Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/359

 COMMUNICATION IN EARLY OREGON 351 stations to prepare long- letters to send by him. However, he started two days earlier, or on October 3, 1842. A. L. Lovejoy accompanied him. Usually they would have had little difficulty in getting across the Rocky Mountains before winter set in. They reached Fort Hall in the short space of 11 days. Par- enthetically, I may say that in 1852 it took our Oregon train, using horses, from July 12 to August 20 to drive from Fort Hall to Umatilla so they certainly made good time on this part of the trip. Instead of going by the direct route through the South Pass, they turned south through Salt Lake and Taos, towards Santa Fe. They encountered storms, snow, ice and partly frozen rivers. Their guide lost his direction and only the most heroic efforts and a succession of seeming miracles preserved them from destruction. From Taos they started for Bent's Fort, on the head waters of the Arkansas River. Near that fort they overtook a party en route for St. Louis. Mr. Lovejoy remained at the fort until Spring, but Dr. Whitman pressed on and reached Westport, now a part of Kansas City, February 15, 1843, about 19 weeks on the way. From there to St. Louis he went on horseback and thence by stage eastward, as the winter was unusually severe and the frozen rivers did not break up until April to permit steamboat navigation. He is recorded as being in New York City March 29 and in Boston from March 30 to April 8. His movements between February 15 and March 29 are not recorded, but a winter trip by land from the Missouri River to the Atlantic seaboard would prob- ably have consumed most of that time. This was almost six months after leaving home. The Provisional Government, June 28, 1845, adopted a reso- lution of about 1000 words, addressed to the United States Congress, which was not printed in the Grover archives. I am sure it would interest all those present, if there were time, to -hear it read, and as it was signed by those who, in later years, played an important part in Oregon affairs, I venture to give their names : Peter G. Stewart, W. J. Bailey, and Osborn Russell, executives; J. W. Nesmith, Judge of Circuit Court; M. M. McCarver, speaker ; Jesse Applegate, Medare G. Foisy,