Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 15.djvu/31



OLD FORT OKANOGAN AND OKANOGAN TRAIL 23

Franswa informed me that he would not hire me a boat, but would lend one. The boat was a two ton affair and was the same one that had been used by the McLaughlin party in crossing the Okanogan higher up in 1858 at the time of the big Indian fight. The factor pointed out nine bullet holes in the stern of the boat, relics of the Indian attack. We six manned the boat and started for camp. The current was very strong in the Columbia, but the Okanogan was placid as a lake. On arrival at camp we found five Indians there trying to buy whiskey "

We get a cross check on the above reference to the boat for James McLaughlin in an interview published in the Spokes- man Review, a number of years ago, is quoted as saying : "We had reached a point four miles above the mouth of the Okano- gan, where we found the Indians reinforced . . . and tried to prevent our crossing. Old Frenchway, as he was called, allowed us to take his canoes, and I crossed in the evening with twenty-one men '

The following extracts are quoted from letters recently writ- ten by Mr. Stevenson to me in reference to the last days of Fort Okanogan:

"Franswa was not old at all. He was a short, stout French half breed, and not any more than thirty years of age in 1860 when I first saw him at old Fort Okanogan. He came to Keremeos in June 1860 and died there in 1863 and is buried on "Shuttelworth" creek about one mile north of the present town of Keremeos. Yes, he was educated some. Could read and write and was a pretty good bookkeeper.

"The first building put up by Franswa is still standing on the old Cawston ranch 2 & ^ miles below Keremeos and I saw it last only two years ago. I know it well for I was in the store many times in 1861 when I was Custom House Officer at Osoyoos Lake under Sir James Douglas when British Columbia was a Crown Colony, and Franswa was in charge there. (Keremeos)"

In May, 1912, old Joseph La Fleur, through the joint ef- forts of the Indian Department and the Washington State Historical Society, was brought to the site of old Fort Okano- gan to identify places there, for the information of the gov- ernment in creating an historical park. I quote the following items from his statement taken down at that time, viz :