"Early History of Thurston County, Washington; Together with Biographies and
Reminiscences of those Identified with Pioneer Days." Compiled and Edited by
Mrs. George E. (Georgiana) Blankenship.  Published in Olympia, Washington, 1914.
p. 201.
 
ROBERT FROST

     Robert Frost, or Judge Frost, as his friends best know this sturdy Pioneer,
sailor, artisan, Indian fighter, merchant, capitalist, judge of the police
court, holding office in Thurston County, has led a varied and, at times,
exciting career. Born in Tunbridge Wells, England, in the year of 1825, the
subject of this sketch grew to young manhood in Merrie England, going to school
in London. Being apprenticed to learn the plasterer's trade, there was little in
his early boyhood life to indicate what an eventful career lay before him.
     In 1853, the desire to see the world and share in the big things of life,
induced the young man to leave home and enlist as a sailor. His first seafaring
experience was on a coal brig running along the English coast. Later he shipped
on a fruit schooner bound for Mediterranean ports. Then on a deep sea vessel
visiting both the Atlantic and Pacific ports.
     San Francisco was reached on one of his voyages in 1855. He then re-shipped
on the brig Susan Abigail for Portland, Oregon, crossing the Columbia bar on New
Year's day, 1856.  Arriving at Portland, the prospects of the new country were
so alluring to him that he decided to quit his seafaring life and east his
fortune in the Northwest.
    Mr. Frost began again working at his trade of plasterer in Portland, Oregon
City and The Dalles. It was while working in this latter town that he became
excited over the stories received of the big strikes made on the Frazer River.
Everyone who could muster up an outfit was going to the gold fields, so the
young man joined the Dave McLaughlin party of 100 men and started on what proved
to be one of the most thrilling experiences of his life. The story of this
excursion is given in Mr. Frost's own words at the end of this sketch.
    Disgusted with the result of his mining experience, our hero decided to come
to Olympia. The first work Mr. Frost engaged in upon his arrival here was in a
printing office.  Although he kept at this for three years, the road to wealth
nor fame did not lie that way, so he returned to the following of his boyhood
trade. As the town was rapidly building up and the wages paid for plasterers was
good, he soon had a financial start, which later grew into a quite respectable
competence.
    In 1870, Mr. Frost purchased an interest in the hardware store of F. A.
Hoffman and under the firm name of Hoffman & Frost continued in business for the
following three years.  At the end of that time Mr. Frost became sole owner of
the business. The hardware store of Robert Frost was one of the prominent
business places in the Capital City for upwards of 30 years. Later the owner
disposed of the store and became County Treasurer. This office he held for a
couple of terms and has since been elected and appointed several times to the
office of Police Judge.
     Mr. Frost was one of the original stockholders of the first gas works and
electric plant in the city, and upon its consolidation with the Olympia Light &
Power Company, he was elected Vice President. At one time Mr. Frost was
a director of the First National Bank. These are only a few of the important
positions of trust and honor he has held in the city. In the year 1862, Mr.
Frost married Miss Louisa Holmes, the daughter of one of Olympia's Pioneers.
The young couple built themselves the home on East Bay Avenue which has been the
Frost home ever since. Here, Mrs. Frost died and here were born their four
children, Nell, Caroline, Florence and Anna. Florence is now Mrs. Charles
Garfield of Nome Alaska, Anna is Mrs. John Aldrich of Spokane, Caroline died at
the family home a few years ago, and the remaining daughter, Miss Frost, keeps
house and cares for her father in his declining years.
     An account of a trip from The Dalles, Oregon, to the Frazer River, at the
time of the gold excitement in 1858, including a description of an Indian fight
on the trip, was written by Mr. Frost, and is now preserved in the Spokane
Historical Society and the historical collection belonging to the
State University of Washington. The description of the fight is given with a
clearness and excellent choice of words that show the writer was possessed of a
considerable literary ability. After describing the incidents of the trip, Mr.
Frost relates:
     "We struck the Columbia River opposite the mouth of the Okanogan River, at
which place was the old Hudson Bay fort. Here we had to get canoes and Indians
to ferry us and our supplies over, and there we had to swim our horses. We lost
three or four horses in the stream. I was unfortunate enough to lose my best
horse. I felt then as if I had lost my best friend. I had bought the horse from
an Indian at Walla Walla, perfectly wild and unbroken, but in three or four days
I had him a perfect pet. He would follow me around and when I stopped would come
and put his head on my shoulder for a caress. After all these years I have not,
and never shall forget him.
     "The old Hudson Bay trail, which we were following up the Okanogan River,
was first on one side of the river and then on the other. One morning we were on
the right bank, when we came to a rocky bluff which ran out to the river, so we
had to make a detour to the right and go through what is now known as McLaughlin
Canyon, before we could get to the. river again. I have not seen this canyon
since, but as I remember it, it is quite narrow, with high perpendicular walls,
with natural terraces or benches, only accessible from the northern end. At the
southern end it was an utter impossibility to get at any one on these benches
except with a rifle.
    "Now, evidently, the Indians had their runners out and were prepared for us,
for they had gotten on to these benches, threw up rock breastworks, and laid for
us.
    "Every morning in starting out we had a head and a rear guard, generally
from six to ten men in each. We would change about. This morning I was in the
rear. The head
guard had gotten well into the canyon, as well as part of the train. The object
of the Indians was to get us all in the canyon. Had they succeeded, very few of
us would have gotten out alive.
    "As it was, an Indian on one of the benches showed himself and one of the
head guard saw him and gave the alarm. Then they opened fire. As quick as
possible the horses were hurried back to the river and all took what shelter
they could get, and drew a bead on an Indian whenever a chance offered. After
the animals were down on the flat every available man with a gun went up to the
front.
    "There were six killed in the start. I do not remember their names excepting
one, Jesse Rice, from Cashe Creek, California.
    "There were several wounded. I recollect Tom Menefee. who was afterward well
known to Cariboo men, having kept, a road house at Williams Lake. Tom was badly
wounded, shot in several places with slugs, also William R. Wright, a brother of
Capt. Tom Wright, a prominent steamboat man on the Sound, and Jim Lowry from
Vancouver.
    "Jim was badly shot, and here occurred an instance of bravery such as is
seldom equaled. Lowry and Bill Burton were partners, and were the first to take
shelter, Indian fashion and fight. They were some 200 yards apart, sheltered by
some scrub pines, but Lowry was shot down. As he fell, he called to Brunton, who
deliberately left his cover, ran over to his partner and picked him up, got him
on his shoulder and carried him to the rear.
    "About noon we had to give way and retreat to a little hill across from the
canyon, from where the men plugged long shots that afternoon and night. The rest
were engaged in building cottonwood rafts and carrying the freight across the
river into the open country. An Indian will never fight in the open unless he
has all the advantage possible. Several of our men were busy carrying water to
our men on the hillside.
     "During the night we ferried everything across the river and by daylight
had the horses herded together. We run them down the river a few hundred yards
to a ford and got them safely across. The Indians followed us in a parallel
along the mountain and gave us a parting volley, but did no damage as the range
was too long. We stayed in camp here several days attending to our wounded. Now,
it is well known that the average sailor is very handy and a good all around
man most anywhere. We had in our company an Irish sailor, who had been in the
English navy and who had been through the Crimean war at Sebastopol.
     "He was the nearest we had to a doctor. Several of the boys had along a box
of pills. He selected one and gave each wounded man a dose, then made a clean
pointed stick to probe the wounds enough to keep them open, and after washing
them laid a pad of wet cloth on the wounds. The doctor would go around twice or
more a day and probe and wash and he, with the pills, stick, cloth and water did
the whole business. They all got well, but it took Manefee the longest to get
over it.
     "We kept our guards out all night, and on the second day we knew the
Indians had broken up so far as this point was concerned, as we could see them
in small parties working down the plain to the Chelan and Columbia Rivers. I
think it was on the third day after the battle that a party of our men went up
on the west side, well armed and with tools, to bury the dead. They crossed the
river at the north end of the canyon, entered it, met with no resistance and
came to our unfortunate dead comrades. The Indians had stripped them of
everything and mutilated their bodies. They were buried the best that could be
done under the circumstances."

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Submitted to the Washington Bios. Project in May 2007 by Diana Smith.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.