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.
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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
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