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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.
Pacific Power & Light Company
Always at Your Service
(Continued on page 11.)
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224 WATER STREET
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