Bush Prairie: the first permanent farm north of the Columbia River

Bush Prairie: the first permanent farm north of the Columbia River

George Bush was a compassionate frontiersman and wheat farmer

George Bush (Los Angeles Times sketch by Sam Patrick, 1969)

Courtesy Henderson House Museum

Less than a decade after the Whitmans established their mission at Waiilatpu in southeast Washington, a group of pioneers left Missouri in search of a new life at the end of the Oregon Trail. The co-leader of the group was George Bush, a military man, trapper, wheat farmer and free Black American. He, his wife, Isabella, and their five sons joined friend Michael T. Simmons and three other families on the journey west, eventually settling in current day Tumwater. Tumwater was the first permanent American settlement in Washington.

 The journey to this settlement was not without hardships and moral challenges. A seasoned frontiersman and successful farmer, historians believe Bush was one of the wealthiest pioneers to enter the territory. The Oregon Territory, however, had recently enacted laws making it illegal for Bush to settle there because of his skin color. Arriving at the Columbia River in the fall of 1844, the group decided to settle only where the Bush family could settle. They spent that winter at Washougal, north of the Columbia River, where the Oregon government’s rule was not enforced. In the summer, Simmons and Bush explored the southern area of the Puget Sound, and in the fall of 1845 their group trekked north along the Cowlitz River. They cut a wagon trail through the forest to Budd Inlet, landing in the spot the Chinook tribe called Tumchuck, meaning “throbbing waters” or waterfall. The families settled in the spot, eventually naming it Tumwater. 

 The Bush family settled on 640 acres nearby, which became Bush Prairie and was known as one of the most valuable and productive farms in early Washington. With Simmons, Bush built the area’s first gristmill (flour mill) and sawmill. Bush was well-known for his compassion and generosity, helping finance Simmons’ logging company, dividing his crops with friends, and maintaining good relations with neighboring tribes.

"I don’t intend to see them want for anything I can provide them"

In 1846 the northern boundary of the Oregon Territory was extended to the 49th parallel (the modern northern boundary of the State of Washington), and so were its racist laws. Bush's land claim was suddenly illegal according to the laws of Oregon. Fortunately, Simmons had been appointed a Justice of the Peace and was able to temporarily prevent the loss of Bush’s claim.

Michael T. SimmonsCourtesy Washington State Library, Rural Heritage Collections

Michael T. Simmons

Courtesy Washington State Library, Rural Heritage Collections

The Bush’s lived under these tense circumstances for years, but their loyalty and commitment to their neighbors never wavered. According to historians, in 1852 “the grain supply was low on Puget Sound, and speculators attempted to accumulate the entire wheat crop. They offered Bush a high price for his wheat, but Bush told them that he would keep his grain, ‘so my neighbors will have enough to live on and for seeding their fields in the spring. They have no money to pay your fancy prices, and I don’t intend to see them want for anything I can provide them.’” (NPS, 1999). Historian Ezra Meeker remarked that during this food crisis, "The man divided out nearly his whole crop to new settlers who came with or without money…. 'Pay me in kind next year,' he would say to those in need; and to those who had money he would say, 'Don't take too much…just enough to do you'; and in this wise divided his large crop and became a benefactor to the whole community," (WSHS, 1994).

The Washington Territory separated from Oregon in 1853. Nine years after settling their farm, a group of Bush’s neighbors and friends passed a memorial through the Washington Territorial Legislature requesting that the United States Congress grant the Bush family title to their land in 1854. The U.S. Congress passed this special act the following year. 

Many settlers in the region owed their success to George Bush and his family. George died on April 5, 1863, and Isabella followed three years later. Their sons carried on their tradition of farming and public service. William Owen Bush, their eldest son, was a member of the first Washington state legislature in 1889-1890 and farmed the Bush Prairie farm until his death in 1907. 

 The Bush Prairie farm is now owned and farmed by Mark and Kathleen Clark, and with the help of the NRCS and Capitol Land Trust it is preserved as farmland forever. The farm is home to butternut and fruit trees that descended from those George and Isabella brought from Missouri.

There is much more to this story! Visit any of the resources below to learn more about the Bush family and their journey.

Resources:

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