Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-02-20
BY MILES CANNON

Kanseau was killed horse racing and
on the eth was buried near the fort.
He belonged to Mr. McKays party and
his comrades erected a decent tomb
for him. Services for him was per-
formed by the Canadians In the Cath
Ollie form, by Mr.. Lee in the Protest
ant form and by the Indians in their
form as he had an Indian family. He |
at least was well buried"
Journey Was Resumed.
On Thursday following Mr. Mckay |
resumed his journey towards Fort
Walla Walla- then the base of opera
lions in the Snake country, the mis-
sionaries joining his expedition Mr..
Mckay presented Mr.. Lee with two
fine saddle horses, much to the delight
of the latter and satisfaction to the
former. Thomas Mckay, when our
people shall have awakened to the
unmeasured interest in pioneer his
tory, will occupy unique position.
As the agent for the Hudson's Bay
company, he had the distinction of es-
corting to their destinations the first
7 Methodist the first Presbyterians.
and the first American women, and
assisting in the first Catholics to es
tablish in old Oregon. AS a French
half breed and Catholic, he supported
the Americans in the occupation of
the country, fought with them in the
Indian wars and was a friend and
supporter of all religious sects.
| August g. Mr.. Wyeth made the fol-
lowing entry in his journal;
Having done so mucn as was re-
quisite for safety to the fort and
drank a bale OF liquor and named It
Fort Hall in honor of the oldest mem
Der OF our concern (Henry Hall Of
Boston) we left It and with 1t Mr..
Evans in charge of II men and IL
horses and mules and three cows"
Writing to his uncle on Oct from
the Columbia river he gives us bet
ter account in the following:
Since mine of June 81 from Hams
Fork I have, as l then proposed, built
fort on Snake or Lewis river. which
, named Fort Hall, from the oldest gem
, tleman in the concern. We manufac-
tured a magnificent flag from some
unbleached sheeting, a little red flan-
, mel and a few blue patches, saluted 1t
with damaged powder and wet it In
villainous alcohol, and after all, l dc
r assure you, 1t makes a very respect
able appearance amid the dry and de-
} ISOLATE regions of central America. Its
> bastions stand terror to the sculk-
: ing Indians and a beacon OF safety &c
} the fugitive hunter 1t is manned by
e 12 men and has constantly loaded In
. the bastions 100 guns and rifles. These
bastions command both inside and
: outside OF the fort"
] The second disappointment awaited
t Mr.. Wyeth at Fort Vancouver which
. place he reached on Sept. a. Here he
= met DR. John Mclaughlin, Chief Fact
n or of whom he speaks in these words
i "He has here power and uses 1t az
:, a man should to make those abou
e him and those who come in contac
r with him comfortable and happy"
$ The following morning he proceeded
i down the river in a canoe and met hi:
g brig, the May Dacre. She had beer
d struck by lightning and delayed so Ions
: making repairs that salmon operations
n for that year had to be suspended. II
:. fact the entire project was one disap
o pointment after another and, finally al
had to be abandoned. Writing to hit
brother Charles, under date OF Sept
. %. 1885 he said:
!. Il am too busy and too unwell Il
write much even to you. 1t some time
appears to me that the nearer a per
son is TO whom | write the less com
petent is the mood to the ideas
would wish to express. However thi
may be one thing know. That to m.
= best friends | always write the short
/, est letters, in fact I had nearly writ
= ten you as short an epistle as Caesar
a to the senate. viz, 4 am sick dead AM
q buried and yet ! am not the Skipper
~ but the last principle of human life /
. not extinct. Hope still maintains he
Il throne and throws the mists of futur
- ity over the deformities and misfor
tunes that she cannot hide.
~ Our salmon fishing has not succeed
"a ed. Half a cargo only obtained Gu
4 people are sick and dying off like rot
"A ten sheep OF bilious disorder. I shal
~ be off by the first OF next month to tn
. mountains and winter at Fort Hail."
N In other letters he told OF the los
I of more than half OF his company
"a about 10 by sickness, others by drown
+ ing and others at the hands of the In
nt dams. His ndomitable energy coul
"a not save the business though 1t wo
"a for him the admiration, not only c
40 the officers of the Hudson's Bay com
70 panv but that of every traveller an
l. writer of the period. Through his lon
- series OF misfortunes. there was non
10 to mpeach either his integrity c
k. judgment Many of his letters wer
t pathetic In the extreme and portray
- ed a character well intended to appe'
10 to human affection. He left his pos
10 at the mouth of the Willamette
nd charge of Mr.. c. NJ. Walker and sol
I'd Fort Hall to the E-udsons Bay con
pany. The business / am in must
k. closed" he wrote. mot that 1t migi
ne not be made a good one, but that thos
who are now engaged in it are not II
ne men to make 1t so. The smallest los
OF make them fly the handle and sue
he men can rarely succeed in new bus
to ness" He returned TO his old home
tie the fall Of 1886. where he re-engage
in the ice business with great success
e. and retained until his death the col