TOLD by the PIONEERS - Washington Secretary of State

Told by the Pioneers
,fagon transportation of supplies, both in and out of the Anatone
district, was the only kind of transportation until the recent arrival
of auto trucks and good roads, as Asotin County has never had a railroad
within its boundaries. Meats, vegetables and fruit were raised
locally and were very cheap.
The second school in the county was being built four miles west of
Anatone in the Pine Grove district. This was a donation school of
one room and built of rough lumber. In 1887, there were about 50 pupils
attending this school. Today the homesteads on which about 40
of these children were raised, are combined in one farm, owned by the
estate of the late W. C. Halsey. The first teacher in this school was
Frank Eccles. The first school in the county was held in a log cabin
built in about 1878 near Anatone post office. The games played by
the scholars were town ball, black man, hop-scotch and happy miller.
Amusements for the grown-ups were horse races down a quartermile
stretch on land near Anatone. These races were held on Saturdays,
which was one of the days the mail arrived, and all the settlers
came for their mail and supplies. There were also barn dances, picnics,
church socials and singing schools. Violins, banjos and organs
furnished the dance music.
CORA CLARK
,Valla Walla County
I was born in 1863. My father crossed the plains in 1852 and settled
in the Willamette Valley. He served in the Rogue River war in
1855-56. Mother crossed the plains in 1859, coming straight to ,Valla
'Valla. Father brought his cattle up from Oregon and located on the
'VaHa WaHa river two and one-half miles from Touchet in 1859. He
was attracted by the fine pasture land and the stream. Our nearest
store was at Wallula. Father's timber claim was where the penitentiary
now stands. My father was a government surveyor and my
husband was the city engineer and engineer for the O. 'V. R. & N.
railroad.
,VaHa ,VaHa river was a much larger stream when we played along
its banks in the 1860's and 1870's. vVe had a row boat. Our only playmates
were two quarter-breed children. Their father ,vas a white man.
I was eight years old before I ever saw a white woman excepting my
mother. Father's surveying duties kept him away quite a bit of the
time, and mother and us children never had a way of traveling, and
there were Indians prowling around.
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