The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1913-12-04

No history is more Interesting to the |
people of a community than that deal
ing with the early history Of the re- |
gion. and yet, unfortunately little is
made of pioneer history. II is crafty |
ing 10 see the interest that is being |
taken in the public schools today in |
Oregon history. The following chapter |
on, Hood River, taken from the book, |
"Reminescenees of Eastern Oregon"
by Mrs, Elizabeth Laughlin Lord, who |
spent most Of her life at The Dalles. |
should especially appeal to Hood River |
people. The chapter was read at the |
recent pioneer reunion BY Mrs. W. f.
Hanson.
In 1852 an old neiehbor from Mis-
souri,, DIR. Farnsworth, with his family,
came across the plains and stopped
here. Father proposed to the Doctor
that they get all the cattle they could
and 90 down to Hood River and take
up land, make homes and grow rich on
stock raising. The two winters We
PASSED here THE Dallesl having been
exceedingly mild, he supposed they
would always be so.
Father made all the arrangements
for moving away, and the next day
after they arrived we moved down to
the river, at the same place where we
had tried to board barge two years
before, the mouth Of Chenoweth creek.
This time father had engaged barge
to take the two families, and it was
there ready for US. They loaded all of
our things father had bought the
furniture in the mess house-onto the
fiatboat, together with DR.. Farms
worth's; also the two families and we
dropped down the river.
The stock had all been rounded up
and herded toward the mountain west
of Chenowith creek so father, with the
two men herding, set off to drive them
over the mountain. He had been down
once before and thouhgt it fine loca-
tion, He made the trip with horses
and cattle in less than two days. The
| fatboat made it in one, landed east of
Hood river and we camped there in the
willows.
The boatmen were in no hurry and
leisurely we unloaded. Father turned
the stock across the river and joined US
in camp with his men. They put the
wagons together, loaded up, and the
next day forded the river and drove to
the present site of the town, or a little
beyond. The Doctor camped on the
west side of the Spring branch and
father on the east side. lr crossing
Hood river one of the men took me up
behind him on his horse. | had a pet
kitten, the darling of my heart, in my
arms. AS soon as we got into that
rapid whirling water the kitten was
terrified and yowled and scratched that
poor mans back at great rate. |
| felt that we were being swept away,
nv head swan so, but | held onto the
kitten.
Father selected the place for his
cabin near the spring where the old
Coe house stood. Mrs. Coe used our
little cabin for storeroom for several
wears. 1t was only IL or Ia feet
square. In the first place they set the
two tents we had kept, and fixed tup q
comfortable camp. the Doctor doing
the same on his side of the creek.
Then they selected the sites for their
cabins, the Doctor taking the one or
his side, afterwards the donation claim
of MIR. jenkins, and now owned by DR..
Adams. Father chose the spring
spoke of. His cabin was rough anc
small. for James was then taken very
sick with typhus fever and all haste
: was made to get shelter, as rains were
setting in and the closeness TO the lit
| tie stream with its rank vegetation AM
! bushes was thought to be bad for him
! The Doctor having quite family, hi
~ IL Eat
! tie girls, built quite good log cabin
| liewing the logs. To be sure, Their
was only one large room with FIR
place, but they were fine for the times
| We had cook stove, cupboard, table
: few chairs, and two bedsteads. Gu
door was made from boards of DIR
goods boxes, and was in two sections
one above the other. The window ha
] no sash, but was made of Stats naile
{ across and had a curtain over il
. Father had expected to have both lum
a ber and sash, but they never came. II
T made the shakes for the roofs of bot
!. houses.
r James was very i'll for long time
e When he took turn for the better h
). was nothing but skin and bones. Whe
r he was beginning to sit up, one morr
9 ing a young Indian came in and sd
:, down by the stove. As his dirt an
s fish odorous clothes warmed up the a
9 was rather pungent. James frette
and fused and finally told mother b
" was going to faint. Mother had felt
g to be unwise to antagonize the lndiar
70 unnecessarily. but she family told hi
to 90 as her boy was sick. s'The ma
II arose, started out, turned look {
scorn on James and said in Chinool
"You snarl and fuss like sick dol
| will leave you.
n have no date, but know that vel
early in November there came quite
deep snow, then cold rains, whit
formed a heavy crust. Some of th
snow still lay on the ground in Marc
n. There we're snow storms,s sthaws, freez
,e and many temporary changes. but Il
OF ground was never bare for over fo
Or months.
ID Five miles below US was camp
+" men caring for several hundred head
E. cattle, mostly steers, which had be,
y, bought from the immigrants. VIII
" the storm came, these all came up in
NJ tuC III kiQNG NY dos Atit JUL oPAAt
er there ran down through the beauti
r. r. grove quite little canyon. Along Z
top edge of this father, with the aid
ne he Indians, whom he hired. felled tire
no ~, and made sheds of poles and bougf
es which he used as corrals to protect
u cattle. He also felled other trees a
elt Of made them fall so that as they
NJ. they fenced off a large space arou
Y. our house. When the storm came wi
ce such fury. these cattle, ours, the Dc
10. tors and the Bradford's, all crowd
w. around our cabin, believing and hoi
be. ing each other all night, until th
Ter broke the door in in their fightir
yes They came to the grove for shelter. a
n. seemingly around the house for hum
ed sympathy. The next morning fatt
ed drew the wagon in front of the d,
or or and put poles at each end until
ed could do better.
bbpts One night Frank, who slept W
nd father and mother, cried out, 81