The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1929-05-02

cent writer has said at is an Odyssey without
parallel in the annals of Tennessee, if indeed it
can be matched anywhere. "Here is that story as
Emerson IIough tells it in his book "The Way to
the Vest:
I'm 1873, one James Robertson of the Watauga
settlements of North Carolina, a steadfast man,
heard certain voices that called him to the West
James Robertson, the steadfast, forming his COM
pany for this uncertain, perlous enterprise said
we are the advance guard of civilization, and
our way is the continent" Simple words
yet that was in 1871
Now, for the building of this town, the town
that is now the city of Nashville and the capital
OF Tennessee this leader had gathered three hun
dred and eighty persons, men, women, and children
All the women and children, one hundred and
thirty IN number in charge of few men, went by
BOAT scow, pirogue and canoe in the winter time
down the bold waters of the Hoston and Tennessee
rivers. The rest Travelled as best they might over
the five hundred miles Of "trace" Kentucky
or this whole party two hundred and twenty six
got through alive
The boat party had many hundreds of miles of
unknown and dangerous waters to travel and the
journey took them three months, a time longer
than 1t now requires to travel around the world
They ran thirty miles of rapids the shoals of
the Tennessee, pursued and fred upon by Cher
okees. OF this division of the party only ninety
seven got through alive, and nine OF these were
wounded. One was drowned died of natural
causes and was buried and the rest were killed by
parallel in modern history" Among those who sur
ylVed the hardships of the journey was Rachel
The path of empire in America the pat of corn
and venison, was highway that never ran back
ward. These men would never leave this country
now that they had taken it. But what a tax was
TINS that the barbarc land demanded of thelnl In
November of 1880, less than year after the partv
was first organized, there were only one hundred
ana thlrty-four persons left alive of the orig
mai three hundred and eighty, hut in the settle
ment Itself there had not been natural death
Inc indians killed these settlers and the settlers
Killed the Indians Death and wounds meant moth
ing 10 the adults. The very infants learned
stole hardihood.
The spring of 1881 found only seventy norsons
left alive But when the vote was cast whether
10 stay or return not one man voted to give IN
she light In that West worth one hun
1red and sixty five dollars bushel and in its rails
ing the rifle was essential the pow Powder
and lead were priceless Man and woman topeth
er' fearless changeless, they held the land giving
PACK not one inch of the west-bound distance they
had gained 10y
In 1871 there were only fifteen persons left alive
out of the three hundred and eighty thai rnade
thls American migration. There had been only ore
natural death among them In such a settlement
mere was no such thing as a hero, because all
were heroes. Each man master OF weano
ana incapable of fear No fiction painted
nero like to any of these One man after hav
ing been shot and stabbed many times, was scalned
awe ana TESTED about it, little girl was scalned
awe, and lived to forget it An army of Gndiaos
assaulted the settlement and fifteen men and thirty
women beat them eff Mrs Sally Buchanan for,
gotten heroine nodded bullets all one night durrs
an indlan attack, and on the next morning gave
birth to son s"'s
This was the ancestral fiber of the West what
time mad FOLK like these for powder puff or ruf
lie, for fan or jeweled snuff box? Their ea rh was
MADE from the skin of the deer, the fox the wolf
Their shoes were of hide the beds were made ~
the ropes or the bear and buffalo Thew laid tho
laho under tribute Yet, far from mere savag.
ry was the spirit that animated these men thai II
ten years after they had first cut away the forest
lhey were rounding college and establishing a
eoui. OF law Read this forgotten history one
cnspter and little one in the history Of the West
anu 1hen turn, If you like the chapters of fiction
IN an older world. You have your choice OF laca
elkskin. ~ A"ce