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The Goldendale Sentinel, Goldendale, WA., November 20, 1930, page 7

EARLY DAYS IN THE PLEASANT VALLEY SECTION
By W. Cowles

Owing to a number of requests that the history of the first settlement of Pleasant Valley be written and as I am the last old timer remaining in the valley, I will try and write it as I remember it.
Now this matter is open to anyone who may see fit to correct anything that is contained herein. Fifty-two years is quite a long time to remember all the details as to who arrived first and etc., so please come forward and correct anything you may think is wrong.
The first permanent settles arrived in the valley on the ninth day of March, eighteen hundred and seventy-six, nearly fifty-three years ago. The writer and his father, mother and one sister left the young city of Goldendale on that morning and occupied nearly the whole of that day getting over the road or trail arriving at our destination well toward sundown.
We had a so-called road as far as a No. Six, and from there we hunted the best way we could get through. We passed near the Ralph Fenton place and the George Saxton place, then claimed by one Jared West, who had a small claim shanty there. That was as far as any wheeled vehicle had been.
From there we had rather hard going, but we had our rather limited supply of household goods behind a good pair of mules who stopped for neither hills or hollows. From the north end of Luna Butte we could see view the, to us, land of promise, and it was sure beautiful -- miles of waving bunch grass spotted with the early flowers were in full sight, and we almost felt like monarchs of all we surveyed.
We had paid the valley a visit the fall before and knew where we wished to locate until we had determined on the location of our homesteads. Here we lived in a tent for a short time when I finally located on the spot and built a small cabin of hewed logs and lumber, hauling the necessary lumber from Whitney's Mill beyond the Blockhouse - this being the first real building to be erected in Pleasant Valley. In the meantime father had located on the northwest quarter of Section 20 while I stayed with my first location.
Now right here I want to say that we found later that we had located on about the poorest pieces of land in the valley, looking at it from a farming view, and we afterwards were asked frequently why we did it. The answer was and still is, that we cared very little for any farming land; that we were expecting to keep stock and all we wanted at that time was plenty of living water, and a little garden patch. Afterwards we saw our mistake, but it was too late then.
We were of the opinion that we would have all of the valley for a pasture for at least five years, thinking that the rich country around Centerville and the Swale region would all be settled before anyone would look at this part of the country, but before the summer ended we learned different.
In June of that year the second house was built by Jas. Montgomery closely followed by one by Wm. "Uncle Billy" Martin, who then returned to the Willamette valley for their families. On returning they were accompanied by Wm. E. "Uncle Ellis" Beeks and family, who also located near by.
In the meantime, Wm. Radcliff, the father of the Radcliff boys here, settled on what was then called Sand Ridge, but is now included as part of Pleasant Valley. That same season Charley Newell settled further east on the same ridge.
The winter of seventy six and seven saw the arrival of Uncle Jake and Uncle Sam Beeks, closely followed by Uncle John Stump, together with his family, who settled on the school section, which is now a part of the Ganguin holdings, while a Wm. Stump settled on what is now the John Thomson place.
Right after the Stumps came Phillip Collery, and the two sons of Uncle Jake Beeks built, one on the now Ira Trumbo place, and the other on what is known as the Clyde Davenport place, at present occupied by Harold Dingmon.
G.H. Griggs had settled on Section 19 but sold out to A.M. Wiley, who arrived about that time. He followed by John Anderson, now living in Goldendale. S.H. Smith homesteaded a part of Section 18 and just a short time before his death sold it to John Anderson.
Some time in the seventy-seven, there began a call for a school. A selection was made and a log building was erected on the spot where the writers house now stands. The first teacher was a Mrs. Kinley, who lived on the now Gardner place east of town. She drew the enormous salary of twenty-five dollars a month, but she "boarded around." This school house was soon afterwards removed to the place where it is now located. It was replaced by a larger frame building later, which was in turn replaced by the present one.
The place formerly occupied by John Ray, was first settled by one the Jas. Smith, who abandoned it at the time of the Indian scare here in '77. It passed through the hands of several others, one of which was Mike Leonard, who will be remembered by many old timers; another one was Jeff Smith, who may be seen around the Court House with a rake and a lawn mower.
During the Indians scare we built a fort at what is locally called the Joe Beeks spring, being at that time the residence of Uncle Sam Beeks. It was never finished on the plans of first made, but it would have stood off all of the Indians that was likely to be brought against it. Some of the women were taken to Goldendale, but all the people that remained stayed nights in the said fort. There was quite a lot of excitement about that time, and a whole lot could be written about it, but it would take up too much time and room, so we will pass it by.
The first white child born here was Frank Radcliff, who now lives in the locally called Philippines.
The first death was that of a young daughter of Dr. Hewitt, who had located near the western part of the valley. It was closely followed by another little daughter, who was laid at the side of her sister, these being the first graves made in the present cemetery. This was during the dyptheria epidemic of that time, quite a number of deaths occurring from that cause.
The first wedding was that of a double wedding, Nelson La Course and Miss Emma Beeks, and James Beeks and Miss Molly Hearn. With the exception of Mrs. Jas. Beeks they are all claimed by death. A few weeks later the writer was married to Miss Mary Beeks. For some time after, each marriage near here had one of the contracting parties by the name of Beeks, so much so that the then auditor remarked that the county should make a reduction of the price of the license to the Beeks. At one time there were so many of that name here that it was called the Beeks reservation.
This is as near as I can remember of the settlers of that time up to the spring of eighteen eighty. A.M. Wylie, and John Anderson and myself are the only ones remaining of the old settlers of that time, John Anderson and Goldendale, Mr. Wylie in Walla Walla, while I am still here. The rest are all gone. There was quite a number of the neighbors at my wedding, which was on of the twelfth of May, eighteen seventy eight. Some of them were quite young, some infants in arms, but of all that gathering I am the only one left.
The following names are those who were the first permanent settlers in the valley: J. Cowles, W. Cowles, Wm. Martin, Ellis Beeks, Jacob Beeks, Samuel Beeks, Wm. Radcliff, Charley Newell, John Stump and his two sons, Wm. and Oliver, A.M. Wylie, S.H. Smith, and John Anderson.