The Owyhee nugget. ([Silver City], Idaho) 1905-1984, 1905-06-16


commenced their homewards march
they ascended the Columbia to the
willamette river, whence Clark ex-
plored this river and the surrounding
country to the suburbs Of what is now
the city of Portland. Then with some
small changes in the route, the expedi-
ton returned to the mouth of Lolo
creek. From this point Lewis, with a
sub-party, cut across the mountains
via the He'll Gate and Big Blackfoot
rivers aud the Lewis and Clark pass to
Great Falls, and after exploring the
Marals river nearly to the mountains,
after having battle with the Black
foot Indians, descended the Missouri
to the mouth of the Yellowstone. Here,
on a large rock in the park, Clark
wrote his name, which is now preserved
by an iron grating, protecting it from
possible injury. lewis, in the mean
time, retraced their old course to the
Missouri river proper, at Three Forks,
here crossing the mountains at Boze-
man Pass to Yellowstone river to Liv-
ingston, descended this river to the
mouth, whore they met Clark.
During the absence of Lewis from
Clark the former was accidentally
wounded, and lay helpless in the boat
during their homeward trip down the
Missouri river. They reached the
country of the Mandan Indians in due
time and there the camp broke up
Some wished to obtain permission to
return mp the Missouri with some
strolling adventurers, but the Indian
interpreter, Sacajawea, asked to be
taken no further and her request was
granted
On the 23d of September the two
brave leaders, with the remainder of
the parry, glided down the Mississippi
and soon afterwards landed at st.
Louis, thus ending the great ex pedition.
Five months later Lewis and Clark
presented themselves at Washington
with their trophies and their wonder
full stories of the west Congress at
once rewarded the young men with ex-
tensive grants of land Within month
taptain Lewis was made governor of
Louisiana, and Clark, general of mill
tin and agent of Indian affairs.
Lewis passed away in 1909, in Ten
nessee. AS for Clark, many years of
usefulness fol owed his safe return
Had this expedition not been made
just when it was, had it been led by
men unwilling to undergo the dangers
and hardships of that two years of
wandering, or had the leaders been, not
as Caleb and Joshua who brought back
a favorable report of the land of a.
naan, but like the ten faiut-hearted
ones who said, "We are but grasshop-
pers in the sight of the Canaanites,1 we
might now be living under a different
flag Instead of singing, "Oue star is
ours, we love it we'll. we might be sing
ing "God save the King But now let
us rejoice that to our own United
States belongs the vast resources and
wealth of this territory Its gold, sill
yer, timber, fisheries, and thar most
charming all wonderlands, the yell
lowstone Park, where naure with such
lavish hand and magic touch, has
created scenes which artists of renown
have tried to copy but have owned
their inability to faithfully portray.
This year in Portland we celebrate
the hundredth anniversary Of the dis
covery and exploration of our great
western country, and if we cannot all
go to join with that mighty throng
which there meets to celebrate this
great event, we can unite with them in
rejoicing that our own dear Gem of
the Mountains is one star in the
mighty constellation of our glorious
Union, toward which all nations now
point as the one taking the lead in the
direction of human liberty and human
happiness.