Norwich bulletin., 1922-09-01
FAMOUS NICKNAMEs
1.-THE PArHF1NpER.p

The romance of John Charles Fre mont's life reads very much more like fiction than history. From his very infancy, which was passed amid the wilderness of the southern frontier. he hads@ formed love for the open, and with him his love for the out-of-doors grew stronger as he advanced in years He gained his first knowledge of the western prarie when little more than boy, thereby laying the foundation which afterwards made him. the great Path finder" of his country.
 Unlike most Americans at the time. he became dissatisfied with the confines of tho east. and started out to become '@The Pathfinder"-the pioneer who should make the way and open the road for others to follow to the Pacffc Push ing westward, laying out new trails in | different directions as he advapced, he 1 finally reached the Rockies and was i the first to mark the wsv to Oregon. Along this trail he finally reached the 1 Pacific, paused long enough to explore the great basin. and in the dead of win ter broke his way through the snows of i the Sierras into California.
 l !. The government gave him his initial ! chance as a member of the topographf- l cal corps. '1The Pathfinder was the l first man the United States sent out fol- ! lowing the Lewis and Clark expedition, l which thrty-seven years previously
 had accomplished their rather ragged ex- | petition. This expedition, as was shown Il by the results. was not one of specula- tions, but Instead was carefully plan
 ned through maps and calculations.
 drawn up by Fremont previous to it's ] undertaking
 The Indians gave "The Pathfinder
 various warnings as to the difficulty he
 would encounter, but undaunted the
 young officer determined to press on and his men swore to stand by him One month elapsed before the explorers
 were able to overcome the great desert
 plains which lay betwn Fort Laramie ' and the Rockies. On August 14, 1842 I Fremont, with only four other men. be. gan his ascent of one of the highest peaks
 of the Rockies, which later was called |. Fremont's Peak. ~
 Having accomplished this task at that
 period marvellous. the expedition turn
 ed it's face homeward, reaching Wash
 ington by the middle of October Tn,
 winter was past in preparing the report. , and maps. To congress these were : veritable revelation as to the geograph! : of the great west. and won for Frernon
 a reputation as ans able, courageous ant
 discriminating explorer.
 '"The Pathfnder's' name was now ol
 the lips of everybody The public sim : ply devoured everything printed regard : ing his experiences in the great west
 Having conquered the Rockies he longe
 for similar adventures in other directions Il 1t was with great joy, therefore, that h : received in the spring of the followin : year the commission to take charge c
 an expedition which should connect hi
 previous survey with the extreme west
 ern part of the continent
 e It was left for him to become the cor el queror of California, and with an invoic Is of men and plenty of provisions he star
 ed in the spring of 1846. He made d
 rect line to the Sacramento valley, whic
 he reached by December The Mexica c General Castro ordered him out of tt n country but he stuck The Mexican wa Q settled the dreams of 'rhe Pathfinder
 and Fremont replaced the bear flag
 Sononla by the Stars and Stripes
 ,a Then Fremont entered upon a period great popularity In 1S49 he was SCI H as the first United States senator fro ' California, and seven years later he w. se the first republican candidate for u
 presidency, but was defeated by Buchal
 an, and in his old age he served sever to years as territorial governor of Arizon -a Yet mere than general or politician, Fr ', mont was the simple explorer and "gTl Y Pathfinder as his friends named hi1 ss was the .'Blazer of Traiiss that open. y. up the great northwest.