Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/387



"all aboard FOU OREGON"

The followiug notice was printed in the Western (Missouri) Journal, iMareh 15, 1845 :

"Mr. Editor: I wish to give notice, through your paper, to all those parties who intend to emigrate to Oregon, that ai-rangements have been made to cross the Missouri river at two diti'erent points, the one in Andrew, the other in Bu- chanan county. Some of the citizens of Andrew have made arrangements with the Sac Indians for the privilege of range, wood and water, opposite Elizabeth- town.

' ' They liave promised the Indians six two-year-old beeves, to be jiaid by that portion of the Oregon company which may cross at Elizabethtown. This point is very suitable for ci-ossing the Missouri river. The rates are only about half what is usual at the common ferries on the Missouri.

"The company expect to rendezvous in the Indian country opposite Eliza- bethtovFn, between the first and tenth of April. A number of excellent citizens expect to cross at this place. This is the point from which a portion of the Ore- gon company started last spring. Taking all things into consideration, this is probably the best route to cross the Missouri at Elizabethtown (where there is an excellent large ferry-boat) and fall on the Platte, opposite the Pawnee village, and thence pass along up the south side of the Platte river.

' ' A Member of the Oregon Company ' '

THE rendezvous

Col. James W. Nesmith has given an account of the gathering of the clans at Fitzhugh's mill near Independence, Missouri, and this is copied as the best des- cription possible.

"Without orders from any quarter, and without preconcert, promptly as the grass began to start, the emigrants began to assemble near Independence, at a place called Fitzhugh's Mill. On the seventeenth day of May, 1843, notices were circulated through the ditt'erent encampments that on the succeeding day, those who contemplated emigrating to Oregon, would meet at a designated point to organize. Promptly at the appointed hour the motley groups assembled. They consisted of people from all the States and Tei'ritories, and nearly all nation- alities; the most, however, from Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa, and all strangers to one another, but impressed with some crude idea that there existed an imperative necessity for some kind of an organization for mutual protection against the hostile Indians inhabiting the great unknown wilderness stretching away to the shores of the Pacific, and which they were about to traverse, with their wives and children, household goods, and all their earthly possessions.

]Many of the emigrants were from the western tier of counties of .Missouri, known as the Platte Purchase, and among them was Peter II. Purnett, a former merchant wdio had abandoned the yard-stick and become a lawyer of some celeb- rity for his ability as a smooth-tongued advocate. He subsequently emigrated to California, and was elected the first governor of the Golden State, was after- ward chief justice and still an honored resident of that State. ^w. Burnett, or as he was familiarly designated "Pete," w-as called upon for a speech.