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 Olympia
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