Stories of Early Years
An Account of Pioneer Makers of History in Old Wasco County
By Carson Masiker, 1911

EARLY WASCO COUNTY HISTORY

     I shall leave The Dalles and its immediate vicinity for others to write up as I never lived in the town.  When I first came to Wasco county to live in April, 1860, the Fivemile House at the crossing of Fivemile Creek was kept by a Mr. Hodgkins, later by J. M. P. Cook, still later by Mr. Guliland and still later by Mr. Floyd. A short distance up Fivemile Creek was the Booth place, later occupied by George Stone, later by Jacob Broadwell and still later by D. E. Thompson.
     At the Fivemile House while Hodgkins kept it was a man whose name was David Gorman, commonly called "Old Dave Gorman." He went from there to the Boise mines with Hodgkins and on his return worked for D.G. Leonard on the Leonard bridge on John Day river and later bought the Cold Spring ranch on the river, seven miles above the bridge. This was the ranch that John Irvin had taken up in 1862. Gor­man sold an interest in this ranch to John Sweet and they conducted the place for a number of years. Dave finally sold to Sweet and went to Walla Walla and from there to the Palouse country.
     Going up Tenmile creek about one mile from the Fivemile House was the home of Nathan Olney, later occupied by Judge Perham. Next above Nate Olney on the creek was O. Olney, a brother of Nate's and next above him was the Shapley Geiger place just below the Company Ranch hollow. It was on this place that my people spent the forepart of the summer of 1860. Next came the place of J. M. Bird, who later kept the livery stable in The Dalles. Next came the place of Marcellus Faulkner, and next came the place of Col. Fulton. The school house was built on Col. Fulton's place in 1860 by a young man whose name was Robert Cochran, who was working for Col. Fulton that summer. There was also a young man work­ing there whose name was Crabtree. It was at the Fulton school house that my mother taught school. She was the first to teach public school in the Tenmile district, and the scholars, as I recall them, were James Fulton, Jr., John Fulton, David Fulton, Emeline Newton -- a step daughter of Faulkner, -- Alice Faulkner, Wm. W. Masiker, Esther Masiker, Elmyra Masiker, and Carson C. Masiker.
     The school house was also used as a church, as was the custom in those days. Among those who expounded the scriptures here were Rev. Arthur Walker, who also preached at Eightmile, Fifteenmile and Tygh. W.D. Nicholas also made the same round. John Murphy, T.M. Ward, and on one occasion Thos. H. Pearne, at that time editor of the Pacific Christian Advocate of Portland preached to us. Rev. John DeVore preached occasionally in 1861 and 62, and occasionally some transient preacher would hail in and preach to us; one such was Mr. Moreland, and on one occasion a long-winded fellow preached for three hours one Saturday afternoon and the following Sunday he preached so long that nearly everyone left the school house before he quit. The Methodist preachers stationed at The Dalles were in the habit of preaching on the creek about once a month after 1864. B. C. Lippincott, John Tindall, Isaac Dillon, afterward editor of the Pacific Christian Advocate, I.D. Driver, Gustavus Hines, John Flinn, and occasionally in about 1868 or 69 a school teacher whose name was Roberts taught at Pine Hollow and also preached. Lewis Henderson was also a preacher at one time, but had quit before 1860. In about 1870 Troy Shelley began preaching on the creek, making his debut at the Bolton school house. He was a school teacher and also taught vocal music.
     Next above Col. Fulton lived Henry Luchinger, known at that time as "Dutch Henry"; next was the place occupied by Gabriel Deckert, a German, who, I think, settled there in 1851, and was still there on the same place in 1896. Next came the James Woolery place later occupied for many years by Richard Brookhouse. It was where the Gordon road crosses Tenmile. A man whose name was Black worked for Brookhouse for a long time and finally drifted over to Buck creek and was there with Cornwall for some time. Next came the Lafayette Hembree place later occupied by Z. Donnell, Donnell was a farmer and a stockraiser. He was an ardent unionist during the war and was state senator from 1864 until 1868; he left the creek and moved to The Dalles where he lived for many years.
     About Tenmile and Deschutesville in 1860 and for several years after was a man whose name was A. Biffle. He had some stock but did not locate any land claim that I know of on Tenmile; later he went over into what is now Sherman county and located at what was called the Haystack, a place afterward owned by George Jackson, then by the Finnigan boys -- ­Mike and Pat -- then by Joseph Sherar; it was a branch of Buck creek. Biffle drifted up onto Currant creek and tended the toll gate there for a time and then finally located on Biffle Bottom, which afterward came to be known as Big Bottom on John Day river above the mouth of Bridge creek; the place was afterward occupied by Deadman and Rowe.
     Next above the Donnell place was a William Foss and next the Douglas place at the mouth of Douglas hollow. The place was too small to make a living on and he left it and went up to Camas Prairie in Idaho in 1862. Next came the Spokane Jackson place; he was so called because he had married Mary-Jane of the Spokane tribe. Next came the Nelson J. Moad place at the mouth of Road hollow. Buchanan afterward settled in this hollow and it came to be known as the Buchanan hollow, and later Stannard hollow. Next came the Cogswell place; Cogswell died in the fail of 1861 and was buried on the place; there was a child buried at the same place. The last time I passed there the graves were almost obliterated and have probably been farmed over for many years. The place was later occupied by Joseph Moad. Next came the Fairfield place at the mouth of Jamison hollow. A man whose name was P.T. Wallace settled on the creek between the Joe Moad place and the Fairfield place in about 1863 and remained in the country for several years. He at one time located in Company Ranch hollow but did not remain there long.
     In about 1862 or 3 an uncle of Nels Moad's, whose name was Thomas Moad, crossed the plains and built a small house on Moad's place in which he lived for a time. He had a son, John, a daughter, whose name was Ellen or Helen, who married Lewis Henderson, another daughter named Frances and one whose name I have forgotten. Uncle Tom went out on the road freighting and died somewhere up toward Boise. John was with him and brought the train home. Henderson then took the children to his home and took care of them for about a year when an uncle of theirs. In California sent for them and they went down there.
     Next came the place of Peter Rudio. Rudio sold the place to Horace Rice who lived there for many years. Next came the Daniel Bolton place. The Boltons came to the creek in about 1856. Next came the A.D. Bolton place. A.D. was a nephew of Daniel Bolton. Between the houses of the two Boltons was built in 1863 the Union school house, later known as the Bolton school house. Next above the A.D. Bolton place was the Collard place, near the Collard flat; Ed Brennan located on this flat in 1864 and it came to be known as the Brennan flat. Marion and Newton Gilliam bought Brennan out and later it was occupied by Mr. Snodgrass. Port Gilliam also lived there at one time.
     I am told that the town of Boyd is built on this flat. In 1866 a man whose name I have forgotten, lay down to drink at the spring on the north side of this flat and as he was doing so his pistol fell on some rocks and shot him; he lingered in agony for two days and died at the home of William Gilliam on the creek.
     Wm. Gilliam was an Oregon pioneer who crossed the plains in about 1845 or 6, lived in Polk county at one time, came to The Dalles in the early sixties, and worked at carpentering. He was our singing school teacher in 1864 and 65, teaching in the Bolton school house for two or three terms. He moved to Fifteenmile in 1863 or 4 and went from there to Shoo Fly in what is now Wheeler county in 1872 and died there in about 1880. He was justice of the peace on Fifteenmile and also at Shoo Fly. He was a good man and a good neighbor.
     Somewhere in the Fifteenmile country lived the Boyd brothers, three of them, Jack, Jim and Joe; Jim at one time lived above Sam Brookhouse in the same hollow. Joe took up a place in about 1864 at the forks of Dry creek but they had been in the country some time before that. They were there in 1861, but I do not know where they lived.
     Next above the Collard place was the Frank Asbury Wallace place, later occupied by William Gilliam, who bought the Collard place and in­corporated into the Wallace place and it ceased to have a separate existence. It was occupied by the Angell family who moved to Eightmile and lived there for many years. The Gilliam place was later occupied by Mr. Pratt and is where the road to the Sherar bridge crosses the creek. Next came the William Logan place. William Logan and his wife were lost on the Brother Jonathan in 1865. Logan was the father of Dr. Hugh Logan of The Dalles. At the Logan place in 1860 was a man whose name was Geo. Pearson. There was also a lad in 1860 at the home of William Logan on Fifteenmile, a nephew of Mrs. Logan„ whose name was Wm. Campbell. He was an orphan boy and was the ward of Mike (C.E.) Chrisman. "Billy" as he was called, was about the age of his cousin Hugh. He stepped on a nail which ran into his heel and died from the effects of it in 1867 or about that time. Billy was a good boy. The Logan house was burned in 1860 and the chimney was left standing; the next house was built to the chimney. Working on this house was a carpenter whose name was Price. He was a single man and remained somewhere in the country and died at the house of Wm. Gilliam in The Dalles in about 1872. The Logan place was occupied for many years by Mike Chrisman, who bought Logan out.
     Next came the Walker place occupied by Arthur and Washington Walker. At this place in the fall of 1861 John M. Ledford was married to Elizabeth Walker, a niece of the Walker brothers. The Walkers had a small grist mill on their place and ground for toll; the mill was sold and moved away in about 1867. The upper school house stood near the mill on the end of the Walker place in 1860, but in 1861 it was moved up into the lane above the Walker place where some time later it was burned and a new school house was built over in Pine hollow. The Walkers sold their place to Chas. Broback, who later sold to Joseph Beezley. I am told that the town of Dufur is mostly built on the Walker place. At the Walker school house there was a flag raising which I have already described in the Dufur Dispatch. Dufur bought the Beezley place and I met him there as I was back on the creek occasionally until 1872, but the town of Dufur had not then commenced to build.
     Next above the Walker place was the David Imbler place. Imbler sold to Joseph Beezley in 1868 and moved to Union county. Beezley sold to Dufur. Next came the J. M. Crooks place. Crooks sold to Geo. Pearson in 1864 and moved to Idaho. Pearson had been on the creek for some time before that. He was there in 1860, making his headquarters at the Chrisman place in 1869. He was married to Isabella Crooks about the time he bought the place and lived there for two years. He sold the place to Geo. Herbert of Tygh. Herbert died during the winter of 1867-8 and his widow continued to live there for some time but finally married John Cates of Eightmile. They moved to The Dalles where they lived for many years; both have now passed on to their reward. Next above the Crooks place was the W.R. Menefee place, who lived there for many years. Next came the Silas Imbler place. Imbler sold and moved to Union county.
     Next came the Lewis Henderson place, on whose place Ft. Hender­son was built, at the edge of the timber. Henderson came to the creek in 1864 or 5. Next came the T.M. Ward place. Ward sold to Alexander Crawford and went to Threemile where he lived for some time, going from there to Lone Rock valley, where he died some years ago at an advanced age. He had crossed the plains to Oregon in 1845. Next came the Estus and Chapman place, later sold to Mrs. Upton and Sam'l Price, who sold to T.C. Clark, who had been on the creek since 1861. A school house was built up in the timber on the Clark place in about 1862; it proved to be too far up the creek and was moved down about a mile. It was placed on runners and made ready before the snow fell and after a favorable fall of snow had come Charley Broback took his freight team of eight horses and drew it to its new location on the Henderson place.
     Next came the Jackson place at the mouth of Ramsey creek, and on Ramsey creek was John Ramsey who later located In the mouth of Rail hollow. Ramsey sold his Ramsey creek place to Horace Parker, who sold to W. H. Santee. Parker moved to Butte creek and later to Big Bend. Parker and Geo. Stone had a saw mill on Fifteenmile just above the mouth of Ramsey creek; about this mill in early days was a James Donohue and a Benton Emory. I knew little of them.     Ezra Hemingway was here also during the winter of 1861-2. Hemingway later located in the lower end of Tygh Valley and farmed awhile, and later bought the Tygh bridge and sold some years later to Joseph Sherar; from there he went to John Day and from there to Almota. Stone bought the Booth place on Fivemile and later went to California.
     Still further up the creek was the Lewis Henderson saw mill; in 1860 Sam'1 Glass and Wm. Henry Hightower rented this mill and ran it for more than a year. Glass wintered there during the hard winter of 1861-2. In the spring of 1862 he formed a partnership with Geo. Masker and went over into what is now Sherman county, but sold out to Masiker that fall and came back to the creek. He went east in 1866, overland; he had come from Missouri overland in 1860. Hightower went up into the John Day country prospecting in the fall of 1861 and was supposed to have been killed by the Indians; his skeleton was found in 1862, and was identified by the teeth. In the fall of 1861 Patrick Henry Roundtree came to the Henderson mill and wintered there. He went over with Glass and Masiker and worked on the Sand Spring ranch, now known as Poplar Grove, seven miles west of Wasco, during the summer of 1862, and drove a freight team on the Boise road in 1863, when he returned to his home on Puget Sound; he had crossed the plains in 1858. Abraham Job, a large, stout man, came to the Henderson mill in 1861 and was there during the hard winter of 1861-2. He went to the Salmon river in 1862 and was back on the creek occasionally as late as 1866. In about 1865 or 6 James Algiers settled oft Ramsey creek and lived there for some time.
     Dry creek entered Fifteenmile at the Daniel Bolton place and in 1860 Edward Mahn lived about two miles up this creek at the mouth of Dutch­man hollow. Mahn was a German, a very industrious fellow, fond of music and thought he knew something about it; he would occasionally try to argue with our music teachers; no one could sing with him. To Uncle Ed is due the credit for testing the grain producing qualities of the bunch­grass land. He went up on top of one of the highest hills near Dry creek and put in 40 acres of oats in 1864; it was mostly a failure, but he took his cradle and cut the best patches of it; the next year he tried it again, and this crop, although light, paid to cut. The next year, 1866, was a wet season following a hard winter and Uncle Ed had a bountiful crop all over his bunch grass field. If he had sown wheat instead of oats it would have been a success from the start. In the fall of 1861 Mahn married the widow Upton, who had crossed the plains in 1860, and the first charivari I ever knew was when they were married. The widow Upton lost her husband at Fort Hall, but she had five boys and two girls; the Upton boys and Mahn did not get along pleasantly and a separation took place in 1865.   Next above the Mahn place came the Wm. Carlton place at the mouth of Long Hollow; this place changed hands numerously. It was owned in turn by Carlton, Allen Hall, Henderson, Gurten, Hubbard and Wm. Capps, John M. Ledford, Sam'1 Price, Wm. Hahn, and Dennis Maloney -- the wee little Irishman. Next above the Carlton place came the John Cates place. Cates sold in 1860 to Mrs. Upton. She sold to Wm. McAtee; then Wm. Farr had it. Joseph Beezley had it at one time and the last I knew of it Dick Kloster had it -- this was in 1872. Wm. McAtee, who bought Mrs. Upton out on Dry creek, afterward went over to Sherar's bridge and built a station on the road which he kept for some time, going from there to Tygh Valley, where he died.
     Still further up the creek in 1860 lived Dennis Maloney and Wm. Manix. Manix went to Salmon river in 1862 and to Boise in 1863, where he made a raise. He came back in 1864 and visited awhile with Dennis and then sailed for Buenos Aires in South America and I knew no more of him. Maloney and Manix cut their crop of hay and oats on Dry creek in 1860 and 1861 with their old fashioned reap hooks they had brought from Ireland with them. In 1859 the Staggs brothers located in the middle fork of Dry creek between Maloney and Mays. The Stagges were not more than half civilized and left the place in the spring of 1860, and went to Rock Creek in what is now Gilliam county where they lived for many years. My people moved onto this place in August, 1860, and remained there until April, 1862. Wm. Kent lived there in 1866 and at one time Joseph Beezley lived there. On the right hand prong of Dry creek lived Hon. Robert Mays, too well known to need any mention from me ex­cept that I always found him to be a good neighbor and a good man gen­erally. He was state senator from Wasco county when I first knew him.
     Above Mr. Mays' place were Richard and Sam Brookhouse, brothers; Richard went down on Tenmile and bought the Hembree place, where he lived for many years. Sam continued to live on the old place. Sam was an odd specimen; he called his brother "Rachard." A few days after Richard went to Tenmile some one called at Sam's and Sam said to him, "I felt so bod whin Rachard left I just went out and cried me belly full." John Brookhouse, a brother of Sam, came at a later time and settled on Rose Brush Flat, out toward Tygh.
     The first teacher at the Union or Bolton school house was Wm. Long, who taught there in the fall of 1863, shortly after the house was built. I attended his second term, which began January lst, 1864. I had walked that day from Sand Spring on the east of Deschutes. I started just at daylight and carried a change of clothing and my books. It was more than 20 miles and the roads were muddy. It was getting dark when I reached Dan'l Bolton's place. I was not yet 12 years of age and I was wearied to excess but I met a hearty welcome and a hearty supper to which I did full and ample justice. I had had no dinner. The scholars as I recall them were Geo. W. Rice, Charles Wesley Rice, Emma Rice, Jacob Minturn, Hattie Bolton, Ellen Bolton, Zenas Bolton, Simeon Bolton, of Daniel Bolton's family; Derby Lee Bolton, William Bolton and Ada Bolton of A. D. Bolton's family; Geo. Upton, David Upton, John Upton, Sarah Upton, Francis Marion Gilliam, Robt. Newton Gilliam, Sam'l Gilliam, Wm. Ward Masiker, Carson C. Masiker; Miss Amy Johnson and Miss Eunice Smith also taught there while I lived in the settlement.
     The first teacher I knew of at the Walker school was H.H. Hill, then French, then M.M. Chipman. The scholars at the Chipman school, 1861, as I recall them were Angeline Rudio, Amanda Simpson, Hattie Bolton, Zenas Bolton, Ellen Bolton, Sally Bolton, Derby Lee Bolton, Geo. Upton, David Upton, John Upton, Nancy Walker, Temperance Walker, Morgan Walker, Joseph Walker, Mary Imbler, Francis Imbler, Nancy Imbler, Annie Imbler, Jacob Crooks, Dan'l Crooks, James Crooks, Michael Crooks, Isabelle Crooks, Jane Herbert, Henry Menefee, Mary Menefee, Scott Ward, Mary E. Ward, Morgan Ward, Monroe Ward, Milton Ward, Lucius Dodge; Lucia Dodge, Benton Mays, James Polk Mays, Franklin Pierce Mays, Wm. W. Masiker, Esther Masiker, Elmyra Walker, Carson C. Masiker. I did not attend the Walker school after 1861 nor the Bolton school after 1866. There was at the Chipman school in 1861 also a Thos. Lamb; he came from Molalla and was a son of Charity Lamb of notorious memory. Thomas was a good boy at school.
     Just across the creek from the old school house Al Johnson had a blacksmith shop in 1861, but he left on short notice and another man ran the shop for a abort time and then enlisted in the army and the shop came to an end. I have forgotten his name; I never met him but once. He and a foot-loose fellow whose name was Warren Hibbard were in the habit of going to The Dalles and getting on a booze together. They left town one day with three bottles of whiskey. They were on horseback and just after they had passed John Topart's place on Eightmile (since occupied by "Alkali" Frank Hewitt) they had finished one of the bottles and one of them proposed that they smash the two remaining bottles on the first rock they came to and swear off; the other agreed to this and they hurled the bottles at a rock and quit drinking. The last I knew of them they were both total abstinence men.
     In 1863, Rev. Levi L. Rowland lived on Col. Fulton's upper Tenmile place, and in 1864 moved up onto the Fairfield place. He later located at the Jamison place in Jamison hollow where he lived for some time. He taught school some and preached some, but his business was raising horses and mules. He held a public debate at Pine hollow school house with Rev. J. C. Galloway, presiding elder at that time in the Methodist church, the subject being baptism. Mr. Rowland contended that immersion was the only baptism and Mr. Calloway contended for the three forms recognized by the Methodists. Of course each side thought that its champion had won. This debate, I think, occurred in about 1870 or 1871. It was after I had gone to Boise in 1870. He had become an M.D. and the doctor was the fist worthy chief templar of Johnson lodge I.O.O.F. organized at the Bolton school house by John Michell of The Dalles on Dec. 23, 1865. This lodge changed its name to Wasco lodge No. 21 and met at the Bolton and Pine hollow school house alternately for about two years and then ceased to exist. At Mr. Rowland's for some time also was James Stroade, who also drove freight team for Marcellus Faulkner in 1862 on the Boise road. Dr. Rowland moved to The Dalles and from there to Salem and was the first superintendent of public instruction Oregon ever elected.
     In 1865, John Sharp of Eightmile married Nancy Rowland, a niece of Dr. Rowland, and a small party of Fifteenmile boys, to-wit: Jimmie Job, Geo. Hubbard, Geo. Rice, F.M. Gilliam, Wm. W. Masiker, Carson C. Masiker, concluded to honor them with a midnight serenade. We went over to Eightmile, picked up Mr. Endersby and elected him as captain of our company, and the last time I heard of him he was still known as Captain Endersby.
     In 1861 Ike Ried was taking care of Lewis Henderson's place during Henderson's absence and one day was down at Walker's place doing some work for them. Mary E. Ward, daughter of T. M. Ward, who lived just above Henderson, was attending school at the Walker schoolhouse and a short time before the school was dismissed for the day asked permission to go down to Mr. Walker's for a few minutes and take Isabelle Crooks with her, promising to be back in time for the spelling lesson. Permis­sion being given, the girls stepped down to Walker's and the Rev. Arthur Walker married Ike Ried and Miss Ward. The girls went back to school in time for the spelling lesson and after school was dismissed started toward home as usual. The boys were in the habit of going on ahead of the girls and occasionally Mary would stay over night with Belle. On this occasion, however, Mary dropped in at the Henderson place and her people did not miss her until the Ward boys came home from school the next day and reported that Mary had not been at school that day, and Belle had said that Mary had passed on up the road toward home as usual the day before. About this time the Ward family began to smell a rat of the largest  possible dimensions and began a search for the missing daughter. They did not have to hunt long to find her, but she thanked them and said she had a home of her own then, and declined to go home with them. No marriage license was required in those days and the case admitted of no appeal.
     Not long after this Rev. Mr. Walker was at our house one day and mother asked him it there was anything new on the creek. “Yes,” he said, "one of the funniest things that ever happened on our creek came off last night. Along in the evening Belle Crooks was taking care of the babe and was out in the garden when a light shower came up.    She went into the woodshed and lopped down on some old waste that was lying there, and as she said dropped to sleep. The rest of the family were out milking and when they came back to the house could find nothing of Belle. Calling to mind the recent experience of the Ward family they jumped to the conclusion that Belle had run off. Crooks mounted a horse and started with all speed for Walker's hoping to head off the runaways; it was 9 o'clock when he reached Walker's. They assured him that Belle had not been there and he returned home and found her. A short time after he had started the babe had cried and awakened Belle and she had then brought it into the house.
     Way up in Rail Hollow lived Professor Stanbro and an old darkey. Stanbro also had an Indian woman there. I do not know how long they had been living there together but one evening father came home and said there was a wedding on the creek that evening. Mother asked who it was. "Stanbro and his old squaw". "Who married them?" "Rev. Mr. Walker." Stanbro was a professor of ventriloquism, and before he came to Fifteenmile had owned a puppet and picture show and practiced his art in connection with it. Other ventriloquists said of him that he had thrown his voice so far into the hill that he never got it back again. But other people said he was the best that they had ever heard. David Malone in 1865 came to the upper creek and was there for several years. He was a violinist and at one time played in Prof. Stanbro's show.

Mention of Residents Who Were More or Less Transient.

     There was a family by the name of Burnes, who lived for a time at the head of Pine hollow. They were a large family and had quite a num­ber of cattle. They did not remain long and in the summer of 1861 the Angell family were on the place but as winter approached they moved over on Dry creek at the Cates place and wintered there; from there they went to the Collard place and from there to Eightmile where they lived for many years.
     In 1863 Rev. D. W. Minton settled in Jamison Hollow and remained in the Fifteenmile country for three or four years. He rented the Walker place one year but went east in 1867, located in Kansas and was there 20 years when he again returned to Oregon and made his home with his daughter, Mrs. Moffit. The Moffits came to Fifteenmile in about 1862 or 3. They worked for Mr. Rice for a short time then Mr. Moffit made a trip to Boise, and after that he worked for Dan'l Bolton. They left the creek to 1867 and went to the Willamette valley for a time then came back to the neighborhood of Kingsley; went from there to Sherman county and from there to Damascus, Ore., where he died a few years ago. Mr. Minton also died at Damascus several years ago. Mr. Minton preached at the Bolton and Walker school houses alternately for about two years.
     Peter was a full blood Indian. I first met him at Col. Fulton's in 1861, working in the harvest field. He was a good hand and worked most of the time for some white man. He was always the friend of the whites. He herded sheep for Mike Chrisman, but finally went to work for Joseph Sherar on his roads and worked for him for 20 years.
     Geo. Hubbard came to the creek in about 1864 and worked for A.D. Bolton for a considerable time.
     Wm. Wiley came to Fifteenmile as early as 1861 and lived on the upper creek for some years. He was a freighter at one time and he and Algers and T. C. Clark used to travel the road together. Algers and Clark were half cousins.
     John Wiley was on the Greek in 1866, drove team for Parker and C. M. Lockwood, worked in Bird's stable at The Dalles and was in the coun­try for several years.
     I think I omitted to mention the Dodge place that was just below the mouth of Ramsey creek on Fifteenmile.
     Sam'l Stroud came to the creek in about 1868. He worked for Silas Imbler for a time and had the misfortune to be under a shed that became weighted to the breaking point with snow and as it fell it came near breaking his back. He was helpless for a long time, but finally learned the cobbler's trade and worked at it in The Dalles for some time. The last I saw of him he had so far recovered as to be out on the street on crutches.
     Robt. Earl lived on Tenmile at the Bird place in 1862, but did not remain there long. Col. Fulton bought the place in 1863 and moved onto it to live. He is too well known to need further mention.
     In 1863 Uncle Johnnie Ward settled In Company Ranch hollow, but did not remain there long. He went out to Cross Hollows, now known as Shaniko, where he kept a station on the road for a number of years and came to be known as Cross Hollow Ward.
     Geo. Bamburger came to the creek in about 1866 or 7. He made his headquarters with the two Bolton families mostly, but worked for others at times and was finally interested with Wm. Logan near The Dalles. He died at Dan'l Bolton's on Fifteenmile in 1866. He was one of the best of men. B. C. Lippincott said that Bamburger's example was a continual sermon and did more good than Lippincott's preaching did.
     Chas. Riley was a man of uncompromising union sentiments and would sometimes go beyond words in support of his views. He was a packer and teamster on the Canyon City road for a long time, and finally settled on John Day and raised stock; he was a drover at one time and raised fast horses, and was inclined to be something of a sport.
     The first camp meeting that I knew of was in 1869 and lasted four days. Then about three weeks afterward another was held at the same place that lasted more than a week and more than 60 persons joined the church. It was a Methodist meeting and was held on the lower end of the Broback place at the celebration grounds.
     The first celebration held there was in 1866. I. D. Driver was orator, and Lieut. James A. Waymire was reader. Lieut. Waymire was a son of Mrs. Wm. Gilliam. The celebration was a great success. This was my first celebration. I remember that a man by the name of Crawford took some exceptions to the oration and proposed three cheers for Jeff Davis. At this time Thomas. J. Moffltt threw off his coat and in less time than it takes to tell it gave him a threshing.
     John and Sam'l Price, brothers, crossed the plains in 1860. John had a family and lived for a time in Rail Hollow, then on the Estus place. He enlisted in Company G at The Dalles during the war and his family went to Vancouver, Wash. Sam'1 Price was born in Ohio In 1834, lived for a time in Virginia, then came west to Iowa and in 1863 went to Missouri. He worked for my people in 1861 and 2. He also worked in Parker's mill in the summer of 1862, but came back to Sand Spring in the fall of 1862 and continued to work for us until he became my stepfather in 1864. That year he bought the Chrisman place at the mouth of Chrisman Hollow on Dry Creek, and in 1865 bought out Ledford at the mouth of Long Hollow, and in 1866 went back to Sand Spring in Sherman county (the place Is now known as Poplar Grove and is seven miles west of Wasco), where he lived until 1882, when he went to Columbus, Wn., and in 1892 he bought the hotel at Biggs. From there he went to Yakima and from there to Kennewick, from there to Hood River and in 1909 went to Grants Pass, where he now resides. Mr. Price has been a very industrious man, modest and quiet.
     On upper Fifteenmile in the early days was a man whose name was Jackson. He was a carpenter and mill-wright, but lived on a farm on the creek. I think the Parker mill was at the upper end of his place. His daughter married Orlando Humason. Jackson was at one time in­terested with Snipes and Crandall in a saw mill up Mill creek. I last saw him in The Dalles in 1872.
     At Faulkner's also was Charlie Cox, a saddler and harness maker; he drove a horse team for Faulkner, also for Col. Fulton. Another of Faulkner's teamsters was James Darneal and Joseph Caves worked on Faulk­ner's farm.
     At the Jim Bird place on Tenmile in 1861 was Frank Byrd, a brother of Mrs. Jim Bird. He was a lame man, had one short leg. He drove stage for a long time on the Umatilla road.
     In about 1864 Wm. Smith and his brother, Henry, who was generally called Fred Smith came to the upper Fifteenmile and were at the Hen­derson mill for a while. Ferdinand married Elizabeth Beezley and lived in The Dalles for a while, then went over in what is now Gilliam county and the last I knew of him was out in the Ochoco country.
     At Faulkner's about 1862-3 was a man whose name was James Clark. He drove a horse team of Faulkner's on the Boise road and then settled on John Day river just below the mouth of Bridge creek and kept a station on the road but the Indians burned him out and he formed a partnership with Chauncy M. Lockwood and ran a stage on the Canyon City road for a time, then he and Wm. Ward ran a stage on the Umatilla road for awhile, then he went up on John Day near Mt. Vernon and located but finally drifted up to Coeur d' Alene and died there. He was one of the men who followed up and killed old Chief Paulina of the Snake Indians in 1867.
     Jesse Moore was on Tenmile in the early sixties. He made his head­quarters at Marcellus Faulkner's. He drove Faulkner's ox team on the Boise road in 1863 and in 1864 drove a horse team on the Canyon City road. He also packed in company with James Faulkner, a nephew of Marcellus at the mouth of the South Fork on the John Day river. One day they were fired on by the Indians and drawing their revolvers charged on them and ran them up South Fork. They killed one of them and as they came up to him one of them said, “That is a singular looking Indian.” “Yes,” said the other, “he looks like a white man; let's drag him down to the river there and wash him.” They did so and found him to be a white man. Jim remarked that it was worth more to get him than ten Indians. Moore finally settled on Butler creek and was in partnership with Shapley Geiger, who was a brother of Marcellus Faulkner.
     In about 1858 John Irvin came to Wasco county and was engaged in driving cattle to British Columbia for two or three years and during the hard winter of 1861-2 was at the mouth of the Deschutes river and did heroic work in rescuing several men who were about to perish in the storms on the road between John Day and Deschutes. He went out and broke roads through the snow, found men in an exhausted condition, put them on his horse and brought them to shelter. He froze his hands in carrying Jonathan Mulkey around the trail between the bluffs above Biggs. Risked life and limb in his efforts to serve men in distress. On one occasion he became snowblind and wandered about aimlessly all night but just at daylight his sight came to him, enough that he recognized that he was in the canyon leading down to where Biggs has since been built. He was at Fireplace rocks near the mouth of Mud Hollow which enters Spanish Hollow about a mile up from the Columbia; there are two or three natural fireplaces in the rock ledge on the north side of the hollow. After the snow had gone off he hunted for three weeks for the body of Marion Olphin, who perished in the storm. Olphin's brother was with him in this hunt and paid him for his services. They found Olphin in a canyon about a mile from the John Day river. He was lying at full length on his face with the cape of his soldier overcoat drawn over his head, his arms resting on the cape and his forehead on his arms like he had lain down in that position to go to sleep; he had not been touched by anything. Irvin took a shovel and built a mound of earth over him where he lay, and then covered the mound with rocks. Irvin settled on John Day river seven miles up from Leonard's bridge and was there three or four years. He rarely spoke of his work in rescuing the men in the storm. He got no pay for it. The last time I saw him was in 1869 in Bird's stable in The Dalles. He was a man of great courage and endurance.
     Wm. Graham, the first settler in Sherman county, came to Eastern Oregon at an early date. He wintered at Ft. Henderson in 1855-6 and was on Eightmile for a time and as near as I know settled on the east side of the Deschutes river in 1858. He had a large family. His oldest daughter Maria had married A1 South as early as 1857. I had met South in Yamhill county in 1857 and he was married then. They went to California and were there for some years and came to Sherman county in 1866, and after some years settled on Willow creek in what is now Gilliam county. Graham's second daughter, Jane, married Charles Pool; they were on the Graham place during the winter of 1861-2 and remained there until 1863 or 4 when they moved to Boise valley where they lived for a number of years. Graham's third daughter, Mary, married L.J. Bailey of Celilo. The other girls were still with their parents when the family left Deschutes. They were named Josephine, Francis, Zella, Georgia, and I think the name of the youngest was Martha. Robert, the oldest boy, and John D., the second, settled over in Klickitat. Thomas, the youngest boy, was still a lad and went with the family to Lewiston.
     Of the Masiker family, Wm. Ward was born in Kane Co., Ill., as was also my oldest sister Esther and myself. We crossed the Rockies in 1852 and wintered at Box Elder, Utah, In 1852-3 and reached Lafayette, Yamhill county, on the 4th day of July, 1853. Our family moved to what is now Sherman county in April, 1862 and moved back to the mouth of Chrisman Hollow on Dry creek in the summer of 1864, and again to Sherman county in April, 1866, and never lived on the Creek afterward. Wm. and myself went up in Grant county in 1870 and settled on John Day river. Wm. came back to Sherman and took up a place at Nigger Hollow, which he sold and then went to Columbus, Wn. from there he went to near the Blockhouse and from there to Yakima; thence to Kennewick where he still lives. In 1877 he married Miss Laura Henderson of Columbus. My oldest sister, Esther, married Jesse Jackson Imbler, son of David Imbler of Fifteenmile in 1865. In 1868 they moved to Summerville, Union county, where they lived for many years and then came to Hood River; went to Tillamook and were there for two or three years, came back to Hood River and then went to Ashland to southern Oregon, where Mr. Imbler died. Esther then came to Grants Pass and is taking care of our mother and step-father there in conjunction with my youngest brother. Elmyra, my second sister, was born in Polk county Feb. 21, 1854, and in 1874 married Henry Barnum of Moro, and after his death she married Allie West of Moro. They are living at Siletz. My next brother, Geo. Bolton Masiker, was born on Dry creek May 24, 1861, and died at Monument, Grant county, in the fall of 1879. My next brother, Martyn Jesse Masiker was born at Sand Spring, May 22, 1863. He is the oldest white man born in the present limits of Sherman county. He was with me on John Day for a time, and then went to Drewsey and from there came to Hood River; from there to Grants Pass where he is helping care for our mother and step-father. My half brother, Jay A. Price, was born on Dry creek in 1866; was married to Alice Watterbury of Columbus, Wn., lived in Columbus, at Grants Pass, and near Oswego, Oregon, and is now captain of The Dalles ferry.

Nate Olney as Indian Fighter and Union Man

     It was generally conceded that Nate Olney was the best Indian fighter in Eastern Oregon. Finally Nate organized a company of about 40 men to fight Indians of which Nate Olney was captain and his brother, O. Olney, was a lieutenant. People said that when Nate got out among them there would be something done; the ladies of The Dalles seemed to think so.
     They presented "Captain Olney and his brave men" with a bright "'spick and span" new flag, The ceremony took place on the steps of the Globe hotel, where French & Company's bank now stands. Quite a concourse of people assembled for the occasion. The Dalles band was on hand discoursing patriotic airs, and a short time before the arrival of the troops I heard one man who had just come up the sidewalk ask of another, "Well, what's all this fuss about?" The man addressed looked at his questioner with mingled pity and contempt, and then said, "Well, it is in honor of Captain Olney and his Indian fighters." "Oh," said the other. The presentation speech was rather short, and the captain's response was also short. Captain Olney and his brave men gave three cheers for the ladies who had presented the colors.   An elderly lady and gentleman sang the "Colors of Columbia"; the band played. Mr. Hogue addressed the company, also Captain Lyons spoke telling them that the more the flag was drenched in the blood of the foe, the "cleaner and the whiter it would be." B.C. Lippincott spoke. Three cheers were given for "Captain Olney and his brave men." Everybody gave three cheers for the flag, the captain and his command rode proudly away and the crowd dispersed. But Olney seemed to have lost his grip as an Indian fighter and nothing resulted from all this flourishing of trumpets. The captain suffered a partial sunstroke on the 3rd day of July, 1866, and never regained his health, afterward dying, as near as I remember, in the fall of that year.
     Olney was an out and out Unionist during the war of the Rebellion, and one day was at our place at Sand Spring and got into a conversation with a secessionist who was claiming a great many rights for his side of politics and Olney kept denying that they had any rights. Finally the secessionist asked it they did not have any rights at all. Olney said that he only knew of two rights that they had. "Well," said Secesh, "I am glad to know that they have two rights, what are these two rights for God's sake?" "Well," said Olney, "they have a constitutional right to be hung, and a divine right to be dammed." As Olney was sheriff at the time, the fellow did not see fit to press the matter any farther.

Hard Winters of Early Days.

     The winter of 1861-2 was the worst I have seen in eastern Oregon. There were two freshets in the fall just one week apart; in the first in­stance about 14 inches of snow had fallen, and then the storm turned to rain and swelled the water considerably but did not do much damage, but the next one had about 12 inches of snow in the Dufur country and then turned to rain accompanied by a warm wind that took nearly all the snow off in one night, and swelled the waters immensely, taking every bridge that I knew of in Wasco county, except one on Tenmile, and it ran over it to a considerable depth, but the bridge was low on the upper side and the water held it down; there were not many bridges in Wasco county at that time. This was before Christmas then it turned cold and on Christmas day there was about three inches of snow and was very cold and continued cold until New Year's day when it moderated and about 12 inches of snow fell on that day and snow continued to fall at intervals until late in March and the weather was intensely cold most of the time. I should think that three-fourths of the stock in eastern Oregon died; men had their feet, hands and nose nipped by the frost, and on the road to Walla Walla several perished of the cold. Emmet Miller & Co. were running a stage from Walla Walla to The Dalles and the stage was blockaded by the snow at Well Spring 16 miles east of Willow creek in what is now Gilliam county.
     John Jagger was carrying 36 lbs. of golddust, as reported at the time; he gave out and was afraid to trust any one else to carry his gold dust. They kicked away the snow and put down a blanket and he sat down on this with his gold between his feet and his hips, then they threw over him what blankets they had and packed, the snow up around and over him; they would all have frozen if they had stayed there with him. They went on to Willow creek and came back the next day and found him frozen stiff.
     Stage passengers and other travelers to the number of 16 had collect­ed at Tom Scott's on John Day river and decided to go at any risk. Scott warned them that it was dangerous to attempt the passage to the Deschutes 26 miles west but they started and only one of them got through without being in some part bitten by the frost. This fellow was a youth of 19 years, thinly clad, but he did not drink any whiskey and the others did. On his arrival at Graham's, just east of Deschutes, he reported the number that had left Scott's the day before, and Chas. Pool, who living on the Graham place where Deschutes sidetrack now is, and who married Jane Graham, started out in company with John Irvin to meet the travelers. They found two men at the mouth of Spanish Hollow who had their feet partly frozen; they said they could make their way through alone, and did so. Irvin and Pool went up to where Murray Springs are and found two more men who7 reported that they were obliged to leave Jonathan Mulkey a short distance farther on. Irvin went after him and found him frozen down to the snow so that he had to cut him loose to get him up. They brought him in but he was so badly frozen that he died a few days later at Deschutesville, on the west bank of the river at the old steamboat landing. One other man came in later, making seven in all. Irvin, continued to hunt for the men until it was certain they could not have survived so long. They had become scattered, some became snowblind. Next spring the remains of one was found up under the cliff near where Rufus has since been built; it was supposed that he had become snow blind and fallen over the bluff. One was found in the summer of 1862 20 miles up the Deschutes and half a mile back from the river. Olphin was near John Day river; some were never found.
     The snow was about four feet deep at its greatest depth and it lasted until the middle of April, and there were great drifts that lasted until late in May. I hope never again to see such suffering among men and beats. It was long spoken of as "the old cow catcher." The winter left the ground so soft that numbers of the stock mired and died that otherwise might have lived. The grass crops of 1862 were famous.
     The winter of 1865-6 started in about as bad as 1861-2. A heavy snow fell first and laid the grass flat so that stock could not get at it, but it did not get so cold. The snow was deeper but the Chinook wind came to the rescue in January and we had high water again, and there were many hollows and ravines that were badly washed out; bridge’s were washed away and roads ruined. The ground was miry and crops and grass were great. The 3rd day of July, 1866, was very hot. Eggs were partly cooked where the sun had a chance at them, and gooseberries on the south side of the bushes were partly cooked. The mercury registered 110 in the shade. The winter of 1867-8 was a long cold winter but the snow was not deep and there was not a heavy loss of stock.

Murder of John Galligher.

     John Galligher in the early sixties ran a pack train on the Canyon City road, and in the spring of 1864 was coming down to The Dalles for a cargo and had with him Jim Berriway, who had taken a claim on Berriway Flat northwest of Camp Watson. They camped for the night at the head of Currant Creek hill, and during the night Berriway murdered Galligher by striking him in the head with an ax. He then wound a blanket about the body and dragged it at the horn of his saddle by a rope from half to three quarters of a mile and then felled a Juniper tree onto it. Berriway went on to The Dalles with the train and as the train and Galligher were well known on the road people asked him where Galligher was and he would answer that Galligher had sold out to him and gone to Boise. Knowing Galligher as some of them did, this aroused suspicion, and they began an investigation. and it soon became known that Galligher disappeared from the road at or near the head of Currant Creek hill.
     Mr. Knight, who lived at Rock Creek just east of Camp Watson and who was on the road at the time with a saddle train met Berriway and noticed that he had a white bone handled revolver, which he thought was Galligher's and shortly after passing Berriway met Theodore Burmister and told his his suspicions. Berriway was by this time on his return trip with a cargo of freight and had his wife with him; she had met him by previous arrangement at The Dalles. Burmister, when he met Berriway, traded pistols with him, and found the initials "J. G." cut in the handle. That night Burmister camped at the head of Currant Creek hill at what came to be known as the Galligher Camp. He had two men with him to handle his pack train and as soon as supper was over Burmister said to his men: "Boys, let us go out and see if we can find Galligher. He must be lying out here murdered somewhere." It was so near dark that the men did not think it was worth while to attempt anything until morning and did not want to go. Burmister went out alone and searched for the body in the dark; away along in the night the moon rose and Burmister came back to camp and called to his men: "Come boys, for God's sake get up and let us see if we can't find that man." "Oh, go to sleep and wait till morning." "I can't sleep," said Burmister, "I must find that man if I can. The moon is up now and it is light enough that we can see." Finding that he would not let them sleep, the men rolled out and all three started on the hunt. After awhile the men heard a call from Burmister, and going to him found a juniper tree cut down and a foul smell coming from it. It was a bushy topped tree and completely hid the body. They had to go back to camp and get an ax and cut away some of the limbs before they could get it out. Burmister sent a letter by the stage to Mr. Knight with a statement of his findings and arrangements were made to arrest Berriway on his arrival at Canyon City, which was done, and the train taken in charge.
     Grant county had not then been established and there was no organized authority at Canyon City at the time, and no jail, but there was a strong cabin there and Berriway was put in that, but he broke jail that night and fled. The miners called a meeting and sent two men to follow him up. They caught him in Boise Basin at Camp Hogan on Grimes' Creek; took him to a blacksmith shop and had him put in irons. They brought him back to Canyon city. A mass meeting was called and it was decided to attend to this case there, and not send him to The Dalles for trial. They elected a judge, sheriff and prosecuting attorney and proceeded to impanel a jury and try the case. They paid a lawyer $60 to go into court and defend Berriway and he was tried, convicted and sentenced to hang two days after sentence was passed, which was done. The miners bought a $60 suit of clothes for Berriway to be hung in.
     Mrs. Galligher, who was in Portland, being notified of the state of affairs sent Mike Galligher, a cousin of her husband's, up to Canyon City to attend to her property and he sold out the train, collected the freight money, and then started back on horseback with Cayuse George, who was carrying the mail at that time on a new route on horseback. No trail had been opened yet, and they simply went through the hills over the bunch­grass. Somewhere between Ferry Canyon on John Day and Ferry Canyon on Deschutes Galligher's saddle became loose and he stopped to tighten the girth; while he was doing this Cayuse George passed on over a hill out of sight and Mike, who was a barber by trade and had always lived in a city, was utterly lost. He wandered about for four days between the two rivers but did not strike any road. He then killed his horse but had no matches and could not build a fire to cook the meat and his stomach rejected it. He then wandered one day on foot; by this time he concluded he could eat raw horse, but he hunted for two days in vain for the horse. He then abandoned the hunt and tried to find his way out. On the even­ing of his seventh day of fasting he struck a fresh wagon track and followed it till dark. It brought him to the camp of Sam'l Price and Wm. W. Masiker in Grass Valley, where Dr. Rollins afterward settled. Mike's feet were horribly blistered and all that he had eaten during the seven days of his wandering was the bark from a few roots he had pulled out of the ground; the roots themselves were too tough and woody for him to eat. He had killed a prairie bird with a stone on the seventh day and was saving it for supper, but he found a better supper and had the bird left. He said he would take it home with him for his wife to, see and that if he ever got back to the city again he would never leave it. Price and Masiker had been out to Buck Creek for a load of wood. They brought Mike in with them to Sand Spring and the next day Wm. Nix (better known as Bill Nixon) came out from The Dalles in a buggy and took Mike to town. The Dalles Mountaineer gave an account of this affair and gave Nix the credit of rescuing Galligher, but said nothing about Price and Masiker in connection with it. Galligher gave my brother, Wm., his revolver; it was a fine shooter that carried a six-shooter ball, the only one of the kind I ever saw.

Indians Hostile in Sixties.

     The Indians were hostile on the Canyon City road during the sixties and some stirring events occurred in connection with them. At the mouth of Cottonwood Creek, one day three or four men on horseback were chased by them. One old gentleman in the party was splendidly mounted on a large cream colored mare. He said, "I expected to hear a gun crack, but they did not fire; we turned and struck back toward the river, and that yallah mare of mine just busted that road wide open." As they went they kicked up such a fog of dust that the Indians following them did not see a party of soldiers that were on the road until they had run almost into them. The soldiers opened fire on them, when the Indians promptly desisted and retired. So far as was known none of them were struck.
     On one occasion Poindexter and Howard were coming down the road an horseback and each had a heavily laden pair of cantinas of gold dust. The Indians gave them a chase, and as they crossed a small ravine they were out of sight of the Indians for a moment, and there were some willows in the ravine almost touching the road. "Howard,'.' said Poindexter, "we'll never get away with these cantinas weighing our horses down, let's drop them in that brush, and then we can outrun them." "Good." said Poindexter. They threw the cantinas into the brush as they passed it and then easily outran the Indians and got away. Next day they went back and picked up their cantinas intact.
     Near Dead Mule Creek one day an old German with a six horse team on the way back empty was chased by the Indians, but not overtaken. He yelled lustily and played the whip, and not having any load, he made good time.
     On Bridge Creek at the Pennington place, later known as the Sutton place, and still later as the Peffer place, one morning five pack trains in charge of 23 men were fired on and several horses and mules killed and seven men wounded. This was in the early summer of 1864. Greenman of The Dalles was shot in the wrist; Henry Dedmond (afterward hung at The Dalles) was shot in the cheek; Atterbury of The Dalles was shot in the knee; Dan Rowland, a brother of Professor Rowland, and also of Geo. Rowland, long a residentof The Dalles was shot through the calf of his leg. He was out after his horses and was a mile from camp; the shot paralyzed his leg so he could not use it and the Indians came up to him and took every stitch of his clothing off him and then left him without doing him any further harm. After they left him he got up and hopped into camp a mile and was greeted with loud cheers on his arrival. The attack began at daylight and lasted until 11 o'clock. I have this account from Dan himself and others who were there. Alfonso Morgan was there and I have heard him relate the events of the occasion; also others. Old Nick, the German the Indians afterward chased at Dead Mule Creek, was grazed across the back of the neck by a bullet, that bruised but did not break the skin; he came into the house and sat with his elbows on his knees for awhile, resting his head on his hands; it was evident Nick thought that he was badly hurt: After awhile he looked out sidewise at someone and said, "Py Gott, dey shoot some kind o' palls."
     There was a German named Lehman, who packed on the Canyon City road for some years and wintered on Dry Creek a short distance below Dennis Maloney's upper place. He was in the fight with the Indians on Bridge Creek at Pennington's and had several of his horses killed. Leh­man was a very pleasant and friendly man; a gentleman at all times; one of that type of men that it did one's soul good to meet with. He went from the Canyon City to the Boise road and finally quit the road in about 1869. I heard that he became insane in about 1870 and was sent to the asylum.
     Indians became so bad on the Canyon City road that Jim Clark sent his family away for safety. He lived on John Day river near the mouth of Bridge Creek, and he and his wife's brother, Geo. Masterson, were batching there. I have talked with Clark and Masterson about it and I think it was in February, 1866, they both left the house one day to get a load of wood; they crossed the river to some drift and were loading some wood on the wagon when they noticed the horses acting queerly. Clark stepped up on some logs so as to look around and said, "I see an Indian." "That don't surprise me a bit." said Masterson. "Let's cut the horses loose," said Clark "and get out of here." They cut the tugs and climbed onto the horses. Carelessly they had not brought any weapons with them, but started for the house and found the Lord was held by the Indians. They made for another crossing and as they came up the river bank saw quite a number of Indians between them and the house and Jim said, "Let's chase them, they may not be in the house yet, and if we can once get in the house we can drive them off." They chased them to the house but saw that some of the Indians were in the house and that it would be im­possible to get their guns. As they made this discovery Jim said, "We'd better get out of here." As they turned to go the Indians that were mounted followed them. They started for the Pennington place seven miles up Bridge Creek and the Indians pressed close on their rear. After they had gone two or three miles the horse that Masterson was riding be­gan to fail and he called out to Clark to stop and let him get on behind him. Jim looked around and saw old Paulina, who was head chief of all the Snake Indians, was too close to Masterson for him to go to his rescue. Paulina was raising his gun and George called out, "Look out, Jim, that fellow is going to shoot." "Jump from your horse and take to the brush," said Jim. Masterson threw himself from the horses and instead of following Clark up Paulina and his braves stopped to attend to Masterson, but Paulina could not stop his horse until he had passed Masterson, and as there was brush all around there he lost sight of him. Masterson ran a short distance and reached the creek where it had partially under­mined a bunch of willows. He plunged in under the roots and by holding his nose straight up among the roots managed to get air enough to live on. The Indians hunted that brush patch and even poked sticks in under the roots where he was but did not happen to touch him. Clark went on up to Penningtons's and after considerable delay -- four hours -- he prevailed on seven men to go back with him after George. The water was icy cold and George was almost chilled to death. When the Indians heard Clark coming back they left. When Clark reached the place where George threw himself from his horse he called out, "Oh, George." George said he gave as loud a whoop as he could and crawled out but be was nearly gone. He had been in the water nearly five hours. He lived to get married and moved to Shoo Fly where he resided for a number of ,years. The Indians burned Clark's house and barn and left him destitute, but he had the grit to follow the road and in company with C. M. Lockwood ran a stage on the road in 1867 and made $2000 that year. While driving stage he stayed one night at Howard Maupin's at Antelope valley, and during the night the Indians laid down an opening in a stone corral and drove off a bunch of stock. As Jim was starting, Maupin, who was a typical frontiersman, said to him, “Keep a lookout for them fellows, Jim, and if you see anything of them come back and we will give them a chase.” “All right,” said Jim. About the time Jim reached the head of the hill he caught sight of them some miles away over toward Trout Creek. He drove on until he got out of sight of them and then returned to Ante­lope and he and Maupin and a stage passenger started in pursuit and caught up with them. Maupin shot, and old Paulina fell with his thigh broken; he was on foot at the time. The other Indians abandoned the stock and fled. Clark and Maupin rode up to Paulina and Clark recog­nized him at once as the Indian that had chased him and Masterson. Maupin raised his gun to finish him. "Hold on, Maupin," said Clark, "let me finish him. That is the Indian that chased me so far on Bridge Creek and burned me out." Maupin lowered his rifle and Clark drew his revolver and emptied it into the Indian. They did not know it was Paulina at the time but found it out later through the Indians. Clark scalped Paulina with a knife Paulina had stolen from Clark when he burned Clark's house. This success put a damper on the Indians, and they gave but little trouble until the Bannock-Snake war of 1878.
     Clark had a rather thrilling experience in that war. He was out with a scouting party up South Fork when they were fired on and chased by the Indians. Clark's horse was shot down and in falling fell on him and pinned him down so he could not get up. Some of the boys stopped and threw the horse off of him and said, "Now, Jim, take to the brush." The brush was but a few feet away and Jim dodged into it and stayed there till dark when he came out and made his way to the settlement. This was his last fight with the Indians. Oliver Aldrich was killed in this skirmish and mutilated by the Indians. He was found and buried a few days later by Col. Bernards, commander of cavalrymen. As a rule the Indians on the Canyon City road appeared to want the horses and rarely tried to get the men if they could get horses by any other means, but they kept the road in a state of terror for quite a while.
     During the summer of 1861, a party of about 80 men crossed the Cascade mountains out toward the head of the Willamette river on a prospecting trip. After missing every place that had gold in paying quantities and having reached a point in the Blue Mountains near the headwaters of the North Fork of the John Day river, they concluded to go back to the Willamette Valley, but could not agree as to what course to take and divided into three squads. One squad struck back for the head of the Willamette, intending to cross the mountains by the same pass they came out through. Another squad went north until they struck the overland or emigrant road and followed it down to The Dalles. The third squad undertook to go direct from where they were to The Dalles. This party consisted of 23 men, nearly all of them young men. On their way down they struck Otter Bar on North Fork and discovered gold in what they thought paying quantities and some of them wanted to stay there and hold the diggings, but, they did not have enough provisions for many to winter on, but according to the account of what. I have heard of it, eleven of them stayed and the rest went on. In a short time, however, it became evident that more would have to go and three started. They went to the junction of the North and Canyon City Forks, about two days' travel, and camped for the night. Next morning after they had gone a short distance they approached a knoll just above the mouth of Bologna Creek, and the Indians opened fire on them from ambush and two of them fell. Passing there one day in company with Rodney Tompkins, I was telling him what I had heard about the two men being killed there 16 years before; he rather scouted the idea, but while we were talking about it, we ran onto their graves and he gave it up. At a later time I worked for some time one day, carrying rocks and remarking the graves that were about to become obliterated by the wash from the hill that was covering them up. When they fell the third man changed, his course, crossed the river and got away. He made his way out to The Dalles and on to the Willamette, and the next spring, 1862, he piloted a party back to the junction. They made a raft and crossed the river, went down and buried the remains of the two men and then went on up to Otter Bar. Shortly after the three men had left the bar, two more left and they camped about five miles above the junction. Next morning just at daylight as they were lying in their blankets, a shot rang out and one of them jumped up and saw a lone Indian running from a log that lay across the river. His comrade did not move and he ran off and returned to the bar. Some of the men went back with him and buried the man that had been killed; nothing had molested him; they then returned to the bar.
     They were now reduced to seven men and shortly two more started out and not long after they had gone the remaining five came out and on their way found some relics of pack saddles, saddle leathers and such things on the trail some two miles below the town of Monument has since been built. This was all that was ever known of the two who started a few days before the five left the bar. I saw in 1871 some of the pieces of the pack saddles lying in and near the trail. They were on the place of Sam'l Franklin.

Canyon City Gold Mines.

     The Canyon City mines were struck in 1862 by parties bound for Salmon River, as was also Junction Bar, 16 miles above Monument. A party had struck the North Fork and were following it up looking for a favorable place to get across and came to the Middle Fork. It was swimming high, and they concluded that as they had to swim, they would cross the main river and be done with it. They built a raft of logs to carry themselves and their packs across, and in getting over they lost a man by drowning. The recovered the body and in digging the grave one of them panned out some of the dirt and found gold, but it was not rich enough to stop them and they went on to Salmon River, but some of them came back there that fall, 1862, and went to work. The place was worked for several years but it was float gold and when it got a chance it floated away and they could not save it. W. R. Crandall of The Dalles worked there after everybody else gave it up, but he, too, had to give it up and quit. There was quite a camp there at one time, a $15,000 ditch had been dug. There were several claims still standing there in 1887 and there were signs of several more that had rotted down.
     And now I propose to bring this writing to an end. If its will be of any benefit to your society, you are welcome to it. It may be that it will help to settle some disputed questions, and possibly it may contain some new matter. If I were able to give some biographical sketches of the residents of Ten and Fifteenmile I should be pleased to do so, but I was but eight years old when I came there and I was kept pretty close home and it was by retaining what came under my notice rather than to favorable opportunity that I have been able to name all the places on the Creek. Most of these would be the original location and in that re­spect would be interesting to one who loves to delve into ancient and forgotten lore.
     I have no memorandum to consult and have written from memory alone, and it is quite likely that I have failed to remember correctly in some instances, probably in many. Some people have accused me of never forgetting anything, but I deny this charge, and my frequent admissions in the foregoing will abundantly refute this accusation.

Very truly yours,

CARSON C. MASIKER,

May 21, 1911. Hood River, Oregon.

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