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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1922)
24 Pages THIRD SECTION Pages 17 to 24 24 Pages THIRD SECTION Pages 17 to 24 "iiasi .'" Oreg'onian Kound'-Up Souvenir Edition tVndlutun, Oregon, Thursday, September 2 i, 1922. THRILLING S LEGATE TRAIN FIRST TO OREGON COUNTRY WRY OF THE APP .. In the history of tlie emigration to Oregon of the residents of the Fast unit the Middle West, tho Applcgate expe ilition of 1S42, WtSr one or several during tlio sann; year, occupies some of the most colorful pages of the state's early record;-. It start ed from Inde pendence, Mis souri us early in the spring as it was possible to make the .start, and the survi vors settled in iuvci imnm tmM of the Columbia. There were be tween S75 and 1.00U men, wom en and children who composed the columns which marched &Mmti!'i&l' across, the plains and mountains on the Ions jour ney. The fol lowing account nt the expedition is taken from llaneroffs His tory of Oregon: Early in the spring of 1S4S, or "as soon as the grass began to prow, promptly, without preconcert, but as if by appointment, emigrants from every part of .Missouri and the nei ghboring; states were on the roads to the usual rendezvous in the vicin ity of Independence. Their wagons were drawn by two or three or live yokes . of oxen; on the covers were the words "p'or Oregon, " and their Immense herds of calde filled the highways. Si Meet From Many States. Many of them had been neighbors at home, and often families of bro thers, with their wives and Unb ones, constituted a colony. At a. I events they now bad one common interest in the necessity for mutual aid and protection in the l'lns jour ney before them, lly the mid. II- of May it was thought time to take action as a body, and on May a meeting was held at Fitzhugu's hall. 12 miles west of Independence, to complete an organization. Here met for the first time men from Arkansas. Kentucky. Tennessee. Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. Then was a large company from what was known as the l'latle i'urchase in tin latter state, under the leadership of I'eter. H. Hurnelt of Weston. An other company was from St. Clair county, ami was led by Jesse Apple gate, his brothers. I.lndsey and Charles and Daniel Waldo. A California party, under Joseph Or;.mib' This body usii.il rules Mi.'h an unde 'caching tin' 11. Chile, was from the southo.i portion of the st.ite. other larlb miil.r T. I). Kaiser. J .. Loom and Daniel Matlieney. .-welled army to ileal ly l.h'oi persons, though I he I'b.l.ting nit 11 -over y-ai'S of' age were Ics than :i'i". ation Is- I .I'let'tetl. f people adopted illiwe.l by those on rtaking May L'e. and on ' Kansas Liver organizon by eleeling 1'iter II. Hurnelt captain, and .1. VY. Nesmltll ordt'l l sergeant. Nine council); en were eiiosen to as sist in icttling tpiest ions, and I'antsil; John tlantl. a formei- army offior. engaged to conduit the company to Foil ilall. June .1 was at hand, and late for a start for Oregon with ox-wagons, but the spring had been backward. New. however, the wiather was line and the road good. All went well except regulation affairs, which be came so' complicated and trying that 1'uni l no I he I 'cing Tli resigned the eoiniiiaiid after . s of service. William Martin t.d in his pi.u o. signation of a eaplain on ac- eo.inl in' insubordination or inatlill tton to r.le.s probably effected a par lial re.oint. lor Mnitin :.eene to have remained in i.l'i'he. It was, however, found So dilliei.lt lo direct or ( out rid so large a houy of people unhid l.y no fun her interest titan a common destination, thai a division into two columns was effected on the Itig Line Liver: one wing con sisting of thai division which was un neuiubercd with herds, being call ed the "iight column." and the other. of which Jesse A P, legate took iiiiteil, being denominated the eoiiuiin." Tlie;-e two divbion.s elled within supporting distance ill order not to interfere with other's comfort or convenienci far as Independence Koek. Supplies 'tunc High. Iirngging themselves along h inn- only, each . . - : : n hot summer sunshine, few incidents .enlivened the way, until the last of June the buffalo Country was reach ed, when; it was expected to obtain abundance of game; but a hunting ; xpoditiiin from New Orleans havins preceded them, the buffaloes were driv en from the lin, ,f travel. I Hir ing the first five days of July tin smith branch of the l'latle was cross ed in ferry boats made of wagou . boxes over which the green hides of buffaloes had been stretched and dried. Al Fort Laramie, where til" light column arrived July H, a few days were taken to repair wagons, and purchase, at extortionate prices, sonic additional supplies. Ten days later the north branch was forded. Four il;,ys more of t.'avel brought them to the Sweet water, and on August ,H the snowy , leaks of the Kocky .Mountains came in sight. I'P tO this filoa ,w,iM-t i.t... i i .""ins nun gone well; the company retaining its original mimber, save five, who turn ed back at the first crossing of the I'latte. ltut on August 4 Claybornc. itync died of fever and was burled hesule the road, the funeral services being conducted by a Methodist preacher named llari-lson. At the ltlg Sandy, a tributary of Green Hiver, Mr. Stevenson tiled August !!. Considering the number of persons on the march and the privations in cident to camp life, the health of the emigrants was remarkably good, slckue-ts anil the ileal h rate being scarcely than in a community of the same slwc in towns. There wens births as well as diialhs. Many an emigrant to Oregon first saw the light beneath a canvas tent on the roadside. Columns Itrttkeii V. No difficulty ooourriil with the na tives: the numbers present, and recollections of chastisement a few years previous by Captain Hen net Kib y with his artillery deterr ing them from predatory or ostlh1 nets. After passing Independence Hock caution wajti considered neces sary, and the, two principal divisions were brolci n into sP'al'er companies for (front er convenience. Likewise (his was a pleasant arrangement as lending men now found themselves at the head of the smaller divisions, and associated with those of con genial , habits. Friendships were formed and cemented which lasted through life, surviving all the strng- gjes and changes of the founding of n new empire. Among tboso who kept the lead was Thomas P. Kaiser, who was am ong the first to arrive at (treen IMver, and the first also to leave it for Fort Hall. Another Impa'lent to reach his destination was J. B. McClanc. Flnil Shorter A party was formed of these and others, with Pr. Whltmnn, who hart ioinert (be emigration on the Platte lllver, al"0 anxious to reach his home, and to get . news of his fam ily and affairs at the fort, where he was likely to meet Cayusea and No? Forces. At C4reen River they learned that the Jesuits, De Voa and Hoeck en, had by means of their Flathead ! pilot, discover a pass through the , mountains to Soda Spring's, by way of Fort Uridger on the Black branch of Ctiecn Hiver, a cut-off which sav j cd considerable distance, informa, lion of which Whitman communU jcated to the companies by a lette i left at Oreen River. J That the road to the rear wo-i :an excellent, for a natural one, if ' ! evidenced by the fact that the ox- teams made an average of 18 miles a day tor tho whole dlstanoo front I Sweetwater to Fort Hall, where thf rear arrived the last of August, thti advance having waited for them to come tip. At this place died Daniel liicharilson; and here also was found Lovejoy, who had come across from lient Fort during the summer to Join' Whii man on his return to Oregon, Initio to Keep Wagon , At Fort Ilall thore was the usual discussion upon changing from wa'J gons to pack animals, It being fln- ally derided to retain the wagons, us there were men enough to make a road where none existed. The chlf.f objection was the lateness of the season. In their councils, both Grant of Fort Hall and Whitman) were consulted. While admitting that the wagons might be taken to,' the Columbia Klver, Grant acknow. lodged that he did not know how lt could he done, as he had travelled only by the pack-trail; but Whitman,, from Newell's experience, believed, that a wagon road wan feasible, and encouraged the emigrants to de cide In favor of tho undertaking. It had been the Intention of the '-mlorents to take their wagon to the Columbia. They would open - the way 'and show e.nngress that the en-'. . terprlse which tho government was: so slow to undertake was not beyond ; (Continued on page 19.) ,, In our great desire to completely satisfy our patrons with both long service merchandise and a vastly wide range of good merchandise from which to make their choosing we are featuring the products of Zered Boot libber Company Sporto Using only their first grade merchandise and establishing our prices in accordance with the prevailing market prices of rubber wear. 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