Apparently this is the 36th year of the - ScholarsArchive at Oregon ...

L J. FNRY MflOIRS -- 1883-1966
Written prior to January, 1949
Sources
dwin Graham
The Big Bottom Country, as the upper Cowlits Valley is known, began
to be sbttie*t about 1885. Before then it was an Indian hunting ground.
Jim Yoke was an Indian who probably was born about 160. He said the
first white san he saw was Pskkwood. Jim's family was camped near th.
south of Skate Creek, when Pmckwood, with white hair and beard, appeared
like an apparition. Jim recalled running to his moth.r in fright and
h&t*ing behind her skirts. Jim's elders, though, had had more contact
with the white.. Their chief, Babtiste Kiona., and svera]. tribesmen
were nominally of the Catholic faith. This indicated influence of the
early mission arid trading post on Cowlits Prairie. The rivalry between
the Cowlit and Klickitat tribes is legendary arid pertains mostly to
raids for the purpose of abducting each others women. The old trail via
Poiapey Peak and. Berry Patch to Cispus Peas has always been known as the
Klickitat Trail. arid probably was associated in some way with those forays.
Strangely enough there is also a Iclickitat Creek flowing into White River
from Cayuse Pass. It would be interesting to know why th. name was applied
to a feature so far distant.
The early settlers came from widely distant places. Th. first,
Wit, and. Herman York., were German seafarers; the Silers were from North
Carolina; MacKay and Owens were Canadians; Rand].. and Huffaker were from
Tennessee; and the Chilooats from Texas, to mention only a few. Most ware
bachelors, a few re.ain.d so. In later years there was a considerabl. influx
from the hill country in Kentucky and West Virginia. The Chilcoats
were the first family to become established., the first to set up a grist
sill and. their first winter was a hard one. Their larder contained flour
and potatoes--nothing more--not a well balanced ration had it not been
enriched with venison.
The best agricultural lands were taken up within a few years after
the first settlement. The community was retarded for a long time by lack
of transportation. Livestock could be driven to market so furnished the
cash crop. Rushes were abundant in sloughs and produced high grade beef
which attracted much attention in the Chelalis market. These rushes, however,
do not renew their growth after being cropped so do not make continuing
forage. When the railroad reached lbe, turkeys were driven that
far and then dressed for shipment. As late as 1910 mail was carried by
pack horses due to the condition of winter roads.
The Ciapus watershed remained a hinterland to the Cowlitz settlers
for some time. The Sh..peen from around Goldend.ale grazed on the headwaters
about Mt. Adams and the Goat Rocks quite early. The Northern Pacific
Railway explored it as a possible route prior to constructing its present
one in 1884. Council Lake, of course, is said. to be the meeting place
where General. McClellan and the Indiana drew up a treaty about 1856.
Prospectors on the Mc Coy Creek were the first residents on the watershed.
They came from White Salmon and had a well worn trail over Table Rock
before they knew of the Big Bottom settlement.
There was one bona fide resident on the Cispus prior to the great
fire of 1902. He was a squatter by the name of Covel and. had a cabin in
a clearing of several acres beside the creek which now bears his name.
Randle poatoffice was named, like many topographic features, after
early settlers. The community of Vance was named for Senator Vance of
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