Life In Washington Territory

1. Life In Washington Territory

2. Oregon Territory • Created in August of 1848 by President James Polk • Abraham Lincoln was offered the job of Governor of the territory but declined the offer • Residents could elect representatives • Reps could not vote in Congress, but only try to persuade others • Due to “Territorial” status as opposed to “State” status • Congress passed the “Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 • Every White male over the age of 18 could claim 320 Acres of land for FREE! • That mans wife could claim an additional 320 acres! • 640 Acres per couple! • All they had to do was live on the land and grow crops for 4 years

3. Washington Territory • Washington Territory was created in 1853 • Early settlers wanted the area called “Columbia” but congress didn’t want it confused with the District of Columbia • At first, only 4,000 settlers and 17,000 Native Americans lived here • Isaac Stevens was the first governor • Wanted to connect the territory to the East by rail bringing more settlers to the region

4. Property Lines • Washington began as part of Oregon Territory • Areas were separated by gridlines marked by surveyors • A township was 36 square miles and was divided up into 36 sections • Each section was 1 square mile, or 640 acres • Each section was numbered • Each section was divided in quarters of 160 acres

5. Homesteaders • Homesteaders checked with the land office and selected a quarter that they wanted • They marked their land with stakes or by marking a witness tree • A tree close to a corner of the land • They then went back to the land office to claim it • They also had to advertise their choice in the newspaper

6. Everyday Life • People came west seeking clean air • People thought that disease was caused by bad odors • Doctors had no idea about germs • There were no supermarkets or means of storing perishable food for too long • Near constant hunting and gathering were commonplace for rural inhabitants • Farming and purchasing goods in town also

7. News • The first newspaper in Washington was the “Columbian”, which was published in 1852 • Still, news traveled very slowly • Took up to a year for stories from the east and Europe to be published • Mail was not delivered to rural homesteaders until the 1900’s • Letters traveled by boat, horse, boat again and then by train or stage coach to reach the east

8. New Towns • Walla Walla • Wheat farming community that grew as a supply point for miners • Olympia • Started out as Smithfield • Named Olympia because of the stunning views of the Olympia mountains • Tacoma was named after Mt. Tahoma, the Indian word for Mt. Rainier

9. Seattle • Seattle began as a shipping port for sending lumber to San Francisco • They had to rebuild that city after its great fire • Seattle’s protected harbor and location nearby great forests was perfect • A steam sawmill was built and the city took off • The city really grew when gold was discovered in the Klondike • Seattle became the main departure point for the gold fields of the north • People became incredibly wealthy by selling goods to prospectors