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From History of North Washington, published 1903, now in public domain. 
Submitted by Candy L. Grubb April 30, 1997. Both above notices must remain 
when copied or downloaded.

candyg@ieway.com

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WILLIAM S. HILTS

	William S. Hilts, postmaster of Alyea, Stevens county, resides
on a favorably located homestead five and a half miles east of Hunters.
He was born in Clackamas county, Oregon, December 20, 1853.  His father,
David Hilts, was a native of Canada, who crossed the line into the United
States in 1851, and settled in Knox county, Illinois.  In 1852, he was 
married to Indiana Maxwell, a native of Indiana, who became the mother of 
our subject.  With ox teams the young couple made the perilous trip across
the plains, in the spring of 1853, and in the fall of that year arrived in
Clackamas county.  In 1864 they settled in the Grande Ronde valley, and he
erected the first store building in the town of Union.  He died there in 
1889, in the sixty-fourth year of his life.  His widow is now Mrs. I. Wills,
living in Spokane, in her seventy-second year.
	In 1873 our subject went to the famous Gallatin valley, Montana,
and the following year he made a prospecting trip up the Yellowstone valley
to the Big Horn country, but owing to the hostility of the Indians the
expedition was compelled to return.  The mining excitement of 1876 led 
him to the Black Hills.  On this expedition his company had a number of 
fights and skirmishes with hostile redmen, losing one man and having three
wounded, of the latter our subject being one.  For eighteen months he 
followed mining with fair success, and then returned to the Gallatin valley.
	On January 17, 1878, William S. Hilts was married to Miss Cora
Thompson, a native of Wisconsin, born in 1858.  Her father, Benjamin 
Thompson, was born in Canada, came to the United States when quite young,
and was one of the first miners in Alder Gulch, Montana, in 1864.  At
present he is engaged in stock-raising in Madison valley, Montana.  Her
mother, Elizabeth, is a native of the Keystone state, now residing with
her husband in Montana.
	In 1886 our subject removed to Bozeman, Montana, and in 1888 came
to Washington and located on Hunter creek, where he now resides.  For two
years he was at Springdale, Stevens county, in the mercantile business.
They had twelve children, of whom the following are now living in Stevens
county, namely: Mrs. Lizzie I. Avenel, Mrs. Cora M. Sandvig, Joe Wesley,
Ida Irene, Altha Pearl, William T., Myrtie B., David B., Blanche, 
Robert E.  Fraternally Mr. Hilts is a member of the Maccabees; politic-
ally a staunch Republican, and for eight years has held the office of
constable.  He owns two hundred and forty acres of land, of which eighty
acres are under cultivation.  He is one of the prosperous residents of the
valley.