Jay Price’s Memoirs. The Last Indian War
It may be interesting to the residents of Sherman County to know that one of the final episodes of the last Indian war, which was in 1878, happened between the John Day and Deschutes rivers. General Howard (the Indians called him “day after tomorrow”) had driven the Indians out of the Blue Mountains, and they attempted to swim the Columbia near Blalock, but were prevented from doing so, when they were fired upon by an improvised gunboat.
It was estimated there were perhaps seven or eight hundred Indians, and a large band of horses, and some cattle. That was really the end of the war, as each lot headed for their individual reservations. So about 75 Indians that belonged to the Warm Springs reservation, with quite a band of horses, forded the John Day river and were coming up Biglow canyon when Charley Helm and Ike Chapman saw them, and the Indians, seeing the men, dropped back out of sight. The men had not heard about the fight on the river and supposed that the Indians were still on the warpath, while they were really sneaking back home. The men quickly rode to the Dunlap ranch, where several families and a large band of horses had collected. The women were told that the Indians were coming and they were put in wagons and told to get across the Deschutes as quick as they could.
It was near sundown when the wagons passed our place. They stopped just long enough to tell us that the Indians were coming, and that we better run, and on they went. There were about 20 men staying at our place that night who lived east of the John Day, who had taken their families to The Dalles and had bought Winchesters and were on their way to protect their stock. After the wagons were gone they said, “You folks do as you think best, but we are going to stay here tonight and go on in the morning.” Dad and Mother said all right they would stay, too.
About that time here came the big band of horses driven by eight or 10 men. It was dark when they got in the canyon where the Fulton and Price canyons join, and they could not be moved, and stayed there until daylight.
Now at this time the stage was leaving The Dalles at 6 p.m. When the stage arrived at the Deschutes, the driver, George Shannon, was told that the Indians had crossed the John Day and he had better stop, but he said he would go on, but his two passengers got out. He knew nothing about the band of horses and it was dark and the first thing he knew he was surrounded with horses. He waited a while, but could not move. He tied up the lines and got in front and led the team, and with his whip slowly made his way for nearly a mile before he was clear of the horses, and thinking they were Indians he said, “klihiam.” The men laughed, then he knew they were white men, and I heard him say afterwards that was when his hat settled down on his head. He finished his trip and saw no Indians.
The following morning, when the men left, Martyn [Martyn Masiker, Jay’s half-brother] and another man went with them, and out near where Klondike is now, they saw a wide dusty streak leading south, showing that the Indians had passed that way headed for the Warm Springs reservation. And that was the end of the Indian war.
Brown, Benjamin Minette
5 February 1837, St. Lawrence County, NY
23 February 1929, Kent, Sherman County, OR
Civil War, Company C, 7th IN Cavalry; OR Volunteers engaged in campaign against Chief Joseph; m. Mary Jane Spoonemore; pioneer merchant at Kent [SCN, 28 February 1929; ODI#5; 1900VR: B.M. Brown, 63, farmer, Section 8 T5S R17E & also D.H. Spoonemore 27, G.W. Spoonemore 64, & Jas. Spoonemore 32; GVJ & SCO, 1 January 1929]
Fulton, James C.
17 March 1816, Orange County, IN
15 March 1890/96, Wasco, Sherman County, OR
Colonel, Oregon Militia, Yakima Indian Wars 1854-1856, U.S. Army contingent, The Dalles, Oregon; in Missouri 1840s; to Yamhill County, Oregon 1847, Oregon Donation Land Claim; to California 1848, in Yamhill County 1850; to Fairbanks, Wasco County 1857, established an inn, livery stable, blacksmith shop; Wasco County Military List 1863: James Fulton & George Foss; The Dalles, Wasco County 1870, 1880; state legislator 1870; to Fulton Canyon, a branch of Fifteen Mile Creek south of Fairbanks; then to Fultonville, Sherman County; husband of Priscilla Wells; 9 children/7 lived to maturity: Lucinda “Lucy” who m. Henry Perry Isaacs, Elizabeth who m. Louis Scholl, Anna Laura, James who m. Georgiana Foss, John W. who m. Britanna Gilmore, David who m. Lulu Bussey, and Charles Franklin. [Oregon Donation Land Claim Abstracts; Pioneers of Yamhill County, Oregon vol. 4; The Columbia River Valley, The Dalles to the Sea by Fred Lockley; 1863 Military List, Wasco County, Oregon; Wasco County Marriages by Anita Kenny Drake; Sherman County: For the Record by James Gibson Fulton.]
Miller, Thomas Jefferson
1834, Fort Wayne, IN
31 July 1906, at home at DesChutes (Miller) at the mouth of the Deschutes River, Sherman County, OR
1855-1856 Indian war veteran; son of Joseph Miller of Indiana; a pioneer of 1848; to Sherman County, pioneer of DesChutes city at the mouth of Deschutes River, E bank; Miller Bridge; Miller railroad siding; Miller Island; Capt. Jeff – one of the noted riverboat captains of Columbia River navigation Celilo up to British Columbia; husband of Sarah Eloise Ford; father of Nellie (Williams), Julia Ann, William E., Edward E., Thomas J., Joseph J. & Nettie (Bowles) [1870 US Census, Wasco County, Scott P.O., OR; 1880 US Census, Klickitat County, WA; 1900VR, Wasco Precinct: Thos. J. Miller, 65, merchant, Section 23 T2N R15E; Sherman County Observer, 1900 & 1902 & 10 August 1906; Wasco News, 3 & 10 August 1906; Sherman County: For the Record]
| Brown | Benjamin Minette | 5 February 1837, St. Lawrence County, NY | 23 February 1929, Kent, Sherman County, OR | Civil War, Company C, 7th IN Cavalry; OR Volunteers engaged in campaign against Chief Joseph; m. Mary Jane Spoonemore; pioneer merchant at Kent [SCN, 28 February 1929; ODI#5; 1900VR: B.M. Brown, 63, farmer, Section 8 T5S R17E & also D.H. Spoonemore 27, G.W. Spoonemore 64, & Jas. Spoonemore 32; GVJ & SCO, 1 January 1929] |
| Fulton | James C. | 17 March 1816, Orange County, IN | 15 March 1890/96, Wasco, Sherman County, OR | Colonel, Oregon Militia, Yakima Indian Wars 1854-1856, U.S. Army contingent, The Dalles, Oregon; in Missouri 1840s; to Yamhill County, Oregon 1847, Oregon Donation Land Claim; to California 1848, in Yamhill County 1850; to Fairbanks, Wasco County 1857, established an inn, livery stable, blacksmith shop; Wasco County Military List 1863: James Fulton & George Foss; The Dalles, Wasco County 1870, 1880; state legislator 1870; to Fulton Canyon, a branch of Fifteen Mile Creek south of Fairbanks; then to Fultonville, Sherman County; husband of Priscilla Wells; 9 children/7 lived to maturity: Lucinda “Lucy” who m. Henry Perry Isaacs, Elizabeth who m. Louis Scholl, Anna Laura, James who m. Georgiana Foss, John W. who m. Britanna Gilmore, David who m. Lulu Bussey, and Charles Franklin. [Oregon Donation Land Claim Abstracts; Pioneers of Yamhill County, Oregon vol. 4; The Columbia River Valley, The Dalles to the Sea by Fred Lockley; 1863 Military List, Wasco County, Oregon; Wasco County Marriages by Anita Kenny Drake; Sherman County: For the Record by James Gibson Fulton.] |
| Miller | Thomas Jefferson | 1834, Fort Wayne, IN | 31 July 1906, at home at DesChutes (Miller) at the mouth of the Deschutes River, Sherman County, OR | 1855-1856 Indian war veteran; son of Joseph Miller of Indiana; a pioneer of 1848; to Sherman County, pioneer of DesChutes city at the mouth of Deschutes River, E bank; Miller Bridge; Miller railroad siding; Miller Island; Capt. Jeff – one of the noted riverboat captains of Columbia River navigation Celilo up to British Columbia; husband of Sarah Eloise Ford; father of Nellie (Williams), Julia Ann, William E., Edward E., Thomas J., Joseph J. & Nettie (Bowles) [1870 US Census, Wasco County, Scott P.O., OR; 1880 US Census, Klickitat County, WA; 1900VR, Wasco Precinct: Thos. J. Miller, 65, merchant, Section 23 T2N R15E; Sherman County Observer, 1900 & 1902 & 10 August 1906; Wasco News, 3 & 10 August 1906; Sherman County: For the Record] |
What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of the spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected. – Chief Seattle (Suquamish Tribe and Dkhw’Duw’Absh chief)