The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1866-12-08

oooStaSs ~ 10 dVt CialtIleu tisht uu OtuSE
white women would have crossed the
Rocky Mountains, or that no emigrant
road would have been opened, or that
some other agency would not. have inter-
vened to have stopped the trading of Ore
gon for codfishery with England, or
that the gold mines would not have been
discovered. But it is claimed that the
above named two women. not for gold or
the hope of gain-for then such objects
were not known in this direetion-but
solely IN obedience to the command of
their Lord, were the first and only two
women in the United States. es late as
1886, willing TO undertake TO, and actual
ly did, cross the Rocky Mountains and
the continent; aud that the heroic Amer
lean missionary, Whitman, eventually did
reach Washington in March, 1913, thro'
terrible suferings and hazards frem In
dians, starvation aud freezing in the
mountains of Utah and New Mexico, not
an hour too soon to save this country from
becoming British province in the Ash
burton Treaty, by giving personally to
President Tyler his knowledge of this
country, its importance to the United
States, aud the fact that himself and asso-
ciates had actually taken their wives and
wagon across the continent six years be-
fore, aud that he intended. God willing.
to take back that season caravan of sew
eral hundred wagons through to the Co
lumbia; and it is claimed that the actual.
the worldwide magic history of this Paci-
ne West, already mapped out into three
States and nine Territories. with its every
where uprising cities and towns and
lively settlements, and the vast gold and
silver fields, is the real. the natural. true
results of the crossing the Rocky Noun
tains in 1896 by those two God. chosen
women, under the untiring energy and
unyielding will of DIR. Whitman. And
it cannot but be a source of satisfaction
to our American ladies to know that two
of their number we're able, under God, to
accomplish what strong men and men of
wealth had failed to aecomplish-an actu-
al emigrant route from the Missouri to
the Pacific, a sure basis for the settlement
of the country. And il must ever be a
satisfaction to the American Board and
its friends who sent forth these humble
missionaries. to be able to point the inf
dels and the fanatics in the American
j Government to such plain and undenia-
BILE results from the selfdenying, hazard
Gus. unrewarded labors of their mission
aries-res1lts of great value to the public
good.
i Observe again. Too much praise can
l not be awarded to that great and good
/ pioneer missionary, lee. aud the self-de-
nying lady missionaries, who, by q sea
voyage around Cape Horn, came early to
his assistance IN establishing his flourish
ing mission to the Indian tribes on this
coast. This mission of the Methodist
) Board, while it brought to the Indian
tribes the Sun of Righteousness, became
the nucleus of the first American colony
on the Pacific. and gave healthy chris
tian character to the provisional govern,
/ ment of Oregon-whick was organized sir
years after the first missionaries arrived
J ip the Willamette. But while this is SAID
!, with satisfaction, it must be admitted OF
all hands that the overland emigran
/ route was the essential element. the pro
noting cause of the settlement of thi
r coast by American settlers But thi
A route owes its existence, in the first place
: to Mrs. Spaulding and Mrs. Whitman
: and in the second place, to the persona
sufferings and hazards of the Doctor il
e the mountains in the winter of 1928
f who learned enough from different sour
r ces, confirmed by the sudden appearance
{ in this country, in the fall of ~, of
C British colony of 140 souls, from tn
0 British settlement on the Winnepeg Lake
: to convince him that his presence wa
, needed that winter in Washington, an,
: in the spring to bring caravan of emf
e grant wagons over the mountains an,
a through to the Columbia river or Oregon
' The history of his mission to Washing
/ ton will show that his fears we're wei
: grounded.
a We spent our next Sunday in Kins
8 man, Ohio, with a colege-mate of on
: good old "Western Reserve" who, wit
j, the good people of the town, remembers,
y us oft and again after we had reached on
t lonely mission field, by helping the Ne
d Perces Indians to some of their first cal
tie, and by sending barrels of elothin
o and valuables, to the amount of hundred
= of dollars, for the use of our family
o Here we left our runners and shipped on
a wagon wheels-for which we had mad
:, arrangements when starting from Ho
/ land Patent, New York, on the 1st {
: February But for want of bottom i
II the roads, we were compelled to take wa
n ter at Pittsburgh, where we met with tn
l. celebrated George Catlin, and were show
o his extensive "Indian Gallery" and paint
IS ings.
e According to previous arrangement
= DIR, Whitman overlook US at Cincinna
e with his wife, his two Nez Perces boy
q and three missionaries for the Pawne
e Indians. The good christian people
y that city met with us in the Sixth Presb,
a, terian Church, Rev Mr.. Norton, an
le gave us christian farewell, with man
c. prayers for our success, but with man
RS forebodings for our ladies' Mountai
y, men pronounced the undertaking scare
er " less than manslaughter, and suggeste
ly the idea of stopping Mrs. S. and Mrs. Y
7e by the civil authorities, if they would n
d be persuaded. "They never can enduI
II the hardships of the journey, or escal
pc the frenzy of the tribes to get hold
ss white women" One white woman,
lg attempting to pass these tribes, had bee
taken by them and never more heal
~ from. 'Let the men go by the mou
I'd tains, but the women must be sent v
ip Cape Horn"
,h All the effect these strong fears, homes
e. ly expressed, had upon our heroic wiyc