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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1922)
rf Page Ten East Oregonian Ronnd-Up Souvenir Edition Pendleton, Oregon, Thursday, September 21, 1922. LET 'EE BUCK OLD OREGON TRAIL HAS ROMANTIC HISTORY; -? IS ROUTE CHOSEN BY OX TEAM TOURISTS OF . LONG AGO WHEN THEY SOUGHT HOMES IN WEST Natural Highway Followed in Immigrant Days Now Being Made Right for Motorists. (By Walter Mem-ham, Secretary Chamber of Commcrw, Raker, Ore gon.) ' , " - The hlHtory of the, OliI Oregon Trail is fine lull of mystery, ro mance, hardship, faith and endur ance. Why so many people left com fortable homes to plunKR Into the wilderness known as the "rire.it American Desert" full c.f hard.-hlps and perils, no one can tell. The history of the world does not record a par them perished 1n one year. The wa gons Htretehed for miles, making1 a trail one. hundred feet wide in places ton feet deep, the soil ground out by the iron tires of the wagons and the myriad feet of the cattle and blown away by the winds of the desert. The dust was deep and stifling, the hardships were almost unendurable but patience, faith and perseverance won and the great Northwest was populated. It is well that we pause a moment and meditate upon the re ed down to the mouth of the river. Mr. Astor conceived the Idea of establish ing a sreat trading post at the mouth or thr river and tap all of the furl bearing country of the Northwest. ! His Idea was to establish a lino of trading posts from the Missouri to the j Columbia and have China as the great j mart for the furs obtained. He inter ested with him Alexander McKay, Duncan McDougal, Donald McKenzio i and Wilson l'rico Hunt. June 23, 1 1810, the Pacific Fur Company was! stilts of this pilgrimage and do honor formed with the above named men as to those who suffered and made his tory for our United States. A nation which does not preserve Its history and honor the memory of those who did great deeds and helped to preserve the life of that nation, soon perishes from the earth. LECTIN ICAL Nt-fc- partners of Mr. Astor. Two expeditions were devised and ! set on foot, one by sea and one by j land to reach the mouth of the Co lunxbia and establish a trading post, i The ship Tonquin, under command of ! Captain Jonathan Thorn, was fitted it Is well for us as Americans and j out for the sea voyage and the land a thinking people, to preserve tn and settlement of a wilderness, by prop erly marking and permanently estab lishing the name of the Old Oregon Trail which lias attached to It the greatest history and sentiment of any road In history. The fur industry of the North wan one of the chief commercial pursuits of the thited States and Canada In the early history of this country, The Hudson Hay company was one of the largest fur trading companies on the continent. In 17S7 the Northwest Company was formed and grew very rich and powerful. Later on came the Macki naw Company which nlso grew and The operation of these wide scope of allel case of so 'history of this great migration many people trav eling so great a distance as did the pioneers of 1852-3 over the Old Oregon Trail. A part of the Trail was travers ed by Lewis and Clark in 180S Then came the Hunt expedition in 1811-12. Ten yearn later a party of trap- , tV.i Mouth pors round anci tiw Then in 18:i.1 Nathaniel 3. Wy- ..fh'lmlit l.'ort Hall near the present prospered. uiie nf I'ncatelloi Ida., near the june- companies took in linn! of the 1'oit Neuf and Snake riv- country extending far west into Am- ten years Tort Hull was the encan territory, run niitnost and no wagon had I government attempted d beyond that point, i-i- the Indians and attended to supply ing 'a thousand men. worn-'luff them all that they needed but ers.- 1' i i tifeiiK ever venture nnllv In en nnd children under the guidance o(,pr. Whitman blazed the trail clear through' to the, Willamette valley and demonstrated that wagons could make the 'Journey. jo 18l.r-7, the Mormons made tneir United States to trade with could not compete with the activity and shrewdness of the private com panies which were not bound with government red tape. John Jacob Astor, an adopted citizen of this coun try, engaged In the fur business on a celebrated pilgrimage to the Great small scale and gradually ibuilt up a K.tlf Lake. In IMS came the great gojd rush to California. Hut the glial est of all, the migration that has gone down In history as the greatest movement of people to a common des tination, came in Wii!- when three hundred thousand men. women and children traversed the length Of the Trail from Independence, Missouri, through to the Willamette Valley, Oregon. ' Pathway .Miiil'icil by (i-nvoff. The pathway of this great army of hoinescekors Is marked with the graves of those who fell on the way, victims of cholera ami fatigue. It Im conservatively estimated that 5000 of large and profitable business. In 1809 he formed the American Kur Company with a capital stock of a million dollars, bought out the Mackinaw Company and formed the Southwest Company. The Northwest coast of America became a great fur gathering section and among the ships which traded along this coast was the Columbia in command of Captain Oray. I'ao'fUi IVr Company Formed. In 1 7! 2 Captain Cray discovered the Columbia Hiver, named after his ship. Then In 1805 IjCW'Is and Clark tra versed tho continent, reached the heud waters of the Columbia and sail- expedition was placed under the com mand of Mr. Hunt. Hunt Kxpeditlon Formed. Mr. Hunt proceeded to St. Louis, which was then the outpost of civiliza tion, to fit hlmseir out with a company to undertake the toilsome and peril ous trip overland through a savage and unknown country. He was greatly harassed In his un- acrtaKing by the Missouri Fur Com-i pany which did not relish the thought i of a rival company coming into the I field. i Hut by persevering, Mr. Hunt final-' ly gathered together a company of j uoHimen and hunters with which to make the journey. Included in his company were such men as Donald McKenzie, Joseph Mil ler, Robert Mctallan, John Day, Ram say Crooks, Pierre Morion, Interpre ter, John Brnd'hurv sc:entiul ie Nutall, scientist and John lteert. clerk In October, 1810, tho party left St. Louis and proceeded up the Missouri river In boats, where a winter camp was made. Early in tho spring of 1811. the start was made from Nodawa there being twenty-six in the party. On the trip up the river great flocks of pigeons were encountered which at times blackened the sky. their num bers were so great. Frequent desertions were made in the ranks of the little comnanv but recruits were also received as they went along so that tho party was en larged rather than diminished . Various tribes of Indians were en-' countered on the journey up tne river. The Omahas were very friendlv and traded with thn party for such things as both desired. Benjamin Jones and Alexander Carson, two great hunters, were met and Induced to turn back and go with WOMAN'S lot at home isn't the most pleasant occupation in the world so why not make her life free from the usual drudgery by coming here for those labor saving and time-saving Electrical Appli ances? Arid how simple is the operation of all our devices. A turn of the switch, the press of the button and work is accomplished with gratifying elimination of woman power. r Nothing but the highest type of appliances is to be found here. Electric fans, irons, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, cooking instruments yes, everything worth while at the right prices. 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