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Inasmuch as it was the first house in which school was kept in Snohomish County, a few words touching its career will not be out of place here. It was built in 1864, by Mr. E. C. Ferguson, one of the oldest settlers, as a storehouse and hall, and it has been dignified as "The Court House" for therein justice was wont to be administered; as "the church" for therein "God the Father" was worshipped in spirit and truth; as "the schoolhouse" where the young idea was trained in the mysteries of "readin”, “ritin”, and “rithmetic"; and then came dark days. The shadow of evil was thrown upon it, and its reputation blasted as "the saloon" where death was retailed at so much a glass; where men robbed at the gaming table, and drunkeness and revelry made the night hideous, and then-one step lower still. It is gone and nothing remains but the name, and that a byword.

In 1875, school district No. 1, then somewhat curtailed, built the present schoolhouse, 17

4. East-Side Counties

Asotin County was one of the later counties, formed in 1883 out of the original Walla Walla County. The first school was taught in that region before Asotin County was created. It was taught by Angie Bean in a schoolhouse where Anatone now stands.18

Columbia County was carved out of the original Walla Walla County in 1875. George W. Miller and William Sherry are said to have built the first schoolhouse on their claim near Dayton in the autumn of 1864.19 County Superintendent Frank McCully reporting to the ter ritorial superintendent in 1881 wrote: "On account of conflicting opinions I cannot say definitely when and where the first school was taught."20 The county is very rich agriculturally and early assumed high rank educationally. Many claim that the first high school in the Territory was established there.

Garfield County was set off from Columbia County in 1881. There were 28 school districts in the new county at the time of its organization. What was probably the first school was established on Patoba Flat in the spring of 1873. A meeting was held in a blacksmith shop of George Gill to organize a district on what was later known as the Ford place. William Butler was the first teacher of the little 3-months' school which was held in a log cabin 5 miles south of the present city of Pomeroy. There were 25 pupils.

Klickitat County originally had considerable area of rich open prairie splendidly adapted to wheat farming at a minimum cost. This table land high above the Columbia was near to abundant timber and well watered was soon selected by agriculturists and a

17 County Superintendent Missimer, C. A. Report of Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1881, p. 25. 18 Illustrated History of Southeastern Washington, p. 568.

19 Ibid., p. 408.

20 Report of Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1881, p. 17.

settlement grew up at and around Goldendale, the present county seat. When gold was discovered it also became a prominent center of mining ventures. It is not surprising that in the earliest list of graded schools we find one at Goldendale.

Skamania County was originally a part of Clark County. It is really a part of Clark County. It is neither on the west side nor on the east side, but is mainly in the Cascade Mountains. There were small settlements along the banks of the Columbia at an early day. County Superintendent John W. Brazee reported to Territorial Superintendent Houghton in 1881 "the first public school that I have any record of was taught at the Cascades in 1862."21

Spokane County was formerly included in Stevens County. That section of the Territory was well known from the time of the earliest fur-trading enterprises. With the exception of the Spokane Garry School, however, no school was established until 1874 when the first school in district no. 8 was organized.22

Stevens County.-Angus McDonald, who was head trader for the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Colville established a private school in 1856. The object of the school was to train his own children, but others were allowed to attend. The first public school in the county was established at Pinkney City in 1862, the court room in the county building being used for a schoolroom. The first teacher was Mr. Boody, who had 18 or 19 pupils.

Walla Walla County.-Appreciative recognition has already been accorded in the preceding chapter to the Whitman Mission School a few miles west of Walla Walla, and the Spalding School for the Nez Perces at Lapwai, near Lewiston, Idaho. They were established in 1836 and 1838, respectively. After the Whitman massacre on Nov. vember 28, 1847, we find no record of any schools in Walla Walla County for 15 years.

Walla Walla County was organized in January 1854. On March 26, 1859, the county commissioners appointed William B. Kelly to the office of superintendent of public schools, though there seems to have been no public school in the county. A public school was opened in Walla Walla in 1862.

In the winter of 1861-62, Mrs. A. J. Minor taught 40 pupils in a store building on Main Street. "The first superintendent of public instruction was J. F. Wood, and he was succeeded by William B. Kelly. The latter granted Mrs. Minor a certificate."

"Report of Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1881, p. 28.

Edwards, Jonathan, History of Spokane County, p. 119.

There seems to be some disagreement in the above statements, and to add to the uncertainty, C. W. Wheeler, county superintendent, reported to the Territorial superintendent of public instruction in 1881:

I have been unable to learn when or where the first public school was taught in Walla Walla County. Some of the old settlers claim that the first school taught in the county was at Whitman, five miles west of Walla Walla, while others claim different.28

Whitman County.-"The first public school in Whitman County was taught during the winter, 1872-73.

"Miss L. L. West taught 3 terms of 12 weeks each at Colfax Acad emy during the year."

Yakima County was traversed by the wagon road between there and Steilacoom opened in a crude way about 1853. From the large stream of emigration following this route naturally some tarried permanently along the fertile river valleys. Some scattering schools were organized at an early date as evidenced by the following report:

The records of my office show that the first school taught in the county was a private school, and was taught in 1864. They also show that the county was divided into 6 large and sparsely settled school districts by Mr. Parrish, its first superintendent, some time during the year 1868 and that the first public school ever taught in the county was taught in 1869. The number of children in the county was 116, and there was not a school house in the county.24

"County Superintendent C. W. Wheeler in Report of Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1881, p. 33. "County Superintendent W. H. Peterson in Report of Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1881, p. 37.

Chapter VI

School Expansion During the Territorial Period, 1853-89 1. Evidences of Expansion

Implanting of the public school idea.-The public-school idea had become firmly rooted by the time of the entrance of Washington Territory into the family of American commonwealths. The exact account of its spreading roots, however, must be meager indeed for the first 2 decades of Territorial existence. A previous chapter has given an idea of the difficulties of building highways and establishing homes with the merest necessities of existence. Settlements grew slowly and were widely scattered. School buildings were of the most primitive type. County superintendents and teachers were peripatetic. Teaching was frequently merely a side issue. Reports and records were poorly kept and little use was made of them.

There was no Territorial superintendent until 1861 and then only for 1 year until 1872. Because of this lack of centralization the historian's task relating to the 2 decades following 1853 is rendered difficult indeed. Beginning with 1877 the account is much more satisfactory, although full of gaps until 1890, the first year under State control.

Sparseness of population.-A glance at the statistics of population in the different counties, tables 6 and 7, reveals that prior to 1853 population was scant indeed. Table 7 gives the population as 3,965 in the 8 counties. Many of those counties have been subdivided since that date. The first Federal census of Washington is that of 1860. The population of 11,594 was distributed among the then 20 counties. The largest population was in Clark County, 2,384, the second largest in Thurston County, 1,507, the third in Walla Walla County, 1,318, the fourth in Pierce County with 1,115. Only three others, Spokane, Snohomish, and Kitsap had approximately 500 each. It is readily understood that counties with a few hundred population scattered over areas of from 1,000 to 5,000 square miles could not support many schools, nor very well. Most of the schools were scattered along the pioneer roads discussed in a previous chapter. Remember that the first railroads were not in operation until near the date of statehood, 1889.

A study of the census figures of towns emphasizes the foregoing. The Federal census of 1870 lists only 18 towns having any existence in 1860.

First public schools in each county.-While a few schools had been established north of the Columbia prior to 1850 they were all private ventures stimulated by the zeal of the pioneers to provide education for their children even though the region was for the most part a trackless wilderness.

Note that all of the schools mentioned in the preceding chapter were under way before any public school was built in Seattle. The first was provided there in 1853. That was nearly 4 decades before Seattle became the metropolis of the State. Vancouver, Walla Walla, Olympia, Fort Colville, and Steilacoom were much more prominent than Seattle up to the date of statehood in 1889.

Statistical evidences of expansion.-The accompanying table indicates the dates when the first public schools were taught in each of the 25 counties which had been established down to 1870. The remaining 13 counties were carved from some of the 25, so that it will not be necessary to study those individually. In the column headed "First schools taught" we are not sure that in all cases they were tax supported. Frequently public schools were established before districts were formed. Such schools were usually supported by voluntary sharing. of the proportional costs determined by the number of pupils attending from each family. They were in reality public schools, different from those maintained as private ventures. They were generally forerunners of the legally formed district schools which followed in their respective places. It is a great tribute to the people that they were willing to lead legislation.

TABLE 6.-Dates of establishment of first schools in the several counties in Washington

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