Page:History of Oregon Literature.djvu/450

 Three editions were printed and a fourth was just ready for delivery when the famous earthquake and fire in that city wiped out books, plates, and all. It was a dreadful catastrophe. An order for 600 copies came the very day that we heard of the fire! ... I have always expected to revise and republish this book but I have never gotten around to it.

Two years later A. C. McClurg & Company published ''The Conquest. The True Story of Lewis and Clark''.

She divided its 443 pages into 82 chapters and three books—Book 1, "When Red Men Ruled"} Book 2, "Into the West"; Book 3, "The Red Head Chief." Through the influence of this novel the women of the Northwest erected statues of Lewis and Clark, and Sacajawea. Mrs. Dye has also given an account of this book in her own words:

My thoughts were turned to that memorable Lewis and Clark expedition and I was persuaded by my publishers to weave a story about that. I mixed straining research with family cares in collecting material and getting ready. ... I struggled along as best I could with the information I could get, trying to find a heroine. The publishers wanted the story hurried. I had the dry old Biddle edition, with its skeletons of dry facts concerning the expedition, and worked and worked trying to secure the things necessary for my story. I traced down every old book and scrap of paper, but still was without a real heroine. Finally, I came upon the name of Sacajawea and I screamed, "I have found my heroine."

Then I had Judith, the girl Clark left behind him when he went on the expedition. I then hunted up every fact I could find about Sacajawea. Out of a few dry bones I found in the old tales of the trip I created Sacajawea and made her a real living entity. For months I dug and scraped for accurate information about this wonderful Indian maid. This gave me my heroes and my heroine and after much work and four trips across the continent in search of facts, and information in many of the principal libraries, I set to work. . ..

When I got my manuscript all written I sent it to the publishers and it appeared in an attractive cover. The world snatched at my heroine, Sacajawea. Judith apparently was overlooked. The beauty of that faithful Indian woman with her baby on her back, leading those stalwart mountaineers and explorers through the strange land, appealed to the world.

Her fourth book was ''McDonald of Oregon. A Tale of''