The Oregon daily journal., May 17, 1908, Page 55, Image 55

THE' OREGON' SUNDAY ' jOURNAE,' PORTLAND. SUNDAY MORNING, MAY IT, 1 1803.
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Is
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Story of Seal of State of Much Human Interest,
Did anyone ever tell yop th history
ft the great 'seal or the atata of Ore-
eon? . ' ' r- - ft,-'"
Perhap not. ' It la not -written In
any book, though It ahpuld ba-nd
thera are bot a few Men; within Athe
, fei eat state of which. It la toe Insignia
-who know the store. ' "
' The writer heart! It the other day
from the lips of one who knowa on
of the four or five pioneera who de
i fsirned the teal; heard bow It came
. about that within Ita oircumference
there la depleted a broad sweep of
waur. a bold headland, a lordly elk and
, various Implement of agriculture, not
10 forget a real "prairie acnoener- aucn
: as sheltered the persona and the few
the very few, worldly poaseaalona of
those staunch and hardy adventurers
, -who in the brave flays or tne eany
: 'tio-a came to tear tne veil or myatery
s from the smiling face of an unknown
land.
And r now- attend, all ya lovera of
t , the out-of-doors, ye mighty hunt era of
Dig game all and every one 01 you
t "who In the love of nature hold Com-
rn union with her visible forme," foe.
j m who i old uie .iaie, wnicn la nistory
j at first hand, la the roan who placed
v the antlered elk upon the aeal and by
, so doing gave a permanent, prominent
. and official position to a noble animal
' and one that ia essentially typical of
' j . the daya when Oregon waa but a atate
. In the making.
' , Paokwood, the Pioneer. ...
f ' Way back In 1857, more than half
m, century ago, the constitutional con
; vent Ion met to draw up the new atate'a
organio law. One' of the membera of
.; that convention waa William H. Pack
.v iwood Sr., then a resident of Curry
county, It waa Mr. Packwood, pioneer,
oldier," miner, Indian fighter, hunter.
hi pathfinder and publicist that stood
eponnor for the lordly elk that gracea
the great seal of the atate. The tnci
'j dent Is. best -told - In Mr, Packwood'
L' own language: . .''--'
'f "I was a member of the constitu
3 tlonal convention from Curry county,
2 A committee to design a aeal waa ap
t pointed and was composed aa I remem
e ber it, of L' H. Orover and J. C.
Shields of Marion county. Mr. Burch of
Polk bounty, and myself of Curry
i county. ' There. , may have been five
.- membera on the committee, but I only
remember four aa having met In the
committee-room. Mr. G rover waa chair
, man.
3 "After talking the matter over for a
, time we concluded it would be proper
i and fitting. for the design Of the aeal
; oounaed on ine wesi oy tne waters ot
the Pacific ; ocean. We also decided
I that by showing vessels departing and
3 at anchor we could indicate the com
manding position of the atate aa re-
garda ocean commerce. Cape Blan?o
s' was, I think, at that time the most
, westerly point or land to ne depicted
on the seal, which ahows it washed by
. tne waters or tne racmc ocean and
, dominatinc the shlpplns in the fairway.
Cape Blanco and the ships were, I
i think, Mr. ' Orover'a Idea. lie drew a
3 sketch while the balance of us looked
on and suggested one thing and another
t to oe placed on tne seal.
; 1 i Bow Wagon was Chosen.
f ' Tha wagon, I believe, was Inserted
at the suggestion ..- of Mr. Burch. It
,- seems to be one that has fulfilled ita
i purpose, having finished ita long west
: ward Journey and coma to rest where
land and ocean meet.
"In thia connection I am reminded
of a atory told of Dr. McLoughlin and
, tho early emigrants. There was more
rain in Oregon than some of the early
emigrants cared for. The Sandwich
Islands were being much talked of here
In thoae daya and - tha climate waa
aaia to oe gooa ana not bo much rain
as in Oreaon. Anions- the mlinnn rtr
McLoughlin occupied the position of
vrncie, mo a delegation was selected to
wait on him and ask for Information
regarding the Islands. After getting
much data concerning climate, chance
to take up land, Ma, one of the delo
gatea .wanted to Know If they could
MM
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8
It
William H. Packwood Sr., Pioneer atfa One of the Designers of the State
Seal.
go there by wagon. Dr. McLoughlin
was not prepared to answer this ques
tion offhand, but after pondering over
It for a few minutes he renlled thut
he thought men who had taken wagons
over the Cascades, through Barlow's
pass, could drive tn the Islnnrf. nil
right.
"This atory simply illustrates the
confidence reposed In Dr. McLousrhlin
by the emigrants and the high opinion
held bv the doctor of the nroweaa nf tho
emigrants. Thia wagon on the aeal may
have been one of this island train, hut
the driver, being unable to see a place
to land on the other side, cached It at
Cape . Blanco, there to become a pic
torial monument to the men and nays
that are, alas, now past and n-one. It is
such a wagon aa was used In those
daya by emigrants crossing the nlalna
used aa a home by the family at night,
a boat for crossing rivers, or a fort
wherein a defense might be made from i
tne atiacKs or nosme Indiana.
Aa OH "Carey."
"The plow ia, I think, an old Carey,'
with an Iron or steel bar and wooden
moldboard. 11 the ground was sticky
the moldboard had to be cleaned off
With a wooden paddle, carried for that
purpose. It was necessary to repeat
this performance from one to a dozen
times each "round." These plows were
a great Improvement on the forked
sticks used bv the Mexicans in Cali
fornia at that day. With a Carey' plow
a furrow eight Inches wide could be
turned without much trouble.
"The rake is of the primitive type
all wood, handle and teeth and home
made. The pick is simply an old-fashioned
grubbing hoe. The sheaf of
wheat was pictured on Hie seal to show
that by the use of the tools provided
grain could be raised, and that we had
here in Oregon an agricultural country
I think that all relating to agriculture
should be passed aa coming from Mr.
Shields and Mr. Burch. f think the
eagle belonged to all four of us.
"Now while the chairman was draw
ing the sketch for the seal T v think.
inff what a wonderful nma rmmirv u
was about Cape Blanco, especially for
elk. I do not remember whether or not
I related to my fellow committeemen
an incident that had occurred a few
years before, but I am sure I had it in
mind "atthe tlma. '-Tha ' Incident -o
eurred at Elk river la 1(51 or the early
apring of 1861. At tha tlma It . waa
aimpiy looxea upon es an ordinary nan
pening of our dally frontier llf. VUw.
Ihg It now. after tha lanse of more than
60 years; it seems -worth relating, the
mora so because It suggested the plao-
iiii piime rt un our state seal.
At tne time 1 waa a member of com
pany C"Flrat regiment. United States
dragoons, then stationed at Port Orford.
1 was - quartermaster-sergeant of . the
post.' t we had quite a number of cav
alry horses and also a number of mules
which were used for packing. - When not
on scouting duty against the Indiana
wa would send a sergeant In charge of
a oetau or men out as a horse guard,
their duty bejng to allow tha horsea and
mules to erase and thua save the barley
which cost us f cents i nound bv the
acnooner ioaa rrom Ban f ranc laco.
' Zlk .Were Komeroua. .
Sergeant George H. Abbott.' In chares
or a aetau or eight or ten troopers,
was camoed on the north aide of Elk
river, the band ' of - horses and mules
being, dally run out on Cape Blanco to
graae. .- At tnat lima eiK were numer
ous In the vlclnltv and they became so
accustomed to seeing men that they
would frequently mix with the horaea
and mules and would sometimes come
in at nigh to where our animals were
picketed and grass about aa ir tney were
accuatomea to mat sort or tnipg.
"One morning Friedman, who ' be
longed to our company, went up to aea
if the 'horsea were all riant and found
a lot of big bul elk in with the animals.
Ha' ran back to camp and reported what
he had seen. Berseant Abbott1 had the
only gun In camp used for game; an old
United States mounted rifle that shot
a paper cartridge we -made- ourselves,
using a one half ounce ball. When not
using the cartridge we loaded the rifle
from a powder-horn, ualng a patch "on
tne nail to . make it nt tne Dore or i
anin. Tn load and fire three shots
minute waa) .considered a good record.
Our cavalry weapcraa were muSketoons,
carrylna a one-ounce ball and three
hnnkahot fair for Indiana They car
rlul a heaw charsa of Dowder and held
up a good distance.- -1 remember shoot
ing into a- flock of geeae on the beach,
killing one. l ateppea we aistance,
mnlrln It AAA varda.
"Sergeant Abbott took' the lead from
tha camn and waa soon within 79 or 80
yards of the elk. 'Our favorite place
Abbotts and mute waa to anooi n ei
In the neck. If you hit an elk almost
any other place' you are pretty aura to
nave a run. ror il , .
. "Anhntt nicker nut-a una., large ouii
elk and shot It in the neck.' The elk
dropped in ita traoka and never made a
lump. -Aooott men ran up wiuiuui -
oadlng hla gun. wnicn ne leane.i
airil a tra ran ta the elk and
Belied it by one horn in order to pull
Ita hAad haiV an ha could cut its throat.
He had no mora than got the elk's head
atralghtened back when the big fellow
uraped up ana oegan a regular war
lanca. nawlna- the ail' with his feet and
running around in a circle. Abbott had
tn rin anm nrettv live) V foot Work to
keep out or tne riyina, uniie-uiw huuib.
'Round and - 'round they went. Abbott
hanging to the elk's horn like death to
m
on the points of fta immense horns be
fAM ha nnnlit rach cover.
Br tbia time the' men from the
camp had oome up and were watching
the circus from a safe distance. If
they bad any guna I don't remember
thoy were afraid to uae them for fear
of hitting Abbott
Snubbed to Tree.
It happened that one, of the men car-
rioA a nlrket rone in hla hand. This
caught Abbott's eye aa ho and the elk
waltzed around and he called to the
man to put a loop In the end of the rope
ond thrnv Mm the hlarht. The man did
as directed and Abbott luckily caught
the blgnt as It was tnrown ii nun anu
succeeded in placing the "noose over the
bull's horn. He then called to the men
tn amih the elk to the nearest tree.
There were plenty of black pines grow
ing there and In a few seconds we had
the enraged animal snuDDea up snort
and fast and Abbott was enabled to
let go his hold on tne horn and dodge
out of reach of the flying hoofs.
"We killed the elk and dressed it,
taking a part of the meat to Port Or
ford. It was estimated that the weight
of the dressed meat waa fully 800
pounds. The bullet from Abbotts rifle
I 1
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t-i
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ramlly ot a Pioneer,", The Photograph Prom. Which Thia Picture of William H. Packard Sr.,' and liia Family
m Keproaucea.;waa ivien cu xeara Ago, and Has Since Been Donated to the Oregon Historical Society.
had creased the' elk'a neck and he and
the animal furnished a lively bit of. en
tertainment because the bullae had e-oha
a trifle too high. . .-; --v.-
"But to come 'back to the aeal.' r I
waa thinkina of this incident while the
sketch of the seal waa being made, but
waa uncertain how- the auggeation I
wanted to, make would be received, as It
certainly waa a novel . one. J walked
over to where Mr. Orover was at work
on the sketch and picked out a place
for an elk to standa Dlace whera he
could see the vessels sailing up and
aown ana observe ail tnat waa new to
him In thia new land' of ours. , I have
come out into a glade or clearing and
tane a siana on some point to sue n tne
land waa clear for the herd. -
i told the committee what a noble
animal-the elk is; how numerous they
were about Cape Blanco; and that they
were takina- note, after the manner of
their kind, of the'ehanarea belnar wrnuo-ht
by the hand of man in this new country
of ours. I had asked for nothing and I
suppose the committee never gave tha
matter a second thought, but placed ' the
elk on the seal at the place Indicated
by me. There he stands today, and
there he will stand, I hope, for all time.
Ztast on Seal. ' -
"The elk was the last figure to be
placed on the aeal, all of - the others
having been sketched In at. the time I
made my suggestion. Other countries
have animals on their - seals Hons,
bears, etc., etc., and I. thought It wholly
proper to have one on our seal, partic
ularly so as the animal selected was es
sentially typical or tne time and place.
The oniv criticism of the matter that
has ever been called to my attention oc
curs somewhere in the code compiled
by Judge Peady and Lafayette lne. I
presume the judge was hungry for- elk
meat at tne time ana tnat mane mm
critical." , ...
And that is the story of the making
of the seal of tha state of Oregon, Most
readers will agree that it Is well worth
knowing and well worth recording" aa an
Important happening in the state's earlv
history. Of the men , who designed the
seal and who constituted the member-
bin of the constitutional convention.
but few remain. Mr. Packwood puts it:
"From my recollection of the mem
bers of the convention they formed a
notable group of men. From the group
we have had cabinet officera, governors,
senators, members of, congress and
uugt-n. oo tar an x nave ueen aoie to
eeo track of them tney were all useful
and honorable men up to the hour when
thev answered the last call. Verv few
are left."
To those who govern their, acts ac
cording to the patriotic dictates of their
hearts Mr. Packwood'a closing remark
will strongly appeal:
"I feel thankful that we have the
aeal left from the work done In that
constitutional- convention. It la about
all that In left of the constitution as
we made it. and what little la left may
soon be 'ref ereudumed' out of existence
DV OUT una .rtrnn - la w.mafcta . ffin,
dltlona may, and do change, but I do not
believe there will ever be assembled to
gether a more conscientious body of
men or men who worked and voted for
what thev believed to be the best In
terests of the state than the members
ot tnat convention,". . . .
;:&4?; ;: .'- .'Came Bare la)80O.- ' -'ty. '-
Mr. Packwood came ' to Oregon In
JS50, and now. atv the ripe age of 76
years, he can look back on a record of
f'Ubllo and private achievement second
o none. Of him it may truthfully be
aaid that ha , r '
"Belonged to tha legion that never ware
'Hated. . -
They , carried no banner nor crest)
But split In a thousand detachments.
Were breaking the ground for the raat,
In Isaac Hiatt'a intereatlnar and val.
uable fc volume, "Thirty-one . Yeara. in
Bakef County." published fn 1893, the
following - brief, and .-therefore hecea.
sarily. incomplete sketch of Mr. Packard
ia- given: -
son tn xuiaoia.
' "Another citizen of the county who
has occupied a prominent place In 'af
fairs is William H. Packwood Sr. He
Was born in Jefferson pnuntv. TIlfnnlM.
October II. 1881. His father came from
Virginia to Kentucky, thence to Illi
nois wnere ne was married In 1831.
When William waa quite young the
family - removed -to . Snarta. Randolnn
county, wnere ne attennea acnool until
he was 12 years old.. His mother died
that. year (1844) and for elx ycara.he
was occupied worxing on a rarm in. tne
summer , and clerking in a store in
the winter. In , 1848 he enlisted in a
rifle regiment and the next year he was
sent with, 24 others, under , Captain
Morris, to California, as an escort for
General Wilson who had been appointed
superintendent of Indian affairs on tha
Pacifio coast. M. P. Deady came with
the same company, and on Goose creek
General Joel Palmer joined them and
returned home, 'he having bean with ah
escort going east The company crossed
the Sierra Nevada , mountains .tha.
twenty-fourth day of October and ar
rived at-Hangtown with 19 men. At
Hangtown gold had but recently been
discovered. . The company went on to
Sacramento- at that time a- city Of
tents, and Mr. Packwood had. a severe
snell, of sickness. The soldiers nearlv
all deserted and those that remained
wintered at Sonoma, where General Joe
Hooker, then a colonel, was tried by a
courtmarttal. Mr. Packwood was an
ointed orderly sergeant at the trial.
If the armv officera then nresent whn
afterward won distinction In the civil,
war were uenerai. jtiauecK, uenerai
Pleasanton, General Honker, General
Lyon. General Weasels. General Case v.
General Perclfer Smith and General
Page. What reflections that array of
names awakens. ' i
: "In April, .1850, Packwood came with
his -company to -the Columbia river In a
veasel commanded by . Captain McAr
thur, the father of Judge L. Ix McAr-
tViiij.. Thi inmninv-li at Vano.nnvap .
until "the next year, - when they were 4
uruareu . to tjenicm, aiitornia. wiierq
they- arrived in May and remained un
til August. Packwood waa then sent
with an escort for an Indian agent who
was visiting the coast and-northern
California Indians. Returned to Be-
nicia and in jjeeemner, jsdi, were or
dered to Port Orford, Oregon, and were
shipwrecked near Coos bay January . 3,
1852. - The company , made its way to
Port Orford. cutting what was called
the 'Seven Devlla -Trail' through tbo
timber, - reaching their destination In
May.- Packwood was then transferred
to the First Pragoona and served aa
auartermaster-aergeant. He received his
ischarge in 1858 and engaged in min
ing on the beach and'packing goods un
til the Indian, war of 1865-6. when he
entered -the- service -"again, serving ns
captain 6f a company 63 days and as,
orderly sergeant during the remainder '
of the. war. In ,1867 tie waa aent as
delegate to the constitutional conven
tion from Curry-county. He waa-afterward
clrk for awhile at the Slleta
Indian agency and then went Into part
nership with Abbott In stock raising.
In 1)861 Abbott attempted to' drive
their cattle to Salmon river, but failed
to cross Snake river, as related else
where, and thnt led Packwood finally to.
tne rowaer river mines.
- Voundad Town of Auburn.
He waa one of the foundera of the
town Of Auburn in J 863, where he waa
engaged In Belling poode for some timo,
and was one of tha foremost men in
the ditch enterprise of the Auburn Wa
ter company end also the Clarka creek
ditch in 1883. From 1866 to 1867 he
waa, a member of the Burnt River Toll
Road, Bridge & Ferry company, and then .
began the construction of. the Eldo
rado dltoh, in which he was engaged
until 1870. Disposing of his interest
in that ditch he began the building of
the Eagle creek ditch in Union county.
Mr. , Goodrich attempted to survey n
route for a ditch in 1863, but pro
nounced it impracticable to build on
account of the perpendicular cliffs
which he encountered. Mr. Packwood
employed Foster as surveyor and suc
ceeded in locating a practical route, and
tne worn juinaing waa oegun. in
18J2 he sold the Uncompleted ditch to
Bowen & Cranston; by ..whom it was
finished at a total cost 'of $90,000.
.' lie had an interest In a Quarts mine
i oanppr wuiun no aiua in loit ana r
from that time until 1887. he waa in
charge of the Eldorado ditch. He was
elected recorder of Baker City iri 1883,
which office he has held ever since."
After aerving several successive
terms as recorder Mr. Packwood waa
appointed assistant postmaster at Baker
uy, wnicn position ne still holds.
an
?
30 Mil
UTES RIDE
ON NEW SALEM
ELECTRIC LINE
will take you to these
Safe, Sure and Profitable
The SUREST, SAFEST and MOST PROFITABLE invest
ment in Oregon is GOOD ACREAGE in a GOOD location.
When you invest in MERGER ACRE TRACTS you are
SURE that your money will DOUBLE itself in a short time.
Why?
Because these acre tracts are only 30 MINUTES out from
Portland on the new SALEM ELECTRIC LINE, which is bound
to develop the country tributary to it in a remarkably short time,
and to DOUBLE acre values in a year. The land is not excelled
anywhere for fruit, vegetables, berries, etc.
$200 ACRE TMCTS
IMPORTANT!
THE OREGON ELECTRIC RAILWAY announces the follow
ing important extensions to be completed at the earliest possible
day:
GARDEN HOME TO HILLSBORO
HILLSBORO TO TILLAMOOK
TIGARDVILLE TO EUGENE
SALEM TO MILL CITY
Total 301 Milfs salem to albany
1UUU JVl lUlieb ALBANY TO CASCADIA
The STEM of these immense branches is the line from PORT
LAND to SALEM, and MET2GER ACRE TRACTS are only
8 miles out from Portland station. In a few years Portland
will even extend out to Metzger. B.uy NOW and sell lots in a
few years at the prices you pay for acres now.
METZGER ACRE TRACTS
- METZGER -
- ACRE -
- TRACTS -
ON NEW
Distance Measured by Time
It is not the distance by MILES that counts when you WANT
to reach home or your place of business in a HURRY. It is the
TIME it takes to GET THERE. It's 8 miles, to our acre tracts.
But!
It .takes ONLY 30 MINUTES on the new Salem line. It
takes you "LONGER than THAT, to go to other suburbs, where
a SINGLE lot costs as MUCH as a WHOLE Metzger acre.
THINK IT OVER. Go out today, You will enjoy the beautiful
trip, the scenery being CHARMING in the extreme.
SALEM
ELECTRIC
LINE
Finest Sun-kissed and Heavenprinkled Fruit and
... Vegetable Land in Ainerica
NOWHERE in America is there more FERTILE soil than in the state of
OREGON, and NOWHERE in Oregon is there MORE prolific FRUIT
VEGETABLE and WALNUT Jand than THAT lying, in the vicinity of
Portland especially in the district "which" is" NOW tapped bv the new
SALEM ELECTRIC LINE. ;
, There is plenty of WATER on tract? and a trout stream. A beautiful
. NATURAL PARK of. 10acresasitQ tie. improved and paths and seats made
This will'be kept PERPETUALLY as a park for the benefit of the public.
; v " Remember
. METZGER Acre Tracts are on the, WEST side jof the river so that
there are NO DELAYS by BRIDGES. There is' a RAPID and FRE
QUENT service and you are always SURE of reaching home or down town
ON TIME. . j i .
SALEM
ELECTRIC
LINE
Ask the Conductor
Fat a transfer the nearest point "to the 'JEFFERSON street
station of the new SALEM electric line, corner Front street
Board an Oregon electric car there and in 30 MINUTES the
car will stop at METZGER STATION, right on OUR acre
tracts. Then look over the. ground and pick a desirable tract
CLEARED, PARTLY CLEARED or; WQODED in the' low
lands or in the uplands." Come, to our office and pay TEN
PER CENT DOWN and THREE PER CENT MONTHLY
and you will be the. OWNER of an acre that you will not sell
for DOUBLE what it cost yo at the expirationof a year.'
The prices now are from $200 up.
Metzger Acre Tracts Afford the Best Opportunity
- for Home or Mest
The PRESENT prices of these fertile acre tracts is a mere NOTHING
to what they WILL be in a year or two. The country all along the Oregon
Electric Line will develop;, WONDERFULLY and those who delay will
pay dearly for their present APATHY. ; Ths observant and judicious home
and investment seekers are buying NOW and will reap MANIFOLD harvests-within
Ta few jyears. jf-i't 3 f ' . '.- -'.' ' ',
4 The WOOD alone on some tracts is worth MORE than what, the land
is selling for. The soil is '.unequaled for vegetation of ail kinds.' r
jV Criterion
The wonderful influx of buyers along the Salem line is a good CRI
TERION to the rapid development of the rich"' valley to the south of Port
land. The rolling stock is overtaxed and the company has ordered larger
cars to meet the demand. ' f
Portland
rOffice Phones
For Further; Information
M474 A1374 Vhts, Eta, APPLY TO
MANM
226-228 Front Sti, Port- Metzger,
i j it x oj. Office Phone'
land, or Metzger Station pacifjc 20i9