February 14, 2001
mired York for his dark skin, tall
build and physical prowess.
Evidence was shown that York
was treated as an equal. At Fort
Clatsop in Astoria, Oregon, York
was allowed to room with the other
men in their sleeping quarters. He
was also the only man that Lewis
and Clark trusted with the liquor
supply, an important stock used for
their journey. As a fur trader, well-
established entrepreneur and trans­
lator o f many Native American lan­
guages, Moses "Black” Harris was
a very able wagon guide. Leading
th e p a c k from St. L o u is to
Yellowstone and from the Salt Lakes
to Oregon Country, Harris was
known for bringing two o f the larg­
est wagon trains to the
ways the nucleus. Many pioneers
who were brave or foolish enough
to travel the 2,000 - 3,000 miles o f
partly-chartered territory experi­
enced loved ones die o f small pox or
cholera. Other fatal tragedies were
from such things as accidents or
carelessness. Fortunately, Native
Americans seldom waged war on
wagon trains.
Harris later participated in blaz­
ing new trails with George Bush
who settled Centralia, Washington.
He also trekked with the Applegate
family during the “Great Migration”
o f 1843. Together, they blazed the
Applegate wagon trail that runs
through Nevada, California and
Page 3
Southern Oregon.
The first Christian missionaries
were brought to the Northwest by
the Whitman family with Moses
“Black”Harris leading the pack. By
1844, Harris guided the largest num­
ber o f immigrants to the Willamette
Valley, consisting o f 137 wagons
carrying 982 people.
Because o f Oregon's race-based exclusionary law,
William Owen Bush, a free African American and his
group o f while friends and neighbors crossed the
Columbia River to head north. The party settled in the
Puget Sound region in what would later become the
state o f Washington.
medicinal purposes and to keep
everyone warm.
York later became the very first
African American allowed to vote in
the United States.
The mountain men who traveled,
hunting for animal pelts were plen­
tiful throughout the Pacific North­
west. They were often stationed
during the warmer months at ren­
dezvous points (temporary posts)
where they enjoyed the company o f
women and good times. Nearby
these sites were Native American
encampments.
W agoneers p assin g through
would contract a mountain man to
serve as a wagon train guide for
West. He also saved
two other wagon trains
that were lost with many
w agoneers perishing
from malnutrition and
thirst. One distressed
party was in the moun­
tains o f Southern O r­
egon in 1839 and the
other was the Meeks
party o f 1845 in the
desert region between
Idaho and Oregon.
Most covered wagon
trains were organized
around the group’s reli­
gious or ethnic heritage.
Family groups were al-
Dr. D a n ie l H a le W illiam s, performed the first successful heart operation in 1893
M a d a m e CJ. W alker, first self-made American woman millionaire . H y m a n S. Thomas, invented
the potato chip, originally known as the Saratoga chip . M a tth e w A. Henson, first man to set foot on
the North Pole , fessie la ru e M a rk , first woman to earn a doctorate in botany , Isaac M urphy, won
the very first Kentucky Derby , Dr. Charles Drew, discovered the method for preserving blood plasma
• le w e l L aF o n tan t M a n kariou s, first woman to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court Yvonne
Clark, first woman to earn B.S. in chemical engineering a t Harvard .
in "scatting" style , Otis Boykin, invented guided missile device ,
Louis Arm strong, first to sing
fa n e W rig h t, pioneered several
advances in the field o f chemotherapy. Frederick M ckinley /ones, inventor o f portable X-ray machine
W illia m A. H inton, developed first test for syphilis . N o rb e rt Rillieux, developed the first system for
refining sugar , 5. Boone, invented the first ironing board . Frank G rant, inventor o f the baseball
chinguard . L.D. N ew m an , inventor o f the hairbrush . Shelby /. Davidson, created the first adding
machine . W illia m W arw ick Cardozo, pioneered the study o f sickle cell anemia , Kurils Blow, first
rap artist
Kou can't talk about Black history without talking about American history.
t=i
LENDER
A wagon train traveling out West.
Let's remember the African Americans who helped build America.
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