Marker F Mote Arrival Of Fur Ymder At Link iver k IS5:
By RUTH KING
The journey had been a long
one for fur trader Martin Frain
before he arrived on the west
bank of Link River on that April
30 in 1837 with his train of five
mules laden with trinkets and
blankets to barter for furs.
The mountain trails had been
winding and narrow. The forests
had been dense, and snow,
deep as a man's hip bones, still
lay with icy glaze in the hollows
to torment unwary mules, ice
rimmed streams and lakes still
fretted at winter's bondage and
it was with relief that Martin
Frain led his animals through
meadow grasses snowing hint of
new growth beside the stream.
The arrival of Martin Frain,
first permanent fur trader, is to
be commemorated by Klamath
Chapter Daughters of the Ameri
can Colonists with the dedication
of a handsome marker on Oct.
12.
It is to be placed near the spot
where Frain reached the east
side of the river in Veterans' Me
morial Park across Main Street
from Payne Alley and the his
toric Baldwin Hotel.
The ceremony at 10:30 a.m. will
be open to the public. The mark
er will be the first one placed
nt fur trader in the Klamath
by the DAC since the local chap
ter was organized.
Martin Frain's life from his
birth on Dec. 17, 1832, in New
York was a series of minor events
leading up to his arrival in Cal
ifornia in quest of gold as a
young man, after a stormy sail
ing trip around the Horn. v
This interlude in his life' the
History of Central Oregon said,
was of fleeting concern. He left
the city beside the bay where
men tossed off strong whiskey
and tinny tunes lured them to
part with fortunes.
So he bypassed the saloons be
low Nob Hill, the gambling houses
and the dance halls. On a day in
spring when a morning fog lifted
and disappeared over the 'Pacific.
he left behind the horse-drawn
trolleys, the Mission Dolores, the
Tin How Temple and the salt
marshes on the peninsula to mine
gold for a time near Yreka.
But stories trickled in from pas-
sershy of the forfme to be had in
furs further north, of the growing
interest of women in furs for
adornment and of men's pocket
books that opened to pay for them.
So he bought his mules and
loaded them and 6et foot to
the trail.
It was a clear day when he ar
rived in the Klamath country and
smoke from his two tiny barter
tires spiraled up with no resis
tance from the wind. In the rari-
fied air of the mountain country
the signals carried far and since
it was the time of the moon that
promised a good fish run in the
streams, the Indians came in
numbers the Klamaths and the
Cayuse, according to a story
gleaned from an old newspaper.
An Indian woman paddled his
wares across the river and Frain
swam his mules. He went to high
er ground beneath a rocky ledge
and there lie lay out the mer
chandise he would trade for furs
Later, the Maitin-Reames Store
was built on the spot.
His beads were bright and the
blankets he unfolded to customer
gaze were brilliant red. By night
fall he possed 1.200 skins, a small
fortune in fur, destined for a firm
in San Francisco known as Liebes
From that beginning he estab
lished a trading post at the pres-
COURTLY GENTLEMEN Martin Frain. first German
country, bought five mules in Yreka and arrived on the banks of Link River April 30,
1857. It was in the afternoon, say historians, and Indians in the valley nao oeen
alerted by "two smokes" that they could trade furs tor beads and blankets. Indian
wQrpen on t'gtly woven mats paddled Frain's wares across the stream with their feet
thrust through holes in the mat used as paddles. He set up shop under a rocky ledge.
The Indians, gathered at the "right time of the moon," were ready to trade their skins
for the trappings. By sundown they had diiposed of 1,200 furs, a fortuna in those days,
and were ready for a night-long "odd or even" game using beads for money. By morn
ing, most of the men and women had lost to a lucky few. Martin Frain, who lived to be
70, is buried in the Way Cemetery on the top of Topsy Grade.
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cnt junction of Payne Alley and
Main where he continued to trade
for furs.
A chapter in the "History of
Central Oregon" relates that on
barter days Indians brought for
show, stuffed white deer. They
rarely sold these albino prizes
that then were worth from $75 to
$150 a skin. They were tempted
sometimes by Indian money "AI
licochick," a shell that came from
Queen Charlotte Island (still quot
ing the History of Central Oregon!.
A piece of shell reaching from
a hand's palm to the middle joint
of the . little finger was worth
$5.
The tribesmen had a scale of
measurement marked on an arm
from shoulder to elbow. Ten pieces
ol shell that reached from end of
a thumb to a given arm mark
was valued at $100, the smaller
and less valuable bits brought
only $25 a fathom.
This shell was so highly prized
that gold in large amounts was
traded for even minute pieces.
.Martin rrain, through fairness
and awareness of Indian ways,
earned lasting friendships. He ex
perienced no difficulties in hit
trading and his word was known
as "good."
On those whites who took a
redman's life, the redman had no
mercy. Revenge started with the
killing of the white man's family,
one by one, until time ran out
for the man who had taken a
life, and he, too, was sent to join
those who had helped pay the pen
alty. The theory the transgressor
suffered more seeing others
die than he did when his own time
for death came. Martin Frain,
playing a "fair game," kept his
scalp and his life.
His comings and goings took
him through the Shasta country
and there he found his future wife
and helpmate, "Bitsy," sometimes
written Betsy, daughter of Ris
ing Sun and cousin of Sitting Bull,
who mothered his five sons.
Frank, Frederick, Roderick, Wil
liam (Wrcnl, still living in Klam
ath Falls, now 90, Alfonso, and one
daughter, Nettie.
She had absorbed many of the
ways of the white men and com
bining this knowledge with her
native ability, she taught her
brood to live as upright citizens,
to give a day's work for a day's
pay, to share the gifts of nature, I
to honor authority and be con
scious of forces greater than man
. . . wind and water, fire and
lightning.
Martin Frain lost Bitsy before
the youngest of her children was
grown and lived alone the re-
(Contlnued on Page 2)
KLAMATH FALI.S, OREGON, SUNDAY, OCTOBER , 1MJ
BITSY FRAIN Mrs. Martin Frain of the Shasta Tribe
became the wife of the fur trader and mother of hit five
children. She remained with them while her husband
traveled afar on business while they were young. She
died before the last two children were grown.
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A GREAT LAKE Martin Frain, fur trader, saw Klamath
ITIamathl Lake just I I years after it was discovered by
the explorer John C. Fremont on his second expedition
into Oregon country in 1846. It is probable that many
of the furs, coyote, raccoon, fox, bear, bobcat and oth
er species he bought by barter from the Indians, were
caught on the shores of this laka and in the surrounding
forests and marshes. The picture was drawn by a man
named Kerns who accompanied Fremont on this expedi-
tion. The drawing was made from a point probably near
Moore Park where the explorers were then gathered.
Wocut Bay is to the left, the nigh promontory to the
right is the present site of Shippington and Link River
flows from the lake nearby.
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WARES FOR TRADING This picture was taken about
1 898 at Klamath Hot Springs in Northern California
when that country and Southern Oregon were good hunt
ing grounds for fur bearing animals. Look closely and
determine the variety of pelts that Martin Frain, right,
had purchased to be sold later in city markets. Large
black skin at right is bear. Also note huge trap at lower
left. Youth at left is Alphonso Frain, Martin's ion. Man
in center is unidentified. Picture is from collection of
Wren Frain, Martin's son who lives in Klamath Falls.
MODERN DAY FURS Members of Klamath Chapter, Daughters of American Col
onists, will dedicate a marker on Saturday, Oct. 1 2, in memory of Martin R. Frain,
"Pioneer Fur Trader." The plaque will be set in Veterans Memorial Park near the site
on Link River where Frain landed. Wearing modern furs, left to right, are Mrs. Arch
G. Proctor, Oregon State regent and member of Klamath Chapter DAC; Mrs. Charles
K. Wells, Klamath Chapter regent; Mrs. Charles J. Martin, marker committee member,
wearing a silver fox fur from animals caught on shores of Upper Klamath Lake, and
'Mrs. Roland E. Wright, Klamath Chapter chairman of markers and memorials. The dedi
cation will also honor Mrs. Proctor and Mrs. Wells during Patriotic Education Week,
baainninn Oct. I 2.
National Fire Prevention Week Starts Today;
Human Carelessness Causes Most U.S. Fires
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MORE FURS EXHIBITED Left to right art King Quadsworth, Martin Roderick Frain,
in later years of hit life, Mike Haley, man by the name of Kettler, and George Frain.
The picture wat taken by J. S. Wintemute, "Portrait and View Artist," probably in Yre
ka. Skint of two raccoons hang among otksr tkint en the wall. Mounted heed in center
holds Indian bow and arrow. Implements uied by Indians are alto in the picture. White
men frequently found skulls of tribe members killed in battle or who had lott their livai
by ether meant.
By TOM NOLAN
Newspaper Enterprise Assn.
WASHINGTON NEA The
United States faces Hs worst for
est fire toll in many years.
The U.S. Department of Agricul
ture reports over 86.000 forest fires
in the first six months ol l!3
22,900 more than the number re
ported during the same period a
year ago. The area burned Is al
most double what it was a year
ago up to 2 million acres.
Pennsylvania reports its mosi
severe drought in 24 years. In
neighboring New Jersey, some
residents are lorbidden to water
their lawns more than once a
week.
A scries of dry lightning storms
originating in northwest Wyoming
and shooting off In the Canadians
border have lelt behind a trail oi
200 forest fires in Idaho, another
100 in Washington and Orcgnn.
In an effort to reduce the tre-!
mendous destruction during the
fall traditional danger time for
the Western forests President
Kennedy has proclaimed Oct. t
12 as National Fire Prevention
Week. The basic aim is to make
every citizen aware of elemen
tary safeguards which could elimi
nate most of the human careless
ness causing over 90 per cent of
America's fires.
Despite the hope of reducing
carelessness, the U.S. Forest Serv
ice is leaving nothing to chance.
In research centers around the
country, new tools (or fighting
and controlling fires are being de-
j vcloped.
Innovations now being tested
on actual fire lines include an air
conditioned helmet, a two-wheeled
motor scooter and portable
lookout towers.
The helmets, weighing 50
pounds, liavs a refrigerating unit
which keeps it 20 to 30 degrees
cooler inside. A filter keeps out the
smoke. They are used mainly by
operators of heavy equipment
such as bulldozers, enabling them
to work fairly close to live flames
The Los Angeles Fire Depart
ment, using the helmets to fight
brush fires, discovered one draw
back. One bulldozer operator, cool
and secure, backed his machine
out of a fire with burning debris
on the blades, promptly starting a
second fire.
The department now orders
its helmet - wearers to remove
their gloves from lime to time
so they'll know when they're still
in a danger zone.
The two-wheeled scooter, now
being used by the forest service
in Montana, comes equipped with
both front and rear wheel drive
to help it climb logs and other ob
stacles. Reserve fuel tanks in the
wheels, when empty, give the
scooter enough buoyancy for a
man to lloat It across a small
stream while wading beside it.
Porlland'lookout towers are II-
foot-high trailers equipped with
eight-loot extensions which can
be erected in 15 minutes, bach
trailer can sleep three men.
A realistic training aid is an
electronic simulator system now
being .tried out hy the forest serv
ice at Iowa Slate University.
In the 24-by-30-foot simulator en
closure, five projectors flash pic
tures of a raging forest fire onto
a curved panoramic screen. A
staff man broadcasts imaginary
weather and wind conditions.
The trainees, scaled at near
by tables, give orders over tele
phones and radios. As their com
mands are . received, trucks,
planes and other equipment ap
pear on the screen.
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SIMULATED FOREST FIRE Forestry trainees direct fight againtt a fir viewed on
screen. With knowledge gained in classroom they will be better abl to cop with th
real thing. With tha start of National Firs Prevention Week today, tha U.S. it faced
with itt wortt forest fir toll In many yaan in many yaert.
SMOKEY Symbol of for.
est firs protection.
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FIRI TRAILER Portable lookout itation feature! tewr
which can be raised In 15 minutes. '
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