Page:History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana.djvu/110

 of Mrs Esther Short's land claim," and by the same act Mrs Short's dwelling was made the legal place of holding courts until suitable buildings should be erected by the county.^^ The county seat of Che-

name occurred about 1851 or 1852, but I fail to find any mention of it. I think it was done on the motion of the first postmaster at that place, R. H. Lansdale, who had the post-office called Columbia City. The name, how- ever, w^ould not pass in the face of long usage, and the Washington legisla- ture at its second session changed it to Vancouver. The commissioners appointed for Clarke county by the first territorial legislature were William Dillon, 0. C. Stiles, and Mr Fairchilds; sheriff, George W. Hart; judge of probate, Henry Gullifer; auditor, William Ryan; treasurer, Henry Burlin- game; justices of the peace, Solomon Strong, Michael Tubbs; coroner, William M. Simmons; assessor, Henry C. Morse; constable for Vancouver precinct, Moses Kirkham, for Cathlapootle precinct, C. C. Bogarth, for Washougal precinct, Berry Paten.

1^ Officers were appointed for all the counties already in existence, as well as the new ones, and as the list furnishes a guide to the distribution of the pop- ulation, they are here given. Skamania county commissioners, S. M. Hamil- ton, Joseph Robbins, Jacob W. Scroder; sheriff, E. F. McNoll; judge of probate, Cornelius Salmer; treasurer, J. H. Bush; auditor, George W. Johnson; justices of the peace, N. H. Gales, B. B. Bishop, and Lloyd Brooke.

Cowlitz county commissioners, Thomas Lowe, A. A. Abernethy, Seylor Rue; justice of the peace for Monticello precinct, Nathaniel Stone; constable, R. C. Smith; judge of probate, Nathaniel Ostrander; auditor, Charles Hol- man; treasurer, Alexander Crawford; sherifi", James Huntington; assessor, Benjamin Huntington; justice of the peace for Oak Point precinct, W. H. Harris; constable, F. A. Smith.

Wahkiakum county commissioners, James Birnie, Thompson Dray, Aus- tin Nye; auditor, Newell Bearfs; treasurer, James Birnie, Jr; sheriff, Wil- liam Stilwell; judge of probate and justice of the peace, Solomon Stilwell.

Pacific county commissioners, George T. Eastabrook, P. J. McEwen, Daniel Wilson; judge of probate, George P. Newell; justice of the peace, Ezra Wes- ton; constable, William Edwards.

Lewis county commissioners, Henry R. Stillman, Thomas Metcalf, J. C. Davis; judge of probate, James Gardiner; auditor, Horace H. Pints; jus- tices of the peace, Charles F. White, 0. Small, N. Stearns, F. Delin; con- stables, Baptiste Bone, William C. Many; sheriff, J. L. Mitchell; auditor, Martin Budson; treasurer, C. C. Pagett; coroner, George B. Roberts; super- intendent of common schools, A. B. Dillenbaugh.

Thurston county commissioners, Sidney S. Ford, Sen., David J. Chambers, James McAllister; auditor, Urban E. Hicks; sheriff, Franklin Kennedy; assessor, Whitfield Kirtley; judge of probate, Stephen D. Ruddell; treasurer, Daniel R. Bigelow; justices of the peace, Nathan Eaton, Joseph Broshears, W. Plumb; superintendent of schools, Elwood Evans; constable for Olym- pia precinct, Franklin Kennedy.

Chehalis county commissioners, George Watkins, John Vail, John Brady; auditor, A. 0. Houston; treasurer, D. K. Weldon; judge of probate, James H. Roundtree; sheriff, M. A. Fairfield; justices of the peace, William M. Bullard, C. L. Russell, I. L. Scaramon.

Pierce county commissioners, William P. Dougherty, L. A. Smith, William N. Savage; treasurer, H. C. Perkins; sheriff, C. Dunham; assessor, Hugh Patterson; coroner, Anthony Laughlin; justices of the peace, H. M. Frost, George Brown, Samuel McCaw; auditor, G. Bowlin; judge of probate, H. C. Moseley; constables, William McLucas, William Sherwood.

King county commissioners, Thomas Mercer, G. W. W. Loomis, L. M. Collins; judge of probate, William A. Strickler; sheriff, C. D. Boren; auditor,