Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1915-08-31

Polk county pioneer from the pen of
Fred Lockley, special writer for the
Portland Journal:
Joseph Hardin Cornwall was ap-
pointed Oregon S first cadet to West
Point. Gin 1850, when | was Is
years old, Samuel R. Thurston, our
delegate to congress, asked President
Zachary Taylor to appoint me cadet
to the United States military academy
at West Point" said Mr.. Cornwall
when | visited him recently at his
home in Dallas. 81 received the ap-
pointment, which was conditional up
on my being able to pass the physical
examination | did not take the ply
steal examination, as | had no taste
for a military career. My father was
a Cumberland Presbyterian minister,
and | had set my mind on Being a
minister also. | declined the appoint
ment. | do not remember who was
given the appointment in my place.
| know Medoram Crawford's s son was
one of our first cadets, and so was
Adair, now living at Astoria. He is
the son of Colonel Adair, an early
day collector of customs at Astoria.
"We came to Oregon in 1916, when
I was IA years old. | was born in
Independence county, Arkansas, on
October s, 1882. My father, jose
phus A. Cornwall, was a native of
Georgia. My mother, Nancy Hardin
Cornwall, was born in Arkansas
shortly after her parents moved there
from Kentucky. On the tenth Of
April, 1916, we started by OK team
for Independence, Mo-, to join the
emigrants who were assembled there
to form wagon train for Oregon.
There were about so wagons in our
train. Captain Russell was elected
to have command Of the wagon train.
Captain Russell took the California
trail, going on horseback. After the
Donners and the other emigrants for
California left us at the branching of
the trail our party was cut down to
q wagons. Captain Dunbar was put
in command after Captain Russell
took the California trail My part of
the work in crossing the plains was
to drive the loose stock. My assist
ant in the work was boy about my
own age, George Donner.
"The. Donner family had a terrible
experience. They were overtaken by
winter in the Siskiyous. They camp
ed by the shores of lake, later
known as Donner lake. They ran out
of food and killed and ate several of
their party. George Donner survived
this cannibalistic experience. | met
him later in California, but he would
not 'SsK of it.
"When we reached Oregon there
were only six counties in all of Ore
gon. What is now the state Of Wash
ington was then part of Oregon, and
was divided into two counties, Lewis
county and Vancouver county. What
we now know as Oregon was divided
into Yamhill, Clackamas, Tuality and
Champoick counties. Father had the
only carriage in our wagon train.
This carriage led to one having some
odd experiences. Near Fort Larimie
we met large war party of Sioux
Indians on the warpath against some
other tribe of Indians. We gave a
feast to 20 of the principal chiefs
and subchiefs. When we pulled out
next morning these chiefs brought
about 1900 of their warriors to give
us an escort of honor The chiefs
rode ahead of, behind and on both
sides of fathers carriage. One Of
the Indians who talked some English
explained they were doing this as an
honor to the white chief, the head of
the party. Father told them that he
was not the captain. but the Indian
chief said you are the head man or
you would not have the best rig.
After travelling with us for several
hours they lined up like copper or
bronze statues along the road and
STAYED in line till we had passed by
when thev wheeled and rode off across
the prairie.
cat Fort Hall we were met by
Jesse Applegate and some Others.
Captain Levi Scott, Jesse and Lindsey
Applegate and some Others had sur
veved or rather cruised out a new
road by what has since been termed
the 'Applegate cutoff. We followed
their guidance through central Ore
gon by way of Goose lake and Klam-
ath lake. They left us there to go
ahead and work on the road through
the CANYON near what is now Canyon
vile. While we were travelling down
the Humboldt a messenger came back
to us asking us to hurry forward as
their wagons we're attacked by In
dians. We hurried forward but when
we arrived the Indians were gone
leaving several of the emigrants
wounded. One of them, Mr.. Sally
died of his wounds.
"The Indians shot some of our cat
tie near Goose lake. We were so late
that we decided to winter in southern
Oregon. The Kennedy family and
our family wintered about where the
town of Oakland now is. My cousin,
Israel Staley, who was q years old
that winter, kept us well supplied
with venison. He had the only good
s,,,n in the Marty and he was an eX-