The 1872 North Cascades Earthquake
Washington Reporting Localities



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ACCOUNTS EVALUATED
River Station
Pend Oreille River, Washington


Data Source             Date                            Code        Remarks



The Montana Pioneer December 21, 1872 B

*Daily Oregonian January 15, 1873 *Weekly Intelligencer February 10, 1873 [*Daily British Colonist Jan. 31, 1873 p. 3 col. 5 - cited in Coombs et al, 1976 -- RSL 8/10/1999]

A. Period Account: Primary source for evaluation of intensity or felt report.
B. Period Account: Insufficient data to evaluate intensity.
C. Period Account: Item appearing as dispatch, summary or brief des- cription or duplicate data with more complete data available in other sources.
D. Later descriptive account identified with period sources.
E. Later descriptive account not confirmed in period documentary sources.
*Designates duplicate data not included in compilation.




River Station, Pend Oreille River
The Montana Pioneer
December 21, 1872
Missoula, Montana


Not a tremor of an earthquake was felt at Virginia City. A slight shock was felt at Silver Star.

Bozeman experienced a slight shock of an earthquake on the 10th inst.

The earthquake was quite heavy, and furnished the N. N. West numerous items.

EARTHQUAKE AND LOSS OF CATTLE - We are in receipt of a letter from I.N. Woods, written from River Station, Pen d'Orielle- River and dated Dec. 15, in which the writer says.. "We had a very severe shock of an earthquake on the afternoon of the 14th- At the time we first felt the earth move James Bradley was crossing his cattle and horses over the Pen d'Orielle River, on the ice, when the ice suddenly commenced jumping up and breaking to pieces, letting the cattle and horses into the river. Out of 71 head of cattle Mr. Bradley succeeded in saving 21 head. The horses all came ashore: some of them were badly cut up by- being jammed between the ice- This is all the damage that I have heard of being done. The water was about four feet higher than usual. It was a fearful shock here." At about 11:30 a.m. of the same day, Missoula was treated to another shaking up, much harder than the shock of the 10th inst. Bells suspended from the walls were rung and things shaken up lively.



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ACCOUNTS EVALUATED
Rock Island


Data Source             Date                            Code        Remarks


Oregonian December 30, 1872 B Account appears similar to incident reported at White Bluffs, Washington. *Willamette Farmer January 4, 1873 c Same as above.


A. Period Account: Primary source for evaluation of intensity or felt report.
B. Period Account: Insufficient data to evaluate intensity.
C. Period Account: Item appearing as dispatch, summary or brief des- cription or duplicate data with more complete data available in other sources.
D. Later descriptive account identified with period sources.
E. Later descriptive account not confirmed in period documentary sources.
*Designates duplicate data not included in compilation.




Rock Island, W. T.
Oregonian
Dec. 30, 1872 pg I
Portland, Oregon

A correspondent at Yakima writes us that the earthquake at that place was quite severe. There were three distinct shocks. The Indians on Rock Island say the mountain at that place rolled down and killed three persons. On the Snoqualmie Pass the shock was so hard as to shake a man off his feet. At Yakima City the people rushed out of doors in a great state of alarm with clubs, revolvers and shot guns, thinking the Indians had made a general attack and were tearing up things generally.



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ACCOUNTS EVALUATED
San Juan, Washington


Data Source             Date                            Code        Remarks

Douglas, G.C. December 1872 A
Additional Info on quakes in 1869 from Coombs et al, 1976 [RSL 8/10/1999]


A. Period Account: Primary source for evaluation of intensity or felt report.
B. Period Account: Insufficient data to evaluate intensity.
C. Period Account: Item appearing as dispatch, summary or brief des- cription or duplicate data with more complete data available in other sources.
D. Later descriptive account identified with period sources.
E. Later descriptive account not confirmed in period documentary sources.
*Designates duplicate data not included in compilation.




San Juan, WT
Douglas, G.C.; "Record for the Month of December 1872;" Post Surgeon; Camp San Juan; San Juan, Washington; National Archives; Washington, D.C.

RECORD FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 1872

Number of sick 4
Temperature; Max. 50 degrees Min. 22 degrees
Amount of rainfall 96 in.
Medical stores for 1873 received

Shocks of earthquake on the 14th and 18th inst.
Civil law formally inaugurated (sic) upon islands lately in dispute with Great Briton, by the Governor of Washington Territory, who for that purpose paid an official visit to San Juan on the 23rd inst.
______________
Surgeon's Camp San Juan



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ACCOUNTS EVALUATED
Seattle, Washington


Data Source             Date                            Code        Remarks

*Sheriff James Kavanaugh C Diary entry dated December 14, 1872 written at Seattle.

Daily Pacific Tribune December 16, 1872 A The same dispatch appears in: Eugene City Guard December 21, 1872; Morning Oregonian, December 19, 1872; The New Northwest, December 31, 1872; Oregon State, December 21, 1872, not included in this com- pilation







Victoria Daily December 16, 1872 A The same dispatch appears Standard in: Daily British Colonist, December 17, 1872; Oregonian, December 17, 1872; Daily Oregonian, December 20, 1872; Morning Oregonian, December 20, 1872; Willamette Farmer, December 21, 1872; Idaho Signal, December 28, 1872 (extract), Idaho Signal, December 28, 1872; The New Northwest, December 28, 1872; Not included in this compilation. Weekly Intelligencer December 16, 1872 A *Daily Pacific Tribune December 17, 1872 c Same appears in Weekly Pacific Tribune, December 21, 1872, not included in this compila- tion. Puget Sound Dispatch December 19, 1872 A *The Weekly Echo December 19, 1872 c *Weekly Mercury December 20, 1872 c *Weekly Intelligencer December 23, 1872 c Refers a later aftershock *Idaho Tri-Weekly December 24, 1872 c Statesman *Puget Sound Dispatch December 26, 1872 c
Additional Aftershock Reports from Coombs et al, 1976 [RSL 8/9/1999]



A. Period Account: Primary source for evaluation of intensity or felt report.
B. Period Account: Insufficient data to evaluate intensity.
C. Period Account: Item appearing as dispatch, summary or brief des- cription or duplicate data with more complete data available in other sources.
D. Later descriptive account identified with period sources.
E. Later descriptive account not confirmed in period documentary sources.
*Designates duplicate data not included in compilation.




Seattle, W. T.
Daily Pacific Tribune
Dec. 16, 1872 pg 2
Seattle, Washington

At Seattle, the shock is said to have been more severe than at any other point. Men, women and children rushed out of doors, and, for a time, the streets were black with the mass of human beings. Children were hurried from their beds by their terrified mothers, themselves, in many cases en deshabille, and into the streets were crowded to escape injury from buildings expected to fall. It was, doubtless, in the lower part of the town, where the foundation is a swamp covered with ten feet of saw dust, far more dangerous than on the hill in the rear of the town or than in Olympia. The sawdust is said to have opened in places, leaving narrow and deep cracks.

We await with some anxiety news from California and elsewhere, hoping that they were so fortunate as we in escaping disaster.



Seattle, W. T.
Victoria Daily Standard
Dec. 16, 1872 pg 3
Victoria, B.C.

WASHINGTON TERRITORY

SEATTLE: Dec. 15--Last night, at about 20 minutes to 10 o'clock, the people of this place were suddenly startled by the heaviest earthquake felt so far north on the coast as this, with the excep- tion of the earthquake at San Francisco in 1865. We doubt whether so violent and long continued a shock has been felt for years on the entire coast. No damage was done, but our frame buildings swayed to and fro like a small craft at sea. There were three series of shocks; the first was of about twenty seconds duration, and the other two, soon after, of but a few seconds each. They seemed to proceed from the northeast to the southwest. We shall probably hear of its having been experienced in other sections of the coast with much more violence.



Seattle, W. T.
Weekly Intelligencer
Dec. 16, 1872 pg 3
Seattle, Washington

A VIOLENT EARTHQUAKE.--ON Saturday night, at about twenty minutes to ten o'clock the citizens of this place were suddenly startled by the heaviest earth- quake felt so far, north on the Coast as this. With the exception of the earthquake at San Francisco in 1865, we doubt whether so violent and long continued a one has been felt for years on the entire Coast. No damage was done, but our frame buildings swayed to and fro like a small craft at sea. There were three series of shocks. The first was of about two minutes duration, and the other two soon after of but a few seconds each. They seemed to proceed from the north-east to the south-west. We shall probably hear of its having been experienced in other sections of the Coast with much more violence.



Seattle, W. T.
Puget Sound Dispatch
Dec. 19, 1872 p. 2, c. 1
Seattle, W. T.
[This account was not included in the Weston Geophysics Volume. The text has been provided by Greg Lange; RSL 5/10/2000]

Seattle, W. T.

THE EARTHQUAKE. - On Saturday [Dec 14] night at 34 minutes past nine - as indicated by the stoppage of two regulators - the shock of an earthquake was felt in this city continuing at intervals in all 12 minutes, during which time there were three distinct shocks, so closely connected that it was impossible to tell the duration of each seperate [sic] shock; they are variously estimated at from two seconds to two minutes. It was an undulating motion, from South to North, like waves of the ocean, unaccompanied by any violent jar, or irregular upheaval, otherwise, from its force, it would have been very disastrous in its consequences. - Water tanks and milk pans were tipped so as to discharge portions of their contents, showing an angle of thirty degrees, and the pendulums of clocks, which were not running at the time, were started at a like angle. This was the most violent shock of an earthquake ever experienced in this region within the recollection of the oldest inhabitant. We hear of no damage done by it, but the breaking of afew dishes and the fright it gave several persons.



Seattle, W. T.
Puget Sound Dispatch
Dec. 19, 1872 p. 2
Seattle, W. T.

Seattle, W. T.

THE EARTHQUAKE.--Our citizens are greatly disappointed earthquake shock, felt so severely here, only extended a few miles south of Portland, Aurora, in Marion county, being the extreme southern point at which it was noticed. It evidently barely skirted the northern boundary of Oregon, and gained in intensity and force in a north and east direction,. being much more severe on the mainland in British Columbia than here.



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ACCOUNTS EVALUATED
Skokomish, Washington


Data Source             Date                            Code        Remarks

The Weekly Echo January 2, 1873 A



A. Period Account: Primary source for evaluation of intensity or felt report.
B. Period Account: Insufficient data to evaluate intensity.
C. Period Account: Item appearing as dispatch, summary or brief des- cription or duplicate data with more complete data available in other sources.
D. Later descriptive account identified with period sources.
E. Later descriptive account not confirmed in period documentary sources.
*Designates duplicate data not included in compilation.



SKOKOMISH, W.T
The Weekly Echo
January 2, 1873
Olympia, W.T.

Earthquake

On Saturday at 10 P.M., Old Mother Earth, appearing to have become tired of lying still so long gave the denizens of Skokomish the impression that she was intending to rise up and shake herself. She did not rise much but the shaking was terrific. Dr. Casto relates that water was spilled from a barrel on his porch that was not full by six inches. Chickens were thrown from the roost, clocks stopped, etc., etc. The clothing hanging in my room vibrated almost two or three inches. Three distinct shocks were felt, the first lasting at least a full minute. The motion is said to have been from South-east to North-west. The earthquake being the latest excitement, I have nothing further to write. So wishing your paper great success, I subscribe myself. H.L.E.



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ACCOUNTS EVALUATED
Snoqualmie, Washington


Data Source             Date                            Code        Remarks

Weekly Pacific Tribune December 28, 1872 A Willamette Farmer January 4, 1873 B
Additional Reports from Coombs et al, 1976 [RSL 8/11/1999]


A. Period Account: Primary source for evaluation of intensity or felt report.
B. Period Account: Insufficient data to evaluate intensity.
C. Period Account: Item appearing as dispatch, summary or brief des- cription or duplicate data with more complete data available in other sources.
D. Later descriptive account identified with period sources.
E. Later descriptive account not confirmed in period documentary sources.
*Designates duplicate data not included in compilation.




Snoqualmie, Washington
Weekly Pacific Tribune
Olympia, W.T.
Dec. 28, 1872
[Per Greg Lange 5/2000; This article is repeated in the Puget Sound Dispatch of Thursday Dec. 26, 1872, with the exception of that the correspondent's name is given as Fares.; RSL 5/10/2000]

The Earthquake in the Mountains.

"Mr. H. Farus, of Snoqualmie, writes in the Seattle Dispatch from his place, near the foot of the mountains, under date of the 17th inst., as follows:

'This valley has been pretty well shook up during the past three days with earthquakes. The first was about 10 o'clock on Saturday night, lasting a minute and a half, and was very heavy. We had thirteen more shocks before daylight, but one was heavy as the first. Since then we have had ten. A very heavy smoke has risen in the mountains a little west of north, seen distinctly when not too cloudy. There appears to be two volumes of smoke."'.

Mount Baker is in the direction of the smoke seen from Snoqualmie, and it is not improbable that the earthquake shocks felt here were caused by an eruption of that volcanic mountain, as all accounts concur that it was most violent in that direction.



SNOQUALMIE PASS, W.T.
Willamette Farmer
January 4, 1873, page 8
Salem, Oregon

THE EARTHQUAKE

The Walla Walla papers bring further news of the earthquakes reporting it as much more severe than was experienced in Oregon. At Walla Walla city a low, rumbling noise was heard, followed by the rattling of windows and the swinging of picture frames, the whole concluding with a ground swell that can best be compared to the rolling of the waves in a rough sea. The whole lasted, probably, less than a minute.

A correspondent at Yakima writes to the Oregonian that the earthquake at that place was quite severe. There were three distinct shocks. The Indians on Rock Island say the mountain at that place rolled down and killed three persons. On the Snoqualmie Pass the shock was so hard as to shake a man off his feet. At Yakima City the people rushed out of doors in a great state of alarm with clubs, revolvers and shot guns, thinking the Indians had made a general attack and were tearing up things generally.



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ACCOUNTS EVALUATED
Spokane Bridge, Washington
(Spokane County)


Data Source             Date                            Code        Remarks


Walla Walla Statesman December 21, 1872 A *Idaho Signal December 28, 1872 C Statement of Thomas D Does not corroborate Garry etc. report below of injuries The Oregonian December 30, 1872 - Tiffin -- D Later account


A. Period Account: Primary source for evaluation of intensity or felt report.


B. Period Account: Insufficient data to evaluate intensity.
C. Period Account: Item appearing as dispatch, summary or brief des- cription or duplicate data with more complete data available in other sources.
D. Later descriptive account identified with period sources.
E. Later descriptive account not confirmed in period documentary sources.
*Designates duplicate data not included in compilation.




Spokane Bridge, W. T.
Dec. 17th, 1871
Walla Walla Statesman
Dec. 21, 1872
Walla Walla, W. T.


EDITOR STATESMAN:--WE send you five dollars and a half in greenbacks, for a year's subscrip- tion to your paper--the nearest we could come to the amount--as there is no means of sending coin from here at present
How did the earthquake affect you down there? Nobody hurt in these parts, so far as heard from. It found us on the night of the 14th, about 10 o clock. We had four very distinct shocks--some say eight. The first one was very severe, lasting about thirty seconds. We have no very correct idea, though, of how long the shocks lasted, as we believe they were the first of their kind known to the oldest inhabitant. In fact, nobody around here had any very clear conception of what was the matter until it was all over. Hoping there was nobody hurt in Walla Walla, and with out best wishes, we remain yours, COWLEY & FORD




Spokane Bridge, W. T.
INDIAN ACCOUNT OF THE SETTLEMENT OF THE
SPOKANE COUNTY
Statement of Thomas Garry, Moses B. Phillips, Aleck Pierre, Charley Warren, John Stevens, David John and William Three Mountains, made to William S. Lew Recording Secretary of the Spokane Historical Society on October 20, 1916, Mc Phillips acting as interpreter.

When the Catholics started to build their chapel, St. Michael's on Moran (undoubtedly should be Peone) prairie, Spokane Garry wasn't there. Charley Warner worked on the building of the chapel. He put mud on the cracks of the buildings to keep out the cold. Spokane Garry wanted to move this Catholic mission, but the Peones were a big family and they stated that they had all joined the Catholic church and that it was impossible to move the church. This was one of the reasons why we went after Mr. Spalding as we will tell you later.

About this time there was a big earthquake. The earth shook for about fifteen minutes. There were some large cracks in the ground about fifty miles west of the falls, along the Spokane river, and a big land slide along the river in that vicinity. We do not know of any Indians being hurt. The Indians all thought that the end of the world was come. On account of this and the Catholics, Spokane Garry called a meeting of the Spokane Indian at a place on the river a little above Spokane to talk matters over, and at another meeting held a little later four men were appointed to go to Kamia to bring Mr. Spalding to us. These men were Chettle-Sote, No-wit-chi-tache- mo-qualte, Sha-a-mene, Tsch-tako and Charley Warner here went with these men. They brought Mr. Spalding from Kamia to Spokane. On the Spokane prairie he baptized all the Spokane Indians. Some had already been baptized by the Catholics, these Mr. Spalding baptized again. The Indians did this so that if another earthquake and the end of the world came they could all go to Heaven.

The Big Wind was only in certain districts. Where the Big Wind blew the big trees were all blown down for a long distance. Steven here was in Montana at the time. There was no Big Wind there.

The last expedition of the Spokanes to the buffalo country was made just after the big earthquake. There were very few buffalo ever in the Spokane country. Stevens father when a boy, was told that seven buffalo had been killed in the Spokane plains. The Indians chased these buffalo around on horse back and finally killed them with their bows and arrows.



SPOKANE, W.T.
The Oregonian
December 30, 1872
Portland, Oregon

The Walla Statesman says: "The accounts that reach us seem to indicate that the further north, the greater the severity of the earthquake. There is a report that up in the Spokane country, the earth opened and swallowed up a number of Indians and their horses. This, doubtless, is an exaggeration, but one thing is certain, the whole interior basin had a rough shake."





Spokane County, Washington

Tiffin, Emma (Mrs.), Spokane County, Told by the Pioneers,
Vol. 3 1938, P 105 WPA Federal Project No. 5841.
Published and Compiled by WPA Federal Project No. 5841.

"Mrs. Emma Tiffin
"Spokane County

"On December 14, 1872, I felt quite a severe earthquake shock while sitting alone in my cabin. Dishes rattled and weights on our large clock batted together and gave me quite a scare."



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ACCOUNTS EVALUATED
Steilacoom, Washington


Data Source             Date                            Code        Remarks

Puget Sound Express December 19, 1872 A *The Weekly Echo December 19, 1872 c *Washington Standard December 21, 1872 c
Additional Info (and aftershock reports) from Coombs et al, 1976 [RSL 8/10/1999]


A. Period Account: Primary source for evaluation of intensity or felt report.
B. Period Account: Insufficient data to evaluate intensity.
C. Period Account: Item appearing as dispatch, summary or brief des- cription or duplicate data with more complete data available in other sources.
D. Later descriptive account identified with period sources.
E. Later descriptive account not confirmed in period documentary sources.
*Designates duplicate data not included in compilation.



Steilacoom, W. T. Puget Sound Express
December 19, 1872 p. 2

A SHAKING UP--Last Saturday evening at 9:50 O'clock we were visited by one of those awe inspiring phenomenal freaks which never fail quickening the beating of one-'pulses. There were two distinct shocks, accompanied by several minor shivers and by that peculiar rumbling noise which nothing but an earth- quake can produce; each shock lasting about a minute, disturbing the breast of the earth and agitating everything on its surface. Some of the people had retired to rest, but were aroused by the insidious approach of the unwelcome visitor. The commotion it raised did not readily subside, and a dread of suc- ceeding shocks harassed the minds of many. The oscillations apparently proceeded from southwest to northeast. Another slight jar was felt about 3 o'clock the following morning.

Several shocks in this city were suddenly overcome by a freak of "good policy," and refused to go on "tick" ; chickens were knocked from their perches, windows cracked, and pendant lamps vibrated describing an arc of 90 degrees. We judge the shocks were most severely felt by the Masonic fraternity (who were communing at the time on 'the third floor, above our office) by the manner in which the members came down stairs and hurried out on the street; and whether or not they were strictly decorous in their deportment we have no means of knowing. if it was a genuine ague our mother earth had, we are inclined to the belief that she must have caught it in Oregon, as our Territory is comparatively free from bowel diseases. The ultimate cause of earthquakes is not well understood, but the proximate cause of those undulations of the earth that constitute an earthquake are caused, as some think, by the evolution of gases and their explosion at a certain point where the crust of the earth is thin. There are, no doubt subterranean caverns in the earth's crust of vast extent. and filled with explosive gases which require nothing but ignition to induce those undulating motions.