16, 1850, he addressed a letter to the government of Oregon Territory praying for such a county organization. This is of considerable value, in view of the fact that it is subscribed to by a number of citizens of Olympia.

These citizens reported that there was no school in Lewis County entitled to school funds in the latter part of 1850 and asked that the money be distributed to them as individuals to educate their own children. As Kelso is many miles from Olympia it is quite likely that they were unaware of the Huntress school.

The first "American" school in Vancouver was taught in the winter of 1852-53 in a log hut situated in a brushwood a little north of where the Lucia Mill stands. The teacher was Mrs. Clark Short.29

Schools at Olympia and vicinity.-Early in Washington's history we find that Olympia was the center around which the activities of the Territory revolved. It was in the section of country first settled; and, as may be expected, it soon took the place of leadership in the affairs of economic and political life. We are not surprised to learn, therefore, that the first newspaper was published there. This was the Columbian, which appeared September 11, 1852.

If we bear this fact in mind, we shall see in clearer perspective the reason why Olympia usurped the leadership in educational affairs. Much of the history of the pre-Territorial period and of the early Ter ritorial period as well, will naturally revolve around the little city on Puget Sound, which became the capital of Washington.

The matter of schools soon attracted the attention of the first settlers. Bancroft says that it is claimed that the first schoolhouse was erected on the Kindred farm on Bush Prairie, by the Kindred family and others.30 This farm was several miles south of Olympia. David Kindred was one of the pioneers who first settled in the region in 1845, and George W. Bush came in at the same time. We have gone to some effort to locate the site of that little schoolhouse, and have come to the conclusion that it was not on the Kindred farm at all, although it was in the neighborhood. Through J. S. Bush, the site has been pointed out. He says that there never was a school on the Kindred farm. The exact date of the erection of the school is not known.31

In his history of Thurston County, J. C. Rathbun states that the first school in the county was taught by D. L. Phillips in the summer of

Alley, B. F. History of Clarke County, p. 324.

Bancroft's works, vol. XXXI, p. 375.

"The site, according to J. S. Bush, was as follows: On the 29-acre tract on the Harper place, the N.E. of the N.E.4 of sec. 10, T. 17 N., R. 2 W. It is on the southwest corner of the crossroads.

1852.32 The D. L. Phillips mentioned, no doubt, was David Lucas Phillips. Whether or not this was the Bush Prairie School has not yet come to light.

First school in Olympia.-The first school in Olympia has been graphically described in a letter in the Columbian of November 27, 1852, dated 4 days previously:

Yesterday was a great day for Olympia. (This makes the first school at Olympia es tablished Nov. 22, 1852.) Not in the common parlance, a great festival, a great mass meeting, or a great celebration—but there was a school actually commenced in town, by means of which the children heretofore roaming about our streets listless as the Indian, will begin to imbibe the knowledge requisite to make them good citizens, good republi cans, good Christians, and, in short, prepare them to fill the position in which the death of their parents must soon place them.

This being the central point for northern Oregon we hope, in a few years, to see a university as one of our most conspicuous buildings.

Mr. A. W. Moore is now teaching the district school at Olympia. He is a man of er perience, character, education, and ability; and if anyone wishes to send scholars, they may rest assured that they are entrusting them to safe hands. Scholars by hiring a room, and two or three going together in cooking their board, might make the expense but little more than living at home.

Definitely, then, it is established that A. W. Moore taught the first school in Olympia, which started November 22 of that year. In the fall a tax was levied and collected for the purpose of erecting a school building. The building was completed in December, being constructed of split lumber. It occupied a site on the northwest corner of Sixth and Franklin Streets.33 After it was all paid for, the sum of $400 remained in the treasury, which was used for hiring a teacher. There were 21 children of competent age in the district, of whom a little more than half were in school. This low percentage in attendance, as the Colum bian points out, was due to the scarcity of schoolbooks. The little village was far from the seat of production of such material, and books were slow in coming.

The citizens taxed themselves heroically for the erection of their first schoolhouse, but this initial effort of the good people of Olympia came to sudden grief. The roof of the building gave way under the pressure of 4 feet of snow, and it was completely demolished. The accident occurred at night when the building was unoccupied, and fortunately there was no loss of life. It happened on Sunday, December 26, 1852. Bancroft gives it a little human touch when he relates that the Rever end Benjamin Close, the first Methodist minister in Olympia, preached his first sermon in the school that day, and that the congregation had

32 Rathburn, J. C. History of Thurston County, p. 19.

33 Blankenship, Mrs. Geo. E. Early History of Thurston County, p. 15.

just left the building when the roof fell in.34 School was continued in another building.

An editorial in the Columbian, July 16, 1853, gives some light on the educational situation at that date with regard to the number of schools then in existence and also the attitude of the people toward schools. They point out that there were but three schools north of Cowlitz Landing: One at Olympia, taught by E. A. Bradford, another at the house of William Packwood, taught by Miss White, and a third near the house of S. D. Ruddell, taught by D. L. Phillips. There were several other neighborhoods with a sufficient number of children to warrant the engagement of teachers. The Columbian urged the civic necessity of prompt action in the establishment of schools, even with the aid of private contribution when taxes were not sufficient to meet the expense.

The locations of the three schools referred to have been definitely established. William Packwood's place was on the Nisqually River between Olympia and Steilacoom where he settled in 1847. He ob tained permission from the commissioners of Thurston County to start the school in the fall of 1852, the teacher being Miss Elizabeth White. The S. D. Ruddell place was 6 miles southeast of Olympia, the teacher being David Lucas Phillips. The third school was the one in Olympia.

The identification of the site of the first public school in the State of Washington is still somewhat indefinite, but in the light of the facts at present in our possession it seems quite probable that the honor of having erected the first structure of this nature should go to the city of Olympia.

"Bancroft's Works, vol. XXXI, p. 373.

Chapter IV

The Foundation of Washington's School Laws

1. School Districts in Northern Oregon (Washington) During the first 2 years of the provisional government of Oregon, established May 2, 1843, at Champoeg, there was no real county organization north of the Columbia River. It was considered in Oregon that the counties or districts of Tualatin and Clackamas extended to the boundary of the Oregon Territory. This was declared by the legislature in 1844 to be 54° 40'. But as no American citizen resided north of the Columbia at that time no colonial organization had been necessary. In 1845 when a compact was made with the Hudson's Bay Company to give the provisional government support under certain conditions, the district of Vancouver was created north of the Columbia. On December 19, 1845, Lewis County was created “out of all that territory lying north of the Columbia River and west of the Cowlitz, up to 54° and 40' north latitude." In 1848 the name of Vancouver County was changed to Clark.2

On August 13, 1848, Congress passed the bill creating Oregon Territory, which, of course, included all north of the Columbia River. On March 3, 1849, the Federal appointee as Governor, Gen. Joseph Lane arrived at Oregon City and the Oregon Territorial government was proclaimed.3

While under Oregon Territory there soon followed the organization of several counties which were carved out of Clark and Lewis Counties They included Pacific, February 4, 1851; Thurston, January 12, 1852; King, Jefferson, and Pierce, December 22, 1852; Island, January 6, 1853.4

Late in 1852 Thurston County was divided into several precincts, each of which was designated a school district. These were the Olympia precinct; the Steilacoom precinct, which included about what is now Pierce County; the "Dewamish" precinct, which included

1 The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft. Vol. XXXI: History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana, 1845-89, pp. 43, 44.

Ibid., p. 46.

'Schafer, Joseph. A History of the Pacific Northwest, p. 196.

Meany, Edmond S. History of the State of Washington, pp. 365–367.

what is now King County and territory north; Port Townsend precinct, which included the territory west of the Sound; and the "Scadget" precinct, which included Whidbey's Island and all islands north of the same."

2. Oregon School Law Operative North of the Columbia

This history of education in the State of Washington properly begins with the history of education in Oregon. There were a few schools north of the Columbia River previous to 1853 when Washington Territory was formed. While the rigors accompanying pioneer life made expediency the ruling factor in their establishment, the laws of Oregon were in force in the districts formed in northern Oregon. In a letter published in 1852, we read, "it may not be amiss to mention for the benefit of those sections of Thurston County not as yet organized into school districts, that there is several hundred dollars of school funds in the county treasury, and that every district by organizing, can have their share, whether they have a school or not. They can keep the money at interest, if they like, until they conclude to have a school." 6

The writer knew the law. Section 35 of the Oregon school law of 1849 provided that:

When it shall occur that any district, by reason of sparseness of population, or their scattered condition, may not be able to keep school, if such district will organize, and make the annual report to the school commissioner, according to this act, they shall be entitled to their just portion of the funds accruing to their county, and it shall be the duty of the school commissioner to loan the money to such district, on good security, at six per centum interest, from year to year, and until such district shall want it to support a school.

3. Sources of the Oregon School Law

Influence of Iowa, Michigan, New England.-The first Territorial school law of Washington, that of 1854, had its inspiration in the Oregon laws of 1849 and 1853. Oregon was governed for some time under the Iowa law of 1839. Moreover, as Aurner points out, this law of Iowa grew out of the Michigan legislation of 1827, 1828, 1829, and 1833, for Iowa was attached to Michigan in 1834. There is still another link in the chain. The influence of New England school laws is clearly shown in those laws of Michigan, "which made provision for the care of school lands, for the organization of districts, for school support, for the schooling of children between the ages of 5 and 15, for

Rathbun, J. C. History of Thurston County, p. 19.

The Columbian, November 27, 1852.