The Portland daily press., 1890-12-29

Curious Origin of a Peculiar Phrase
used In the West.

| uSeo IN inc WeSts
kansas City Start
Among the scouts who accompanied
Gen. Sheridan during the campaign
against the Indians in the winter of
1S6S-69, who were attached to headquar-
tiers in the capacity of couriers, selected
for their courage and knowledge of saw
age methods, was Tom McFadden, who
made record for himself, and was one
of the scouts sent out by Gen. Sheridan
to bring 'Sa-tan-ta" in as hostage
when the villainous old savage was sit
ting on his horse apart from his great
band OF allied warriors on knoll, con-
templatlng whether to attack the troops,
who were in battle array one morning
In front of Fort Cobb, and who was ex-
tremely impudent. McFadden was after
ward one of Gen. Miles scouts in his
wonderful campaign against the Indians
| in 1871.
Late in the fall of 1867 McFadden and
two other trappers established camp On
| the Paradise, about two miles above its
| junction with the Saline They had re-
markable luck, and in short time had
accumulated large lot of pelts, furs,
buffalo hams and elk and deer meat.
They possessed but one small team of
horses, and their supplies running low
they concluded to go to the then embryo
town of Ellsworth, on the Smoky Fill,
which had just been started on account
of its proximity to Fort Harier, then the
most important military depot and post
on the plains II was also the nearest
trading point for the many hunters scat
tered along the rivers and streams of the
wilderness of central Kansas, and about
seventy miles from McFadden's camp
So Mac and one of his partners hoofed it
into the new town, intending to hire
teams to bring their meat and skins to
the railroad, to purchase their needed
supplies, including poison-the most nee
essary article of all their wants-with
which to kill wolves.
FINDING THE BARROW
Arriving at Ellsworth they vainly en-
deavored to hire teams, but all in the
region had been employed by the quar-
termaster's department at Fort Harller
in hauling hay from the various grass
camps" in the vicinity, so they had to go
back, as they had left their only other
partner alone in camp with but few
rounds of ammunition and the Indians
anything but friendly The railroad. at
the time of their arrival at Ellsworth,
was running train to what is now
Bunker Hill, then only water tank sta |
ton, to which point they shipped their |
supplies, as it was some miles neare: |
their camp, intending to pack the most |
needed articles on their backs and return |
with their own team in few days for
those things they could not take along
After arriving at Bunker Hill and |
dumping their supplies on the little plat
form, dreading to start out on their long
tramp loaded down with what they must |
take. intending to store the rest in some
secure place until they could come for |
them, McFadden happened to see pile |
OF wheelbarrows belonging TO the rail |
road company piled bottom side upi! ~
the track, and with the inspiration ..at |
is born of genius he turned to his part
ner and said, Dan, this darnc1 question |
of transportation is settled right here
for here is vehicle that loois IA if il |
was constructed for our special purpose |
at this ticklish juncture
So, waiting until the station men were
out of sight, they proceeded to load up
one of the fortunately discovered wheel
barrows with their supplies. which in
cluded among many smaller things 200 |
pounds of flour. and away they went |
across the high prairie toward their |
camp. Their route went over smooth |
country until they neared the "brpazs'
of the Saline. and then it required a
good knowledge of the region to find |
passage through the precipitous limo |
stone bluffs which characterize that par- |
ton of Kansas
FOLLOWING THE TRAIL
1t is a difficult matter, or rather was
in those early days, for "tenderfoot" to |
find his way down into the valley of the |
Saline. rs ii is ti1e most lnnrpv region in \
that part of the state Knowing the
whole country well, Tom ana his part |
ner struck for the nearest point on the |
river, satisfied that with their unique |
means of transportation they could go |
down the bluffs anywhere and cross the |
stream where wagon would not dare |
to attempt it. AT last the fortunate |
hunters arrived at their camp, tired, |
but with their supplies intact
The next season that immigration |
which grew to be phenomenal in SO short |
time began to seek the beautiful and |
tempting valleys of the tributaries of |
the Saline, and of course the only route
to the coveted localities was through the
rough country north of the Union Pacific
in Kansas, and the starting points the |
stations of the road Bunker Hill was a |
favorite initial point On account of its
nearness to the Paradise" valley, and |
McFadden's wheelbarrow trail, which
was still plainly visible. was taken for
the wagon track of some preceding i'm |
migrant, which all persistently followed |
and, naturally too, only to be suddenly |
brought up all standing at some mac
cessible bluff down which it was impos-
sible to go.
Then nothing was left to do but re- |
trace their steps to the main divide" |
losing ten or twelve miles thereby Thus |
a broad trail was made through the |
rough country, and considerable pro |
family was breathed on the pure atmos- |
phere of the virgin prairie in that vicin. |
ity until the errors of the ''old wheel |!
barrow trail' were corrected It be- |
came a by word at last, when man was |
lost and turned up after going miles out |
OF his way, well, he has only been fol- |
n IN