The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1903-04-02

too, was gone. Then Mr.. Laughlln dug
out q small canoe for himself and went
up to The Dalles for supplies. While
there he made arrangements with
Major Alvord to lease land for farm
on the government reservation (the
same land which he afterwards held as
a donation claiml. As soon as the
snow had gone off he gathered what
horses were left and hired the Indians
from White Salmon, who had five
canoes, to take the family up the CO.
lumbia to The Dalles, while he and his
son James drove the pitiful handful of
stock back over those hills where so
few months before they had driven
such large herd.
From Portland to Fort Dalles in 1854
Early in the spring of 1854, a family
excursion party consisting OF N. Coe and
wife and the writer, then a boy of 8
years, left Portland, Or, for a trip to
Fort Dalles, at that time head of navi-
CATION on the Columbia river. Our first
days ride was on the little side wheel
steamer Fashion, VanBergan, master.
The James P. Flint was the pioneer
boat on the middle Columbia, but trade
seemed better on the lower river, so she
was taken over the Cascades the year
before and renamed Fashion.
An all days trip brought us to the
lower Cascades, where we were very
Hospitality entertained at the home Of
B. B. Bishop, brother-in-law to the
Bradfords, then in the transportation
business at the Cascades.
OLD MULE PORTAGE ROAD AT CASCADES.
The portage of six miles was q rather
complicated process. Freight for trans
portation was first loaded in schooners,
which, when the wind blew sufficiently
strong, were driven TO the landing then
known as the middle blockhouse, but
now called Sheridan's Point, where they
were unloaded onto tram car that
came around Sheridan's Point, and was
hauled up by windlass run by very
patient and intelligent mule. When the
car reached the summit of the incline
the mule was unhitched from the wind
lass, attached to the car and
started for the upper Cascades
alone over wooden tramway,
with couple of boards in the mid
die of the track for the "engineo to walk
on. Arriving at his destination, the
mule was unhitched, turned around and
coupled onto an empty fiat car and
started on his return trip. A pole was
lashed to his side and then to the car.
This acted as kind of automatic brake
to keep the car from running over the
"engine." This arrangement worked
well for while, and saved the services
OF conductor, bnt the mule got onto
his job, and when well out of sight
would stop to get up more steam and in
cidentally TO take good long maps, there
by seriously interfering with the trans
portation business. Eventually a fire.
man had to be added to the list of train
hands.
At the upper Cascades the Bradfords
had just completed q small schooner of
about 40 tons burden, which was max
ing trips to Fort Dalles when the winds
we're favorable At this point stood
Bradford's store, where two years after
ward handful of brave, fearless men
for three days held at bay the savage
hordes of Indians, in what is known as
the Cascade massacre.
We boarded the schooner and with
fine breeze blowing we made good pro-
gress and about noon reached Hood
River, then known as Dog River. We
were all very much pleased with the
general aspect OF the country and my
father determined to return at his
earliest convenience and examine the
lands with view of locating If salts
factory. We reached our destination
that evening at Fort Dalles, which then
consisted OF government post located
about half mile south of the few scat
tering houses on the river, where now
stands the city OF The Dalles. We re-
mained over day at this place, which |
had at that time but few attractions.
EARLY STEAMBOAT ON MIDDLE COLUMBIA. |
The only steam vessel then on the
middle Columbia was the little pro-
peller Allen, Captain Tom Caldwell, |
that was capable of carrying few passen-
gers and little freight. She only made |
a few trips, however, when she was
wrecked or cast away, and her old iron |
hull may still be seen at any low
water short distance above Mitchell's |
Point on the Edgar Locke farm. AS the
schooner that we came up on would not |
be ready to return for some days, and
down river trip was likely TO be tedious
one, we determined to take passage on
the Allen, which was to start the next
morning.
The trip down the river was a rough |
one, and after an all-day battle with the
winds and waves we reached White Sal.
mon, then the only settlement between
Fort Dalles and Cascades. The sole
white resident here was E. S. Joslyn,
who with his wife had located there, if |
my memory serves me right, the year
previous. 1t was determined to remain
here over night, and as there was no
accommodation on the boat-not even a
cold handout-Mr. Joslyn, who was at
the landing, very cordially invited all
hands to his home, which invitation it is
needless to say was gladly accepted.
1t is remarkable how a mans person
ality is reflected in everything that sur
rounds him, and the welcome extended
to the hungry and tired passengers and
crew of the Allen by Mr.. Joslyn and his
estimable wife seemed to extend down
to even the old watch dog, whose busi-
ness it was during the night to post the
moon on the events OF the preceding
day. The morning proved pleasant and
the rest of the trip was uneventful.
N. COe Builds First Permanent Home.
In the following article on the early
history of Hood River have to depend
largely on my memory from our ar
rival here until 1858, when our family
record begins, to which | shall refer
~ 1
who came to Hood Riverin 1854, James
NJ. Benson Of The Dalles and myself
are the only ones living. Mrs. Phila
Burt (nee Jenkins) died IN Los Angeles,
about eight months ago, at ripe old
age.
William Jenkins, with his son Wal
ier, was drowned at the mouth of Hood
river In 1864. Nathaniel Coe died at