The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1867-10-05
~ For tho State Rights Democrat.
LECTURES BY REV. H. H. SPAULDlNG
Early Oregon NHissi0ns-.-Their Im-
portance In Securing the C0un-
try 20 Amercinms.
1o xuanRn TWENTY -rionr.

pOaIJ, WlIH slN kanulan Oarsmen auu
an Iroquois steersman, and our two
ladies, who were the first American
women ta glide upon the bosom oi
tho majestic Columbia. Mr.. Pambrau
generously accompanied us (takine
charge of the boat), taking his daugh
ter (now Mrs. Barckley of Oregon
City, with him, and committing heI
to the care of Mrs. Spalding for in
struction.
The usual time for the boats TO make
u trip from Fort Walla Walla to Van
Fcouver was five days, but by reason
of head winds we were II days. Oui
lpresent comfortable mode oftravelinp
our abundant supply of wheat bread
and potatoes, butter and Walla Walla
elk (horse-hcsh), tea and fresh salmon
soon made us almost forget the long
fmonths of starvation and ccaseless toll
by day, and watching and pains by
might, we had been passing through
THE last summer. Our health and
spirits were good, the company ot
Mr. Pambran (a Canadian Catholic)
most agreeable, his attentions unceas
ing and his kindness unbounded. The
Canadians were more fond of doghesf
than salmon.
Wherever we landed our white wo
Emen were great curiosity 10 the ma
tives, who fiocked around us, old and
Young, TO get sight at thcm-to take
their white hands in their greasy ones
to lay their fingers on their faces
Ia,,I - I'll A. NNrLse,xnuf., a,.1,,~t
hair in their hands. The condition ot
the Columbia tribes appeared more
wrctched than | have seen them since
those days. The children, many ot
the men and some of the women were
entirely naked. The latter would use
an infant for a ng-lcaf rather than
forego the satisfaction of gazing upon
our women and handling their clothes
They appeared to be inferior to the
mountain tribes. Among the lower
Columbia Indians we met tho Flat, oil
wedged-heads, produced in infancy by
flashing the newborn babe upon its
board or cradle with Il compress bound
tight over its little forehead, and this
is made tighter and heavier every
week till its little eyes are blood-shot
aud seem ready TO burst from the head
This proccss-which for cruelty was
equal TO tight lacing in young Amcri'
Iica or the small feet in China-was
continued for II moons, when the
bones of the head were sufficiently set
having fiat front in a straight line
with the nose, aud coming 10 point
at the crown like wedge. This i'm
Iportant distinction was not allowed Il
be conferred upon the children ot
lslaves-of which there were many
among the lower Indians in those
days and they denominated the
mountain tribes, who did not subject
their infants to this cruelty, Flat
Heads, that is, natural heads
Hence the name ofthc Flat-IIcad tribe
Il was distressing to hear the moans
Of these little infants, and to witnes.
their suflcrings from this cruel treat
mcnt.
AT the Schuttes (great falls Of tha
Icolumbia), a half mile below the
mouth of the river Dcschuttcs, We
mahe a portage of half mile with
our boat and lading. The boat wa:
carried bottom up upon poles, by 2(
Indians the lading by the boatmen
The Columbia river here breaks over
o ledge Of basalt rock, in a fall of 2c
feet mot 20, as Lewis and Clark say
in low waterI but in high water only
rapid, easy to be run with b0tted,sr
and produced by back.watcr from the
basin two miles below, occasioned by
Ianother ledge Of rocks stretching Ell
Itirely across the channel of the river
and afordipg no apparent outlet fol
the pent-up waters till the boat ap
proaches within half mile, when &
Iperpendieular opening appears 20 feet
deep and only 400 feet wide,-the hea6
IQf the Little Dalles," or channel, {
half mile long, with perpendicular
walls, through which the waters O
the great Columbia are forced.
FIVE miles below the "Little DalIes'
tho 'fBig Dalles," or 'long narrows,'
commeDce-apother channel or chasn
Iof three miles in length, with sharI
turns amid the perpendicular rocks
The narrowest place in this channel il
only l35 feet according to Lewis anc
CLARK, but ia feet according t.
Wilkes. The head walls of this chan
mel are not SO high as those of th'
HLittle Dalles," and the accumulated
foods during high water are thrown
out upon both sides over the rocky
face 9fthe earth; and, Justly madden
cd by being thus rudely dealt with, ii
their foaming fury they have tori
great rocks from their solid founda
ltions and have brought them anc
dropped them in cavities, and hav,
kept them whirling and grinding du
ring high waters till great cauldron
are worn in the solid rocks, round ant
smooth, some 90 feet across and a
many deep, containing these deposited
rocks qfali sizes, rounding and smooth
where they have been whirling ane
i grinding since the days of Noah.--
Suppose these great kettles are en-
larged every season by these whirlint
rocks l-50 of an inch, how many thou
sand years since they were com
menced
The navigation of these Dalles i
fearfully grand and terrific. In dis
tance Of two miles the river falls fift,
feet. / have run them twice; the las
time in January, '48, with the yenera
bic Ogden and his three boats cor
tanning the unfortunate captive VIC