Abbie Casto's Fate - By Roger Knowles Thompson

Abigail M. Bonser came over the Oregon trail as a four year old in a wagon train captained by her father John Bonser and in the arms of her mother Rebecca Wood Halstead. Born in 1843 in Pike Co. Illinois, she was next to last in a family of seven children who made the trek.

Arriving in the fall of 1847, the Bonser family established a claim at Sauvies Island, Oregon at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette rivers, while others family members and friends from Illinois who had accompanied the John Bonser family took adjoining properties.

John and Rebecca had been prosperous in Illinois, were well equipped for the journey, and in contrast to many others who had lost everything, had the resources to soon establish a comfortable frontier home and a successful dairy farm on the banks of the Columbia.

Abigail and the other children were given as good an education as was available in the pioneer community. Abbie's father had transported a library of over 60 books to Oregon and her cousin Hilton Bonser, conducted the children's first school.

John Bonser thrived and became a well known figure, noted for his racing horses, fine cattle at stud, and a number of beautiful daughters. A race track was built on the property and the Bonser homestead became the site for frequent race meets and gatherings. Those who passed up and down the river often stopped, and the home became a center for frontier activity and gossip. A "brown jug" was kept on the front porch and the hospitality was generous. The family was also noted for taking in orphaned children and at on time Abbie shared her home with sixteen other children.

John was active in early civic affairs and the Bonser claim became the reference point for the establishment of the boundary of Columbia county Oregon, and he became the first county commissioner. All the children who grew up there remembered it fondly as a happy and busy place.

With the passing of the Donation Land act of 1850, any man could take a half section of land and a married man a full section. As Abbie and her sisters matured, a swarm of young men descended on the Bonser place. Abbie's oldest brother, Stephen Decatur Bonser, said in a letter of 1861, "Abbie, Lizzy, Hannah and Mandy (Mandy Lee, an adopted daughter) have received the attentions of all the men in the territory".

The competition appeared to have gotten out of hand when a murder occurred at the Bonser home in late1851. An Edward A. Bradbury was stabbed to death by a Creed Turner, "both being in love with a Miss Bonser of Sauvies Island." The girl was Abbie's older sister Martha then 14 years old. Turner was tried an hung in October of that year, and the execution was one of the earliest officially sanctioned executions after organization of the provisional government.

Abigail was adored by her family, James Halstead Bonser told his daughter Hannah that Abbie was of a "bright" disposition and that everyone was happy to be around her. Dark haired and beautiful she was popular and heavily courted.

In the spring of 1861, 17 year old Abigail met William Casto, a business associate of her fathers, was considered eligible by her parents and who had some capital. William had been friendly with Abbie's brother Stephen in the gold fields of California, and both had returned with some money. On his return from California, William had established himself with Henry Knighton at St. Helen Oregon, as a business agent dealing with the mixture of American and English ships importing goods to the Oregon Territory, but wished to establish his own business. On November 11, 1861 they were married at Portland, Oregon and over 100 guests attended a grand party.

By the 1860s The best lands available under the homestead law were North of the Columbia, and in 1863 the couple took a claim in the Squak Valley (Now Issaquah) at the head of lake Sammamish in what is now a Seattle suburb. The claim was a mixture of forest and meadow and readily cultivable, with dense growth of hazel bushes along the meadow lines.

William had learned of a demand for hoop poles while at St Helens, and felt they could be manufactured locally if a way to get them to market could be found. By the 1860s the cash poor settlers in the territory were desperate to establish export markets and the hoop pole business seemed perfect. He could use his St. Helens contacts to arrange for pickup of the poles at Elliot Bay on Puget sound.

A large amount of trade goods were assembled and with the help of Aleck, a Lewis river Klikitat and his sons, the move North was made. The Indian Aleck who had worked for the Bonser family at Sauvies Island, was named overseer, and a number of local Sammamish Indians were employed as laborers. Soon to follow was James Halstead one of Abbie's single cousins with more trade goods.

Aleck of the Klikitat Wife of Aleck of the Klikitat

Aleck of the Klikitat (left) and his wife (right).
These photos were probably taken by Stephen Bonser, Abigail Bonser Casto's brother. He was the first photographer to establish himself in St. Helens Oregon, which is next to Sauvies Island where the Bonser family lived and where Abbie was born. The carpet in these pictures is the carpet that may be found in nearly all the portraits from his studio.
Courtesy Hannah Bonser Knowles Collection

Hoop poles were made by drastically pruning Hazel bushes each Autumn. The following year perfectly straight shoots of an almost uniform diameter would grow if the pruning had been correct. By late summer they would be the proper length to be harvested, the bark and shoots removed, and the bushes re trimmed. They had multiple uses in the maritime and other trades, but the best known use was the stiffeners in the voluminous ladies skirts of the day.

William and Abbie's relationship with their workers was friendly, and alarmed their neighbors, particularly as William was known to share his liquor.

As settlers began to move north in increasing numbers, tensions were rising. The natives of the Puget sound were generally more warlike than those further south and there had been killings on both sides. By 1864 both whites and Indians seem to have come to the realization that if resistance was to be made it had to be soon.

In late summer 1864 an English brig, the "Marquis" had put a provision party ashore on the lower sound, and as the boat approached the beach it was fired upon from ambush killing one man. The captain put a heavily armed party ashore which marched to the nearest Indian village, a fight ensued, and several Indians were killed to include a chief. Stories abounded of other incidents.

There had been no general uprising this far north since the several "Indian wars" on the Columbia seven years earlier but rumors were flying and the approximately thirty families at Seattle and the dozens of others scattered throughout the region were watchful and went armed at all times.

On Nov 7, 1864, two Snohomish in Casto's employ fired rifles through the windows of the Casto cabin at the occupants seated around the dinner table. William seems to have been killed instantly, Abbie wounded, and John Halstead wounded though not fatally. The assailants rushed the door, and a struggle took place with John who was bludgeoned and stabbed to death. Abbie was also stabbed multiple times.

Aleck the Klikitat whose camp was near, heard the shots, and ran to the cabin, concealing himself outside. He shot the first of the murderers as they stepped out the door some time later. The second Indian bolted for the nearby woods where he was caught and dispatched with a hatchet. Those who came on the scene later said the second Snohomish had a head like a "chopped pumpkin."

Aleck reported the massacre, and the valley's settlers, wild with alarm, started to Seattle immediately. They consisted of a Mr. Bush and his family who were the Casto's nearest neighbors, and three or four single men from the area. Arriving at Seattle on the morning of the ninth, they reported a general uprising, and all the able bodied men set out to relieve the remaining settlers. They were able to reach the Casto farm by that evening, and found the Castos and John Halstead slain, but no general uprising.

As soon as the news reached Abbie's father at Sauvies Island, John Bonser, Abbie's two oldest brothers Stephen and James, Ira Halstead, Johns father, and several others, heavily armed, went North as a Stephen Bonser letter says, "looking for Justice." Arriving at the scene, they found there was nothing to be done as the killers had been dispatched and the victims bodies had already been taken to Seattle.

Leaving Stephen to make arrangements for transport of valuables south, John and James went to Seattle and were present at the inquest conducted by the Seattle coroner Josiah Settle. The Jury found that the deaths were as reported and found several other Indian witnesses who corroborated Aleck's account. The bodies were buried at the Denny Park cemetery, and later removed to the Masonic cemetery.

The loyal Klikitat Aleck accompanied the Bonsers back to the Columbia. It is interesting to note that a feud erupted amongst the Indians concerning the affair and for thirty years Aleck and his family were not safe. Aleck's son was later killed from ambush and Aleck wounded. Until the end of his life he and his family were welcome at the Bonsers, and from time to time lived at the Bonser homestead in a small dwelling built for them.

One of Aleck's daughters married a member of the Thomas family who had intermarried with the Bonsers and their son called by some "Sturgeon Jim" and by others "Indian Joe", became a well known character at Sauvies Island for many years.

The Original Casto claim was later bought by Governor Pickering and kept in that family until recent times.

Bibliography

1. "Indian Massacre - Beautiful Abbie Casto's Fate" Seattle Post Intelligencer - 1893 feature article. Author's possession

Abbie Casto's Fate
By Roger Knowles Thompson

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Abbie Casto's Fate By Roger Knowles Thompson

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Abbie Casto's Fate
By Roger Knowles Thompson