The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-04-18
The OLD ASTOR PARTY
TALE or SUFFERING AND pRIvA-
TION.
Embarked in Fifteen Large Canoes
for Trip Down the
Mad" River

Finding the country in the region of
their temporary camp to abound in
beaver, it was thought best to begin
there to establish those inland posts
which were to become the feeders to
the commerce of the Aston colony, and
accordingly four hunters-Carson, st.
Michael, Detaye and Delaunay-were
equipped with everything needful for
the winter and left to trap upon the
neighboring streams, with instructions
10 make their way to Astoria as soon as
they had collected sufficient peltries to
load their pack horses.
The main body of the expedition, fear
ing to attempt the descent of the
Mad" river from that point, repaired
to the deserted camp of Mr.. Henry,
whose party had returned to the Mis-
souri,, established at that place another
post. with a garrison of five men-Cass.
Rizner, Hoback, Robinson and one of
the partners in the enterprise Mr.. Mill
-er by name-and there abandoned their
horses and started down the river in Is
large canoes. For several hundred
miles all went fairly we'll with the voy
ayers. Then began the descent of the
tempestuous rapids of the upper Snake,
the way became more and more beSet
with difficulties, canoe after canoe was
lost, with all its lading, and finally, Oc-
tober %, the party thankful that only
one of their number had fallen a vic
tim to the terrible river, found them
selves afoot a thousand miles from AS
toria, with the great Snake river des-
'ert and the Blue mountains before them
though these facts and whatever else
lay between them and their destination
were happily unknown to them
With but five days provisions, and the
SHOWS of winter beginning to descend,
they cached their remaining goods and
impediments. and set out in separate
companies for wider foraging on their
thousand mile tramp to the sea.
AN AWFUL JOURNEY.
OF the horrors of that winter journey
down the Snake and across the noun
tains of the starvation and thirst and
cold and sickness they endured, it is
narrowing to speak An evil hour it
was for this country when the Hunt
party abandoned their horses and took
to the treacherous river. The master
spirit of Mr. Hunt and the reinforce
ment of his command We're sadly need
ed at Astoria, and had they arrived IN
due season the shameful failure of the
enterprise might possibly have been
averted. Yet an inscrutable Providence
would seem to have watched over this
forlorn expedition, for, though theh
disastrous experiences caused them tc
wreak upon the scenes of their woes
such names as THE Caldron Linn,
THE Devils Scuttle Hole" La Mau
dite Rivere Enragee"-the accused mao
river-yet always, in the moment of ex
tremity, appeared some slender means
of escape, some stray wild animal t
offer up its life for their sustenance, d
some struggling Shoshones to Civ,
them guidance, or to part with
wretched horse or dog for their re
lief
On the last day of the year. the squav
of Pierre Doriore-poor woman, she ha'
redeemed hersef by many shining quail
ties in the march-added a pappoose t.
the caravan, without seeming to consid
er it a noteworthy incident but tn
poor waif. being only three-fourths In
dian. resented the wild life into whicl
1t transpired and persisted in a few
days
On the LIST of January that party O
the stragglers under Mr.. Hunt reache
band of well-to-do and friendly In
dams, in a warm and fertile Orego
Valley-the Umatilla-and heard gossi
from the Astoria colony, news of thei
comrades who had passed before then
and celebrated New Years day wit
singing, dancing and feasting heartily
ut was with the utmost joy" we ar
told land the most profound gratitud
to heaven that Mr.. Hunt found himse
and his band of weary and famishin
wanderers thus safely extricated froI
the most perilous part of their journe,
and within the prospect of a termins
ton of their tolls
In February all parties, except I'll
two drowned men and six left anon
the Shoshones, reached Astoria, aft'
II months of wandering, and celebrate
their arrival by another grand feai
and dance.
Yet in spite of all the incredible har'
ships they had undergone, scarcely
month had elapsed before a number
these same men were again upon Il
road with party which was to separa
somewhere upon the upper Columbi
and go, some to the Okanogan pos
some to recover the goods cached
Mr.. Hunt and some to retrace the lor
journey to New York.
such is the feariessness, the insens
bility to danger, which men acquire |
the habitude of constant risk"
This expedition was a failure. hoy
ever. on account of the depredations
the Columbia river Indians. The par
kept together. visited the Okanog!
post, but dared not remove the ri,
store of furs there collected without