of Mrs Esther Short's land claim," and by the same act Mrs Short's dwelling was made the legal place of holding courts until suitable buildings should be erected by the county.^^ The county seat of Che-
name occurred about 1851 or 1852, but I fail to find any mention of it. I think it was done on the motion of the first postmaster at that place, R. H. Lansdale, who had the post-office called Columbia City. The name, how- ever, w^ould not pass in the face of long usage, and the Washington legisla- ture at its second session changed it to Vancouver. The commissioners appointed for Clarke county by the first territorial legislature were William Dillon, 0. C. Stiles, and Mr Fairchilds; sheriff, George W. Hart; judge of probate, Henry Gullifer; auditor, William Ryan; treasurer, Henry Burlin- game; justices of the peace, Solomon Strong, Michael Tubbs; coroner, William M. Simmons; assessor, Henry C. Morse; constable for Vancouver precinct, Moses Kirkham, for Cathlapootle precinct, C. C. Bogarth, for Washougal precinct, Berry Paten.
1^ Officers were appointed for all the counties already in existence, as well as the new ones, and as the list furnishes a guide to the distribution of the pop- ulation, they are here given. Skamania county commissioners, S. M. Hamil- ton, Joseph Robbins, Jacob W. Scroder; sheriff, E. F. McNoll; judge of probate, Cornelius Salmer; treasurer, J. H. Bush; auditor, George W. Johnson; justices of the peace, N. H. Gales, B. B. Bishop, and Lloyd Brooke.
Cowlitz county commissioners, Thomas Lowe, A. A. Abernethy, Seylor Rue; justice of the peace for Monticello precinct, Nathaniel Stone; constable, R. C. Smith; judge of probate, Nathaniel Ostrander; auditor, Charles Hol- man; treasurer, Alexander Crawford; sherifi", James Huntington; assessor, Benjamin Huntington; justice of the peace for Oak Point precinct, W. H. Harris; constable, F. A. Smith.
Wahkiakum county commissioners, James Birnie, Thompson Dray, Aus- tin Nye; auditor, Newell Bearfs; treasurer, James Birnie, Jr; sheriff, Wil- liam Stilwell; judge of probate and justice of the peace, Solomon Stilwell.
Pacific county commissioners, George T. Eastabrook, P. J. McEwen, Daniel Wilson; judge of probate, George P. Newell; justice of the peace, Ezra Wes- ton; constable, William Edwards.
Lewis county commissioners, Henry R. Stillman, Thomas Metcalf, J. C. Davis; judge of probate, James Gardiner; auditor, Horace H. Pints; jus- tices of the peace, Charles F. White, 0. Small, N. Stearns, F. Delin; con- stables, Baptiste Bone, William C. Many; sheriff, J. L. Mitchell; auditor, Martin Budson; treasurer, C. C. Pagett; coroner, George B. Roberts; super- intendent of common schools, A. B. Dillenbaugh.
Thurston county commissioners, Sidney S. Ford, Sen., David J. Chambers, James McAllister; auditor, Urban E. Hicks; sheriff, Franklin Kennedy; assessor, Whitfield Kirtley; judge of probate, Stephen D. Ruddell; treasurer, Daniel R. Bigelow; justices of the peace, Nathan Eaton, Joseph Broshears, W. Plumb; superintendent of schools, Elwood Evans; constable for Olym- pia precinct, Franklin Kennedy.
Chehalis county commissioners, George Watkins, John Vail, John Brady; auditor, A. 0. Houston; treasurer, D. K. Weldon; judge of probate, James H. Roundtree; sheriff, M. A. Fairfield; justices of the peace, William M. Bullard, C. L. Russell, I. L. Scaramon.
Pierce county commissioners, William P. Dougherty, L. A. Smith, William N. Savage; treasurer, H. C. Perkins; sheriff, C. Dunham; assessor, Hugh Patterson; coroner, Anthony Laughlin; justices of the peace, H. M. Frost, George Brown, Samuel McCaw; auditor, G. Bowlin; judge of probate, H. C. Moseley; constables, William McLucas, William Sherwood.
King county commissioners, Thomas Mercer, G. W. W. Loomis, L. M. Collins; judge of probate, William A. Strickler; sheriff, C. D. Boren; auditor,
