The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-07-25
Big Celebration
at Old Fort Hall
Continued from page one

ZIG Was Suuuucu NY LILO bI1tAoA pO-
cause he had helped so many Ameri-
cans and was not appreciated by
many Americans because he had
been such an important officer for
the British. He died poor and
lonely, but always had big heart
and never expressed regret for hav-
ing saved the hungry women and
children and prevented the Indians
from hostilities towards them. At
the time of the arrival Of some OF
the settlers j was all he could do
to hold the Indians in check, and 1t
was only thru their fear of the white
chief that they permitted the Ameri-
cans to come thru the canyon of the
Columbia in safety.
It was by these trips, the build
ing of Fort Hall, the explorations OF
Capt. Bonneville and the famous trip
of Marcus Whitman that the oregon
trail was made and Oregon and
Washington and Idaho became
American instead of British terri
tory.
!, Ezra Meeker, formerly of Indiana,
was one of the men who came thru
by OK team, and he is still alive and
has telegraphed that he will come to
Pocatello for the trip to Fort Hall
Wednesday. It was he who marked
the Oregon trail ten or twelve years
ago; and it. was he who made several
trips across the country with his OK
team from about 1905 to 1910 find
ing and marking the trail and erect
ing monuments along the way. One
of these monuments stands at the
upper end of the street at Mont
pelier, one at American Falls and
one at Fort Hall, where the celebra-
ton will be held Wednesday.
From the year 1912 until about
1860 nearly all the travel that came
thru this part of the country all went
via Fort Hall (not the present rail-
road station.) 1t was the one great
landmark and supply station in all
this country until the gold rush into
Idaho and Montana.
Fort Hall was built by Americans
for trading post, but was sold the
Hudson Bay company in 1886, and
was again transferred to the
Americans in 1916. During that
time British agent named Grant
was in command at the place and he
did all he possibly could to dis
courage Americans from going thru.
He encouraged them to take the
southern route via Raft river into
California and he always told them
they could not get thru into Oregon
with their wagons and that they
could not make living there If they
went. He told them of the fine eli
mate farther south in the Mexican
possessions and If they persisted in
going on into Oregon, he would get
them if he could, to leave their wag-
ons at Fort Hall so they would be
ready for them when they came thru
going back, for he always told them
they would sooner or later starve
out and go back. For years he in
duced many Of the overlanders to
leave their wagons, and there were
always wagon trains that had lost
SO many animals on the way across
that they had to abandon some
wagons at Fort Hall, and there
came to be quite a field of vehicles
and everybody left or took just
about whatever they wanted to. In
other words, old wagons were free
at Fort Hall. ..-
Location of Old Fort
The old fortress buildings and
stockade made of adobes have been
removed and only ridges Of dissolved
adobes remain, overgrown with rye
grass and some of the trenches
marking the site remain. 1t is on
the left bank of Snake. river just
about south of Pingree, and three
miles above the Tilden bridge in a
big bend of the river reached by a
rather dim road. Persons going in
by that route follow the Pocatello
road until it reaches the open
meadows a mile or so from the
bridge, and then turn to the left,
skirting the edge of the meadows
for perhaps a mile and half when
they come to a road cutting across
at right angles, running nearly north
into the big bend. Follow this road
nearly mile where it ends in rye
grass and that is the old fort.
A Danger Point
Drivers are cautioned that there
is deep narrow ditch crossing the
meadow road perhaps mile from
where they leave the Pocatello road,
and it is just right to break springs
and give people an awful jolt if they
} drive across it with speed. 1t is per-
fectly easy and safe if the car is
brought almost to a stop in it, and
it is impossible for driver to dis
cover it until he is almost upon 1t.
We will try to have it marked with
a danger sign early in the day We'd
nesday, but you may reach it before
the sign is placed, SO go slow along
there.
Will Be Mosquitoes
There will be few mosquitoes in
the bottoms, and in the big bend
where the grass is high there will
be a good many. You had better
take gloves and some mosquito net
ting or at least wear clothing that
will give protection from their bites.
Short sleeves and low necked dresses
should be supplemented with some
thing for protection for the time
spent among "these birds" Extra
sleeves or old stockings pulled over
the arms and the hands sticking out
at the toes make fine protection.