In 1860, a black prospector named Antoine Etienne mined for gold in Peshastin Creek and the creek that now bears his name. Reports claim that he found $1,100 worth of gold, which would be worth over $100,000 today. Who was Antoine Etienne?
Leavenworth resident, Don Schaechtel’s curiosity led him to explore what is known about this fascinating Washington pioneer, and trace his travels from Oregon City, to the Wenatchee Valley and Entiat, and then to Prosser. Don has crafted a lively presentation to tell area’s mining history, how Etienne Creek was renamed in 2009, and a look at the variety of native plants. Be sure to read Don’s biography at the end of this post.
Register now for Don Schaechtel’s ZOOM talk for the Wenatchee Valley Chapter, Washington Native Plant Society on Feb. 2, 2022, at 7pm. The society’s mission is to promote the appreciation and conservation of Washington’s native plants and their habitats through study, education, and advocacy. The Wenatchee Valley Chapter invites the public to attend as a kick-off for Black History Month.
Below is my recent interview with Don about his research and experience learning about Etienne Creek.
Susan: Tell me a bit about what initially triggered your interest in the naming history of Etienne Creek?
Don: Prior to 2018, I knew Etienne Creek as Negro Creek, and didn’t give much thought to the name. WNPS had a plant list for the area, and when we put the WNPS plant lists into a database on a University of Washington server the name was deemed inappropriate. I thought we could use a trail number for the name, but when I looked for a number I discovered that the creek was renamed Etienne Creek. That resolved our naming issue. I didn’t know who Etienne was at the time, but it prepared me when the subject arose two years later.
Susan: You’ve intentionally selected to give your talk during Black History Month. What motivated you to make this pairing?
Don: In 2020, I listened to a panel discussion about diversity in the outdoors. In response to a question for the panelists, Karen Francis McWhite, who lives in Cashmere, suggested that it would be great to share stories about black outdoors-people. She mentioned Etienne Creek and how she would like to learn more about “Etienne.” I made a note. Maybe I could help Karen bring this idea to life. And what better time than during Black History Month.
Susan: You learned that the creek had its name changed a few times. How did the first name change happen? How did the second name change happen?
Don: The Forest Service changed the name to Negro Creek from a more derogatory name in 1968. In 2001-2005, Jamie MacDonald, a geology graduate student at the University of Albany did field work in the area for his Ph.D thesis. He found a rock formation that he wanted to name, but knew that including the word negro would not be acceptable. He chose the “Iron Mountain Unit” instead.
During his fieldwork, Jamie was reading about the area’s mining history, and learned that Negro creek was named for Antoine Etienne. He took it upon himself to make a proposal to the U. S. Board of Geographical Names to rename the creek Etienne Creek. After all, neighboring creeks were named after early explorers and pioneers: Ingalls Creek, Hansel Creek, Shaser Creek, King Creek. This was the key to getting the new name accepted. Geographical names are supposed to be consistent with a theme. There had been earlier attempts to rename the creek, but none of them were names of local pioneers. In 2009 Etienne Creek was approved as the new name. By this time Jamie was a professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, and he tells me that he has since had requests for tips about how to revise derogatory place names.
Susan: You uncovered some interesting facts about Antoine Etienne. Tell me a few details that you’ll be emphasizing in the presentation.
Don: I was surprised to find many anecdotes about Antoine Etienne. Unfortunately, many of them are inconsistent with what we have since learned. They did, however, have four themes in common: he was skilled with languages, which helped him interact with different tribes; he was in the military; he mined gold on the creek that now bears his name; and he became a skilled orchardist. But there was no agreement on where he came from.
WNPS member Cindy Luksus applied her genealogical skills and found an index card for Antoine Etienne in the Oregon Pioneer Index. The card says he was born in Lincoln County, Missouri on March 28, 1832. His ancestry was listed as African-Spanish-French. It also says that he left Missouri for Oregon in April 1849, via the “Plains.” That would have made him 17 when he came west. Cindy also found a record showing that in 1856, at age 24, he was in Wilbur’s Company B of the Oregon Volunteers during the so-called Indian Wars.
An 1897 publication of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer states: “Mineral [in Peshastin Creek] was first discovered in this district about 1860 by a party of miners returning from Fraser River, but they only worked the placers and gradually drifted away; one of them, a negro, who took out $1,100 in a season from the bars at the mouth of Negro Creek, giving that stream its name.” All sources agree that this man was Antoine Etienne. Based on the price of gold in 1860, that $1,100 would be worth over $100,000 today.
Susan: Tell me about the bit of research you uncovered about Mr. Etienne’s interactions with Chilcosahaskt, the Chief of the Entiat Tribe.
Don: In 1868, Antoine was placer mining again and also growing peaches. He lived near Chilcosahaskt, the Chief of the Entiat Tribe. Chilcosahaskt’s great grandson, Wendell George, relates a story told by his father, that Antoine took too much interest in Chilcosahaskt’s daughters, who the Chief felt were too young, and as a result, Antoine moved north to what became known as Antoine Creek (near the Wells Dam on the Columbia River).
By 1870, Antoine was back in Oregon, and according the 1870 Census he was living near The Dalles. His occupation was listed as farm laborer. According to an account by Harry Fisher, written in 1964, he had seen Antoine bringing peaches for sale in Prosser, WA. Antoine had a fruit orchard north of Byron, about six miles away, and he would walk those six miles with two buckets of peaches carried by a yoke over his shoulders. He said this was in 1905, but it was likely earlier, as Antoine’s gravestone, at the Tahoma Cemetery in Yakima, says he died in 1904. Antoine would have been 72 years old.
Susan: What are WNPS Plant lists? How was the Etienne Creek list created? Why are plant lists important?
Don: WNPS has amassed a collection of 776 lists of plant species found on trails, parks, and other natural areas in the state. They are a great resource for plant identification, as you can use the process of elimination in combination with a field guide or app. They are a resource for everyone and can be found at wnps.org/plant-lists. They are also a great historical resource. For example, there is a pre-eruption plant list for Mt. St. Helens.
The Etienne Creek plant list was created in 2010, when two WNPS members made a trip there in search of a rare plant. They found it and also compiled a list with 173 species. I started adding to the list during five trips there in 2021 and the list is now up to 210 species.
Susan: 210 species of plants in one creek corridor seems like a lot! What makes the plant diversity along Etienne Creek so rich?
Don: The lower portion of Etienne Creek is in a steep valley, so it stays cooler than you might expect for this far east of the Cascade Crest. Trees along the edge of the creek include Western red-cedar and grand fir, while not far above the creek is the more typical ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir forest. And as is typical for interior fir forests, there are abundant species of shrubs. The steep hillsides are drier, and there is some evidence of serpentine soils, which have their own unique flora. This combination of cool-moist and hot-dry landscapes means we get a lot of plant diversity.
Susan: It sounds like it is challenging to find the trailhead. Do you have any tips to share? What is the best time of year to visit?
Don: There isn’t a formal trailhead, and the easiest access is from the Ingalls Creek Trailhead and a two-mile walk from there, south on what was old Highway 97. The next obstacle is high water, as it may be unsafe to cross Etienne Creek before mid-July. For plant enthusiasts, late June and early July are great times to visit, but crossing the creek may depend on two makeshift bridges that cross the creek at one mile and two miles. For the adventurous, you can walk five miles up Etienne Creek to reach an open meadow that makes a fine destination. This requires another ten creek crossings, and would be best done in August when the creek isn’t as high. At that time of year you can also approach from the south with a one-mile walk on old Highway 97 and another creek crossing.
Susan: What are a few of your favorite native plants a visitor will encounter along Etienne Creek?
Don: White shooting star (Dodecatheon dentatum) is a favorite, and it grows in the middle of the old mining road in a damp area just past the first bridge. A good time to see it is in late June, when we also saw lots of tiger lilies (Lilium columbianum). At the site of the Cedar Grove Campground, which has been abandoned for many years, we found white-veined wintergreen (Pyrola picta), which is always fun to see.
Susan: For over two decades, you’ve been an active volunteer for the Washington Native Plant Society. What is your current role?
Don: I am now the chair of the Fundraising Committee. At the state level I was also treasurer and president. But I most enjoyed being chair of the Wenatchee Valley Chapter in 2014-2016. We have great members here and we have fun, and learn a lot, when we go on trips together.
Bio: Don Schaechtel lives in Leavenworth, where for the past twelve years he has been restoring native plants on the acre around his home. He regularly leads plant walks for WNPS and has also participated in events sponsored by Wenatchee River Institute and Chelan-Douglas Land Trust. In 2005 he launched the Seattle Mountaineers program, “An Introduction to the Natural World,” which is still going strong. Don and his wife Ann also enjoy canoeing, and have spent time the last five years exploring sections of the Columbia River by canoe from Lake Roosevelt to Vantage.