Steptoe

Biography of Colonel Edward J. Steptoe

Colonel Edward J. Steptoe

The available records of the Steptoe family go back to the year 1697, when Anthony and John Steptoe, brothers, located in Lancaster County, Virginia. From one of these was descended Colonel James Steptoe of “Hominy Hall,” on the Lower Potomac. Colonel James Steptoe arose in military rank from the militia of his colony, and his career in the profession of arms began with his appointment as captain of “a company of horse” in 1734, from which position he was promoted to the office of colonel. He was twice married, and there were born to him six children. One of his … Read more

Colonel Steptoe Marches North

Chief Timothy, Washington DC In 1868 and now owned by Thomas Williams, a Nez Perce Indian

Fort Walla Walla was built during the fall and winter of 1856, by Brevet Lieutenant Colonel E. J. Steptoe. With three companies of the Ninth Infantry he had arrived there late in the summer from the Nachez River in the upper Yakima country, with orders to erect the post. For many years prior to the establishment of this fort the Hudson’s Bay Company had maintained a trading post on the Columbia, at the mouth of the Walla Walla River, which it designated as Fort Walla Walla. The rude structure around which the dignity of the title centered was composed largely … Read more

Spokane Story

Spokane Story

“Spokane Story: A Colorful Early History of the Capital City of the Inland Empire” by Lucile Foster Fargo offers readers an evocative journey through the formative years of Spokane, Washington. Published in 1957 by Northwestern Press in Minneapolis, this work seeks to straddle the realms of history and storytelling, presenting a narrative that is neither entirely factual history nor pure fiction. Fargo accepts the challenging task of depicting Spokane’s cultural and developmental evolution from its fur trade beginnings to its emergence as a municipal entity in the early twentieth century.