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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1922)
Paxo Fourteen Sarst Orcgonlan Bound-Up Souvenir Edition Pendleton, Oregon, Thursday, September 21, 1922. LET 'ER BUCK I t Old Oregon Trail Has Romantic History; Is Route Chosen by Ox Team Tourists of Long Ago When They Sought Homes in West (Continued from page 13.) till! vocabulary of those people ami through 1 He activities arid ilctcrinina tlon of the progeny of these men ami women the. Jircut Amcrcun leserl lias been made to blossom us I he cose. Old '-Trail" lllsiorioii:. Tlio ")d Oregon Trail is the most, remarkable highway of travel known to history. The great idea of the trek across what was then known a.s the Great American iesevt came from a common desire for homes unci for ail venture and needed lint the appeal of a colonization export to enlist rc- crultH. The route was not laid out by hlKhway engineers, no grades were established and no streams were bridg ed. No signs told of a dangerous curve or a perilous cross hk, and none wen needed. Only one mgn on Hie entire road and that at the forks of the Santa Fe and the Old Oregon Trail and that one reading "Road to Oregon. " Hut tho deep tracks the wagons left, was all tho sign that was necessary. Su gravel was spread over the roadway to combat the dampness and dust. Dur ing the freshets of spring, the streams were olther forded or ferried, the wa gon boxes being utilized as miniature ferries. In the hent of the summer, when tho verdure of tho hills and val leys were withered and dead, the wild game all departed to better feeding grounds, the drinking water being brackish and alkaline and a torrid sun beating down with unabated in tensity, the Trail became a nightmare of suffering and desolation, bordered with the skeletons of horses, mules and oxen and the graves of fallen homeseekcrs with crude headstones which told the piteous story of hard ships and suffering too great to be en dured. And so, the Old Oregon Trail was, in its winding course, the Trail of romance, adventure, hope, faith and achievement us well us the Trail of misery, tragedy, hardship, despair and death. Hut lilstory so records that great things tire accomplished only tlrrough Buffering, sacrifice, devotion and death and because by these things an cmi pire was reclaimed by the intrepid pi oneer of the Old Oregon Trail and a great civilization founded along its course, the Old Oregon Trail stands by Itself, npurt from all others, the great highway of highways, beckoning the red blooded men and women of these United Htates to the great northwest Into whose lap a generous Creator had poured With a lavish hand a wealth of scenery, resources, health and content ment. That the suffering, hardships and death of that brave band i.hu'1 not go unnoticed and unsung, it is the Inspir ed duty of those enjoying the bless ings of our modern uvi'lzaltou to are that tho name of the, Oh1 Oregon Trail go down in history as the great est, road of all times and Its memory made imperishable by a giatciul peo ple. Discovery of tiolil. In 1862 very rich got 1 discoveries were made In .Southorn Idaho unit Eastern Oregon which were populated in a very short time bv a crowd of ad venturers in search of thu precious .metal. Towns and c '.mmunllies sprung up over night ivlicio formerly (lie savage beast ami tlr: still more savage Indian held sway, j This meant that a eommi-n:i a I -on with Ihe outside u-uhl hi el i,c cs : tablishod ami so came the ,oiiy ex press w Hi Its agile, tlr-lr-ss riders a. id , hoiws v.liot in versed the unpeopled places eniry'ng led i-s 'n 'w.i u liie va rious forts and sett lenicnts. Ilirn came the old t 'on. ol d roach with Its four to eighL norsi'M en -r.vina j na' seegers, mail an'd "Xoi ess. For years this was the only mode if pas- : singer traffic and a I.. 'en rivalry sprang up between the vario'i-i fiii'-pnni'-s operating in the froiill.tr cum-' try as to which could maV; :Iio best lime and which bad ilie. .".m.i.ri'si c'luipnge and the siViftc-; horses. The; rich cleanups from the placer prop-. i'1'ties llien lu operation weie ceiiiid in these coaches bound for 1 1 1 ' '(;. H. 1 in nt and many a hold-up was stage. i ami many a. tragedy on-ieied with lne: old rontonl coach as the tcmor i I' at traction. Freight was haul 'I .n gnat wagons drawn by from '.v.'clvi. to tivcn- ly mules or horses, driven with -i .!ei In line the driver riding one of the wheel horses and managing his lot.g learn with a single line running through Hie biidP's of all of the ani ma's in the near s'de. .Many of the teams spoiled a semi-circle of im tai which was filled on the collars and en which were strung pells which lent a softened and romantic air to the rude outfit which 'traveled over roads which today would seem impassable. 'I'lie tecmsler of those days hail a varied personality. The life he led , far "interior where for many years the wh's'le of the Iron horse was un known. WTein the last few years came the automobile and .the auto truck: ami now the pony express, the Concord Coach, and the jerk-line are but memories of hhe vh id,' tragic, he roic past. ' Willi lite coming of the auto good; roads came as a neeess ty. Now where once lumbered the hca vy coach drawn' by sweating horse ' flesh, smoot.h'yj glides the auto over well graded, well i drii'ned and gravelled or paved high-1 ways with comlorfable tourist wimps. was necessarily rough and laborious at all of the towns on tho route where ml the care of handling and attend ing to bis large team gave li m a vo cabularly varied and pieturcs'iue and at t iocs not fit for poiite society. Hut In- and his team supplied the needs of the communities and did their part In building an empire and dMolophig tliu resources of tho great Xo.ri hwest. In 1SSI came the railroad, and the pioi express, the Concord Coach and the freight team and nagon left the j 1 'inner ha ui its and took up t heir a bode and continued their avocaliou In the the traveller can make his camp, close i to the center of a populous communi-t ty with none of the discomforts which J faced tile pioneer of old. All along' the route, (dose to the main highway are many points of interest for the tourist to make a s'de trip and enjoy f'shing and hunting in season i.nd rest in some beautiful sequestered spot from the tedium of the journey. The great Xorthwert is indeed Na ture's wonderful playground and mod ern highways have brought it close to all of America to eoilu mid enjoy. BRAVE INDIAN WOMAN SAVED LIVES OF TWO CHILDREN AND HERSELF WHEN FACED BY TERRIFIC DIFFICULTIES Wife of Pierre Dorion Had Adventure During Which EscaptTSeemed Impossible I' Watch 'Mi FliP yml m Rm r - i i n ii ...'ffitvlp''1. whiles they played Old Oregon us a wilderness in the early days of the ninete e n t h century promis ed much, and it was the lure of wealth to be made in the fur game and the cull of adv e n t t u r e that drew th'.' first few hardy souls to Its Inst il c s s e. s . T Ii e il r c a m s t h a t many of those men d r e a m c d came true in a certain degree, but the path they trod 'was border ed with plenty of hardships. Running thru tho stern stories that they wrote us their contribu tion to the devel opment, of the Northwest U; the part played by the native lied men. !nili us friends and cn c m I e s of t h e j a part, that lends color made. Anion to the achievements that were these stories, that of I he dian wife of IMerre Dorion stands out in bold relief. Her courage, her en durance and her persistency to save the lives of her two half breed boys in the race of a fight against the hardships and rigors of u winter which she spent in the snowbound j l:inc .Mounlains is in Itself an epic. j -Major f,ec Moorhouse has studied I ihe story of the Dorion woman. She was a Sioux and married Dorion. w ho was n Frenchman. She always ac companied him on all of the expedi tions he made as a hunter and I nip per. It was while they were on an ex pedition with a Mr. Heed on the Snake, river that the adventures recounted in this story befell her. Some of her descendents later were among those who nopiired land on the. I I'niiitilla reservation. They lived near Adams at one time. Trace of them now has been lost. The Hotel Dorion ill I'endleton, formerly the St. George, is named in honor of the courage and memory of the Indian woman. The story us it is recounted by Alexander lioss and Gabriel Franchere, by the former in greater detail, and by the latter In a more fragmentary way, Is as follows: Searching For llceil It will be remembered, says Alex ander Itoss in his "Oregon Settlers" that nc of the objects of the unfor tunate expeditions of Messrs. Keith and Stuart Was to proceed to the Snake country in search of Mr. Heed and his party, who were seiit thithi;r last summer; but that expedition having failed, It was now proposed '. Call for it at the Round-Up or Happy Canyon. II V' X-r f 7 WESTERN The drink wilh the KounMTs own 1Y in it Tho foamy IWrajro that niakrs Ilappv Cam on llaipv. SOTIIIM; MOKE TO SAY " 'MADE IN PENDLETON IJV Wm. ROESCH & CO. "FIRST FUR THIRST- that Mr, Keith with a small party should undertake the business, and proceed to Spokane Fort. Fronii the mouth of the Ltmatallow, Air. Keith was to have taken his de parture, and a guide was there engag ed for the purpose; but when every thing 'was arranged, and the party reads- to start, the guide expressed a wish to continue with the brigade as far us the Walla Walla, and from thence set out for the Snake country. Mr. Keith ami his party accordingly reeinbarked, and we reached the VVal la Walla early the next day: here, again, we were on the eve of starting, when a few Indians arrived, and with them the wile of IMerre Dorion the interpreter. The timely arrival of this poor unfortunate woman put an end to the Snake e.vepiliiion; and we shall relate her melancholy story in her own words: Where Heaver Wns Plentiful "About the middle of August we reached the Great Snake lliver, and soon afterwards, following up a brunch to the right hand, where there were plenty of beaver, we camped; und there .Mr. ftecd built a house to winter in. After the house was built, the people spent their time In trap Ping beaver. About the latter end of September,. Jloliuck, Robinson and Itc.ner came to us; but they were very poor, the Indians having robbed them of everything they hud about 15 days bcrorc. "Air. Jteed gave them some clothing and truiis, and they went to hunt with my husband. I.andrie got a fall from his horse, lingered a while and died of it. Dclaunay was killed, while trapping; my husband told inc he saw ins scalp with the Indians and knew It from the color of the hair. The Indians about the place were very friendly to us; but when strange mues visited us, they were trouble some and always asked Mr. Reed for guns and ammunition. On one occa sion they drove an nrrow into one of our horses and took a capot from La Chapelle. Mr. Reed not liking the place where we first built, we left it ind built farther up the river on the other side. After the second housi was built, the people went to trap 'I. mi, sometimes coming home every night, suniel lines sleeping out for scleral nights together at a time. Mr. Itced and one man generally stayed at the house. I.ate one evening, about the loth of January, a friendly Indian came mining to imr house m a great fright ami told Mr. Reed that a band of the bail Snakes, called the Dog no irii.e. mid burnt the first house "c una mini, una that they were roming on whooping and singing the wai-song. Alter communicating this Intelligence, the Indian went oil' im mediately, und I took up my two chil ureu. got upon a horse, and set off to 'Where in.' loiul,..,..! i l hut the llicht uaH dai-k llo. r.e.a l,.,.l I ami lost my way. Tho next ilav be. oil; i"ni ami s'nrmy, I did not stir. I'll ttie second day. however. I set nut again: lull seeing a larae smoke in the direction I had to go. and think nig ii might proceed from Indians. I Sot into the bushes again and hid myself. News Of The Murders ine mini iay, lale in the even- 'llg. got in Sight of the hill i-h..r niy husband and other men were! liuniiog; but just as I was approach ing ihc place, i observed a man coin ing tloni the opposite side, and sta ering us if unwell. I stopped where i was nil be came t. m -. .e Clere wo nob ,1 and faini from sS blood, was Hie man He t.il.I m.. in,.i Ui Chapelle. INvm-r and mv husband had been robbed ami lull rdei ...1 tl, .1 ornin, j ' t did not go into Ihe hut: bet pilt- tuu l.a Cb rc and one of my children on the hois, I had with m... 1 turned round inime,!i uei . took to the mi nis id 1 rt'i raced mv mi ps l ack ac.un to .I-. .'.'i S. 1 I'lel-e Ikiu 1. ...,.,.!. ' "ear in, jo.nng or tiic h..ie. and c it !I .-nee or twice, so that we had !o ivtoi'n rial tv a i!a n ,,l,-,.- Ill the lll;lll he died, and 1 cov. re.i h-.iu I'lvr with btu.-huoo.l and sn.iw. I "iv children on the horse. I my- clf H.iiki'- and leJ:ng the animal J I b ih,- h ltcr. "The -..ond day I st back as-.in to ihc ho; s-. Mt .i,i wis th. sicht: M. tid aa.l ;h,. m-;: w , re all mur- (d. ',.1 s.-.t-..ed. and c it i pus. fe- t'-'tva a-.! horror sta; id me in the .';.. 1 fini.l rem the shix-king J "'-: in asiltv a: . I .i. :..nr: took t.- tc w,h.;s will. m children and horse. A Delicious Breakfast- "Hot Cakes of the West then the Rodeo and a day "chock full" of pleasure. Your Grocer Sells, ii Albers Flap jack Flour "Hot Cakes of the West" ALBERS BROS. MILLING CO. and we hud nothing to eat. To under- I take a long journey under such cir- ! moment u sad alternative crossed niy mind: Should I venture to the house cumstances was inevitable death, among the dead to seek lood for the Had 1 been alone. I would have run ; living? i I all risks anil proceeded, ,, but ,'thc.j. '.'I knew there was a good stock ofj thought of my children perishing j ftsh there; but it might have been: with hunger distracted inc. At this destroyed or curled off by the mur derers; and besides they might be still lurking about and see inc. Yet I thought of my children. "Next niorntng, after a sleepless night, I wrapped my children in my (Continued on page 15.) JAMES JOHNS, Pres. C. II. MARSH, Secy. Capital $25,000.00 . . t 'i ! 1 1 ABSTRACT CO. INCORPORATED . . Loans Insurance Bonds Real Estate Tlie Only Set of Al?tra t Uook? in Umatilla County Main and Ccurt Stols PENDLETON, OREGON Ii"'l I'.is-. d th.- re -I and b nely - v r'a. it f.vH! or fire. I l t Of 11m- l-utur,-? 1 as now a! a l.s what to do The snow was d j, wi.ith.r col l.
