Weekly Chemawa American., September 25, 1908, Image 1

3S&3
VOL. 11
SEPTEMBER 25, 1908,
NO. 14
Jump Off Joe.
Interesting Indian Legend as Told in the
Oregon Journal.
Once in the days of long ago, when
the world wag young and puny man
was as an ant among- thex vast shapes,
that roamed the land and swam the sea,
a giant of colossal size left a worn-out
shoe, carelessly thrown; on the edge of
the Pacfic Ocean, Long and low like
an Oxford, with high arching instep,
under which the restless waves washed
and pounded, the vast relic lay beaten
hy storm' and baked by sun until at last
it turned to stone.
And now, today, half buried in the
V
sands of Nye Creek beaeh at Newport,
the big stone shoe still lies, ever washed
by the surf, worn smooth by tourist
climbing, solid and crowned by roman
tic fable.
Years and years ,ago, so the story
runs, far back before the white man came
to bathe in the breakers of the shores, the
Indians of the Siletz were a powerful,
a wise and a great people. Up and
down the coast were the hunting grounds
of its warriors, where from the moun
tains thev took the deer, the eht, and the
bear. From the dashing streams, leap
ing down to mingle their fresh water
with the ocean's brine, the Siletz fisher
man drew trout in great quantities.
In the fertile and sunflooded valleys the
squaws raised grain, and maize, and all
the tribe was prosperous and rich and
contented.
One day, as a winter storm howled
along the shore, a bedraggled hunting
party pausing on a high bluff overlook-
ing the sea, saw a large ship driving be
fore the wind towards the beach. As
they stood it dashed upon the rocks and
was broken into many pieces.
Out of the wreckage which cast upon
the h'aoh the wondering Indians drew
a young girl, fast bound to a broken
spar, More beautiful than anv woman
ever seen by them the warriors gazed
spellbound at her hair, fine-spun like
the ripened silk of their corn ; at her
skin, smooth and fair with the rosy tints
of the early morn; at her eyep, blue
like the shower washed skies of April
Unlashing her from the broken spar
the hardy warriors carried the girl rev
etently to the village where the wo
men warmed her back to life.
Drawn by the beauty, -her grace and
("Continued-on Pnge Q)