The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-07-30
HISTORY OF OLD
FORTS REWRITTEN
Continued from page FOUR
their arrival is called Pioneer Da!

/
their arrival is called Pioneer Day.
| Going back to the discovery Of Salt
Lake in 1925, the next few years the
country was traversed by trappers
and traders in small parties, and
Captain Bonneville came thru with
an expedition of his own in 1898 and
remained several years in the north
west. The Hudson Bay company
was getting into what is now Oregon
and Washington and the Wyeth party
of traders from Boston came in 1884
building Fort Laramie, Fort Hall
and Fort Boise. They began the
erection of Fort Hall July Is and
raised the U. S. flag at sunrise on
August 5, 1884.
Two Newcomers, Whitman and
Spalding and their wives came thru
with a party in 1886 and they crossed
Snake river at Fort Hall and went
IN to where Whitman's mission was
esta blished that fall. In 1912 Whit
man made his famous ride thru to
| Washington in the fall and winter
and came back in 1843 with thou
sand people to settle in Oregon.
Fremont's government party came
about the same time, and went on
into. California. Heavy travel con-
tinued over the Whitman route each
year, running as high as $4,000 set
tiers a rear, and the oregon trail was
finally followed by the Oregon Short
Line, and travel changed from the
prairie schooner to the pullman
coach. tea5
The first permanent settlement
made in Idaho was by the Mormons
at Franklin, altho Fort Lemhi was
built and abandoned by them in
1866.
When the Mormon church histor-
ian came last week to find Fort Hall
he was told of four different places
that are or had been Fort Hall, and
was directed to Editor TregO for
definite information. Z, Mr.. Trego had
located the original trading post ten
years ago by the aid Of an Indian
guide and went out Wednesday to
locate it for the historian. The
party consisted of Andrew Jensen, his
secretary, ..1vin E. Olson, H. G. G..
Rich, Bishop Richard A. Ward OF
Sterling his son Harley, and Royal
Jepson the insurance man of Black
foot. zs4sAs.... s.4
They assembled at the Tilden
bridge south of Springfield and ira
veled four miles up the left bank Of
| the river, a distance of about two
miles by air line, to the site of the
old fort. 1t is situated in Bingham
county, directly on the river bank,
about two miles west of Pingree and
several miles south. sThe only evil
dence of the old buildings is the
bare spots and rye grass, where
they stood, and the trenches at the
old block house. The defenses were
only about two rods square, and the
trenches are now partly filled up and
hidden with ryegrass. They have
filled several inches in the last ten
years, by stock standing in them for
protection from the winds. 1t is in
the south half of section 80 town
ship 4 south, range 33 east, Boise
meridian.
At the time the fort was being
built, missionary sent out by the
American Missionary society from
Boston, Jason Lee, conducted di-
vine service in the little glade about
$50 yards from the buildings. This
was the first protestant sermon ever
delivered on the American continent
west of the Rocky mountains, and
picture of the glade is shown on this
ISSUE
me history party last Wednesday
took number of pictures, and
Editor Trego gave them the follow
ing statement of facts connected with
the place as he had gathered 1t from
many sources.
Fort Hall was named for Henry
Hall, a Boston school teacher who
became interested in the northwest
thru the Lewis and Clarke and Aston
expeditions, and who was instrument
tai in getting up the Wyeth party
| that came out from St. Louis in 1884.
Mr.. Hall was disappointed in joining
the party, and all felt it keenly be-
cause he had been trying for about
fifteen years to get up colony for
the purpose Of settlement
"The trappers and traders held
Rendezvous that year at Green River,
Wyo., and Rev. Jason Lee, who was
with the Wyeth party was solicited
by many tribes to 60 with them to
their people and preach them the
gospel, each tribe making offers of
land, horses, cabins and etc.
Captain Bonneville was in the
mountains west of the Beer
Springs" (Soda) and moved west
ward ahead of Wyeth. When Bon
neville went down Snake river to-
wards American Falls, Wyeth
camped on the bottoms, and began
building post, July Is. On Sum
day, July q, 1884 Lee was requested
to hold service, and the party and
it's hangers-on, to the number Of
about 200 retired to glade on the
river bank, (see photo, three men in
picture) and Lee preached from the
text, Whatsoever We do, whether We
eat or drink, or whatever We do, do
all to the glory of God"
There were many halfbreeds in
| the company, some interpreters, some