heyday.html

The Goldendale Sentinel, Goldendale, WA., April 9, 1959, page 9

HEYDAY OF BICKLETON IS RECOLLECTED

Bickleton was a thriving town between 1898 and 1910, according to Mrs. Chloe Walling, who presented a sketch of its early history to the County historical society Saturday.
Mrs. Walling got her lower school education at Bickleton, but she was a student in the upper grades at the Goldendale school in 1897 and 1898. Willie and Roy Graham also were students from Bickleton in Goldendale Grade School and Matt and Ed Ward, Bert Graham and Roy Spoon were Bickleton students in the Goldendale High school.

STAGES SERVED AREA

In 1898, three stage lines ran from Bickleton with passengers and mail: to Goldendale, driven by John Miller; to Mabton, with Tom Layer as driver, and to Arlington, with W.W. Wreston (the father of Emmet) as driver.
In 1903 Bickleton boasted a hotel, a bank, a grist mill (Spoon & Heise), two blacksmith shops, a livery stable, a general merchandise store, a grocery store, a millinery shop, newspaper, a shoe repair and harness shop (William Burwell), a wallpaper and a paint store (Bud Pyles), a furniture store (Harshburger), a bowling alley (Henry Hussey), a photographer, (John Lodge), drug store, carpenter shop, and Charlie Hendricks' "A Palace of Sweets" served ice cream and lunches. Later there was a hardware store, operated by W.G. Faulkner.
The Methodist Church, organized in 1880, was joined in 1901 by the Presbyterian church, begun April 19, with ten members. Rev. William Douglass became the Presbyterian minister in 1904, succeeding Rev. Hodges.
In 1892 Excelsior lodge, IOOF was organized, followed in a few years by Alder Rebekah. Other lodges in Bickleton in 1904 were Modern Woodmen of America Brotherhood of American Yeomen; Knights of Pythias (Simcoe lodge); Ancient Order of United W___en (Bunchgrass lodge No. ___, and the Order of Washington (Wheatland union branch).
In 1918 the bus route (Yakima valley to Portland) was from Mabton via Bickleton to Goldendale. This line was discontinued after the Satus highway was built.