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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 9, 1922)
IIAJ JL TjJj.j3UK jit 1 Outing Edition SECOND SECTION EIGHT PAGES Outing Edition SECOND SECTION EIGHT PAGES Onily Seventeenth Tear. Weekly Fifty-Second Tear. MEDFORD, OREGOX, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9, 1922 no. no 1 - m i urfl . 'ii .'' il - fe-1 1 r J.;:. .' III'' "W- . ' " rjyHf V t K s Ttt , - , - ,:- i':f5&-'-v,-r V - x -ilv' - - Y -VS V 4. W , " ilia. )Crd i - t ' 1 1: I mWmmwm f ' In AWMM ' - WSMSSbu - ' " ' All .' "Not until my mnlc stoned within a few feet of the rim of Crater lake (lid I look down, and if I liud Im-n riding a blind mule, I firmly lielievo I would hnvo ridden over the edc to, death." . Thus it was (hat on June 12, GD Jem's as?o, the first whrte.miui who ever beheld Crater lake literally Htumbled upon that imignifieent bMly of water. As he rode liis mule up the long slope that was to lend to the lake rim, with his eyes seareliing tho rocks for some out--croping of golil tliought to bo hidden in tliis region, little did he icaliio that ho was soon to be the discoverer of tho bluest, deepest and most-beautiful mountain lako in the world. TlUs hardy prospector was J. W. Hlllman, an Oregon pioneer of 1841). Tlie trail over wliich Hill snan and his party tolled in those early days is now re placed by an automobile, highway, while tho lake itself and surrounding region have leen fittingly set aside as a national park, where many thousands come each sum mer to bo enthralled by tho same wild beauty which held Hillman and his party under its spell over threescore years ago. . A, lew yeai-s ago 3Ir. Hillman died at a ripe old ago at Ids home in I-olll.slnna, where he spent the closing years of his life. . Shortly before his death ho dictated his memoirs to Bentley B. Mackay of tho Louisinnna State I'niveisity. These memoirs have only recently been cast into shapofor publication by Mr. Mnckny, and that por tion dealing with the dlscoveiy of Oregon's wonder lake is herewith published for tho first time. The story not only tells of-he discovery of Crater lake, but also do scribes brlofly tho trip of tho emigrant train to which Hillman was attached across the plains to tho Colum bia, and gives a graphic picture of tho Oregon country of those pioneer dnyg. . : i ' Uy Hentley V. Mackay. , AV'ith thousands of tourists thronging beautiful Crater Lake; national park everyseason and gazing upon the limpid blue water of the most beautiful lake in America, it is Indeed fitting that some thought be given to that intrepid explorer, J. W. Hillman, and his little band of 22 men who first viewed the lake In all of its wild beauty on June 12, 1853. Outliving all of his compan ions,: Mr. Hillman died only a few years ago In Louis iana at the ago of 83, death being Indirectly due to an Indiau bullet that he carried in his body for nearly 60 years. Discoverer Tells Own Story ' "I was born in Albany, N. Y., March 23, 1832. In 184S my father moved with his family to New Orleans by ship. We remained In New Orleans until the Califor nia gold fever broke out in 1849, and my father de cided to go to California, taking me with him. ; "At the time there was a regiment of mounted rifles at St. Joseph, Mo.', preparing to make the long journey to Oregon. The teamster master's department was being reenjited In New Orleans, and we were lucky enough to be allowed to join. "jOur'trlp up the lonely Mississippi river was typical of the pioneer life of that day. On our boat there was a varied assortment of men, from the dregs of society to millionaires. Gambling and drinking were Indulged in night and day, and each day brought Its share of ex citement. It was rumored that Jack Wilson, ,a notorious gamljler, won and lo3t two fortunes,! before he was killed In a wild battle which occurred on the boat 50 miles from; St. Louis. ' . Trip Across Plains Begun . "We landed In St. Louis and re mained there for several days. We caught a boat going up the Misouri river, to St. Joseph, where our regi ment; was stationed, preparatory to making the trip to the unknown Oregon country. l.'As soon as the thousands of emi grants heard that a regiment of sol diers was soon going to "hop off" into the unknown country, they made ready to follow close on our trail. ' ', "The officers finally decided that due to better camping facilities the outfit should be broken up Into small companies. There were 300 six-mule wagons and these were divided into groups of 100 Wagons each. I was sent along as extra driver. ' Oregon Trail Followed . "We followed what was known as tho Oregon trail, intending o cross the Rockies at South Pass. The country was unsurpassed in Us wild beauty, the miles and miles of un charted prairies, stretched as far as the eye could see and the grass wav ing and nodding before the wind. Above us by day shone the blazing sun, and when it disappeared into the very ground, as It were, it seemed but a moment until darkness, when in all directions could be seen the camp fires of the soldiers and emigrants. "The two things that Impressed me most were the awful ravages "of cholera and the thousands of buffalo' that could be seen in the distance: We had the pleasure of witnessing several stampede of these animals. The leader of the herd would become frightened and begin to run; soon it would seem that the entire universe was moving. As far as the feye could see were the brownish forms of the great beasts gathering momentum as they swept along. On they would rush, sweeping all before them, over a wagon train, through a river of over a precipice, but never would their mad rush be checked until they were .overcoin'e by exhaustion. Iu the wake hundreds of the weaker members strewed tho way, some crushed and mangled, others bleed ing and dying: all Inevitably falling prey to the coyotes and wolves that followed- them. - -Indians Xot Feared -"We came in contact with a, great number of Indians, but our Imme diate party was too strong, and we feared nd attack. Troops were called out several times to go to the assist ance of small trains that had been raided by the savages, and each time a number of the emigrants had been killed. "When 'we reached the Rocky mountains and saw the water flowing oward the Pacific we though that our troubles were nearly ended, but such was not the case. Desertions among the soldiers became very common when we came to tho trails that led to Salt Lake or to California.. "Finally we eamo to (he mighty Columbia river and its majestic sweep was a revelation to us all. The caravan now headed straight for Ore gon City, reaching there September 18, 1S4 9, after having been five months nnd three days on the jour ney. Oregon City Tiny Village '. "Oregon City was a tiny place, hav ing much the appearance of a New England village, rows of Bmall houses lining the streets with neat, clean gardens in front. "Turning over our wagons to the quartermaster ended our connections with tho United Stutes government, and a new and different life was begun. ' ".My father heard that there was lying at the mouth of the Wil lamette river a three maslod full rlgged whaler, the Aurora, com manded hy Captain Kilbourne, ready to make a trip to San Francisco with a load of lumber, and we were able to get passage. "I remember but one settlement between Oregon City and Baker's hay, at the mouth of tho Columbia, and that was Astoria. Portland Miuts of Timber ' "Wh'en we came to what was known as the village of Portland we stopped for a few hours for wood. I went ' ashore and looked for the town, but could not see It at first be cause of the tungle of fallen timber. I climbed a tree and In the distance I saw three huts, a blacksmith shop and on small commissary. This was In the latter part of Septombor, 1819. AVhen I returned to this town In 185 2 I found that a great many changes had taken place. . "Wo were held up In Baker's bay for several weeks, due to the fact that we could not cross the bar into tho open water. Several times were were nearly dashed to pieces on the Peacock shoals. "Ono day everything was favor able and we dashed across the bar and were soon on the high seas. The trip to San Francisco was made without Incident. We reached there a few days before the big tire that swept the tented city oft the map. "My adventures in the gold mining country, of course, Is another story, but I will say that while we were lucky enough to flncf some goid, we did not discover enough to make us very wealthy. I soon went to north ern California, and from there I went to Jacksonville, Ore. It' was a live mining town of about 1200 inhabit ants. The town was situated at the mouth of a gulch at the edge of the beautiful Rogue river valley, and the mining was not done in the immedi ate vicinity of the town, .; I learned (Continued on Page Two)
