Told by the Pioneers - Washington Secretary of State

Told
by the Pioneers
PIONEER REMINISCENCES
As Told By
MRS. GEO. BIEREIS - CHEHALIS
(Formerly Miss Nettie Koontz)
Lewis County
My mother could speak" Chinook" as fluently as English, and there
were more Indians than whites. Squaws wore only little cedar bark
petti-skirts, and the bucks wore only a blanket. It was the custom of
the Indians when they came to visit to just open the door and walk in.
Sometimes they came in droves to fill the house. After a call of this
•
magnitude it was necessary to open up the house and give it a good
airing, especially if the weather was warm or damp.
A prominent gentleman told of court proceedings in those days when
men were so scarce that in order to get a jury they often had to get
some of the prisoners to try the others.
'Vhen the first court was held here the courthouse floor was of dirt
and holes in the walls served for windows, only there were no window
panes. The building was used before being' completed, the judge having
set the date and left it to the citizens to provide quarters.
I was born in Chehalis in 1873, near the present site of the courthouse,
and attended school there. The teachers were hired by my
father to provide training for his own children.
My grandfather, '-N. J. Jackson, obtained a claim of 640 acres, and
acquired more until his holdings amounted to about 1,000 acres. This
was divided at his death, and his heirs sold the land where part of the
city now stands, to other parties, prior to the development of the city.
Being a very intelligent man, and eager to obtain news of the outside
world, when prominent people visited our home, father would sit up all
night with them talking and asking questions. He once traveled to
·Washington, D. C., to transact land business.
Guests were always cared for, and when one was taken ill, received
every care possible, and in case of death, were assured of fitting burial.
The father of S. S. Saunders rode to father's place, seriously ill,
and was welcomed and cared for until his death. My folks buried him.
On one occasion Lena Gregg, a sister of the wife of John Alexander,
was scalded so badly it caused her death. Mother found some white
cloth for the homemade coffin, and trimmed the outside with black
material. Fringe from an old dress was also used for trimming, and
33