8
THE SUMPTER MINER.
Wednesday, October $,1900
PIONEER OF PIONEERS.
Frank McBean Mines at Can
yon City in 1863.
Frank McHeau, of Cinyon City, Is one
of the tram! old pioneer- of Eisiem Ore
gon, whn his helped to in ike tiie coun
try's history from the time when there
was an almost dally skirmish with Chief
Paulina's bandit tribe, to the present time,
when the schoolhouse stands near the
battleground and the red apple grows by
the old time trail of murdering savages.
Mr. McHeau first came Into Grant
county in i8f)j, when miners dug coarse
gold out of Canyon crerk by vicksfull;
lie was there when the m ill sacks and
pack trains ran thegiutitlet of ambush by
day and swift attack by night, when
packers and express riders were left dead
by the w.ivslde, and a government escort
was necessary to safe conduct from The
Dalles to C.nivnn City.
Since iM) Mr. Mcliean has been a res
ident of Grant county, lie knows the
town of Cinyon Cltv, its hlrth, and re
members well when It was the county
scat of all thr country from Nevadi north
to Snake river, and uheu )oaiuln Miller
was judge over all the mountains, deserts,
lakes and valleys, and held his couit in
an old log limisr by Canyon creek. As
a miner, Mr. Mi.Hr.in was among the first
to break ground in the camps that have
made eastern Oirgou famous. At Can
yon Cily heuoikedn looker when pianos
were iiuthought ol; when an abstract of
title consisted ot a six shooter and a ready
linger; when a man who wore his linen
cuff for a collar iould not have gotten" a
job nl carrying boiled be. ins In a hash
house.
In iW4 lie worked with the miners who
made Susauville, the old and picturesque
camp whose log huts are now slowly
ciumlillng in the deep canyon between
Greenhorn and Dixie, and, one year later,
he saw the Impetuous miners leave and
abandon the tailings ot their year's work
to the people who Mere to come with fu
ture yr. us. He knew the Cable llros,,
who discovered Cable Cove, and sold out
011 l:lk creek to Mill I'hurltrun, who hlev
hi the Installments ol a good old liugllsh
annuity just over the mountains tiom
where Granite and l.iwlonare making
money iilorr for the likky mlneowners ot
today, lie has seen the mining industry
rise and fall, and has seen it lise again
upon newer principles, and watched the
growth of fields and orchards, for which
he helped pave the way.
After Susans ille, in 1865, failed to the
ambitious ol the early miners, Mr. Mc
Mean returned to Cinyon City, where he
engaged lit business, and in iWkj was
burned out by the first gleat lire, In which
Canyon City became a total wreck, but
was speedily rebuilt and carried on,
through good fortune and bad, to the pres
ent time.
It was In the year of his return to Can
yon City, In K6;, that he was one day
called upon to investigate the cause of a
delayed express trom I he Dalles. Secur
ing the company of another, he rode down
the narrow vallev, of the John Day river,
)S miles to Cottonwood, where K.xpress
Messenger II. Cr. Cage, now a resident of
Spokane, Wash., told I1I111 of an Indian
attack upon the stage in which the mall
pouches were stolen and he, himself, es
caped only after an exciting bareback ride.
This episode was one of the many In
which Paulina's marauding savages fig
ured in those days, and led to the encoun
ter near Waterman l-'lat, In which H. H.
Wheeler, the pioneer, whose name is giv
en to Oregon's youngest county, received
a shot w hlch pierced his lace from cheek
to cheek. At this time he joined the
United States troops, then stationed at
Gamp Watson, and followed the savages
Into the Beaver creek country, where they
were overhauled and engaged in battle,
the scene of which, strange to say, is not
known to any man of Mr. McBean's ac
quaintance. However, the prompt meas
ures of the miners and soldiers served to
check the hostile raids, and trouble was
only intermittent until the murderous old
Chief, Paulina, was killed by Jim Clark
ane Howard Maupiii, which put an end to
their marauding.
Illustrative of the crude methods which
then prevailed, Mr. McHeau relates an
incident in surgery which occurred at
Canyon City in 1864, and which was, the
other day, the subject of conversation be
tween himself ai.d B. K. Witzel.of Hums.
In that year some of the miners discovered
an Indian In the act of stealing their
horses, and when captured he was found
to have a gunshot wound hi his leg. Up
on promise of surgical aid and good treat
ment, the Indian proved recreant to his
comrades in the crime and disposed their
Identity. In keeping with their promise,
the wounded Indian w.is taken to the
physician of the camp, who was poorly
equipped for administering amputation.
Surgical instruments weie not to be had;
but an accommodating butcher loaned a
meat saw and steak knife and with these,
without auu-'.sthetlcs of any kind, the In
dian received Ills reward for betrayal of
Ills confederates, and retired from the
horsestealing business with one leg
missing.
In 1H70 Mr. McHeau engaged In the
mail srivlce of the United States, his first
contract being to transport military mail,
once a week from Can) on City to 1-ort
Harney, In which service he gained (lie
distinction of being the lirst mail catrier to
enter what now Is Harney county. This
contract was over 68 miles ol mountain
road, which was traversed on horseback,
when possible, and at other times on snow
shoes, or "any old way." For four years
he filled this service, during which his
contract was extended to the point of car
rying general mail from Canyon City to
Camp McDcrmitt in Nevada.
Tills servlie carried him over .1 route
that is unique in the history of the U. S.
Mall service in Oregon, for it carried him
24s miles south of the initial point, in
which distance Fort Harney was th- only
postottiie supplied. During Ills trip he
can led a camping out lit and wood, water
and grass were the only adjuncts neces
sary to his stopping places en route. Alter
leaving Harney, the only habitations
passed were the pioneer cabin of Tod
hunter & Dlvene at Alfoid and at Camp
C. I". Smith. After leaving this route,
he ran stage lines out of The Dalles to
Canyon Cilv and to Prineville, and be
came tainlli.irly acquainted with all the
pioneer settlers of central Oregon. Dur
ing the great "star route" trills in 1876,
he was three times calleJ to Washington
as a witness In the famous cause.
mm
THEONIY
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Vim BOTTLE KGISTUED ANO etMMXTEEB
MOWN MST1LLEMES CtNMlY
mint aT natal
90.101 rwQWTT.. AN MANCIMC
W. J. VAN SCHUYVCft 4 CO.
atataat. car.
PORTLAND. Oft.
I About 3
I ....Building.... 1
: Why don't you build when everybody else
- quits? Why do you all want to build at once
g when lumber is green and covered with ice
g- and when prices and labor are high? Now is
E the time to build, like "Brother Perry" when
g- there is no particular rush.
We are offering special bargains in Hats, --g
: Shoes, Gloves and Clothing, also other General 3
g- Merchandise, because we bought at a big dis-
g1 count and we give our customers the benefit. -
g- We also sell 5
LUMBER 3
a nhonn Vint, wo cn not. intonri to se'l at retail for
E less money than we can get on the outside
g market as some of our competitors do.
Sumpter Lumber Co. 3
a J. B. STODDARD SUMPTER, OREGON -
-AS8fa"S36Si.Sg9S
'f ( Net. to Ha st tie tfordwarr Oi ff&
Happy
School Days
Near
)7V49 SUMPTER. OHCOON HN&v5-iS
tt. dJh C&. tth fl eC. rf 4J
THE Public Schools of
Sumpter will open Sep
tember 17, and every person
should have his child prop
erly clothed. Our children's
department is complete in
every detail and to introduce
it to the public of Sumpter,
we offer the following spec
ial bargains this week:
Hoys' Suits f 2 to ;.
Actually worth 38 'j
0:r cent more. Boys'
nderwear, all sizes
and qualities. Roys'
Shoes, 51.50 to 5.
Hub Clothing Co.
J. Schwartz, Sucrvuur
THE GEM SALOON
A. J. STINSON, Prop.
(Successor to Snyde & Stinson)
Only the Best Brands of Liquors Served Over tho Bar
SUMPTER, -. OREGON
5
Raul E. Poindoxtor,
MIN
ES
Bedford McNtai't Cook.
lumptor, - -
CAPITAL -. Operated in Connection
Barber Shop with CaPital H ' '
First-Class Work. Porce-
Baths lain Bath Tubs
A. O. Davidson. M.-.j.r Sumpter, Ottgoa
Claud Drew, Oprtor r -