East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1921-09-22

e. Wyoming, followed In the wake {
p Lewis and Clark, in 1907, and blaze
= q part Of the way. Andrew Henri
II whose name was given to beautlf'
J. lake of the Rockies; Etienne Proves
= the probable discoverer ef histOri
IS South Pass; Campbell, Fitzpatrick
: Sublette, Jim Bridger, General Ashlej
: bonneville, and Walker--these are Du
t few Of the leaders who blazed en-
}, trod the Oregon Trail, making 1t
+ well-defined highway before Free
!, mont set out as pathfinder"
i AstOrians Seek Way.
Then came Wilson Price Hunt. wifi
: his overland Astorians, seeking q wa,
from the mid-Missouri to the Colum
, bia river. Later, Robert Stuart ant
the returning Astorians were to mari
out, east of the Continental Divide
the route of the trail for much OF Il,
length. Then came scores of ira apper,
and traders; then Bonneville and his
wagons, to deepen the trail, in 1892;
and two years later, in 1884, Campbell
and Sublette built old Fort Laramie on
Laramie creek, branch of the Platte.
Eight years later Fort Bridger was
built By jim Bridger, on c branch of
the Green river.
In 1886 two women moved out into
the West along the Oregon Trail. They
were the wives of Whitman and
! Spalding, missionaries bound for Ore
lgon. Father de Smet, missionary
also. followed in 1910; then more mis-
sionaries from New Engla-d, and two
years later Fremont, as far, at least,
as the South Pass.
MormOns Appear.
In 1846-47. appeared the Mormons
with their OK wagons and carts, their
hand carts and wheelbarrows, to
deepen the Trail and line 1t with their
dead. Then followed the California
throng on the Oregon Trail for thou |
sand miles or more to stir the soil that |
the wind might carry it away leaving
the sunken pathway little deeper
This in 1S4s. Now. again came the
throng-anotter high tide, to the Ore. |
gon country, when another ten years /
was tolled off and an army covered
the plains--gofd seekers. home build
ers. religionists. and adventures of
every kind. Later the Trail filled with
wagons two abreast, so numerous WIS
the throng, and two trails appeared
for long stretches. The graves were
common; five thousand died in the
one year alone; what with the dead
and dying, the panic that ensued, the
dust, the parched lips and
frames, we may we'll won
der that the casualties were not great
er. The Trail was then ten feet deep
and hundred wide in many places,
but vet destined to be worn deeper
and deeper by the return tide of stock
n tie fullness of time, a million a
'ear fer many years. tramring the
graves into dust and wearing the Trail
nto almost incredible widths and
feet deep and two .
feet wide in one place en-
'ouptered.
Many Leave Homes.
II Is wonderful story, that of the "
rowth of the Oregon Trail. Why so 6
many home builders with their fami- i,
les plunged into the then unknown &
g1lderness across so wide O. stretch oc c
What was known as the Great Amer.
can Desert" no man can tell. Ger
am 1t Is that no such record in the
'orld's history can be found of so
many people going SO long a distance
. found an empire, as they did, over
i!e two thousand miles stretch of the
'regon Trail. So long as this mystery
r romance remains there will con-
r. Ie an abiding interest in this un-
llved problem. Lovers hastened their
nion that they might share the dan
er and privation together across the
Unknown stretch; sedate heads of
lmilies as mysteriously were moved
) risk all. that they might see the
lrther West; young men boldly NOV
/ out on the plains as if it were only
great playground" where the sport
the chase would continue forever.
would seem that manifest destiny
the multitude, whatever
lay have ultimately governed their
elton. Three hundred thousand peo-
lie traversed the Oregon Trail to be-
ond the summit of the Rocky Noun
lins and passed through that great
IT in the mountains, the South Pass.
'atuFe had provided and pointed the
ay and in time was mfolded the fl
al climax when the great wagon
'ains began to roll through that won
erful break in the mountains, the
outh Pass of the Rocky Mountains.
Mystery Shrouds Pass.
Mystery surrounds the real discov-
ry of the Pass" In prehistoric
mes the buffalo wore trails over the
ummit. We know as little as to
,hen the Indians followed As al
eady said, Nature had pointed the
'ay. The melting SHOWS of mid-win-
er storms descending from the high
r levels formed the little river Sweet
,ater, which in turn emptied into the
Worth Platte, and this in its turn
ormed its junction with the South
Branch and thence rolled placidly as
mighty river to the greater Mis-
ouri. To follow the Oregon Trail to
within two miles of the summit of the
'outh Pass is to follow up the cur
ent of the waters described; the
cute of the least resistance destined
gain to become the Nations high
way, to the higher attitudes above the
louds and almost up to the perpetu-
Il snow line, 1880 feet above sea
evel
Now we are over the summit and
ook out westward over a vast plateau
If high altitude hundred miles or
more before we begin to descend into
he Bear river valley, and down Bear
'iver short way and we are near the
snake, which we follow, and finally to
ha al, h.. a. lei