-Pendleton, Oregon, Thursday, September 21, 1922.
East Oregonian Round -Up Souvenir Edition
Page Thirteen
Old Oregon Trail Has Romantic History; Is Route Chosen by Ox
Team Tourists of Long Ago When They Sought Homes in West
LET 'ER BUCK
(Continued from page 12,)
Wallah village for mutual protect on
from the thieving band at Wishram.
John Day, the veteran hunter, who
accompanied the expedition from St.
Louis and who underwent great hard
ships at the hands of the Indians, be
came deranged from the suffering
he had endured and was sent back
to Astoria under the care of friendly
Indians, 'Within a year he died and
thus passed out a frontiersman for
whom later on four rivers were named.
At the village of the Wallah-Wall-ahs,
Mr. Stuart secured horses for his
little band which was to bear the dis
patches to St. Louis. .With him were
Ben Jones, Andri Vallar, Francis Clerc,
McLennan and Crooks.
er on Robinson, Hobach and Rczncr when the greatest rush of home seek- Trail should be preserved to the his.
joined the parly. j era the world has ever seen took place tory, Mr. Meeker, set out from his
Rezner, McClerc and Dorlon and his Tho Ureal Migration 'home in Puyallup, Washington witii n
family made a camp five days jour- Whole families left their comfort- ffrairo Schooner and an o team to
able homes and friends, family ties : traverse and mark the route which
were broken and business connections he had traveled as a young man uvcr
in a well
ney troin the main camp
stuck beaver country.
One evening while Dorion's wife
was preparing supper, LeClere stagger
ed into camp pale and bleeding. He
informed her that the Indians had
killed her husband and Rozner. She
immediately caught two of the horese.
loaded LeClere and some provisions
on one of them and herself and the
two children on tho other and fled.
On the third n'ght LeClere died or
his wounds and exposure as they dar
ed not build a fire. On the fourth day
the main camp was reached and the
Indian woman found it deserted with I
Crossing the Blue Mountains thnlgigns of a great struggle having taken
party came upon a ;great sulphur pllCo and she surmised that the en
spring and lake around which were. tire party had been wiped out by the
great numbers of antlers which had I .Indians.
been shed by the elk which frequent-
ed the region. On this site is now lo
cated Hot Lake, Oregon, a great health ,
resort. i
Sin- and her children wintered near
the Wallah-Wallah river in a wild and
i lonely canyon, subsisting on the flesh
of the two horses and such other food
as could be procured. In tho spring
she struck out across the hills and fin-
lally arrived at a village of tho Wal-
J nh-Vull,.V.u TK.ta ..oci.-n,l
, I. ...... . -''of the b
jiezner una jtooinson, wno nan lert i the
inc uuni party at inc iienry Post to'
trap and hunt. They reported that
Find Caelies Plundered.
on August i.'tn, the Snake river
was reached and on August 20th, the
severed, for the 'purpose of joining in
that mad rush for the mysterious land
across the mountains where homes
might Vie secured for the taking.
Perils were considered as nought,
but with faces set resolutely toward
the setting sun, tho polnecrs of the
great Northwest set out to subdue the
wilderness and establish homes where
rolls the "Oregon." The Old Oregon
Trail proper, began at Independence
Missouri, as did the Sante Fe trails.
For 41 miles the two trails pursued
the same course, then they forked, the
Sanle Fe heading southwest and the
Oregon Trail to tho northwest.
they had been robbed of their furs
and clothing by a band of Arapahays
and had barely escaped with their
lives and had wandered among the
hills, barely existing on fish and ber
ries. : The augmented party now contin
ued on their way up the river end
finally reached the Caldron Linn
where they found that six of tho each-:
cs made by Mr. Hunt had been found
and ransacked by the Indians. Be-
ravc spirits who helped blaze
Trail to "Oregon" when it was
a vast wilderness, and thus was lost to
view the brave, patient, resourceful
little Indian woman who endured so
much.
First Wagon Train to Reach Columbia
In the year 184.1, the first wagon
train to reach the Willamette valley
loft Fort Hall, in the vicinity of Poc
atello, Idoha, under the command of
Ir. Marcus Whitman. This was call
ed at the time, the "Great Kunigra
tion" because there were 1000 ueoDle
in the party. But nine and ten years
fore reaching the Caldron L'nn, how-j later, the real "migration" took place
wnen 300,000 people swept in a vast
tidal wave of humanity from the Mid
dle West to the Pacific Coast.
Under tho guidance of Dr. Whitman
tho party passed through the great
Snake River valley past the present
s;to of Hungington and on September
-'8th, reached the Powder river valley
in Baker county, Oregon.
The Grand Rondo valley was reach
ed October 1st, and crossing the Blue
mountains, his party reached Walla
Walla valley the latter part of the
month. Continuing on to the Colum
bia river, the party embarked on boats
and reached tho Willamette valley
the latter part of November, 1843.
The Chainpor-g Convention
At this time it la proper to digress
for a moment and take note of the
Champoeg convention at Champoeg.
Willamette valley, May 2, 1843. At
this meeting 102 men gathered. The
proposition of forming a Provisional
government was put to a vote and it
appeared to be a tie until a French
man, Francois, XXavier Matthieu,
walked over to the American sldo and
the great Oregon country, which at
that time included all of Oregon, Mon
tana, Washington. Idaho and part of
Wyoming was saved to the United
States.
After the migration of 1843, only!
scattering parties wended their way to
ever, they camo upon some Shoshones
busily engaged in spearing salmon at
a place which they named Salmon
Falls.
Here Robinson, Reziier and Hobach
were outfitted and remained to trap
and hunt. On September 19. Mr. Stu
art and his little party reached the
head waters of the Snake where their
horses were stolen by a rascally band
of Crow Indians and they proceeded
on their way on foot. Tho winter was
spent in camp on the banks of the
Platte river and in the' spring the mar
ch to St. Louis was renewed. Finally
on April 30, 1S13, the party reached
St. Louis and the dispatches were
sent to Mr. Astor in Xew York City.
The Journey had taken ten months ot
time and Incredible hardships and the.
news of tho establishment of Astoria
his party and the return trip created
a great sensation, and was tho first
news of the establislimen of Astoria
at the mouth of the Columbia.
Massacre on the Snake
During the summer of 1818, John
Reed, lies LeClere, Francois Landry,
Jean Baptistc Turcot, Andre Chapclle,
Pierre Dorion and family and Pierre
Dclaunay established a camp on the
Snake river .to -hunt and trap and to
search for Robinson, Hobach and Rcz
ncr. , t
During tho autumn.1' Landry died
Road to Oregon
At the forks of tjie road was a sim
ple sign reading, "Road to Oregon."
That sign would be worth its weight
in gold today to any h storlcal society.
The Old Oregon Trail ran to the north
west along the Little Blue river until
it struck the valley ot the Platte about
300 miles from Independence.
The route then lay up the Platte to
a point near the forks of tho Platte
where there were two routes. The
Oregon Trail followed tho south fork
for a short distance then turned north
west and leached the north fork past
what Is now Cheyenne, reaching Lar
amie, Wyoming, which was the last
post on the eastern side of the Rock
ies. The famous Independence Rock,
838 miles from Independence, was one
of the most noteworthy and well
known features on tho trail. The
.50 years before. Quoting Mr. Meeker;
I "The purpose of this expedition is
to perpetuate the memory of the Old
Oregon Trail and to honor the in
trepid pioneers who jnade it and sav
ed this great region the "Old Oregon
Country" for American rule."
Mr. Meeker reached The Dulles
where the real start was made on
March 10, 190G. Here he erected the
first stone monument, March l.'.lh.
Then he traveled on his slow, tiresome
way through Oregon, Idaho, Wyom
ing. Nebraska, electing markers on
the way and on to Indianapolis. In
diana, which he reached January D,
1!(U7. On March 1st he started for
Washington, V. with his ox team
and after a diversity of experiences
on the way reached the White Hons.
and interviewed Teddy Roosevelt, then
president of United States who was
greatly interested in the venture and
promised his aid in securing govern- j
ment recognition of the Old Oregon !
Trail.
Mr. Meeker's big idea of the trip
was to mark the route and to create
an interest in the building of a nation
al highway across the continent in
commemoration of tho Old Oregon
Trail.
Mr. Meeker found to his astonish
ment that many of the places promi
nently identified with the early his
tory of the Oregon Trail knew noth
ing of It. owing to the erosions of time
and the Influx of new people.
Mr j11ceKer maue a seconu irip uy
rou e lay through what Is now Rockox tCB staltill(, from Thc D.inos,
March 16, 1910, and ending at Puy
allup, Washington, August 20, 1912.
The outfit of Ezra Meeker is now a
permanent exhibit in the State Histo
rical building of the state of Wash
ington, the taxidermist's skill making
the oxen look as natural as life, lean
ing against the yoke, and the old prair
ie schooner looking fit for another
trip across tho continent. The oxen
and wagon, being under a glass case
14 by 18 feet.
and Delaunay deserted, but a little lat- the Oregon country until the year 1852
Choose Your
Drug
Store
- by
Safety and
Service
y
SELECT your drug store with the care
that you select your doctors. Choose
that drug store that puts every tran
, saction between itself and its custo
mers on a SERVICE basis.
Trade at the drug store that pays more
attention to making a CUSTOMER than to
making a sale.
Trade at the drug store where you can
be SURE that you are getting the most and
the BEST for your money.
Trade at the drug store where you can
"feel at home," where you can feel at lib
erty to make use of all the resources a
REAL drug store PARTICULARLY has for
your help, convenience and accommoda
tion. ' ,
It i thi kind of a- drug tore that we
take pride in running.
You know a drug store is different from
a grocery store, a hardware store or any
other kind of a store.
The relation between a druggist and his
customers are akin to those between a doc
tor and his patients. The moment a drug
gist forgets this FACT he ceases to be a
REAL druggist.
We want you to make use of ALL the ad
vantage our service holds out to you. We
are ALWAYS ready to refund your money
without question or quibble on any pur
chase you mav make here that is not PER
FECTLY SATISFACTORY to you in every
respect.
Tallman & Co.
Leading Druggist
Springs and Green River, Wyoming.
At what is now C.ranger, the route
lay across tho mountains to what was
called the South Fass, elevation 7,450
feet. Fort Bridger, Wyoming, was the
first resting place west of the Rockies,
1000 miles from the Missouri.
The route now lay northwest to So
da Springs, on the big Bend of Bear
river in tho southwest corner of Ida
ho, thence across the divide between
the Bear and the Port Neuf rivers,
thence on to Fort Hall near the site
of the what is now Pocatcllo, Idaho.
Fort Hall was a famous outpost in
the early days and for a long time was
thc farthest outpost of civilization;
The Trail followed tho Snako river
for a long distance passing what is
now American Falls, Burley, Twin
Fayl, Shoshone Fall, Salmon Falls.
and then across the river to what is
now Boise, Idaho. The Trail crossed
the Snake river near the mouth of
the Boise river, at what is now Par
ma, Idaho, past the towns of Vale and
Ontario and on to Burnt river can
yon, which was considered one of the
worst pieces of road on the. entire
trail, but whic his now a scenic high
way. The Trail took a canyon a little
south of what is now called Pleasant
valley and wended its way across the
low foothills to what is now called
the Virtue Flat, coming Into, the Pow
der river valley at the pass near the
old Flagstaff mine about six miles cast
of Baker. A well was dug at this point
where the thirsty travelers slaked the
thirst of themselves and their cattle.
The Trail traversed the valley, coming
out at the present site of North Pow
der. The Grand Rondo valley was
reached by way of Ladd's canyon, the
way leading past the present site of
La Grande and on over the Blue moun
tains, past Meacham, on to the Uma
tilla, near the present site of Pendle
ton, the Round-Up city.
The road over tho Blue mountains
saw little change since the days of
1852 until tho last year when much
of It was graded and this year will
see the completion of thc road. What
was once the .worst piece of road on
the route will soon be one of the best
and most picturesque.
From Pendleton, tho Trail led to
The Dalles on the Columbia river
where tho pioneers either embarked
on boats and barges or took tho Bar
low road across the Cascades and fin
ally arrived in the Willametto valley,
the goal of their ambitious dreams.
The wagon train of the great migra
tion of 1852 was BOO miles in length
and several wagons in width.
The wagons were of the Prairie
Schooner type, wide and deep and
bowed at both ends and were used as
boats in crossing some of -the deep
wide streams encountered in tho Jour
ney.
Each wagon generally had two or
more yoke of oxen, horses or mules,
a milk cow or two and carried an aver
age ot five people.
Conservatively, the number of peo
ple on this great migration was JUO,
000 and the number of cattle greater.
Cliolera Takes Toll
As the party progressed, many of
the teams gave out and died and the
household effects and some of the pro
visions of the party were left by the
wayside in order to lighten the loads.
Then the cholera hit tho caravan and
in 1832 over 5000 human beings died
i by the "way. Shallow graves were
I made and tho expedition moved on.
The sufferings of the party were shar
led by all alike, the women and child
Iren not being exempt.
I When they left the Missouri river
J' thcy were beyond the pale of tho civil
I law and crude justice was meted out
by the organized court which attend
ed to Infractions of the law In a man
ner all Its own. The company lielng
so numerous. It suffered llttlo from
Indian depredations. The Columbia
Gorge was also a terror to thc trave
ler, but now It Is traversed by the Col
umbia River Highway one of the scen
ic wonders of the world.
In 158 J. P. Olds established
"Olds Ferry on the Snake river be
tween what are now Ontario and
Hungington, which diverted consider
able travel by way of what are now
Payette and Welter. With the finish
ing of the Old Oregon Trail on the
jOrrgon side of the Snake river this
'historic ferry will soon be but a nvm
'ory. Now the tourist has his choice
jof going through Weiser and Tayette
or by way of Ontario and Xyssa.
Marking of the Trail-'
The marking of the Old Oregon
Trail by Ezra Meeker In 1S0 Is al
most as full of interest, hardship and
adventure as was the journey o:
1S;:-J. Fcclinc that the Old Orecto
Pioneer Women Courageous.
A word regarding the pioneer wo
men is appropriate at this time. Mr.
Meeker recounts that on tho west
bound trip in 1852 they met nine wa
gons going back east, all driven by
women, the men having died of chol
era on the way west. Tho pioneer
women went into tho wilderness, shar.
Ing tho same dangers and undergoing
tho same privations as tho mien, as
the population grew, it was through
her efforts that churches and school
houses were erected and tho cause of
civilization advanced,
Northwest Saved to V. S.
Had it not been for tho migration
of 1843, it Is doubtful if American con
trol would have continued over the
Oregon country and to thc Old Ore
gon Trail must be given tho honor ot
being the pioneer way over which tho
future citizens of this great northwest
came and dominated its future.
The pioneers of 1843-57 were neces
sarily bravo and hardy for if they had.
not been they could not have faced the
dangers of tho Journey or have with
stood the rigors of the trip.
It was a case of thc weak perishing
and tho strong and brave surviving.
There were no such word as "fail ' in
(Continued on page 14.)
( fV" J0 will you
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1 ?f to maintain f .
in taste i
1 from other !
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better rv I
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Allen-Knight Go.
m
0