The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-05-12

Mr.. Meeker today gave out the fol-
lowing story about the trail:
Made possible by the discovery in
1924 of that wonderful gap in the
| Rocky mountains known as the South
Pass the Oregon trail did not become
a national highway until Bonneville
| and Weyth in 1882 and 1888 traversed
I the whole length from the Missouri
! river to the tidewaters Of the Pacific
The missionary trappers and traders
| soon wore visible wagon track to the
| traders rendezvous on the Green river
| and beyond to Fort Hall on the upper
| reaches of Snake river, but not until
the greater migration of the Oregon
home seekers, a thousand strong, with
| their wagon train in 1S43 passed over to
| the Pacific, did the Oregon trail become
| in fact great national highway. Each
year thereafter wagon trains passed
| over the whole route to the Oregon
| country in varying numbers, wearing
the track deeper and deeper until fin
| ally the greater exodus Of 1852, when
a column $4,000 strong moved out from
with the dead. 5000 or more in num-
Der for that one year alone Meanwhile
the Mormon migration had followed
in the track of the Oregon pioneers
| for fully a thousand miles to the great
bend Of Bear river3 The California
| movement of 1919 and later also fol-
lowed in the same track to the Bear
river or to Fort Hall, where the Cali
| IOfn1d trail Q1VerSoQ as QlQ the MOT
man track also, and bore off to the
southwest, while the Oregon trail kept
| steadily on to the northwest.
THE trail had indeed become a
great national highway 1000 miles long.
Fully 100000. people crossed over what
might be termed the eastern section
before the advent Of the Pacific rail-
| road which diverted the later traffic,
and the trail again became a solitude.
but not until fully five million head OF
| o41r aft CT Nncf
and had worn the trail SO deep that
the track in places might readily by
| mistaken for great railroad cuts.
1.-THE object of marking this historic
trail is the same as the marking OF
any other great battlefield Of history
The winners of the farther west that
passed over this trail fought a strenu-
Gus battle and the trail became a
battlefield from one end to the other
Six dead to the mile upon stretch
Of 400 miles up the Platte tells the
ghastly story. Nor was this all; the
fallen could be counted in groups OF
ffties and seventies beyond where this
count was made. History does moi
age than that Of the Oregon trail
neither Is there any record of so long
trail or Of one that wrought such
historic changes. The joint occupancy
treaties with Great Britain left the
settlement of the Oregon boundary vir-
tually to be determined by race as
to who should, as home builders, oc-
cupy the country first. The Hudson
Bay company began bringing in set.
tiers from the Red river Of the nortf
and not until the opening of the Ore
gon trail for wagons to the Oregon
country with their precious freight o.
, home builders was the question set
, tied as to the preponderence of the
!. American settlement over that foster
ed by the Hudson Bay company. I'm
| mediately this was accomplished, al
, American provisional government wa!
formed and the British rule ended.
mo more heroic act is recorded ii
history than this of the Oregon pio
neers holding firmly the disputed ter
ritory while many Of our Statesmen
) were decrying the Oregon country ant
) preparing the way for a shameful sur
, render. The American people owe
deep debt of gratitude to those intre
, Did pioneers and their trail should b.
: | marked and the memory Of it pre-
| served religiOusly, as a great land
mark in the history of the nation, no
. only that future generations may know
! of the great struggle to advance gu
national boundary to the Pacific, blu
likewise to keep alive that patriot
zeal so helpful in the perpetuation o
our government.
I'm the measure we keep the mem
cries of the heroic past fresh in tn
mind, of our people, patriotic fervor
{ famed, the flag more revered, an
our national stability better assured.