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Rh George Heron, Son of Francis Heron

This venerable native of Washington, during a long and eventful career, was closely connected with many of the leading history making events in the Northwest.

George Heron was born at Fort Nisqually, near Olympia, 1834, being the son of Frank (Francis) and Josette (Boucher) Heron, natives of Canada and the Colville Country, respectively. The father was the chief factor in the Hudson's Bay Company, mentioned in the title, and traveled about a great deal. The was of the Colville Indian tribe, and died in the Willamette Valley in 1878. The father died about 1838 when our subject years old. He was an only child and after his father's death, went with his mother to the Willamette Valley and lived with the tribes in that section, making frequent trips back to the Colville Country. Mr. Heron was raised in the primitive style of the native Indians, and consequently had very little opportunity for an education. Being endowed with considerable talent and a mental quickness often found in the half-breed children of the fur-traders, he very cleverly picked up French and the various Indian languages which heard, and soo [sic] became quite proficient in all the dialects of the Indians of the Northwest, as well as in English and French.

When very young he started independent action and for years farmed on French Prairie in the Willamette Valley, one of the well-known points in the early settlement of the Northwest. About 1859, Mr. Heron moved back to Colville and began a pack-train from The Dalles to that point, continuing the same for five years. Then he hired to the United States as interpreter and for twenty-five years was in its employ for seventy-five dollars per month. For three years, he was in the employ of the War Department with government troops and following this long service, he again farmed in Stevens County, residing on the Columbia River. About 1878 or 1879, Mr. Heron went to Washington, D. C., number of Indian chiefs-Cheans, Moses, Tenasket, Sasaphapine, and Lott-as interpreter in their consultation with the government in reference to the treaty for their lands.

During the Nez Perce War, George Heron was very busy, riding from one tribe to another in the Northwest, being employed by the government in the interest of peace, and his services were of