CHAPTER XXXVII
THE TOWNS OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.

    Since the division of the county Columbia has but three regular towns within its borders—Dayton, Marengo, and Huntsville. Other points, such as Grange City and Texas Ferry, are not at present clothed with that dignity. Much of the county history is embraced in the annals of its towns.
 

DAYTON.

    The county seat of Columbia county has the finest location and the most eligible town site to be found within its limits. Dayton, situated at the confluence of the Touchet and Patit, two beautiful streams, whose waters furnish a never-failing supply of power; easy of access in all directions; surrounded by a vast extent of fine agricultural land already improved and under cultivation; the terminus of a railroad giving an outlet for this whole region, which is traversed by good roads all centering here; is, because of all this, assured of a permanent and ever-increasing prosperity such as few towns on the coast enjoy. The recent division of the county has probably decided the county-seat question forever, and any one settling or investing here could do so with reasonable assurance of such fact. A fine graded school is one of the advantages enjoyed by the town, while four churches and several Christian organizations that have no house of worship of their own, offer the advantages of religious fellowship to members of nearly every denomination of the Protestant faith.
After settlement and abandonment by H.M. Chase of that portion of the town known as the Mustard property, the first settler on the site of Dayton was Frederick-Schneble, who came in the summer of 1859 with his brother Freelon. This was the original town, but since has been added a tract adjoining it and farther up the Touchet, by John
Mustard, settled in 1859 by ---- Nash; also one by J. K. Rainwater, settled in 1862
by two brothers named Bailey. Both of these were portions of H. M. Chase's old claim; Elisha Ping has added a tract of land up the Patit, on which he settled in 1860. Land on the south side of the Touchet, settled in 1859 and 1860 by John C. Wells and Lambert Hearn, has been added to the town by Jesse N. Day. Frederick Schneble went to the Idaho mines early in 1860, and his brother Freelon, commonly called "Stub," built a cabin on the north bank of the Touchet, which was completed before Frederick returned in the fall. Schneble was engaged in trading with the Indians, and in the fall of 1860 erected another log house for a store building. This stood directly in front of the site of Wait's mill. He also received considerable patronage from the settlers along the Touchet and Patit. In 1861, G. W. Miller and Elisha Ping, who had settled above him on the Patit the year before, raised a crop of oats and wheat on the three claims, covering all the original town of Dayton. The oats were worth seven cents per pound and the wheat two dollars a bushel. A man named Holman put up a small building in the fall of 1862, on the east side of Main street and seventy-five yards northeast of the old store building, and opened a saloon, around which hung a gang of bad characters, many of whom soon after met with violent deaths at the hands of vigilance committees in various places.

    Henry H. Kickey leased Schneble's place; and in the spring of 1863, making additions to the old log building, opened a hotel in it for the accommodation of travel¬ers. The stages from Walla Walla to Lewiston having begun to cross the river at this point, the stage company made it one of their regular stations. J. M. Pomeroy had charge of the ranch and station that summer, and raised a crop of barley, which he sold to the company for three and one-half cents per pound, and hauled to stations on the Pataha and Alpowa for four cents per pound. The store was abandoned, and the building in which it had been kept was converted into a stable for the stage stock. The saloon was also closed, because Rickey had all the trade at his hotel. A post-office was established here in 1863, with the name of Touchet, and G. W. Miller was appointed postmaster, keeping the office at his house on the Patit, three-quarters of a mile up that stream.
In 1864 Jesse N. Day purchased Schneble's title and took possession of the property. Dayton then remained, as formerly, a farm and stage station, where the traveler could find accommodation when in need, though no pretense was made of keeping a regular hotel. He built a small house where his fine residence now stands in 1870, and with William Kimball, of Walla Walla, put a stock of goods in the old hotel building, and opened a store, which was under the charge of D. C. Guernsey. This building stood on the river bank near the site now occupied by the brewery.

    Henry H. Kickey leased Schneble's place; and in the spring of 1863, making additions to the old log building, opened a hotel in it for the accommodation of travel¬ers. The stages from Walla Walla to Lewiston having begun to cross the river at this point, the stage company made it one of their regular stations. J. M. Pomeroy had charge of the ranch and station that summer, and raised a crop of barley, which he sold to the company for three and one-half cents per pound, and hauled to stations on the Pataha and Alpowa for four cents per pound. The store was abandoned, and the building in which it had been kept was converted into a stable for the stage stock. The saloon was also closed, because Rickey had all the trade at his hotel. A post-office was established here in 1863, with the name of Touchet, and G. W. Miller was appointed postmaster, keeping the office at his house on the Patit, three-quarters of a mile up that stream.
In 1864 Jesse N. Day purchased Schneble's title and took possession of the prop¬erty. Dayton then remained, as formerly, a farm and stage station, where the trav¬eler could find accommodation when in need, though no pretense was made of keeping a regular hotel. He built a small house where his fine residence now stands in 1870, and with William Kimball, of Walla Walla, put a stock of goods in the old hotel building, and opened a store, which was under the charge of D. C. Guernsey. This building stood on the river bank near the site now occupied by the brewery.
It was Mr. Day's desire and expectation to have a town grow up here. A more favorable location for one did not exist for miles around, and the rapid settlement of the country was creating demand for a business center. It was with this idea that a store was opened, a town plat was surveyed, and then the proprietor waited more than a year for signs of a town to present themselves, but they came not. There was no enterprise started to call attention to the locality and no earnest effort made to draw people here. The post office was changed to Dayton, and Mr. Day succeeded Miller as postmaster. One day in the fall of 1871, S. M. Wait, whose-mill. enterprise had founded the town of Waitsburg a few years before, was passing by and Mr. Day opened conversation with him in regard to the efforts he had been making to start a town. Mr. Wait told him that if he would offer sufficient inducement in the way of land and water power, he would build a mill and endeavor to give a start to the place. This resulted a few days later in an agreement by Mr. Wait and William Matzger to erect a flouring mill, and Mr. Day to donate them five acres of land where the Kinney mill now stands, one block where the mill stands, near the bridge, with water power and right of way for mill race, and a block of land to each for residences.

    Work was immediately commenced upon the mill, and the original plat of the town of Dayton as laid out by the proprietor, embracing Main street and two blocks on each side of it, was recorded in Walla Walla, November 23, 1871. The recording of the town plat and the announcement that a mill was being erected drew general attention to this locality, and its advantages as a town site were speedily recognized and seized upon. Many lots were sold both for business purposes on Main street and for residences on others. Early in the spring of 1872, building was begun with great vigor. The store of Day & Kimball was moved from its old location to the corner of Main street. D. C. Guernsey built a store where Dusinbury & Stencel's block now stands, which was rented by Wait & Matzger and stocked with goods. This firm also began the erection of a brick building, the first in the town, to which they moved upon completion. It is the one adjoining the bank on Main street. James M. Hunt, who was keeping hotel in Waitsburg, was given the northeast end of a block on Main street by Mr. Day, and at once built the Columbia hotel, which he kept for several years as a temperance house, in accordance with an agreement between Messrs. Wait, Matzger, Day and himself, to the effect that the sale of liquor was not to be permitted, and that no deeds were to be made to property without containing the provision that no liquor should be sold on the premises, an agreement long since rendered null and void. It was a genuine effort to found a temperance town, but met with failure because the interests of business lay in the other direction. Hunt also erected a frame building next to the hotel, in the lower part of which was kept a hardware store, while the upper story was used for a hall. This building has been moved across the street, and is now used by Mr. Matzger for a post office.

    In the spring, Wait & Matzger began building a planing mill on Wait's block, above the flour mill, which was completed and began running in July. It cost $4,000, the brick store $4,500, and the mill, which was ready for grinding the first of No¬vember, $16,000, making over $25,000 that these gentlemen had invested here in their efforts to develop the town. Such evidences of enterprise were not without effect, and in the fall fully 500 people were to be found in Dayton, and thirty buildings had been erected.
    Before the flouring mill was completed, a new enterprise was started far more extensive and upon which greater hopes were centered. This was the Dayton Woolen Mills. F. G. Frary, a practical woolen factor, from Indiana, having endeavored unsuccessfully to establish a woolen mill in Walla Walla, came to Dayton, with A. H. Reynolds, and was heartily welcomed by the live men of the town. A stock company was formed with S. M. Wait, president, and F. G. Frary, secretary, the other stockholders being Jesse N. Day, A. H. Reynolds, Winnat Bros., and William Matzger. Seven acres of land were donated by John Mustard, and a two set mill was at once erected at an expense of $40,000. The opening of this manufactory employing from twenty-five to thirty hands, was an additional cause of faith in the new town, and led to investment and building on a still more extensive scale than before.
The next summer there was more building than the year before. The dwelling houses erected thus far had all been cheap and small, except that built by Mr. Wait, which is the one he now occupies. The many fine residences that ornament the town have been added in the past few years, and are indicative of the great prosperity that has attended the first decade of Dayton's career. Steadily the number of business buildings increased, while dwellings sprang up on all sides. The flour, planing and woolen mills drew a large trade, and the business of Dayton was soon established on a substantial foundation. Leading merchants of Walla Walla opened branch houses here, and by investment of capital people testified to their faith in its prosperous future. In September, 1874, A. J. Cain commenced the publication of the Dayton News, an enterprise of vast benefit to the town, giving it a representation abroad to be obtained in no other way. With its name thus heralded abroad, and its advantages shown to the people of other sections, the prosperity inaugurated steadily continued. An unsuccessful effort was made by Mr. Wait to organize a company in 1874, to manufacture sugar from beets.

    Until 1875 Dayton was simply a town of Walla Walla county, a place of secondary importance to the county seat. This was a condition of affairs the people here determined to remedy, by becoming the county seat and chief town of a county of their own, and the steps by which this was accomplished have been detailed in the history of the county. This object was attained in November, 1875, though the thriving town of Dayton, as yet was but four years old. With this came increased prosperity. Public attention was drawn still more in this direction. Cheap buildings on Main street were succeeded by better ones, some of them of brick, while fine residences began to appear in every quarter of the place.
Up to this time no town government had existed, but April 27, 1876, a petition for incorporation was presented to the board of county commissioners, bearing the names of sixty-two citizens. The board thereupon incorporated the town as " The Inhabitants of the Town of Dayton," under the Act of November 28, 1871, and called a special election to be held May 22, 1876, to choose five trustees. The trustees chosen to succeed them, in May, 1877, were J. F. Martin, Perry Steen, George Eckler, William Matzger, and W. S. Strong.
The Walla Walla and Dayton Telegraph Company was organized in the spring of 1877, to connect Dayton with Walla Walla and thus with the outside world. The citizens advanced about $2,000, to be paid in trade, and the line was at once constructed and was opened for messages in July. The Western Union now control the line, which terminates at this point.
In December, 1875, the Columbia Seminary Association was incorporated, for the purpose of founding in Dayton a seminary under charge of the Methodist Episcopal conference. S. G. Ellis was president, and J. K. Rainwater, R. F. Sturdevant, George Eckler, J. H. Kennedy, G. W. Miller, S. G. Ellis, J. N. Day, William Matzger, and J. L. Smith were trustees. For more than a year this project was before the people without receiving sufficient encouragement to warrant these gentlemen in attempting to erect an edifice, owing chiefly to the fact that it was a denominational effort. The idea having been abandoned in the spring of 1877, the Dayton Academy Association was formed, for the purpose of establishing a non-sectarian school. Two thousand six hundred dollars were subscribed, and preparations were being made to erect a suitable building, when the trustees decided, in July, not to go on with the work, the indications showing that sufficient support could not be relied upon.
    The population of Dayton, as reported by the assessor in the spring of 1877, was106 families, containing 526 individuals. This was the number of people actually residing and doing business in the town, and did not include the transitory population drawn here temporarily by some excitement or for speculative purposes.
In the fall of 1877, the woolen mills, which had been under superintendence of Mr. Frary and control of Mr. Reynolds, the chief stockholder, were closed, not having been successful in their operations of late. S. M. Wait and Jesse M. Day purchased the stock in the spring of 1878, and the mills were again opened under Mr. Frary's management.
In April, 1878, the Columbia Chronicle made its appearance, edited by H. H. Gale and managed by E. R. Burk, thus giving Dayton two newspapers to sound its praises abroad.
 

SETTLERS' PROTECTION COMMITTEE.

    Considerable " land jumping" was indulged in by various parties in the vicinity of Dayton, in the spring of 1878, and the farmers united to discourage such proceedings. A committee waited upon J. M. Sparks and notified him to vacate a ranch he had "jumped," but instead of heeding their warning, he defied and abused them so vigorously that they were glad to retire from his presence. On the afternoon of the twenty-seventh of March, Sparks was in Dayton, when he was approached by the son of one of the committeemen, who knocked him off the sidewalk. From the appearance of a number of men standing around, Sparks was satisfied they were " after" him, and he drew his revolver and fired a harmless shot at his assailant's legs. Sparks was then attacked by a brother of his assailant, whom he wounded by shooting him in the leg. Several others then advanced to the attack, and Sparks ran into Shrum's stable, then behind an adjoining harness shop, from which place he exchanged shots with a man who was watching for him in the street. Sparks received a bullet in the cheek and another in the neck, and it was with difficulty that the officers and people of Dayton prevented the angry farmers from lynching the wounded man. When Sparks re-covered he left the county, and the Settlers' Protection Committee gave public notice that land-jumping would not be tolerated in the future. The man wounded in the leg suffered the amputation of that limb.

OTHER EVENTS.

    The trustees elected in May, 1878, were D. C. Guernsey, John Mustard, O. C. White, L. E. Harris, and S. M. Wait. An election was held on the third of May, on the question of levying a tax to establish a graded school. A district school had existed here long before the town grew up, but now the number of children and wealth of the town had increased to such an extent, that friends of education were desirous of adding a good graded institution to the advantages already possessed. The people generally were not favorable to the movement, and the tax was defeated at the polls.
Dayton was incorporated as a city under the Act of 1877, an election for officers being held July 16 of the following year, when D. C. Guernsey was chosen mayor; J. B. Shrum, G. K. Eeed, John Mustard, J. L. Smith, J. K. Rainwater, D. B. Kimball and Frank Pierce, councilmen; and Ed. Tatro, marshal.
On the first of July, 1878, the post-office was made a money-order office. Although the town had thus far been exempt from the scourge of fire, much talk was indulged in by the business men, of the danger to be apprehended from that great enemy of wooden buildings. A fire company was organized on the ninth of November, 1878, called Columbia Hook and Ladder Company No. 1, with T. H. DuPuy, president; S. Harmon, secretary; G. K. Reed, treasurer; Frank Cartwright, foreman; J. N. Fall and Fred Collins, assistant foremen.
In the spring of 1878, William A. Moody built the City Hall, 40x70 feet, and in the spring of 1879, W. A. Joy erected a new one, known as Joy's Hall. A soap factory was added to the industries of the town in 1879, but was not a successful venture. A telegraph line was constructed from Dayton to Lewiston and Fort Lapwai, by the War Department, for military purposes, in the spring of 1879, and on the seventeenth of June the first message was sent by the citizens of Lewiston to the citizens of Dayton, honoring the patriots who had fought at Bunker Hill 103 years before. The line was at once extended from Pomeroy to Coeur d'Alene by the way of Colfax.

    The educational question was still agitated, notwithstanding the adverse vote of the year before. March 12, 1879, at a school meeting, it was decided to build a good house, and properly grade the school. A contract was made in June, for the erection of a two-story frame building, for $4,239. The ladies of the town organized the Ladies' Educational Aid Society, to raise money for the purpose of furnishing the rooms and fitting up the grounds. By festivals, parties and other means usual in societies, they collected a large sum of money, and such enthusiasm was exhibited by them and the people generally, that the fine school building which forms one of our illustrations was completed in October, 1880, and Dayton had the honor of establishing the first graded school in Washington Territory west of the Cascade mountains. The building cost when furnished $8,000, and is 36x80 feet, containing four rooms 33x35 feet each. It stands in a yard 360x610 feet, and has a fine bell weighing half a ton. (See county history of schools.)

TOWN ILLEGALLY INCORPORATED.

In a suit before the District Court, a decision was rendered in June, 1879, to the effect that Dayton had not been legally incorporated. Officers were again elected in July, however, E. F. Sturdevant being chosen Mayor; J. B. Armstrong, Marshal; and L. E. Harris, J. H. Williams and J. B. Loomis, Councilmen. Rainwater* Mustard, Kimball and Smith held over from the year before. In January, 1880, it was again decided that the city was illegally incorporated, in a suit to recover personal property taken for taxes. In March Judge S. C. Wingard gave an opinion, that Dayton was still a town, but could become a city under the law by taking the proper and legal steps. The council ceased to exercise authority, and the old board of trustees again assumed the reins of the government. In May another board of trustees, under the law of 1871, was chosen, consisting of J. L. Smith, J. H. Williams, M. Kelley, L. D. Drake and E. R. Burk. Armstrong, who had been chosen Marshal the year before, resigned in January, 1880, and F. M. Cartwright was appointed. The new board appointed A. L. McCauley to that position.

FIRE IN 1880.

Dayton received its first visit from fire, on the thirteenth of December, 1880. At 8:30 P. M. on that day flames burst from the kitchen of the Palace Hotel and Restaurant, and the red glare warned citizens that the dreaded enemy had attacked them. There was no wind and the rain gently falling wet the buildings so that the fire company and citizens were enabled to subdue the flames, after several buildings on both sides of Main street had been consumed. Had it not been for those favorable conditions, the whole business part of the town would have probably been destroyed. The loss was estimated at $25,000, with $15,000 of insurance. The chief losses were Palace Hotel and Restaurant, $5,000; Bunnell Bros., $5,000, and Dusenberry and Stencel, $7,000. A fire meeting was then held by the citizens to take measures for protection of the town, and though every one was of opinion that something should be accomplished and that to delay was dangerous, yet nothing was done beyond the suggestion of numerous measures, none of which were adopted.

ADVENT OF THE RAILROAD. OREGON IMPROVEMENT COMPANY.

In 1879 and 1880, the railroad question was much discussed, and several efforts were made, some of them before that time [see Transportation], to secure connection with the railroad at Walla Walla. A number of meetings were held at various times, and much interest was displayed by all classes. In May, 1880, Henry Villard, president of the O. R. & N. Co., visited Dayton, and agreed to extend the road from a point on the line, then being constructed from Walla Walla to Texas Ferry, to Dayton, by the way of Waitsburg, provided the road was given the right of way and depot grounds. At a meeting these terms were agreed to, and a committee was appointed to act with a committee from Waitsburg, to carry out the stipulation. A paper was circulated that received many subscriptions, and with the money raised, such land owners as would not give the right of way were indemnified, as far as the money extended. Being in a hurry to complete the road, the company took a written guarantee from a number of citizens, that the money they should expend on right of way would be refunded, and then purchased the right themselves. The total cost of this was $4,517, and the gentlemen who signed the guarantee are still obligated to pay some $2,000, the subscriptions falling that much below the expenditures. As the road is now built, the people have not the inducement to subscribe formerly held out, and unless the company will remit the balance, these public-spirited gentlemen will have to make it good and pay the penalty demanded of them for endeavoring to aid the public. The construction was pressed rapidly forward, and on the nineteenth of July, 1881, the first passenger train left Dayton. The terminus of this branch will remain here, which gives assurance that it will always be an important shipping point, and the sup¬ply depot for a large section of country.
Another enterprise closely connected with the railroad is the Touchet Lumber Flume. In the spring of 1881, T. R. Tannatt came to Dayton in the interest of the Oregon Improvement Company, and offered to build and maintain a flume from the mountains, and make this the shipping point for great quantities of lumber and wood, provided-the citizens would present the right of way. This was done, and by building considerable and purchasing the Dayton and Touchet Flume Company property the 0. I. Co. soon had a good flume running down the Touchet from the mountains, where they have facilities for preparing large quantities of wood and lumber for their own use, the railroad and the general market.
In May, 1881, John Brining, J. E. Edmiston, L. E. Harris, George E. Church, and J. L. Smith were elected town trustees, and A. L. McCauley was again appointed marshal.

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