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.) ,,
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