Told by the Pioneers - Washington Secretary of State

Told by the Pioneers
plan was to saw the timber into heavy three by twelve plank and raft
it to Grays Harbor and ship it to San Francisco. This was the first
enterprise undertakcn on the Chehalis River, for docks.
In the summer of ]853 the Indians were camped in considerable
numbers near our cabin, when the small-pox broke out among them.
This was at blackberry picking time. Father was always immune from
small-pox and ~Iother had had a siege of it before she left England,
and Brother Thomas had it when on the trip across the Atlantic to
England with Father three or four years before. The rest of us were
all taken down. Father had a good method of taking care of smallpox
patients, and ~lother and Brother Thomas were good nurses, so
we all pulled throngh. Father worked with the Indians and advised
them as to the best way to care for themselves and brought most of
them through, though some died.
In the fall of 1853 a good many cmigrants settled all along the prairies
and the valley of Scatter Creek, from the Chehalis River to beyond
Scatter Creek and to the Skookumchuck Valley above Bucoda.
The prairies afforded pasturage for their stock and an opportunity
to get crops of grain and vegetables growing and cows to milking.
Many doubtless would have secured much more valuable claims by going
back in the valley. The immediate neighborhood of Grand Mound
became a good neighborhood, with church and school and Sunday
school. ,Ve had the name of being a well organized little settlement.
Brothers Samuel, ,Villiam and I made a trip to jl1'. Armstrong's
mill down at Cedar Creek and brought home the first load of lumber
for the new house Father was building.
Mr. Durgan came with some visitors one Sunday morning to consult
with Father as to what name we should give the mound and our locality.
Mt. Vernon was not thought quite appropriate. Finally ~I1'.
Durgan thought Grand Mound would be suitable, so they agreed upon
that and adjourned the meeting. 111'. Durgan used to keep a small
stock of goods in the front room of the house he built on the mound.
As Mrs. Durgan was a newly married bride and was timid about being
alone, especially when Indians were about, Mr. Durgan used to
keep me employed considerable of the time. In this way I used to
meet a number of the people from Olympia and the surrounding country,
as Mr. Durgan was something of a society man and quite a politician,
a Vermonter. He was a member of the first legislature, a clever
man and a good horne-keeper.
When we first arrived on the prairie there was a band of Indian
ponies roaming over it, but no other stock. Our cattle would wander
four or five miles away, so we would go after the cows on horseback,
if we could get the horse.
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