Tales of the Trail

Book excerpt: An Account, From a Woman's Viewpoint, Of the Crossing of the Plains inOx Caravan in 1864, and Settlement of the Boise Valley of Idaho; A Wagon Trip to Texas, andSettlement and Life There; A Wagon Trip to Washington Territory from Texas, and Settlement in the Kittitas Valley.FOREWORDS: Grandmother Fulton, at the age of eighty years, began writing her memories of pioneer days in the Northwest. Without recourse to anything but her wonderful memory, she collected the material for this book, and then undertook the almost incredible task of transcribing in longhand the voluminous mass of facts which she had accumulated.This writing she accomplished between times as she worked in her garden or looked after her chickens and turkeys on her little farm in California. Primarily, as a sort of family story for her descendants, she worked to leave them a remembrance of the conditions of life which all pioneer people had lived. Her story tells of the struggles in pioneer times; in which woman bore her share of the burden. Most of her companions have joined the silent ranks, but their children and children's children may learn here something of the heroic work their parents accomplished in building homes in a new country.W. S.(Will) Cooper (husband of Estelle Fulton)1930This is the most interesting and exciting factual history of crossing the Plains and settling the West you will ever hope to read. Every chapter is written in such a manner that you cannot wait to read the next few paragraphs to see how each drama is going to play out. If you grew up in the Methow Valley before World War II, your genes are loaded with those of your Grandparents and Great Grandparents who made this western trek across the Plains, over the Rocky Mountains and into the Northwest Territory of Washington by wagon train to open up new frontiers never before settled by white families. Up to 80% of the first 150 pioneers to settle in the Methow Valley were either their children, children of relatives or close friends of Frank and Arabella Fulton coming from Wise County in Texas and later to the Ellensburg area in Washington.Four of Frank and Belle Fulton's children (Lee, Frank, Jr., Nellie, and Jacqueline (sic) along with numerous nephews, nieces and in-laws and some of their parents, came to stake out homesteads in the Methow Valley including Hartles, Pattersons, Barnharts, Germans, and Sullivans. Mason Thurlow (perhaps the first farmer in Methow Valley) lived with Frank and Belle Fulton in Texas for several years during his teenage years. Mason Thurlow came to Northwest Territory with the Fultons on the same wagon train.Dale W. Dibble (Methow Valley pioneer family, part of the wagon train from Texas in April, 1883.)1994Arabella finished her writing in the home of her daughter, Della, at Caldwell, Idaho in 1930. Arabella's grandson, David "Lee" Nickell (son of Jacquelyn) paid for a private printing in 1965 in cooperation with Payette Radio of Montreal, Canada. There were 500 copies printed at that time. Lee often discussed with the family that Grandma Fulton's story should be reprinted. Some 30 years later, permission was given by Lee for an adaptation for school use to Judith Greenberg and Helen Carey McKeever - portions are included in A Pioneer Woman's Memoir Based on the Journal of Arabella Clemens Fulton (1995). There has been no attempt to rewrite Belle's language. This is Belle's story, and it is with pleasure that her voice may continue to speak through this unique memoir.Jacquelyn Nickell Fewkes (grand-daughter of Jacquelyn Fulton) 2018.Additional writing included from Arabella's oldest son, Joseph Lee Fulton on the early settlement of the Methow Valley, Washington.