Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/382



Vol. I— 16

plunge through the mud, swim over streams, dive into thickets, and climb moun- tains to get at the grass, and he will eat almost anything.

"Milch cows on the road are exceedingly useful, as they give an abundance of milk all the way, though less toward the close of it. By making what is called thickened milk on the way, a great saving of flour is effected, and it is a most rich and delicious food, especially for the children.

"Provisions: — One hundred and forty pounds of flour, forty pounds of bacon to each person. Besides this, as much dried fruit, rice, corn meal, parched corn, meal, and raw corn, peas, sugar, tea, eofi'ee, and such like articles as you can well bring. Flour will keep sweet the whole trip, corn meal to the mountains, and parched corn meal all the way. The flour and meal ought to be put in sacks or light barrels; and what they call shorts are just as good as the finest flour, and will perhaps keep better ; but I do not remember of any flour being spoiled on the way. The parched corn meal is excellent to make soup. Dried fruit is excellent. A few beef cattle to kill on the way, or fat calves, are very useful, as you need fresh meat.

"The loading should consist mostly of provisions. Emigrants should not burden themselves with furniture, or many beds ; and a few light trunks, or very light boxes, might be brought to pack clothes in. Trunks are best, but they should be light. All heavy articles should be left, except a few cooking vessels, one shovel, and a pair of pot hooks. Clothes enough to last a year, and several pair of strong, heavy shoes to each person, it will be well to bring. If you are heavily loaded let the quantity of sugar and coffee be small, as milk is preferable and does not have to be hauled. You should have a water keg, and a tin canister made like a powder canister to hold your milk in ; a few tin cups, tin plates, tin saucers, and butcher knives ; and there should be a small grindstone in company, as the tools become dull on the way. Many other articles may be useful. Rifles and shot- guns, pistols, powder, lead and shot, I need hardly say are useful, and some of them necessary on the road, and sell well here. A rifle that would cost $20.00 in the States is worth $50.00 here, and shotguns in proportion.

"Companies of from forty to fifty wagons are large enough. Americans are prone to differ in opinion, and large companies become unwieldy, and the stock become more troublesome. In driving stock to this country, about one in ten is lost, not more. Having started, the best way to save the teams is to drive a rea- sonable distance every day, and stop about an hour befoi-e sundown. This gives time for arranging the camp, and for the teams to rest and eat before it is dark. About eight hours' drive is long days — resting one hour at noon — I think is enough. Never drive irregularly, if you can avoid it. On Platte River, Bear River, and Boise River, and in many other places, you can camp at any point you please ; but at other places on the way you will be compelled to drive hard some days to get water and range. Wlien you reach the buffalo country never stop your wagons to hunt, as you will eat up more provisions than you wall save. It is true, you can kill buffalo, but they are always far from camp, and the weather is too warm to save much of it. When you reach the country of game, those who have good horses can keep the company in fresh meat. If an individual wishes to have great amusement hunting the buffalo, he had better have an extra horse, and not use him until he reaches the buffalo region. Buffalo hunting is very hard upon horses, and emigrants had better be cautious how they unnecessarily break