, 1866-02-09
LEcruREs hY RENy. a d. srAuLpINe.
in securing ne COSnIrY 'ii''.i % Americans.


Early Oregon Mis,ions---Their Importance
In securing the CoantrY 70 Americans.
INuABER OSE.]
As events are Opening on this Pacific coast, II
appears In the progressive development Of hu-
man redemption, the great end OF this created
world With its hidden and revealed wealth, the
allwise God had concluded that the vast gold
and silver mines, in and west Of the Rocky
mountains and throughout the Pacific slope for
nearly 5000 years hid ffom the eye Of mortals,
should in the last days, be developed and given
to the commercial world, aud By American
hands. And that this gigantic, this strange,
wild, msn-killing and withaI soul-destroying
work, should be aeconplished and ready IN part
to speed the chariot wheels OF human salvation
is in part to meet the stupendous National Debt
to be incurred by our infant American Republic
in terrific war waged in behalf Of human
rights and Of The last command Of Jesus Christ,
Ego teach all nations" and against the COM
bined despots of earth who thought to lay waste
in the new made grave of our American Repub-
Hey
But for this end, this, then unknown, va t.
remote, dark Northwest coast, must be trav-
ersed and settled by American families and
governed by American commerce and become a
live and shining part Of the American Union
But as new countries are usually settled by
frontier emgrants at FIRST, and as these were
confined to the Western States, and as they
could not reach the Pacific coast via Cape Horn
with their indispensable herds and family wag-
ons, Great Emigrant Wagon Road must be had
from the frontier settlements to the Pacific
Shores over the sky-tinted, snow-capped Rocky
mountains, through the breadless, broiling sand, ,
across the trackless continents infested with
sleepless, bloOd-thirsty savage tribes. This
road must become a fact, not possibility, or
even probability, before the worldly emigraut
will adventure his wife and child upon the stu
pendOus undertaking. 1t was pronounced i'm
passable, by wise men, by mountain men, land
among them Geo. Catlin, who had spent years
among the mountain tribes) for a white woman
to live out a journey of months and perhaps two
years, through this great and terrible wilder
ness, on account of the hardshps, the privations
and hazards to be encountered Many caravans
Of hardy mOuntaineers and trappers, in attempt
ing to reach the Pacific coast, had been subject
ed TO most terrific hardships and sufferings.-
Some had lost all their horses from the thievinq
tribes or starving, or SHOWS and hardships, and
thus compelled TO traverse half the continent on
foot, and much of the way bare foot to climb
rocky preeipices, travel over priekly pears and
through winter SHOWS; live on dogs aud horses
and old hides. Many had perished from starva-
tOn, many from sickness and suffering and many
by the Indians But man continued to put forth
"mauy devices" concerning the Great Pacific
West. Wise men and men of wealth sent forth
expeditions both by sea and by land, aided in
part by the strong arm of Government, to eslab-
lish colonies on the Pacific coast.
In the first place Capt Grey Of the Am ship
Columba, Of Boston. discovered and entered the
Columbia in 1892, aud thus gave this part of tho
continent to his country and the name of his
ship to the river.
In 1898, Mckenzie; the Englishran, the first
white man that crossed the Rocky mountains,
reached the Pacific coast at the mouth of Frazer
River.
In 1904 Lewis and Clark, under Government,
with a strong convoy of 80 men were furnished
with every thing required and left st. Louis in
May to proceed up the Missouri River in three
boats; one of 55 feet with 22 oars, and the other
two Of six oars each. The first season they as
cended the Missouri 1000 miles to lat. 40 where
they built fort for winter quarters, which they
nanied "fOrt Mandan." Here they found plenty
of corn and pumpkins raised by the Indians. -
The next season they reached the Great Falls of
the Missouri which is succession of %
rapids and falls 10 a distance of two miles and
three quarters, during which the river falls s52
feet; the greater fall being 81 feet. These falls
are in lat. Az 81, 1925 miles from the mouth of
the Missouri river, Is above Fort Benton and IT'S
miles below the Three Forks Here they lashed
their boats in the willows and their specimens,
charts and medicines and some other articles in
in ''cashes" and made canoes for their goods,
with which they ascended to the Three Forks,
5000 miles from the mouth. Here the Shoshone
woman, whom they had found on the Missouri
24OO miles Below and whom they employed as
interpreter for this part Of their route, visited
her people, the ShOshOnes or Snakes and on the
very battle-ground where six years before she
had been taken prisoner and sold from tribe to
tribe till she had fallen into the hands of her
present half-breed husband at The great distance
above named. One Of her fellow prisoners a
Young woman, who had been sold from tribe to
tribe, till she had probably reached the Pawnees,
had made her escape, and reached her people
the year before. They manifested great Joy and
mach sympathy for each other, on thus une1-
pectedly meeting. This woman and her hus-
band continued with L. 4 c.. to the mouth of
the Columbia and returned with them the next
year to the lower Missouri. From the Three
Forks Lewis 4 Clark crossed the mountains
from the head waters of Jefferson 3 Fork in Lat.
45o az to the head waters of Clark or Bitter
Root river and from thence to the forks of the
Clearwater or KooskOoskee River in the NeB
Perces country, and from thence by canoes
again to the mouth of the Columbia River which
they reached Nov. 10TH one year and sII months
from the time they started. Although they lost
no men, yet their sufferings after leaving the
Great Falls of the Missouri until they reached
the Forks of the Clearwater, were most terrific,
and sufficient to chill the heart of the bravest,
from starvation, from bare feet on Prickly pear,
flint rocks, wadfng into rivers and ascending
snow mountains. They returned in 1906 by the
same route, except the party divided on the Bit
ter Root or Clark River, and Capt. Clark with
one party crossed the mountains by their former
route to the head waters of the Gallitan and on
the Yellow Stone and down it to the Missouri
river; while Captain Lewis guided by the Nez
Perces, with the other party kept on due east
and up Little Blackfoot, crossed the mountains
in Lat 46o 2r about where Mullans road
crosses and near where the magic city of Helena
is springing into existence, 1000 feet above the
level of the sea and where Brown the Norwegian
has discovered his remarkable gold deposit the
richest probably found since the days of Solo
mon From thence down the Medicine River to
its mouth, and the Great Falls of the Missouri
River where they found their "cashe" of last
yeOr, partially destroyed by high wster, they
found their batteaux in good order, in which
they embarked and reached St. Louis 20 Sept.
years and months from the time they left. a
After tits gigantic effort of the Government,
other parties under Henry Campbell, Sublitt,
Fitz Patrick and others, attempted to reach the