Dave, You have always been good at differing, no need to beg. None of the places you mentioned were ever served or governed by Wasco County. In the case of the Whitman Mission and Lapwai (Nez Perce) locations, none of these were ever in Wasco County, and none had permanent white habitation prior to the late 50's. There are numerous locations named Camas Prairie throughout the Northwest, the earliest permanently settled (in the early 40's) is near Fort Vancouver, and certainly had nothing to do with Wasco. In the case of the far southeast of present Idaho, the few early Mormon pioneers of that area certainly saw themselves as part of Utah in 1858-9, and would have done their business with Cache County, Utah Territory, which is in fact where they were enumerated in 1860. They would absolutely not have had any business with Wasco County in The Dalles all those hundreds of miles away, just as they never did business with the Washington Territory counties which took over there for Wasco on the maps. Yes, Umatilla was formed from Wasco in 1862, and took a number of people around Milton-Freewater away, but the first large scale division of Wasco population did not occur until 1882 with the formation of Crook County, which included present Jefferson and Deschutes as well as a chunk of Wheeler. Yes, over two decades later..... Kevin Fraley ----- Original Message ----- From: "W David Samuelsen" <dsam@sampubco.com> To: <OREGON-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2002 5:24 PM Subject: Re: [OREGON] Large counties downsizing > I beg to differ. There were settlements before 1859 - in Nez Perce, > Idaho already as early as 1843 in Camas Prairie. Then there's > the settlement at Franklin, Idaho. Not to mention the Whitman Mission > settlement that changed over to Walla Walla within short time. > > And "decades later" as you said so from Wasco, I beg to differ also > > Baker County 1862 > Grant County 1864 > Umatilla County 1862 > Lake County 1874 > > Records go back that early. > > David Samuelsen > > Kevin Fraley wrote: > > > > Hi, > > While its "official" boundaries for a couple years ending in 1859 > > did indeed include a large part of present Idaho, a small corner of > > present Wyoming, and a tiny sliver of present Montana, there was not > > at any time during this period any white population in any of those > > areas. In fact, the entire "county" prior to statehood in 1859 > > consisted of a handful of families making their livings from the small > > army post at Fort Dalles, all living within yards of the post or on > > it. There were so few white men that the county offices > > (commissioner, sheriff, auditor, accessor, etc.) had to be assigned, > > two or three offices per man. It is certainly not true that people > > searching for early Idaho pioneers can find records in Wasco County. > > Several Oregon counties were formed decades later from Wasco, and in > > these cases some old records may exist in Wasco. Washington Territory > > was formed in 1853 (before Wasco County), Idaho Territory was formed > > from Washington Territory in 1863. > > > > Kevin Fraley > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Pete Wasser" <petew@netcnct.net> > > To: <OREGON-L@rootsweb.com> > > Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2002 11:39 AM > > Subject: [OREGON] Large counties downsizing > > > > > Karen, > > > In the book I quoted from is this explanation: "1850, Clackamas, > > Marion > > > and Linn extended by statute to the Rocky Mountains, but the 1850 > > census > > > population lay west of the Cascade Mountains." > > > > > > I live in Wasco county. It covered four states including Idaho, > > Montana > > > and Wyoming. Wasco county was the largest county in the U.S. People > > > unaware of its history would not know to contact the governmental > > > offices here in Wasco county to search for records of their > > ancestors in > > > newer counties that were formed later. The records are not sent to > > the > > > newly formed counties, they remain with the original counties. > > > > > > In 1860 Idaho was considered a part of the "Washington Territory". > > It > > > became "Idaho Territory" around 1870. By 1870 Wasco county had been > > > downsized and the counties of Umatilla, Union, Grant and Baker were > > > formed in eastern Oregon.