according to assessment, to the treasurer of the County of Lincoln.
Sec. 6. The county auditor of Lincoln County is hereby authorized to take transcripts of all records, documents and other papers on file or of record, in the office of the county auditor of Spokane County, which may be necessary to perfect the records of said Lincoln County, and for this purpose he shall have access to the records of said Spokane County without cost.
Sec. 7. The county seat of the County of Lincoln is hereby located at the town of Davenport temporarily, until the same shall be permanently located by a vote of the electors of said county at the next general election. At the next general election the permanent location of the county seat of Lincoln shall be submitted to the qualified electors of said county, and the place receiving the majority of votes shall be the permanent county seat of Lincoln County.
Sec. 8. The County of Lincoln shall be attached to the County of Spokane for judicial and legislative purposes until otherwise provided.
Sec. 9. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its approval.
Approved November 24, 1883.
By tracing the boundaries of Lincoln county as described in the preceding act of the legislature, it will be found to embrace the present counties of Lincoln and Douglas. It will, doubtless, prove news to a large majority of Lincoln county citizens that Lincoln county, at one time, included Douglas county, but such is the case. The bill creating Lincoln county was approved by the governor November 24, 1883, and it was four days later, on November 28, that the Douglas county bill was approved. Of course, there had been no county government organized during this time, but the Douglas county bill reads “all that part of Lincoln county, etc.”
The creation of Douglas took from the territory of Lincoln county, described in the act, the following. All that portion of the county bounded as follows: Beginning at a point where the Columbia guide meridian intersects the Columbia river on the northern boundary of Lincoln county, and thence running south on said Columbia guide meridian to the township line, between townships Nos. 16 and 17; thence running west on said township line to the range line between ranges 27 and 28; thence south on said range line to the section line between sections 24 and 25, in township 14 north, range 27 east; thence west on said section line to the mid-channel of the Columbia river; thence up said channel of said river to the place of beginning. This left Lincoln county with boundaries as they are today. Nearly every year since that time some effort has been made to divide the county, but as yet success has not crowned these efforts.
The birth of Lincoln county dates from December 18, 1883. On that day John Bartol, E. D. Willis, and John McGourin, who had been named as commissioners in the act authorizing the organization of Lincoln county, convened at Davenport, the temporary county seat. There was present with these gentlemen Attorney S. C. Hyde. Having taken the oath of office, the board at once proceeded to business. Commissioner Bartol was elected chairman. Arrangements were made with Barney Fitzpatrick for the rent of a building, 24×36 feet in size, at $10 per month for the use of the county officers who were named by the commissioners.
The creation of this new county was the signal for the influx of hundreds of settlers. People living at a distance learned of these rich, broad acres awaiting the advent of the husbandman and commenced floating in. Farms were soon under cultivation, villages sprang into existence, and the region soon became known as the great wheat belt of the state of Washington.
The Sprague vs. Davenport County Seat Battle (1884)
The month of November, 1884, was accentuated by the most exciting event in the history of Lincoln county: the struggle between the towns of Sprague and Davenport for possession of the county records and the county seat. October 10, 1890, six years subsequently, the Lincoln County Times explained the conditions of 1884 as follows:
“At the time Lincoln county was formed and Davenport was made the temporary county seat, the upper portion of the county was sparsely populated. A considerable number of people were collected around Davenport, better known as ‘Cottonwood Springs,’ Harrington, and other points, while Sprague was an ing town of 600 or 700 population. At the general election of 1884, the people were called upon to vote upon the location of the county seat. There were three candidates for the honor, Davenport, Harrington, and Sprague. The campaign preceding the election was hot and furious. At that time women were entitled to the ballot. As a matter of course, few voters entitled to a vote failed to exercise that privilege, while considering the extent of the population, the figures would indicate that the purity of the ballot was not a feature of the election. The total vote polled was 2,277. Of this number Sprague received 1,256; Davenport, 819; and Harrington, 202. Sprague cast 1,023 votes.”
This contest was, indeed, spirited. Preceding election day, Davenport was hopeful; even jubilant. But the majority vote declared that Sprague was to be the permanent county seat of Lincoln county. Charges of fraud were at once preferred. Sprague on that day cast over one thousand votes. This, it was alleged, was as many, if not more, than the entire roster of the inhabitants of the town. It is a matter of record that this number is nearly twice as many as the town polled before or since that eventful day. Many stories are told of how Sprague “got out” its vote in this election. In the heat of another county seat fight six years later, the editor of the Lincoln County Times tells his version of how the town of Sprague won the contest of 1884:
“By invading the holy sanctity of God’s acre, where hallowed ground is bedewed with the tears of broken-hearted mourners and voting the names inscribed upon the marble shafts sacred to the memory of some beloved one. By forcing little innocent children to vote, whose very natures, guided in the paths of probity through the influence of the orisons whispered at the mother’s knee, rebelled against the crime. By voting passengers on through trains who had no more interest in Lincoln county than the natives of Alaska, and who, without considering the responsibility of defrauding a people, looked upon the transaction as a joke.”
Concerning the fraudulent voting at the contest of 1884, the Wilbur Register presents as dispassionate a view as can be secured. November 20, 1896, it said:
“Had the election laws at that time been as strict as they are now in the state, which was then the Territory of Washington, the permanent location would have been made to the satisfaction of all concerned. Then a simple majority was all that was required to locate or relocate a county seat. Besides, all persons of either sex who had arrived at the age of twenty-one years could vote for Territorial officers anywhere in the Territory, and for county officers or county issues anywhere in the county. There was no secret ballot and interested parties could prepare the ballot and conduct the elector to the polling place—never leaving him until his ticket was deposited. There was much talk of fraudulent voting, both by residents and non-residents of the county; and the charge that men who then resided in Sprague inveigled boys and girls scarcely in their teens to vote at that election has never been disproven.
“Many indictments were brought for illegal voting, but by some hocus-pocus, none of them ever reached trial. The recollection is that they were quashed on the ground that the grand jury was itself illegally convened.”
The people of Sprague replied to the residents of Davenport with countercharges. The Sprague Herald thus speaks of the 1884 election:
“In that election, Davenport polled 192 votes on the county seat question, while in 1886, two years later, her entire vote was 79. And yet, in the face of these figures, she has the audacity to charge fraud upon the people of Sprague.”
Mr. David Vinyard states:
“A number of Sprague people were arrested on charges of illegal voting at the 1884 election, and were tried at Cheney, then the county seat of Spokane county, but no convictions resulted. Feeling between the citizens of the two towns was strong during these trials and the shedding of blood was narrowly averted in one or two instances.”
Following the election, the board of canvassers reported their findings to the board of county commissioners, and at 2:30 o’clock in the morning of November 13th, the board having been in continuous session since two o’clock the day before, the commissioners passed the following order: “Whereas it appearing to the satisfaction of the board that the city of Sprague has received a majority of the votes cast for county seat, it was moved, seconded, and carried that this board adjourn to meet at Sprague November 13th, at 2 o’clock p.m., and advise the county auditor to notify the other county officers to remove their offices to that place as soon as convenient.”
In accordance with this order, the commissioners met at Sprague at 2 o’clock on the afternoon of the 14th. There were present, in addition to all the commissioners, the sheriff, probate judge, and treasurer. Attorneys were called in to consult the board relative to procuring the records from Davenport. In the meantime, the auditor was instructed to purchase the necessary books and papers to transact the business of his office and the other county offices. A few days later, a building was leased from H.W. Fairweather for courthouse purposes, at a rental of $35 per month. At this meeting of the 14th, the board passed the following order:
“Whereas, It appears from the official count of the votes cast at the late general election made by the board of canvassers, that the city of Sprague has received a majority of all the votes cast at said election for county seat, and therefore, by virtue of section 9, page 20, laws of Washington, 1883, is the lawful county seat of Lincoln county; therefore the county auditor, the county treasurer, sheriff, and judge of probate court are hereby ordered to remove their records and offices to the city of Sprague in Lincoln county.”
It was not within the power of the commissioners to legislate the records to Sprague, however. On the 15th, the board took official notice that the records were forcibly detained in Davenport by passing the following order.
“It is hereby ordered by the board that; Whereas, It has come to the knowledge of the board that the public records of the county have been forcibly taken from the possession of the different officers, who are the legal custodians thereof, and are in danger of being injured or destroyed, and the public business is greatly retarded; Therefore the prosecuting attorney is hereby ordered to take such legal measures as may be necessary to recover to the proper officers the possession of the records of Lincoln county.”
Meetings were held every day by the board, at which the best methods of securing the records were discussed. On the 18th, the board decided to call on the Territorial government for aid in securing the records. Accordingly, the following telegram was dispatched to the governor:
“W. C. Squires. Governor Washington Territory. Olympia, Washington Territory
“An armed mob has forcibly taken possession of our county records and refuse to deliver them to the proper county officers. The sheriff is unable to disperse the mob or recover the records. Can you assist our sheriff? Please answer.
“John Bartol,
“W. A. Busey,
“John McGourin.
“County Commissioners Lincoln county, Washington Territory.”
Sheriff John Cody also telegraphed as follows to the governor:
“W. C. Squires, Governor Washington Territory. Olympia, W. T.
“An armed force has seized the records of the county and refuse to deliver the same to the proper county officers. I am unable to procure sufficient aid to recover the records or disperse the mob. Can you assist me? Please answer.
“John Cody, Sheriff Lincoln county. “W. T. Sprague, November 18, 1884.”
On the other hand, the people of Davenport and the settlers in the upper portion of the county, believing that the election had been carried by fraudulent means, dispatched a messenger post haste to procure an injunction restraining the county officials from removing the records from Davenport until an investigation could be made. Meantime, the roads leading into Davenport from all directions were lined with men carrying muskets, revolvers, Winchesters, and other weapons of warfare, all determined to hold the fort at Davenport. For three long weeks, night and day did they guard and garrison the city. A ditch on the hillside in the town and a ridge mark the place where breastworks were thrown up. They are pointed out to the visitor to this day — memorials of that perilous period. During these weeks of “military law,” the men at their posts were anxiously looking for the promised injunction which, for the time being, would make the records secure. But in vain. The injunction was not secured. Becoming weary of waiting, one by one, the members of the “army” returned to their homes. Meanwhile, Sprague was awaiting her opportunity. Suddenly, a force swept down upon Davenport from sixty to one hundred strong and armed to the teeth. No resistance was made. Davenport surrendered the county records. Yet it was not a complete surrender, as is shown in a later event in the history of this county. Martin J. Maloney was at the head of the army of deputies who came up from Sprague and removed the county records from Davenport. In describing this memorable event in the history of the county, the Lincoln County Times in after years said:
“It was a serious matter at the time, but many is the laugh the old timers have had over it since. Mr. Maloney marshaled his hosts on the brow of the ridge at the head of Harker street. The defenders of the courthouse had rifle pits along the slope of the opposite ridge where the courthouse now stands. The creek was a dead-line, and the blood-curdling announcement was made that the man with the hardihood to attempt to cross this stream would have his anatomy full of buttonholes. Everybody was in deadly earnest. But the Sprague contingent was after the records, and they got them without the burning of powder or the spilling of gore. It is only due to the defenders to say that the force came down at an unexpected moment when none of them were on duty. It is fortunate that the affair ended as it did. Still, there was some excitement attendant on this raid. When Maloney drove across the creek and his errand became known, the inflammable Dick Hutchinson stepped forward with a pistol as long as his arm and dared Maloney to shoot it out with him at twenty paces. But Maloney had business to attend to and refused to accommodate the warlike Dick with an exchange of shots. Those were great old days, and while a tinge of feeling may yet linger among a few of the participants, it is too slight to affect the friendships of longer standing.”
Among the members of the sheriff’s posse which went to Davenport and returned in triumph to the county seat were H. A. Langley, C. W. Seabron, Joseph Wormald, J. M. Henderson, George Monk, George Rhein, A. Rickert, William Calaran, W. O. Montgomery, A. J. Jessup, C. E. Jones, A. Riggs, P. Dencer, C. F. Martin, J. Dunlap, E. D. Coffee, John Kelly, Rosengren, A. Turnbull, L. Patterson, T. Murphy, S. W. George, L. Matthews, Thomas O’Brien, W. Murry, Charles Shields, J. F. Murray, O. Lavin, H. E. Bedford, John O. Griffin, H. S. Hughes, Frank Wall, E. G. Pendleton. Others who took part in this history-making period of the county as deputy sheriffs and guards of county property were Martin J. Maloney, J. C. Burns, J. H. Friedlander, Lee A. Wilson, James Nelson, and C. E. Carrington.
The dramatic story of Sprague’s capture of the county records from Davenport is one which the few now living who participated in the historical event never tire of relating. It must be admitted that feeling ran high at this crucial period, and one of the most remarkable features connected with the affair is that it was unaccompanied by bloodshed. To David Vinyard, who since 1880 has been a resident of Sprague and who was an active participant in the removal of the Lincoln county records, we are indebted for the following account of the complication:
“We left Sprague about 180 strong, armed to the teeth with rifles and revolvers, and each one with a commission as deputy sheriff. John Cody was sheriff of the county and, naturally, the leader of the party. The majority of us were on horseback, although a number made the trip in carriages. I was, at the time, in the draying business and drove over my dray wagon for the purpose of carrying back the county records — and you may believe that we were determined to bring them back. It was no summer picnic that we were on. Of course, we knew that the people of Davenport and the country in that vicinity had for some time been under arms and were not likely to surrender the records without a fight, but we were out to get them and were prepared for any emergency. On our way over, we threw up entrenchments at different places where we could stop and defend ourselves if attacked on our way back. The trip to Davenport was without particular incident. Arriving there, we discovered that entrenchments had been thrown up in various places, but the majority of the defenders we found had retired to their ranches. They had been on guard for three weeks, and many had returned home to look after their places.
“Our party advanced upon the trenches and, finding them unoccupied, we stationed ourselves behind the breastworks which the Davenport defenders had erected, and coming to the building which held the county records and which had served as a temporary courthouse, we found two men on guard on the outside. These we quickly captured. Then we approached the courthouse. Sheriff Cody rapped on the door, and a man of powerful build, with a rifle in his hand, opened the door just wide enough to look out. The next instant the door went down with a crash and the defender was looking into the muzzle of Sheriff Cody’s six-shooter. He was quickly disarmed, as were also three other men who were on guard inside the building. While the rest of the posse were on guard in the entrenchments around the courthouse, about twenty of our men set to work loading the records onto the wagon and in a very short time we were on the back trail for Sprague with the precious records in our charge. On our way back and before we had left Davenport very far behind, we met two parties of armed men on their way to Davenport. They had received word that we were after the records and were coming to the rescue. The parties were too small to show resistance, but with threats that we would never cross Crab Creek with the books, they hurried on to Davenport for the purpose of raising a force to intercept us before we could reach home. However, we were not molested and landed the documents safely in the new county seat.”
Lincoln County’s Growth and Development in the Late 19th Century
According to Territorial Governor Sample’s report for 1887, the value of taxable property in Lincoln county in 1885 was $1,623,405; in 1887, $2,069,085, an increase in two years of $445,590. On November 29, 1886, the county commissioners accepted the courthouse erected at Sprague by Chris P. Nygard, the builder. The cost of this structure was in the neighborhood of $10,000. The Lincoln County Times, in a reminiscent mood, wrote as follows concerning conditions from 1885 to 1890:
“The pioneer settlers enjoyed a few privileges, and no luxuries, but they were not harassed with debts. Government lands could not be mortgaged and settlers were compelled to pay as they went. They did not have money to pay with, but they traded around so as to balance accounts. So long as this time-honored practice prevailed, the people were comparatively happy and contented, and did not much concern themselves about a gold standard or a silver standard, a high or low tariff. There were enthusiastic partisans then as later, but the notion had not yet taken possession of them that their individual prosperity depended upon directing the affairs of the national government upon any new plan. This became the dream of later years. How well are the prosperous years between 1885 and 1890 remembered! This was the era of money borrowing, when mortgaging farms became a mania. Fictitious values were placed on property; the speculative spirit was at its height, and there was no limit to credit. This was believed to be a time of prosperity, and no one stopped to think that a day of reckoning must come. But it finally did come and without much warning. Many who had considered themselves well off, who had made partial payments on a lot of property, suddenly found their resources for raising money cut off, and their property gradually slipping away from them.”
December 29, 1899, the Times continued: “From 1889 to 1893 the state of Washington passed through a feverish and unnatural boom. There was not a city, town, or hamlet in the state that did not expect to become a second Chicago, and in Lincoln county, there were several places that had aspirations. People were afflicted with a town lot mania. Inflation was the order of the day, and the most unheard-of values were placed on town property, with nothing in sight, or even prospective, to justify such figures. Several towns of the county were touched with the spell of this madness, and people talked of $500 a front foot for lots, when butting up against the back doors of the few houses of the prospective city was a limitless expanse of almost unoccupied territory, much of which was open to homestead or pre-emption, with a government price affixed thereto of $2.50 per acre. But those were great days, and the man who talked a few hundred a foot front made himself imagine that in a short time the same lots would reach the thousands.
According to the United States census of 1890, the population of Lincoln county was 9,312. In 1900 it had jumped to 11,969, and in 1903 to 18,571. This is an increase of 55% in three years, the eighth largest increase of any county in the state in point of numbers. The 1903 census is estimated from school statistics taken from the school reports of the several county superintendents.”
Suggested Further Research
- The impact of the Northern Pacific Railway on the development of Lincoln County: The text mentions the significant influence of the Northern Pacific Railway on the growth and settlement of Lincoln County. Research the specific ways in which the railway impacted the Washington State’s economy, demographics, and social structures. See: The Official Northern Pacific Railway Guide
- The history and culture of Native American tribes in Washington: The text frequently mentions Native American tribes, such as the Spokanes, Coeur d’Alenes, and Palouses, and their interactions with settlers. Research the history, culture, and experiences of these tribes in the context of Washington State’s development, including their perspectives on treaties, land ownership, and cultural change. See: Washington Indian Tribes for an overview of those tribes who originally occupied Washington State.
- Mormon Cricket Invasion of 1882-1883: The text offers a detailed account of the “Mormon cricket” infestation that impacted Lincoln County in 1882 and 1883. The infestation was a significant event in the county’s early history, posing a serious challenge to the pioneers who had recently settled in the region. See further: The Mormon Cricket with Suggestions For Its Control
- The Chinese experience in Lincoln County: The text mentions Chinese placer miners operating along the upper Columbia River. Research the history of Chinese immigration to the area, their experiences with racism and discrimination, and their contributions to the region’s mining industry. See: Asian Pacific Pioneers Along the Columbia River
- The 1884 Lincoln County Seat War: The text describes a contentious county seat war between Sprague and Davenport. Examine the events leading up to the conflict, the perspectives and motivations of those involved, and the long-term impact of the outcome on both towns. See: Lincoln County voters choose Davenport over Sprague as county seat on November 3, 1896
Original Source: Steele, Richard F; Rose, Arthur P.; An illustrated history of the Big Bend country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin counties, state of Washington, Spokane, Washington : Western Historical Pub. Co., 1904.
This material is primarily derived from the text of the manuscript mentioned above. However, we have significantly enhanced it by incorporating headers, links, notes, images, charts, graphs, maps, preamble, and additional elements to offer a more interactive experience compared to the original manuscript.