The Washington herald., 1907-08-04
Historic Roads in America
Ey FREDERIC j. HASKIM
Ey FREDERIC J. HASKIM.

Within the century Of its greatest use
a widely varied assortment Of people
passed over II. Among these were Span
ish and French governors, soldiers. and
highwaymen. ladies' IN grand carriages,
aud beggars. priests. and traders. An
drew Jackson passed that way to vic
tory In New Orleans; Lorenzo Dow. 10
lecture and preach; Claiborne, to assume
the governoTship Of Louisiana: and Aaron
Burr, on business that east suspicion On
him. BY the side Of the trace. in Lewis
County, Tennessee, lies buried Neriwetner
Lewis, who, with Clark, followed the In
dian maiden. SacajaWea. and broke an
other trail into the far West. when the
Louisiana Purchase had been cOnsuu-
mated
Possibly the greatest Western migra-
ton in the history Of the Aryan race is
that which resulted in the settlement CT
Oregon in the middle Of the past cen-
tury. over the old Oregon trail, a con
tinuous journey Of 1900 miles. through
hostile Indian nations, over hills whose
only verdure was sage and cactus. over
plains hung with alkaH dust, the first
emigTants went. In America the pioneer
blood beats strong in the veins Of tho
young. When traders passed out TO St
Louis over the Cumberland road, and
heard from Hudson Bay trappers Of the
country in the far Northwest where
there was much arabic land, and where
man named Astor, from New York,
WAS already getting rich trading fuTs,
they came East and fired others with
the news Missionaries were the first to
/ IN rsIa hl
White Mans Book Of Heaven" brought
by four Nez PerCe Indians, and soon
| through the gateways of Independence.
Westport Council Bluffs. and St Joseph
the tide Of emigration swept outward.
/ The path, Of necessity, followed the wa
! terWays. Up the valleys Of the Platte
and the SweetwateT, through South Pass.
where Fremont had already gone, along
/ the course Of Snake River TO the Column
| ba. the way led. Pawnees, Cheyennes,
and Sioux barred the way Thirst. hun
/ ger, and cholera assailed them. Cactus
| tore away their shoes and alkaH dust
| bit their thr0ats and eyes Old men and
children wept by the way. and the
! strongest men lost heart. SAYS one old
/ chronicler: Only the women continued
/ 10 show fiTmness." OF such women was
the West made. Last fail an old man in
an OK wagon retraced the path he had
come over half a century ago, in order
to mark and preserve the Oregon trail.
/ Leaving this trail at Council Bluffs. ana
/ running southwest for so miles. is the
old Santa Fe trail. opened in IS22 10 con-
/ meet the new East with a West as old as
/ COrtez's time. Gay cloth and machinery
were exchanged for furs and silver. This
/ Fa- IN 0l moi Sol
4 ing. the Missouri and Arkansas 10 Ration
/ Pass and then turning southwest through
/ New Mexico. Il was the most level ard
passable OF all the old trails Sometimes
/ i had its dangers, when White Wolf. san
tanta. kicking Bird. or Big Tree thirsteI
| for white mans blood over this route
/ went Gen. stephen Kearney with his
Army Of the Vest Sterling Price -
California, and Zebnlon Pike into Mexi-
can captivity The women and children
OF Kansas are raising money 20 set
markers along the trail
Another almost forgotten highway is the
Yuma trail, that runs diagoaally across
the southwestern part Of this country
from Mexico TO Yuma. Ariz.. the path Of
the Padre Kino TWO centuries ago. Il
crosses the Tule and Yuma deserts. passes
the salt pan. where the Rio Sonoyta
ends. and by Las Teneias Atlas. the
water pockets in the rocks where for
many generations Indians praying 10 the
rain gods have caught their scant sup
ply Of water. There are bones and
broken wagons on this route OF little wa
ter and forage that tell tales of disas ster
known only 10 the coyote, the wise one
of the Indians