Oregon Historical Quarterly/Volume 27/Journal of a Trip to Oregon, 1851

Journal of a Trip to Oregon, 1851

By ELIZABETH WOOD [ Copied from the Peoria Weekly Republican of January 30, 1852 , and February 13 , 1852 ] This journal by Miss Elizabeth Wood of her trip to Oregon in the migration of 1851, as taken from the columns of the Peoria Weekly Republican, was through the courtesy of Professor C. A. Duniway of Carleton College submitted to the Quarterly for publication. It was found by Dr. Duniway's son David while they were searching the files of the Peoria papers for contemporary material on the Oregon pioneer migrations. Professor Duniway has in progress the preparation for publication of the journal of his mother, Abigail Scott Duniway, a pioneer of 1852. The marked literary quality of Miss Wood's account of her trip across the plains would indicate that Oregon was in her receiving a writer of excellent promise. Did she not fulfill these expectations in contributions to early Oregon literary expression ? -Editor Quarterly. We have received for publication, a long correspond ence, or rather a journal , of a trip to Oregon , kept by Miss Elizabeth Wood , of Tazewell County , who went out with the emigration last season. It is very lengthy , though perhaps one of the most faithful and graphic accounts of the adventures "by flood and field " to that far -off country of any that has been sent us for publi cation. Accounts of " Trips to Oregon " have been so often published that they are now getting to be an old story and do not possess the interest which they did but a short time since when emigration first commenced to that region ; and the following is inserted more for the reason that it is the communication of a young lady, while most of the contributions of this nature have been furn ished by the other sex. We omit a l l that portion o f i t relating t o the journey from the States t o Fort Laramie , where we commence the journal and continue i t over the mountains . JUNE 29. — This morning we start with a company o f 2 5 wagons , and commence the ascent o f the Rocky Moun tains we go up some very high hills , called the Black Hills , which are very handsome t o look a t , a s they have shelves o f rock around them , between which are cedar bushes growing , which adding t o the beauty o f their appearance , and looking a s i f they were fashioned b y

the hand of art. The water is so bad here, and the milk from our cows so strongly impregnated with alkali, that I have substituted coffee as a beverage. The ground is white with alkali, and the cows get it by feeding in the grass. This substance made some of our company sick before they knew what was the matter. JULY 4. - We have been traveling among the hills and the monotony has been relieved by the ever varying beauty of the scenery and the pleasantness of the weather. Today we traveled till noon, and then stopped to get a Fourth of July dinner and to celebrate our nation's birth day. While making the preparations, and reflecting at the same time of what the people of Morton and Peoria were doing, and contrasting my situation with what it was this day last year , a storm arose , blew over a l l the tents but two , capsized our stove with its delicious viands , set one wagon o n fire , and for a while produced not a little confusion i n the camp . No serious injury , how ever , was done . After the storm was over , we put u p the stove , straightened up the tent , and got a s nice a dinner a s we had upon the “ Glorious Fourth ” i n Morton last year . We then took care o f our game , consisting o f 5 black - tailed deer , 1 antelope and 3 buffalo . Last o f all we went t o hear a n oration delivered b y Mr. S. Wardon . For your amusement I will give a description o f my dress for the occasion

A red calico frock , made for the pur pose i n the wagons a pair o f mockasins , made o f black buffalo hide , ornamented with silk instead o f beads , a s I had none o f the latter and a hat braided , o f bullrushes and trimmed with white , red and pink ribbon and white paper . I think I came pretty near looking like a squaw . JULY 5 . – We found a squaw , which we suppose had been hung up a tree , perhaps alive , a s i t was lying a t the I t i s a custom o f Indians t o deposit their dead i n a tree . - ( E d . ) foot o f one , and had been , probably , placed there several months previously . She had $ 5 . worth o f beads about her .

ELIZABETH WOOD JULY 6. - Every week we find different soils, different weeds and different grass. Here the grass is parched up with the sun, and looks as if nothing could live upon it ; but it is almost as good for the cattle as oats. We find wild pepper, camomile, and a great many things I didn't expect to see. We are now a hundred miles from the fort ( Laramie ), and we find three cabins with white folks living in them. It seems strange to meet any per son living here, away from civilization , among the In dians , wild beasts , and the Sand Hills , where nothing can grow for man's sustenance. JULY 7. - We have got where the horny toads are , and they are very poisonous. They resemble the toad , except that they have a tail as long as one's finger and horns upon each side as thick as saw teeth. JULY 25. - Since last date we camped at the ford where emigrants cross from the south to the north side of the Platte. On the south side there are a great many graves, as if whole families had been swept off at once , and the wreck of every description of property taken out by the emigrants. We stopped near the Red Buttes , where the hills are of a red color, nearly square , and have a the appearance of houses with flat roofs. We have left the Platte, which we followed for 500 miles ; traveled over the Sand Hills, where the wind blew the pebbles against my face almost hard enough to fetch the blood ; camped by a spring almost cold enough to freeze your face and hands if you washed in it ; passed over the sage plains ; came to the Sweet Water River, and it did look sweet, too , after traversing a country of nothing but sage , without a spire of grass or a drop of water. We also passed Independence Rock and the Devil's Gate, which is high enough to make one's head swim, and the posts reach an altitude of some 4 or 500 feet. We found dead oxen, of which our company lost several, and any amount of wagon wheels, strewed a l l along the road . One o f the

strangest sights to me, in the month of July , was the snowy mountains, covered with their everlasting snows. On Saturday, July 19 , we reached the top of the moun tains, and found the roads as level as the streets of Peoria. Passed the Pacific Springs, and commenced the descent , which was here so gradual as barely to be perceptible. Came to bad roads after a while and found worse hills going down the Rocky Mountains than when ascending. We had hills to climb so steep we could hardly get up , and so sidelong that we have to tie a rope to the under side of the wagon, let it extend over the top , and then walk on the hill above and hold on to the rope. When we gain the summit, we then have to go down one a great deal steeper ; everything that is not tied in the wagon falls out, and it would be amusing for a disinterested per son to stand at the top with a spy glass and witness the descent of a train down one of these terrible looking hills. You would see the women and children in advance seeking the best way, some of them slipping down , or holding on to the rocks , now taking an " otter slide, " and then a run till some natural obstacle presented itself to stop their accelerated progress, and those who get down safely, without a hurt or a bruise , are fortunate indeed. Looking back to the train, you would see some of the men holding on to the wagons, others slipping under the oxen's feet, some throwing articles out of the way that had fallen out, and all have enough to do to keep them busily occupied. Often the teams get going so fast down hill it is difficult to stop them to double lock, and when , at a still steeper place , there is no stopping them at a l l , the driver jumps o n the near wheel o x and the whole concern goes down with a perfect rush until a more level place i s reached . So you see we have some " hair breadth ” escapes, and a jolly time o f i t i f we could only think s o . JULY 29.The road goes between high hills and rocks , and we have t o drive over rocks s o large i t seems a s i f

ELIZABETH WOOD the wagons would break, and they would if they were not good ones. If we were the first that ever went along here, I should think we had come to the end of the road , for we can see but a short distance before us, and it seems as if the high mountains ahead had to be climbed but could not. AUGUST 2. — Cold weather ; the leaves on the trees are killed with the frost. ( To be continued ) [ From the issue of February 13, 1852 ] JOURNAL OF A TRIP TO OREGON - The long financial report which we published in our last crowded out the continuation of Miss Wood's “ Jour nal of a Trip to Oregon ," commenced the week before. We continue its publication this week, and will give the conclusion in our next . OREGON , AUGUST 3. - Snakes and grasshoppers rule here ; but of the former I mean the Snake Indians instead of the genuine serpent . This morning , by way of va riety , we were treated with an Oregon blow , the wind coming in such furious blasts that we had to hold the plates fast to the tables , and make our repast the best way we could . Though it is now August , " dog days ” with you, yet here it is quite cold and “ winter is coming. " The weeds are as dry and brown as they are in Illinois quite late in the fall .— One of our company is doubling his money on his goods . Cloth that can be bought for 16 cts. inPeoria he sells for75cts. peryard; coffee 50cts. per l b ., and tea that cost him five bits a pound h e readily sold for $ 2 . As money - making i s the " order o f the day , " I engaged i n some profitable speculations i n a small way, and realized quite a handsome profit comparatively t o the cost o f the articles sold . For instance , I disposed o f a worn and faded dress t o the Indians for $ 3.50 , which was purchased when new , i n Peoria , a t 1 0 cts per yard

- other things in the same proportions . - - Here the roads were s o bad , a s we went over the steep hills and clam bered over the rocks , I could hardly hold myself i n the wagon . Sometimes the dust i s s o great that the drivers cannot see their teams a t all though the sun i s shining brightly , and i t i s a great relief t o the way - worn traveler t o meet with some mountain stream , meandering through a valley , after traveling for miles over these rough and dusty roads , through a country where every blade o f grass has been dried u p , with the drouth that generally prevails here a t this time o f year , except i n the bottoms along the river banks , where we can yet get feed for our cattle . — One day we only made seven miles through a very deep sand . - - On Wednesday , August 6th , we passed Fort Hall met a company o f Indians , moving they had their ponys packed with their goods until one would sup pose nothing else could b e got o n them but o n the top o f their " plunder ” the little papooses were tied, t o keep them from falling off . Some o f the ponys were rode by the squaws , with a papoose lashed t o their backs , and i n some cases one o r two a t their sides , o r i f one , some thing else t o keep up the equilibrium . There were about 2 0 families o f these Indians , seeking for winter quar ters . - One morning a t the break o f day I was awakened by a disturbance among the cattle , which had got fright ened a t the barking o f a dog . They run against t h wagons , broke the wheels and tongue o f ours , and bawled and pitched around till they finally got loose and run off i n a n estampede . For a while a l l was confusion i n the camp , and we expected t o lose some o f the cattle . They kept on running until something i n the distance fright ened them back again , and they returned a s furious a s they went , when the men with great difficulty managed t o stop them . The captain ordered all the dogs t o b e killed , and i n obedience t o his commands , our faithful " Tray ” was shot . Some o f the company were not dis

ELIZABETH WOOD posed to comply with this sanguinary, though I believe necessary, decision of the captain's , and threatened retal iation in case their dogs should be killed. So, after repairing, we started on our journey with the expectation of having another run -a -way scrape ; an expectation which was shortly realized. We had not gone far when the train commenced running. I was on the pony, and he did not seem disposed to lag behind, but made every exertion to come out “ first best ” in the race ; as I had nothing but a man's saddle I jumped off, after getting in advance of the train, and you may imagine my position , with the whole train coming towards me, and the clouds of dust so thick that I could not see them. The last I did see of them they were running three or four teams abreast and making as much confusion as only such " critters ” can when they get frightened . Cattle here are as different from what they are in the states as day is from night ; and I think a little as Mrs. W— says, that they are paying up for the abuse they received at the start . They have been maltreated , cursed and hal looed at a l l the way , but now the men durst not speak loud t o them they are s o easily frightened . We are wait ing for our cattle t o b e found hunted till the afternoon , and have lost our best yoke . The two Wilson families lost s o many they had t o join teams and g o o n with one wagon . While hunting for the cattle one o f the company was shot a t b y a n Indian , who missed his mark . This afternoon we traveled four miles t o another camp ground , and had another frightful runaway before stopping . The dogs , now , are all killed but the cattle get frightened a t any thing , and sometimes a t nothing . We dare not ride i n the wagons , for the cattle are perfectly wild and I believe the people are too , for they don't know what they are doing . - Saturday the 9th , started and drove all the loose cattle ahead the men , women and children also go ahead o f the teams , o r far enough behind , s o a s not t o

frighten the cattle. In this wild region we cannot milk our cows any more than so many untamed antelopes. Perhaps they smell the wild animals, or scent the Indians ; though the dogs frightened them in the first place. Dogs areofnouseonthisroad, "nohow," andIwouldadvise all who emigrate to Oregon to bring none of these animals with them ; ours is not the only company who have had to kill them off. After experiencing so many hardships , you doubtless will think I regret taking this long and tiresome trip, and would rather go back than proceed to the end of my journey. But, no, I have a great desire to see Oregon , and , besides , there are many things we meet with — the beautiful scenery of plain and mountain, and their inhabitants, the wild animals and the Indians , and natural curiosities in abundance to compensate us for the hardships and mishaps we encounter. People who do come must not be worried or frightened at trifles ; they must put up with storm and cloud as well as calm and sunshine ; wade through rivers, climb steep hills , often go hungry, keep cool and good natured always , and pos sess courage and ingenuity equal to any emergency, and they will be able to endure unto the end. A lazy person should never think of going to Oregon. – Our cattle, by treating them kindly and speaking to them gently , are beginning to get a little tame, and we can now venture to ride in the wagons .- Here we have very little grass , and have great difficulty in finding enough for our stock ; what there is, is dried up , but the cattle eat it. AUGUST 15. - We have found some good grass, and the cattle are into it up to their eyes ; it looks like timothy, off at a distance, just ready to mow. – At one place here we have had to drive our cattle down 2000 feet to water ; in doing this we were obliged to leave a cow, which had not strength to walk after the fatigue of going down and up this mountain of a hill. – Again, there is no grass , but the soil is of an ashy nature, very mellow and conse a

ELIZABETH WOOD a quently dusty, and produces nothing but the sage brush. - On further we come across warm springs ( not the boiling springs ) oozing out of the top of the ground ; a cold spring is near by. On the opposite side of the river from us is a spring flowing out of the wall of a rock , large enough to turn a mill ; it is a very beautiful stream , clear as crystal, and runs so rapidly that it looks white as ice as it flows over the rock, and roars like a mill race. We got some salmon of the Indians here .— Monday the 18th we passed the Salmon Falls, at which place Capt. Taylor's company caught up with us ; one of his women had got her arm broken going down a steep hill, where the road was only wide enough for a wagon, at the side of which was this woman. I wonder she was not smashed to pieces. TUESDAY, 19th — This morning we expected a fuss with the Indians ; one shot from across the river and killed a cow, and then snapped his gun many times at the men, some one of whom had killed the Indian's dog. This , in my opinion ought not to have been done. It is not always that the Indians are the aggressors ; when they are it is well enough to chastise them, even with severity , but it is certainly a wrong policy, and results in much mischief, very often to unoffending people , to molest these ignorant and revengful savages even by killing a dog. AUGUST 21. – We forded the Snake River, which runs so swift that the drivers ( four to a team ) had to hold on to the ox yokes to keep from being swept down by the current. The water came into the wagon boxes, and after making the island we raised the boxes on blocks , engaged an Indian pilot, doubled teams , and reached the opposite bank in safety. It is best in fording this river to engage a pilot. — The " Telegraph Company, " as we call them, who passed us in such a hurry on the Platte , have left their goods and wagons scattered over the

mountains. We find them every day. Their cattle have given out, and I have seen several head of them at a time which had been left dead at the different camping places on the road. We drove too slow on the Platte, and the “ Telegraph ” hurried too fast, and while our cattle are comparatively strong and in good condition, and will enable us, if we have time before the setting in of winter, to reach our destination, theirs are so worn out from hard usage that it is doubtful if they get through at a l l this season . We have met some " packers, " and they inform us that we are too late t o cross the Cascade moun tains this season . AUGUST 25. - Palmer's company found a dead man , shot through the heart , supposed t o b e one o f the return ing packers . TUESDAY , 26th . — A poney was stolen b y the Indians last night . We are now camped with three companies , and an encampment o f Indians i s near u s but we are not afraid o f them when they come i n sight . I t i s only when they keep out o f sight , and hid i n some secret place , near enough t o see u s , that they are t o b e feared o r will com mit mischief , i f they can . The Indians we have met with here are more savage , cunning and treacherous than any we have yet seen . At one place they had cut a road through the willows , s o that they could come up t o camp after night undiscovered . The willows were not cleared quite up t o the road , but a short space was left t o hide i n ambush , s o that the enemy could attack u s b y surprise . They know where we have t o camp , and often see u s when we are not aware o f i t . I f a company i s large enough they are too great cowards t o attack i t , but watch an opportunity t o steal . – Our captain has a t last resigned , and had sufficient cause for s o doing . I t i s our desire t o travel with a captain , and not with a tribe whose in subordination will not allow o f one . Here we find balm o f gilead trees , which when dry , make very good fuel .

ELIZABETH WOOD Some of them are large enough for saw logs, and it very pleasant to see trees again after traveling hundreds of miles over the sage plains. - We have forded Boisee River, passed the Fort of that name , and the second time forded Snake River, which we have left never to return , and on Thursday the 4th of September pitched our tents upon the top of a high mountain ; but away up above us are mountains still higher. These are the Wind River Mountains. Here we left Dr. Perkins, of Indiana. His team gave out, and he waits for another company. This is a dismal morning, as it has been raining ; the hills are very slippery, and before us is a mountain that looks as if it could not be climbed. We are at one of those places where the way cannot be seen twenty steps ahead, but as we proceed openings are found to let us through, and where others have been we can go. It is snowing in the mountains while it is raining in the valleys. Here we got a pheasant for dinner ; their size is between the tur key and common fowl, and they resemble the prairie chicken, only their breasts are black. Monday the 8th we descended a very steep hill, which took an hour to get down, into a valley called the Grand Rounds. This valley is one of Nature's beauty spots, and at the foot of the hill we were met by a great many Indians waiting to see the emigrants. This valley is very fertile, its area is about 10,000 acres , fenced in with very high mountains , covered with fine trees. Its fertile soil produces several kinds of luxuriant grass — blue grass, timothy , clover , red top, and “ broom corn " grass , that looks like oats , only the head is not heavy enough . As we ascended the high hills upon leaving this delightful valley , we found that the trees , which looked like bushes before , were of the very largest and tallest growth . Some of them I was told would make 300 rails , and they would , evidently , the best kind of saw logs . A large number of Indians fol lowed us here , for the purpose of trading with the emi

grants. They will exchange a good pony for a good cow , orgiveasquawforapony!oraponyfor$100. The hills here are all covered with fine timber. Some of them are awful steep, however. We went up one today and it took twenty -two head of cattle to haul up one wagon , and there was not much in the wagon either. Emigrants will therefore see the necessity of kind and careful treat ment of their teams at the outset and indeed through the whole of this long journey, to reserve their strength for these difficult places. We came up here with Mr. Noosam , who is keeping a journal, with the intention of having it published for the benefit of the future emigration. It is the best guide I have seen, shows the road much better than Palmer's, gives more in detail the particulars , and its statements are to be relied upon. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14. — This is a beautiful, clear day, and we are traveling over as nice a rolling prairie as I have ever seen and along a clear and beautiful stream of water. There are no sloughs like those in Illinois. MONDAY, 15th .— Pleasant weather and good roads ; passed a tastefully built frame house, the first we have seen. Mount St. Elias is in the distance, and is covered with snow, so you can imagine somewhat the beauty and grandeur of the scene. We are now among the tribe of Wallawalla Indians, the same who murdered Dr. Whit comb and family. You have doubtless heard of the cir cumstances before. While we are getting supper tonight a squaw is near us engaged in picking vermin off from her papoose's head, and eating them , and while she is engaged in this dainty repast , I will repair to my tent and write to friends at home and far away. ( To be continued ) NOTE - Contrary to the promise to print the conclusion in the next number of the Republican, it did not appear then nor in later issues of the paper.

Organized December 17, 1898 FREDERICK V. HOLMAN F. G. YOUNG LESLIE M, SCOTT GEORGE H. HIMES, Curator President Vice - President Secretary Treasurer DIRECTORS THE GOVERNOR OF OREGON, ex - officio THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, ex - officie Term Expires at Annual Meeting in October, 1026 LESLIE M. SCOTT, JOHN GILL Term Expires at Annual Meeting in October, 1927 P. H. D'ARCY, T. C. ELLIOTT Term Expires at Annual Meeting in October, 1928 LEWIS A. MCARTHUR, FRED W. WILSON Term Expires at Annual Meeting in October, 1929 The Quarterly is sent free to a l l members o f the Society . The annual dues are two dollars . The fee for life membership i s twenty - fivedollars . Contributions t o The Quarterly and correspondence relative t o historical ma terials , o r pertaining t o the affairs o f this Society , should b e addressed t o F . G. YOUNG , Secretary , Eugene , Oregon Subscriptions for The Quarterly , o r for other publications o f the Society , should be sent t o BARBARA C . ELLIOTT , Ass't Secretary , Public Auditorium , Third St. , between Olay and Market Sta . Portland , Oregon

THE QUARTERLY

of the Oregon Historical Society VOLUME XXVII JUNE, 1926 NUMBER 2 Copyright, 1928 , by the Oregon Historical Society The Quarterly disavows responsibility for the positions taken by contributors to its pages. ISTORICA ERANO JUL 23 1926 PEACE N O D 3 0 U L H O AND S O C I E T Y FRIE 1 7, 1 8 9 8 INCORPORAT ,UDSHIP DECEMBER CONTENTS Pages F . G. YOUNG -