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TOLD by the PIONEERS - Washington Secretary of State

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Told<br />

<strong>by</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pioneers<br />

trip in a small boat up <strong>the</strong> Strait <strong>of</strong> Georgia after leaving' Fraser<br />

river. At <strong>the</strong> present site <strong>of</strong> New Westminster he met D. W. Oakes,<br />

in whose boat <strong>the</strong> trip was made to Victoria, <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> headquarters <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> Hudson's Bay Company in <strong>the</strong> Northwest.<br />

EVA TREPP WEST<br />

Chelan County<br />

The Peshastin mines were opening up and <strong>the</strong> Trepps, my parents,<br />

laid in provisions sufficient to last <strong>the</strong>m a year and went <strong>the</strong>re. My<br />

mo<strong>the</strong>r was <strong>the</strong> only woman in <strong>the</strong> camp. For nine months she did<br />

not see ano<strong>the</strong>r member <strong>of</strong> her own sex. For me, a four-year-old, it<br />

was a lonely time. My memory is a bit hazy, but I plainly recall my<br />

mo<strong>the</strong>r cleaning <strong>the</strong> "wraster," (arrastre.) It was a sort <strong>of</strong> circular<br />

vessel with ridges in it. Gold dust and <strong>of</strong>ten nuggets stuck in its corrugations.<br />

This was a placer mine.<br />

MRS. MARTHA. SEWARD (HENSEN)<br />

Yakima County<br />

",,:rhen <strong>the</strong> gold rush started in <strong>the</strong> 'Venatchee district, <strong>the</strong> Hensells,<br />

my parents, led a pack train into that region with miners' supplies.<br />

They remained a year. Mo<strong>the</strong>r and her six daughters were undoubtedly<br />

<strong>the</strong> first white women in <strong>the</strong> valley.<br />

·When <strong>the</strong>y reached <strong>the</strong> camp, <strong>the</strong> whole river was running through<br />

sluices. There were about two hundred and fifty men working <strong>the</strong><br />

gravel. Fa<strong>the</strong>r opened a store but mining was abandoned after a<br />

short time. ·We returned to <strong>the</strong> Klickitat, <strong>the</strong>n located near <strong>the</strong> Thorp<br />

ranch ill <strong>the</strong> Moxee. We children went to school with <strong>the</strong> Thorp children<br />

in <strong>the</strong> Thorp log house.<br />

MRS. FRANK REEVES<br />

Chelan County<br />

I was born in Quincy, Ohio, and moved with my parents to Kansas,<br />

where I was married to Frank Reeves, who brought me to Spokane in<br />

1888. Those were boom times in <strong>the</strong> Coeur d'Alene mining' district.<br />

We crossed <strong>the</strong> Pend Oreille lake in a steamer. The Big Chief mille<br />

was our destination. The Big Chief swallowed all our savings. rro<br />

get money enough to go on with, both Mr. Reeves and I taught school.<br />

88

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