Chapter 1

Washington County was officially created by an act of the ninth territorial legislature on February 20. 1879. For many years preceding, this section was already contributing to the historical drama of the Old West, and in the decades that have followed, Washington County has given much to the agricultural and economic growth of Idaho.

William Allison, of Upper valley, since known as Salubria and Thomas Gray of Gray creek, Indian Valley  were of the Ada County lower house delegation in the legislature and were the fathers of the act creating Washington County. As the section of country of which it was proposed to create the new county was so far distant from Boise, the county seat, it was considered by the Ada County people an act of economy to let it be cut off as the revenues derived did not equal the cost of government, and as the other members of the Ada delegation favored the scheme, it was no trouble to get the bill favorably acted upon.

Since Governor Mason Brayman signed acts creating both this and Cassia counties on the same day, it is impossible to tell whether this is the tenth or eleventh county to come into being in Idaho territory. The new county of Washington then was composed of all that area now included in both Adams and Washington counties.

APPOINT COMMISSIONERS

The act appointed a temporary board of county commissioners, consisting of Isaac Spoor of Indian Valley; Nelson Haven and SM. Jeffreys of Lower Weiser whose duties were to call an election to decide upon a location for the county seat, elect a set of county officers, canvas the vote and declare the result. The appointed board met and called the election for a day early in May. Two places contested for the honor of being the county seat. Lower Weiser. which meant this valley from the Weiser canyon to Snake river, and Upper Weiser. the valley known as Salubria. There was no town at either place, but Lower Weiser did have a store, located beside the old stage road.

POLITICAL CLEVERNESS

Some thirty days or more preceding the day fixed for the election there appeared an abnormal demand for laborers among the ranchers of Lower Weiser which did not seem reasonable as the spring crops were all in and haying and harvest were some considerable time in the future, and they all preferred men from Ada County in preference to the local supply. This extra help had to be secured at least thirty days preceding the election in order that they might be qualified to vote on that day so in this manner a considerable scheme of colonization was carried out. At that time there were some fifteen or twenty prospectors and settlers living in the Brownee country, known as Heath precinct. The politicians of Lower was done to corral that vote in their favor, it would go almost unanimously for Upper Weiser. it was decided to secure the services of Geo. Hunt who ran a ferry eight or ten miles above the present town of Palette, and who was a most astute politician, to go out to Brownee and put in the day of election in an endeavor to secure the vote of the precinct for the location of their choice for the county seat. Hunt carried with him a gallon jug of liquid argument. He arrived at the Brownee ranch on the Snake river the evening before the election and put up for the night.

The next morning the denizens of the hills began to gather at that place on their way to a cabin about a mile above on Brownee creek, which had been designated as the polling place. Hunt immediately began to ply his arguments, both vocal and liquid in favor of Lower Weiser but he found out in a very short time that they were ineffectual; that they were all in favor of the Upper Weiser location, it being thirty-five miles nearer and therefore much more convenient for them. After delaying them as long as he could the party started up the creek to open the polls, Hunt accompanying them with his argument, which was partaken of quite frequently.

He called attention to the fact that the forenoon was well spent and that it was ten oclock; entirely too late to open the polls; that the law required the polls to open at eight oclock and remain open until seven in the evening; and that an election opened at the hour then at hand would have no force or effect whatever. His argument was so plausible and so forcefully put that they all believed him. Jim Ruth, a prospector and miner who lived up the creek four or five miles, was in the party. He had been named as one of the judges of election and had with him the ballot box and election supplies that they proposed to use at the polls.

He, believing Hunts statement, said. "If we cant hold an election what use are those damned things?" and threw the ballot box and other supplies into the creek and they floated down to Snake river, so no election was held on Brownee that day and Upper Weiser lost from fifteen to twenty votes for the county seat location. Dave Allison a brother of the legislator before mentioned was sent over to Brownee to work for his favorite location, where he proposed to cast his ballot on election day, and he did his work well until Hunt fired his final and fatal shot, which floored him. He did not wish to lose his vote so he mounted his horse and started for home, but as the trail was long and rough and the steed rather deliberate in his movements, he did not reach his home polling place until the polls had been closed.

ELEVEN VOTE MAJORITY

When the returns had come in and been canvassed it was found that Lower Weiser had been selected as capital by a majority of eleven votes. Had it not been for the colonization scheme of the Lower Weiser people and the Hunt coup at Brownee, the upper country location would have been selected by a larger majority than that given the successful candidate. If anyone is inclined to believe that we did not have politicians in those days , let him revise his opinions at once, for we had them That colonization scheme and the Hunt coup at Brownee would have done credit to Tom Taggart. of Indiana, or Jim Farley.

The Lower Weiser people justified their course in securing the location of the county seat as a retaliatory measure against the action of the fathers of the bill to create the new county.