Blazing the Way; Or, True Stories, Songs and Sketches of Puget SoundDenny, Emily Inez
History
Blazing the Way; Or, True Stories, Songs and Sketches of Puget Sound
Denny, Emily Inez
Indians of North America -- Northwestern States; Oregon Territory -- History; Washington (State) -- History
The struggle of the Indians to regain their domain resulted in many
sanguinary conflicts. The bloody wave of war ran hither and yon until
spent and the doom of the passing race was sealed.
Seattle and the whole Puget Sound region were set back ten years in
development. Toilsome years they were that stretched before the
pioneers. They and their families were obliged to do whatever they could
to obtain a livelihood; they were neither ashamed nor afraid of honest
work and doubtless enjoyed the reward of a good conscience and vigorous
health.
Life held many pleasures and much freedom from modern fret besides. As
one of them observed, "We were happy then, in our log cabin homes."
Long after the incidents herein related occurred, one of the survivors
of the White River massacre wrote the following letter, which was
published in a local paper:
"Burgh Hill, Ohio, Sept. 8.--I notice occasionally a pioneer
sketch in the Post-Intelligencer relating some incident in the
war of 1855-56. I have a vivid recollection of this, being a
member of one of the families concerned therein. I remember
distinctly the attack upon the fort at Seattle in January, 1856.
Though a child, the murdering of my mother and step-father by the
Indians a few weeks before made such an impression upon my mind
that I was terror-stricken at the thought of another massacre,
and the details are indelibly and most vividly fixed in my mind.
When I read of the marvelous growth of Seattle I can hardly
realize that it is possible. I add my mite to the pioneer history
of Seattle and vicinity.
"I was born in Harrison township, Grant county, Wisconsin,
November 13, 1848. When I was five months old my father started
for the gold diggings in California, but died shortly after
reaching that state. In the early part of 1851 my mother married
Harvey Jones. In the spring of 1854 we started for Washington
territory, overland, reaching our destination on White river in
the fall, having been six months and five days in making the
trip. Our route lay through Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho,
Oregon and Washington territory. To speak in detail of all my
recollections of this journey would make this article too
lengthy.
"My step-father took up land on White river some twenty miles up
the stream from Seattle. At that time there were only five or six
families in the settlement, the nearest neighbor to us being
about one-fourth mile distant. During the summer of 1855 I went
some two and a half miles to school along a path through the
dense woods in danger both from wild animals and Indians. Some of
the settlers became alarmed at reports of hostile intentions by
the Indians upon our settlement and left some two weeks before
the outbreak. Among those who thought their fears groundless and
remained was our family.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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