Phoebe Judson
Encyclopedia
Phoebe Goodell Judson was an American pioneer
and author
. Along with her husband, Holden Judson, she founded the city of Lynden, Washington
.
Judson kept a diary of her experiences following March 1, 1853 (the day she and her family left for Washington Territory
), which she later abridged and rewrote into A Pioneer's Search for an Ideal Home: A Personal Memoir, published shortly before her death.
Because of the large role she played during the 1870s through 1890s in the development of the Nooksack Valley
(including giving Lynden its name), she is often referred to as the "Mother of Lynden".
, Canada
, the second eldest of eleven children with her twin sister Mary Weeks Goodell, and named after her father's sister, Phebe Goodell. Her parents were Jotham Weeks "J. W." Goodell, a Presbyterian
minister descended from British colonists, and Anna Glenning "Annie" Bacheler. In 1837 her family emigrated to Vermilion
, Ohio
, where she and her siblings where raised.
On June 20, 1849, at the age of 17, Judson married Holden Allen Judson (born mid-1827), with whom she had grown up. (Holden's only sibling, Lucretia "Trecia" Judson, had been a close friend of Phoebe's in Vermilion.) The Judsons lived in Holden's parents' home in Vermilion. Their first child, Anna "Annie" Judson, was born the following year.
Following the Donation Land Claim Act
, the Goodells traveled to the Oregon Territory
in 1851, leaving Phoebe and her elder brother William behind. Judson's twin sister Mary and her fiancé Nathan W. Meloy settled in Willamette, Oregon
(today part of West Linn
) and J. W. Goodell named and established the town of Grand Mound, Washington
with his wife and younger children, where he took up a job as postmaster and part-time minister alongside George Whitworth
(who would later found Whitworth University
).
Inspired by her family, and Holden's desire for independence from his parents, Judson set off for the month-old Washington Territory
with Holden and Annie on March 1, 1853, a few days following her brother William's wedding to Maria Austin, both of whom would take the same Westward route the following year and witness the Ward Massacre.
, she laid out the criteria for her "ideal home":
Boarding a train to Cincinnati, Ohio
, they reached St. Louis
, Missouri
by steamboat
, where they transferred to a smaller steamer headed for Kansas Landing (now Kansas City, Missouri
). Here they traveled two miles (3 km) to West Port, Missouri (now part of Kansas City), where they roomed in a hotel for five weeks, making preparations for their journey and building their wagon. Having read Uncle Tom's Cabin
, Judson disapproved of the hotel's use of slaves and even argued on behalf of them with the landlady.
In West Point they allowed a "young Scandinavian" named Nelson to ride with them, and in turn were invited to join the wagon train
of Rev. Gustavus Hines
, made up of six covered wagon
s (including the Judson's) and a carriage
. Phoebe and Holden traveled with four oxen (Tom, Jerry, and Nelson's—Berry and Buck) and a cow. The parties who made up the caravan were:
The Hines–Judson Wagon Train left West Point of May 1, 1853, and by the following Sunday (May 8) the Leonards abandoned the train because Gustavus Hines insisted on resting on Sunday, which they felt was dangerous and wasteful (the Judsons were inclined to agree, but stayed with Hines because they had elected him captain). Incidentally, the Hines–Judson Wagon Train surpassed all the caravans which did not rest on Sunday (including the Leonards'), because their oxen could keep their strength. On June 26, 1853, Judson gave birth to her second child, Charles La Bonta "Bonta" Judson (named after La Bonta Creek in Wyoming
, where he was born, upon the suggestion of Gustavus Hines).
The wagon train reached Independence Rock
on July 3 and Devil's Gate
on July 5, soon after which they were joined by an Irishman and his family. While fording the Snake River
in Wyoming
, Diah Hines (elder brother of Gustavus Hines) drowned, after which his wife tried to commit suicide.
When the wagon train finally reached the Columbia River
, the Judsons left their caravan (including Nelson) and headed for Willamette, Oregon
to see Judson's twin sister, Mary Meloy. Leaving their cattle with the Meloys till spring, the Judsons hired American Indian
s to canoe them to Grand Mound, Washington
, where they claimed the 320 acres (1.3 km²) adjacent to the Goodells. Along the way Judson began to learn Chinook Jargon
, which she would eventually speak fluently.
(who lived in various parts of the Judson acreage), striking a friendship with one called Dean Clark, who taught them Chinook Jargon while they taught him "Boston la longe" (English
). The Chehalis practiced minor head flattening, a practice then common throughout all Coast Salish
Indian tribes.
After an orphaned 10-year-old Chehalis boy named Skoqualamooch escaped execution by his tribe in the winter of 1853, the Judsons adopted him and gave him the name "Jack Judson" at his own request. That same year, Grand Mound was visited by Isaac Stevens
, the newly appointed first governor of Washington. On the advice of the Grand Mounders, Stevens set up a temporary capital in Olympia
(which would eventually become the official state capital).
After building a log cabin
in Grand Mound, however, the Judsons discovered that the ground was gravelly and infertile. In 1854 they moved twelve miles (19 km) south to Claquato, Washington, along the Skookumchuck River
. Here the ground was fertile, but the scenery did not meet the criteria for Judson's "ideal home". The ground was so fertile, in fact, that the Judsons could not efficiently store their harvested crops before the rainy season
. Additionally, they were forced to purchase two dogs (Lion and Tige) to keep bears from eating their crops and livestock.
That same year Judson's brother William Goodell, with his wife and three children, came across the plains to Claquato with Holden's parents and sister Trecia (who married U.S. Marshal
George W. Corliss and moved to Olympia soon after).
, Holden's parents moved in with the Judsons. While the native Chehalis Indians were not openly hostile in Claquato, they began touring each of the settlers' homes, taking inventory of their possessions, so that in the event of a takeover the spoils would be evenly split. When a small band of Indians led by "Pug Ugly" tried to take over the Judson's land, Judson prevented her husband from killing them, feeling that such an action would only increase tensions.
Eventually the inhabitants of Claquato were evacuated to the Claquato Stockade Fort (commanded by Edwin Davis), some of whom suffered attacks of hysteria
. The Judsons hid most of their possessions near their house, taking only what was necessary. Though nights were spent in the stockade fort
, Judson, along with Holden, Jack (who had refused to join the Indian resistance), and Holden's father, spent the day harvesting their acreage while Annie and Bonta stayed with Holden's mother.
Many of Judson's friends and neighbors were ambushed and massacred during the Indian War. Judson's sister-in-law, Trecia Corliss, and her husband George Corliss were spending the evening with customs-collector Isaac N. Ebey
when he was beheaded by a band of Haida Indians. Trecia survived by faking death, and George escaped out the back window of Ebey's house.
After the end of the Puget Sound Indian War, Judson witnessed the execution of Chief Leschi
(the war's instigator), which she deeply opposed, feeling he had been deceived into starting the rebellion. That same year, in 1858, Holden was elected by the Democratic Party
to the Washington State Legislature
. The Judsons temporarily moved in with George and Trecia Corliss (who lived in Olympia
) while the legislature was in session.
) and the influx of shipping in Bellingham Bay
, Holden, with George Corliss, invested in Whatcom County lots and donated money for the construction of a small trail to Whatcom (the town which would eventually become Bellingham
).
In 1859, Holden sold the Claquato acreage for $4,000 plus other provisions. The Judsons rented a frame house in Olympia with the intention of eventually buying more acreage, and Holden's parents bought a home near Olympia and lived by themselves. Holden himself opened a grocery store
as a source of income. When Olympia was incorporated on January 28, 1859 (the first incorporated town in Washington), the Judsons were among its first citizens.
On December 17, 1859, Judson gave birth to George Judson (named after Judson's brother-in-law, George Corliss). Three years later, in 1862, Judson gave birth to her fourth unadopted child, Mary Judson. Mary was raised in part by George and Lucretia Corliss, who had no children.
Lucretia, weakened by her fear of American Indians ever since escaping during Isaac Ebey's beheading, was removed by her husband to Las Cruces, California
(in Santa Barbara County) near the end of the Civil War
in 1864. In Las Cruces she made a full recovery and invited the Judsons and her parents to emigrate.
Judson believed that Las Cruces might be the "ideal home", and she and Holden planned to leave their unprosperous grocer business. However, on January 16, 1864, Mexican bandits robbed the Corlisses, trapped them in their home, and burned them alive. The Judsons moved instead to Whidbey Island
in 1866. Judson gave birth to Carrie Judson in 1869, but the child died of pertussis
a month later.
In 1871, Holden met James Alexander Patterson (brother of U.S. Senator David T. Patterson
), a colonel who owned land adjacent to Squahalish, a Nooksack Indian
camp in the Nooksack Valley
of Whatcom County. Like many Washingtonian bachelors at the time, he had married an American Indian (a young Lummi
princess known as Lizzie), building a small cabin in 1860. Patterson treated Lizzie as a slave and left her to run the farm with Ned, a young Indian hand, while he was on business in Olympia. Lizzie and Ned eloped to Sumas (then the site of another Indian encampment), leaving behind Patterson's two young daughters, Dollie and Nellie. Patterson refused to allow Lizzie see her children again, but was unable to keep up the farm or take care of the children on his own. He convinced the Judsons to foster
his daughters and executed a quitclaim deed
in favor of Judson for his 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) and 20 cattle.
".
Because there were no roads to Whatcom, the Judsons rode a mail steamboat to Bellingham Bay
, where they transferred to canoes up the Nooksack River
paddled by a Nooksack Indian
couple named Sally and Joe. The journey up the Nooksack took two days because of two log jams, called the Big Jam (which was ¾ of a mile long) and the Little Jam. The Patterson property had a small log cabin and a milk barn on the cusp of a plateau near the north bank of the Nooksack, with a view of Mount Baker
and the Twin Sisters
. Squahalish, Sally and Joe's encampment, was on the opposite bank. Judson later said a "sense of satisfaction came over" her at this location which she had never felt at any other home. The Judsons built a larger, two storey house, using Patterson's original as the kitchen. Once their presence became known, Lizzie Patterson returned to see her children and died shortly after.
The native Nooksack Indians were subject to the influence of a Catholic
mission
on the Lummi territory
. Sally and Joe, along with their children Tom, Holatchie, Mathia, Illead, Miladee, and Lewison, practiced a combination of Catholicism and worship of the "Sothalic Tyee" (Great Spirit
). After Judson's arrival Sally had four more children, but only pressed the head of the first.
After the Nooksack's medicine man
was killed by an exploding 4th of July
cannon, Holatchie, daughter of the Judsons' Nooksack neighbors Sally and Joe, became ill. Lacking a medicine man, Sally sent for the priest from the Lummi mission, who required the remuneration of a firearm and one cow for his visit. After the priest's departure, Judson, who acted as physician
in the area, was inspired for the first time to evangelize
to her neighbors. She explained the Protestant
concepts of universal priesthood
and divine grace
, which Sally readily embraced.
The Judson's first neighbor, Daniel McClanahan (misspelled as McLellahan), left his three children (John, Horace, and Norah) in the care of the Judsons after his death. McClanahan's youngest child, Daniel, was left with his Nooksack wife Nina (sister of Chief Seclamatum or Indian Jim
). Nina died of pulmonary tuberculosis
soon after, however, and Daniel joined his siblings with the Judsons. It would be two years before any White woman other than Judson came to the area.
In 1874 the Judsons turned their home into a post office
, with Holden as postmaster. Judson was given the task of naming their settlement. Though Holden had suggested "Judson", she picked "Lynden" (from the previously mentioned poem, which describes a remote village beside to a river), changing the spelling from "Linden" to "Lynden" for visual esthesis
. Judson's dream was for her kids to have a wonderful life, and good education. Also she wanted the world to have peace in their heart.
That same year Judson's youngest brother Henry and their sickly mother Annie came to live with the Judsons (after J. W. Goodell's death) and Holden was elected to the county commission
. On the evening of the election a flood wiped out all their livestock, which their son-in-law Eason Ebey replaced with sheep. The following year Judson became ill with typhoid fever
and almost died. After her recovery she purchased a spinning wheel
and began making wool socks for the bachelors of Lynden, whom she had already been inviting to every Christmas.
The Methodist
missionary Charles M. Tate (from Chilliwack, British Columbia
), along with the Staulo Indian
"Captain John", came to Lynden in the late 1870s to proselytize the Nooksacks. Using Judson's house as a mission, Tate taught hymns (including "Shall We Gather at the River?
") and preached in Halkomelem
(a Coast Salish dialect similar to the Nooksack language), admonishing polygamy
and superterranean burial. Chief Seclamatan, Sally, and even the homesteader John Tennant, with his wife, converted to Christianity
. When the Washington government offered donation land claims to American Indians, Joe and Seclamatan took individual claims and built houses on their land (see picture to right). Later Tennant would move to Lynden and become the first resident minister, his westernized
Lummi wife Clara striking up a friendship with Judson.
The Judsons were instrumental in the development of the early infrastructure
of Lynden and Whatcom County. At the request of Judson, Holden enlisted the help of the native Nooksack Indians to remove the Little Jam (which they were only too glad to do), working for three months. After the Little Jam was removed, Holden and Phoebe raised $1,500 to hire a contractor, Judge Plaster, to remove the Big Jam, which he completed in 1877. Judson served breakfast and lunch for the Indian workers on both occasions. In addition, she and Holden blazed the first trail to what is now Fishtrap Creek, then the site of a communal fishtrap.
After Washington's admittance into the Union in 1889, the population of Whatcom County began to rapidly grow. Holden began a business making hoops and poles
, striking a contract up with a Seattle firm. The Judsons sold their property, keeping only two acres on the Squahalish Plateau to build a frame house. Realizing how flat the area was, they directed emigrants to build the city of Lynden on the plateau. The Judsons reserved two plots in Lynden: Judson organized the construction of the Northwest Normal School (which, through the efforts of George Judson, became a state institution, eventually moving to Bellingham as Western Washington University
); and Holden the Judson Opera House. On March 16, 1891, the city of Lynden was officially incorporated. Holden Judson was elected its first mayor.
Judson died on January 16, 1926 of natural causes. The entire city of Lynden
was shut down (with stores closed and schools dismissed) on January 18 in honor of her funeral and death.
American pioneer
American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. Along with her husband, Holden Judson, she founded the city of Lynden, Washington
Lynden, Washington
Lynden is the second largest city in Whatcom County. Named and established in 1874 on the site of the Nooksack Indian village Squahalish , the town of Lynden began as a pioneer settlement headed by Holden and Phoebe Judson and is today home to one of the largest Dutch American communities in the...
.
Judson kept a diary of her experiences following March 1, 1853 (the day she and her family left for Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
), which she later abridged and rewrote into A Pioneer's Search for an Ideal Home: A Personal Memoir, published shortly before her death.
Because of the large role she played during the 1870s through 1890s in the development of the Nooksack Valley
Nooksack Valley
The Nooksack Valley is the valley formed by the Nooksack River in Washington State, roughly covering the western half of Whatcom County. It is in the larger valley of Skagit.-See also:*Whatcom County*Lynden, Washington*Ferndale, Washington...
(including giving Lynden its name), she is often referred to as the "Mother of Lynden".
Background
Born Phoebe Newton Goodell on October 25, 1831, Judson was born in AncasterAncaster, Ontario
Ancaster is a picturesque and historic community located on the Niagara escarpment, within the greater area of the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. This former town was founded officially in 1793 and was one of the oldest European communities established in present day Ontario along with Windsor...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the second eldest of eleven children with her twin sister Mary Weeks Goodell, and named after her father's sister, Phebe Goodell. Her parents were Jotham Weeks "J. W." Goodell, a Presbyterian
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
minister descended from British colonists, and Anna Glenning "Annie" Bacheler. In 1837 her family emigrated to Vermilion
Vermilion, Ohio
Vermilion is a city in Erie and Lorain counties in Ohio, on the North Coast of the U.S.A. The population was 10,927 at the 2000 census. The current mayor is Eileen Bulan...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, where she and her siblings where raised.
On June 20, 1849, at the age of 17, Judson married Holden Allen Judson (born mid-1827), with whom she had grown up. (Holden's only sibling, Lucretia "Trecia" Judson, had been a close friend of Phoebe's in Vermilion.) The Judsons lived in Holden's parents' home in Vermilion. Their first child, Anna "Annie" Judson, was born the following year.
Following the Donation Land Claim Act
Donation Land Claim Act
The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 was a statute enacted by the United States Congress intended to promote homestead settlement in the Oregon Territory in the Pacific Northwest...
, the Goodells traveled to the Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
in 1851, leaving Phoebe and her elder brother William behind. Judson's twin sister Mary and her fiancé Nathan W. Meloy settled in Willamette, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
(today part of West Linn
West Linn, Oregon
West Linn is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. Now a prosperous southern suburb of Portland, West Linn has a history of early development, prompted by the opportunity to harvest energy from nearby Willamette Falls. It was named after Senator Dr. Lewis Fields Linn of Ste...
) and J. W. Goodell named and established the town of Grand Mound, Washington
Grand Mound, Washington
Grand Mound is a census-designated place in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It was named and founded by Jotham Weeks Judson, father of Phoebe Judson, in 1851. The population was 1,948 at the 2000 census. In 2007, the population was 2,232...
with his wife and younger children, where he took up a job as postmaster and part-time minister alongside George Whitworth
George Whitworth
George F. Whitworth was a Presbyterian missionary. He is considered to be the Father of the Presbyterian Church in the State of Washington. He was active in the founding of numerous Washington churches, including the first church in Grand Mound, Washington, which he co-pastored with J. W. Goodell...
(who would later found Whitworth University
Whitworth University
Whitworth University is a private Christian liberal arts college located in Spokane, Washington, United States, that offers Bachelor's and Master's degrees in a variety of academic disciplines. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church...
).
Inspired by her family, and Holden's desire for independence from his parents, Judson set off for the month-old Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
with Holden and Annie on March 1, 1853, a few days following her brother William's wedding to Maria Austin, both of whom would take the same Westward route the following year and witness the Ward Massacre.
Overland Trail
Upon the outset of Judson's emigration to the American WestWestern United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
, she laid out the criteria for her "ideal home":
Boarding a train to Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, they reached St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
by steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
, where they transferred to a smaller steamer headed for Kansas Landing (now Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
). Here they traveled two miles (3 km) to West Port, Missouri (now part of Kansas City), where they roomed in a hotel for five weeks, making preparations for their journey and building their wagon. Having read Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman....
, Judson disapproved of the hotel's use of slaves and even argued on behalf of them with the landlady.
In West Point they allowed a "young Scandinavian" named Nelson to ride with them, and in turn were invited to join the wagon train
Wagon train
A wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. In the American West, individuals traveling across the plains in covered wagons banded together for mutual assistance, as is reflected in numerous films and television programs about the region, such as Audie Murphy's Tumbleweed and Ward Bond...
of Rev. Gustavus Hines
Gustavus Hines
Reverend Gustavus Hines was an American missionary in Oregon Country. Working for the Methodist Mission in what became the state of Oregon, the New York native became involved in early attempts to form a government at the Champoeg Meetings in 1841...
, made up of six covered wagon
Covered wagon
The covered wagon, also known as a Prairie schooner, is an icon of the American Old West.Although covered wagons were commonly used for shorter moves within the United States, in the mid-nineteenth century thousands of Americans took them across the Great Plains to Oregon and California...
s (including the Judson's) and a carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
. Phoebe and Holden traveled with four oxen (Tom, Jerry, and Nelson's—Berry and Buck) and a cow. The parties who made up the caravan were:
- Holden and Phoebe Judson, Annie Judson, and Nelson.
- Gustavus and Lydia Hines (née Bryant), Lydia's sister, and Lucy Ann Lee, their adopted daughter.
- Jeddadiah "Diah" Hines, his wife, and his daughter.
- Harvey K. Hines, his wife, and his wife's sister.
- Mr. Bryant, his wife, and their children Alta Bryant (3) and Lee Bryant (1).
- Mr. Leonard, his wife, and possibly children.
The Hines–Judson Wagon Train left West Point of May 1, 1853, and by the following Sunday (May 8) the Leonards abandoned the train because Gustavus Hines insisted on resting on Sunday, which they felt was dangerous and wasteful (the Judsons were inclined to agree, but stayed with Hines because they had elected him captain). Incidentally, the Hines–Judson Wagon Train surpassed all the caravans which did not rest on Sunday (including the Leonards'), because their oxen could keep their strength. On June 26, 1853, Judson gave birth to her second child, Charles La Bonta "Bonta" Judson (named after La Bonta Creek in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, where he was born, upon the suggestion of Gustavus Hines).
The wagon train reached Independence Rock
Independence Rock (Wyoming)
Independence Rock is a large granite rock, approximately high, in southwestern Natrona County in the U.S. state of Wyoming, along Wyoming Highway 220. During the middle of the 19th century, the rock was a prominent and well-known landmark on the Oregon, Mormon and California emigrant trails. It...
on July 3 and Devil's Gate
Devil's Gate (Wyoming)
Devil's Gate is a natural rock formation, a gorge on the Sweetwater River a few miles southwest of Independence Rock. The site, significant in the history of western pioneers, was a major landmark on the Mormon Trail and the Oregon Trail although the actual routes of travel did not pass through...
on July 5, soon after which they were joined by an Irishman and his family. While fording the Snake River
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, Diah Hines (elder brother of Gustavus Hines) drowned, after which his wife tried to commit suicide.
When the wagon train finally reached the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
, the Judsons left their caravan (including Nelson) and headed for Willamette, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
to see Judson's twin sister, Mary Meloy. Leaving their cattle with the Meloys till spring, the Judsons hired American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
s to canoe them to Grand Mound, Washington
Grand Mound, Washington
Grand Mound is a census-designated place in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It was named and founded by Jotham Weeks Judson, father of Phoebe Judson, in 1851. The population was 1,948 at the 2000 census. In 2007, the population was 2,232...
, where they claimed the 320 acres (1.3 km²) adjacent to the Goodells. Along the way Judson began to learn Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon originated as a pidgin trade language of the Pacific Northwest, and spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to other areas in modern Oregon and Washington, then British Columbia and as far as Alaska, sometimes taking on characteristics of a creole language...
, which she would eventually speak fluently.
Grand Mound and Claquato
While living in Grand Mound, the Judsons became well acquainted with the native Chehalis IndiansChehalis (tribe)
The Chehalis people are a native people of westernWashington state in the United States. They should not be confused with the similarly named Chehalis First Nation of the Harrison River in the Fraser Valley area of British Columbia....
(who lived in various parts of the Judson acreage), striking a friendship with one called Dean Clark, who taught them Chinook Jargon while they taught him "Boston la longe" (English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
). The Chehalis practiced minor head flattening, a practice then common throughout all Coast Salish
Coast Salish
Coast Salish languages are a subgroup of the Salishan language family. These languages are spoken by First Nations or Native American peoples inhabiting the territory that is now the southwest coast of British Columbia around the Strait of Georgia and Washington state around Puget Sound...
Indian tribes.
After an orphaned 10-year-old Chehalis boy named Skoqualamooch escaped execution by his tribe in the winter of 1853, the Judsons adopted him and gave him the name "Jack Judson" at his own request. That same year, Grand Mound was visited by Isaac Stevens
Isaac Stevens
Isaac Ingalls Stevens was the first governor of Washington Territory, a United States Congressman, and a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War until his death at the Battle of Chantilly...
, the newly appointed first governor of Washington. On the advice of the Grand Mounders, Stevens set up a temporary capital in Olympia
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
(which would eventually become the official state capital).
After building a log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
in Grand Mound, however, the Judsons discovered that the ground was gravelly and infertile. In 1854 they moved twelve miles (19 km) south to Claquato, Washington, along the Skookumchuck River
Skookumchuck River
The Skookumchuck River is a long river located in southwest Washington, USA. It is a tributary of the Chehalis River and thence to the Pacific Ocean. The Skookumchuck Dam was built in 1970, creating the Skookumchuck Reservoir. The dam provides water supply for the 1400-megawatt Centralia Steam...
. Here the ground was fertile, but the scenery did not meet the criteria for Judson's "ideal home". The ground was so fertile, in fact, that the Judsons could not efficiently store their harvested crops before the rainy season
Wet season
The the wet season, or rainy season, is the time of year, covering one or more months, when most of the average annual rainfall in a region occurs. The term green season is also sometimes used as a euphemism by tourist authorities. Areas with wet seasons are dispersed across portions of the...
. Additionally, they were forced to purchase two dogs (Lion and Tige) to keep bears from eating their crops and livestock.
That same year Judson's brother William Goodell, with his wife and three children, came across the plains to Claquato with Holden's parents and sister Trecia (who married U.S. Marshal
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
George W. Corliss and moved to Olympia soon after).
Puget Sound War
In 1855, at the outset of the Puget Sound Indian WarPuget Sound War
The Puget Sound War was an armed conflict that took place in the Puget Sound area of the state of Washington in 1855–56, between the United States Military, local militias and members of the Native American tribes of the Nisqually, Muckleshoot, Puyallup, and Klickitat...
, Holden's parents moved in with the Judsons. While the native Chehalis Indians were not openly hostile in Claquato, they began touring each of the settlers' homes, taking inventory of their possessions, so that in the event of a takeover the spoils would be evenly split. When a small band of Indians led by "Pug Ugly" tried to take over the Judson's land, Judson prevented her husband from killing them, feeling that such an action would only increase tensions.
Eventually the inhabitants of Claquato were evacuated to the Claquato Stockade Fort (commanded by Edwin Davis), some of whom suffered attacks of hysteria
Hysteria
Hysteria, in its colloquial use, describes unmanageable emotional excesses. People who are "hysterical" often lose self-control due to an overwhelming fear that may be caused by multiple events in one's past that involved some sort of severe conflict; the fear can be centered on a body part, or,...
. The Judsons hid most of their possessions near their house, taking only what was necessary. Though nights were spent in the stockade fort
Stockade
A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls made of logs placed side by side vertically with the tops sharpened to provide security.-Stockade as a security fence:...
, Judson, along with Holden, Jack (who had refused to join the Indian resistance), and Holden's father, spent the day harvesting their acreage while Annie and Bonta stayed with Holden's mother.
Many of Judson's friends and neighbors were ambushed and massacred during the Indian War. Judson's sister-in-law, Trecia Corliss, and her husband George Corliss were spending the evening with customs-collector Isaac N. Ebey
Isaac N. Ebey
Colonel Isaac Neff Ebey was the first permanent white resident of Whidbey Island, Washington.Ebey was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1818. During his childhood Ebey's father, Jacob, moved the family to Adair County, Missouri where as a young man, the young Ebey was trained in the law...
when he was beheaded by a band of Haida Indians. Trecia survived by faking death, and George escaped out the back window of Ebey's house.
After the end of the Puget Sound Indian War, Judson witnessed the execution of Chief Leschi
Chief Leschi
Chief Leschi was chief of the Nisqually Native American tribe. He was hanged for murder in 1858, but exonerated in 2004.-Life:...
(the war's instigator), which she deeply opposed, feeling he had been deceived into starting the rebellion. That same year, in 1858, Holden was elected by the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Washington State Legislature
Washington State Legislature
The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bipartisan, bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senate, with 49 Senators.The State Legislature...
. The Judsons temporarily moved in with George and Trecia Corliss (who lived in Olympia
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
) while the legislature was in session.
Olympia and Whidbey Island
While in the legislature, Holden became friends with John A. Tennant, a homesteader from Whatcom County. Inspired by Tennant (who later gave his name to Tennant Lake in Ferndale, WashingtonFerndale, Washington
-Demographics:As of the census of 2009, there were 11,681 people, 3,901 households, and 2,303 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,409.1 people per square mile . There were 3,292 housing units at an average density of 529.7 per square mile...
) and the influx of shipping in Bellingham Bay
Bellingham Bay
Bellingham Bay is a bay located on the northern Pacific coast of Washington state in the United States. It is separated from the Strait of Georgia on the west by the Lummi Peninsula, Portage Island, and Lummi Island. It is bordered on the east by Bellingham, Washington, to the south-east by the...
, Holden, with George Corliss, invested in Whatcom County lots and donated money for the construction of a small trail to Whatcom (the town which would eventually become Bellingham
Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
).
In 1859, Holden sold the Claquato acreage for $4,000 plus other provisions. The Judsons rented a frame house in Olympia with the intention of eventually buying more acreage, and Holden's parents bought a home near Olympia and lived by themselves. Holden himself opened a grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
as a source of income. When Olympia was incorporated on January 28, 1859 (the first incorporated town in Washington), the Judsons were among its first citizens.
On December 17, 1859, Judson gave birth to George Judson (named after Judson's brother-in-law, George Corliss). Three years later, in 1862, Judson gave birth to her fourth unadopted child, Mary Judson. Mary was raised in part by George and Lucretia Corliss, who had no children.
Lucretia, weakened by her fear of American Indians ever since escaping during Isaac Ebey's beheading, was removed by her husband to Las Cruces, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(in Santa Barbara County) near the end of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in 1864. In Las Cruces she made a full recovery and invited the Judsons and her parents to emigrate.
Judson believed that Las Cruces might be the "ideal home", and she and Holden planned to leave their unprosperous grocer business. However, on January 16, 1864, Mexican bandits robbed the Corlisses, trapped them in their home, and burned them alive. The Judsons moved instead to Whidbey Island
Whidbey Island
Whidbey Island is one of nine islands located in Island County, Washington, in the United States. Whidbey is located about north of Seattle, and lies between the Olympic Peninsula and the I-5 corridor of western Washington...
in 1866. Judson gave birth to Carrie Judson in 1869, but the child died of pertussis
Pertussis
Pertussis, also known as whooping cough , is a highly contagious bacterial disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. Symptoms are initially mild, and then develop into severe coughing fits, which produce the namesake high-pitched "whoop" sound in infected babies and children when they inhale air...
a month later.
In 1871, Holden met James Alexander Patterson (brother of U.S. Senator David T. Patterson
David T. Patterson
David Trotter Patterson was a United States Senator from Tennessee at the beginning of the Reconstruction Period....
), a colonel who owned land adjacent to Squahalish, a Nooksack Indian
Nooksack (tribe)
The Nooksack are a Native American people in northwestern Washington state in the United States. The tribe lives in the mainland northwest corner of the state near the small town of Deming, Washington , and has over 1,800 enrolled members.In 1971, the tribe was ceded a one acre reservation after...
camp in the Nooksack Valley
Nooksack Valley
The Nooksack Valley is the valley formed by the Nooksack River in Washington State, roughly covering the western half of Whatcom County. It is in the larger valley of Skagit.-See also:*Whatcom County*Lynden, Washington*Ferndale, Washington...
of Whatcom County. Like many Washingtonian bachelors at the time, he had married an American Indian (a young Lummi
Lummi
The Lummi , governed by the Lummi Nation, are a Native American tribe of the Coast Salish ethnolinguistic group in western Washington state in the United States...
princess known as Lizzie), building a small cabin in 1860. Patterson treated Lizzie as a slave and left her to run the farm with Ned, a young Indian hand, while he was on business in Olympia. Lizzie and Ned eloped to Sumas (then the site of another Indian encampment), leaving behind Patterson's two young daughters, Dollie and Nellie. Patterson refused to allow Lizzie see her children again, but was unable to keep up the farm or take care of the children on his own. He convinced the Judsons to foster
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
his daughters and executed a quitclaim deed
Quitclaim deed
A quitclaim deed is a legal instrument by which the owner of a piece of real property, called the grantor, transfers his interest to a recipient, called the grantee. The owner/grantor terminates his right and claim to the property, thereby allowing claim to transfer to the...
in favor of Judson for his 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) and 20 cattle.
The Squahalish Plateau
On March 1, 1871, Judson and Holden, with Dollie, Nellie, and their sons Bonta and George (now 17 and 12, respectively), moved to the Nooksack Valley. Judson's daughter Annie had married Eason Ebey (son of the beheaded Isaac Ebey), and her second daughter Mary stayed on Whidbey Island in order to attend school for another six months. When Judson returned to the island in September 1871 to retrieve Mary, Eason Ebey read her the poem Hohenlinden (by Thomas Campbell). This poem would later be the inspiration for the name "LyndenLynden, Washington
Lynden is the second largest city in Whatcom County. Named and established in 1874 on the site of the Nooksack Indian village Squahalish , the town of Lynden began as a pioneer settlement headed by Holden and Phoebe Judson and is today home to one of the largest Dutch American communities in the...
".
Because there were no roads to Whatcom, the Judsons rode a mail steamboat to Bellingham Bay
Bellingham Bay
Bellingham Bay is a bay located on the northern Pacific coast of Washington state in the United States. It is separated from the Strait of Georgia on the west by the Lummi Peninsula, Portage Island, and Lummi Island. It is bordered on the east by Bellingham, Washington, to the south-east by the...
, where they transferred to canoes up the Nooksack River
Nooksack River
The Nooksack River is a river in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Washington. It drains an area of the Cascade Range around Mount Baker, near the Canadian border. The lower river flows through a fertile agricultural area before emptying into Bellingham Bay and, via the Strait of Juan de Fuca...
paddled by a Nooksack Indian
Nooksack (tribe)
The Nooksack are a Native American people in northwestern Washington state in the United States. The tribe lives in the mainland northwest corner of the state near the small town of Deming, Washington , and has over 1,800 enrolled members.In 1971, the tribe was ceded a one acre reservation after...
couple named Sally and Joe. The journey up the Nooksack took two days because of two log jams, called the Big Jam (which was ¾ of a mile long) and the Little Jam. The Patterson property had a small log cabin and a milk barn on the cusp of a plateau near the north bank of the Nooksack, with a view of Mount Baker
Mount Baker
Mount Baker , also known as Koma Kulshan or simply Kulshan, is an active glaciated andesitic stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the North Cascades of Washington State in the United States. It is the second-most active volcano in the range after Mount Saint Helens...
and the Twin Sisters
Twin Sisters Mountain
Twin Sisters Mountain, commonly called the Twin Sisters, is a mountain in the U.S. state of Washington. Part of the Cascade Range, it lies just southwest of Mount Baker. Of its two main peaks, South Twin is higher, at...
. Squahalish, Sally and Joe's encampment, was on the opposite bank. Judson later said a "sense of satisfaction came over" her at this location which she had never felt at any other home. The Judsons built a larger, two storey house, using Patterson's original as the kitchen. Once their presence became known, Lizzie Patterson returned to see her children and died shortly after.
The native Nooksack Indians were subject to the influence of a Catholic
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
mission
Mission (station)
A religious mission or mission station is a location for missionary work.While primarily a Christian term, the concept of the religious "mission" is also used prominently by the Church of Scientology and their Scientology Missions International....
on the Lummi territory
Lummi
The Lummi , governed by the Lummi Nation, are a Native American tribe of the Coast Salish ethnolinguistic group in western Washington state in the United States...
. Sally and Joe, along with their children Tom, Holatchie, Mathia, Illead, Miladee, and Lewison, practiced a combination of Catholicism and worship of the "Sothalic Tyee" (Great Spirit
Great Spirit
The Great Spirit, also called Wakan Tanka among the Sioux, the Creator or the Great Maker in English, and Gitchi Manitou in Algonquian, is a conception of a supreme being prevalent among some Native American and First Nations cultures...
). After Judson's arrival Sally had four more children, but only pressed the head of the first.
After the Nooksack's medicine man
Medicine man
"Medicine man" or "Medicine woman" are English terms used to describe traditional healers and spiritual leaders among Native American and other indigenous or aboriginal peoples...
was killed by an exploding 4th of July
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
cannon, Holatchie, daughter of the Judsons' Nooksack neighbors Sally and Joe, became ill. Lacking a medicine man, Sally sent for the priest from the Lummi mission, who required the remuneration of a firearm and one cow for his visit. After the priest's departure, Judson, who acted as physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
in the area, was inspired for the first time to evangelize
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
to her neighbors. She explained the Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
concepts of universal priesthood
Priesthood of all believers
The universal priesthood or the priesthood of all believers, as it would come to be known in the present day, is a Christian doctrine believed to be derived from several passages of the New Testament...
and divine grace
Divine grace
In Christian theology, grace is God’s gift of God’s self to humankind. It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" - that takes the form of divine favour, love and clemency. It is an attribute of God that is most...
, which Sally readily embraced.
The Judson's first neighbor, Daniel McClanahan (misspelled as McLellahan), left his three children (John, Horace, and Norah) in the care of the Judsons after his death. McClanahan's youngest child, Daniel, was left with his Nooksack wife Nina (sister of Chief Seclamatum or Indian Jim
Yelkanum Seclamatum
Yelkanum Seclamatan , also known as Chief Jim, Indian Jim, Lynden Jim, or Squahalish Jim, was chief of the Nooksack Indians in the late 19th century...
). Nina died of pulmonary tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
soon after, however, and Daniel joined his siblings with the Judsons. It would be two years before any White woman other than Judson came to the area.
Lynden
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, with Holden as postmaster. Judson was given the task of naming their settlement. Though Holden had suggested "Judson", she picked "Lynden" (from the previously mentioned poem, which describes a remote village beside to a river), changing the spelling from "Linden" to "Lynden" for visual esthesis
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
. Judson's dream was for her kids to have a wonderful life, and good education. Also she wanted the world to have peace in their heart.
That same year Judson's youngest brother Henry and their sickly mother Annie came to live with the Judsons (after J. W. Goodell's death) and Holden was elected to the county commission
County commission
A county commission is a group of elected officials charged with administering the county government in local government in some states of the United States. County commissions are usually made up of three or more individuals...
. On the evening of the election a flood wiped out all their livestock, which their son-in-law Eason Ebey replaced with sheep. The following year Judson became ill with typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
and almost died. After her recovery she purchased a spinning wheel
Spinning wheel
A spinning wheel is a device for spinning thread or yarn from natural or synthetic fibers. Spinning wheels appeared in Asia, probably in the 11th century, and very gradually replaced hand spinning with spindle and distaff...
and began making wool socks for the bachelors of Lynden, whom she had already been inviting to every Christmas.
The Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
missionary Charles M. Tate (from Chilliwack, British Columbia
Chilliwack, British Columbia
Chilliwack is a Canadian city in the Province of British Columbia. It is a predominantly agricultural community with an estimated population of 80,000 people. Chilliwack is the second largest city in the Fraser Valley Regional District after Abbotsford. The city is surrounded by mountains and...
), along with the Staulo Indian
Stó:lo
The Sto:lo , alternately written as Stó:lō, Stó:lô or Stó:lõ and historically as Staulo or Stahlo, and historically known and commonly referred to in ethnographic literature as the Fraser River Indians or Lower Fraser Salish, are a group of First Nations peoples inhabiting the Fraser Valley of...
"Captain John", came to Lynden in the late 1870s to proselytize the Nooksacks. Using Judson's house as a mission, Tate taught hymns (including "Shall We Gather at the River?
Shall We Gather at the River?
"Shall We Gather at the River?" is a traditional Christian hymn, written by American poet and gospel music composer Robert Lowry . It was written in 1864....
") and preached in Halkomelem
Halkomelem language
Halkomelem is a language of the First Nations peoples of southeastern Vancouver Island from the west shore of Saanich Inlet northward beyond Nanoose Bay, and of the mainland around the Fraser River Delta upriver to Harrison Lake and the lower...
(a Coast Salish dialect similar to the Nooksack language), admonishing polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
and superterranean burial. Chief Seclamatan, Sally, and even the homesteader John Tennant, with his wife, converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. When the Washington government offered donation land claims to American Indians, Joe and Seclamatan took individual claims and built houses on their land (see picture to right). Later Tennant would move to Lynden and become the first resident minister, his westernized
Westernization
Westernization or Westernisation , also occidentalization or occidentalisation , is a process whereby societies come under or adopt Western culture in such matters as industry, technology, law, politics, economics, lifestyle, diet, language, alphabet,...
Lummi wife Clara striking up a friendship with Judson.
The Judsons were instrumental in the development of the early infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
of Lynden and Whatcom County. At the request of Judson, Holden enlisted the help of the native Nooksack Indians to remove the Little Jam (which they were only too glad to do), working for three months. After the Little Jam was removed, Holden and Phoebe raised $1,500 to hire a contractor, Judge Plaster, to remove the Big Jam, which he completed in 1877. Judson served breakfast and lunch for the Indian workers on both occasions. In addition, she and Holden blazed the first trail to what is now Fishtrap Creek, then the site of a communal fishtrap.
After Washington's admittance into the Union in 1889, the population of Whatcom County began to rapidly grow. Holden began a business making hoops and poles
Hoop rolling
Hoop rolling, also called hoop trundling, is both a sport and a child's game in which a large hoop is rolled along the ground, generally by means of an implement wielded by the player. The aim of the game is to keep the hoop upright for long periods of time or to do various tricks.Hoop rolling has...
, striking a contract up with a Seattle firm. The Judsons sold their property, keeping only two acres on the Squahalish Plateau to build a frame house. Realizing how flat the area was, they directed emigrants to build the city of Lynden on the plateau. The Judsons reserved two plots in Lynden: Judson organized the construction of the Northwest Normal School (which, through the efforts of George Judson, became a state institution, eventually moving to Bellingham as Western Washington University
Western Washington University
Western Washington University is one of six state-funded, four-year universities of higher education in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in Bellingham and offers bachelor's and master's degrees.-History:...
); and Holden the Judson Opera House. On March 16, 1891, the city of Lynden was officially incorporated. Holden Judson was elected its first mayor.
Death
Phoebe Judson outlived all her children except the two eldest, Annie and Bonta. She outlived her siblings, raising their orphaned children Elsie, Edward, Joel, and Don (whom she raised until her death). On October 26, 1899, Holden died at the age of 71.Judson died on January 16, 1926 of natural causes. The entire city of Lynden
Lynden, Washington
Lynden is the second largest city in Whatcom County. Named and established in 1874 on the site of the Nooksack Indian village Squahalish , the town of Lynden began as a pioneer settlement headed by Holden and Phoebe Judson and is today home to one of the largest Dutch American communities in the...
was shut down (with stores closed and schools dismissed) on January 18 in honor of her funeral and death.