, 1866-07-27
Is,,er From Portland.


Dalles. looking at the Improvements that had
been made in the City during my long absence,
and noting the tchange of base" that had taken
place amongst the Inhabitants and in this par
ticular may say that those who resided at the
Dalles three or four years ago have almost en-
tirely disappeared-very few Of the old origi'
nals remain. New faces meet me at every
,Srm Il was not the Dalles l had known three
or four years ago.
Iremember three estimable citizens that res
sided at one time on the same square Il believe)
at the Dalles, whose combined names presented
an ominous ASPECT. Their names were DEATH,
| COFFIN and GRAVESi They are all still lirs
ing. I believe, and doing we'll; but the Dales
"kpows them no more" was pleased with the
improvsments that had been made at the Dalles,
they are of permanent character, and believe
| will give hera permanent position on the ground
in spite of al opposition.
Portland has improved beyond all knowledge
within the last three years. Whatwas once the
Leyee, is now vast blocks of buildings. could
not realize that had reached Portland, after
remaining there two or three days; but the rain
brought me to ny senses.
| notice that the Portland merchants look with
An4ious eyes towards the upper country. The
whistle Of the Dalles steamer brings vast crowds
to the landing, and for hours after you can see
little crowds of persons gathered together dis
cussinQ the "prospects," and the most "feasible
route;" from Portland TO the Blackfoot country.
| The discussion, of course, takes different turns;
matters will strike different minds in variety OF
| forms. The Portanders will patiently hear all
| those who are interested in routes, towD sites
and stage lines; but when they strike poor dev
IL like me, yho "aint got no town site, no stage
line, and no steamboat" but knows the country
and the different routes leading thereto, they
seize him, and rush him to some ''sequestered
| spot" the valves are then shu. down, and the
| Wpump" commences. You hear all that inter
ested A. has said aud all interested B. has said,
aud you are expected to endorse one or the other
or give n clear dsinterested account of yourself,
particularly your travels.
Well, | have been through this mill, and am
satisfied that if had travelled the route from
Portland 10 Blackfoot city a thousand times and
had travelled each route leading thereto ut least
a dozen times each-in all seasons of the year,
and had then settled down on what | considered
the best route, and kept travelling that and no
other, would meet with thousand objections
did the best could to ventilate the ito them)
story ] found had forgotten more than they
ever knew of either route. They could scarcely
believe me, when told them that it was almost
an air line from Portland, via the Columbia
river to Wallula, and thence to BlackfOot
city The maps had to be produced and the line
drawn before they could "see it, found they
had settled upon Wallula as the point from the
Columbia river, but they could not tell exactly
the reason why-because they did not know! 1t
leaked out however in the course of cOnYersa-
tion; one house in Portland had got ahead, early
this Spring, by selling large stock of goods o
Mr.. H. D. Sanborn, who shipped them to Wallu-
la-started them from there, and got into the
mines ahead of all others. also learned that
Mr. Ames shipped from San Francisco large
stock of goods in June last, and shipped them to
Umatila After they were put ashore there, he
discovered his mistake, and had them re-shipped
to Wallula, from where Nike Cassel, the packer,
took them to Helena.
The route to Montana from 0regon-that is
the proper route-goes ria the Columbia river,
to Wallula, then by land ria the Pen d'Oreille
lake, thisis the easiest spring route-with the
boat facilities now there 10 August, September
and October the Mullan route ria Coeur Alleue
Mission, is the shortest land route, and during
these months is good travelling. Trains going
ria the Lake, early in the spring. usually return
-empty-via Mullan's road over the mountains
The Mullan route; if repaired, and kept in good
condition, can be travelled nine months in the
year. One year ago the first day of June last
pack trains left the Mission on the Mullan road
and got through all right. This las. sprlbp
however, has been unusually wet all over this
coast, and cannot be considered BY any means
a sample of our mountain weather. You will
remember that the reconnaissance eastward for
the location of the Mullan road from the st.
Regis BOrgia River 1875 miles west of old Fort
Owen to Fort Benton, was commenc ced on the /, b
day OF November, 1860, and reached Fort Owen
on the 18th; started from Fort Owen on the Z2d
and continued on by slow stages and arrived al
Fort Benton on the 9Th of Decsmber-this party
had wagons aud pack train The party start
ed back over the same route 90 the 18th of De,
cember, 1860, and reached Fort Owen January
9th, 1861. You see this surveying party were
out nearly all winter. The winters of so, 3 and
a were similar winters, although you had ahard
winter on this side of the MOUNTAINS in '6l-'62
| see must bring this to close. think those
have talked with are pretty well convinced
which is the best route, and will avail them>
| selves OF it,-but as far as | am concerned !
don't care fig which way they GO, but to those
| who wish to "change their base and 90 some
where else-l would say go to Montana, it is
the place for mining of all the countries north.
They can take any route they piease,-go round
the Horn to getthere, If they choose or 20 BY
the way of China, or Los Angeles, or Chico
| may, or may not write you again from this
place. | must give our Montana papers talk
as per promise. | omitted to mention that a
large majority of the people of Montana are in
favor Of the Columbia Walla Walla route. The
merchants from st. Louis doing business in
Montana see very plainly that the Columbia
WallA Walla route gan get in ahead of them at
least two months in the spring, and they can
supply themselves at any time during the year
from this side, while the Missouri River route is
only-OHee dysdr-which compels them to lay in
heavy stocks of goods at once, and interest, in
L anA Aa-Ia 49, he
them up. / will write you from San Francisco.
--. Yours, TRAVELER.
FARMERS have been UNUSUALLY busy during
the past week, harvesting their wheat aud bar
ley crops. The fears entertained by some that
the wheat crop would be injured by rust, in
consequence Of the long continued wet weather
during the Spring months, have proved ground