Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 2.djvu/282



The task of gathering the reminiscences of the early settlers of Oregon is one both of pleasure and of profit. It is a real delight to listen to the narration of experiences which can never be repeated in a section now so far advanced in social and industrial life. These narratives are a heritage of which we should take advantage. The preservation of them is the best service which the present generation can render to the future. Nothing can be of such value, as times goes on, as the record of those who have been actors in the development of our commonwealth.

In a series of conversations with Alanson Hinman, it has been a privilege to the writer to go over the early history of Oregon with one who was a part of it and to gain a more realizing sense of the life and romantic situations of early days. Although now seventy-nine years of age, Mr. Hinman is still vigorous and retains an accurate memory and a discriminating judgment of men and events. Because of his excellent judgment and keen insight, Mr. Hinman's recollections are of especial value to the student of history. He makes no statements without careful consideration.

Mr. Hinman was born in Columbia County, New York, May 1, 1822, and was one of a family of eleven children. After several changes within his native state and Pennsylvania in search of an opening for a young man, Mr. Hinman finally decided to go West, with no particular point in view, and the year 1844 found him at