Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1903-12-18
CHAPTER ".


which we called the meat wagon
1t was heavily laden with pro-
visions-the bulk being -four and
bacon. 1t was drawn by team Of
two yoke Of oxen, and was driven
by a man named George Beal, a
black-eyed and black-haired young
man, who had taught school near
our house in Missouri. About 25
years after arriving in Oregon,
Beal and a confederate named
Baker were convicted of numbering
old man Delaney, who crossed the
plains in 1843. The murder was
committed for money, and Beal
and Baker were hanged for the
crime in Salem.
We descended long steep hill
into Grand Ronde valley SO late in
the evening that we had no view
of the country, and camped at or
near small river. The morning
came clear and quite cool, and we
found ourselves in a fine valley
probably fifteen miles long, and
wide enough to be called round.
Early in the morning, soon after
sunrise, looking in a northerly
direction several miles away we
could see a column of steam rising
from the ground like white cloud.
This they said was from small
lake or spring.
Some things of the crossing of
the Blue Mountains 1 remember
quite well. The timber had to be
cut and removed to make a way
for the wagons. The trees were
cut just near enough to the ground
to allow the wagons to pass over
the stumps, and the road through
the forest was only cleared out wide
enough for a wagon to pass along.
At one camp in these mountains,
the men greatly admired the
abundance of fine timber. The
people of this immigration even
talked about the possibility of a
railroad being built across the
plains, and yet there were few in
the party that had actual knowledge
of what a railroad was. At this
camp they were talking on this
subject when John East, the same
man Ihave mentioned in connection
with the Missouri line, pointed to
a very fine grove of fir or pine
timber and remarked that when
they got to building the railroad
he wanted the contract of making
the rails, and said he II will split
the rails right there in that grove"
In passing across these mountains,
we were overtaken by a snowstorm,
which made the prospect very
dismal. remember wading through
the mud and snow and suffering
from the cold and wet. But the
camp on the Umatilla was a very
pleasant place. The Umatilla was
small stream, with sandy banks
and bottom. About the stream
were quaking-asps and black haw.
| distinctly remember the quaking-
asp trees here for the first time.
None of the trees we're large, but
they were shapely, like orchard
trees, and afforded a pleasant shade.
The fruit of the black haw was
in demand, for we had not had I
any berries for a long time. They {
were black and about the size of
buckshot, with single seed, and l
otherwise pleasant to the taste.
The trees we're thorny, and grew to {
a height of fifteen, twenty or twenty &
FIVE feet. 1 expect the people ate {
large quantities of this fruit. 1t I
was told for a fact that a woman t
died during the night we staid t
there from the effects of a gorge on q
black haws. l ate all l could get t
my hands on, but experienced no c
bad results. /
The Indians in this country were |
the Kiuse (Cayuse), and had many
horses and cattle, but grass was t
scarce. The Indians were friendly /
and even sociable, and brought late i
from their gardens to I
trade for clothes, trinkets, scraps of 2
iron, and probably ammunition. v
There were pumpkins and potatoes. :
EXPERIENCE IS THE BEST teacher. D
Use Ackeris English Remedy In auv A