The Kevin review., 1927-09-22
49,

Bitter Root valley for 50 years,
= since ne was lad of 18. The story
Of his Journey across the plains in
1864 reads like romance of the first
order. Here it is as told by him and
complied by his wife, Kate Goff Mitchell,
herself an early conner to the valley set
tlement at Corvallis
"On May IA, 1854 remember the
Gay was warn and spring had come and
the farmers had planted corn; the grass
was up and growing well, back in Bour-
bon county, Kansas. So we decided to
start with our stock across the plains.
We had six wagons and 80 head of stock.
These wagons were the ordinary farm
type and were called 'thimbleskein. They
were similar to the ones made today and
had covers Of heavy canvas. They were
drawn by oxen
The dress Of both women and men
were OF the fashions of the day. The
men wore homemade suits, heavy boots
and big hats, and the women wore calico
dresses with hoop skirts and big hats
also. Each family was outfitted with
Hour. cornmeal, lard, bacon, beans, rice
and dried fruit and everything one would
need for travelling long distance.
No Rifles In Outfit
Our equipment for defense was very
short, as it was in time Of the Civil war
and the government would not permit
much to be sold. They even took away
some that we had already procured. We
had not rifles, just Colt reVo1vers, in
our outfit, and there were times along
the trail when as many as a hundred
wagons would be travelling with us. We
tried to make 15 miles day, but as we
had to be on the lookout for water and
grass, sometimes we travelled only 10l
miles, Some one was always sent ahead
to find q camping place.
The second day out we were Joined
by several wagons, about 25 In ALL About
half the n7Tf-fff cfo for OFoo011
and the others to Arizona. We Travelled
together until we reached q little village
In Kansas called Cottonwood. That place
Is now the city Of Emporia. There we
divided. part going over the old Santa
Fe trail and the rest taking the Cali
fornia trail, travelling by Fort Riley.
At Camping Places
When we arrived at a camping place |
we would form the wagons in q half
circle, like a half moon, putting chains |
across the front and chains with yokes
across the backs, SO that we could corral |
the oxen inside to keep them from
straying. Leaving Fort Riley we started
up the Republican river, going for a
hundred miles, and there started across
the Blues on what was then called The
Old Fox Trail This is the same trail
covered by the now famous Covered
Wagon outfit.
1--WE struck Fort Kearney Neb., ON the
seventh day OF june, and there we hadd
% leays part q our 1raln, Iaree or
,sToi,s@ TsT7z, WITH sT1f1,o
This TUae Mrs F791rTs u5n zTaTfne
zn,,,a ,s5anr s. seT ,1s11gr~, 1u1,em We
uer,s s,a1r M 1,s RrT51isca1n river had
Uove in5 = r-aSin t 1zU , T9ziT
no she ss Isssf, ssscroes lived tl7ere and
tI7ene sornn one WAS stTIr sIn sevn1oneSI
srn11r,m anna an 1r TaIriI. hs # I
ca1sefs her n DO hIiTsS hnnoh the
won1en If rl1r. rIv cared for her ON sf1e
tri,a 1ag1nr IF fiSemn N cn11fractsI the dis
sasn IS, --'e--
sI5narIv Htl wears 1ater r,et, q son rfi
Il, is wrTysn horn after rfl4e end cf f11e
tTnfl was I.eacfaefj fr Oregon He told me
aow his rnot11er had recoIIntecI the story
# flan mir, n him s,,Sl % r17erisI1ecS
& her Inst, vision nne sicaf, Of tl1e long
wagon train stretching away into the
1eTng7d
>~--'