Historical Reminiscences 1850 Part 2
Cruise of the U. S. Steamer Massachusetts on Puget Sound
Washington Standard
April 18, 1868

Progress of Settlement

During this year (1850) settlements were considerably extended and there was a large increase in the population of the territory. Mr. Sylvester laid off and dedicated the Smithfield claim as a town, giving it the name of Olympia at the suggestion of Charles Hart Smith of the firm of Simmons & Smith, who established this summer a store in the town near the corner of First and Main streets. 

The beautiful snow-capped mountains of the Olympic or Coast range, which constituted the background of the glorious scenery enjoyed upon every clear day looking northward from Olympia, suggested the name. In July, 1850, the Bradfords, Bishop Johnsons and F. A. Chenoweth located at the Upper and Lower Cascades of the Columbia, establishing a town at the latter place where a store was early opened by Messrs. George L. and George W. Johnson, T. B. Pierre and F. A. Chenoweth. July 19th, 1850, Edward D. Warbass settled upon the claim at the old Cowlitz Landing, laid off a town called Warbassport, opened a store and engaged in the forwarding and
commission business.

August 15th, 1850, the late lamented Henry C. Wilson carried the settlement to the extreme north of the Territory, locating himself "solitary and alone" upon the west shore of the harbor of Port Townsend. This was the pioneer American settlement north of Olympia. October 15th Colonel Isaac N. Ebey took the claim on Whidbey's island from which Glasgow was driven by hostile Indians in the summer of 1848. Here he resided until his tragic death at the hands of Northern Indians on August 11, 1857. Hon. Samuel T. McKean represented this portion of the Territory in the Oregon Legislative Council. T. P. Powers of Clatsop county was representative.

1851-A General View (From The Washington Standard April 25, 1868.)

The settlements of Pacific City and Chinook and skirting the north bank of the Columbia river, near its mouth, had attained sufficient prominence to justify the establishment of a new county, February 4, 1851, the Oregon legislature passed an act setting off from Lewis county the territory commencing at Cape Disappointment and following the Pacific coast 25 miles, thence due east 30 miles, thence south to the Columbia river and down its channel to the place of beginning, which new county was called Pacific. 

A new apportionment by the Oregon Legislative Assembly (Feb. 5th) gave to Lewis and Clark counties a joint member and made Pacific and Clatsop a representative district. The Council district remained unchanged. The census, the taking of which was completed in the early part of the year, exhibits a total population in Oregon of 13,294. From it is extracted the following exhibit of the condition of settlement north of the Columbia: Lewis county including Pacific: Total non-Indian population 457, males 344, females 113.

There were 146 dwelling houses erected, occupied by that number of families; 13 pupils are returned, yet it appears that during 1850, 23 had at some period during the year attended school. The money expended in education, together with the school tax collected for 1850, amounted to $500.  The following statistics possess a peculiar interest: No. of farms 55, No. acres improved 13,441, No. acres unimproved 35,804, Value, with improvements and implements $287,285.

The above list contains the returns of the quality and contents of the Nisqually and Cowlitz farms, with their respective areas as claimed by the officers in charge. For, allowing a section of land to each American settler, and they could not take more under the land law of the provisional government, which was recognized by them as likely to be continued in force by congress, 55 farms would embrace only about 35,000 acres, and as it is notorious that at that time the farms of Americas were hardly commenced to be improved, it. follows that the above includes the improved farms of the Puget Sound Agricultural company at Cowlitz and Nisqually, and their unimproved pasture lands.

In their memorial for pay from the United States, the Nisqually claim is defined as containing 168,040 acres for which they ask the sum of $798, 133.33. The Cowlitz farms are claimed as containing 3,572 acres, of which 1,500 are classed as improved and under cultivation, for which they demand $126,533.33. All credit, them to those early American pioneers, who before the title to the soil was recognized to be in the United States, dared to make a settlement north of the Columbia river and attempted to compete with that mammoth company and the influences by which it was surrounded, a British population, entirely dependent upon and controlled by the company.

Progress of Settlement

On January 10, 1851, Captain Lafayette Balch took the claim at Lower Steilacoom, dedicating it as a townsite and conferring upon it the name of Port Steilacoom. from the native name of the creek just north of his claim, on which is now erected the mill of Thomas M. Chambers. J. B. Chapman, Esq., of Indiana, a counselor at law. together with his son, John M. Chapman, settled on Steilacoom Point, adjoining Capt Balch's claim, October 21, 1851. taking a half-section of land in the name of the latter, locating a townsite called Steilacoom City. Both, however, are now joined under the common name of Steilacoom.

In the month of April, 1851, Charles C. Bachelder and Alfred A. Plummer settled at Port Townsend. The former made a permanent settlement. The latter took a claim (April 24th) including Point Hudson and the' present Port Townsend beach. Though out of order of time, it is proper here to add that in April, 1852, L. B. Hastings and family and F. W. Pettvgrove and family settled at Port Townsend, and that Messrs. Hastings and Pettygrove each contributed a portion of their lands and dedicated as a town the site of the pleasant flourishing city of Port Townsend.

A Correction. We were led into an error as to the first settlement of Port Townsend by adopting the time of Mr. H. C. Wilson's arrival in the Territory (August 15, 1850) for the date of commencement of residence upon his claim near Port Townsend. He did not settle at Port Townsend bay till April, 1852, about cotemporaneous with Messrs. Hastings and Pettygrove. Hence to Mr. A. A. Plummer belongs the honor of being the pioneer.