Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-07-09

the SANTA re iran, the Mormon
Trail, the Overland Trail or any other historic
trail, to say nothing of modern roads like the
Lincoln Highway
And the controversy has developed all sorts of
complications. States want to know what authori-
~ congress has to change the designation of roads
already named by them City is fighting city for
place on the Oregon Trail both from sentiment
and from desire for financial advantage There
are many disputes as to historical facts; the
source books of western history seem to contra
ulct one another In many cases and the Oldest of
the old-tirneEG are by the ears
And, OF course Trail is fighting Trail, with all
dIe others more or less combined against the
oregon Trail. Congress seems to have been a bit
Indifferent as to historical accuracy, SO long as
''federal-aid highway" was selected Naturally
this does not give uhlveRSa1 satisfaction Utah.
for example, does not want to have it's Mormon
Trail wiped out. The Overland Trail has its cham
pions among descendants of the Fortyniners
And the contributors of many millions to the
building and maintenance of the Lincoln Highway
as a memorial to Abraham Lincoln strenuously
object to the loss of hundreds Of miles of improved
and marked roadway
The Santa Fe Trail Oldest of them all. has
place in the controversy because it is the Parent
Trail from Kansas City to Gardner, Kan Incl
dentally IL comes to public attention on it's own
account through the fact that Council Grove Kan
is to celebrate its centennial August TO- hun
dred annual rings have swelled the girth of the
sturdy Council Oak, patriarch of Council Grove
since the council under It's shade secured peaceful
passage from the Pawnees and the Osages-but
not the Comanches-for the pale face eager to
trade with the Spaniards at Santa F'e.
The senate passed bill IS 2053) designating
the Oregon Trail, after several cities in Idaho
Oregon and Washington had been added by amend
ments in committee. 1t was introduced by Senator
McNary has no preamble and must have been
carelessly drawn, since Laramie" is designated
instead of fort Laramie" evidently with the idea
that they are the same place. In the house Repre-
sentative Addison T. Smith of idaho introduced
bill (H. X. 6494). Later he introduced Joint
resolution 232 and still later joint resolution $685.
which contains additional cities The full text of
joint resolution 1923 follows
Whereas the Old Oregon Trail which originated
at Missouri River points and traversed half con-
Unent ana was the route which the great
migration" of covered wagons and OK teams went
IN 1913 and saved the Oregon country to the United
States and over which for many years the home
seekers and empire builders went in great numbers
and made a great producing territory out Of what
was formerly wilderness; and
Whereas the Oregon country at that time con-
sisted Of all that territory between the summit of
the Rocky Mountains and the shores of the Pacific
Ocean and between the California and Canadian
borders, and was held under joint sovereignty of
England and the United States and whose fate
for all time settled by the migration of 1S43
when approximately thousand American men
and women faced the perls of the desert and the
wilderness to carve out homes in the Oregon
country and make it American territory; and
Whereas thousands persisted by the way and
were buried in shallow by the old trail; and
Whereas the United States has set aside as ma
tional monuments many battlehelds and other his
toric spots in this country; and
Whereas the old Oregon Trail more than
battlefield and offered greater challenge cour-
age, for along its dusty of two thousand
miles American citizens daily faced death without
the panoply of war the beating Of drums or the
flying Of flags, and saved vast empire to the
United States; and
Whereas this service has long been neglected
and the youth of our land have not learned of the
heroic self-sacrihce of those intrepid pioneers who
did much for America; and
Whereas in order that this, the worlds most
historic highway" may be perpetuated in history
and it's traditions be kept alive for all time and
in order to show to the world that the American
people not unmindful of the sacrifices of our
citizens and do recognize valorous deeds: There
fore be 1t