The Minnesotian. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1851-1852, 1852-01-17
LETTER FROM OREGON.
ST. PAUL, Mn Dec. 81. Is:


ST. PAUL, MIN, Dec. 81, 1851.
Mr.. EDITOR by last mail received
a letter from a friend in Oregon, and
thinking an extract would be acceptable
to your readers, l give it below. The
writer is lawyer of no small talent
He went from Dodgeville, Wisconsin,
early last spring, taking with him as Il
companion, young gunsmith by the
name OF Collins. The letter was not de-
signed for the public, and therefore little
care was devoted to the composition.
Yours, T. M. FULLERroS.
PORTLAND, Q. T., Oct, ~, 1851.
SIR:-Mr. Collins has received yours
of July 7th. He has commenced
business, and gets such good prices
and SO much work, that lie thinks he can
afford to employ lawyer TO write his
letters-particularly, as lawyers have
much more leisure here than gunsmilhs,
he being the only one in town, whereas
there are some twenty or thirty lawyers.
He says you wished him to write of our
success on the road-the general face of
the country-some description of Oregon,
state Of socieiy-the people, how they
dress, eat, sleep, &C., &c.
We got along finely: 1 brought nv
library and Collins his tools through in
good order-lad fine health-good roads.
and plenty of provisions. l lost one
steer by poison, but the remainder of my
team and wagon brought through, and
they are worth double what they cost me
in Wisconsin. We encamped on the
summit of the Rocky Mountains on the
night of the 18th June-rcachcd Fort
Hall July lst-and celebrated the 9TH at
Shoal Creek about fifty miles west of said
Fort, myself having tie honor of deliver
ing fifteen minutes extemporaneous
orailon, with wagon for my rostrum,
and the Heavens for my sounding board.
We made the services very brief on ac-
count of a company being behind us
which we did not wish to pass us.
We arrived in the Willamette Valley
on the 18Th Of August, being the first
team out Of thirty-six which left the
Missouri river together, that got over the
Cascade Mountains. We star,cdth the first
Of May. l believe the trip can be made
in three weeks with oxen. Tbs OK is
noble animal if well treated, You seem
TO gain his affection, and he will toll on
for You until the flesh falls from his bones.
and the hoofs from his feet. But beat
and abuse him. and lis eye sinks in his
head, his courage fails, and he lies down
and dies with a broken heart. Their
bones would lead You from the Missouri
TO Oregon il there were no other guide.
and great many of them are left there
from abuse Or carecssneSs. y
AS for giving even general idea of
the country along the route in letter,
have long since found it impossiblc-I
spun out one letter 10 fourteen pages and
then found had not fairly made begin
ming. We crossed three ranges of noun
tains-.he Rocky, Blue, and Cascades, all
whose peaks are covered with perpetu-
al snow. The Rocky Mountains are
crossed at the south pass with very little
difficulty. TIE Blue divide Eastern from
Middle Oregon. They are covered with
dense and valuable forests, and at the
same time bear considerable grass. They
are about forty miles across, and in places
steep, but we did not have to double teams.
The Cascades arc also covered with dense
forests. ! saw trees Oh them said TO be
four hundred feet high. 1t is about
eighty miles across them, with plenty OF
browse. and most of the way some grass.
About twenty-five miles of the way lau-
rel is abundant, which kills stock II eat
en-. They can be crossed with little
trouble If your team is not too much
worn down, and you get TO them before
the rains set in. There are conveyanccs
for shipping everything down the Column
bia Instead of taking it over the Cas-
cadcs.
One of the greatest natural curiostics
OF the route is the soda springs near Fort
Hall. There arc great number of them
some entirely too strong to drink-oth-
crs very pleasant to the taste. One is
called a boiling spring. it being somewhat
warm, and spouling up a foot or So
Near one of them is an excellent spring
oil common wafer. One of the high hills
in the vicinity. was in 1916, as [ was
told by Il man who saw it then. an active
volcano. One of our party went up to
It's top, and found that its centre is now 4
succession of soda springs. There is
there now, quite village OF whites, ira
ders; and this spot in comming years NAV
become the Saratoga of the West. X
There appears to be very little good
land in Eastern Oregon, although we
passed through two delightful valleys,
before we came to the Blue Mountains,
covered with luxuriant grass, gaudy
flowers, and watcred by Powder River.
the prcttiest stream ever saw, thronged
with salmon. What | saw of Middle
Oregon appeared to be we'll supplied
with rich prairie, but the only timber is
found on the mountains. In Western
Oregon timber is rather too plentiful