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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1878)
April. GOLD-BOUGHT, Keep sileut, heart, thiu must not win Another for thy mate ; Though guilty of no blackened sin, Nor bowed by shameful weight, Yet, speak not, dare not tell That thoughts of Love within thee dwell, Such thoughts are not for thee. Keep Bilent, then, nor dare to name A word of lo?e, for Fate decrees That wealth alone must light the flame. If so, alas thy word should freeie, Ere it should spoken, be. Keep silent check, check that thrill, Press back the bursting sigh, And smother all such thoughts that fill I'ky cuamoers, itiougb thou die. Yes, still the throb endure the stings Bid Love depart on speedy wings -Tu sin if thou hwt loved. Though true thoughts fire the longing breast, And plead with voices low, Yet list not to this sweet behest, Such joys thou shouldst not know, Nor by such thoughts be moved. Breathe not a word in tender tone, Although thou loveat well Though every pulse may wring a groan From out thy deepest cell. Yet speak not, for but glittering gold, The key to purest thoughts must hold, 'Tib Uiub that Fate decrees. Then check, check the heartfelt sigh, No matter though the heart should burnt, Or dreams so pure in sorrow die, No matter though thy life is cursed No, no, thiuk not of these. Thus all (if hopes, my heart, are dead, No pet of wealth art thou, No flowery way is round thee spread, 'Tib only fit for theo to bow Beneath this stern mistfortuno's load, And wander on thy weary road, Unloved, unloving and alone. Oh, that the river who bids thee throb, Yet sear-leaves round thee spread, Who does thee of thy treasures rob, And leaves thee thrilling although dead Would turn thee back to stone. NOTES AND REMINISCENCES. LAYING Ol'T AND ESTABLISH. NC. THE OLD IM MIGRANT ROAD INTO AND TWtOUQH SOUTH ERN OREGON IN THE YEAR 1846. BY I.IMiSAY APPLROATR. 1 Continued.) From Black Hock to Humboldt MfMftMM, In pursuance of the plan decided on at Black Rock, on the morning of July 14th, we separated into two par ties; eight men starting out in a south erly direction and seven men, including myself, towards the east. The country before us appeared very much like the dry bed of a lake. Scarcely B spear of vegetation could be seen, and the whole country was white with alkali. After traveling about fifteen miles we began to discover dim rabbit trails running in the same direction in which we were traveling. As we advanced the trails became more plain, and there were others constantly coming in, nil point ing in the general direction towards a ledge of granite boulders which we could see before us. Approaching the ledge, which was the tirst granite we had seen since leaving Rogue River vallev, we could ICC a green mound where all the trails seemed to centre, and on examining the place closely we found a small hole in the top of the mound, in which a little puddle of water stood within a few inches of the sur face. This was a happy discovery for we were already suffering considerably for want of water and our horses were well nigh exhausted. The day had been an exceedingly hot one and the heat reflected from the shining beds of alkali, had been very oppressive. The alkali water at Black Rock had only given us temporary relief our thirst was now really more intense from hav ing used it. Unpacking our horses, we staked them in the bunch grass about the granite ledge, and began dig ging down after the little vein of water which formed the puddle in the rabbit hole. The water seemed to be confined to a tough clay or muck which came near the surface in the centre of the mound, thus preventing it from Will THE WEST SHORE. ing away in the sand. Digging down in this clay we made a basin large enough to hold several gallons and In dark we had quite a supply of good pure water. We then began issuing it to our horses, a little at a time, and by morning men and horses were consid erably refreshed. Great numbers' of rabbits came around us and we killed all we wanted of them. This is the place always since known as the Rab bit Hole Springs. Looking eastward, on the morning of July 15th, from the elevated table land upon which wc then were we saw vast clouds of smoke, completely shutting out the distant landscape. The wind blowing almost constantly from the southwest, kept the smoke blown away so that we could get a tol erably good view towards the south. Our wish was to continue our course eastward, but the country, as far as we could sec in that diiection.beinga barren plain, we concluded to follow the gran ite ledge, which extended in a south easterly direction from the spring, be lieving the chances of finding water would be better by following that route. The smoke, as wc afterwards learned, was caused by the burning of peat beds along the Humboldt river, the stream wc were now wishing to find, though we had no correct idea of the distance we would have to travel in order to reach it, nor of the difficulties to be en countered. Pursuing our way along the ridge, searching everywhere care fully for water, at about u o'clock a. M we observed the rabbit trails all leading in the same direction, and fol lowing the course indicated, wc found a basin in the side of n rock large enough to hold a tew gallons of water. Into this basin the water oozed from a crevice in the rock, very slowly, so that when the basin was emptied it was a long time filling. There was no way of improving this spring, for whenever the basin was full and the water run ning over, it would waste in the loose gravel and sand, and wc did not get a sufficiency of it for ourselves and horses until late at night. Appearances indi cated that it was a great resort for In dians, though there did not seem to be any in the vicinity while we were there. During the afternoon and evening, great numbers of little birds came for water, and were so tame that we could almost put our hands on them. On the morning of July t6th, we proceeded along the ridge for four or five miles and came to quite a large spring, but so strongly impregnated with alkali that we could only use it in making coffee. Here we retted an hour or so while our horses grazed. This I morning wc passed over a country I abounding in quartz. At this spring I our granite ridge terminated, and be- fore us was a vast desert plain, without I a spear of vegetation, and covered with ' an alkaline eflloresunce which glittered ! beneath the scorching rays of the sun. , The heat was intense as we rode slowly out to the eastward upon the great I plain. After w e had traveled a few miles, wc ubscrved w hat was supposed to be a lake, even fancying that we ' could see the waves upon its surface, 1 but after riding in that direction aw hile, we discovered that it was only one of those optical illusions so often experi enced on the desert. Next, wc sav : what we supposed to be a clump of I willows to the eastward and rode ill that direction with all possible dispatch, but, on nearing the place, we discov I crcd, to our intense disappointment, ; that it was only a pile of black volcanic 1 rocks, fifteen or twenty feet high. The sun was now getting quite low, and the heat was somewhat abating, yet it 1 remained quite hot as wc rode a few I miles to the eastward on the desert. As night closed in upon us w e selected our camping place in a little sag where there wercsomc strong sage bushes growing. To these we tied our horses securely, for, as there was not a blade of grass and thev were suffering for water, we knew they would leave us, should they break away from their fastenings. The only camp duty wc had to perform that night was to spread our blankets down upon the loose sand. hen we stretched ourselves unnn them, with tittle hope of rest, for our thirst had by that time become intense; wnrp, no doubt, from reason of our having drank the strong alkali water the morning. Our reflections that night w ere gloomy in the extreme. Even if we could have heard the cry of a night bird or the familiar note of a coyote, it would have given ns encouragement, for it would have indicated the pres ence of water somewhere in the vicin ity; but not a sound was heard during the live long night except our own voices and the restless tramp of the half famished horses. As wc started out on the morning of July 17th to the eastward we could sec only a short distance on account of the dense cloudl of smoke w hich enveloped the country. We spent much of the day in searching in various places for water and at about . o'clock in the af ternoon we came to some ledges of rock. They afforded a shelter from the scorching rays of the sun, and we halted to rest for a while, as some of the party were now so exhausted that they could scarcely ride. From the top of the rocks we could discern a small greenish spot on the desert, five or six miles distant, and, hoping to find water there, we decided to ride towards it nt once. Robert Smith was now suf fering severely from a pain in the head, and, as he was not able to ride, we were compelled to leave him under the rocks, with the understanding that he would follow us as soon as he felt able to ride. After going four or five miles, wc be held a horseman approaching us. This soon proved to be John Jones, one of the party who left us at Black Rock on the morning of the 14th. lie had found water at the place we were mak ing for, and, in searching for the rest of his party, had accidentally fallen in with us. We of course made a "stam pede" for the water. On our arrival there two of the parly, filling a large horn with water, started on their return with it to Smith. They met him on the way, hanging on to the horn of his saddle, while his horse was following our trail. By the time they returned the other party also arrived, so that, at about 6 i. m., wc found ourselves all together again. The other party had fared almost as badly as we had, not having had any water since to o'clock in the forenoon of the day before. Although a Oodsend to us, this water was almost as bad as one could imag ine. It was in the bed of a little alkali lake, thickly studded with reeds. There were about four inches of strong alkali water resting upon a bed of thin mud, and it was so warm and nauseating that it was imj)Ossiblc for some of the party to retain a stomach-full very long at a time. It was a grand relief to our poor horses to have an abundance of water and grass once more, and, tired as thev were, they worked busily all night Upon the reeds and granscs about the little lake. Much exhauster!, we retired early, and arose con-idcrably refreshed the next morning. On the morning of July 18, our course was nearly southeast along the edge of a vast Mel pJain to our right. Immense columns of smoke were still rising in front of lit, and at about ten or eleven o'clock wc came to plaits where peat bogs were on fire. Thcc 115 I fires extended for miles along the val ley of the Humboldt iiver,for wc were now in the near vicinity of that stream, I ami at noon hail the great satisfaction of encamping upon its banks. Wo iwunu inn siuggin stream about thirty feet wide, anil the water strongly alkaline and of a milky hue. Along its banks were clumps of willows, af fording us an abundance of fuel, and as there was plenty of giass for our horses, our camp was a good one. Since leav ing Rabbit Hole Springs we had trav eled much too far toulh of our course to satisty us, and our desire was now to travel up the Humboldl until we should reach a point nearly east of Black Rock, and endeavor to find a route for the road more directly on our old course. On July 19, we traveled perhaps twenty miles in a northeasterly direc tion along the river bottom, and en camped. The next day, July 30, wc pursued our way along the river, on a good, easy route, making about the same distance as the day before. Oil the J 1st wc continued our march up the river and at noon came to a point where the river bottom widened out into quite an extensive meadow district. From this point we could see what ap peared to be a low pass through the ridge on the w est, through w hich wns a channel of a tributary of the Hum boldt, now dry. Here we decided to encamp and send out a party to exam ine the country towards Black Ki ck. We had nothing in which to carry water but a large powder horn, so we thought it best not to risk bending out too large a party. On the morning of the aid of July, Levi Scott and Win, Parker left us, and, following the dry channel of the stream for about fifteen miles, they came to a beautiful spring of pure water. Here they passed the night, and the next day, July 13d, they ascended by a very gradual route to the table lands to the westward, and within about fifteen miles of their camp of the previous night, they entered quite a grassy district from which they could plainly sec Black Kock. Exploring the country about them carefully they found the Rabbit Hole Sprlnga. The line of our road was now complete We had lUCCeedcd in finding a route across the desert and on to the Oregon settlements, with camping placet nt suitable distances, mid, since wc knew the source of the Humboldt river wan near Tort Hall, we felt that our enter prise was already a ' iicccsk, and that immigrants would be able to reach Or egon late in the season with tar leu danger of being MOWtd in than on the California route down the Humboldt and over the Sierra Ncvadas. The e quel proved that we were correct In this opinion, for this same fall (he Don net party, in endeavoring to crov the Sierras, were mowed in, sullen d the most indescribable honors, and about half of them perished. The Humboldt Meadows affording us a splendid camping place, we con cluded to remain there and recruit our jaded animals for a few days before pursuing our journey farther. (To be umtniutd ) The Aaaotln Flat is situated 0:1 the cast side of a spur of the Blue moun tain along Snake liver. It is about fifteen miles in width and perhaps thirty in length. Tor stm k it pi 1 haps is the best location, at present, in all J the upper country. The winters, from 1 sonic strange cause, are very mild, and 1 1 tic grass is the lust I have seen in any I place. The soil is rich and water, is I comparatively plentiful. AH that will keep it from W-ing a splendid fanning district is ttiat there are roCU too near the surface. There is much good land there to be tak'M, and it M III Be fat nied in vpite of rocki.