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About Vernonia eagle. (Vernonia, Or.) 1922-1974 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 1934)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1934. VERNONIA EAGLE, VERNONIA, OREGON PAGE TWO HOW OREGON PIONEERS BUILT EARLY-DAY ROADS Road Over Mountains Travel of 1843 Differs from that Of Year 1859 By G. A. SHADDUCK (A student in the School of Jour nalism writes of early road building in Oregon.) Travel and communication of today when Oregon is celebrating its 75th anniversary of statehood, is very different from that of 1859 and likewise travel and com munication in 1859, as described in a recent article, was very dif ferent from that of 1843. The mere mention of travel to the first pioneers recalled incidents never to be forgotten—memories of Indian trails and galloping redskins; rafts and dugout ca noes; clouds of dust and wagons bogged down in the mud; bleach ing bones and alkali water holes; plodding oxen and prairie schoon ers. These were the things that made the old Oregon trail famous —that historic road, across the plains and over the mountains from the Missouri river to the Columbia. A Who’s Who of early trail blazers and road builders would sparkle with the names of Jason Lee, John McLoughlin, Marcus Whitman, Jess and Lindsay Apple gate, Levi Scott, Eamuel Barlow and Phil Sheridan. Not alone did they blaze the trail and lead the way but on their arrival in the new land, the Same indomitable courage that brought them here, inspired them In the work of winning the Nortn- west for the United States. A tale recounting Oregon’3 progress to 1859 would be incomplete if something ware not said of those pioneers of early transportation. First “Empire Builder*’ Jess Applegate, Levi Scott and Samuel Barlow had been quick to sense the importance of an over land route through the Cascade mountains, if an empire was to be carved out of the wilderness. A road could not be built through the Columbia gorge and wagons and stock could not be brought through on clumsy rafts. Samuel Barlow, with his family and a small party of friends had explored the first pass through the mountains in 1845. They had gone south from The Dalles to Tygh valley and then west, pass ing south of Mt. Hood. Heavy timber and winter snows were the natural obstacles to be overcome and the trip almost ended in dis aster. Their wagons and equip ment were left behind and1 the party with their stock finally reached Oregon City. The next year Barlow secured a charter for a toll road over the pass he had charted, the road was improved and two-thirds of the emigrants of 1846 came that way, but by 1859 the river route by boat and portage was carrying most of the traffic. First Southern Road The same year, 1846, Levi Scott, Jess and Lindsay Apple gate with a party of 12 others pioneered a southern entrance in to the territory. Leaving the Wil lamette valley they travelled south through Pass creek canyon and the Umpqua valley, located the Umpqua canyon and passed over the Graves creek hills to Rogue river. Near the present site of Ashland they turned east over the mountains to Klama<fc lake, then southeast across north ern California to the Humboldt river and a connection with the Overland trail. iContinuing on to Fort Hall on the Snake river, they induced a wagon train to follow them back to Oregon over their route, which became known as the Scott-Applegate trail and la ter the ‘south emigrant road.’ This shortened the distance from the east to the head of the Willamette valley about 200 miles. The mountains of southern Ore gon were an obstacle not easily overcome. The road was little better than an Indian trail— crooked, narrow and sbeep. At one place it was necessary to take the wagons to pieces to get them by. The next year $20,000 was appropriated by the Provi sional government to be used by Levi Scott in improving this road, this being the first appropriation from any source for Oregon road work. Far more fitting would the name “empire builder” be for Jess Applegate of Yoncalla, sur veyor and road builder, than for some of the pioneers of later days. Sixteen years before Ore gon became a state, he was mas ter of the first wagon train to enter Oregon territory, leaving the Missouri river in the spring of '43, arriving at Vancouver late that fall. His trail across the trackless plains and over the mountains, with but few line changes, is the Oregon trail of today. Marcus Whitman, return ing to the west, helped pilot and shared many of his responsibili Scottsburg Road ties on that epoch making trip. During the Rogue river Indian On their arrival at Fort Walla Walla, a Hudson Bay trading war period, a military road was post, they abandoned their wag surveyed from Scottsburg, head ons, stock and most of their farm of navigation on the Umpqua riv ing implements and completed the er, through Drain, following the trip down the Colombia in crude ‘south emigrant road’ from there ly fashioned skiffs. Several lives to Camp Stewart on the Rogue and much of their goods were river. Colonel James Hooker, later iost negotiating the Columbia famous as a Union General was river rapids. Dr. John McLough- | the military engineer on this pro lin, chief factor of the Hudso* I ject; Jess Applegate was the sur Bay post at Vancouver, rendered 1 veyor and Lindsay Applegate had’ them valuable assistance on the1 a $20,000 contract to improve the last lap of their journey—from road over the Graves creek hills. This was just six years before the Cascades to Vancouver. Laundry Work That Is Reliable . . . Our work is guaranteed as reliable and absolutely safe for your clothes. They’ll come back snowy and clean —and nicely finished. Our prices are low—in perfect accordance with these times. VERNONIA LAVNDRY And Dry Cleaning Phone 711 Oregon became a state and the same year Jess Applegate snrvey- ed the third pass through the Casrade mountains. Starting at Pleasant hill, he passed up the middle fork of the Willamette and over the range near Diamond peak and down through the jack pines of eastern Oregon to the Klamath basin. This road was little used, history recording but one large migration that way. In the fall of ’53 215 wagons, with 615 men, 412 women and chil dren, 3970 head of cattle, 1700 -heep, 222 horse sand 64 mules, wended their slow laborious way over this pass. Slow it must have been, over the tortuous trail of hair-pin curves and dizzy grades, the wagons dragging a tree trunk behind them down the hills to keep them from running over the slow plodding axen. Portland Road System In the late 40’s two roads led south from Portland to the head of the Willamette valley, follow ing the foot hills on either side. One left Portland on the east side and passed through or near Ore gon City, Molalla, Silverton, Stay ton, Scio, Lebanon, Brownsville, Coburg, Pleasant Hill and Cottage Grove. The west side road left Portland by way of the Canyon road, crossed Tualatin plains, through Lafayette, Whiteson, Dal las, Marysville (Corvallis), Mon roe, Franklin, Lorane and joined the east side road near present site of Anlauf. By ’59 the principal road in the Willamette valley left Port land by the Boone’s ferry route, crossed the Tualatin river at Taylor’s ferry, over the Willam ette by ferry at Butteville, through historic Champoeg and into Salem over the old Fairfield road. It left Salem along the Waldo hills, ferrying the Santiam and into Albany where another ferry crossed the Willamette and over to Marysville. This was the short line through the valley. Another road of the early 50’s was built by Phil Sheridan, later of Civil war fame, from Kings valley to Siletz. First Stage Systems As road and water transporta tion advanced, mail and express service developed. Prior to the through stage service to Sacra mento, just one year after Ore gon became a state, all mail to and from the east came from San Francisco by boat. The first service was 12 years before, the steamer “Columbia” making monthly trips, first to Astoria and later to Portland. In 1847, met," “Shoalwater,” “Success,” Congress established the first in “'Carrie Ladd” and “Jennie land mail route in the northwest Clark.” In 1854, Allen McKinley built —Oregon City to Klamath lake, via Jacksonville, by horseback. the “Eagle” above the Cascades, The next year six additional the first boat to run between routes were authorized. They there and The Dalles. In 1854-55, the “Mary,” “Wasco” and “Has- were: 1. Astoria to the mouth of the | salo” were others built above the Umpqua river, via Portland, Mil Cascades. The “Carrie Ladd,” waukie, Oregon City, Linn City, launched at Oregon City in Octo Lafayette, Nathaniel Ford’s, Nes ber, 1858, was the first stern mith mills, Marysville, John wheel boat in the northwest. A. Lloyd’s, Eugene F. Skinner s and L. Murray and associates built the | “Hoosier” at Oregon City the Pleasant Hill. 2. Oregon City to Jacob first to run above the falls. In Spere’s, in Linn county, via 1859 regular schedules were Champoeg, Salem, Ham i 1 ton maintained to Corvallis and three Campbell’s, Albany, Kirk’s ferry years before the “Jane Clinton” | had reached Eugene. The “On- Moley s. and W. B. ____ , ’ .. ! ward” operated on the Tualatin 3. Portland to Hillsboro. 4. Oregon City to Harrison ' to a point near Hillsboro, and others ran on the Santiam to Wright’s, near Molalla. 5. Hamilton Campbell’s to Ja Lebanon and on the Yamhill to 1 Lafayette. Small boats operated cob Spere’s on the Santiam. Ion the lower Umpqua from Scotts- 6. Linn City to Hillsboro. Three years later, 12 more 1 burg to the sea. Travel by boat routes were established and when was preferable to travel by land Oregon became a state, the then where service was available. Seven years after Oregon be 19 existing routes represented an achevement in growth of com came a state tire first telegraph munication that was astounding, line came to Jacksonville from considering the system was only the south and the next great im- pravement in travel and com- 12 years old. munication was the railroad, but Steam Enters Field those developments are the story The development of steam na of another day. vigation, in the nine years pre vious to ’59, was an epoch in Oregon's history, that demands some mention in passing. The Co lumbia, Willamette and tributary Pasteurization streams formed a splendid sys- inland waterways and a tem of Recommended natural outlet to the sea. Boat building along the Wilamette was a thriving industry, many boats “Pasteurization is recom built there going^to the Sacra mended as a. universal prac mento river and Puget Sound. tice in the standard mills The first ocean-going boat ordinance prepared by the' built in Oregon, christened the United States Public Health “Star of Oregon” was launched Service and endorsed by from Swan island, by Joseph Gale in 1851. The “Lot Whitcomb,” the Conference of State owned by Whitcomb and Jennings, and Provincial Health Auth the finest on the river for several orities of North America. years, was launched at Milwaukie, The American Public Health Christmas day, 1850. J. C. Ains Association and the Ameri worth was captain, and Jacob Kamm, engineer. John C. Thomas, can Child Health Association an English boat builder who came stand unreservedly for pas to Portland that, was the builder teurization. The American of many river boats, among them Medical Association has being the “Canemah,” “Willa- passed a resolution support ing the public health auth orities in their fight for Maytag Washer» safer milk.” — By W. W. Wo repair all makeo ai WaAon Bauer in Hygeia. VERNONIA RADIO SHOT Gewe SMpmae The Forest Grove National Bank Forest Grove, Oregon “The Roll of Honor Bank” STATEMENT OF CONDITION AT CALL OF THE COMPTROLLER OF CURRENCY, DECEMBER 30, 1933 • Resource» Loans .......... -........................ ..... Banking House .......................... Real Estate ................................ U. S„ Municipal Other Bonds ...... $156,329.66 Cash and due from Banks $142,950.73 $268,190.88 18,400.00 5,006.16 299,280.39 $590.877.43 Liabilities Capital .............. — $25,000.00' Undivided Profits $3,877.171 Surplus .................. 50,000.00 Circulation ------- ------------------ Deposits .............. ......... ............... $ 78,577.17 Nehalem Valley Ice & Creamery Company PHONE 471