The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-06-26
PIONEERS EXPERIENCE
FRED NODiNE OF UNION COUNTY
HAS A HISTORY READING
LIKE A ROMANCE
Crossed the Plains in 1849-Forced to
Take Place of an Ok and Make
His Way West.

Perhaps one of the most interesting
pioneers seen at Union on Pioneers
Day, Thursday, June 21, was Fred
Nodine, a pioneer farmer and cattle
man of Union county, says the East
Oregonian.
Mr.. NOdine's experiences would read
like romance of the most thrilling
type, and yet he takes all of his most
wonderful history as a mere matter of
fact not worthy of record.
Mr.. Nodine came from Missouri to
California in 1S49, during the gold ex-
element, and in crossing the plains
with a train of emigrants, his oxen
died, one by one, until, at last in
crossing the Sierra mountains into the
Sacramento valley, he was reduced to
one yoke and one of them became sick
and he was forced to stop and wait for
it to get better in order to make the
remainder Of the trip.
The other members of the train were
in almost as bad condition, and not one
Of them could spare him an extra oxen
to work. While the party went on into
Sacramento, where there was chance
to rest and secure food.
Nodine stopped in a lonely mountain
pass, four days travel from Suffer
Creek, and with his wife and boys
waited for the oxen to get we'll enough
to travel. He had secured sufficient
food from his friends, who went ahead,
to last him for several days, and SO
was in no danger of suffering from a
lack of provisions, and ne hoped to be
overtaken by some other train follow
ing his own into the new Ell Dorado.
On the second day after he stopped
in the mountains the sick oxen died,
and as winter was closing in he feared
to wait longer for a train to Overtake
him, and so, without a murmur, he
threw away everything except the
barest necessities to tighten his load,
yoked up the one remaining oxen, and
picking up the other end Of the yoke
himself, walked and helped draw his
wagon into Sacramento, his faithful
wife walking and helping push the wa
gon UP the steep hills.
He reached Sacramento and made a
stake there, came to Oregon in the
early sixties and became the first and
most extensive cattleman in Grand
chased as swamp land several thous-
and acres of the tule land in the vi
cinity of Hot Lake, where he equipped
one of the largest and most unique
cattle ranches in Oregon, besides the
draining off Of large quantities Of the
tule land and converting it into excel
lent wheat land. By unfortunate lit
igation and force of circumstances, he
has lost every foot of this land, and is
now a poor man, living in small
cottage in Union, while he was once
worth 100000 in cattle, horses and
real estate.
In the midst of the large tract of
land acquired by Nodine is a small,
rocky knoll, standing out alone, as If
it had slid down the hillside from the
south. This lone knoll now belongs to
the Hot lake tract of land, but Nodine
requests that it's summit be his last
resting place.
Years ago he made the request that
he be buried on top of this projection,
where his ashes might overlook the
empire he had reclaimed from the will
derness, and if he still so desires he
will be buried there.