TIMELINE

EVENTS IN CAMAS PRAIRIE, KLICKITAT COUNTY AND SURROUNDING AREAS.

1836 Whitman Mission established

1853 August, Capt. George McClellan passes through the Glenwood Valley.

1855-56 Joslyn home used by U.S. Government as base of supplies for

Yakima Indian Reservation. Joslyns resided in Forest Grove during this

time. Block house built. They returned in

1859. Camas Prairie part of the WS Reservation.

1855 September, Agent Bolon killed in the Simcoe Mtn’s by Indians

1855 October, Major Haller is attacked and retreats to Klickitat Valley.

Blockhouse is built. Abandoned in 1860

1859 Willis Jenkins moves into the Blockhouse area with a large band of

horses and cattle.

1860 George Gilmer born

1861-62 Severe Winter. Snow from November to end of March.

Livestock died.

1866 Joslyn rented his farm to E.S. Tanner of Forest Grove. Tanner’s

plan was to make butter and cheese. Brought cows.

1866 Tanner took his cows to White Salmon Falls

1866 Egbert French sells his land at mouth of Klickitat River to James O.

Lyle.

1867 Tanner took his cows to Camas Prairie. A favorite summer

playground of Reservation Indians.

About half way down the valley, near the south side, at foot of the

mountain was a wonderful spring. Coldest purest water. Tanner

built a log cabin 16x24, a spring house and corrals.

George Gilmer says the Tanner place was located near what is now

known as Eastman place or Joe Devine Spring.

1868 Albert J. Thompson arrived April, in Portland. Went to work for

Tanner in May. Stayed until July 1869 and later on the summers

1871 and 1873.

1868-1868 in summers Albert Thompson tended the stock and made

thousands of pounds of butter.

Mrs. Tanner. Two girls Emma and Alice. Joe William 18 years old.

Albert Thompson 23 years old. A The Dalles School boy with them

for some weeks in 1868. Would have been a Moody. His dad was

governor of Oregon and he was congressman at Washington DC.

1868-1869 winter. Spent in White Salmon. Population 4. Tanner child-

dren went to Forest Grove for schooling. Fed 175 head of cattle and

30 head horses. Fed 25 days total. Coldest was 18º above.

In March, Joslyn returned. Tanner sold some of his cows to

William Cornell of Rockland who had driven cattle to Caribou.

1869 Spent early summer at Camas Prairie. Left in July for Connecticut.

Barker first man to bring wagon into Camas Prairie via Gilmer. Wash took one in via Rattlesnake and Twin Mountain then angled south to Pannikanick then across Panikanick mountain to the Dymond place where he

lived.

Barker sold out to Chapman.

1870 Fish Family came to Camas Prairie. Their daughter died.

1870 Amos Underwood and William Gilmer come to Camas Prairie to

race horses with Indians. Indians gathered at the upper end of

the valley where Laurel is now. Circular track. Indians came to

dig Camas roots. Gilmers had a horse named Democrat.

George Fresby: first man to settle in Camas Prairie on what is

known as Holmes Place at Laurel. Where road forks to go into

post office. Fine place. Smooth and level with fine creek.

Twin Mountain was main route into valley. Gilmer Valley way

was just Indian trail.

Man named Tanner had slashed out a road up Rattlesnake, to

Twin Mountain. His partner Joslyn made the butter into rolls

and marketed it.

Gilmer Valley called Yellup Valley after old Indian that lived there.

1870 Cut logs for house in Gilmer Valley

1871 Moved there in spring

1871 Five Irishmen, Pat Carney, Harry Green, Thomas McIntyre, John Fitzpatrick and Peter Conboy, while on a hunting trip wander into Camas Prairie. The four single men staked out claims to

spend the winter. Conboy returned to Portland.

1871 Joe Devine and George Watson spend the winter in Camas Prairie.

1871 F.A. Bancroft in the Valley.

1871 Thompson returns to White Salmon. Tanner moves to Atahnum

Valley.

1871-1872 Winter cold. River frozen.

1872 Conboy returns in the spring, via Warners Landing, up the Rattlesnake to Gilmer Valley, then Camas Prairie. Spent night

with Harry Greene in his cabin. Greene’s place later became

the Duncan Ranch

1872-1873 Joseph Devine and George Watson, trappers, first white men

to winter in Camas Prairie. Devine used the cabin built by Tanner.

Watson settled at Pannikinnick Prairie as did Bertschi Brothers.

1872 William Gilmer settled Gilmer Prairie

1872 William and George Gilmer started from Husum with first wagon and

ox team. Chopped road on the way. Took five days. No brush.

Indian kept the area burned out.

1872 Margaret Gilmer dies of pneumonia. Kelly built a coffin. He lived on

Fern Ridge south of Gilmer and later moved to Camas Prairie.

1872 Two Suksdorf brothers settle in White Salmon area.

1872 Peter Conboy says Kelly came to the area in 1872. The Kelly Place became known as the Captain Mitchell Hay Ranch. (Mitchell lived on the Agnes Miller place)

1873 Peter Conboy family arrived. Pete and his father had spent the

summer before in the valley.

1873 June, Conboy family moves to the valley.

1873 William Barker family

1874 Rest of the Suksdorf family arrives. They had a dairy herd.

1875 Peter Conboy dies June 7, at age 38. His wife Jane, buries him on

Bancroft homestead. Now known as Chapman place. He was later

later moved to Mt Adams Cemetery.

1875 Holmes operated a trading post.

1875 Stump Family arrives

1875 Claus Staack arrives in the valley.

1876 William and Malinda Windle Frazier arrive in Camas Prairie.

1876 Anthony Cline family arrives

1877-1878 German families arrive. Some settle west side of WS River be-

tween Husum and Trout Lake. Some at Fulda. Joslyn sells his farm to the

Suksdorf family from Iowa. Large family. Founders of Bingen and

had land at Fulda. Old parents died after few years. Sons Detlef,

William, Henry, Charles, Frederic, Theodore, Philip.

1877 Charlie Suksdorf family arrives in Laurel area. They buy the Holmes property.

1877 Fulda Post Office established. Oct. 08. Stephen S. Whitcomb first postmaster. Seven locations.

1878 Troh family arrives.

1878 Jim Bryan (Brian) an Irishman arrives.

1879 Minnie Waters, sister of Mrs. Jewett, taught first school on Camas

Prairie. She married William H. Henderson.

1879 J.O. Shaw came to Camas Prairie November 12. From Redwood

City, California. They were in dairy along with H.D. Cole who came

with them.

1880 Restorff Family arrives

1880 Kuhnhausen Family arrives

1881 Luella B. Shaw born on Camas Prairie February. She married John

Wyers. Their son was Tunis J. born June 1901

Stephen Whitcomb first postmaster. Office called Fulda

Leonard Stump and Jacob Kline, his wife’s father came from Sauvies

Island bringing lots of cows. Stump built immense barn 200 feet

long of poles and split shakes.

1881 Three Troh children die from diphtheria. They were buried in their field. Later

moved to Mt Adams cemetery

1882 From Sacramento Daily Union: Postal Changes for West Coast:

William Frazier Postmaster Fulda, Klikitat county W.T.

1883 Simon P Kreps arrives in valley. Builds cabin in autumn.

1884 Rest of the Simon Kreps family arrives in the spring.

1885 Glenwood Post Office established. March 09.

Telitha Shaw first postmistress.

1887 OCTOBER: OLIVER KREPS MARRIES MAGGIE CONBOY

WILLIAM PIERCE MARRIES KATIE CONBOY. WEDDINGS

TOOK PLACE AT LOG HOME OF MOTHER JANE MEYER

1889 George Gilmer marries Minnie Bussenshut. Children John, Margaret,

and Pearl.

1890 Glenwood Grange organized. Some sources say March and some say May. Charter Members: H.M. Trenner, first Master. Mrs. H.M. Trenner, Mary Trenner, August Berg, Catherine Berg, Thomas Granville, Richard Granville, E.A. Willard, T.J. Shaw, Mrs. T.J. Shaw Secretary, J.O. Shaw, Peter Hoult, L.M. Shaw, C.C. Shaw.

Work also begins on Cemetery at this time.

October 1895 a piece of H.M. Trenner land is surveyed for Grange building.

1891 Conboy homestead claim filed.

1892 Noah Chapman dies

1893: Margarethe Jebe first person buried in the Mt Adams Cemetery

1896 William Sweighoefer takes up homestead in Laurel.

1899 Oregonian visits H.D. Cole. His home is the Fulda Post Office

1901 Camas Prairie and Vicinity Pioneer Association formed Jan. 01.

Held at Glenwood Hall. Members who signed the roll:

Joseph Silva, Mrs. Silva, Leonard Stump, Richard Kelly, Thomas Quigley, Claus Staack, Joseph Parrot, Peter Conboy, H.D. Cole, J.L. Stump, Guy Chapman, Frank Frasier, R.B. Granville, Katherine Kelly, M.A. Kreps, Mrs. John J. Wyers, John G. Wyers, K. Conboy, O.P. Kreps, Mrs. C. Staack, Mrs. T.J. Shaw, G.W. Gilmer, H.F. Troh, Peter Troh, Jessie Troh, Albert Bertschi, Robert Barker, Nettie E. Barker, Della Cole Bertschi, Edward J. Kelly, J.O. Shaw, H.R. Murray, Della Murray, Frank Murray, Gay Dymond, C.E. Murray, E.J. Murray, Mrs. Jane Myers, Mrs. Mary Barker, S.S. Whitcomb, Mrs. Whitcomb, Harry Wellenbrock, Lucinda Chapman, Kate Chapman, Herman Bertschi, Mollie Bertschi, William Frasier, Mrs. Mollie Frasier, Chester Dymond, B.C. Dymond, Lila Shaw, August Berg, Minerva Berg, Emma Dymond.

1903 Trenner sells his farm to Leaton.

1912 George Gilmer sells his homestead to Tune Wyers and moves to

Glenwood until 1938. His wife passed away in 1934.

1912 Church moved from down by old Grange Hall up to town. June 09.

1912 Fulda Post Office discontinued July 31.

1933 Glenwood town Fire.

1937 OCTOBER: LOOKOUT STATION ON PANAKANIC MOUNTAIN IS BEING BUILT

1933 Glenwood town Fire.

Barker first man to bring wagon into Camas Prairie via Gilmer. Wash took one in via Rattlesnake and Twin Mountain then angled south to Pannikanick then across Panikanick mountain to the Dymond place where he

lived.

Barker sold out to Chapman.

George Gilmer says F. Bancroft had the Chapman place. He sold out to Dan McCurcheion, who sold to the Barkers who then sold to Chapman.

1937 OCTOBER: LOOKOUT STATION ON PANAKANIC MOUNTAIN IS BEING BUILT

LEGEND

The Red notes are from the book, “The History of Klickitat County.”

THE ABOVE NOTES IN BLACK ARE PROVIDED BY ALBERT J. THOMPSON

https://journals.lib.washington.edu/index.php/WHQ/article/viewFile/6419/5493

The above dates and notes in blue were provided by some papers given to me by Jerry Ladiges. Memories of George Gilmer.

The notes in this color come from the book "Along the Mount Adams Trail" by Bill and Penny Collier.