It was 1853 and Spring was in full bloom when a 20-year-old woman and some friends decided to join a wagon train and move West. Most wagon trains migrating in the mid-late 19^th century consisted of families and not single women, so she was uncommon and brave indeed. The identify of this woman is unknown and her story was written as an autobiography titled, “A Grandmother’s Story of Early Days in Washington” and included in the book Souvenir of Western Women written by Mary Osborn Douthit in 1905. Her story captures details of women’s lives on the Frontier and most worthy of a retelling.

She left her home in the Spring of 1853 and by October the wagon train arrived at Mound Prairie, Thurston County in Washington State. To survive the colder weather months, the party moved into a small one-roomed cabin designed for bachelors, but were able to create makeshift apartments for ten people using their wagon covers. During the holidays in 1854 a couple hosted a Christmas dinner in their small floorless side kitchen. The dinner included beans, gingerbread, and coffee.

Women did not have property rights at that time. She was told that if she got married then she would get 180 acres of land. As she recalled, “So of course I got married and got my land.” They settled down and built a two-room log cabin. They only had a bed, stove and some dishes, but no furniture was available to purchase. This did not deter her, however. She was resourceful so her husband made a table with several split boards, and she made stools. She created cushions with moss and covered them with oil calico. She made a rocking chair out of a sugar barrel with the same moss cushioning and cupboards. She was very proud of her homestead they had created, and she loved to entertain folks in the area.

At one point in 1855, they heard of a war that broke out between Indians to the east of the Cascade mountains. The neighbors built a fort in preparation and by the time it was completed, word came around that the Indians were coming towards them. So the settlers moved to the fort where they stayed 16 months! Let’s take a minute to appreciate this situation. The fort was a large one-room building and it’s assumed it was enclosed by a fenced barricade made with tree trunks as we’ve seen in Western movies. Imagine getting the call and hastily leaving your comfortable log cabin and moss cushioned stools and now inhabiting this one room building with thirty other families. Some were from Centralia and Bush Prairie so you weren’t close to them. The only separation from each other was a partition. You have no idea how long you’ll be in such close living quarters with these other families, but it’s ends up being almost 1 and a half years! No bathrooms, or showers, or running water, or deodorant except a spritz of lavender water… yikes! Ok, back to the story! Even though the families were in such close quarters, they all got a long wonderfully well. The author said, “I suppose we were afraid the Indians would kill us, and we wanted to die in peace with all mankind.” After 16 months, the war was over and they returned to their homes.

In the summer of 1858, she and her husband decided to move to Gray’s Harbor located on the Olympic Peninsula on the Pacific Coast. They sold all of their possession except what could fit into canoes and they set off for their new home site.

In July, 1859, she and her new community prepared to celebrate their first 4^th of July in the County’s history. On that beautiful summer day, about 20 of them gathered their baskets and babies and met on a slough (which is a wetland where a river had once ran). They all gathered into a wooden boat with square ends called a scow. The spent the day singing patriotic songs with Old Glory flying in the breeze. She had four children by this time. This is the same year the first election was held at Westport. The author wanted to attend the election so she, her husband, their four children and a few others started out early in the morning, loaded into a sailboat, and headed to James’ Rock. The trip was smooth until they lost the tide about half a mile to shore where they planned to stop at James’ cabin. As the determined woman she was, Instead of waiting  six hours for the tide, she was determined to wade the rest of the way. So into the water she went from ankle to waist deep. That heavy skirt most likely felt 20 pounds heavier wet than dry. The men took a baby a piece and brought them all to shore. Her husband tried to carry her, but her proven determination would not allow it. Once they made it, they dried out and waited for the tide to come in. They continued their journey and once they got to the polls, they would not let her vote. Women would not be allowed to vote in the state of Washington until ratification of the 19^th Amendment in 1920. After that incredible journey just to cast her vote to be turned away at the polls probably felt like a punch in the face. In her resolve, the author firmly stated, “Don’t tell me that women can’t go to the polls.” Because she got there alright through sailing, wading half a mile, waiting six hours for the tide, and then sailing some more.

It is now Spring time in Gray’s Harbor, 1860. She notes they had lost all of their money, but did not elaborate as to the situation. Finding themselves in dire straights, the author’s husband went to work for the mines on the Salmon River (also in Gray’s Harbor). After gold had been found in California in 1859, miners started panning on the Salmon River where the first hard rock gold was found in 1860. After that several hard rock gold mines popped up along the river with the Live Yankee Mine being the first. Her husband worked at Live Yankee Mine since Bear Creek Mine didn’t open until late summer that year.  While her husband was gone, she was left alone in their cabin with her children. As it was on the Frontier, neighbors were 10 miles away with nothing but the beautiful landscape as far as could be seen. When her husband came back from the mines they decided to move up the Chehalis River and build a homestead. Her husband and his brother- in-law had been “baching” as she puts it in a small cabin on the new land. On one of his trips to their current house she decided she was going with him. He tried to convince her the house was too small but she said, “That makes no difference, where you live, I can live, and I am going” so she did. On the 3^rd of July, 1860 they moved to their new cabin situated in the woods. They put their things up, ate dinner, and then her husband left for three days to bring the cattle back in. Being left alone was a terrifying experience for her and it would be injustice to not tell it in her own words,

“With no lock on the door and holes in the chimney. Darkness coming on, I put the children to bed and sat down to read a chapter in the Bible. All at once the wild cats began to screech, the owls to whoo-whoo, and the wolves to howl. I jumped into bed almost frightened to death. I believe that was the only time in my life I wished to die. I just asked the Lord to take me and the dear little ones straight up to heaven before we were all eaten up by wild animals. Away in the night something began to pat, pat on the floor and make a squeaking noise. I just lay still, afraid to breathe. Next morning I looked to see if my hair was white. “This lasted for two more nights, but it was all noises of the wild and no real danger.

They were still living in the small bachelor cabin, but they did not have the funds for enough lumber to build a proper house. She decided to sell her gold watch and chain. One that she undoubtedly brought with her when she first ventured across the plains. Her husband wouldn’t have it and objected to her giving it up. For settlers in these days, luxury items were not easily replaced so this was a big sacrifice for her. They ran into a man who owned a sawmill and he agreed to provide the lumber needed for the watch, so she sold it and they built their home. Recalled happiness as they worked and waited for it to be completed.

This courageous woman loved being a pioneer and recalls those days being filled with happiness. Doctors were few on the Frontier in the 19^th century so people were on their own if they were to get sick so most relied on homeopathic remedies that were tried and true for generations. She recalled making a tea of wild cherry and dogwood bark. She recalled with humor that once the first doctor came to their town, people began to get sick and have needed a doctor since.

When our author was in her later years here fighting spirit would come out when newcomers would criticize the “old mossbacks” as they called them for not doing things in the early days. She sarcastically recalled not knowing how the newcomers would have gotten there without the “old mossbacks”. I could only imagine her sarcasm and wit would have been amazing to witness.

It’s unknown when she died or her age, but we’ll close this amazing woman’s life story full of adventure, experiences that we can’t hardly imagine today, and the legacy she left behind. As she neared the end of her life she said, “God bless the old pioneers, and may they all go to heaven when they die. There are few of them left to tell the story. Some of us are left to see the wilderness blossom as the rose. I know it is evening time with me, my work is almost done. I am watching and waiting.”

Sources:

https://srrc.org/history/timeline.php

Douthit, Mary Osborn, editor. The Souvenir of Western Women. [Portland, Or. Presses of Anderson & Duniway company, 1905] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, .

Bryson, Bernarda, Artist. Western Frontier Stockade
. [or 1936] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2004679007/>.