The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1918-10-03
JUDGE WILSON LAUDS
SPIRIT OF PIONEERS


recently delivered by Judge Fred "
Wilson, Of The Dalles. 70 the pioneers
Of Hood River county assembled at
their annual reunion. The address.
delivered by Judge Wilson at the Ore
gon Pioneers Reunion in Portland IN
June. Was repeated here by request.
In the nature of this occasion and
the lack of white hair in the speaker,
the words of today must necessarily be
superficial This Is the second genera
tion speaking There are no mystic
cords Of memory stretching into that
dim and delightful past to bring again
IN view the stirring scenes and pleas
ant "reminiscences Of DAYS when Oregon
was young and the beauty and fresh
ness Of youth was everywhere There
IS no reservoir Of memory for this
speaker BoOtless and hatless, and
clothed but scantily, he burst upon the
confines of Oregon at the immature age
of nine months, having been born In
Ohio in lS72-this however, through ne
fault of his own and to his continual
regret, for his parents had learned the
mystic password which bade them en-
ter into that great fellowship of ore.
gon pioneers in the years 1850 and 81
Far more profitable and infinitely more
interesting would it if the speaker to
day could sit by the side Of some of YOU
pleasant looking companions and listen
to the words which the memories of the
long ago would cause to flow speedily
from your lips. | feel very much out
of place and fervently trust that you
will Judge me lightly and with great
compassion.
And then with the same heroic spirit
which today we, your descendants and
admirers, are honoring, you toiled over
and across the wooded SUBMITS of the
Blue mountains. through the now fer
tile fields of eastern Oregon. though
barren then, and came, or at least
some of you did, to The Dalles, and
here | greet you as the waiting waters
of the stately Columbia greeted YOU
then. The thought often comes what
delightfully."- refreshing sight to the
footworn tired journeyors the blue wa
ters of the Columbia must have been
as camp was made by the river bank
oxen and horses loosened, and the tired
pioneer felt at last that the Journey
across the plains was ended and though
the goal, the beautiful Willamette val
ley, had not yet been reached, still,
the hardships of travelling were over
and what difficulties remained were of
a new and different kind.
Even though the pioneers who came
| hBt r bA nj TO- "a
to end their journey at The Dalles but
longed for the grace and glory of the
more fertile lands west of the Cascade
mountains, yet by your brief stopping
here you made of The Dalles an his.
toric spot. From here some trusted
themselves to the Columbia's waters
and made their destination by way OF
| the rough batteauX; others, and par
| ticularly those who had the stock II
charge, went south by way of the Bar
! low road and across the Cascade noun
tains where their longed for land OF
milk and honey was awaiting them
The old batteauX have gone and the
skillful hands which plloted them have
been resting long, but the track:
which the wagons made as they Wen
southwark from The Dalles to the Bar
low road are still visible many place.
| in WascO county.
Though you would not tarry at tn,
Dalles and though most Of you hay,
never cared to come back and see US
vet the fact that you came at all i,
what brought that place into eXisterc,
and, to use a common expression. il
what gave the town its start. So
since you deemed eastern Oregon @
sufficient importance to pass through
even though you hurried out of it,
am gong to weave around eastern Or
egor, and its magnificent distances, tn,
few historical allusions which viii b,
made and they shall not be many no
philosophical.
All of us know, and it is frequently
stated, how eastern Oregon Originally
extended from the Cascade mountains
to the summit Of the Rockies and be
yond, and now Wasco county was al
there was to eastern Oregon, but it il
interesting to have the statement veri
fled by court proceedings and ludicia
records. WascO county was organized
in 1854 That was while some of yOt
still were coming, and its records ar,
intact. VIII YOU listen for a mOmen
while | verify these claims for appall
ing distances? According to the rec
0rds the first meeting of the WascC
county court was held April 3, 1854
But little business appears to have
been done at this first meeting, anC
that pertaining only to organization
Whereupon an adjournment was taket
until April 26, and then some real anC
gigantic business was performed viii
neatness and dispatch. This is The
records of the proceedings as they ap
pear in the county journals for Apri
26, 1854 at meeting in The Dalles:
Granted license to Orlando Huma
son to keep a ferry on Snake river a
any point within DISTANCE of three
miles above or below Fort Boise, sale
ferry only required to be kept in tim,
of the emigrant passing. The licens,
fee hereby fixed at fifty dollars per an
mum for the term of two years" (anC
then follow the rates Of ferriage).
And this Granted to Richard Mar
shall license to keep ferry at or neal
Salmon Falls. on Snake river. for
term of two years with the same tal
rates and provisions as to o. Huma
SON.
And note the following: "GranteC
to {. f. Irvine license to keep a ferr,
on Green river at point eighty mile
above the boundary line between Utal
and Oregon territory with the same
tax and provisions and for the sam,
time.
This was a bargain day for ferr,
licenses and to an impartial observe
it would appear rather good day
work for a young county court
certainly was far reaching and all EN-
bracing. On July 3 of the same yea
the county court, evidently thinking i
was too far for Mr.. Humason, VIII,
lived in The Dalles, to go out to hi
Snake river ferry and back withou
being late for supper, considerably re
duced his ferry tax to twelve dollars
year.
Passing now to another subject no
connected with ferries or distances
some time later the folIoyyiptr antr,