Chapter 11

Having in a way, gone over the early history Washington County as such and given a description of the mining ventures in the several camps, I will now return to a time long before Washington County was ever thought of, and even before its mother county of Ada was in existence and was still a part of Boise County, and try to tell my readers, if any, something of the primitive conditions found here and a brief history of the earliest permanent settlers.

The hills were clothed in a rank growth of bunch grass, the most nutrient forage for livestock known. It grew up about a foot high and headed out in late spring and early summer and in some aces grew so luxuriantly that it could be mown for hay. Rye grass, as high as a mans head while on horseback, along the river and creek bottoms, furnished excellent pasturage for cattle and horses through the winter, even when the snow fell to great depths. It was certainly a stockman's paradise.

It was also a paradise for the hunter as deer, bear and elk were found almost in herds through the hills. Grouse, Sage hens and prairie chickens were here at all seasons in inestimable numbers, while in the fall and spring seasons the streams were fairly covered with water fowl. While there were no game laws in those days, the early corners took no more of the wild game than their needs required, and they paid little or no attention to feathered game. The deer, bear and elk was the game of their choice, and these they were able to take with but little effort.

It seems a strange fact that when the Wilson Price Hunt party passed through here in 1811 a little over 50 years before the first settlement here, they never saw a deer or elk on their wary trip through the Snake River valley and on down the river as far as it was possible to go. Yet 50 years later they could have killed enough game to supply an army as the country they were traversing was the winter range of both deer and elk. The Hunt party camped here on the Weiser and the only meat food they were able to secure was Indian horses which they shot as the Indians fled in terror. There were not many of those Indians along the river at that or any other time and those who were here were great cowards and at the same time the worst thieves. They were called Snakes, descendants of weak tribes that had been driven over the Rocky Mountains away from the buffalo range by the strong and savage Blackfeet Indians. They subsisted on salmon, which they were able to take in abundance and dry for winter use, and on camas and cowse, succulent bulbs which grew in abundance hack in the hills.

Indians Move On

These vagabond Indians continued to live along the river and in the hills until in the early 1870s, they were gathered up and taken to Fort Hall agency and never came back. Some tell of great bands of Indians passing through here in the earlier days. which is true, and they continued it up to 35 or 40 years ago. They were not on the war-path but were making a pilgrimage that had been a custom for maybe a hundred years before.

They would come here from Umatilla to buy salmon from the fishermen on the Snake River and always behaved themselves, as late as 40 years ago. They sometimes would go for a visit with the Nez Perces on the Clearwater and return by Walla Walla. They often camped in Price Valley for some time in the summer, where they fished for salmon and hunted deer. There is no need of shuddering for any imagined danger some of the people may have felt, for these nomads never hurt anybody while making their annual trips, although they had plenty of chances to have killed defenseless people all along their route. Later on I will have occasion to mention the bloodless Indian wars here in 1877 and 1878 but not at this time.

The first permanent settlers on the Weiser, were William and Nancy Logan, and the latters brother J.N. (Norm) Harris. Logan and his future wife, Nancy, were fleeing from the wrath of her parents, who were keeping a boarding house at the old town of Auburn, southwest of Baker, who were sorely opposed to a union between them as Nancy was better than a raw hand at cooking and waiting on the table.

The young people had an entirely different notion about it and Logan secured a couple of saddle horses and a pack horse and with Nancys brother Norm Harris, lit out for Idaho, the nearest place they knew where they could procure the services of some one qualified to perform a marriage ceremony.

They came by way of Burnt River and struck Snake River where the Olds ferry was later established and came on by way of where Weiser now is and I believe camped here overnight. Logan was delighted with the appearance of the country. Understanding that Olds was soon to put in a ferry on the Snake somewhere below here, he decided that here would be a good place to start a road house, as the travel would no doubt follow down this side of the river as soon as the ferry was in, instead of going along the Oregon side of the river as it had for a number of years.

They went on to Placerville, in the Idaho basin where the Justice of the Peace was found and the wedding ceremony performed. After the wedding the 3 returned to Weiser and located at a point about two blocks south and the same distance east of where the old court house ruins now stand. They built a house of willows and mud and began to get ready for the entertainment of the travel that was soon to come.

As Logan had been advised, Olds and associates put in their ferry, long known as Olds Ferry, in the fall of 1863 and began operations, under a charter granted them by the first territorial legislation at Lewiston, then the territorial capitol. Because of its antiquity, I quote the act in full, as follows:

AN ACT

To authorize Reuben Olds, Rideout and Co. to establish a ferry on Snake River in Idaho County.

Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Idaho as follows:

Section I. That Reuben Olds, Rideout & Co., their heirs and assigns, be, and they are hereby authorized to establish and maintain a ferry on Snake River, at a point below the mouth of Weiser River, where the said Olds, Rideout & Co., are now established and running a ferry across said river; Provided, That said ferry, when so established, which shall be within one month from the passage of this act, shall be provided with a good and sufficient boat for the accommodation of the traveling public, for wagons and animals, and also with a good skiff, and with a suitable number of hands to man said boats, and man said ferry; and Provided, the same shall be run for the accommodation of the traveling public, and shall not be vacated for the space of 30 days at any one time, then this charter to remain in force for six years from the passage of this act, otherwise to be null and void.

Sec. 2. Said parties are to have the exclusive ferry privilege on Snake River for one mile above and one mile below the point above named for the term of years above named: Provided, That this act nor any part thereof shall be so construed as to prohibit the county commissioners from altering and fixing the rates of toll, at the expiration of three years from the passage of this act.

Sec. 3. It shall be lawful for said parties, their heirs or assigns to collect the following rates of toll for ferrying on said ferry.

For one team with wagon, $3.00; for every extra team, $1.00; for each pack animal, loaded, $75 cents; for pack animal, returning, 50 cents: for horse and rider, 75 cents; for footman, 25 cents; for loose animals, each 25 cents.

Sec. 4. This act to take effect and be in force from and after its approval by the governor.

Approved, January 22, 1864.

It is quite evident from the reading of the act that the ferry was to be operated for the accommodation of the traveling public, as it says so twice in the same section.

In order that travel by teams might pass this way, it was necessary to construct a grade along the side hill between the ferry and the lower end of the valley, which is still in use by the few who have occasion to pass that way.

Do Much Business

As soon as the ferry was in operation and the road to the valley completed, the travel, which had been going down on the Oregon side since 1843, turned this way. The ferry business proved an immense financial success as the operators were known to have taken in as high as fifteen hundred dollars in a single day.

The road house of the Logans proved to be a profitable business as their charges for accommodation were in proportion to those of the ferrymen.

The Logans continued to run the business a few years when they disposed of it and took a ranch about three miles up the Weiser River. Their first two children, William and Thos. were born here in 1864 and 1865, respectively. The older one, who had been residing in California for a number of years, returned here two or three years ago, where he spent a few days visiting with relatives and returned home where he died shortly afterwards. The other son lives at Brogan, in Malheur County. After a few years residence here, the Logans removed to Willow Creek, in Malheur County, where they engaged in the cattle business. After the death of her husband, the old lady returned to Weiser where she lived for several years, and it was from her that I learned of their pioneer experiences here in that far away time. Her mind was as bright as to the happenings of those early days as it was the first few years after coming here. In her last days she returned to Willow Creek and died at the home of her son Thomas. These two boys were the first white children to be born in what is now Washington County.