Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1883)
October, 1883. THE WEST SHORE CASCADES OK ROGUE RIVER. The falls, or more properly cascades, of Rogue river as shown by our enguvUtg are autung llic most entrancing of the many aqueous beauties of Oregon. The waters leap and foam in the rocky channel over a series of small falls and steep in clines that keep them lashed into foam and draw from them a rushing, plunging sound that an nounces their existence to the traveler before yet the river Is seen. They are fifiy-five miles north east of Jacksonville, and not far from where both the railroad and stage road cross the stream. Rogue river is the principal stream ol Southern Oregon and drains all that great region lying be tween the water sheds of the Umpqua and Klam ath from the summit of the Cascade range to the Pacific ocean. The area drained is large and the volume of water discharged into the sea enormous. Having its fountain head in scores of mountain brooks, the river gradually increases In site until it dehles from the mountain canyons into Rogue river valley. It then flows through a succession of valleys and spurs of mountain ranges, receiving the waters of numerous tributaries, until it reaches the rocky barrier of the Coast Range, through which it cuts its way In deep and precipitous canyon. Here it runs with great velocity over a channel filled with rocks, breaking often into a series of beautiful cascades. The nature of the channel renders the stream unnavigable, depiie its immense volume of water. The name of this turbulent stream has asso ciated with it some of the most bloody events in the pion.-er history of the Pacific coast. Here more than any other place, the conflict of races was long and sanguinary and only ended with the complete extermination of the Indians who con tested the occupation of their country by the white Invaders. The lower civilisation had to succumb to the higher, but It was at the exense of much blood and agony. It was In 1818 that the first party of Hudson's Bay Co. trappers, un der the leadership of John Rhoderlck McLeod, passed south through the beautiful valley of Rogue river, on their way to the trapping grounds of California. With this party were the celebrated Tom McKay and Joe McLaughlin, son of the chief factor at Vancouver. This party bestowed many of the names now borne by the streams and mountains of that region, calling Ibis the "Rogue" river, because of the thievery and hostile spirit displayed by the Indians. It is also claimed that the atream was christened u Ktugi rivim" by these trappers, who were nearly all French Cana dians, because of the reddish tinge possessed by the water discolored by the recent heavy rains, and that the present stalling and pronunciation are but the usual result of American corruption of foreign words. Jump-off Joe creek was named at (his time because of aa Involuntary plunge Into the stream taken by Joe McLaughlin from a high and breshy bank. Siskiyou mountain, which borders the valley on the south, was also named by them. One morning an old white, bob-tailed peck horse was misting, and be was trailed p the mountain tide Mill his dead carcase was found filled with arrows. The trappers christened the mountain SuUm," which is lot puii French for M bob-tail" This word will be found In GUI's Chinook dictionary having that signifi cance, and as the Chinook was nude ip hugely from Ike lr aMsat bat little doubt of lb above being the true origin ol the name. Dr. William McKay, son of Tom McKay, la authority for this statement, and as he was born and reared among the trippers, there Is certainly no one better qualified than he to decide such matters GREAT FALLS OF THE MISSOURI. The scenery along the winding course of the great Missouri river is grand in the extreme, and especially between Helena and Fort Benton. Twelve miles east of the former place it enters a series of grand canyons known as "The Gateway of the Mountains," the walla rising to heights varying fram 1,500(0 1,000 feet, so abrupt that for six miles there can be found but four places where one could stand between the water's edge and the towering wall of nick. Leaving the last canyon, the river flows for forty miles through a high, rolling prairie country, until It breaks for ten miles, near the mouth of Sun river, into a series of rapids and falls, the most grand and in spiring Imaginable. It was on Thursday the thirteenth of June, 180$, that Captain Lewis was searching for the great falls of which the Man dans had told him, " when his ears were saluted with the agreeable sound of falling water, and aa he advanced a spray which seemed driven by the high southwest wind, arose above the plain like a column nf smoke and vanished in an instant. Towards this point he directed his stps and the noise increasing si he approached soon became too tremendous to be mistaken for anything but the great falls of the Missouri. Having traveled seven miles after first hearing the sound he reached the falls aliout twelve o'clock. The hills as he approached were difficult of access and two hundred feet high down these he hurried with impatience, and seating himself on some rocks under the center of the falls, enjoyed the sublime spectacle of this stupendous object which since the creation has been lavishing Its magnificence upon the desert unknown to clvllliatlon. The river Immediately at the cascade is three hundred yards wide, and is pressed In by 1 perpendicular cliff on the led, which rises to about one hundred feet and extends up the stream fur a mile on the right the bluff la also perpendicular for three hundred yards alwve the falls. For ninety or one hundred yards from the left cliff the water (alia In one smooth, even sheet, over a precipice of at least eighty (Vet. The remaing part of the river precipitates Itself with More rapid current, bat being received as it lalU by the irregular and somewhat projecting rocks below, forms a splen did prospect of perfectly while foam two hundred yards In length, and eighty in perpendicular ele vation. This spray is dissipated Into t thousand shapes, temeiimes flying up In columns of fifteen or twenty fort, which are then oppressed by larger maaart of the while foaat, on all of which the sun Impresses the bright colors of the rainbow. As it rises from the fall It beats with fury against a ledge of rocks which extends across the river at one hundred and fifty yards from the prlcipice. From the falls he directed his coarse southwest up the river. After passing one eon tinned rapid and three entail Castries, each three or four feet high, he leeched at the distance of five mile a second lett. The river Is about fonr bnndred yards wide, and for the distance of three haadred throve kata' er to the depth of nine teen reel, and o irregularly that he gave It the name of Crooked falls. From ihe southern shore it extends obliquely upwards almut one hundred and liOy yards and then forms an acute ang'e Huwnv.ar.il nearly In the commencement of four small islands cl' se lo the northern side. From the perpendicular pitch lo the ItUnds, a d.. lance of more than one hundred yards Ihe water glides down a sloping nick with a velocity almost equal lo that of Its fall. Aliove this fall the river bends suddenly to the northward. While view ing this place, Captain lewis heard a loud mar almve him and crossing the point of a hill for a few hundred yards he saw one of the most beau llful objects In nature. The whole Missouri Is suddenly stoped by one shelving ruck, which without a single nitch and with an edge as straight and regular as if formed by art, stretches Itself from one side of the river lo the other lor at least a quarter of a mile. Over Ihit it precipitates itself In sn even, uninterrupted sheet to Ihe depth of fifty feet, whence (lathing against Ihe rocky bottom il tushes rapidly down, leaving liehlnd It a spray of Ihe purest foam acne Ihe river. The scene which II presented was Indeed singularly beautiful, since, without any of the wild Irregular sublimity of ihe lower falls it combined all the regular elegancies which the fancy uf a painter wuuld select lo form a beautiful waterfall, The eye hail scarcely Iwen regaled with this prmp.ct when, at the distance of half a mile, Captain lewis olwrvcd another of a similar kind. To this he Immediately battened, and found a cas cade slretr.Ung across Ihe whole river for a quaf Icr of a mile, with a detent of fourteen feel, though Ihe prrpemilrular pilch was only sis feel. TI1U, loo, In any other neighborhood, would have been an object of great msgnl licence, hut after what he hail jusl seen II became of seconds. 7 interest. His curiosity bring, however, awsk. aned, he determined to fo on even should nlghl overtake him lo Ihe head nf the fulls He there fore pursued ihe southwest course of ihe river, which was one conlnt succession of rapids and imall cMades at everyone of which the bluffs grew lower, or Ihe bed of Ihe liver became more on a level with Ihe plains Al ihedUum-e of two snd a half mile he arrived al another cataract uf twenty sis leel. The river la here sis hundred yards wide, iut the descent If not Immediately perpendicular, though the river falls generally with an even ami soi'uth shei for almut one third uf Ihe descent a lock protrude lo a small distance, receive the wstei In II passage and r give il a cuiv. On the south side I a beautiful plain a few feet above Ihe level of Ihe falls) on Ihe north Ihe country la more broken, and there la a hill eot far 'root lha liver, Jusl below Ihe falls I a little islsnd in the middle of the liver well covered with limber. Her on a eotlonwoud tree an eagle had fiaed iU nest, ami smuhhI ihe undisputed mlslres of a spot, to contest whose dowlnlun neither man nur beast would venture serosa the gulfs lhal swroasxled il, snd which I further secured by ihe mist arising from Ihe falls This solitary bird could not escape the observe lion U Ihe Indiana, who mail the eagle '1 nest a part of their dctcrMioa of Ihe falls, wbkb now prove 10 be correct In almost every particular, except that they did nut do Justice lo their height. Just alio this I cue. I of about five feet, be yond which, aa far a could be dMrsrntd, ihe ve Incite of Ihe water seemed to abate."