The Town of Chinook

SUMMER-AUTUMN1979

Published Quarterly by thePacific County Historical Society

State of Washington

Bird's Eye View Circa 1950

X L U

Volume XIVNumbers 2 - 3

A Quarterly Publication of the Pacific County Historical Society, Inc .A Non-profit Organization

Subscription Rates $4 .00 Annually - Payable in AdvanceAddress: P.O. Box 384, Raymond, Washington 98577

Entered as second class matter at the Post Officeof Raymond, Washington 98577Mrs. Harold C. Dixon, EditorMEMBERSHIP SOLICITED

`Any person interested in the history of Pacific County may be enrolled as a member of the Societyupon receipt by the secretary of the first payment of dues . " ($3.00 per calendar year .)

Pacific County Historical Society1979 Officers

President . . . .- . ..---- .__,- . .___ ..Ruth HabersetzerVice-President-----_ .___ .-

Patricia WellingTreasurer----_ . . . .__ . . ._ .____,_.__,_-

Luvirla EvavoldSecretary Larry Weathers

Directors

South Bend DistrictJoel PenoyarRaymond DistrictVirginia OlsenWillapa Valley DistrictJake MerkelNaselle District Peggy BusseLong Beach DistrictMax WilsonBay Center DistrictHarvey Pierson

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ChinookBy GEO. HIBBERT

The town of Chinook, one of themost independent and prosperoustowns in this county and state, issituated on the Columbia river nearits mouth, about 30 miles from SouthBend, in township 9 north, range 10west. It has a delightful climate inthe summer and is an ideal place forthose who like rest and the cool,pure breezes of the ocean . It hasopen winters, with the usual weatherthat prevails in Western Washington .The town was settled in the 90's byfishermen, mostly sailors, who did aprofitable business in catching sal-mon . It has steadily grown in pop-ulation, business and wealth till itnow contains about 700 industriousScandinavian and American people,most of whom own the land andhouses in which they live, and havesome of the prettiest homes in thecounty. There are two churches, theEvangelical-Lutheran and Methodist,a public school with an average at-tendance of 120 pupils, a fine pub-lic hall, two stories, for fraternaland other uses, 8 business houses,two hotel buildings, three lodgesof the Redmen and Maccabees; apostoffice and a salmon hatchery .The Ilwaco Railroad runs throughthe town, the depot being about 1,000

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feet from the post office . Mail ar-rives daily from all parts of the coun-try. Communication daily is alsoestablished by boat with Astoria,Ore., about 8 miles southeasterly onthe south bank of the Columbia . Thetown supports a weekly newspaper,The Chinook Observer, which wasestablished in 1900 .Chinook has but one industry, sal-

mon fishing, on which its entire pop-ulation depends for support, but itis always a cash business and onethat brings quick and large returns .It is the centre of the Columbia riversalmon trapping, there being moretraps in front of Chinook than in allother parts of the river . The springfishing season opens May 1st andcloses on August 25th each year .In the early part of the season thefishermen catch barely enough topay expenses, but later the trapscatch several hundred dollars' worthin a day. The salmon are sold tocanneries and cold storage companiesof Astoria, who have receivingscows in front of Chinook duringthe season, and any quantity of sal-mon, from 10 to 10,000 pounds, canbe sold at any time to these receiv-ing scows by individual trappers .There is an unlimited demand forthe fish at prices that are agreedupon, at the opening of the seasoneach year. After the fishing seasonIs over the trappers practically re-tire from business for the year, put-ting their web away until the seasonagain opens in the following May .

Chinook

(From Polk's Directory, circa 1907-08, before the arrival of the little train,for which 30" tracks were being laid to extend the run from Nahcotta, via Ilwaco,to Megler . This information was provided for our use by Peter Lapinski, ofRaymond .)

"A flourishing town at the mouth of the Columbia River, on Baker's Bay,first settled in 1890, 45 miles (air line) south of South Bend, the county seat, and8 northwest of Astoria, Oregon, the nearest banking point, and 6 miles south ofIlwaco, its nearest railroad station. The United States government military post,Fort Columbia, consisting of 250 men, is located here . It sustains a weekly news-paper, THE OBSERVER, and has two churches, Methodist and Lutheran . Longdistance telephone service . Steamer tri-weekly to Astoria and other points ; also stagedaily, except Sunday, from Ilwaco, fare 75c round trip. Mail daily."

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

Astoria Lumber Co ., B. A. Soderlund, mgr .Ella T. Barrows, postmasterWm. A. Barrows, illustrator, designer, engraver, Chinook & Bear River Logging

CompanyBaseel, Samuel J ., dry goods, groceries, shoes, hardware, hay and feedRobert Becken, leader of Chinook BandCharles Brown, painterMrs. E . G. Bundy, proprietor of Bundy House 1907Bundy House, Wm. Gibson, proprietor 1908The Bureau Saloon, Harry Larsen & Charles Tungue, proprietorsJ . W. Burley, saloonChinook Athletic Club, Arthur Burton, mgr .Chinook Hall, Arthur Burton, mgr . 1907, A . E . Houchen 1908Chinook Meat Market, W . E . Jones, mgr.Chinook Observer, George Hibbert and Charles A . PayneChinook Saloon, F . O. Gaither, prop .Chinook Spiced Salmon Co., Charles R . Johnson, pres .

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Chinook and Ilwaco Stage Line, C . W. Van Tuyl, prop .

Chinook and Bear River Logging Co ., W. A. Barrows, Otto A ., and J . A. Rosendahl

Chinook State Fish Hatchery, Nic Hansen, supt .

J. T. Clark, expressman

Mrs. S. R. Coleman, furnished rooms, The Coleman House

Jack Craig, barber

J. E. Dalton, justice, Insurance agent, notary public, school board

Charles A . Davis, pile driver and trap builder

Thomas Gavan, livery and fuel

W. M. Gibson, carpenter

A. L. Gile, investments and securities

H. S. Gile, meats

Harry Gricks, boat builder

Chris Hausen, paper hanger

Annie Henderson, music teacher

Julius Jensen, The Manger Saloon

August Johanson, fisherman

J. S. Jones, prop . Pioneer Store, est. 1895, gen'l merchandise, fishermen's supplies

Isaac Knutsen, shoes, stationery, confectionery, photography

Leader Leback, boat builder

Charles Lynch, barber

P. J. McGowan, fish canners

Christopher C . March, restaurant

Oliver Martinsen, cigarsMrs. Effie Munson, music teacherFrans Munson, painterOlin & Soderlund, loggers, John Olin and B . A. SoderlundW. E. Owens, creameryPlumb Brothers, Festus A . and Roy B . Plumb, livery, express and drayageGotleib Raiser, brick contractorRiverside Saloon, Jack Robertson, prop .Harry Shipman, shoemakerJohn Smiseth, timber landsLouis Solomon, fish curerThomas H. Storms, contractor and builderDaniel Williams, dealer in fancy groceries, flour and feed

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The Stensland Family PhotoAugust 1894

By W. A. Mooers, Astoria

Thomas A. O. Stensland and his wife, Elizabeth Margret Olsen Stensland . Theirthree daughters are Evelyn, our author, on her father's lap, Martina, and Baby Esther.In the back row are Iver, Henry, and Ted .

Notice the gold watch and chain being worn by Henry, given to him by a gratefulfather when his son was saved from drowning . The son of an Astoria cannery manwas playing with another lad, and failed to surface . There was great excitement.Henry dove down after him and found the boy had been caught on a snag at thebottom. The man, in happiness and gratitude, took off his watch and chain andpresented them to Henry. In pride, the Stensland's had the family photograph made,with 15-year-old Henry the center of attraction .

At the end of the fishing season each August, we all went to Astoria for thefinancial settlement with the canneries and to place orders for the coming winter'ssupplies . There was always a carnival and regatta and lots of things to do forentertainment.

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The Stensland Familyby Evelyn Stensland Olney

Both of my parents, Thomas A. O. Stensland and Elizabeth Margret OlsenStensland, emigrated from Norway in the early 1860's . My Mother's people settledin Buffalo County, Wisconsin, where they had relatives . My Dad landed in NewOrleans during the Civil War, working the Mississippi river boats north to get tohis parents in Rock County, Wisconsin . Later, my parents met and were marriedin Janesville, Wisconsin, on February 9, 1876 .

Shortly after their marriage, my folks went to South Dakota to homestead onthe James River in Brown County, near Aberdeen, first living in a dugout . Mothersaid they were fairly comfortable . Then, with financing from the banks, they builta good barn so the livestock could be properly cared for . The next year, a two-storyhouse with basement was built for the family .

They were pleased with their location . The river had fish and ducks . On theopen prairie land,. with plenty of water, the crops seemed fine . Mother told us howbeautiful the waving grain was in the sunlight. Then one night, just before harvest,the field was all flattened to the ground by a hail storm . Another year, it was aprairie fire . Five years in succession brought crop failures, completely wiping outall their hard work. The banks were clamoring for their money and - there wasn'tany. It got so bad that the government sent in food supplies . I have met membersof five different families with the same experience ; it was heartbreaking for all .

In the fall of 1890, my Dad went seeking work elsewhere, and my Mother,with five little children and her 18-year-old sister, fixed up a covered wagon anddrove for three weeks to get to Mother's parents' home in Wisconsin . Since I wasborn July 19, 1890, I was only a few months old . We all spent the winter there,for Dad came to say he had decided to go to Ilwaco, Washington . Somewhere inhis searching, Dad had met Colonel George Hunter, an Indian fighter and scout,who told him about a brother, John, having a ranch near Ilwaco, on the WallicutRiver, and also of the fine climate - and especially about the fishing, and theColumbia River .

(Editor's Note : Colonel Hunter is the author of the book REMINIS-CENCES OF AN OLD TIMER, published in 1887 . In the Preface, the manager

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of the Historical Publishing Company makes this statement : "It is now ColonelHunter's intention to travel East in order to disseminate information about thegreat Northwest country of the Pacific Coast, a country which he helped to buildup and for which he predicts a glorious future ." It was during such a trip thatHunter met Stensland .)

But, before joining Dad, Mother drove back to South Dakota in the Springto turn in the team and wagon to the bank holding the mortgage . Then, with herfive children, and a neighbor lady in the same circumstances, took off on a five-daytrip by train. They had to pack food for themselves . When Mother became trainsick, our lovely neighbor took care of all ten kids, hers and ours . Brother Henrywas 12 that year, Iver 9, Ted 6, Martina 4 and I was one . The Nelsons also hadthree sons and two daughters . Bergetta Nelson left us at Astoria, as that was whereher husband had decided to settle .

Chinook

In 1892, my family moved to Chinook from Ilwaco, to become salmon fisher-men. Soon Dad managed to purchase a couple of traps in Bakers Bay, plus a tractof land with a small house on it, where we lived until we could build a larger houseand a large work shed to care for the nets and equipment. We were very happythere, and added two more little girls to our family : Martina was born August 2, 1893,and Esther, December 2, 1895 . We had a very nice vegetable garden and chickens,plus available pasture for milch cows . It seemed like Heaven, coming to the PacificCoast . My brothers dearly loved the bay, the beaches, the river, and ocean -everything pertaining to boats, water and fishing.

I remember one Fall after a rather successful fishing year, my brother Iverwent to Seattle to visit an aunt and uncle living there, and sent home a two-seatedsurrey with a fringe on top . As I look back now, I can't imagine what a long, round-about journey that must have been. Anyway, I went with my youngest brother, Ted,with his horses to get the surrey, as it was brought in to the dock at Chinook byboat, somehow, from Seattle .

Eventually, though, Dad found he had made a very poor deal on his traps, andhad a no-good title to our land . After several years of work and costly improvements,Mr. Gile, an old-time surveyor, came to us one day, saying we were trespassing onhis land, and would have to buy from him . Several years of litigation followed . Welost our case - and our home .

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The People of ChinookI have read many stories about Chinook, but none that told what wonderful

people made up the town. The citizens were mostly of Scandinavian descent, butwith a wide variety of other nationalities represented, too, and so many young people .The Old Town Hall was the center of all our social activities - entertainments,bazaars, and town meetings, with sometimes a dance or supper to raise money forsome worthy cause.

The people of Chinook were very kind and generous folk, helping out whereverthere was need . I remember a fine couple living there with four children . Thefather passed away with cancer ; later the older son died of TB . The oldest daughtermarried, and died in childbirth, leaving a twelve-day-old daughter for the grand-mother to care for . To keep the family going, the mother did all kinds of work .,She had no home, so the people bought a lot and found a little two-bedroom housethat was being abandoned because the owner had built a new home . Moved ontothe lot, it made a comfortable residence for the family, who lived in Chinook forthe rest of their lives. The son served in the Army.

Schools

When I first started to school in September, 1896, we all went to a school onTideland Road, a one-room building in a clearing out from town . I believe it wasquite a walk for some of the children, but was more even distance for some whocame from near the foothills . By the time our new two-story school was built inChinook, most of the tideland families had moved to town and had new homes. If Iremember correctly, the new school was built about 1899 . It must have been a taskfor the poor teachers who had all classes in one room, including a lot of older students .We had all young lady teachers in our one-room school, but some men came whenwe had two teachers .

The Jetties

All the years I was growing up in Chinook, there was construction work goingon to build the south jetty at the mouth of the Columbia River . Sections sometimeswere torn out by the storms, so rocks had to be hauled in and piling driven to secureit from the heavily pounding waves in a storm . Years later, when the north jetty

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was built, the whole contour of Sand Island changed, and with the sifting sandsparts of old shipwrecks were exposed .

People Remembered

W. E. Clancy, a former sergeant, later was editor of the Chinook Observer whenit was published in Chinook . Festus Plumb had a good draying business. FredHeater and Stuart had a fishery - we went to school together.

I believe the first room and board hotel was built near the Jones Store by JohnHall and family. A son, Claude, joined the Army to help fight the Spanish, andcame home once on sick leave . A reception was held, and we were so proud of himthat he was presented with a gold watch . Another son, Will, married Ellen Williams,and I seem to remember a sister, Anna, and a brother, John . This hotel was sold toMrs. Coleman, who ran it for years. By this time, Chinook was booming and sovery busy that another hotel, the Bundy House, was opened right across from theJones store ; everyone liked the Bundys.

J. S. "Sam" Baseel, a Syrian by birth, a devout Roman Catholic by faith, andan American citizen by choice, built a large store adjoining the Bundy House . Thisyoung man was no stranger to the area, for he had been a hard-working peddler,carrying huge bundles of all sorts of merchandise on his back, coming from his basein Portland . He was a nice person, and when he became established, he marrieda young Irish girl . The Baseel family later moved to Goldendale .

I believe the first saloon was opened by Julius Jensen, on the same side of thestreet as the Bundy House . Mr. Jensen also had very successful salmon traps, andbuilt a fine home for his family . Soon another saloon was established right nextdoor by Frank Gaither. I guess he decided he could do well on the overflow, and Iguess he did, as he stayed longer than the others. Mr. Gaither married Jessie Cole-man, from the Coleman House, and they built a nice new home .

On the Jones' side of the street, a barber shop was built adjoining the ColemanHouse, by Jack Craig, who had three children in school, Myrtle, Mabel and Roy .Then a Mr. Tongue and a partner put in another saloon next to the barber shop .Next to this saloon, Postmaster Charles A . Davis put up a building which housedthe Post Office which his sister-in-law, Anne Henderson, attended as clerk .

When Mrs. Will A. Barrows became postmaster, she moved it straight acrossthe street, where it continued until the new building was constructed in 1967 . TheBarrows had two daughters, Jeanette and Eleanor . Mr. Barrows was a good and

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interesting cartoonist, and wrote for various papers, including our Chinook Observer,that is still being published in Long Beach . Jeanette showed great promise as anartist, and fortunate are those who have examples of her work . She joined the RedCross at the beginning of World War I, and died in the service of her country .Eleanor lives in Seattle and has written some reminiscences for this magazine .

A meat market was opened between the post office and the Baseel store, andthat just about covers the business section of early Chinook, until Mr . and Mrs .Martinson opened a tobacco and confectionery store . At about this time, also, theold Town Hall was demolished to make room for the shiny new grocery store openedby Mr. and Mrs . Dan Williams, formerly of Ilwaco . It still stands.

By that time, nearly all the families had nice, large, new homes, and they wereall a happy lot. Take a drive through present day Chinook, and you will be impressedat the sight of these interesting structures. In an aura of timeless dignity, they standsturdy and well cared for, surrounded by lawns, shrubs and flowers .

THE GILLNETTERS

During the fishing season, the whole mouth of the Columbia River would befull of gillnetters. Power boats were not being used at that time, so they dependedon their sails, and since there was nearly always plenty of breeze, that was noproblem. They would go out and tend their floating nets all night and come backto port in the forenoon . I have heard there were two thousand gillnetters registeredon the Oregon side, and some were from Ilwaco . As I remember, the gillnetters

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had their area, the trappers their sites, and the seiners had individual territories, andthere was very little friction among the different types of fishermen .

The return of the gillnetters was an unforgettable sight - hundreds of sailboats,catching the morning sun, dancing on the waves - appropriately called "the butter-fly fleet" .

This photo was taken by J. F. Ford, of Astoria, in 1902 . Fort Canby is in thebackground. Identified in this scene is (far left) Henry, #1; sixth is Ted, #2; and,eighth is Iver, #3. This constitutes a part of the Stensland seining crew .

SeiningThe two oldest sons, A. Henry and Iver, loved the boats and ocean and every-

thing pertaining to it, and a few years later became interested in the seining business .But they were only teenagers, and the business men of Astoria were reluctant to dealwith them . So they got their Mother's cousin, Johan Johnsen, to join them andcalled their company Stensland & Johnsen, and filed on a site unoccupied on SandIsland, one very rough and dangerous and the scene of several shipwrecks. To makeit safe for their gear to be dragged over the sands, they hired a diver and crew fromAstoria to clear it . I believe it was Site #5 - anyway, it was the furtherest oneout . They got along well for several years, and when Mr . Johnsen passed away,the brothers were accepted as adults .

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Each year the family had to bid for seining grounds, starting from the lowerpart of Sand Island, the most expensive, to the south and west part of Peacock Spit .The farther north, the least expensive and most dangerous . The eastern part ofSand Island was all fish traps at that time, and the river channel was for gillnetters .When the river had no jetties at the mouth, the channel went due west into thePacific Ocean . Then Peacock Spit was shaped like a peninsula, and seining wasallowed on all sides of it .

This picture is of Peacock Spit, showing the North Head Lighthouse, a part ofthe Stensland seining ground.

Sometimes, on Sand Island, the tides and weather conditions were very bad,but the Stenslands were not dare-devils, and tried not to take too many chances withtheir men or equipment. In fact, they never lost a man from their 20-24 man crew,or any horses . But they occasionally did lose nets due to tide and an overload offish. The salmon caught in those days were huge, usually running 30 to 50 pounds

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each . Sometimes so many were caught that the canneries were blocked, and fishingwould have to be suspended for a few days .

Iver was quite a boat builder and built their self-bailing seining boats, whichworked very well . They had double decks (or double bottoms) with a space of tento twelve inches between decks, as I remember them . They were quite wide andcould not sink, and never tipped over . They were propelled by a crew of eight menon the oars, four on each side, with my brother, Henry, the guide . Nets were laidout according to his judgment as to tides, currents, and other important considera-tions. Ted was head oarsman and set the pace, while Iver had charge of the shore-lines, men and horses .

A photo taken by J . F. Ford, of Astoria, in 1902 . The seining crew is starting out .Notice the gillnetters in the background . The nets had to be loaded properly, so asto unload and not foul up.

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This picture shows the Stensland seining outfit in about 1905 .

It was wonderful to see how their team of Bay horses would hold and pull that

lead line as the boat left the shore. They acted as if they understood all that wasexpected of them, and sometimes the heavy current and undertow would be morethan the team could handle, so they would rush in another team to help hold the line

until the other end could be brought ashore for other horses to be hooked onto, tobring in the whole catch. Men and horses would be deep in the water . It was a

very cooperative system with both men and horses . My father could not work this

sort of fishing, since he was badly crippled and used a cane .

The ladies who prepared the meals were housed in a big barge, or scow, thateach season was towed into place on the sheltered side of Sand Island, and beached

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there until time to tow it to winter quarters . They served excellent meals, andwere paid good wages, plus shares .

A

The Stensland fishing camp on Sand Island in the fall of 1905. All the six

children in the family are pictured here .

There were permanent bunk houses for the men, crudely built, but seeming toanswer the purpose well . We always had a very fine crew of congenial men, anddrinking was never a problem . According to the tides, sometimes the fishing daywould end early, and some of the men would take a small row boat and come toChinook, as that area had long twilight hours . But about 1905, the governmentclosed the seining, and the interests of the Stensland young men turned to Alaska .

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The Stensland crew has finished the season, and heading home in 199b. The tug,BONITA, was the first power boat used in seining.

The Stenslands in AlaskaMy father and three brothers all went to Alaska, working for various canneries .

Ted worked many years in Cordova ; Iver travelled all over the coast of Alaskalocating sites for traps, fish wheels and canneries ; his last year there was as a UnitedStates Fish Commissioner, but when his wife was killed in an accident, he left, neverto return .

When my brother, A . Henry, was married to Almina Johnson on June 22, 1903,a dance was held in the Chinook Town Hall, with free drinks served at the saloons .

They lived to celebrate their 70th Anniversary in Ketchikan, Alaska, on June 22,1973 . Moving to Alaska in 1912, they purchased 360 acres on Gravina Island, andraised their six sons and three daughters there . A. Henry passed away on January6, 1974, at the age of 94 at Portland, where he and his wife were spending thewinter with their oldest son, Walter A. Almina is now 95 years old and makingher home with her oldest daughter, Mrs . L. M . Roberts, in Seattle ; she has twentygrandchildren, and nearly fifty great-grandchildren . A. Henry, later known asAntone, was the only one of the boys to have children, and most of his family arestill interested in the commercial fishing industry .

Walter A. Stensland, oldest son of A . Henry and Almina, is now 75 years ofage, builds his own fishing boats, and goes to Alaska each year . Four sons, Henry, Jr.,Tilden, William and Lloyd, live in Ketchikan . The youngest son, George, lives inSeattle, and the three daughters, Eva, Minnie and Bea, live in Seattle, Portland,and California .

FLORENCE MERIG ZITZ, the daughter of Elias W. Merig and Martina Stens-land Merig, now of Seattle . Florence is the only child born on the grounds at FortColumbia whose father was stationed there as a soldier .

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My oldest sister, Martina "Tina", had four children . She married Elias W.Merig, a soldier at Fort Columbia, and their first child, Florence, was the only childknown to have been born at the Fort, on March 16, 1907 . The Merig's son, Alvin,now retired in Sun City, Arizona, served in the U. S. Navy during both World WarII and Vietnam .

Esther, another sister, deceased January 1919, had one daughter, "Little Evelyn"also now deceased . Glenn McConnell, of Portland, is her step-son. The youngestdaughter, Clara, now deceased, had two girls, both married and living in Alaskawith their husbands and children .

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY

EVELYN STENSLAND OLNEY

OUR AUTHOR

My birthplace was South Dakota ; we arrived in Ilwaco, Washington in 1891,and moved to Chinook in 1892 .

On April 10, 1907, I was married in Chinook to William R. Olney, who hadserved three years with the 33rd Coast Artillery at Fort Columbia . He enlistedFebruary 25, 1904, at Iowa City, Iowa and was given an honorable discharge onFebruary 25, 1907 . While in the Army he played baseball ; theirs was an outstandingteam. He then played with the Chinook team for two summers. Mr. Clancy wastheir manager, and dearly beloved by all of them .

We moved to Portland, Oregon, in April 1909, where Mr. Olney got employ-ment. We bought eight acres east of Portland, where we lived for 25 years . Webecame the parents of four children, all of whom are now deceased .

Our daughter, Edith Dowling, her husband, George, and two sons moved toGarden Grove, California, in 1950 . Visiting them, we found the climate better forMr. Olney, who suffered greatly from arthritis . We moved south in 1952, andbought a little home east of Long Beach, California in January 1953 . We celebratedfifty-two years of marriage on April 10, 1959, and Mr . Olney passed away onAugust 1st of that year . On July 19, this year, my 89th birthday was observedin Westminister, California, and I look forward to seeing my family's story inTHE SOU'WESTER .

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History of the ChinookPost Office

March 17, 1892 - Established under the administration of President GroverCleveland, a Democrat, with Matison Fredenburg the postmaster .

October 5, 1892 - Charles A . Davis became Postmaster, and located it in hisbuilding next to the saloon .

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November 26, 1898 - Mrs. Will A. Barrows (nee Ella Tanger) was appointedPostmaster by President William McKinley, a Republican . The office wasmoved across the street to a store building owned by the family . Mrs. Barrowscontinued to serve under the administrations of Theodore Roosevelt andWilliam Howard Taft .

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September 27, 1912 - Rees R. Hall became Postmaster by appointment of WilliamHoward Taft, and retained the same location .

December 13, 1913 - Isaac Knutson, a photographer, was appointed by PresidentWoodrow Wilson, a Democrat, and also kept the same location . He retainedhis office under the administrations of Warren G . Harding, Calvin Coolidgeand Herbert Clark Hoover .

SADLERPUB. CO., BALTIMORE, MD.

IMPORTANT TO POSTMASTERS.

The rental from boxes in Post-offices where the salary is less than $1,000belongs to the Postmaster. They can, therefore, increase their income verymaterially by having their offices fitted up in an attractive manner . Themoney received from rentals alone will pay for a Cabinet in a few months .With this in view we would call attention to the line of

III~Iilllhi ° I DVIII I nnmunm©'1 Iumyi~ll lI

I, -

POST-OFFICE CABINETS AND CASESshown in following pages . These Cabinets are made of best material, finelyfinished and are furnished to Postmasters at very low prices either on cash orinstallment plan .

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February 1, 1940 - Bernt A . Hansen became Postmaster by appointment ofFranklin Delano Roosevelt, and served until his death on Christmas Day in1977 . He was born on April 16, 1912, in Chinook, and was graduated fromIlwaco High School . History was made on November 14, 1967, when Mr.Hansen moved from the location established by Mrs . Barrows in 1898 to anew building located on Highway 101 at Valley Street, with a net squarefootage of 4078 . To accommodate a need for an enlarged post office boxsection, an addition was made in 1977 .

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February 9, 1979 - Clemetis G. Hansen, widow of Bernt A . Hansen, was appointedPostmaster, a position now gained by merit rather than by presidential appoint-ment. Mrs. Hansen had served as relief clerk from 1961, and Officer-in-Chargefrom December 30, 1977, until she became the Postmaster.

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$

"Just the thought of being a part of the recorded history of this colorful areais exciting," Clemetis G. Hansen, the Postmaster writes . "The photograph of mewas taken in the post office a few days after my selection as postmaster ; the one of

Bernt was taken in 1972 ."

"Bernt bought the old post office building from Isaac Knutsen in 1940. It

housed a fishing tackle shop and living quarters for the postmaster and family . In

the summer time, we opened the tackle shop, called Post Office Store, at 3 :30 a.m .,

and closed anywhere from 9 :00 to 12 :00 p.m . - very busy times. Fishermen werewaiting every morning to get their fresh bait, which was brought down by truckfrom the Seattle area .

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"Bernt was an avid hunter and fisherman, and I shared his enthusiasm for thesesports . We couldn't always go hunting together, for someone had to mind the storeand post office .

"In 1965, I got my first deer just two weeks before our daughter was born,and was the subject of humorous comments from our friends . Out in the brush atsuch a time carrying my 30 .06 rifle! Our daughter, Debra Rae is now 14 and afreshman in the Ocean Beach School in Ilwaco ; she plans on going to college, soMom will probably be postmaster for a few more years yet .

"When I'm not licking stamps and filling out reports, I manage to spend sometime in my studio to paint seascapes, portraits, and landscapes . In the beauty ofthis area, one never lacks for subjects to paint . Debra and I live in a large, old homein Seaview, built by a sea captain ."

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`Worm No. 6001 .)Ko

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•Postmaster will enterthe number andamount of order in

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these two spaces .100

Address of RemitterY4ly..f!. . ./. . . .i_

Chinook Post officeReminiscencesby Eleanor Barrows Bower

The Post Office was our home for as long as I lived in Chinook . I don't knowjust when my parents purchased the building, but I have a book, THE HOMEQUEEN WORLD'S FAIR BOOK, edited with a Will A. Barrows & Companyprinted label on front . It was probably sold in the store they had adjoining the postoffice building. Whether the store was sold before Mamma became Postmistress, orif they had them both at the same time, I do not know . But when I was born, in1901, the store was no more .

I can remember that Mamma always proudly displayed a certificate signed byPresident William McKinley. She was most conscientious about her work, and weoften boarded at the Bundy House because she was too busy to keep house .

The postal inspectors came once a year, unannounced, to go over the booksand procedures . That was a very nervous time for Mamma. One time they werelooking up some transaction, and the Inspector asked what day that had fallen on .She looked at a calendar and said : "The Fourth of July came on the fourth thatyear. Yes, I remember it did", he dryly replied : "I think it has a habit of doingthat." Of course, he wanted the day of the week . We never let Mamma forgetabout that.

I have a vague recollection of Papa wheeling the mail out to the depot in awheelbarrow, when he was home . But most of the time he was at the Chinook &

45

Bear River Logging Company he and the Rosendahls owned . At other times,Festus Plumb's horse and wagon picked it up, and after Mamma left, a Model A .

Ford .

There was a General Delivery window and about one hundred rental boxes .There being no bank, a great deal of money orders were put through, especiallyduring the fishing season . There was no safe, and Mamma often went to bed witha big canvas sack of money tucked under her pillow .

I can't remember the incident, but Mamma and my sister Jeanette often spokeof the harrowing night when Mamma had taken in several thousand dollars in moneyorders from an unusually big fish run. Papa was at his logging camp and Mammaput the money in two canvas sacks, one under Jeanette's pillow and the other underher's when they went to bed .

About two months previously, a soldier at Fort Columbia, Harry Thompson,had run amuck and knifed two men, then disappeared . No one had seen or heardof him since. About 4 p.m ., there was a knock at our door. The Post Office wasin the same building where we lived . Mamma lit the kerosene lamp, with shakingfingers, and went to the door . "Who's there?" she asked . After several seconds,a voice said "Harry Thompson . I want my mail." Somehow, Mamma managed tohold the lamp (by then Jeanette and I were huddled close to her) and say : "Ihaven't the key to the Post Office . Come back in the morning and I'll see if there'sany mail for you ." After what seemed an eternity, he walked away . At daybreak,Mamma hurried over to the Coleman House and told the folks . However, HarryThompson was never seen or heard of again .

(Eleanor Barrows Bower lives in Seattle with her husband, Donald . Otherwritings by Eleanor are to be found in THE SOU'WESTER for 1966, page 78"The Chinook Observer" ; 1967, page 28 "Sunday Excursions to Long Beach" ;and, 1968, page 29 "From Ireland to Chinook", the story of her mother's family, theTangers. On June 30, 1890, Ella Tanger and William A . Barrows were married ;at that time he was deputy Pacific County Treasurer . Barrows was born at GoldHill, Nevada, in 1867, came to Knappton with his parents, and was operatingmachinery in his father's box factory at age 11 . He became engineer on a small vesselwhich carried freight and passengers on the Bay from Nasel to Oysterville, beforegoing into the logging industry . He had a great talent for pen drawing, sketchingfrom nature and making clever cartoons . His daughter, Jeanette, inherited thistalent, and although she passed away at a very early age, her sketches are prizedby pioneer families fortunate enough to possess them .)

46

Census of Pacific County,

WashingtonTaken as of July 1, 1892

by R. S. VanTuyl

POST OFFICE CHINOOK

Total listed 400, with places of birth Washington, except the following :

By Nationalities : Sweden 42, Norway 30, Finland 22, England 17, Germany 10,Ireland 9, Canada 8, Denmark 7, Scotland 6, Bohemia 2, and China, France,Russia and South America 1 each.

From Other States : Oregon 25, Missouri 16, Wisconsin 13, Illinois 9, Indiana 8,Minnesota 7, New York 7, Iowa 6, Nebraska 6, Kansas 5, Michigan 5, Ohio 5,Pennsylvania 5, California 3, Vermont 3, Dakota 7, and Georgia, Maine, NewJersey, and Nevada, 1 each .

47

Partial List

Name Sex Age Occupation Place of Birth

STENSLAND, T. A. O . M 48 Laborer NorwayMargaret F 38 Housewife "Henry M 12 South DakotaIver M 10 "Theodore M 7 "Martina F 5 "Evelena F 2 "

BARROWS, William A . M 24 Engineer NevadaElla Tanger F 24 School Teacher Illinois

TANGER, Christina F 18 Cook Washington

48

DAVIS, Charles A . M 26 Fisherman Sweden

DALTON, J. E . M 26 California

BILLY, Niels M 25 SwedenSala F 25 Housewife "Harry M 6 mo. Oregon

KELLY, J. A . M 30 Gambler Washington

PREST, Jasper M 45 Farmer DenmarkAmanda F 28 Farmer's Wife Oregon

PETIT, Joseph O. M 33 Fisherman OregonEmma F 26 WashingtonE. L . F 9 "Lulu F 7 "James M 5 "Hilda F 3 "Frank M 1 "

SOAMES, Marshall M 68 Farmer Canada

SOAMES, Bridget Tanger F 53 Ireland

TIMMONS, John H . M 63 Gardener GermanyH . J . F 45 MissouriJ. E . M 25 Fisherman WashingtonJ. W . M 22 "

Effie F 14 "Maggie M. F 9 "Horris M 6 "

HOUCHIN, Alfred E . M 45 Rancher New YorkMelissa E. F 35 WashingtonW. A. M 18 "E. N . F 16 "R. M . F 14 "Fred M 10 "O. D . M 4 "

49

Name Sex Age Occupation

Place o/ Birth

MASNY, Thomas M 51 Rancher

Bohemia

Elizabeth F 45

Libbie F 18 Wisconsin

Charles M 20 "

Annie F 16

Thomas M 14 "

Mary F 12 "

Rosa F 6 "

HAWKINS, Carl A. M 47 Farmer

Sweden

M. C . F 46 England

BELKNAP, Jane F 52 England

Isaac N . M 27 Minnesota

Orin H . M 25 "

Anna F 21 Nebraska

Emma F 1971

C. A. M 15 "

W. C . M 12"

McDONALD, A . S . M 28 Laborer

Canada

Celia F 20 Dressmaker

Oregon

EASTERBROOK, G. F. M 76 Farmer

Rhode Island

H. L. F 75 Housewife

"

TURNER, Sharon C. M 24 Carpenter

Oregon

KIRK, Richard M 26 Life Saving Service

Oregon

HALL, J. R. M 45 Farmer

Illinois

S. A . F 47 Missouri

C. H . M 19 Washington

C. F. M 17 "

Sarah E . F 15 "

J. D . M 13 "

John M 10 "

R. M . F 12 "

LEONARD, George M 34 Ship Carpenter

Wisconsin

(Editor's note : More than 400 names are on the 1892 Census, Post OfficeChinook. For additional information, please contact THE SOU'WESTER .)

50

SWEENEY, Samuel M 64 Farmer EnglandHarriet Pickernell F 46 Housewife WashingtonBurnham M 17 "H. M 15 "Walter M 11Wilbert M 7 "Lincy M "

DIXON, William M 24 Fisherman Sweden

WILLIAMS, Rees M 45 Farmer EnglandSarah F 46 Housekeeper "Sarah F 16 "David R . M 14 "Hannah C . F 11 WashingtonJohn D. M 9 "Lewis R . M 7 "Thomas J . M 3 "

HUNTER, John M 58 Farmer OhioS. A . F 50 CanadaE. M . F 20 WashingtonM . C . F 18 "J. D . F 15Lord M 12 "F. L. F 8 "

BROWN, Fred M 65 Farmer SwedenCatherine F 41 Washington

McGOWAN, P. J . M 75 Capitalist IrelandJ. W. M 36 OregonC. C. M 28 Cannery Man WashingtonH . S . M 26 "

MATISON, Fredenborg M 30 Fisherman MissouriCora F 18 WashingtonClyde M 1 "

THE PICKERNELL FAMILY

John Edmunds Pickernell, who was also known at various times simply as

John Edmunds, was born on September 5, 1818 at Wendell, New Hampshire . Pickernellcame from a family long active in the life of New England .

We know little about John Pickernell' . life before he moved west to the Oregon

Country. In a letter from John Pickernell Jr. dated March 12, 1908 we learn that"as a young man he (John E . Pickernell Sr .) joined a whaler together with a man

named Brown at New Bedford, Mass . After a long cruise the whaler touched Monterey,

California where he and Brown left the vessel and going inland fell in with a

company of cattlemen whom they joined and together came to the Orsgon Country in

1837 . They settled in the Willamette Valley at a place called French Prairie ."

The leader of this cattle company was Ewing Young who later wrote about his adventure

and mentioned John Edmunds .

In a letter dated Ilwaco, March 15, 1909 Julia Edmunds Russell stated that her

father's wife was called Emaline Redhead . They were married at Yamhill in Oregon

in 1838. John Jr. says simply that his mother was a "native of Oregon." Emaline,

a Chinook Indian Woman, was known in her tribe as Tonwah . From Julia A . Russell's

letter we learn that John and Emaline had four children together . "1 child John

Edmons Jr. was borned March 30, 1839 . Wife name Margret Durval . Harriet Edmons

was borned August 4, 1841 . Husband name Samuel Sweeny. Julia Ann Edmons borned

July 22, 1843 . Husband name Charles Green . 2nd husband William Russell . Mary

Ann Edmons borned August 28, 1841 . Husband name V W Bouton ."

For many years the growing Pickernell family lived in the Willamette Valley

whore John took an active role in the political and civil affairs of the American

community. We can assume that Mr. Pickernell was of great service to the pioneer

farming community for Julia Ann Russell tells us that he was a trained wheelwright

and blacksmith . Jason Lee and others of the Methodist missionary party in Oregon

were friends of the Pickernells, John Edmunds having been converted to the Methodistfaith at an emotional camp conversion meeting in 1838 as recorded by Lee in his

book Ton Years in Oregon . "The meeting commenced and continued with power . Campbell

and Edmunds were deeply wrought upon, and cried aloud, almost in agony of despair .

The scene was awful . . .J. Edmunds found peace . He and Campbell were Americans . . ."

On May 2, 1843 at Champoeg, Oregon John Pickernell voted with other American

settlers to create a provisional government for the protection of life and property

in the growing Oregon Country. Pickernell's involvement in civil affairs lead him

to enlist on March 9, 1844 in the Oregon Rangers, the first military unit in the

Oregon Country .

In 1845 Pickernell was sworn in as a special deputy charged with the duty of

arresting the sheriff, Joel Turnham . This adventure is best told by Gustavas Hines,

"-the fearless explorer of the Northern Pacific Coast" in his book Wild LifeinOregon : Being a Stirring Recital of Actual Scenes of Daring and Peril . Here is

Hines' colorful account of what was surely a terrible experience for John Pickernell

and a turning point in his life .

5 1

"A man by the name of Joel Turnham, woo possessed a most reckless and desperatedisposition, oommitted several outrages upon a peaceful and inoffensive man by thename of Wobley Hauxhurst . One day, Turnham took occasion to tie his horse inHauxhuret's oat field, as he had frequently done before, without asking liberty,and then going to Hauxhuret's house, the latter expostulated with him for takingouch undue liberties with his property . This se enraged Turnham that he seizedHauxhurst ty the threat, with the intention of flogging him ; but, while in the actof throwing him to the floor, the wife of Hauxhurst, who was an Indian woman ofthe Callapooah tribe, seized a board that lay near, and with one blow upon thehead of Turnham, for an instant, paralyzed every muscle in his frame, and broughthim staggering to the floor. Soon, however, Turnham gathered himself up andimmediately left the house, swearing vengeance upon the woman, saying 'there is nolaw against killing Indiana .'Hauxhurst, fearing as well for his own safety, as that Turnham would carryhis threat into execution against the life of his wife, resolved upon takingimmediate measures to secure the arrest of Turnham .

Turnham himself, at the previous election, had been chosen constable, andconsequently, L. H. Judson, Esq ., on application being made by Hauxhurst for aprecept against Turnham, deputized a man by the name of John Edmonds to take himinto custody . Edmonds immediately took the precept, and walking into the shop whereTurnham was with a number of other persons, told him that he was his prisoner, andcommenced reading the warrant. Not being able to read it readily, on account ofan impediment in his speech, Turnham said, 'Here, let me read it ;' and snatching

it out of the hands of Edmonds, tore it in pieces, and stamped it beneath his

foot ; and then, seizing a knife in one hand, and a hammer in the other, swore he

would butcher the first man that attempted to take him . Edmonds called for help,

but none dared to come near . Turnham, therefore walked out of the shop, mountedhis horse and rode off towards the house of Hauxhurst . Another warrant was issued,

and Edmonds was advised to enter into all necessary precautions to take Turnham at

any rate . Accordingly, he proceeded to the Oregon Institute and get Mr . Hamilton

Campbell and some others, to go and assist him . Supposing that Turnham would fight,

and from his desperate and sanguinary character would doubtless attempt to kill him,

Edmonds armed himself with a revolving six-barreled pistol that was sure fire, andproceeded on to Hauxhuret's house . Turnham had been there and ground his large knifewhich he usually carried in his belt under his coat, but had left a short time before

Edmonds arrived .Looking back from the prairie ever which he was passing, he saw a company of

men as they were dismounting from their horses, and immediately wheeled his horsearound, and rode back upon the full gallop towards Hauxhuret's house . As Turnham

approached, Edmonds placed himself inside of a small gate which led into thedoer-yard, with his right hand placed on the breech of his pistol, which he carriedin his pantaloon's pocket . Turnham, paying no attention to him, came up immediatelyto the gate, and while passing through into the yard, Edmonds put his left handupon Turnham's shoulder, and said, 'You are my prisoner .' Turnham immediately

drew his long knife and brandished it in Edmonds' face, and Edmonds as quickly

52

presented his six-shooter at Turnham's breast . Thee eyed each other for an instant,but Turnham, mad to desperation, exclaimed, 'Shoot and be damned ;'

and commenced throwing himself backwards and forwards, from one side of the yard

to the other, for the twofold purpose of evading the bullets, and of placing himself

in a position to enable him to make a successful drive upon h is antagonist . Those

who witnessed the affray, have no doubt but that he was bent upon the death of

Edmonds . Some one within the house was heard to cry out to Edmonds 'Why don't you

shoot?' At this Edmonds commenced his fire . The first two bullets missed Turnham

altogether. The third wounded him in his knee, the fourth in his neck, the fifth

in his face, and during all this time he was rushing forward upon Edmonds with

the utmost vengeance .

When the fifth ball hit him, he clapped one hand to the wound, and cried out

'Ohl' and hesitated a moment as if he would yield ; but gathering himself up for

one more struggle, while making his last and most desperate effort to plunge his

knife into the heart of Edmonds, the sixth ball pierced his temple, he fell and

instantly expired .

This case was of such a nature, as in the estimation of the Supreme Judge, Lo

demand an investigation be the Grand Jury . Accordingly, Edmonds gave bonds for his

appearance at Court, and, though his enemies labored hard to convict him of murder,

yet, when the matter was thoroughly investigated be the Jury, it pronounced to be

a clear case of justifiable homicide ."

After the incident with Turnham, who had mane friends in the area, life must

have become uncomfortable in the Willamette Valley . According to John Pickernell Jr .

the family left French Prairie in 1847 and moved to Clatsop County ; where John Edmonds

(who began using his name Pickernell in preference to the Edmonds with Which he was

was familiarly called in the Willamette Valley) built a schooner to haul passengers

and freight on the lower Columbia River . Seafaring has always been a dangeroustrade on the Columbia, known for sudden squalls and capricious winds . Judge JesseQuin Thornton of Oregon Cite wrote that on October 30, 1847 "Mr . Edmunds, a worthyand enterprising man, came alongside our vessel in a whale-boat with a seaman,Mr. Reeves, while we were anchored above Tongue Point . Thee came aboard and leftshortly and hoisted sail although a violent gale was blowing at the time . Wethought thee were acting imprudently in doing so, but saw them at length take itin. In a few minutes thee were again seen to hoist their sail ." In fighting the

wind the small craft was overturned, spilling Pickernell and his passenger into thecold winter waters of the Columbia . The Spectator of November 11, 1847, published

in Oregon Cite carried the following account "Melancholy Accident-On Saturday morning

the 30th ult., a young man named Henry Wallace, in the employ of our pilot Mr . Reeve,was drowned in the Columbia River below Tongue Point . He in company with Mr . JohnEdmunds, on the evening of the day previous started for Fort George in a sail boat

for the purpose of going to the vessels which were at that time passing through

Tongue Point channel-During the severe storm of the morning of the 30th ult . the

boat capsized+ they succeeded however in regaining it, but some five or six hrs .

afterwards Mr . Wallace from exhaustion, we suppose, could not maintain his hold upon

the boat and drowned-There was a very heave sea prevailing at the time and the dark-

53

none of the storm, which continued until the next day, concealed the distressing

circumstances from view . Mr. Edmunds, on the boat adrift by Fort George, with the

tide, several times, until, fortunately, en the Monday morning following, about day

break, he succeeded in getting to shore near Wilson's warehouse . He had barely

strength sufficient to enable him to reach Astoria, where he remained with his

friends for some time in a very critical situation. We are happy to state that our

last information assures us of his recovery ." It was not long after this near fatal

accident that John was beating on the river once again .

In 1849 the talk of the nation and of the growing colony in Oregon was centered

en the recent discovery of geld in California. Thousands left their businesses,

homes and families to seek a fortune in geld . Among those who poured into the gold

fields of California was John Pickernell . Geld prospecting did not agree with John,

however, and like most he did net strike it rich . Within a year Pickernell was back

in Oregon. This time he moved his family across the Columbia to the mouth of the

Wallicut River, where John and Emaline took cut a donation land claim .

Seen after arriving on the north bank of the Columbia, John Pickernell was

once again taking a dynamic role in the life of the little community of pioneers .

John served the little band of settlers an blacksmith and continued to run boats

on the river. In 1852 Pickernell ferried the P. J . McGowan family and their house-

hold goods down the Columbia from Portland to their new home above Chinookville .On December 2, 1850 at Pacific City (between present day Ilwaco and Ft . Canby)John signed a petition to the Oregon Territorial Legislature, the body he had laid

the foundation for at Champoeg in 1843, asking for the creation of a new county

north of the Columbia . This new county was to be called Pacific . On November

24, 1855 Pickernell donned the military cap he had net worn since his days in the

Oregon Rangers. John was listed en the roster of the Pacific County Regiment of

Militia of Washington Territory as Third Sergeant . Perhaps his rank was in

recognition of his earlier military training. In the county elections of 1055

John Edmonds Pickernell was elected Pacific County Wreckmaster . John was responsibleto make a list of the many ships destroyed each year on the treacherous bar of the

Columbia and along the beaches and to see to the burial of lest hands . In the 1860's

Mr . Pickernell traveled throughout the country performing the duties of Justice

of the Peace, another office of trust from his fellow pioneers . In 1857 John

served as County Commissioner and Inspector of Salmon at a salary of 50¢ for every

barrel of salted salmon inspected and branded. In 1859 Pickernell along with John

Fraser and Rocque Ducheney was judge of elections for Chinook precinct .

When he was net away from home en some public duty, John Pickernell lived

with his wife and children en their land claim en the Wallicut River where John

had a prosperous farm well stocked with cattle . This wan a fine hunting area and

Pickernell was well known as a hunter . In his book The Northwest Coast, James G .

Swan wrote that "John Edmands is a celebrated hunter, and yearly slaughters quantities

of elk, deer and bears, all of which are very plentiful around his claim . He is

a capital shot as well as a capital fellow, and an animal must make sure to die

when John 'draws a bead# en him with his fine rifle ."

The Pickernell place was a friendly home where strangers were always welcome .

54

John's place was a usual stop over for settlers traveling up river from the growing

communities along Willapa or Shoalwater Bay . A warm welcome and a warm meal could

always be counted on at the Pickernell's . When Henry and Jane Fiester moved to the

Wallicut in 1851, after being disappointed in their plan to move into the "city"

at Pacific City, and were without food, John Pickernell brought potatoes and salmon

to ease the plight of his new neighbors . When the danger of starvation was pact,

John took Henry Fiester in his boat over to Astoria to buy meat, flour, butter,

cheese and other supplies for the winter .

Mr. Pickernell was a good father and concerned that his children should have

an education beyond what he and Emaline could give them . John hired a teacher to

instruct the young Pickernells and the ether children living in the Wallicut area .

'This was the first school in the area .

On November 12, 1877 John E. Pickernell died and was buried near his home on

the Wallicut . In 1970 the grave of a white adult male was uncovered while clearingland on what was once the Pickernell donation land claim . These remains were moved

to the Ilwaco cemetery near the grave of Eugene Bouton, grandson of John Pickernell,and other relatives of the Pickernell family .

Emaline Redhead or Tonwah, wife of John E. Pickernell, was a Chinook Indianwoman. Little is known about Tonwah but there are several interesting storiesabout her unusual name. According to one account Emaline Redhead was found byHudson's Bay Factor Dr. John McLoughlin living in the longhouse of Chinook ChiefComcomly . As she was fair complected with red hair the Factor knew that the little

girl was the child of one of his employees and a member of Comcomly's family . An

this story goes, McLoughlin took Emaline into his home at Ft . Vancouver to insurethat she would got an education at the post school . Another version of this story

has it that Tonwah was the daughter of a prominent Chinook woman and a Russian

employee of the Hudson's Bay Company . During a canoe trip Emaline's parents were

drowned, leaving the young girl orphaned in the lodge of Chief Comcomly . Tonwah

was called Redhead because her Russian father's name was unpronounceable to the French

and English employees of the Hudson's Bay Company who called him simply Russian

Red Head for his bright hair and beard .

Emaline died on the Pickernell claim sometime around 1874.

PICKERNELL GENEALOGY1James Pickernell (first mentioned in 1707 when he bought land in Kittery Maine)

married Lydia Nelson, daughter of Charles Nelson . James was killed by Indians

on June 8, 1712,

2Samuel Pickernell (son of James) married on December 19, 1728 Esther Rogers,

daughter of Richard and Eleanor Rogers. His will was dated August 20, 1705 and

proved on February 2, 1706 .

1Richard Rogers (father of Father, wife of Samuel Pickernell) born circa 1662,

of Kittery and Saco Maine, married Eleanor, daughter of William Moore, who

died his widow at the age of 80 in June 1747 . Richard Rogers died on June 8,

1740 .

55

William Moore (father of Eleanor, wife of Richard Rogers) of York County,

Maine was a fisherman and ferryman . In 1653 he shared a 20 acre land grant

at Hull's Cove and in 1674 William had a town grant alone . In March of

1679/80 Moore took an oath of allegiance to the King of England . In 1605,

after complaining about others engaged in ferrying, he was given a

monopoly in ferrying. William was married to Dorothy, a step-daughter of

William Dix and certainly the daughter of his wife .

2Thomas Rogers (father of Richard) of Saco Maine was born circa 1654 . e

married in July 1657 Esther Foxwell, daughter of Richard Foxwell and Susannah

Bonython. In 1659 Thomas had a town grant of 165 acres beyond Goosefair Maineand a further 200 acre grant from Goosefair to the next run of water . He waskilled in King Phillip's War on October 13, 1675 while going to the relief ofCapt. Wicoll at Blacon Point . The next day the Roger's home was burned, butthe family escaped unharmed to Kittery .

Richard Foxwell (father of Esther, wife of Thomas Rogers) was born in

England circa 1604 . In 1629 he signed notes for Indian trade goods inLondon before journeying to the Colonies . He requested entrance as a

freeman in Boston on October 19, 1630 and was sworn on May 18, 1651 . A'letter of William Hilton to J . Winthrop Jr, on April 18, 1633 says :"There arrived a fishing ship at Piscataqua (a river in York County Maine)

the 15th of this present month where in is one Richard Foxwell who hathformerly lived in this country." In June 1640 Foxwell wrote that "Therefour years or thereabouts I lived at Black Point (Prout's Neck-near

Scarborough Maine) ." Courts were hold in the Foxwell house, which waralso used as a garrison in King Phillip's War. Suffolk Court files contain

a two page letter from Foxwell stating Capt . Scottow's failure in defense .

Foxwell was a chairman of selectmen, jury foreman, clerk of writs, Lygonia

assemblyman, and a member of the Scarborough-Falmouth Court . His wifewas Susannah Bonython .

Capt. Richard Bonython (father of Susannah, wife of Richard Foxwell)

was a patentee of what is today Saco and Old Orchard Maine . He was

the son of John Bonython and Elinor, daughter of William Mylcinton .Richard was baptized on April 3, 1580 at the maternal estate in St .

Columb Major on the north coast of Cornwall, England . As a younger

son, Richard Bonython was trained for the military and commanded a

company in the ware with France . Bonython left for America to inspect

a family land patent . The first court held in the Province was on

March 25, 1636 at the Bonython home where William Gorges gave the

place of honor at the center of the bench to Capt . Bonython .

Bonython married Lucretia Leigh, daughter of William Leigh and Phillippa

Prest of St. Thomas by Launceston.

3Nelson Pickernell (son of Samuel) born March 8, 1749 married Anna Place, born

May 29, 1749, on March 22, 1774 . The family sold their home in Kittery Maine in

56

1792 and moved to Wendell New Hampshire .

4Thomas Pickernell (son of Nelson) . Thomas and wife Mary lived in Sunapee (was

called Wendell until 1850) and raised a family of nine children .

5

6

John Edmonds (Edmunds) Pickernell (son of Thomas) married Emaline Redhead .

John E . Pickernell Jr ., Harriet (Sweeny), Julia Ann (Russell), Mary Ann (bouton)

A BICENTENNIAL PROJECTby

STEPHEN MERIWETHER

THE SWEENEY HOME

By Cecil Timmen, son of Jesse Walter Timmen and Emma Belknap Timmen

I was born in the Samuel Sweeney home, which he built in 1859 for his bride,the former Harriet Pickernell, and his infant son, Frank . Of box construction, itcame around the horn, was plastered inside, had a fine fireplace and a wood cookingstove . When this house was torn down, finally, I built my home in Ilwaco withpart of the lumber . Pioneer stories are told of this home, which was always hospitableand the scene of parties and meetings of the settlers .

My Grandfather, John H . Timmen, was a crewman aboard a ship whichanchored behind the Cape in 1848, and he never left the area . He married HannahJosephine Timmen who came to Oregon in 1853 and died in Chinook November 29,1917 .

My father was Jesse Walter Timmen who married Emma Belknap, who camewith her family from Missouri Valley to San Francisco, then to Knappa, and finallyto Bear River in 1885. Their wedding was on September 14, 1892 at String Town .

Children born to them were Lee H . Timmen of Chinook, Mrs. Albert Nelson of

Chinook, Mrs. Lewis E. Lundquist of Tacoma, and I, Cecil E . Timmen . OurFather died in 1929, and our Mother in May of 1957 .

57

Washington Post Offices in 1862When Abraham Lincoln became our 16th President of the United States in

1861, he brought into office with him Montgomery Blair as Postmaster General .Under Blair's direction, the government printing office published a list of postoffices and postmasters in the United States . A copy of the Territory of Washington-segment follows ;

Chehalis CountyBruceportCharles BarstowCedarvilleJames SmithChehalis PointThomas J. CarterElmaJames WaldripFort WillapaJob BullardMontesanoJ. L. ScammonUnionJ. H. Roundtree

Clallam CountyNew DungenessE. H. McAlmondPort AngelesBenj. F. BrownPort DiscoveryLevi B. Mastic

Clicatat CountyRocklandJames H. Hermans

Clark CountyFisher's LandingS. W. FisherLake RiverSamuel R. WhipplePekin Wm. GinderPort LudlowAlbert B. PatrickVancouverHiram CochranWashougalH. J. G. Moxon

Cowlitz CountyCastle RockHenry JacksonMonticelloRoyal Smith

Island CountyCovelandSamuel LibbyOak HarborCaleb Miller

Jefferson CountyPort TownsendH. L. Tibbals

King CountyDwamishD. A. NeelySeattleF. D. Hinkley

Kitsap CountyPort MadisonG. E. BrownellPort OrchardWm. RentonSeabeckMarshall BlinnTeekaletJ. P. Kellar

58

Lewis CountyBoistfortT. W. NewmanClaquatoJ. T. BrowningCowlitzL. L. DubeauGrand PrairieGeorge DrewHighlandJ. M. McDonaldNeiwaucumJohn MooreSaunders PrairieT. R. Winston

Pacific CountyOystervilleI. A. ClarkPacific CityIsaac Whealdon

Pierce CountyFranklinJ. P. StewartNisquallyJ. A. PackardSpanawayEdward SpencerSteilacoomJ. H. Morrison

Sawamish CountyArkada . ... A. M. CollinsKamilchee- David C. ForbesOaklandJ. H . MisenerSkokomishE. A. Willson

Skamania CountyCascadesD. T. Bradford

Snohomish CountyMulkilteo---------------------------------- J. D. FowlerSnohomishE. T. Cady

Walla Walla CountyWalla WallaEdward E. KelleyWallula (Unknown)

W aukiakum CountyCathlametJames Birnie

Whatcom CountySan Juan(Unknown)UnionvilleC. E. RichardsWhatcomWilliam Utter

County UnknownLewistonA. L. Downer

Editor's Note : This information was printed in the Christmas Edition ofTHE RAYMOND HERALD, in 1920, courtesy of W . P. Bonney, Secretaryof the Washington State Historical Society .

59

RELIABLE REVOLVERS.,

Route Agents,

MAIL CARRIERS, &c.

SELF-CBCKIND .

32 of 38 Cf LIBBE .

6 SHOT. NICK EL=PLATED.

01-3x

Postmasters, Postal Clerks, Mail Carriers and Routet/2 Agents should always have a reliable self-cocking, quick-act-IF-31

tw

i ing Revolver at hand for protection . We furnish Best qualityI American D. A. Revolvers 32 or 38 calibre, 6 shot using Smith& Wesson cartridges, checkered handle, full nickle-plated .

I These revolvers are double acting or self-cocking ; pulling the1 trigger raises the hammer . Price, $2 .48 (postage paid) .