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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 1890)
WEST SHORE. Hunt, with the h. that by such a division their c hn f fr rw-hing the mouth of the Columbia would inrrcawl. Ow the parties under Crooki and Hunt ramjl with only the narrow, turbulent waters of Snake river Mjarating them. The Hunt party had killed a hore and were rooking it, w hile their starving n.iiij'Miioimon theopjite side of the stream, with no mean of crating it, were forced to look on a they dinnl Not a man in Mr. Hunt' camp would make an f ir.rt U M-tid them food, until the arrival of Mr. Crook, who, dirovrring the condition of his men on the oplte. side, called to tlx- forlorn hand to Mart fr for rooking, that no time might I lost, while he ronctrmted a cairne nut of skin in which to take the mtnt arnM to them. In vain he tried to shame the more fortunate into li 1 j intr to succor their famishing companion, hut " A vague and almost superstitious trror,"ay Irving," had infuted the mind of Mr. Hunt' followe r, cnfr!ed and rendered imaginative of horror by the dismal scenes ami sum-ring through which they had p.iN-d. They regarded the haggard crew, hovrring like crtrr of famine on the opjHw-itc hank, with indefinite fii ling cf awe and apprehension, a if oin thing dentate, and dangeroti wan to Ix frd from them " When the canoe wa finished, Mr. Crook attempted to riavigaU- the imctuouR strram with it, I'tit f"tind hi strength uiwjual to the lak, and failing to reach hi companion on the op hite hunk. made another apal to Hunt' men. Finally, a Kcntmkian, named '. n Jones, undertook and made the passage, conveying meat to them and th n ratine hack. These occurrence were on the '20th of DmmUr, 111, Uth partie Iring on their way up Snake rivrr after having found the descent of that stream imitihle. It w &i now their intention to strike acros the coun try f.r the Columbia, a .m a it wa practicable to d , On the twenty third of lmmler, Mr. Hunt' fiilli'wrr rri'fKi to the wist ride of the stream, where they wrre joined hy Crunks' turn, who were already there. The two parti, brn united, numl-crrd thirty Mi H'ul, and ti the next day they turned from the rivrr into a IrarklcM country ; but, U fore starting, throe iii..ri .f their uumlcr had concluded to remain among the savage rather than face the harMii and trial that lay Ufore them. iKrcmUr '2 IHI I, the bra I waUr of (irand Ronde rivrr were reached, and the )at day of that year found them mcamd in the valley .f that name. Through all their jK-ril and ttatidrrim; itu leaving St. Umt, one woman, the Indian wife of IVrrr Virion, a guide, Interpreter and tiaj r, had am'tnpanie.1 them, bringing with her two (hihlrttt, and, at the party entered the (irand llonde valley, gave birth U another. The next diy shecxuiinund the journey on horseback a though nothing had happened, but the little stringer only lived nix days, Mr. Hunt, afier halting one ur two days to enable his followers to celebrate, in their for lorn way, the advent of a new year that had presented to them the (Jrande Ronde valley, a kind of winter paradise in the mountains,tcontinued his course to the west. The Ulue Mountain ridge was passed, and Jan uary 8, 1812, an Indian village, on the Umatilla river close to the mountains, was reached, where they were hospitably received. From there their route was dow n thh stream to the Columbia river, thence to the mouth of tho latter, arriving at Astoria February 15, 1S12. Since leaving Fort Henry, October 19, 181 1, out of Mr Hunt's party, two men had been drowned on Snake river, and poor Michad Carriere, when ex hausted, had straggled behind in (Jrande Ronde valley, and was never heard from afterwards. Ramsey Crooks, John Day and four Canadian voyageurs had Wen left half dead on Snake river, to remain in the Indian country, die, or reach the Columbia as best they could. Klevcn men, among them McKcnzie and Mcbcllan had been detached on Snake river, and following that stream until its waters 'mingled with the Columbia, had reached Astoria a month in advance of Mr. Hunt. Mr. Stuart, when returning from his post on the Okanogan, during the first days of April, found Mr. Crook and John Day on the banks of the Columbia river, without weajKins, nearly starved, and as naked a when born, having been robbed and stripjH'd hy the Dalles Indians. They had wintered in the Rlue moun tains about (Irande Rondo valley, and in the fpring had reached tho Walla Wallas, who had fed, succored them, and sent them on their way rejoicing down the river. When found, they were making their way lack to these early friends of the Americans, who never failed to assist our eople when in trouble. At length all but three of those starting from the head water- of the Snake river for Astoria had reached that place, ex cept the four voyageurs, and later they, too, were found by a return party. On the ninth of May, the ship Ilfnrer, with rein forcement and supplies, anchored at Astoria, and the Pacific Fur Company wa in condition to enter ujxrn a vigorous fur-gathering campaign. Mr. Hunt, who wa at the head of affair, set out in July for Alaska to fulfill the mission iion which the ill-fated 7inoi had sailed, and his departure left Duncan Mclugal in charge. Trior to this, however, the various exjh lion to trap water and trade with native LcU'?n the Rocky and Cascade mountains had started, siitr two strong, up the Columbia. Among the numl'-r wa the unfortunate John Day, and, a the party p-pruacln-d the scene of his former suffering, hi mii'l U-came deliriou, and the mere sight of an Ind;an ( WiWJ un Jgt 'if.