The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1896-01-16
PIONEER REcoLLEcrIoNs
[By Tolbcrt carter.)

[By ToibeTt carter)
To THE EDIToR:-
Without going into details of trave
that occupied almost eight months, suffice ii
to say that forty mine years since, in the lat
ter plrt of the past December. eight emf
grant wagons that had come to Oregon on
what was known then as the Southern route
camp6d on Mary's river, near where the
grist mill now stands, weary and hungry af
Ter this long travel, with two months and a
half of tbs latter part of it in tle rain and
|mud, and without provisions oaly as we
might chance to kill deer or goose or an y
other living thing that would in the least de-
gree keep body and soul together, without
any reference to name or former statas in the
animal or fowl kingdom. Will say, Mr.. Ed
itor, thu writer OF this reminisc,ace drove
one Of these eight wagons, and had to pro-
vide for a widow lady and two small children.
Her husband died on Humboldt river in
Nevada. Next morning we crossed the
stream raft that hal been prepared- by
parties ahoad OF US, and swan thacattle and
horses. This occupied all day. Camped
that night in what is now Corvallis. Hers
sc. Avery was baching in a small cabin,
the only sign of civilization in sight at the
time. II, was th, oaly iahab;taat on the
now Travelled road to Sacramento valley.
Wa struck camp next morpiag. That
day We reached tn. foothills asar IL. G.
Lewis cabin; camped again. Next day we
reached Thomas Reads; c,m:,,d at the
branch near his cabin. Ia visited my camp
On ascartaining stwo small children hal
no bread went back t. his cabin, brought Il
piece OF breal and divided it bstx Ian tn ,n;
an act Of kin laa:i, SIN I'll r. it w.', | mover
forgot. H. told Us OF an empty e,bia near
whore w m. Baal now livos. Ths cabin was
in charge OF one OF three bachelors that wsr,
living on tha Wfightsmaa farm. Ths agent
had to ba seen before we could take posses
sion. We arrived at the i,,acs about noon.
One WAS managed by my cousin. who had
family, the other by myself. 81 va had to
wait till he could 60 and ascertain ifwe could
gst possession, our teams and ourselves wait
ing in pourdown rain. This cabin had
neither hoor nor chimney; no opening for .
door; the crack. between the logs all open.
The only ensieing feature about twas, that
it WAS dry insila. You may imagine, Mr.
Editor, il you can, how tempting piece of
dry ground would be, when two and half
months had passed in M Oregon winter,
without seeing such loyaly sight. We'll,
the tam ptaton was too strong for my weak
norvos- So, just as so IN as my eou.in was
out of sight, drew an ak from the wagon,
and before hs got back I m ,de an opening
in thu cabin, built a fro against ,he wall i'm
p-oyssd r.ile bedstsad, moyad the sick
lady (who had besn confined on Long Tom)
into the house, and when our agent returned
we were ensconced in tho house. happier than
many kings and queens have been on enter
ing palace for the first Tina. By tue way,
he was granted the use OF tbs cabin, so all
hands moved in, nina persons in all. We
are now happy IN a shack. Let us now look
around US for stock of provisions for the
winter. Wa had, perhaps, enough of poor
venison or beef, that had crossed the plains,
for breakfast, and no bread at all; no sugar,
no coffee, no taa, no nothing; not even salt.
Perhaps some la,ly nsaJ reatcthis and en-
quire "how is it possible that sick woman
could live in her condition on sich diet as Is
here namsd?'' Will only add, that no one
knows what they can do untifthey are tried.
w ell, she got we'll in due time. Next year
she married worthy man. The baby grew
to be woman, married. had family, and
long since mother and daughter passed to
the unknown world.
To r,.tI,rn to ba f.. ~ ,,-nyili,r ~
ter supplies, when there WAS no one who had
anything in the way of supplies OF any kind
! to spare, for love or money. II would seem
; to modern Oregonian to be serious case
Indeed; but there's an old saying, "where
| there is = viii. there is way" Wo had that
will, SO the way was provided. OF course,
the reader, by this time, is anxious to know,
under these conditions, wha. could be dols.
It was perfectly simple: Tho next morning e
cousin and took our rifles and struck out in
this wild, strange land, and by nightRall had
deer and geese and ducks to last the whole
! outfit for month. l know, tender stomachs
now adays will doubt these facts, but never
thcless it is true. In week, cousin and L,
with poor pony that had been ridden all the
way across the plains, driving cattle. swan
Soap creek and Luckimute and went to
where Dallas now is, and bought 100 pounds
Of dirt, blue pod and some wheat, called, in
those days, -four. The mixture answered
for bread for ten persons until the first of
April. However, all hands got as fat as
these China pigs reported by Prof. French, of
the c. A. @. A few days after We stopped,
located this land now live on. Am still
here in my seventeen year. This will close
this first account OF pioneer days by me. If
this finds favor with yourself and your many
readers, other let.ors OH the same subject
may follow.
PHILoMATH ITEMS.