The Washington times., 1929-07-17

While it is, of course, possible
says the Automobile Club of Amer
lea to make the Journey from coast.
to coast and back again in less
than two months, this amount OF
time allows for lesurely trip with
plenty of opportunities for sight
seeing along the way.
One of the most interesting ways
to reach the Pacific Coast Is via
the old Oregon Trail, called by the
Indians 1.-THE Big Medicine Road"
This trail follows the same route
that was used by the first pioneer
wagon train that came out to the
West Coast in 1S43. To do honor
to these first pioneers and the
others that came after in the years
1852 and 1853 an association was
formed in 1922 In Baker, Ore, called
the Old Oregon Trail Association.
Honor Pioneers
The purposes of the association
are as follows: To perpetuatei the
name, of the Old Oregon Trail by
having that name designated by
the States through which 1t passes,
and, also designated by the Con-
gress of. the United States as q
national highway and by so doing
do honor to the memory of the
brave pioneer men and women who
faced the perils OF q savage land
>to carve out new homes for then1-
selves in the Oregon Country
and to make of 1t American terri
tory. To permanently mark the
road with the design of the Ok Team
and Covered Wagon 30 that its his
tory may be preserved and be q
constant reminder to the younger
generation of the hardships en-.
dured by those who blazed the way
and laid the foundati tiotl of our pres-
ent day civilization.
Retraced Trail
No mention of the Old Oregon
Trail is complete without some
work about Ezra Meeker, who at
the age of "A. in the year 1906, out
fitted himself with an OK team and
a. prairie schooner and left his home
In PuyaIlup. Wash, to retrace the
trail he had traversed as boy in
1852. As he went, he marked the
trail with substantial stone monu-.
ments. clear through to the Mis-
, souri, River. He kept on and drove.
his oxen down Fifth Avenue in
New York city and on to Washing.
ton, d. c., where he was met by
Theodore Roosevelt, then President,
Of the United States.
The Washington motorist who
wants to follow this trail exactly,
as 1t is designated will have to fol-
low the Lincoln Highway.
From Washington, D. c., to Wash
ington, Pa, the route runs via
Rockville, Frederick, Hagerstown,
Cumberland, and Uniontown. From
Washington to Wheeling, w. Va.
and then over the Ohio River into
the state OF Ohio and through
GAINESVILLE to Columbus. Here the
route turns northward, but, OF
course. still westward, and runs
through Marysville, Kenton, Lima,
to Fort Wayne. Ind, and across
this State via Warsaw, Valparaiso
and Hammond to Chicago, Ill.
Through Iowa
From Chicago to the Mississippi
River, the route runs across Illinois
via Joliet, Dayton. La Sale, At
kinson. Moline. Rock Island then
dCFOSS the river TO davenport III
the State of Iowa. From here. TO
Council Bluffs. We pass through
Iowa City. Grinnell, Des Moines,
Stuart, Lewis and Oakland.
Council Bluffs was one OF the
two principal Quitting points in
the early days for the settlers leav.
ing for Oregon. The former name
Of the town was Kanesville.
From Council Bluffs the route fol
lows the north bank of the Platte
River through Omaha, Neb.; Lin,
coin, Fairmont, Oxford, Lamar to
Sterling. Colo. Here the route turns
northward into Wyoming, running
through Cheyenne. Laramie, Medi
cine Bow, Rawlins, Wamsutter. tC
Granger. From here up into Poea
tello, Idaho, the route runs Wis
oaklay. Sage. Montpelier ant
Georgetown.
n From Pocatello the route follow.
the south bank Of the Snake River
through American Falls. Twin Falls
to Buhl Between here and tht
town of Hagerman, we cross ovei
the Snake River and run on th'
north bank to Boise, Nampa, ant