The Salmon Wars October 1896 Fish canning on the Columbia River was coming on strong, precipitating a massive rush and heightened competition to harvest Coho and King Salmon. Indeed, the salmon rush was a veritable gold rush for fish flesh resulting in mounds of dollars that increasingly and largely were due to the practice of canning. Now the tasty red flesh could be shipped farther distances with a long shelf life, increasing demand from distant places - purchases from across the United States, Great Britain, Australia, and the Orient. The salmon gold rush towns were Astoria, Oregon, and across the river, Chinook and Ilwaco, Washington. Ilwaco was positioned at the heart of what folks were calling Salmon Wars. It was here that States of Oregon and Washington were tussling over the legal ownership of Sand Island as the federal government demanded authority over it as well. Sand Island, a meager four miles long in the shape of an “I”, and at the most a quarter-mile wide, was covered with drift logs and other debris. Here, too, Federal Troops and Washington State Militia came face to face. Washington State politicians wanted to insure fish traps and trap fishermen, who had been repeatedly attacked by Oregon gillnet fishermen, were protected. The federal government was intent on establishing its authority as the island was part of a military reservation that included Fort Canby. While nothing more than a glorified sand spit, Sand Island represented money, big money. Here the salmon gold rush, mostly fish traps and seiners, was its richest. And that meant power, politics, and law enforcement were all in full play due to the civil unrest and outlaw violence. Fish traps populated the sand bars of the lower river in what appeared to be a hap hazard sort of way. However, they were situated for tactical advantage to net large quantities of salmon as the “finners” worked their way via the channels through which flowed strong currents, especially at the time of peak flood and ebb tides. Scores of small and large cannery operations were scattered across the massive river’s shores, some fifty in total, canning 20-30 million cans of the rich meat per year. Tenders and fishing vessels, oar and sail powered, interrupted by sea going barks, schooners, steamships, and smaller local coastal steamers, salt and peppered the waters with a scurry of activity. At one count there were some 2,000 fishing boats on the lower river. Most of the harvesting took place between May and September, when bars, brothels, and general stores along with fishermen supply houses bustled with activity. Upon our arrival, the Lower Columbia River was thrust into the midst of a massive gillnet fishermen’s strike that pitted cannery operators against gillnet fishermen, and gillnet fishermen against trap fisherman. Fights on and off the water broke out everywhere. It was indeed a milieu of competing fishing rights, including racial and legal tensions and conflicts. To which was added fishermen union strikes versus fishing industry goons, rampant, often violent crime, financial booms and busts at the national level and local level as fishing seasons sea sawed in the amount of salmon available to all who battled for the reward of the catch. And the battlers kept coming - in waves. more to come

excerpts from Revenge and Redemption: The Chisolm and Santa Re Trails, by Dan'l C. Markham Trouble Chapter 1 I am a man on the move with a mission. Up the trail will be a serious shoot out. I intend to be on the killing end of the shoot ‘n. It matters not whether I live or die; just that I get done what must be done. My mission is revenge. My cause is righteous. My means is lethal. Since the War I made it my business to be the fastest draw that could be found, and the best shot t’boot, whether with pistol or rifle. Darn good with my long knife; better than most. Have to be ready at the drop of the hat to take care of my business – the death of five no count former Blue Bellies. I’ll get ‘em. They’ll all die at my hands. It’s my destiny and theirs. Two days previous it had been hotter than spit on a fired up skillet. But it’s spring time in Texas when weather can be a might temperamental, sea-sawing from one extreme to the other. Today the wind is plenty strong with a cold bite to it, whipping out of the Dakotas through the Kansas and Indian Territory prairies into the pastures of central Texas. Have ‘n put my mount up at the livery stable I push against the northerly bone chilling wind, walking at a steady pace up Main Street of Waco. Holding my Stetson to my head with my left hand, pulling my rawhide woolen jacket’s collar with my other hand up against my chin, I am headed to one of the town’s favorite haunts – the Coleman Saloon. I will be drink ‘n whiskey with Lew, as Lew Coleman had become the only person I could come close to calling a friend, although I don’t call him such. Still he is the only man in Waco that regularly partook of whiskey with me. A whiskey or two would warm up my innards just fine....More to come.

- I'll miss you if you don't. It's the one time believers across the world and America are together. Several years ago Dr. Gilbert Stafford described Communion in a unique way. “At the holy meal,” he said, “we are called to both the center of our faith, Jesus Christ, and the circle of our faith, fellow believers regardless of their church tradition, personal preferences, manners of worship, age, class, and racial distinctions. The Lord’s Supper is the center time and circle time. It is Christ’s time and church time.” One of the great losses of church by zoom or video, especially for Christians who no longer worship with a body of believers, is in-person communion, partaking of the Lord's Supper. If you go to church for no other reason, please do so to partake of communion. At least do so occassionally for that specific reason. Communion is at the center of our faith, because Christ is the center. It is thee primary sacrament instituted by Christ in addition to Baptism. One, but not all of the reasons I've migrated to the Anglican Church of North Americ(ACNA) in my latter years (BTW the ANCA is imperfect just like your church.) is that the ANCA is part of the ancient and modern church that focuses on Communion, the centrality of Christ, during the worship service. The ancient liturgy works to prepare my heart to receive Christ in Communion and to do so with millions of others to whom I am accountable to love which includes repentance and reconciliation. Everytime I partake I think of the fact I am actually doing so with believers since Christ and the Apostles at the Last Supper to the communion of saints across the world and in every time zone, to those who will come after I pass to the next shore. With them I prepare my heart to celebrate and partake of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. I love this time with Him and you every Sunday and when I can on Wednesdays at my humble little Trinity Anglican Church in Mount Vernon, WA.

The Ministry of Touch and Presence (a 7.5 minute read) - Dan’l Markham I was on the Board of Directors, and later the Vice President of Development, for a ministry called Life Without Limbs, i.e. Nick Vujicic, a world famous motivational speaker and evangelist. A signature of Nick’s public and private ministry to others was “a hug.” Hugs are terribly under-rated, significantly underutilized, and much needed. Yes, hugs are even feared by some due to perverts and a politically-correct world gone mad. BTW, hug by asking permission first. When I was a new Christian, freshly born again out of the Hippie movement, while working as a reporter and then editor for my hometown newspaper in rural Washington State, the first ministry Christ put on my heart was to go as frequently as possible to a local rest home and simply be with the infirm, to read Scripture to them, to touch and pray for each other. They loved every minute we had together. I loved every minute. God’s love was manifest, yes tangible! God becoming man in Christ Jesus brings us to perhaps the most fundamental and most overlooked theological aspect to ministry– the ministry of touch and presence; succinctly and comprehensively called the ministry of “incarnation” (Immanuel meaning God with us.). Jesus was a man of hugs and touch. After all he was Jewish. Middle Easterners, including Jews, hug and laugh, dance, and enjoy other human beings in-person. The ministry of touch and presence is desperately needed in the light of a detached world. Connected in the virtual world wide web but detached from being “in person” with others. An epidemic of loneliness has swept the world while all while we are told we are more connected than ever before because of social media. Not! In Great Britain, the government actually appointed a Minister of Loneliness to address this problem for our neighbors across the pond. The spiritual power behind the COVID epidemic divided us all is so many ways. Right? Not the least of which is dividing churches and families over stupid things like masks. The word Devil, comes from the NT Greek diablos, i.e. to divide. If you see division you know where it comes from. If you practice division, you are who Jesus called “of your father the devil.” Simple truth friend. Deal with it. For ten years I worked for a worldwide disability ministry called Joni and Friends, i.e. Joni Eareckson Tada. In the Gospels disability ministry was much more than healing or the miraculous. It is more than providing wheelchairs and retreats for people affected by disability. It’s ultimately personally ministering to people with disabilities by bringing them socially and spiritually into our circle of life (Luke 19:5, Luke 14:1-24, Matthew 25:31-46, II Samuel 9:1-13, I Cor. 12: 22-27). It is replicating the incarnation of Christ by “being with” people. Jesus did more than physically heal those affected by disability. Which was remarkable given the fact we learn from scripture that the people of Jesus’ culture despised or at least socially rejected people affected by disability. They saw them as cursed or in their state of disability as a result of their sin or their parent’s sin (John 9:1-3). Jesus was first and foremost with them “God with us.” In our time deficient lives and detached world, the ministry of incarnation will be an inconvenience until we intentionally make it a part of our calling in Christ. It shouldn’t go without notice that perhaps the first person (in a least a long time) to ever look up to Zacchaeus (a dwarf, a little person) was Jesus Christ (Luke 19:5). It is certain that God orchestrated that the first time Zacchaeus would look at Jesus he would be looking down at Him. How rare for this diminutive man to look down at anyone, especially the Messiah, the Son of the Living God! People always looked down upon Zacchaeus. Jesus always lifts up, if even with only a look: “Jesus looked up…to…Zacchaeus.” Lifting Zacchaeus socially, Jesus invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ house (Zacchaeus was also a despised tax collector.) for food and fellowship. While Jesus healed the lepers he went a big step further. Enforced by social mores under influence of Old Testament Law (Lev. 13:45, 22:4, Nu. 5:2) to not even be in the vicinity of people affected by leprosy, Jesus did the unthinkable, he physically touched the leprous (Mtt. 8:3, Mk. 1:41, Lk. 5:13). During the midnight of my soul and life – separated from family and church – the deepest yearning of my heart after months of loneliness was to be touched, just to be physically touched by another human who cared. The ministry of touch to the untouchables is massively underrated. The most chronic and consistent form of suffering related by people affected by disability is loneliness. I see this regularly today in my ministry work with the Everett Gospel Mission. Homeless people are looked upon as the lepers of our day. It is more than profound what a kind smile, a warm look in the eyes, and a simple conversation can bring about. So use up some of your surplus time to be with others – especially the lonely and the outcaste. If you don’t have surplus time sacrifice your time. How about one less TV show? You will be ministering to Jesus in doing so (Mtt. 25:31-46). Jesus practiced and mentored the ministry of touch: Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. – Mt. 8:3 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them. – Mt 8:15 Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you." – Mt. 9:29 So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him. – Mt. 20:34 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed." - Mr. 1:41 And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. – Mr. 7:33 And he took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying his hand on them . - Mk. 10:16 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately the leprosy left him. - Lu. 5:13 And they were bringing even their babies so that He would touch them…. – Lk. 18:15 But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this. And He touched his ear and healed him.” – Lu. 22:51 This was all very much in keeping with the style of Jesus’ ministry – very personal, up front, close, and physical, extending his loving heart through His loving hands. I’ve been often drawn to Jesus’ ministry to children which provides another intimate look at this ministry of “touch” our Master lived. In Mark 10:15, 16 (see also Luke 18:15) we read of Jesus, “Then he took the children into his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them” (New Living Translation). The original Greek text bears this out. This was more than the perfunctory touching of a person’s forehead one might see at an ecclesiastical function. He took the children “into his arms” and “placed his hands on their heads” and “blessed them.” He spent personal, intimate, loving time with them – embracing them physically and speaking intimately to them words of blessing. He understood loneliness - forsaken by his closest friends and separated from his Father at the cross . He personally understands the need for, and affirmation of, close physical proximity and touch.