Van Eaton was not the only one with ideas of starting a
town. Off Scott Turner Road along the
Mashel River lay the settlement of Meta.
In 1887, Walter Baker, a Texan, built a general store, post office
(November 11, 1892), and accommodations for his guests. He named the settlement after his Guests dined on home
cooked meals with fresh meat provided by Indian Henry (He charged Baker a $1.00
a deer). Folks from the nearby
settlement of Alder (now gone) shopped at the Meta store. After getting supplies and perhaps some mail,
settlers loaded up a horse to carry their goods back to their homes. Once arriving, the horse was unloaded and
trained to head back home to Meta. Baker
also rented his horses to overnight guest for trips to Mt. Rainier. As time went on, Eatonville drew more
travelers, and Meta closed down in 1897.
 |
| Hans Pederson's Pack Team |
While still in Texas, Baker’s mother gave him a seedling from a butternut tree. He told his mother that wherever he put down his roots, he would plant that tree. As of 1964, the tree was still there. Walter Baker and his family remained in the area. He rented the buildings to the newly arrived family of Josef and Anna Mensik in 1902.
A seemingly favorite town story is that Baker invited
several townsfolk up to his place to celebrate the Presidential election of
1893. Supposedly, because of Baker’s
disdain for Van Eaton and others from the town, the coffee had been spiked with
croton oil. Many fell ill except the
intended victim, Van Eaton, who apparently did not drink coffee.
Another
would-be town builder was Mr. Holland.
In 1892, he constructed a saloon, hotel, and store at the base of Ohop
Hill. “Hollandale” it was called but did
not survive financially and was sold.
When T. C. Van Eaton came back in
on March 20, 1889 to what is now Eatonville, he brought along his
brother-in-law Nate Williams and a man named Bill Stone. Van Eaton constructed a horse barn and larger
cabin that served as trading post and home.
The Van Eaton Trading Post was a The Indian people took
advantage as well and made up the majority of his first customers. Pack trains
of horses or mules were used to bring supplies into Eatonville and folks from
the surrounding area carried it back out to their homes.
 |
| Eatonville Settlement |
Around 1894, Robert Fiander took his five-year-old daughter
Susie to see the settlement of Eatonville.
She remembered the trip being a bit frightful as they almost collided
with a bicyclist coming down around Ohop Hill.
Once at the post, her father gave her a nickel to spend. Being shy, Susie was at a loss for words as
to her purchase. Van Eaton, sizing up
her inner turmoil, picked out a big stick of red and white striped candy from a
glass jar. Her pretty, little smile was
payment
 |
| Van Eaton's Original Counter |
Out of the trading post, Van Eaton ran the “post office.” His first task as Post Master was to receive a registered letter, delivered by stagecoach, on December 13, 1890. Letters were few and far between. Five years later, with the increase in mail, Van Eaton built a separate cabin on the corner of Mashel Street to house the Post Office.
Van Eaton knew
if he wanted to start a town, he needed businesses to draw people from the
surrounding areas. He needed an edge over
the other competing settlements. With
plenty of land and few stores and services, he offered parcels of land for free
to those who started certain businesses. By 1890, seven people lived in
Eatonville.
In 1892,
Frank Groe built the Groe Hotel on the south corner of Mashell Avenue and Groe
(Center) Street. Groe was a man of
jovial humor within his short, chubby stature.
He later changed the name from Groe to Pioneer Hotel. The hotel was constructed from split cedar
boards without using any sawed lumber and nailed to a frame. It was 20x40 feet and two stories high.
 |
| Pioneer Hotel |
The hotel
served as a place to stay, eat, and socialize.
Eight guest rooms provided cozy rest for overnight guests. The cook had to get up early not only for the
guests but for men driving cattle to Tacoma.
After a long day of working, or just whenever a break was needed, many
went over to the hotel bar to gripe and swap stories. One
such teller of tales spinning stories from the Pioneer Hotel was Rant
White. Rant White first appeared in
Eatonville sopping wet after crossing the Ohop Creek. Jane Osborne (later Van Eaton) while at work
at the Groe Hotel saw him outside, brought him in, and put him by the fire to
dry. It is said that he never forgot her
kindness.
White came
to Eatonville about 1891 with his wife and started a homestead on a hill close
to
Sadly, his wife died soon after.
He never remarried and spent most of his time at the Groe Hotel. He was said to be a short, thin man with a
nasal, somewhat high-pitched voice, and eyes that seemed to wander from one to
another. To most, he seemed ancient and
did not change much in appearance over the course of his life.
 |
| Rant White |
Rant White
worked as a handyman, but his real skill was in spinning tall tales and fiddle
playing. He told vivid stories of
man-eating cougars and of a vast, petrified forest with petrified animals and
birds somewhere out among the firs.
Frequently, several boys and girls rushed over after school to secure a
spot near Rant to hear the next new tale.
His fiddle
playing brought sweet sounds to the little town. At social functions, many were up on their
feet dancing to his merry tunes. Many
times, he would wander with a knapsack on his back and stay with friends like
the Osbornes, McCulloughs, and John Mensik.
Rant and his friends serenaded folks nearby with impromptu fiddle
playing secessions.
White was
tough and willing to protect those who became like family to him. One day some Yakima Indian men came into town
and demanded to know where they could find Wickersham Henry. Wickersham was Indian Henry’s grown son. Apparently, he had “taken” a wife from
Yakima. These men believed she was taken
against her will and wanted to hunt Wickersham down. If no one was going to tell them where to
find Wickersham, then they wanted some hard drink. Rant White suspecting big trouble, confronted
the men, refused to let them get drinks, and sent them out of town.
The Yakima
Indian men did catch up with Wickersham and the girl. They were pretty angry and accused him of
abduction but were persuaded to go before a judge instead of talking with their
guns. Ironically, they met before Judge
James Wickersham who Indian Henry’s son was named after. Herbert Hunt wrote this account:
"Indian Henry and family were placed on one side and the
Yakima Indians on the other. The comely
maiden was seated between the rival factions.
The judge, after discussing for a moment the sanctity of the marriage
tie and the menace of unlawful force, told the girl to choose. She took her seat beside Wickersham
[sic]. The rest was but a matter of
ponies and blankets."
When Rant White died in 1931, he was memorialized as a
pioneer, trapper, fiddler, teller of tales, and a true citizen of Eatonville.
The tourist
and trade were most welcome during the years of 1892 and 1893. For many of
these early Eatonville families, times got really rough as the entire United
States was facing an economic depression.
Settlers brought furs and traded them for supplies at Van Eaton’s
store. Van Eaton then sold the furs to
dealers in New York and St. Louis getting paid in gold. Sometimes men and women
would go into Puyallup or Orting to pick hops trading labor for cash (50 cents
a day).
Tourism to Mt. Rainier also brought good
business to Eatonville. People came from
all over to see the crown like peaks of the mountain. They traveled by horseback, wagon, foot, and
even by bicycles. At times up to 150
bicycles were seen parked in front of the Eatonville Hotel for an overnight
stay or a meal. Horse drawn stage
coaches were used to bring tourists in to see Mt. Rainier. Some settlers even made money charging for
dinners for the hungry travelers.
Van Eaton also ran a stagecoach from Spanaway to
Mt. Rainier. The journey took a day and
a half and made a rest stop at Eatonville for the night. Alfred Lovell’s account in 1893:
We arrive at Eatonville at four in the afternoon. This village consists of a hotel, a store,
post office, real estate office, and one house.
All are situated in a small clearing in a dense forest and all the
buildings are of homemade lumber.
Boards, clapboards, shingles, etc. being split from cedar logs, by
hand. The only piece of millwork being
the outside of the front door of the hotel and possibly some of the sash. Even the floors and partitions are of split
cedar boards, some are 12 or 14 feet high and a foot or eighteen inches
wide. This cedar is remarkable for
splitting freely and straight and all buildings from Eatonville to Elbe are
either made from fir logs or split cedar lumber and usually a combination of
both.
The man who built the Pioneer Hotel was named Paul
Haynes. He not only constructed the
hotel but built the Folker and Tomlin Sawmill at Mill Pond. The mill was steam operated and was the first
of its kind in the area. It was 54x75
foot large with a 3x5 foot flume, which was 1200 feet long. At times, the circular saw came loose and
spun out of control busting through the roof.
Needing
a bigger roof, Van Eaton grew out of the cabin trading post and built a large
two-story store on the corner of Mashell Avenue and Groe (Center) Street. Van Eaton sold sugar, flour, and other staple
items. In addition, hard candy and other sweets for an extra special
treat. There were rifles, ammo, boots,
hats, and other clothing. For high-end
customers, there was ready-made butter and bread prepared for sale. At one time, a large doll took up counter
space and the attention of many a little girl.
His store was filled with the smells of smoked meats hanging by hooks,
and fresh ground  |
| Van Eaton's General Store (TC on the stairs) |
Unfortunately, this landmark does not exist. The store was sold and later torn down. The empty spot serves as parking lot first
for Colt’s Pharmacy and now, Kirk’s Pharmacy.
T.C. Van
Eaton also improved his home. After
using the original cabin, Van Eaton built a real house. Earlier, a larger house on the farm burned
down. In 1898, the increasing number of
sawmills made getting finished lumber readily available. The structure was modeled after the latest
styles in architecture. The new home
contained eight rooms within two-stories making it the highest building in
town. Lou Osborne hand-planed the cedar
and scroll work. The house contained
different woods from several mills.
Next, Van Eaton built a house next to his for his mother Caroline.
 |
| Van Eaton Shop and Home |
The first
homes in Eatonville were modest dwellings containing a stove, bed, table,
chairs, washbasin, and a tub. The houses
were made from cedar that split so evenly making the formation of walls and
roof easier. Sturdy Douglas fir was used
for the floorboards.
Because
transportation was still difficult, most made their own furniture or had
someone they knew make it and repaid the favor.
Poles stuck in holes in the walls and crossed with slats held up some
early beds.
There were several one-room
schoolhouses in the area but none right in Eatonville. In 1891, the first school building was hewn
from large logs by settlers from Scandinavia who were “Broad axe men” able to
slice through the timber evenly and with precision. The school “year” was three months long, and
the first teacher was Miss Alice Dodge.
As homes were being built, the need for a school in town
became imminent. |
| First School |
Happily,
that same school house still exists. It
was moved and now and rests by the Glacier View Park. Children’s voices can still be heard as it
serves at the Eatonville Cooperative Preschool.
The growing
community was slowly taking form; however, there was not an official form of
peacekeeper or police close by. John Van
Eaton told of his father T.C.’s efforts:
The only law that was here to begin with was my
father, and he carried it with him on his hip.
Even after quite some time, Tacoma was 30 miles away. It took a day each way. If there was anyone who didn’t fit into the
community, my father issued an order-tell this guy he’s got till it gets dark
to go.
From time to time, some notable citizens left Eatonville
when work was slow or nonexistent or when high adventure called them away. Fulfilling a desire for adventure and needing
money, Nate On
August 9, 1897, Nate and Charlie Williams boarded the steamer Willamette from
Seattle. They mined on the 70-Mile River
120 miles from Dawson for at least two summers.
While there, Nate assisted in building the Skagway Trail.
 |
|
Nate and Charlie
Williams aboard the Willamette
|
 |
| Otto Hanyes and Potlatch |
Paul Haynes
also left Eatonville for the Yukon Gold Rush.
Prior to leaving and later returning, Haynes was an early figure around
the settlement of Eatonville. He brought
his family from Texas to Tacoma. As most
did, the family stayed with Robert Fiander who helped them down the Ohop Hill
and stayed with Indian Henry for a night.
However, Haynes ventured past Eatonville to settle in the Succotash
Valley (now Ashford). He once said, “I
was the only one foolish enough to take a homestead right on a piece across the
Nisqually.” After trying that spot, he
took his family and lived at the Ohop Settlement then on to Eatonville. In addition to construction, Haynes owned a
shoe shop housed in Van Eaton’s store the first year in town. He left for the Klondike Gold rush returning
with nothing to Puyallup then to Wenatchee in 1899. It is unclear when Paul Haynes came back to
Eatonville but his son, Otto, recalls going to the first schoolhouse in
Eatonville.
Otto Haynes was a man involved in many of Eatonville’s
historical events. He worked alongside
his father to build the first hotel, dug the first grave, served as Fire
Warden, hunted many a critter large and small, worked as a logger, a stage
driver bringing folks from Tacoma, aided in developing the Mashell Telephone
Company, and owned O. E. Haynes Shake Mill.
Otto Haynes even designed a His
hunting prowess was legendary. In one
year, he killed five cougars with just a pistol. He and dog Potlatch brought in many a
kill. Potlatch gained famed as a hunting
dog. Sadly, he was stolen, and Otto
spent many hours searching for his companion with no luck. Otto Haynes cared about Eatonville’s history
and even helped orchestrate the movement and preservation of the original log
schoolhouse.
shake-splitting machine from pawnshop tools
with the help of his brother.
Haynes
married Ann Christiansen in 1914 by eloping to Wenatchee, which was a scandal
at the time. They kept it a secret for
many months, but the marriage would last for 56 years. In 1982, Hayes died. He was survived by his children Elwin, Ruby,
Rulien, and Arne Haynes with many decedents still in Eatonville today.
 |
| Christensen Family |
Along with
his wife Maren, N.P. Christensen journeyed to Tacoma, Washington in 1890. They were both from Denmark and had met in
Neenah, Wisconsin where they married in 1889.
Now, in Washington, they ventured out all the way to Ohop Lake. Carrying his infant daughter Katie in his
arms the entire trip, they settled at Ohop Point. Unfortunately, they were on land owned by the
railroad. In need of a home, Christensen
was able to purchase a claim from another settler. The claim was about 3 ½ miles east of
Eatonville. For eight years, the
Christensen’s lived there until moving to land near Clear Lake.
Later, Christensen acquired the Franklin property, turned it
into a dairy, and delivered fresh milk and cream in Eatonville. He and his family relocated two more times
finally becoming townsfolk in Eatonville.
They raised five children: Katie, Anne (Haynes), Henry, Edward, and
Dan.
Charles
and Margaret Duncan were born in Illinois and also raised a large family, only
they  |
| Duncan Family |
Before any doctors resided in
Eatonville, one had to go by stage, horse, or on foot to the nearest
doctor. Many times, folks went all the
way to Spanaway. A woman by the name of
Mrs. Garret possessed some natural healing arts. Many came from all around to seek her
attention. She and other women were
skilled in natural remedies to treat the sick and injured. Mrs. Garret assisted
many of the births and
later helped document birth certificates.
 |
Postal Service
Fred Matheny 1900
|
Dr. O. A.
Martiny was Eatonville’s first doctor.
It is told that his horse would knock off a mug of beer poured for it in
the saloon and then stagger out with the rest of the patrons. Martiny treated many and tried to give
comfort to others. In 1905, typhoid
fever hit several individuals in and around Eatonville. To curb the spread, Dr. Martiny removed and
separated the sufferers placing them in a building next to the Methodist Church
and a house across from the school.
Harvesting
timber was the oldest of man’s tasks in the area of Eatonville. Many early settlers relied on the trees for
shelter and furniture. Prior to 1907,
many saw mills existed. Owned by friends
or family members, timber was milled at the closest location to the logging
site for local use. One of the earliest
mills was at Muck Creek. It was powered
by water wheel and owned by a man called Andrean in 1894. This mill produced the wood used to build T.
C. Van Eaton’s home on Rainier Ave. The
Lynch Creek Mill used steam donkeys to power the saws. Eppler’s Mill was at the Triangle, Fisk’s
Mill, Younger and Cole Mill, and as mentioned earlier, the Tomlin and Folker
Mill in Eatonville. After Tomlin
operated the shingle mill since 1896, he sold it to G. Savage. He expanded Larry Smith was a hook tender along with
George Martin and Clyde Williams were teamsters.
 |
| Clyde Williams and Geroge Martin 1902 |
By 1900,
Eatonville had 70 residents including a cobbler shop owned by John Potter, and
the Eatonville Eagle newspaper owned and edited by Nicholson. The newspaper only ran for a couple of years
and then shut down.
Though Van
Eaton gave John Potter a spot to sell his shoes and a house on Mashell Avenue,
Potter purchased eighty acres for $2.50 an acre at Packwood in 1894. Years later, the land was sold 70 acres to
the University of Washington with the contingency that the land was to be used
to teach the students from the university.
Prior to this sale, Potter sold 10 acres to famed photographer Kincaid
 |
| Eatonville Depot and Hotel |
The Tacoma
Eastern Railroad established a stop in Eatonville in 1902. This brought more tourists and potential
citizens to town. One could travel from
Tacoma to Eatonville in an hour and a
The mail was also delivered by train until competition from the
Tacoma-Ashford Transit Company brought it to an end in 1928.
half.
Around 1900,
Cyrus C. Snow was directed to the Eatonville area to find mineral
deposits. The Success Paint Company used
copper ore as a base for paint pigments.
Snow was in charge of construction then acted as its
superintendent. The mine was off the
Alder Cutoff road near the Mashel River.
The rock was crushed making it easier to refine with linseed oil. It had a unique red color. So many buildings and homes used it that it
became known as Mashel Red. He operated
the company for three years until manufacturing changed to Tacoma, and the
Eatonville site was closed down.
Before
coming to Eatonville and after many years of roaming, Cyrus C. Snow was happy
to settle in one place. Snow was born in
Indiana in 1850. C.C. Snow’s mother was
Lydia Harlan. Her brother James Harlan
served as Secretary of the Interior under President Abraham Lincoln. His During the Civil War, his
father was an Indian agent taking the family with him to Kansas. As an adult, Snow drove cattle in Texas
before going to Colorado where he worked in the mines. When he went to Montana, Snow discovered
mineral deposits mining silver, lead, and gold.
It was after roaming various parts of the west and southwest that he was
sent to search in Eatonville.
daughter, Mary wed Robert Lincoln son of
the President.
 |
| Hotel Snow (next to Key Bank on Mashell Ave) |
Snow had
purchased the mineral rights to the property and decided to make Eatonville his
home. C.C. Snow had been married and had
a daughter but his wife Julia and daughter Nettie both died by 1906. He married Agnes Mensik in 1911 to which
were born Florence, Anna, and James.
Snow also owned the Snow Hotel later called the Eatonville Hotel.
He became committed to his new
community. Though he was not
Eatonville’s first choice for mayor during the first election, he turned out to
be a good one securing a water system for the town.
Another who
should have secured the settlement was Alexander “A. P.” Vance. A. P. Vance was born in North Carolina and in
the same year the Civil War was over in 1865.
He was the brother of John Zebulon Vance whose wife (Mary Case) was the
sister of Margaret Case King (wife of John Dillard King). As mentioned previously, he was married to
Edna Duncan. A. P. Vance was a
blacksmith, but by 1901, he was appointed an active special deputy. It was said he carried two pistols.
 |
| Charlie Williams |
At a little after 2p.m. on
September 2, 1901, a local farmer named Charles Franklin looking for Vance. Franklin had been told Vance was sick and
could not sod Franklin’s horse. When
Franklin challenged Vance about if he was really sick or not, Vance became
angered and stated that whoever said he was sick is a liar. That is one version. Another is that Vance came out of the saloon
claiming he could “lick” any man.
Franklin either laughed out of good nature or because he thought He told Vance he
would oblige him if he took off his guns first.
According to S.H. Potter, Vance placed his guns on a chair and charged
Franklin. After Vance got punched a few
times, he went back for his guns. Franklin tugged and pushed Franklin back and
forth, Vance grabbed both guns and fired two shots with his right hand then
fired the .44 pistol with his left-hand point blank against Franklin’s
side. “The old man threw up his arms
around Vance, the two men fell off the porch together, Franklin underneath,”
Potter and Charles H.
Williams (Nate Williams’ son), rose from their spots on Van Eaton Mercantile
front porch and grabbed Vance to take him down as Vance was turning to shoot at
them. Williams had to put his little
finger to jam the hammer to prevent Vance shooting him. T. C. Van Eaton joined in to fully subdue
Vance. They finally got him tied up and
placed him in the post office. Sadly, Franklin died of his wounds. Potter witnessed, “A crowd had gathered and
the excitement was immense. Several
threats to lynch him were made.”
 |
| Front Porch of Van Eaton's Store |
Vance was full of himself.
The sheriff was
informed of an arrested man being brought in and was shocked to discover that
it was Vance who had been arrested. Records
state that A.P. Vance was booked into the Pierce County Jail on September 2,
1901. He was 35, 5’8” tall with blue
eyes and black hair. The records also
document that he had a gold watch but his revolvers and belt were taken as
evidence. Alexander Vance faced trial, was
convicted of 1st degree murder, and given the death penalty. His
conviction was controversial and many believed at best he should have been
sentenced to manslaughter. However, the jurors, other attorneys, and citizens
begged for a life sentence instead. Governor
Henry McBride listened and commuted his sentence to life imprisonment. On January 13, 1903, he was taken to the
Years later in 1915 and with much support, Vance was given a conditional
pardon. He is listed in Yakima from the 1920 Census. For the descendants of
Charles Franklin, it was clearly murder.
The settlement went on to regain their peace and many participated in
more organizations to promote good citizenship.
 |
| AP Vance |
The Red Men Hall, built in 1905,
was used by more than just the members who built it. It was a multipurpose center of sorts. Many times, meetings are referred to as being
held at the hall. Its primary function
was to house the Improved Order of Red Men, Nisqually Tribe #81, of
Eatonville. Though by today’s standards,
it appears to be a mockery, like “playing Indians.” In practice, this group of men met to uphold
important values of patriotism as those who dressed, as Indians and dumped tea
into the Boston Harbor. They held
charity events, raised money for those in need and sponsored a baseball
team. The Red Men Hall was a two-story
building constructed by the dedicated membership of 150 men in 1905.
Connected with
IORM was the Topeka Council #26 Degree of Pocahontas. “The degree work of the Pocahontas is very
beautiful and interesting, commemorating many of the legends and ceremonies of
the Indian race.” Ironically, one had to
be a white man to join this group. To be
a member one also had to be a citizen of the United States and believe in a
Supreme Being. The Red Men Hall was
situated on Mashell Avenue and Carter Street just up above
 |
| Red Men Hall |
The Salsich
Lumber Company built the McKenna Lumber Company at McKenna. A man named Mitchell came out to supervise
the installation of the machinery.
Mitchell informed the company that expanding to Eatonville would be
profitable. Appointed as manager,
Mitchell and his sons came over to Eatonville and built a mill in 1907. The mill was not making money, and the bank
took over the site. In the fall of 1909,
T. S. Galbraith was hired by the Bank of California to run the mill. Business was good so Galbraith brought up his
family in 1910. A few years later in
1913, Galbraith and a Mr. McNeely bought out the company. The Eatonville Lumber Company attracted many
people from all over the country and the world.
Workers from Japan, Italy, and from several states across the country
came, worked, and lived in Eatonville.
The population in 1900 was 70.
According to the Federal 1910 Census, the population jumped to 725.
Clearly the Eatonville Lumber Company caused a surge in population.
 |
| Eatonville Lumber Company 1908 |
T.S.
Galbraith’s son John Galbraith grew to love Eatonville. He raised his family here even serving as
mayor for 22 years and as Chairman of the School Board. Galbraith was said to be strong in
personality sometimes making unpopular decisions. His passion served as a catalyst to see
projects to their end. He was very
involved the construction of the school.
His wife was also active in town matters and became involved on many
committees.
Life
was a struggle and life were good.
Eatonville had many good people and businesses and the population was
growing. Just one major element needed:
township. | |||||
| 1908 Road Crew (Men would get together and smooth out or re-build to maintain the local roads) |
 |
| Backyard Picnic 1897 |
 |
| Blacksmith Shop 1908 |
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