The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1866-11-17


mouth Of the Columbia, which Jefferson
counted upon as great public acquisition
to become . connecting link between the
Indies, the United States and Europe.
The expedition under Hunt was nearly
two years in reaching the coast, arriving
in small parties during tho months of
January and February, mere skeletons,
mostly naked and barefoot, having trav-
ersed half the continent, from the head
waters Of the Snake river 10 the Coluln-
bia, on foot. Several we're left in the
sand deserts of the Snake country, and
never saw Astoria several periahed out
right from starvation, hardahips aud
SHOWS, in that "great and terrible wilder
ness"
The expedition By sen was not less de-
structive of human life, and more stu
pendous in the sinking Of human wealth
and human hopes; aud the world feels
sad to-day in contemplating the total fail
ure of this almost superhuman enterprise
Of this great man, with his iron will and
his immense wealth, to light up the blaze
of a new American Republic on the north
west coast.
Captains Bonneville, Kelly, Young,
Wyett. and others, between the years
1880 and 1884, followed in the same great
enterprise aud failed, as ell former ones
had, for the reasons probably that they
had counted the overruling hand of God
out of their arrangements aud were
compelled, from the terrific nature of the
country, to leave out one ingredient, abb
solutely indispensable to the permaneucy
of new settlement in a foreign wilder
ness, viz wives and mothers. To sup
ply this deficiency with Indian women
has proved to civilization, in the hands Of
Americans, what it would be for father
to give stone to hisseon for bread when
hungry.
The great and noble pioneer Lee hav-
ing reached the head waters of the Colo
RADIO under the convoy of Captain Wyett's
caravan in 1884, made up his mind, as
every Rocky Mountain traveller had done
before him, aud as every prudent, humaie
man, except perhaps one, who is to have
an important place in this narrative
would have done that it was not his
duty to attempt to bring white woman
over the Rocky Mountains. He had un,
dertaken his mission in answer to thai
wonderful call for the 'book of the whit
mans God," from the Flat Head and Nei
Perce Indians, and these Indians haC
met him on Green river and given hin
ten horses to induce him to stop Will
4 them, when they saw him Elooking TO
ward the setting suns" but the hazards
and hardships of the overland route pre-
cluded the idea of his lady missionarie
crossing the Rocky Mountains, and h,
very naturally did what the writer woul'
have done turned his eye toward tn
Pacific shores, where he would be il
reach of shipping, as the field of his fu
ture missionary lals9s. And after sray
ersing the rest of the great wildnernes
aud reaching the valley of the Multnc
nah, his convictions were only confirmed
and after selecting this beautiful vale
as the theater OF his missionary labors, b
made out his report to his Mission Boar
: accordingly, and sent for his lady mission
} airy help, families and supplies to com
a around Cape Horn, and they arrived j
9 the Columbia river in May, 1887, hin
months after Mrs. Spalding and Mr.
u Whitman arrived in the country by th
overland route.
1 So far as the Mission cause is concerr
], ed, the Cape Horn route would have bee
r all sufficient, but God had determined, 8
before observed, that these extensive gol
b mines, so long undeyeloped, should
: opened, and by American hands, and fl
this end He had determined that the.
e then unknown, distant, wild regior
e should pc traversed and settled by Ame
leans and American families; and Fl
K this end, as the pioneer emigrant, WI
/ usually takes the lead in settling ne
: countries, could not reach this coast wit
n his long OK teamsI via Cape Horn, q
10 overland emigrant route must be had ov,
,r the mountains to the coast.
IS And our Gracious God, when the a
n spicious moment came to develop b
r, plans, took His own way, chose His oV
le instruments, to open the overland rou
3 and secure a basis for settling the cou
If try, to accomplish which SO many live
of so much treasure and so much wisdC
IS had been expended and failed. He knt
i'd the men and women, the latter indispe
t, sable, which lie would select to begin.t
ly work, and He knew he had the only n
s. tive power that would move them. A
we are struck with the simplicity of the
ne struments and reminded of David a
ne his smooth stone. He did not select j o
in Jacob Astor, or the right hand of
n American Government, but He chose fC
ad Indians from the Rocky Mountains, t
he white women and one white man, witht
lri wealth to aid them or . military power
by protect them.
ty, Thus far the motive used to ind'
ot, hardy trappers and hunters to adyent1
L the Rocky Mountains and the vast ss
nd deserts of death, and the sleepless trea
is cry of the savage tribes, where hun
we life has been found to averages a little o
IN four years, had been only wealth from
re- fur trade and the acquisition to CONNIE
pa from American settlements on the Paci
. But these motives had had no power
to wives and mothers. Not one of th
,he had been found of sufficient nerve to
e" counter those hazards and the opinion
gh become fixed among mountain travel
IN except the one person above named, '
md had experience in 'that great and te
er, BILE Wilderness," which had proved
me phatically "a wilderness of death" tina
white woman could outlive an oyerl
oy- journey to the Pacific shores. But
ry, very thing, such journey by W
til woman must become fact, before an
the igrant Road is established from the !
md souri, to the Columbia, so that the W
der ern Emigrant, SO indispensable to the
srs. thing of the vast unknown Pacific w