Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 15.djvu/42



34 JUDGE WILLIAM C. BROWN

is, however, a somewhat indefinite term, for the fur com- pany men did not by any means travel the same path in going over the old route. They traveled up and down on both sides of the river and the lake, and by the Similkameen road as well, according to how fancy or convenience moved them. But the big heavy laden brigades followed the lines first above stated almost invariably. A four-columned article appeared in the Oregon Statesman of February 14, 1860, written by Joel Palmer, wherein he describes his trips over the Okanogan trail in 1858 and 1859. After recounting the arrival of the wagon train at Fort Okanogan he has this to say :

"Passing Okinakane some five miles the trail forks ; with our wagons we followed the Okinakane river trail, which is a very good one, with the exception of about one mile over drifting sand hills. The other trail cuts a bend in the river and though several miles shorter, would be difficult to travel with wagons. It is probably about fifteen miles to where they unite on the bank of the river. It then follows up, pass- ing several difficult points to near McLaughlin battle canyon, where we crossed the river. With the exception of one stony point, it is a good road onward to the mouth of the Similka- meen, distant from Okinakane about sixty-five miles. Pack trains need not cross the river, but may continue on to the forks. Good camping grounds are found all along the river. I am not advised as to the particular location of the newly discovered mines, but suppose them to be within twelve or fifteen miles of the forks of the Similkameen and Okinakane. From this point there are several trails which have been used in reaching the mines on Frazer and Quenelle river. The one which we took in July 1858 with our wagons, leads northward up the valley of Okinakane to the Great Lake and along the western shore to its head; sometimes passing through gaps in the mountain ranges both in the river and lake sections; it then turns eastward (?) (westward) and strikes a stream called Salmon river, the southern fork of Thompson river, where it again diverges to the north and intersects Thompson river about twenty miles above Ft. Thompson, bearing nearly due west. Another trail and the one I travelled going out last spring with a pack train, follows up the Okinakane valley eleven or twelve miles, where it crosses a ridge and falls upon the Similkameen, follows up