In 1902 I made my advent into the Wilds of North Western Washington where I remained for some 20 years; married and raised a family in those back woods. Only making a trip to the civilization once per year for a new stock of clothing and a years supply of previsions, consisting of such staples as flour, sugar, coffee, salt, etc. At the time this incident happened we had gone to the outside, as we referred to the nearest town some 60 or 70 miles away from the ranch. While there during the winter we acquired some much needed furniture including a piano. All our furniture up to that date was mostly home made, excepting chairs and stoves, wood stoves of course. The time about 1918. We had traveled back into the woods to the ranch again awaiting the furniture to be sent in on the boat which came into the mouth of the river, a gasoline sloop which brought previsions and such to the settlers of which there was about 200 counting the Indian families that existed at the mouth of the river.
Having heard that some of the furniture had arrived I prepared to go for it. My husband being away with several of the pack horses packing supplies for the state highway, which then was only a few miles from Lake Quiniault mearly a slashed out trail. Our oldest daughter was 12 years old at the time, 2 sons 10, 9, and a small girl 5 years. Leaving my daughter to care for everything I proceeded to hitch my cay ouse team weighing about 2500, to the wagon, no cars those days in there, only a rough road if one could call it such, many muddy ruts and crooks and turns where one had to be constantly on the alert and handling a small team was no small job. Between me and the mouth of this river was 29 miles with six river crossings, each crossing had to be made at the head of a rapid as the river was very swift, 900 ft. drop in 29 miles. I knew I must be gone close to 3 days so I prepared the children for it, children now days staying alone and knowing they had to care for cattle, pigs and chickens, cook for themselves and be careful of fires, as all cooking had to be done on wood stoves. They had been brought up to be trustworthy and still are very independent.
Well as I stated I started, made the mouth of the river where I stopped for the night, next day I had much help to the loaded up, load probably weighed 10 or 15 hundred lbs. But I knew my team, one was a little bay mare blind as a bat, the other a tough strawberry colored with blazed face and 4 white socks. Formally on the No. Beach rack track. I only went 9 miles that day, but rose early next a.m. determined to make home. Well it started to blow a chooneck wind which always melts the snow in the mountains. I urged the horses all I could, after making 2 crossings and noting how the river was rising, I was really worried, when at last arrived at the last crossing I stood a few minutes contemplating as this crossing was at the head of a mile long rapid which run between two bluffs, and no one could possibly come through it alive, I knew if I didn't make it, on the opposite bank, in just such a place we were gone, but again my babies was fore most in my mind, so, I took a long rope and lashed down the wagon box both to reach and standards, than as the team knew it was near home they were anxious to go, so I took the chance, guided my team up stream as far as they could pull the load against the current, I let them have rein and we hit for the other shore 85 yards away, I must say when the water hit right under the root of the horses tails and came into the wagon box I had a few misgivings and prayed for the little ones sakes to reach the other shore. If the wagon had not have been loaded so heavily I would never have made it. We surely would have gone over the rapids. But after what seemed hours we climbed the other bank where I let my poor little team rest for a half hour while I rubbed them poor little fellows were sure faithful, for that was a hard pull over those rocks and the high waters. I reached home one hour later much to the joy of the little folks and with a determination not to try such a stunt again. When my husband heard he 'said' he would not have done it, really commended me on my pluck which was a very dangerous one. I assure you I didn't have the piano that trip. I left that to the men folk.
By Edith Dinsmoor Hunter
I first saw Washington on October 6th, 1902. Having lived my 18 years in the East and Middle West, and read so much about the far West. It was a real thrill. As I came through Seattle, stopping at the old wooden depot with its huge totem pole beside it and only two train tracks I wondered where the city was, but on we went until we arrived in Aberdeen, what a sorry sight for mid western eyes, as I waited in that little depot with its pot bellyed stove, for my Uncle Winferd Dinsmoor to come, I was sure fed up, it was raining and literately snowing saw dust ,what a dirty town was my first thought. Truly if I would of had the price of a return ticket I would not have left the depot until I boarded a train back over the mountains. Thats 57 years ago and I am still in Washington. In the spring of 1903, I had a chance to go up North in the big sticks to work for Clarence Read and care for his inviled grandmother Mrs. Johnson in the Queets country. While in Aberdeen I became acquainted with a Mary Patton and her nephew Will Hunter. It was largely through her influence I went into the woods . She was homesteading a 160, about 25 miles from the ocean up the Queets river. She had proceeded me about 1 week, but left her nephew to accompany me. We left Aberdeen, May 1st and stayed in Hoquium over night so as to be on time for the mail man. He having a heavy wagon and a team of draft horses made the trip to Humptulips, in around 8 hours over a very rough cordory road. Mr. Evans was our driver, and of course Will accompanied me, he was a very bashful young man of 19 and I had no end of fun with him. We stayed all night at the Humptulips Hotel, and on arising early the next morning found the mail carrier from there to Quinault Lake, Ernest Paul, ready with horses for us to ride. Ernest was from the middle west too and we had much conversation as we walked by our horses and hurried the rest of them with the mail on their backs that was another hard day, for me. We stayed that night with Mr. and Mrs. Ewall at the little shake hotel over looking that beautiful lake with its snow capped peaks of heavily timbered mountains. Such a beautiful lake I had never seen, and when in the morning a tall blond man Arte Highby (Orte Higley) arrived and said he was the Queets mail carrier and that I would after crossing the lake have to walk. Arte was a very good natured person and I know I held him back, and with that huge pack of mail on his back too. Will was still with us and very faithfully carried my small pack, how little either of us thought than that we'd carry each others burden down a long long road. We arrived at the Read ranch about 4:30 p.m. Elta Young and her mother was there helping out besides a bunch of settlers to meet the mail. I was so exhausted I could not eat and found when I retired was too tired to sleep. I'll always remember, the old Evergreen Waltz, which Clarence played on his violin and Arte accompanied him. I was rather stiff and sore the next day as more tender feet are, but had the good luck to meet the Donaldson Girls, Marg, Reat, and Jeanie and their little sister Belle. They were Scottish folk and their mother and Grandparents, Grandpa and Grandma Gowan, were so quaint one could not help but to love them. Jean is still here, but the rest have been called to that great beyond, where none return. It took me quite some few weeks to get used to the ways of the woods. I found all provisions and such was brought in by a small boat Captain Tompson to the mouth of the river and each settler took an Indian dugout or hired some one to bring such up the river, of course I wanted to learn like Jean and Maggie to pole and paddle a canoe, it was all such a thrill to me. And there was always a bunch of young people around. For recreation there was a dance now and then at some settlers home. We had to go and come in the day light, for our only means of traveling was walking a trail or going ni a canoe when the boys around about were so nice as to take us, some had horses to ride too.
By Edith Dinsmore Hunter
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