AN OLD SETTLERS' MEETING.
The fact that the generation that participated in the Indian war in
this State (then Territory) will soon pass, an attempt was made to hold
a reunion of all the adults who were in Pierce County at the outbreak
of the Indian war in 1855, who are still living in the county.
[Illustration: An Old Settlers' Meeting.]
Naturally, the incidents of the war coming under personal observation
formed a never-ending topic of conversation. Mrs. Boatman related the
incident of her boy "Johnny" (John Boatman, who now lives in Puyallup),
two years and a half old, who was carried off by the Indians, as she
firmly believes, but was found under an oak tree the following day.
The whole garrison at Steilacoom turned out, together with a great
many citizens, and scoured the prairie all night. Colonel Casey, the
commandant, threatened vengeance against the Indians if the child was
not returned. The theory was that the Indians had taken him for a
ransom of their own people held by the whites.
A romantic incident was recalled of Kate Melville, the lady deputy
sheriff. Her father was the first sheriff of Pierce County, and during
his term of office was imprisoned for contempt of court. Kate was a
beautiful girl, in ideal health, and a superb equestrienne, but withal
was a modest, retiring woman. When her father was incarcerated she was
aroused to action and accepted the appointment of deputy sheriff with a
resolute spirit, determined to take the responsibility of enforcing the
law.
"Yes, I saw Kate coming down from the garrison one day with some
prisoners with a pistol strapped to her person," said Willis Boatman,
"but I do not remember what her father was imprisoned for."
Scarcely one present but remembered the incident "that seemed like a
dream almost," in the lapse of forty-five years.
I remember seeing Kate on horseback, while acting as deputy sheriff
during those troublous times, and had often thought to write up this
romantic incident of real stern pioneer life, but space will not permit
it here, further than to say that the responsibilities of the office
were undertaken from a sense of duty and under intense loyalty to her
father. Both now lie peacefully under the sod in the county in which
their lot was cast.
"We moved out to my father's place about two months after the outbreak
of the war," said George Dougherty. "The Indians sent us word not to be
afraid—that they would not harm us. I had lived among the Indians from
childhood, and in fact had learned to talk the Indian language before I
could speak my mother tongue. At that time I believe there were twenty
Indians to where there is one now. Most of the Indians were friendly.
Had it been otherwise they could have wiped out the white settlement
completely, in spite of the military volunteers."
"Yes, and not left a grease spot of them," said Mr. Rogers. "But
the fact is, the Indians did not want to fight the whites, but were
dissatisfied with their treatment by the government. They wanted their
land back, and got it, too, after they whipped the whites, which they
did this side of the mountains. If it had not been that a majority of
the Indians were in favor of peace with the whites, they could have
held this country for a number of years. In fact, there were fifty or
sixty Indians who fought on the side of the whites. There were a lot of
whites who intended to stay out on their ranches, as they had perfect
confidence in the Indians. The result of the war was that the Indians
got all that they contended for. The good bottom lands had been taken
away from the Indians and they had been given the woods. This was done
to open up the bottom lands for settlement. Notwithstanding this,
many of the Indians were not hostile enough to go to war. The Indians
east of the mountains initiated the war when they came over here and
insisted that these Indians drive out the whites. In the meantime the
Indians were given their lands back again. The Indians killed as many
whites as the whites killed Indians. They had been living at peace with
the whites and would have continued to do so had it not been for the
Indians east of the mountains. I think that a mean advantage of the
Indians was taken at that treaty."
"I think there were as many whites killed this side of the mountains as
Indians," said Mr. Dougherty, resuming; "and there would have been no
war had the Indians been properly treated. I remember Leschi and his
band passed down through the prairie nearby father's house, but did not
stop to disturb us, but moved on to Muckleshoot and Green River."
"Yes, I remember considerable about the early condition of the Indian
and their supply of food, for many and many is the time that I have
enjoyed their hospitality and partaken of the various forms of what may
be termed their land food as distinguished from fish. This was varied
and abundant. I have seen trainloads of dried camas and sunflower
roots carried by their ponies, and sometimes by the squaws on their
backs. The Indians called the sunflower roots 'kalse.' It has now
become almost extinct, except in small fields where it is protected.
Kalse is a small root, about the size of an ordinary carrot, and has
a yellow flower resembling the sunflower. The Indians would dig it
with a crooked staff of ironwood stick, by twisting the stick around
the roots and using it as a lever to pull up the roots. After getting
a sufficient quantity of this sunflower root together the tops of the
roots would be nipped off, then the bark would be beaten off and a
baking place arranged in a hollow in the ground, with sallal berry
twigs, leaves and hemlock boughs. The roots would be piled up rounding,
and covered over with the sallal and other material, and the whole
covered with earth. A fire would be made over the ground and the
roasting would occupy three or four days, depending upon the size of
the pile. After the end of three or four days the remaining coals and
hot ashes would be removed from the top of the pile, and there would
be exposed the steaming sunflower roots. The roots are very delicious
in taste, though I cannot compare it to anything now in use. They also
made a liquor from its roots by soaking, which was very exhilarating
and strengthening. I have often partaken of this food when a child.
There was another food gathered from the prairie, which the Indians
called 'la-camas' or 'camas'. It is a small root, about the size of
the end of your thumb, and has a stalk that shows itself early in the
spring. It comes up as two leaves folded together, and as it progresses
in growth it spreads. From this appears a stem on the top of which is a
blue flower. It is very nutritious. It was generally prepared in large
quantities and could be kept until the following year. I have always
thought that it would be a great addition to our garden products, and
would be beneficial to us as a health diet generally. The Indians who
used it were generally very healthy. There is another article of food
that I know the Indian name for, but not the white man's. The Indian
name is 'squelebs'. It grows in low, marshy places and in creeks that
run cold, clear water. It has the appearance of the wild parsnip, and
probably is a species of it. It grows in joints. It is very delicious
to the taste in its season and is eaten raw. It is the finest nervine
that I ever used. Then comes 'kinnikinnick' berries, or the Indian
tobacco. The Indians will take 'kinnikinnick' leaves, roast them until
brown, and then mix half and half with tobacco, when it makes very
fine smoking, and the odor is fragrant and very acceptable. It has an
influence over the smoker like opium or ether. Some Indians that I have
seen using it would keel over in a trance. It is very highly prized by
them. The berries that grow and ripen on the 'kinnikinnick' when ripe
are used as food by the Indians by mixing them with dried salmon eggs,
and have the property of strengthening to an abnormal degree. They
also used the young sprouts of the wild raspberry and salmon berry,
which were very useful in cooling the system and very acceptable to
the palate. There was another food product that the Indians called
'charlaque'. It throws out a broad, dark green leaf on one side of the
stem, and on the end of the stem there is a bell-shaped flower of a
brownish cast on the outside, and on the inside the color is orange,
mottled with brown specks. It produces a flat root about the size of
an ordinary walnut and is good either raw or roasted. It grows in
shady places and near oak bushes. The root is white. There is also a
species of the dandelion which has a very delicate-tasting root, which
was eaten either raw or roasted. It is something similar to the wild
parsnip, and the root is also white. When the root is broken it exudes
a milk which is an excellent cure for warts. Another food plant was the
'wapato'. It grows in swampy places and sends its roots into the water.
It grows luxuriantly in such places, and the tubers of the 'wapato'
were highly prized by the Indians and could be eaten either raw or
cooked. It had a delicate and pungent taste that was very acceptable
to the palate. By this you will see that the Indians had a variety of
food, when one takes into consideration the wild fruits, fish and game
in which the country abounded."
Peter Smith said: "We were crossing the plains in 1852 when Spotted
Tail with about thirty warriors, fresh from the Crow war, rode up to
our camp early one morning. I was cooking breakfast for our party,
and I tell you I was pretty well scared, but I thought to offer them
something to eat and after several attempts, made them understand what
I wanted, and finally gave them all a breakfast of bread and sugar and
coffee. When they first came they sat on their horses with feathers in
their hair, and said nothing to me and nothing to each other, and I
really thought my time had come. After they had eaten their breakfast
they went on up the Platte River toward Fort Laramie. After we had
traveled about three hundred miles we camped in the vicinity of a large
Indian force under the control of Spotted Tail. I was with a group
of men that had gathered when I felt a tug at my coat tail. I looked
around quickly but saw no one, so I went on speaking to the man that I
had been talking to. Pretty soon I felt another tug, and looking around
saw an Indian, whom I recognized as the leader of the band that had
eaten breakfast at our camp a few days before. The Indian told me that
his name was Spotted Tail, and that he wanted me to come to his camp a
few miles away. I told him I would go. Although the others in our party
tried to dissuade me from the undertaking, I went. The chief treated me
with great kindness and hospitality. He was a tall, athletic Indian,
and his daughters were very pretty, having regular features and black
hair. I returned to the train well pleased with my visit. Forty years
after, while at the world's fair, I met a young man who had some office
at Fort Laramie, which post Spotted Tail often visited. He told me that
Spotted Tail often inquired about me, said that he had never been so
well treated by a white man in his life, and expressed a desire to have
me come and see him. I was very sorry that I never went through the
reservation where Spotted Tail lived to stop off and see him."
"The Indians have massacred all the white settlers on White River and
are coming down on us here in Puyallup," was passed from house to house
on that fateful October day of 1855. Mrs. Woolery and Mrs. Boatman
were the only survivors present at the reunion who witnessed the
scenes that followed. Some had wagons; some had none. Strive as best
they could, they only got across the river the first day. Two canoes
were lashed together and the wagons ferried across, after being first
taken apart. The trip out the next day was made on foot, the women
carrying the young children on their backs. Then came the volunteer
company a week later to rescue the provisions, stock, clothing and
other property that had been abandoned. This party consisted of the
settlers of the valley, with a few others—nineteen in all. The author
was one of the "others," not having yet settled in the valley. As
we went in by the "lower" road the column of United States troops
and volunteers abandoned the field and withdrew by the "upper" road,
leaving our little band in utter ignorance of our danger for four days,
when we crossed the trail of the retreating column, which we afterwards
learned had halted at Montgomery's, at the edge of the prairie. Our
women folks were disturbed at our long stay, and the troops were under
orders to advance to our rescue, when lo! and behold! at nightfall on
the sixth day we returned, loaded with property and provisions, in most
cases being all the possessions of the owners who formed a part of the
company, and there was great joy in camp. Not an Indian had been seen
nor a shot fired, except to empty our guns to make sure that they would
"go," as some of the men quaintly expressed it.
After looking back over the vista of years, none of the party could
say that life had been a failure; there was the lady bordering close
on eighty years; the gentleman eighty-four and past (Peter Smith),
with the "kids" of the party past the sixty-eighth mark, yet one would
scarcely ever meet a more cheerful and merry party than this of the
reunion of the old settlers of 1855.[18]
FOOTNOTE:
[18] Since this meeting in June, 1904, all of the ten pioneers that
comprised the party have died, prior to the writing of this note,
except the author and one other.