BIG FOOT VALLEY CLANS

In the South end of Bigfoot Valley four families owned and occupied four of the largest tracts of land at the same time from about 1910 and to the 1980s. The Davis family (since 1908) the George Barnes family (since the teens) the Coffin family since 1910. And the Michie family (since 1915)

The Coffin log barn nestled against the mountain side in Big Foot Valley, where deer, coyotes cougar and bobcats kept you company.

This is a late 1940s picture of the Coffin log barn with Peter Coffin in the foreground. It was built on a sloping hill so the hayloft (upper-level) would be at ground level and the stable (lower-level) would also be at ground level. The barn was probably built by Joseph Falter who homesteaded and patented the land in November of 1895. Falter sold the farm to a Homer Enfield who in turn sold it to Elden Corey Coffin in 1909 --1910. Stevens County records show that E.C. Coffin paid $2000 for the farm and paid the loan off in 1920.

The Michie House in Big Foot Valley, 1917. The young lady is Peter Coffin's Mother, Frances Ethel Michie with her dog Prince. Peter Coffin writes, "This quarter section must have been patented and built by John Goulett in the year 1910. The black and white photo was replaced with color by an 11th grader in a school program. It is thought that Jadon Ward personally colored this picture. Jason advised us that by using modern technology he was able to color this 1917 photo with the use of Adobe Fireworks Jason lives in Vernon B.C. Canada which is only 5 hrs. from Clayton. Thank you Jadon. Peter Coffin is impressed.

The Michie farm buildings in 1917. Know that these buildings are constructed of timbers and lumber, not like the logs of the Coffin barn. These buildings were built somewhat later than the Coffin barn. The barn in the background is still standing is seen in a picture taken by Bill Seabright in the spring of 2008 shown later in this collection of pictures.

To this very day those very same families are still friends and neighbors. The Michie Blood line is carried on through Peter Coffiin who still owns and maintains the old homestead, the Davis family Dolores (Wessling) Davis and her children presently live on the William Davis Homestead. A portion of the Michie Farm is still owned by a Michie Jean (Michie) Tanner. The George Barnes Farm has been sold and divided into many small tracks. Peter Coffin inherited and still owns the farm his grandfather purchased about a hundred years ago..

This picture is of William Davis. A group of schoolchildren, and the school mule van described in in the Davis family narrative in the left column. The location of the Bigfoot Valley school was in the far NW/4 of the SE/4 of Section 27 TWP29N-RGE41EWM one half mile north of the intersection of Price and Redman Roads.

Mike Coffin on the tractor with Peter and E. F. (Jack) Coffin tying off on the baler.

Peter Coffin identifies this as the Big Foot Valley School with the young lady front and far right as his Aunt Charlotte Coffin.

Peter Coffin's Grandmother and Grandfather Michie's barn. The barn was built before 1914 and photographed this spring by Bill Sebright. A 1917 era pictureof this barn is shown in pictures above. This farm lies just southeast of the Coffin farm.

Third from the left is Florence Coffin, Aunt to Peter Coffin at the Big Foot Valley School.

BIG FOOT VALLEY SCHOOL. Used also as a Sunday School. This particular Sundays Parisheners was recorded for posteriority as follows. L to R. Westly Davis, unknown, Mrs. Barnes, Mrs. Willard, Waldo Stelting, Mrs. Enfield, Mr. Willard, Vernon Willard, Bill Davis, Kate Coffin, Mary Barnes, E.C. Coffin, Front - George Barnes, Helen Barns, Ira Davis, Ethel Barnes, Bertha Enfield, John Barnes, Ruth Davis, Dorothy Coffin, Francis Coffin, Grace Kelso, Trula Barnes and Jack Coffin.

Guy and Delores Davis. On a visit not long before Guy passed away, the topic of the day was the kids and the vegetable garden.

Homer Young on the wagon with his hay crew left to right Pete Peterson, Ira Davis and Bob Clouse. This picture was taken in the summer of 1949.

E.F. (Jack) Coffin in the 1930s mowing hay.

Peter Michie's matched team Dolly and Queen pulling a single disk.

Dolly and Queen pulling a buck rake while Mr. Michie trips the rake just so. Those windrows looked best good and straight.

Eldon Frank (Jack) Coffin spending some leisure time at his shooting range.

The Big Foot Valley School was also their Community center and Church-Sunday School.

Veteran of WW I, Hayes Lewis was honored by President Richard Nixon in 1971.

This is a contemporary photograph (2008) of the George Barns farm buildings. The George Barns family was one of the Coffin/Davis neighbors in Big Foot Valley, The Barns family arrived in the teens. George's brother John married Grace Peasley, daughter of Mark Peasley who contributed to the community by being an expert machinist. He hand built many portable saw mills from the ground up similar to the one below.

Hayes and Elva Lewis with their 13 children, occupied the Big Foot Valley for several decades. 3 of the surviving 4 reside in the Deer Park - Spokane area.

This is the family from which the fourth member of our Web team hails from, The E. C. Coffin's. The Grand parents, Aunts and one Boy, Peter Coffins Daddy

Mr. Hiram Lewis, Father of Hayes Lewis and Grandfather of Jack Lewis who supplied many photos of long ago to our Society.

In the distance Jones Road appears to end in this 2008 photograph. It has not always ended at the present day school bus turn around. To the right is the site of the Lindh family farm (presently owned since 1946 by the Jenkins family) and to left is the former Hayes Lewis family farm. In the past you could, with courage and the proper mode of transportation, venture beyond the present day school bus turn around to the Camine farm and the farm of Walt and Marie Peak a half mile beyond. That was the end of the trail (road?). The mountain behind was called Peaks' Peak by the locals. The larger group of mountains enclosing Big Foot Valley on the west are named the Five Sisters on US Coast and Geodetic Survey topographic maps.

This house was moved onto the Coffin farm from the Enfield-Warren farm directly north of the George Barnes farm in 1951 where it had set for decades. Kate Coffin lived in it for a year or so untill she moved to Spokane to live with her oldest daughter. Grandson Peter Coffin later removed all the buildings as his insurance company said they were an "...attractive nuisance..." and the indicated they should be removed. Perhaps these policies were as detrimental to old buildings as deep snow and high winds are.

A gathering of the son and two daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Scriven, Ray Scriven, Wilda Nord and her husband Clarence as well as Mrs. Selma Lindh, her husband Con and all their children.

Peter Coffin says that this old log building on the Coffin farm was built with seasoned tamarack logs twelve to eighteen inches in diameter. The building had been used for a barn as well as a pig stye over the years. Peter cut it up for fire wood in 1986.

A little oasis on the old Bill Carpenter farm. An abandoned clay pit filled to the brim with fresh spring water.

This is the elusive Peter Coffin, who along with Robert Clouse has been part of attempting to preserve the history of the Big Foot Valley. This picture was taken at the 2008 Clayton Fair.

This appears to be a professional photograph of the Bill Carpenter barn, The Bill Carpenter farm was located just east of the George Barns farm. Further to the east of the Carpenter farm was the pioneer family farm of the Klawunders.

Church services were held on a regular basis at the Big Foot Valley School. Here are the names of each person as identified by Peter Coffin with assistance from others.