A Day Trip to Steptoe Butte Ends in Tragedy
A pleasure trip to the summit of Steptoe Butte turns to horror when a spooked team of horses destroys the hack, leaving passengers severely injured.
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.
OAKESDALE, June 14.—Last Saturday as a party was driving up on Steptoe Butte, they stopped at a spring near its base to water their horses. The driver removed the bridles to allow the horses to drink. Another team coming up behind frightened them so that they became unmanageable and started to run. One young lady had time to jump out, but the others were thrown out and the hack was upset and torn to pieces before the horses stopped running. Mrs. Morris Smith and John Frees were seriously hurt; Mrs. Smith had one arm broken and received numerous bruises. Mr. Frees was thrown to the ground very heavily, receiving severe cuts on the top of his head and his ear was badly cut and torn. The shock caused concussion of the brain and he was still unconscious yesterday.
“One young lady had time to jump out, but the others were thrown out and the hack was upset and torn to pieces.”
Steptoe Butte remains a popular destination for views of the Palouse today. This accident serves as a reminder of how quickly simple transit, whether by carriage or car, could turn perilous in the rugged terrain of Eastern Washington.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.