Tragedy at Union Gap
A freight train’s sudden noise caused a team of horses to bolt, resulting in a horrific accident for a local Indigenous family.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A horrible accident occurred at Union Gap on Friday evening last. Some Indians were bringing in a couple of loads of hay from the reservation, and when moving along the narrow road in the gap, a freight train passed with so much clatter and blowing of the whistle that the horses became frightened. Running up the side of the hill, one of the wagons was overturned and a squaw thrown to the ground with such force that one of her legs was broken in a frightful manner and the naked and detached bones driven into the ground. Mr. Stone rendered all of the assistance in his power, and a messenger was sent to the fort for medical aid. It is the opinion of our informant that the squaw was so badly injured that death would result.
“One of her legs was broken in a frightful manner and the naked and detached bones driven into the ground.”
Union Gap remains a vital, busy corridor where modern transit—now highways and rail—still poses dangers to those navigating the narrow pass. This report captures a stark, forgotten moment of industrial growth impacting the lives of Indigenous people who were integral to the local agricultural economy.
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