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KLAMATH FALLS. OREGON. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 39. l
- I M i W . . if
yrf jr.unwin county Historical society F leld Trip
f . Jje on "I HOI Hole bDrinas. California
Shook S5'I Sunday, September 24, 1961
iiirttr,s'Eon&x& by Devere and Helen Helfrlch
WALL OF CHINA The ruins of an old stone wall in
Modoc County have long aroused the curiosity of many
persons. Through the generosity of Devere and Helen
Helfrich and of Ken McLeod and his late wife, Edith
McLeod, the story of the wall is given to the public.
Ruins of the wall were visited on a recent trek to Pot
Hole Spring and the grave of an immigrant lad, Lloyd
Dean Shook, 14, who died and was buried near the old
Applegate Trail in 1851. The trip was sponsored by the
Klamath County County Historical Society. Dotted lines
on map show wall that closed gaps in natural rimrock
barrier for livestock. Map by Devere Helfrich
A . , i . -- "' .v 1 i t V!
ONCE UPON A TIME The old wagon wheel ruts are
still to be found where once men and women and child
ren passed by this spot, westward bound on the Apple
gate Trail. The trail crosses the strip of sagebrush be
yond the fence. Pot Hole Spring is in the foreground,
marked by forest service marker. The water is warm, 80
to 85 deqroes the year around, and the small water
area is full of tiny fish, none over two inches long. There
is water cress too, tender and delicious. The grave of
Lloyd Dean Shook, who died when only 14 and who hat
not been identified up to the present time with any fam
ily, known to have come west along the Applegate Trail,
is to the right from the small juniper tree. It was th
finding of this grave, historians say, that definitely plac
es Pot Hole Spring as a camping place on the trail.
VISIBLE ROAD Looking west on Applegate Trail to Clear Lake in background.
This is the trail between Steel Swamp and Clear Lake. See map. Fifteen men who
laid out this trail in 1846 traveling east did not mention in later writinqs that they
had passed Clear Lake or Pot Hole Spring. That year approximately 100 wagons
came over the trail west from Fort Hall in what is now Idaho. One man, David Goff,
was left to lead the train west. In 1847 Jesse or Lindsay Applegate, leaders of the
exploration party, wrote a way bill or guide on the trail and mentioned "Goff
Spring," which probably was Pot Hole Spring.
EDIBLE These are epaws on Dobie Flats between Steejp Swamp and Clear Lake
en the Applegate Trail. This looks southeast tovgird Blue Mountain in the back
ground. Indian tribes once ate epaws, a (mall, slim bulb. White flowers of plant dot
flat land among the small sagebrush.
Pot Hole Springs Caravan Travels Route
To Modoc County's 'Great Wall Of China'
By RL'TH KING
Many of the secrets of man's
great migration to the West on
the American Continent still are
locked in the mists of yesteryear.
Many will never be revealed.
Many remain to be discovered.
as in the Klamath country and
neighboring Siskiyou and Modoc
counties where some who still
live here are linked by blood lines
with those who came this way.
Historical societies of this lo
cal region, the Klamath County
Historical Society and the Siski
you County Historical society.
united by the common bond of the
Applegate Trail, delve a bit furth
er eacii year into those shadowy
days when the wagon trains
creaked and rolled across this cor
ner of Oregon and beyond to cut
deep the ruts of travel to California
and to the Willamette Valley to
the north in Oregon.
Some of the physical evidence
of those days remain for all to
view. Some of the great effort and
the faith needed to bring new
blood to a new country, and the
pathos on the trail, continues to
be brought to light as contribu
tions to future generations.
Most recent was the discovery
of the grave of a 14-year-old boy,
Lloyd Dean Shook, after a cen
tury of anonymity. A Klamath
Palls boy, Mark Runnels, found
the grave. His discovery has been1
heralded as proof that immigrants
westward bound actually stopped
at Pot Hole Springs in Modoc
County on their way to the Wil
lamette Valley.
The trail, still visible near the
grave, is proof that wagons trav
eled that way, but not until Mark
Runnels found an upthrust of lava
rock embedded in the soil, carry
ing the deeply carved story of
tragedy, had historians been sure
enough to say, "they stopped
here.
Thus was another link of the
long trip from east to west forged
Early this fall, the Klamath
County Historical Society invited
the public and the Siskiyou Coun
ty Historical Society to join an
auto caravan to Pot Hole Springs.
Devere and Helen Helfrich,
whose cameras have recorded still
visible spots on most of the Old
Oregon Trail and other wagon
ways across the land, conducted
the field trip. Junior historians
and those who are familiar with
stories of the old days took sack
lunches and cameras.
The caravan stopped briefly at
Dry Lake where Kenneth McLeod
told the story of the Modoc Indian
War battle at Dry Lake on May
10, 1873, first battle of the last
Indian war won by the white man.
Here also is the grave of L. A.I
Clark, marked by a traditional
headstone bearing the inscription
L. A. Clark. Died May 11. 1911.'
Age 61. Native of Illinois. Up to
this time there is no known rec
ord of such a man or his death,
in this country, except the grave.
or why he should be buried at
a lonely spot off the beaten path
of travel. The grave is 10 miles
south of Tulclake in California.
Each year, mysteriously, a small
bouquet of flowers of the garden
variety is placed upon the grave
around Memorial Day.
Dcyond. another 10 miles, is the
overflow dam which keeps the wa
ter in Clear Lake from running
away to the Dry Lake country.
Pelicans and other birds nest on
Bird Islands that center the body
of water, now shrunken by the dry
years. Here, Lorraine Quillan, a
member of the Klamath County
Nature Society and an ardent bird
watcher, spoke on Pelicans that
nest on the islands and other bird
life.
Close by Clear Lake are portions
of an old stone wall, one of the
most controversial man-made bar
riers in the days when the white
man, eager for gain, had pushed
the red man from his hunting
grounds and was pitting wit
against many odds in the accumu
lation of wealth.
Here are the remnants of a
dream ... the Chinese Wall.
Information on the Wall, des
tined to involve the hopes of one
man, Jesse D. Carr, of California,
encroaching settlers, congression
al action, the lives of hundreds of
Chinese laborers, and the U.S. Bu
reau of Reclamation, has been
compiled from a number of
sources.
The late Edith Rutenic McLeod,
of Klamath Falls, delved into old
books, studied newspapers, and
talked to oldtimcrs for facts to
write "Modoc's Wall of China,
Horse High and Hog Tight," read
during the caravan's trek that
summer Sunday by Annabelle
Newton. Mrs. Newton's continuing
interest in the history of the Klam
ath country has been fruitful in
the preservation of those facts
that are vital to the Klamath Ba
sin. Frank Payne, who lived here
years ago, the late Robert A. Em
mitt, who lived Klamath country
history. Devere and Helen Helf
rich, Ken McLeod and historical
bits gathered from here and yon,
information contained in brochures
found in' museums, all have con
tributed to the history of the Chi
nese Wall and the Applegate Trail
used here.
Travelers have wondered at
glimpses of the wall, seen from
highways and wandering by-roads.
Much of iU great length now lies
across the arid land, torn down
and scattered. The great slabs of
lava rock are mute testimony to
the back-breaking hand labor of
the Chinese brought to an alien
and inhospitable land from the
San Francisco Bay Area.
Portions of it still standing are
armpit high to a tall man, rea
sonably level, the rock is laid
close enough together to turn ev
erything except snakes, field mice
and insects.
Cowboys who once rode the
range called it "The Wall of Chi
na," said Mrs. McLeod in her
story.
'In that stone wall lies a story
of the Old West: a story of one
of the old cattle barons, of strong
men and vast domains, of thou
sands of head of cattle and the
men who retained their kingships
(Continued on Page 3) - ' -
YOUNG HISTORIANS Lots of teen-agers are Inter
ested in the happenings of the past that contributed to
the development of this community. Several historically
minded youths asked permission to go alonq on the trip
to Pot Hole Spring, taking cameras to record what they
saw. These four are members of the Klamath County
Junior Historical Society at spot on Chinese wall. Left
to right are Thomas Gospodnetich, Steve Brow, Mark
Runnels, grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Devere Helfrich, who.,
found the headstone at the grave of Lloyd Dean Shook ,
at Pot Hole Spring; and Qouglas Young.
THIRD STOP This is portion of old Chinese wall near Clear Lake, 40 miles south'
east of Klamath Falls, ordered built by Jesse D. Carr, early day California cattle
baron, to close gaps in natural perimeter of rimrock. The wall enclosed thousands of
acres of range land and Clear Lake. Wall was built by hundreds of imported Chinese.
Later, much of it was torn down, A paper on the wall, written by the late Edith Ru
tenic McLeod, was read at this stop by Annabelle Newton, member of the Klamath
County Historical Society.
V;..v v.. y :j1?ZCJZv
persons who traveled to Pot
ess58
NOT FORGOTTEN Within this circle of interested
Hole Sprinq is a grave. The markeiobears the inscription, "L. A. Clark, Died May 1 1,
1911, aged 61, a native of Illinois." It has never been determined why L. A. Clark
was buried at this spot just off the Clear Lake turnoff at Dry Lake, how he cam
to be in this remote part of Northern California or where he was bound. Each year,
close to Memorial Dey, someone places a few flowers upon the grave. Ken McLeod
meoss9hort talk on Modoc War and Battle of Dry Lake at this point.
aii rnotos by neien and Devere neitricn
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IF STONES COULD TALK Probably few persons live today who remember the
building of the stone wall on the Jesse D. Carr Ranch near Clear Lake, But the stor--ies
of the building of that wall are legion, iome fact, some legend. The wall "shoulder
high to a horse" kept cattle herds inside on Carr land and near water, but it also kept
out other livestock and land seekers, according to all newspaper records. Dover
Helfrich stands beside part of wall still intact on north side 'of Clear Lake near old
ranch headquarters. The wall was built between 1875 and 1882.
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CONJECTURE Those who pass this way can only guess at what happened at this
spot near the Applegate Trail where Lloyd Dean Shook was left when wagon train
moved on. Mark Runnels placed wreath of garden flowers mad by his, grandmother,
Helen Helfrich, upon the grave.
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