SECTIONS PAGE 4
Oregon Trail
cont. from pg.2
liticUns' aspirations, and ot
her factors pressed Oregon
steadily toward statehood.
After three times voting aga
inst the proposal, each time
by a smaller nurgin, the peo
ple of the territory in 1837
approved the calling of a con
vention to frame a state con
stitution. The constitution
was ratified, Oregonians vot
ing to exclude both slavery
and free negroes from the
state. Without waiting for
congressional action, a state
government was elected In
1858, with John Whitaker as
first state governor.
"In Congress, meanwhile,
Oregon hung in the balance
between northern and south
ern factions, and was not
admitted as the 33rd state
until Feb. 14, 1859. The
news, anxiously awaited, left
St. Louis by overland ex
press for San Francisco, and
from there traveled on the
steamer Brother Jonathan,
arriving In Portland early on
March 15.
No boat was scheduled to
leave Oregon City that day, so
the message went by horse
back to Salem, where It re
lieved the uncertainty of state
officers elected nearlyayear
before."
OREGON GROWS
The population of Oregon
grew rapidly, in 1841 It was
253 with only 35 classed as
settlers. The Hidwell-Bartle-son
party was 70 strong when
It left Independence, Mo. that
year, and about half came on
to the Willamette Valley. The
emigration of '42, led by Eli
jah White numbered more
than 100. Almost 900 came
across In 1843 with about
1300 head of cattle. Esti
mates of arrivals numbered
1,200 in 1844; 3,000 in 1843;
1,350 In 184G; and about 700
in 1848. In 1849 most of
the emigrants turned toward
California and the gold rush
and many Oregonians left
their farms to try their luck.
Between 1830' s census count
of 13,294 and 1853, there
was an increase of 30,000
people, many of them attract
ed by the Donation Land Law.
By 1860 the new state's po
ulation was 52,405. (Blue
book)
MORROW TRAIL CAMPS
The Oregon Trail was a
real highway for about 30
years, from 1840 until after
the Civil War. Trains head
ing for the Willamette Val
ley crossed Morrow as they
traveled between Pendleton
and The Dalles. The wagons
stopped at various places hut
some camps were outstand
ing. West of Pendleton many
stopped at Echo (In 1855,
Fort Henrietta) where they
forded the Umatilla. Thev
moved west to cross Butter
Creek just a little north and
west of the present Echo
Junction and just east of the
present county line. They
.. i'. ' f '
25 Years of Progress and Growth
with Polled Herefords!
COLUMBIA EMPIRE
WW n
1
LBCR Lamplighter T7: 1600 lbs. at 20 months. Purchased
from Little Beaver Creek Ranch, Belnap, Montana. Don
Robinson is in the middle of the picture.
Our breeding program is planned for the needs of the com
mercial cattleman by stressing weight per day of age, length,
height and trimness, plus the ability to convert feed economically
in the feed lot. This goal is attained by using large, long, trim
herd bulls with a bred-in continuous growth factor crossed with
large cows that are easy keepers and have good milking ability.
Steers fed out as projects have weighed an average weight
of 1030 lbs. at an average age of 14 mos., much earlier than the
usual feed-lot steer, which attains this weight at 20 mos. Steers
sold as projects have at numerous times been champion and
reserve champion.
ECirk mid Rom
nson
HENRY and DICK KliEBS WIKXSE RANCH IS WHERE
the Old Oregon Trail crosses Willow Creek at Cecil.
struggled westward across
Sand Hollow and across Ju
niper Canyon sometimes un
der the hot sun, and often ex
posed to strong winds. How
they welcomed the water of
historic Wells Springs just
east of Ella which some of
them reached the night after
leaving Echo! Aiming almost
due west they went on to
cross Willow Creek at Cecil,
another favored stop. From
Cecil they climbed into Gll
iam and continued toward The
Dalles.
In 1848, during the reac
tion to the 1847 Whitman Mas
sacre, the Cayuse under Ch
iefs War Eagle and Five
Crows were met by a small
territorial force under Colo
nel Cornelius Gilliam in the
Battle of Sand Hollow near
Wells Spring, where there
remains some graves and a
marker dedicated to Colonel
Gilliam.
IN THE SIXTIES
In the early 1860's white
men sought gold in Eastern
Oregon and some drove hor
ses and cattle in to pasture.
There were few white women
in the area. In fact, until
after statehood there were
no permanent settlers in Mor
row. In 1860 Wasco County cen
sus lists Henry Heppner as
an itinerant packer.
Among the early recorded
settlers (1863) was one who
is said to have settled by
accident, William Y. Cecil,
a wheelwright. It seems he
stopped on Willow Creek to
repair a wheel on his own wa
gon and soon had so manv
needing his help that lie set
tled there beside the trail.
Others must have settled
nearby because the first
postoffice was established
there in 1867.
Thomas and William Ayers
settled early on Butter Creek
near Lena, where a postof
fice was authorized in 1873.
The B.C. Atwouds (parents
of PimiK! Bartholomew's
mother,, wei-p further north on
Butler Creek M'ur the emi
grant crossing. The John
Vinsons came back from the
Willamette Valley to settle
on land now owned by twins,
Darrell and Delbert Vin
son, several miles north of
Luna.
John Jordan had a cabin
at the forks of Rhea and Wil
low and was planting crops
in 1860. The Elijah W. Rhea
family settled In 1864 on their
creek, a son Columbus A.
came first, then the father
E.W. and others came. (C.
A. Rhea later established the
First National Bank In Hep
pner.) Oscar Clark after whom
Clark's Canyon is named, A.
J. Breeding, and the town's
founder, William Penland,
came Into the Lexington area
in the 60' s.
In 1868 A manual Pettys
settled near lone. He is
listed as the postmaster of
the Willows Forks postoffice
in 1872 (he also was post
. master of the Pettysvllle P.
O. in 1878 which replaced
the earlier P.O.)
In 1869 George W. Stans
bury came and purchased land
from a man named David Es
tes. It was just above where
Hinton Creek enters Willow
Creek. The meadow became
known asStansbury's Flatand
the Stansbury cabin was the
only building there. Later
this property became the town
site of Heppner,
The 1870-census of Umatilla
County listed these Morrow
people (in addition to those
already mentioned), John H.
French, 36, and wife Annie,
19, and two children living
on Butter Creek; Joseph Vey,
21, farmer; David Anderson
who had homesteaded the
southeast quarter of Section
35, just south of Heppner;
Hugh Fields, 44, stockman;
Frank Maddock. 34. stock
man, wife Lucy, 24, and four
children; Peter Saling, 39;
John Shipley, 42, saddletree
maker, Thomas Matlock,
Elisha Sperry, David Herren,
conL pg.5