Chronicle 1920s staff:
INDIAN NEEDS INVESTIGATED Biles, Blackwell and Woody Form Investigating Committee
Franklin A. DeVos, 1913-1926
Frank Emert, owner, publisher 1926 Associate Editors: Henry S. Hurd 1925-1926 Anna Mae Rigby 1926 Elliot Curry 1927-1929
Centennial staff: Publisher: Roger Harnack Section editor: Sheila Corson Managing editor: Dee Camp Advertising: Lynn Hoover Research/design: Julie Bock Katie Montanez Elizabeth Widel Photos courtesy of: Okanogan County Historical Society
TIMELINE 1922 March 9 – Wm R.H. Dodge ship designer and builder of the Atlantic Coast died. March 20 – Proclaimed American Legion Employment Day. March 30 – 200 cars of apples shipped for the season. April 20 – Fire destroys Glenwood Mercantile Co. in Riverside, a pioneer store. June 15 – L.M Klessig sold dairy and milk route to M. E. Stratton. July 6 – Biles Coleman wins baseball series. Aug. 24 – Omak land yields $385 per acre. 1923 Jan. 1 – The Chronicle costs 5 cents per copy, or $2 for a year’s subscription. Feb. 1 – Omak construction requires 10 train carloads of bricks – the most in the county – from the Oroville brick yard. March 1 – Orchardist A.J. Stahmer wins the 1922 Delicious apple prize contest at the Mid-West Horticulture Exposition – a $10 prize. April 5 – The Chronicle runs an advertisement celebrating the first radio transmission to England. May 17 – Steel arrives to expand the railway for Omak Creek valley with Biles-Coleman in charge. May 24 – New Omak bridge proposed, a 400-foot cement bridge, since the current bridges costs $2,000 per year in upkeep. May 31 – Omak Lake hailed as “Little Lake Chelan;” Editor DeVos predicts the lake will one day teem with boats and the shore will shelter many summer homes. Continued on on Page Page 3. Continued 25
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March 1, 1929 An open hearing will be held Monday morning at 9 a.m. at the courthouse at Okanogan when a committee will hear testimony on living conditions among the Indians of the Colville Indian Reservation. The United States Department of the Interior in a letter to Indian agents throughout the United States declares that “There has been much propaganda in certain newspapers and magazines in regard to alleged conditions of the Indian residing on Indian reservations. Some of these charges are to the effect that the affairs of the Indians are not properly supervised, that their property is not protected, that they don not receive proper medical attention, and that the Indians are not making the progress that they should under Government supervision.”
NEEDS OF INDIANS TOLD BY COMMITTEE March 5, 1929 A report of the investigation of Indian life on the Colville reservation and recommendations for the improvement of the condition of the Indians has been completed by the committee.
The committee was composed of C. E. Blackwell and O.H. Woody, Okanogan and J.C. Biles of Omak. Much Testimony The reports of the committee without their recommendations covers 27 typewritten pages, largely composed of questions and answers taken during the hearing last Monday. Only a small part of the testimony was transcribed as it was estimated that the full report would have covered probably 79 page. The committee recommendations are published below. Medical Attention This committee is firmly of the opinion that a hospital for the exclusive treatment of Indian patients should be established on the west side of the Colville Indian reservation, suitably equipped to give adequate service in surgical cases and care of tuberculosis patients. Lack of attention for the government’s wards is causing many of them to die from tuberculosis. In the case of children at least the disease cold often be arrested if it were possible to give proper treatment. Under the existing contract, Indians are given some medical and surgical attention, but the latter may often be denied through inability of the patients
to finance the hospitalization. Proper coverage of the health field can only be given through establishment of suitable hospital facilities. More and more the Indians are mingling with the whites and being admitted to the public schools and the tuberculosis menace among the tribes has become a matter of concern to all people in communities where Indians reside. We recommend that a broader inquiry than it was possible for this committee to make be undertaken to determine whether the Indians are being given the medical and surgical attention to which they are entitled under existing physicians’ contracts. Statements that Indians seek the services of other doctors because the government appointed does not answer their calls or because they feel he is neglectful in their treatment warrants a check-up on the general treatment afforded. Rehabilitation Cattle holdings among the Indians has been greatly depleted by a long period of drought and poor market conditions. We recommend that some means be provided whereby the older Indians may be reestablished in the stock-raising business on a small scale. There is need of more active assistance both on the part of the government and the public in
obtaining employment for the younger Indians. We recommend organization of a self-improvement council by the young Indians assisting members of the tribes in the conduct of their affairs. Payment of Rentals Particular efforts should be put forth to keep lessors and those Indians who have individual agreements for the sale of timber, pasturage, etc., informed regarding the collection of their accounts. In the minds of the Indians there is is much mystery about these affairs and a great deal of suspicion. The Indian
beneficiaries do not understand the situation when their rentals and fees are collected and the situation that arises, not only among the Indians but indirectly among the whites, is not conducive to this department. Conditions Less Favorable On the Colville reservation, Indians were better off 20 years ago than they are today. This statement is based on our own observations as well as testimony by Indians. This condition, however, is in line with the experience of white dry land farmers in the same district and is largely attributable to climatic conditions.
Giant Local Fruit Picked Largest Cot In The World Mammoth Bartlett Pear Aug. 5, 1921 An apricot bearing the above notation has been causing a lot of comment by all who have seen the article in the display window of F.L. Kane’s furniture store. This particular member of the local apricot family came from the Bartin Robinson orchard just north of town and measured nine inches one way and eight and the three-quarters the other. Best of all, it had a numerous flock of brothers and sisters who crowded it closely for Jumbo honors and the quality was A1.
Aug. 30, 1021 The largest Apricot in the world was said to have been grown on the local project and now comes the giant Bartlett pear. This “pumpkin” of pears was taken from the Wm. Hatcher orchard just north of town and only weighed twenty-five and a half ounces and looked like a young pumpkin size. Could the aforementioned apricot, and this pear, have been pickled in one huge glass jar, they would have graced any museum with honor and small chance of being eaten.
Commercial Club Asks For Pool Hall Hours Entire Train Derailed, Demands Midnight Closing According to Law Engineer Duffy Killed Feb. 25, 1921 Thursday morning’s southbound passenger train was completely derailed by a broken rail about two miles north of the Chelan station. This break was caused by falling rocks that had been loosened by the spring thaw on the bluff above the track. The accident proved fatal to Engineer Duffy, of Oroville. When he saw the derailment was unavoidable, the engineer jumped to save himself and was crushed on the rocks. A speeder was secured and the injured man rushed to the Pateros hospital, but life had left the body before medical aid could be reached. W.H. Dickson and a Mrs. Guile and daughter and Mrs. C. O. Scott and children were the only local passengers aboard the train and while the passengers were all badly shaken, the pleasing report comes through theat none of them needed medical attention. The train left the track, most fortunately, on the bank side, so none of the cars were turned over but had it gone off on the river there would have been a terrible loss of life and property.
KILLED BY LIGHTNING July 31, 1928 A few centuries ago one would have said that the evil of the air bore a grudge against William Walter Paxton. For just a month ago, lightning struck a fence not a hundred feet from where Paxton was standing in his field. The lightning traveled along the barbed wire fence and paralyzed a pig nearby. Paxton came to town afterwards and told of the incident. And then while the farmer was cutting grain in his field, four miles from Meyers Falls last Tuesday lightning struck again and killed Paxton. The bolt traveled through his body, through the binder, through the tongue of the machine and laid out the four horses in a row, one on top of the other — all dead. This was the first time in more the 25 years that anyone had been killed in Stevens county by lightning, old residents said.
NESPELEM FIRE CONSUMES BUSINESSES Aug. 7, 1924 Nespelem was visited by a fire early Tuesday morning that consumed the Howard Hotel and the empty store building of Doughrty & Son. Neither of these buildings were occupied and the funrishings had been removed from the hotel building some months ago by the parties who had the place leased. No one knows how the fire started and the practically no fire protection, it is fortunate that more of the business section wsa not caught by the flames. The Howards figure their loss close to $3,000 with no insurance whatever.
SAVES DROWNING LAD March 17, 1922 Little Del Mundinger had a mighty close call from leaving this world Tuesday afternoon and had it not been for the prompt and courageous action of F. R. Hendrick, the lad would undoubtedly have lost his life. In company with several of his little playmates, Del was playing along the river bank above the bridge. Mr. Hendrick was busy at the plant and had heard the lads calling and playing about and was not paying any attention to their shouting until he rather subconsciously noted a tone of fear in their shoutings. Going to the river bank to make sure all was right, the lads shouted to him that one of their number was in the river. Rushing to the bank, Mr. Hendrick caught sight of Del’s little red cap under the ice, where the current had carried his little six year old body. Diving under the ice, the lad was quickly brought to the surface but it was a strenuous twenty minutes work to bring back signs of life in the sturdy little body. Warm blankets, coupled with immediate medical attention and loving home care soon put the lad back in the running, for what is hoped will be a long and useful life.
October 14, 1926 Closing of pool rooms at midnight, according to city ordinance, was demanded by the Omak Commercial Club at its Monday meeting, the resolution further requesting that the city marshal and county sheriff give loafers the choice of going to work or leaving town. The resolution passed unanimously by the Commercial club follows: Whereas, the laws and ordinance of the Town of Omak have not been enforced during the harvest season, and the pool rooms have been permitted to remain open at all hours of the night and have remained open all night. Now, therefore, be it resolved, that it is the sense of the Omak Commercial Club, representing the businessmen of the town, that the pool rooms should be closed at 12 o’clock, midnight, and it is asked that the marshal be instructed to see that this is done. Be if further resolved, that the town marshal and sheriff make every effort to rid the town of idlers, and that such be given the choice of going to work at
standard wages or leaving town. Be it further resolved, that a copy of this resolution be furnished the mayor, every member of the council, city marshal and city attorney. E.W. Champion, President J.S. Courtright, Secretary
Impediment to Harvest The pool room question arose during a discussion of labor shortage for harvest operations, and the fact that pool rooms were remaining open all night contrary to law was declared to be a definite hindrance to harvest work. A.H. McDermott introduced the subject declaring that not only was there a group of loafers playing a crooked game of cards and filching money earned by regular laborers, but also the very fact that workers were spending their nights in a pool room rendered them unfit for work the next day. A second thought which developed in the discussion was the removal of those whose purpose was not the seeking of work. E. E. Caldwell related a conversation he had heard
Monday between a rancher and a pool room loafer, the latter grilling the rancher upon wages, accommodations, size of apples, height of trees and so on. “In other words,” said Mr. Caldwell, “he wanted the job brought in for him to look it over. The job was finally refused and the rancher returned home without help. Another angle of the question was brought out in the assertion that some of those who were hanging around pool rooms were actually ranchers who had better be home resting for harvest work. A. H. McDermott, who has taken an interest in the providing of labor declared that there were possible accommodations for 100 men in the community, invalidating the contention that there is need of pool rooms in lieu of a lodging house. After a heated discussion of the matter, it being evident that opinions was solidly for closing pool rooms according to law, at midnight, the resolution was put by President E. W. Champion and passed without a dissenting vote.
SHOOT GUILTY COUGAR Jan. 8 , 1925 Independent hunter, Wash Vanderpool, of Winthrop, killed the cougar that is believed to have killed the Olema lad early in December. The cat was shot over on Beaver Creek, a few miles northwest of Olema, beyond where the first party of hunters in the field Shuttleworth, Haley and Hildebrand lost the trail. This party of hunters had gone north and were working back toward where Vanderpool shot the animal on Wednesday. The cougar is not such a large cat but is an old female whose teeth and claws show her age and whose tawny body proves she has been unsuccessful in obtaining all the wild food she needed. In phoning in this news, deputy sheriff McCauley stated he felt sure the guilty animal had been killed but the hunters reported signs of other cougars in the same locality so the enlarged campaign by the state hunters will be highly pleasing to everyone.
Omak’s Apple Blossom Float in 1922.