The West Klickitat News, Bingen, WA., July 3, 1936, page 1

RECALLS 1ST FOURTH; ALSO AN INDIAN SCARE

     Mrs. Charlotte Cline Stump who came to Klickitat County in the year 1875 in April, was one of the small group who were threatened by the Indians warring in this section of the land. The Indians were reported at one time to be attempting to cross the Columbia River at The Dallas to attack the whites in Camas Prairie.
     A chief of the tribant Panoconie warned the white of the proposed attack. He did this because he was always looked upon favorably by the whites and was considered their friend. The story, according to Mrs. Stump, was that the Indians heard the small band of whites then and Camas Prairie were out of ammunition. The warring tribes from The Dalles then decided to attack. They were stopped by volunteers, she reported, by gun shot, crossing the Columbia, evidently proving to the red skins that the whites were still plentifully equipped with shot.
     "That stopped the attack," she said, "but didn't stop our scare for awhile. Few people were living in Camas Prairie at that time. She named a few familiar names. That Suksdorfs, Conboys, Kelly's, Chapmans, Bulls, Yorks, Staacks, Clines and Richard Holmes.
     During the Indians scare Phil Cline and Carol Staack went to White Salmon to find out about the trouble. They read little about it in the papers, and found out less from people around there.
     The few settlers there on hearing of the Indians' plans hid in the root house. There was a small block house also that was used, but the attack, when subsided, caused them to be more wary of the Indians, although they proved quite harmless from them forth.
     Mrs. Stump was born in 1850. She is now 85 years old, and has seen it many active years during her life. She was married in 1866 to Leonard Stump in Portland. Mrs. Stump came to the west when she was only eight years old. She came by way of the Isthmus of Panama. Going by about as far as possible, then crossing Isthmus at that time by a small train. Leonard Stump came across the plains in 1857. With this train came in their fellow called "Grasshopper Jim" reported in a story some months ago. "He didn't get the name from eating grasshoppers either," says Mrs. Stump, "but because he was ready to do things quickly, and he always could get grasshoppers for fishing much quicker than anyone else."
     After the Stumps' arrived here, and Mrs. Charlotte Cline was married to Leonard Stump they settled on Sauvies Island near Portland. Her brother Dan Cline came to Camas Prairie first and homestead there, and through letters and conversation induced the rest of his family to come to the grassy meadows.
     When the Stumps moved in with horse and wagon they had lots of difficulty making the trip with their household goods, and while having to afford the Rattlesnake with the horses on the opposite bank using a tow-rope the wagon upset and they lost their stove. She had to cook over a fireplace for some time after that.
     They finished the trip by horseback from there to George Gilmer's place.
     "It was soon after the Indian scare that I enjoyed the first Fourth of July celebration in Klickitat County," said Mrs. Stumps. "We had quite a time. In the evening dancing was in order with a bon fire nearby for light. The dancing was on bare ground outside the cabin on the outside of the present Dymond place in Camas Prairie. The owner at that time was named Jim Bryan. "During the dancing some of the Indians of the surrounding country appeared around the bon fire and thought it a new type of war dance.
     Mrs. Stump says it is the first Fourth celebration she can remember being held in western Klickitat county.
     The Indians were very thick around the Camas Prairie, especially when huckleberring was under way. They would camp in the grassy meadows by the hundreds, dig Camas roots, play, run horse races and pick berries. This happened every year. They were camped everywhere in the valley.
     It usually took about 3 days to make the trip to White Salmon from the Camas Prairie country. Wagon roads were merely a cow trail and usually steep, especially the old Chimney Hill road on Bald Mountain.
     On attempting to recall who might be some of the earliest people in this county, Mrs. Stump thought that two men, Joe Devine and a fellow by the name of Kelley held the record. They have been it in there years previous, trapping and told reports in Portland of the beautiful meadows and the great abundance of the game of there.
     Most of the farming then is as it is now, haying and dairying. Butter was sent to Portland, sometimes to The Dalles. Several people had oxen to do their work.
     Her husband, Leonard, was a great hunter. He probably held the record for killing of the most bears of any person, in the valley at that time or since. Every spring he would kill ten or twelve not counting twenty or thirty in the fall. They got so numerous and threatened the people and stock he sent back to his father's home in Virginia and had some thoroughbred hounds sent him. He was always seen it with these hounds, and from that time on killed many bears. He had something like twenty-three pounds at one time.
     Camas Prairie at the time was a hunters paradise, says Mrs. Stump. We could get deer meet any time we wanted the it. It was just a matter of a few minutes wait before a deer could be sited.
     Leonard Stump first came to Camas Prairie because he had heard of the wonderful country it was and the great haunting. He had been told of this by a fellow by the name of Sam Lumberson.
     Leonard Stump died in 1904. He was buried in Camas Prairie. Mrs. Stump left the country in 1910, and has only made periodic visits there since that time.
     John Stump of Bingen, 65, is a son of Charlotte Stump, and a sister of Marvella Morse, of Tualatin, Oregon are the only two living direct descendants of the Stump lineage.
     Leonard Stumps father, Cuthbert Stump of Virginia was a plantation owner and slave owner. His home was located near Richmond. The Stumps are distant relatives of the Kreps family of this county.
     On showing pictures of her husband Leonard, a specimen of one of the many bears he had killed was see. Mr. Stump, a man in 6 foot two in height, who crossed the plains in a covered wagon was a fine representative picture of our early pioneers, a stout-hearted, grayheaded Virginian who was one of the first to adventure into the wilds of the west and Klickitat county.