The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1916-05-12

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part the French Canadian language,
broken English and Indian jargon. He
is brave to recklessness, rough, I'M
couth, wild-the white man and the
half white man living an Indian life
having no home, nor wanting one. Al
ways on horseback, with his long rifle
before him, or padding down the
stream in his canoe-one can almost
see him as he came galloping up that
hill, bound for old Fort Boise. His
saddle is piled high with skins of
beaver. perhaps he is leading pack
animal laden also with skins-a
strange figure to Our wondering eyes.
In moment he is gone in cloud of
dust We hear only the rattle Of his
horses feet as he disappears yonder
over Canyon Hill, and he is gone to
spend lavishlv at the trading post the
proceeds of the chase for ribbons and
finery for his squaw wife, and strong
drink for himself Knowing the
French extraction of the majority OF
these traders, it is not at all myster-
ious why the Boise river curving be-
meath wonder hill, or the Payette river
only 20 miles away, and the Port Neut
river near Pocatello, Lake Pend
d 'Oreille and Lake Couer d'Alene
IDGdI tile IldDltS llCy w. liz d = iooe
prints in the sands of time, monuments
of the old Hudson Bay fur trading,
marked forever upon the map of our
state. This is indeed historic ground
land of wild romance. land once
filled with wild adventure. Here with
in a stones throw of us, men trapped
for beaver the Boise and Payette and
Port Neuf reechoed with the songs OF
the French Voyageur. At the begin
ming of this period, the Hudson Bay
Company held Ft Hall. near Pocatel-
10, and also Fl. Boise, situated where
the Boise river empties into the Snake
river, few miles below Parma.
Where now stands the City of Van
couver, Washington, then stood the
. Hudson Bay post, Fl. Vancouver. their
chief post and distributing point nam
ed after Vancouver, an English naviga-
tor, and the kew to their fur trading
, operations upon the upper reaches OF
the Snake and Columbia and the var
ious rivers falling into the watershed
.. of these streams. And in this connec-
ton let me say, that this post OF tt
Vancouver was established when the
Hudson Bay Company removed 1t
from Fl. George in 1927. TT. George
was located at the place where Astoria
6 now stands, and came into being our
. ing the War of 1872. when a BIRTHS n
gunboat sailed into the mouth OF the
. Columbia river and ran up the Union
9 Jack. So fell the post established IN
. 1911 by Hunt, the agent Of John JACOB
II Aston. Yes. this country has history
= and what has been related is only a
q small part of it. The roots OF the pres
. ent are buried deep in the past.
:. Such was the stage upon which the
!. makers of the Oregon Trail were te
: play their parts. A state set IN
i strange land, among strange peoples
~ amidst burning deserts, carpeted DS
i miles of rolling plains, guarded oN
u mighty snow clad mountains cleft by
y deep gorges, through which RAJ
~ mighty rivers down to smiling sea
e. St. Louis, that old town redolen
y with memories of old French ant
o. Spanish settlements of America. mark
e. ed the beginning of the trail. Now lie
nc trace its course. The trail maker
~, ~ of this trail, like those of all other
y of every time and place, followed tn
~ lines of least resistance up rivers t
y their sources, over divides and dow
e rivers to their mouths. Starting a
" ST. Louis, the trail leads up the MIS- \,
~ souri, to the Platte broad shallo'
w stream which takes its source IN on on
NJ adjoining state of Wyoming. NIL
w upon mile, this river runs through 70
nc ling prairies. This, at the time OF IN
in Oregon Trail, was the great puma
VI. country-now it is the ABODE OF nc
nd and prosperous people. Inc source
nv the Platte lies high upon the slopes
n. the Rocky Mountain DIVIDE; mere
oh the source Of the Platte, take a1te y
III ,.x,,akod the Lar
en-, NE river. that runs into the Platt
,e. Note also. Fl. Bridger, but sho
'u distance further west. Both were pos
'ut of American fur traders. and both a
situated upon the Oregon trail II
pc member that Fl. Hall. Fl. BOISE. a.
~: r. Vancouver lay just across on III
~ side Of the divide. Now. glance
'he the man of Wyoming, Utah and ldan
- Mot Gar from the head-waters OF
piotte arises Bear river; observe
.omrse and YOU will see that IT ru
from Wyoming into Idaho near MOI
oel;rr and close to our own great DC
fnte swings off near Ogden. whe
-, NAV ace il from the Oregon Sh'
;ne railroad, foaming through de
al beautiful canyon. later empty
;nto The Great Salt Lake. here 7
One branch of the Trail. the end OF
Trail for the Mormons-tor B brig,
Young travelled the Oregon lral y
ls47. Across little divide from :. o.
liver not far from Montpelier, ida
a l;ttlc stream flows south; II Is
Port Neuf The people who went \.
Oregon followed this stream 40
through Soda Springs. on down VIZ n
\, Pocatello: to Snake. river ioloT W,
% the line of least resis.an, 81 Amer;,
no Fails, thence on down by Has & on
nc Glen's Ferry. and Mountain NJ the re Re
thence it swings aGrosr liver 70 30
d &c about .te the point where the railr'
f from npo Nampa to Emmett crosses r,3s;e,
liver Here some pioneers claim
Of the Oregon im nm, sa9beSs e or +
while it is claimed that o Tnerou % +
Continued on, crossed Ian ny ySsning