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The Goldendale Sentinel, Goldendale, WA., January 28, 1960, page 7

LYLE EARLY DAYS OUTLINED BY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Editor's note: The following account of early Lyle history was presented by Mrs. Kamma Sorensen Clark at the Klickitat County Historical Society meeting at Columbia Grange hall, Lyle, January 16.
By Kamma Sorensen Clark

Lyle, Washington-where is it? A very small town that lying between majestic mountains and the great Columbia River. When one looks across the river from the Oregon side, a small town indeed, but its territory reaches out for miles around. To a pioneer of the 90s is hardly recognizable now as the same place.
At a very early age I came here with my parents, on a boat from The Dalles, in September 1893. There was no landing place except a sand bar.
There was a man with a team and wagon there to meet the boat and with him we rode. There was just one seat for the driver and room for my mother. A board was supplied, across the wagon bed, and some straw for us children on the floor. Fortunately it was balmy fall weather, for there was a long ride ahead, out to Appleton, then called " new Missouri," and a long dusty road it was.
Lyle was the main center for the surrounding countryside; there was a store and a post office. The mail was brought from The Dalles on the boat. My first memory of Lyle was the place near the Klickitat River. A Mr. Lyle, for whom the town was named, had lived there. He had sold the place to an English family named Balfour.

STORE BY RIVER

There was a small store down by the river, kept by Jason Clark, Byrd Clark's grand-father. But the stork I remember best was up on the hill just above the Grange hall. Mrs. Hensel had the post office there and a small store in connection with the post office. Most farmers raised their own supplies so there wasn't so much buying as now.
There was a small one-room school near the Hensels, which about a dozen children attended. There my sister and I went to school, walking six miles in the spring. (There was only three months of school.) We would often sit down to rest and tell our fortunes with the sunflowers. My eight brother Swen later got an Indian pony for $5 for us to ride to school. Her name was Fox, and she was well named.
The Chamberlains lived at the top of the hill just above the Klickitat and their children also attended school here. There are very few left of us old schoolmates left.
The Balch school was the next school house and after they began building of the Goldendale railroad a small school was built down next to the river.

STORE, HOTEL OPENED

At about that time, 1904 I think it was, a man by the name of Elkins opened a store down near the river, and a hotel was built by John Kure and wife. A farmer, Mr. Daffron, built a livery stable and transported the newcomers out to Timber Valley, to which many came to take homesteads.
The Balfours were from England and had acquired the whole territory of Lyle, and planted all the hillsides to grapes and prunes.
The Daffrons and the Olsens, who also lived near where the Grange hall stands, were the early settlers here, also the Hewitts, who lived farther toward Bingen. The early post office was where the Stratton house is now. The Hensels lived there and built the large house.
The Grange hall was built 70 years ago. William Olson, who was present when the Grange celebrated its 70th anniversary last fall, who now is in his nineties, was one of the men who started the hall by hauling logs from Appleton with a team and wagon, timbers the length of the main hall. He and Forrest Hewett's father managed that, which seems almost unbelievable.
When we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Grange here, the state master attended and someone apologized for the crude exterior of the hall. He said, "leave it as it is, except for preserving the lumber from the weather. It is the oldest Grange hall in the state that has been in continuous use since it was built." As the years have passed there have been many improvements made to the interior, but the exterior is the same, and to us old pioneers it is home, and very dear to us who have enjoyed so many good times here.
After the railroad came through Lyle the town was divided. The buildings, so far, were near the river. A post-office and small schoolhouse had been added to the store and hotel, but later buildings were built above the railroad and the town started with a bank and other buildings. The postoffice was finally moved, too.
For many years the river was the main way of transportation, before the railroad was brought into the picture. The boats would go from The Dalles to Portland, freight boats. Later there were two passenger boats, the Bailey Gatzert and the Spencer, each trying to beat the other. They would give special rates to out do the other. One could go to Portland, round-trip, for $2, and have a lovely dinner on the boat for 50 cents. Other boats I remember where the Regulator and the Potter.
Our mail was brought from The Dalles by boat. My brothers, George and Van Sorensen with the early mail carriers. They took the mail back to New Missouri (Appleton), Liberty Bond and Wright's Station, on the Klickitat. Sometimes a pack horse was required to carry the load.

FISHING AND HUNTING

Mr. Wright made his living by fishing and hunting. They were a happy and talented family. After the Grange hall was built Mr. Wright and his son Edgar would come and play their violins for dances, and how they could play! Two of the Wright daughters still live not far from here, Jennie (Mrs. John Stump) in Bingen, and Nettie (Mrs. Ed Murray) in Glenwood. Both are widows. Nettie can tell you how she worked in the Riverside hotel here in Lyle when she was a young girl, and Ed would come to see her and she would make hot biscuits for him.
The Castles settled in Glenwood and raised cattle. Zettie (Mrs. Frank Murray) became a telephone operator in Glenwood. Her husband, Frank, died while quite young and Zettie was left with two daughters to raise. Later on she accepted the telephone office in Lyle, along about 1917 or 18, I believe. She was the operator here for many years, about 25 or 30, almost until her death. She was on duty day and night, and would go out of her way any time to help anyone in trouble.
Everyone loved her and she is greatly missed. She surely made a great contribution to Lyle. She bought several houses here and improved them. Her daughter, Wanda Rutledge, lives here.

BROTHER CARRIED MAIL

My brother Van carried the mail from The Dalles to High Prairie. He used a horse and cart. After he started farming on High Prairie, Byrd Clark got his job. During that time the boat once struck a rock and started to sink. Byrd got in a lifeboat with the crew and managed to save the mail and himself.
The old narrow roads where built by hand and full of dust and chuckholes, so traveling was slow in those days. Yet there were numerous wheat wagons which came down from the prairie in the fall to unload their cargo here in Lyle, for the boats to carry to market. They would have bells on the horses, as there were just a few places they could pass on the road.
I made many trips down Fisher Hill and around the bluff trail to Hensel's postoffice after the mail. The snow was always gone in Lyle when it would be wintry all around in the hills. Mr. Hylton was also one of the early settlers out Appleton way, coming from Virginia. He was a Baptist minister and a grand old man. He had a large family. He rode around and organized a Sunday school and managed, with help, to build the little church at Appleton. It is a monument to his tireless efforts. His son and grandson are well known here for their contributions to Lyle.

LIVED IN GLENWOOD

The Bertschis lived in Glenwood, but are now living in Lyle and have build homes here, Ray and son Jerry, for years fishermen, with boys growing to keep the Lyle coming to the front. The Chamberlains live in the White Salmon now but are still members here in the Grange.
Mrs. Forrest )Lulu) Hewett has been an outstanding Grange member here for over 50 years. Leslie Boni is also a pioneer in Lyle and has been a Granger for years. He also was very helpful in the church for many years. The Cimmiyottis also belong to the Grange here, while they live at Klickitat Heights; they have been active and helpful here. Vic and Albert Johnson, on Fisher Hill, also.
The Hyltons and O'Neils, the Castle and Sorensen families were among the early settlers. William O'Neil, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday, is still active and helpful in all community affairs. He is regarded as part of the Lyle community, although he has lived at Dallesport for a number of years. His son Crocket is widely known as a Tip O'Neil, master road builder, and we are very proud of him. He was one of the boys who went to school with us in the little one-room schoolhouse. He has built a beautiful home at the Dallesport on the old Curtis place.

BOUGHT OLSON PLACE

Garver Castle moved from Glenwood some years ago and bought the old John Olson place, which was owned by the Strattons. Mrs. Castle has been active in the church and also has taught school here for several years, so they have contributed much to Lyle. Their son, John, is carrying on with the farming operations. Their daughter, Betty, has her home in The Dalles, where she is employed.
Two of Van Sorensen's sons reside here, Harold at Dallesport and Kenneth at Lyle. Both have families. Harold a son and two daughters and Kenneth two daughters and three sons so the name is likely to linger here for some time.
Pioneers of a later date are the Niblocks, Mrs. West, the Jameses, Mrs. Dessie Hewett, Mrs. Forrest Hewett, Sauters, and others.
To date there are four Hyltons attended schools here and at White Salmon, five Sorensens, so the pioneer names will live on in Lyle for many years apparently, and Lyle is no longer a pioneer town. The old timers have left, all but a few, and soon it will be history to those who are keeping the records.
My sister, formerly Mrs. John Kure and now Mrs. Mogren, loves to tell of the old days in Lyle when she operated the Riverside hotel during building of the railroad here. The writer, then a teenage girl, helped her.
Those of us who are older are very fond of Lyle. It has been a cheerful place to live, a welcome home. It is closely connected with Dallesport, in the same district and they are kind of like twin cities. Someday they may be important places in a very important area.