Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 37.djvu/286

 be kept through the winter, and word has come here that nearly all are dead. One Colonal More, from Danville in Illinois, in the east part of the state, left about one hundred head of cattle and a dozen or twenty horses, at the Dalles, and every one of them are dead, and another that I knew on the road has lost every one that he has, or had. Those that get their cattle into the vally have lost but few, some not any.

We are still in favor of going north of the Columbia, and we find that there is a great many that have not made their claims yet, are intending to go that way. The people in that part of the teretory are trying to get the teritory divided making the Columbia the south line. There is a paper printed at Olympia on Pugets Sound. Shoal Water Bay, is said to be one of the best harbors on the coast, it being 12 miles wide at the mouth, that is north to south, 12 miles from the mouth, or west side to the east side, and 35 miles north and south in land, or something like this draft. I do not know the names of the streams that flow into it, but the one that comes in on the North east side is said to be the largest, and is navagable about 40 miles up, they catch the largest Oysters here of any place on the cost. It is said that vessels can run into it at any time without a pilot. But when I see it then I can tell you better about it, which I hope will be in a few weeks. I am engaged here with the singing school so that it will take some 4 or five weeks longer, perhaps, unless I can get off from it. I have received about $26.00 towards it, which is a great help to me, by the way, we got a stove the last of Nov. that only cost $50.00 I paid 20 down and sixteen more today. ...

We are about to get a boat to run to the cascades with next fall to bring down emegrants. The Lot Whitcomb is a float