Page:Oregon, her history, her great men, her literature.djvu/108

106 on the night of the 18th of August last, the work, I have no doubt, of an incendiary. A reward of $ 100 was immediately offered, but, as yet, the offender has not been discovered. Should you think best to erect another jail I would suggest the propriety of building it of large stones clamped together. We have but little use for a jail, and a small building would answer all purposes, for many years, no doubt, if we should be successful in keeping ardent spirits out of the territory."

First Wagons to Cross the Cascade Range. The first emigrants reached the Willamette Valley by coming down the Columbia in boats and barges, driving their stock over the mountains. But late in October, 1845, Samuel K. Barlow, who said, "God never made a mountain without some place to go over it," left The Dalles with a train of thirteen wagons upon the hazardous undertaking of crossing the Cascade Mountains. With the advice of Joel Palmer and others in the train a route lying along the south side of Mt. Hood was chosen. Upon reaching the top of the divide the emigrants were compelled to abandon their wagons. They succeeded in reaching the settlement December 23. As soon as the snows sufficiently melted in 1846, the wagons were safely taken into the valley, despite the fact that at different times it was necessary to chain them to trees so that they could be let down over cliffs to other cliffs below, and so on until they were drawn by the teams again. In