East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-10-26
THE ADVENTURES or PIONEER JOHN DAY

In the Sunset Magazine for October,
]. w. Redington, formerly of Hepp-
ner, writes fascinating account of the
adventures of John Day, a member
of tn eHunt party which crossed the
plains in 1909 and for whom John
Day river was named. Redington's
story is as follows;
You may be one of the thousands
of people who this year has visited for
the first time the big, expansive state
of Oregon, and you may have marvel
ed at some of the geographical names
you find nailed up against the atmos-
phere there. You will have provoca-
tion for marveling, but IL you tunnel
under their foundations YOU will find
that the corner-stones of these names
were laid on odd or romantic circum-
stances that just came along and hap
pened that way, and the names were
put on with such a good quality of
paste that they have stuck through
the years and will stick forever.
You will find several geographical
features with the name OF John Day
attached thereto, the most extensive
being the John Day river, one of the
most important tributaries of the Co.
lumbia in eastern Oregon. 1t drains
an immense stretch of plateau and
mountain country, and is a fitting
monument to perpetuate the name of
John Day, who was one OF the daring
men who endured all sorts OF hard
ships in the early exploration of the
Pacific northwest.
When Wilson P. Hunt one of John
Jacob Astor's partners, headed the
land expedition which crossed the
Rocky mountains to the mouth of the
Columbia in 1S09-10, he had in the
ranks a noted hunter from Virginia
named John Day. who stood over six
feet tall. straight as an arrow and a
superb rifle shot The members of
the party endured untold hardships.
When they came to cross the Blue
mountains Of Oregon winter was on,
sudden snowstorms had covered the
usual Indian trails, and starvation
stared all in the face. They ate up
their last horse and snapped off their
most valuable belongings to struggling
Snake river Indians for a dried sal
mon and dog, which went for food
and stood off the gaunt specter yet a
little longer.
The party broke up and agreed
that each little squad might make its
way the best it could to Astoria, still
500 miles away. They were following
hn fra H.~
the Oregon Railroad & Navigation
company, and Ramsay Crooks, one of
the Astor partners, and John Day,
stayed together They existed on an
occasional beaver that they caught.
by eating their moccasins, and the red
pods of the wild rosebush. Snow and
ice they had to toll through, and the
greater part of the winter was con-
sumed in struggling across the Blue
mountains.
John Day had really given out and
was completely used up, but Ramsey
Crooks, with the true spirit of the
frontier, had refused to go on with
his partners and leave him.
In the early spring time Crooks and
Day reached the Columbia, and with
hopeful hearts started down along it's
banks afoot Arriving at the mouth
Of the river now named the John Day,
they found an Indian village and
were received with signs of welcome.
They were invited to feast on sal
mon, and while doing so, the Indians
seized their rifles, overpowered them
and stripped them of every bit of
clothing they wore. They then order
ed them out of camp and drove them
away naked. In this awful condition
Crooks and Day started .I the colum-
bia, hoping to find relief among the
walla walla Indians, who were known
to be friendly TO the whites
They had made so miles entirely
naked and unarmed. when they were
discovered by the canoes of Robert
Stuart, one of the Astor partners, on
the way down from Okanogan to AS
toria, and were taken to the latter
place.
The terrible hardslps and privations