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

tested with sleepless, tireless bloodthirsty
and savage tribes. This road must be-
come fact, not possibility, or even a
probability, before the worldly emigrant
viii venture his wife and children upon
the stupendous undertaking. It was
pronounced impossible, by wise men, byl
mountain men (and among them Georgel
Catlin, who had spent years among the
mountain tribes), for white woman to
live out journey of months and perhaps
two years, through this great and terri
bic wilderness, on account Of the hard
ships, the priyations and hazards to bel
encountered. Many caravans of hardy
mountaineers and trappers, in attempting
to reach the Pacific coast, had been sub
jected to most terrific hardships and suf-
ferings. Some had lost all their horses
from the theiving tribes, or starving, or
SHOWS aud hardships, aud thus compelled
to traverse half the continent on foot, |
and much of the way barefoot, to climb
rocky precipices, travel over prickly
pears and through wintry SHOWS, live on
dogs and horses and old hides. Many
had perished from starvation, many from
sickness and suffering, and many by the
Indians. But man continued TO put forth
''many devices" concerning the Great Pa
cifc West Wise men and men of wealth
sent forth expeditions both by sea and by
land, aided in part by the strong arm off
Government, to establish colonies on the
Pacific coast.
In the first place Captain Grey Of the
American ship Columbia, of Boston, dis
covered and entered the Columbia in
1902, and thus gave this part Of the con-
tinent to his country aud the name of his
ship to the river.
In 1913, Mckenzie, the Englishman,
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 Gov
ernment, with a strong convoy of 3S
men, were furnished with everything re-
quired and left st. Louis in May to pro-
eeed up the Missouri river in three boats;
one of SO feet with % oars, aud the other
two of six oars each. The first season
they assembled the Missouri river 1.600
miles, to latitude 47o, where they built a
fort for winter quarters, which they
named "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 a succession of % rapids and six
falls in distance of two miles and three
quarters, during which the river falls 352
feet; the greater fall being 81 feet
These falls are in lat 4To g., 1926 miles
from the mohth of the Missouri river, 1S
miles above Fort Benton, aud 175 miles
below the Three Forks. Here they left
! their boats in the willows aud their speci-
mems, charts and medicines and some
: other articles in caches" aud made ca
, noes for their goods, with which they
assembled to the Three Forks, 5000 mile:
/ from the mouth. Here the Shoshone
9 woman, whom they had found on the
' Missouri 2,400 miles below, and whom
: they employed as interpreter for this par
{ of their route, visited her people, tn,
: Shoshones or Snakes, and on the very
e battle ground where six years before sh'
q had been taken prisoner and sold from
!. tribe to tribe till she had fallen into th,
) hands of her present half-breed husbanC
' at the great distance above-named. On
Iof her fellow prisoners, young woman
; who had been sold from tribe to tribe, til
b she had probably reached the Pawnees
!. had made her escape. and reached he
e people the year before. They manifeste'
3 great joy and much sympathy for eacl
|, other, on thus unexpectedly meeting
4 This woman and her husband continue
i with Lewis and Clark to the mouth of th
-e Columbia, and returned with them th
,e next year to the lower Missouri.
q. From the Three Forks Lewis and Clar
70 crossed the mountains from the head wa
h ters of Jefferson's Fork, in lat. 45o q
70 to the head waters of Clark or Bite
of Root river, and from thence by the Lo-l
lv Trail to the forks of the Clearwater {
Is Kooskooskee river in the Nez Percc
h. country, and from thence by canoesagai
A to the mouth of the Columbia rivel
or which they reached November 10, on
.lyear and six months from time of starting
of Although they lost no men, yet the
of sutferings after leaving the Great Falls
b. the Missouri until they reached the Forl
of of the Clearwater, were most terrific, an
sufficient to chill the heart of the braves
6c from starvation, from bare feet on prick
We pear, flint rocks, wading rivers and a
he cending snowMountains.
its They returned in 1906 by the san
ise route, except the party divided on Il
I'D Bitter Root or Clark river, and CAPITA
Ky Clark with one party crossed the mou
fc tains by their former route to the hei
lid waters of the Gallitan river and on to &
sse Yellow Stone and down it to the Nilsson
he river; while Captain Lewis, guided
AN the Nez Perces, With the other part
his kept on due east and up Little Blackfot
ul- crossed the mountains in lat. 46o 2
ed about where Mullan's road crosses a
lot near where the magic city of Helena
to springing into existence, 1000 feet abo
be the level Of the sea, and where Bro'
ub- the Norwegian has discovered his !
Of markable. gold deposit, the richest prol
Of bly, found since the days of Solomon.
md From thence down the Medicine river
rth its mouth, and the Great Falls of
adel Missouri, where they found their "cach
Of last year partially destroyed by hi
wn, water. They found their batteaux
ust good order, in which they embarked, a
can reached st. Louis the 23d of Septemb
om- two years andsfour months from the ii
,art they left. .
1ew After this gigantic effort of the G
tier ernment. Other narties under Hen
on Campbell, Sublitt, Fitz Patrick and Q
ney ers, attempted to reach the Pacific for
ape same noble purpose, and in 1911 &
ana 1872 two expeditions, one by land un
gon Hunt and one by water under Mes