The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-11-04
FROM OREGON.

Extract Of letter to the editor Of The Hnnpin Herald
and Advertiser, dated July IA, l645,
At the entrance of the pass of Sweet Water, $50
miles from Independence, $50 miles from Fort
Laramie, so miles from the summit of the Rocky
mountains, and $40 miles from Fort Hall.
DEAR SIR: We expect to meet company of six
teen men and two ladies', and in the morning return
ing from Oregon to the States and this is to let you
know that We are among the land of the living, Eyes,
and living on buffalo meat.) Our company con-
sisting Of l35 wagons, divided into divisions on
account of feed, has been divided into small compa-
MES of from to 20 wagons. am in company Of
Col. Taylor, Rice, Risely, and families, from Ohio.
We are all well. No doubt, sir, you have often
heard of crossing the Rocky mountains; but let me
assure you the manner in which it is represented is
a humbug. We are now within 3 days drive from
Oregon and the summit Of the mountain, and six
since we struck the first spur of the mountain dis
lance Of $50 miles, we have not assembled hill as
they are very long. As TO wood and water, we have
always found them in abundance This day, for
the first time, we the snow-cad hills in the dis
lance. We have had several frosty nights of late.
1t is very dry and dusty on the roads-all sand or
soft clay. All the difficulty to roads is as soon
as you leave the State of Missouri. Emigrants 10
Oregon need a pilot from Independence or st. Jo-
seph. Emgrants should leave Independence by the
10Th of April, or st. Joseph by the 18th. ST. Jo-
seph is the best startingpont, it is 80 miles near
err; and then you avoid the worst Indians cast of the
mountains-the Caws---and save ferrying Cav and
Kansas rivers, a swift and, when high, very diff
cult stream. From the time you leave the Cav viii
lagos, there is no place that will admit Of white
man settling as there is but little timber and
none but on the streams and that, with the excep.
ton of little blue, is all cotton wood. There is
timber growing on the banks Of the Platte. We
have seen no Indians since we left Fort Laramie.
We are now on the battle-ground Of the Sioux,
Crows, and Cheyennes. Every summerthey come on
to Sweet Water, to look for scalps. They hunt no
buffalo; and consequently they are very plenty: we
see them daily in gangs of from 100 to 700. There
is not day passes, but our hunters kill two or
three take little of the meat and leave the balance
for the wolves, which are very numerous There
are plenty of mountain sheep and grizzly bears in
the mountains. Mr.. Thompson is with Ramage
and Henry This company consists of eight wing
ons, all from Putnam and Marshall counties. The
first company which went to Oregon this con-
sisted Of three wagons and nine men.
There is no danger TO be apprehended from In
dians---that is, the Indians of the plains. There
have been but few deaths among the emigrants this
season, and the few have been children and aged
people. Why, sir, it is almost an impossibility for
a man to get sick in this mountainous country;
there are neither dews nor show
ers, but not sufficient to lay the dust.
E. F. SKINNER.