TOLD by the PIONEERS - Washington Secretary of State
TOLD by the PIONEERS - Washington Secretary of State
TOLD by the PIONEERS - Washington Secretary of State
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Told <strong>by</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pioneers<br />
was organized and a good hewn log building was built about one and<br />
one-half miles from my homestead. Church, Sunday school and all<br />
community entertainments were held in this school building. The annual<br />
Easter dinner was <strong>the</strong> outstanding event, with frequent basket<br />
socials for <strong>the</strong> young" people.<br />
MRS. MATILDA H. EAT01\~<br />
Clark County •<br />
On Sauvies Island, <strong>the</strong> people hired <strong>the</strong>ir own teacher. Uncle Martin<br />
had what is called a lumber house and we used this for our school<br />
house at first. But <strong>the</strong>re were so manv . <strong>of</strong> us <strong>the</strong>v had to build a new<br />
"<br />
school after we came. This was called <strong>the</strong> Gillihan school. All <strong>the</strong><br />
pupils save one bore <strong>the</strong> name <strong>of</strong> Gillihan and <strong>the</strong>re must have been<br />
about eighteen to twenty pupils. The story is told that when <strong>the</strong> new<br />
teacher first asked <strong>the</strong> names <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> pupils she went down <strong>the</strong> line <strong>of</strong><br />
Gillihans and finally reached <strong>the</strong> lone exception, but he answered,<br />
"Charley Morgan Gillihan." Miss Irene Smith was <strong>the</strong> only teacher<br />
I had <strong>the</strong>re. We played such games as Fox on ·Wood, and baseball.<br />
Like all little girls, we saved all <strong>the</strong> broken china for our playhouses.<br />
EARLY PIONEER PIERCE COUNTY SCHOOLS<br />
By Mrs. Marcella R. Henly, Steilacoom<br />
The pioneer children <strong>of</strong> 60 years ago had to walk four or five miles<br />
to and from school. Our home was located in school district number<br />
two and <strong>the</strong> house was built at that time about a quarter <strong>of</strong> a mile<br />
south <strong>of</strong> what is now Manitou Park and <strong>the</strong> first school house was<br />
situated where <strong>the</strong> Park Lodge school stands today. Fully four miles<br />
fo1' <strong>the</strong> children to go and <strong>the</strong>y were very young and <strong>the</strong> neighbors<br />
were few and far between. It was mostly all prairie <strong>the</strong>n and <strong>the</strong> chilchen<br />
were afraid <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> wandering bands <strong>of</strong> Indians and <strong>the</strong> wild cattle<br />
which lived on <strong>the</strong> prairie in large groups unmolested as yet <strong>by</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> white men.<br />
Later on, Mr. Daugherty, our nearest neighbor, allowed <strong>the</strong> school<br />
board to erect a building on his donation claim, just east <strong>of</strong> where <strong>the</strong><br />
Jewish cemetery is now located on <strong>the</strong> Steilacoom highway, and <strong>the</strong>n<br />
we were only about one mile from <strong>the</strong> school, <strong>by</strong> crossing <strong>the</strong> Daugherty<br />
swamp, which was fairly passable in <strong>the</strong> summer months. Chang-<br />
195