102nd Day-

 

Father Lempfrit- The night has been very cold. Our caravan was now reduced to eleven waggons. At noon we were in sight of the Cascade mountains. They were all snow-covered. The next day our travel was abominable, deep sand, but sand so unstable that it was only with difficulty that one could extricate himself. We had taken the wrong road. We should have followed the one on the right. We were thus subjected to awful trails.

 

Medorem Crawford- Went to the Fort (Walla Walla) before breakfast and got our things. Started at 9 o'clock lost two animals went back and found [them] and kept down the river, the most of time a steep bluff of rocks was on our left with occasional spots of grass sufficient for camping purposes stopped three hours for dinner, much sand and frequently in large drifts camped near sunset, traviled 12 m.

 

Joel Palmer- At eight o'clock this morning, the men who had left us at Grand Round for Dr. Whitman's station, rejoined us, accompanied by the doctor and his lady. They came in a two horse wagon, bringing with them a plentiful supply of flour, meal and potatoes. After our party had taken some refreshment, the march was resumed; our visitors accompanying us to our camp four miles down the river. Our present location affords but little grazing. The doctor and lady remained with us during the day; he took occasion to inform us of the many incidents that marked his ten years' sojourn in this wilderness region, of a highly interesting character.

 

Mary Black- Monday noon. I finished a letter home yesterday which occupied all the leisure I could get. We came to the spring about 1 Oclock & stayed till this morning. John was quite sick when we stopped. Took opium & slept all evening. Emaline and 2 of her children on the sick list. I have my hands full with sickness and stubborness. I am almost at a loss to know what to do. But resolved to do my duty.

 

103rd Day

 

Father Lempfrit- We had a very good night [on Butter Creek]. The Captain [Stone] announced that as we had a long distance to travel before finding any water we must make an early start. We were still traveling in deep sand and the trail became worse all the time.... We were in a most distressing situation and we all suffered terribly from thirst. Between noon and 2 in the afternoon the heat was absolutely unbearable.... At noon, a waggon belonging to a German fam­ily from Pennsylvania was forced to remain behind. These poor people had lost almost all of their oxen and their food was spent. We had to share our food with them to prevent them from starving to death. We halted at noon to eat a little something after which we were on our way. We traveled until 5 o'clock in the evening and were quite exhausted when we saw in the distance some­thing that looked like a little river [perhaps Sand Hollow]. The Captain went on ahead with two men. At 6:30 that evening we came to a small gorge where there were numerous sweetly smelling trees. I cut one or two branches of these and delighted in their fragrance. [Root had earlier described a "hollow" just two miles east of Well Springs in which cedars grew.] There was no water, at 7 o'clock in the evening we were all dying of thirst and my heart was breaking as I heard the poor children crying out for water.

     As the Captain had not yet returned we decided to wait for him where we were. This is why we decided to camp without unhitching our oxen. I lay down, covered with my buffalo robe and stretched myself out in the sand.... At 11 o'clock that evening we set out to continue our nocturnal journey.... At last we arrived at a wide stretch of land in the middle of which was a little hill enclosed by a kind of wall. We took a look at it, here there was water and very good water [Well Springs]. We gulped it down thirstily and in the meantime the rest of the company arrived. Everyone drank their fill. A little calf, however, thought he would end his life there. He tumbled into the water and it was only with the great­est of difficulty that we succeeded in getting him out of the water hole. The time was about 2 o'clock in the morning. The Captain had still not appeared. Then we had the idea of firing a few shots into the air. The Captain, who had taken shelter a short distance away heard the shots and immediately acknowledged our sig­nal by firing a shot from his own gun.... In less than half an hour we found the Captain camped near two springs bubbling over with clean water.... The day we named "The Day of Disaster."

 

Joel Palmer- This morning, after breakfast, our worthy guests left us and we took up our line of march, traveling down the Umatillo valley for some twelve miles, crossing the stream twice. The road then takes up the bluff to the right, over a high grassy plain. Our encampment was pitched on the bluff on the left of the road. The water required at camp, was packed about one and a half miles, being procured at the base of the bluffs, up which we had to climb. The country is very rolling, covered with dry grass; it is mostly prairie. From this point two snowy peaks appear in view, as also the great valley of the Columbia; in truth it may be said that our present location is in that valley, although it is generally termed the middle region.

 

Mary Black- This morning Silas says Bell is sick, I doctor myself and children & feel concerned about Bell, but he has neither asked for med­icine nor my advise. I would not have ever known it if not for my own observations. There is a good physician in the train, that is enough. We are encamped close to a willow branch I do not know the name. Graham is just below us, Ringo above, to judge from the down hill we came in on.

 

104th Day

 

Father Lempfrit- We left early in the morning. Unfortunately we were soon without water. We felt so sorry for our poor animals. The heat was absolutely suffocating. We found very little grass and on top of this what there was all dried out and growing in little tufts. Our animals nevertheless devoured it, poor as it was. At noon I drank a few drops of the polluted water we had brought with us, for in spite of the little calf's having fallen into the pool, everyone had provided themselves with a little of this water, revolting as it looked. At 5 o'clock in the eve­ning ... I set out to look for the river. At 6 o'clock that evening, as I was descend­ing a ravine, my pony saw a green spot in the distance. After a few minutes I was in the meadow [at Willow Creek] in spite of the tortuous and difficult path that led down to it. Once arrived in the meadow I saw some horsemen in the distance. I thought they were Indians but little by little, as I got nearer I saw that there were also waggons. When finally I came up to them I found out that these wagons belonged to the caravan that was ahead of us. They were making preparations for travel throughout the night. Further on I met some characters who looked like brigands. They told me they were soldiers! Well, they certainly looked the part! They were a troop of volunteer militiamen that the government had stationed in the nearby fort [probably Fort Waters, east of Fort Walla Walla] to disperse large gatherings of hostile Indians.

 

Medorem Crawford- Started at 8 o'clock kept down the river very sandy barren country destitute of timber (crossed the Unadilla). Cold wind & little rain. Mr. Spaulding & lady over took us at noon rain increased. Camped at 4 o'clock, traviled 18 miles. Considerable rain. Cleared off before bed time. Mr. Gray called at camp on his return from Vancouver.

 

Joel Palmer- This day we traveled about ten miles. Eight miles brought us to the river; we followed the banks of the river for two miles and encamped; good grazing is found. The stream as usual is lined with timber, but with this exception, it is a rolling prairie as far as can be seen, extending to the north and south, and bounded on the east and west by the Blue and Cascade moun­tains. Whilst at this camp, we were visited by the Wallawalla Indians; they reside along the lower part of the Wallawalla, the low bottoms of the Umatillo and the Columbia, from the mouth of Lewis river for one hun­dred miles south. They furnished us with potatoes and venison. In their personal appearance they are worthy of commendation."

 

Mary Black- We are stopped to noon. Silas called the doctor this morning for Bell & said he must stop at the John Day River [about 120 miles east of Portland] till he could come up to see her. So we came on as our team is weak and needs to be on grass. The mules and roan can stand it better than our other poor mares. Since we left them, it has been up hill all the way. They will be apt to be late getting in. The doctor has an ox team. They passed just as we were getting ready to bring in the horses.

 

James Monroe Fulkerson- The Fulkerson/Miller wagon train traveled on to Walla Walla to visit the Whitmans and recuperate at the Whitman Mission [The Medorem Crawford wagon train also traveled out of the way to Wall Walla in 1846]. Mary Ella Strader Slagle in an unpublished manuscript, quotes from a letter written by Mary Allen, daughter of William Holt Fulkerson: “When they arrived at the Whitman Mission, Grandfather looked at the wonderful grass in the Sherman County country and said, 'This is enough, I want to take my land here.' But an Indian guide said, ‘No, go over the mountains. There will be trouble here.’ So, he took that advice and the Whitman Massacre was that year. Grandfather came on over the Barlow trail and his oxen were so worn and some of them died.......”

 

105th Day

 

Father Lempfrit- I used the time to explore the country around us. Father Lionnet left with the militiamen, as he wanted to go on ahead. I was able to help a poor woman who thought she was going to die. I delivered her baby.

 

Medorem Crawford- Started at 10 o'clock and parted with Mr. & Mrs. Spalding who in consequence of some intelligence from Mr. Gray resolved to return. Cold wind. Camped at 5 o'clock, traviled 20 miles.

 

Joel Palmer- This day we traveled about fifteen miles. For the first eight miles the soil was remarkably rich in appearance, an admixture of sand and loam, and covered with good grass; the stream is lined with timber, in common with many of those that we have passed; the last seven miles was sandy and heavy travel­ing. The Columbia River presents itself on our right, at the distance of four miles. The river is in view for miles along this road. The prickly pear is found in abundance. It was our intention to have reached the Columbia before encamping, but from the difficult travel­ing, were compelled to encamp on the sandy plain, deprived of water, wood and grass.

 

106th Day

 

Father Lempfrit- We traveled all night without the slightest mishap. About midnight we went through a little valley where the cold was intense. At 5 o'clock in the morning we reached a creek [Rock Creek]. We took advantage of this by getting our horses to drink a little water but as there was no fodder we carried on for another seven miles and encamped on the John Day River.

 

Joel Palmer- This morning at day-light we started for the Columbia, distance three and a half miles. The river at this place is from a half to three-fourths of a mile in width. It is a beautiful stream; its waters are clear and course gently over a pebbly bottom. Along the Columbia, is a strip of barren country of twelve miles in width; a little dry grass in bunches, prickly pear and grease wood, dot its surface. With this excep­tion, its appearance was wild and solitary to a great degree; but sterile as it is in appearance, the view is relieved by the majesty of the river that flows by it. Immediately along the bank of the Columbia is a narrow bottom, covered with green grass, cocklebur, wild sun­flower, pig weed, and several other kinds of weeds, all of which were in full bloom. There was something inspiriting and animating in beholding this. A feeling of pleasure would animate our breasts akin to that filling the breast of the mariner, when after years of absence, the shores of his native land appear to view. We could scarce persuade ourselves but that our journey had arrived at its termination. We were full of hope, and as it was understood that we had but one more difficult part of the road to surmount, we moved forward with redoubled energy; our horses and cattle were much jaded, but we believed that they could be got through, or at least the greater part of them.

     The Indians were constantly paying us visits, furnish­ing us with vegetables, which, by the by, were quite welcome; but they would in return demand wearing apparel, until by traffic, we were left with but one suit. We were compelled to keep a sharp look out over our kitchen furniture, as during these visits it was liable to diminish in quantity by forming an attachment towards these children of the forest, and following them off. Many of these savages were nearly naked; they differ greatly from the Caguas, being much inferior; they are a greasy, filthy, dirty set of miscreants as ever might be met.

 

107th Day

 

Father Lempfrit- We had thought that we would soon be arriving at the Columbia River bank but we were mistaken. We had to carry on traveling until 11 o'clock that night. Our poor animals were exhausted by fatigue and were at the point of collapse from inanition. They had not a single blade of grass to eat all day. About midnight we reached the longed for Columbia River, but alas! what a disappointment. We had thought that we would find the Promised Land, we had set our hopes on a new Eden! Not so! We found a dry and arid land where there was not a piece of wood, not even a stick, and where a violent wind carried clouds of dust with it.... We had to take shelter behind our waggons to avoid being buried in the sand that the wind hurled at us with unbelievable violence. We ate a few biscuits and slept as best we could. [This was near present day Biggs, Oregon]

 

Medorem Crawford- Started late, tremenndous west wind, lost my horse last night, Indians brought him into camp this morning, very rocky road over steep sidling places, crossed a large creek about noon. Camped at 4 o'clock. Traviled 11 miles.

 

Joel Palmer- This day we traveled about twenty miles. The first eight miles the road is heavy travel­ing; the remaining portion however is much better, with the exception of the last five miles, which proved to be quite rocky. There is an occasional green spot to be found, but the whole distance we have traveled since we first struck the river cannot be regarded as more than a barren sandy plain. In our route this day we passed several Indian villages; they are but temporary establishments, as their migratory disposition will not justify more permanent structures.

 

108th Day

 

Father Lempfrit- This [the Deschutes River] was not very deep. An Indian pointed out to us a place where the river was fordable. After we got across the river we stopped for a few moments to debate whether we should push on further ahead. We were faced with a very steep hill to climb. Captain Stone decided that he wanted to carry on and our conductor O'Neil who was very friendly with him wanted to go with him. Thus we were reduced to two waggons, the four others remained behind. The Captain was the first to get up the hill and so he had to use our four pairs of oxen as well as his own. Thus he had eight pairs and despite this long string of oxen he had the utmost difficulty in reaching the top of the hill. After this he came down for us and we managed to get up the hill quite well. When we arrived at the summit we found a nice little spot to set up our camp. A little spring furnished us with very good water and this was most welcome. ... a very bad night. We had to use dried horse dung for fuel. We baked a few slices of salmon but immediately they became blackened with dust. However, what will one not eat when one is famished?

 

Medorem Crawford- Started very late, tremendous west wind & sand drifting like snow in our faces, passed over some large drifts. Came to a tremendous rapid creek, obliged to take all our effects over in a canoe which was dangerous. Passed tremendous rocky falls in the River. Large Indian town, traviled 6 m.

 

Joel Palmer- This day we traveled but sixteen miles. After a march of seven miles, we arrived at a small creek, a good situation for encamping; nine miles more brought us to Dry Branch, from whence we pro­ceeded down the bluff to the river; a great portion of the road traveled was sandy and heavy.

 

Mary Dutro, 1852- I rote thiz letter on the bottom of the dish pan.

 

109th Day

 

Father Lempfrit- Towards evening, I saw two horsemen riding towards us at a fast trot. These gen­tlemen were Mr. Lionett [Lempfrit's former companion] and Mr. Roussean [one of Chief Tauitowe's former missionaries], a young priest who was in the personal service of the Bishop of Walla Walla. They were coming to take delivery of the letters that we had brought for the two Bishops and also to let us know that we had taken the wrong trail. These gentlemen stayed with us and did not leave us until the next morning.

 

Medorem Crawford- I feel bad this morning in consequence of getting wet yesterday and my eyes are much affected by the flying sand. Started at 11 o'clock traviled over hills & sidling places, saw a high snowy peak which we understand to be Mt. Hood. Passed the Dalis or rapids of the river [This must be the rapids at Dallas, Oregon.] which is a singular sight. Arrived at Mt. Perkins at 3 o'clock, found our old company there, traviled 8 miles. Mr. Perkins preached in camp this evening.

 

Joel Palmer- This day we traveled about fourteen miles. The road was quite hilly; sometimes it followed the bank of the river, at others pursued its course along the high bluff. The river is confined to a very narrow channel; country very barren, and the bluffs of great height.

 

Elizabeth Goltra, 1853- Do not like Oregon yet, so far.

 

110th Day

 

Father Lempfrit- I first came to a little valley where I stopped for a short time. I noticed that there were several trails that crossed each other. Undecided as to which trail to take, I asked some Indians where the Bishop's house was.... They pointed out a hill on my left but as this was so far away I thought they were mistaken, so I carried on along the trail I was following thinking that our wag­gons were coming on along behind me. I rode for six more hours without seeing the slightest sign of a dwelling. I had eaten practically nothing that morning. I had not brought any food with me and night was falling. "Where am I," I said to myself. "Alone with my pony." I don't know what had become of the caravan—come now, I will have to make up my mind to spend the night under a tree!

     I looked around then for a fairly comfortable place where I could find shelter. I found a tree which had large roots that created a little niche and I filled this up with dry leaves. I decided to wait there for the caravan. I tethered my horse to a kind of shrubby tree that was near my little nest and as I did not have a gun of any kind to defend myself in case of need, I armed myself with my horsewhip and set this down beside me. Then I took my horse's saddle to serve me as a pillow and the horse blanket to cover me.

     After midnight I was awakened by the howls of a huge wolf that was attack­ing my poor little horse. Luckily I had not tied him up very firmly so he was able to get away. I heard him bolting at the gallop and scrambling back up the hill. Imagine, dear readers. Just think of my predicament! The horse had escaped from the wolf but the wolf smelt other prey! Alas, he would come after me! I was now on the alert and armed with the whip I waited for daybreak.

 

Joel Palmer- This day we traveled about three miles. The road ascends the bluff; is very difficult in ascent from its steepness, requiring twice the force to impel the wagons usually employed; after effecting the ascent, the sinuosity of the road led us among the rocks to the bluff on John Day's river; here we had another obstacle to surmount, that of going down a hill very precipitous in its descent, but we accomplished it without loss or injury to our teams. This stream comes tumbling through kanyons and rolling over rocks at a violent rate. It is very difficult to cross, on account of the stone forming the bed of the creek; its width, however, does not exceed ten yards. The grazing is in­different, the grass being completely dried.

 

111th Day

 

Father Lempfrit- About 4 o'clock in the morning the first glimmerings of dawn were appearing. I went to examine the spot where my pony had been tethered and when I noticed a few drops of blood there I came to the conclusion that my poor horse had been injured. So I climbed to the top of the hill to see if I could see where he had gone but there was no trace of him no matter in what direction I looked. I crossed over to the opposite side of the river and then, when I reached the top of the river bank, I saw my pony ambling peacefully along the path I had followed yesterday.

     It would be better I thought to go and find the caravan for I had no idea which way it would have gone. Once again I found myself in the little valley that I had been through the previous day.... I said to myself, "I am a donkey, this is what I am always doing, I go on ahead and then I get lost." I had to find consolation....I tied my horse up at the edge of the river and set out to look for the wheel-tracks of our waggons. About a hundred paces away I discovered fresh tracks. I saw that they had crossed over the river, and a short distance away I came on two fires that were still smoking a little. This was a message from Heaven as I was now sure that the caravan had halted there. I then returned to where I had left my horse on the other side of the river and led him along the path to my right which, if I had heeded what the Indians I met yesterday had told me, would have taken me straight to The Dalles. I lit my pipe. This was another piece of good fortune for me because it was more than a day since I had been able to smoke....

     We climbed a long hill and went at least six miles without seeing anything. But my mind was at ease as we were following the tracks of our waggons. At last, about 2 o'clock in the afternoon I reached the crest of a hill and then I saw our waggons halted in a little valley. Our people soon saw me and came up to me asking questions. "Oh, please give me something to eat," I said, "I am absolutely famished." Afterwards, I told them all about my unfortunate adventure.

Joel Palmer- This morning we discovered that several of our trail ropes had been stolen. Our horses could not be found until very late; notwithstanding the delay thus occasioned we traveled some twenty miles. The road for the first three miles is up hill; it then pursues its course over a grassy, rolling plain for fifteen or sixteen miles, when it again descends the bluff to the bank of the Columbia, which we followed down for one mile and there encamped. The bluffs are very high and rocky. We suffered great inconvenience from the want of fuel, as there is none to be found along the Columbia; we collected a few dry sticks of driftwood and weeds, which enabled us to partially cook our food. The road we traveled this day was very good.

​

112th Day

 

Father Lempfrit- I was most anxious to get to the Bishop's Palace as soon as possible so, in spite of my unfortunate adventures I decided that I would once more take the risk of going on alone.... There were several hills to climb and descend however before I could get to this place. As I was going up the last hill I saw in the distance the enchanting banks of the Columbia River whose waters pour into the ocean so many miles ahead. In this pretty little valley I came on a forest of magnificent oak-trees luxuriant with acorns more beautiful than any I have seen.... I decided not to push further ahead. Yesterday's adventure had made me prudent! I waited patiently for our waggons to arrive. At last, just as I was writing these few lines, I heard the sound of our waggons coming down the hill. It was 5 o'clock in the evening. I was happy. "At least I will have supper this evening and need not fear being devoured by wolves," I said to myself. Towards evening we saw a fairly high building surrounded by a strong palisade. We were told that this was a fort the Americans had built to protect themselves from the incursions of the Indians. We made our way toward the fort (old Fort Lee). Night had fallen by the time we arrived there. We went all round this wooden fortress but found it completely shut up.

 

Joel Palmer- This day we traveled about twelve miles. Two miles brought us to the crossing of Deshutes or Falls river; a stream having its source in a marshy plain bordering on the Great Basin, and receives numerous tributaries heading in the Cascade mountains, the eastern base of which it follows and pours its waters into the Columbia. The mouth of De Shutes river is near fifteen miles east of the Dalles or eastern base of these mountains; the river is about one hundred yards wide, and the current very rapid; the stream is enclosed by lofty cliffs of basaltic rock. Four hundred yards from the Columbia is a rapid or cascade. Within the distance of thirty yards its descent is from fifteen to twenty feet. The current of this stream was so rapid and violent, and withal of such depth, as to require us to ferry it. Some of the companies behind us, however, drove over at its mouth by crossing on a bar. Prepara­tory to ferrying, we unloaded our wagons, and taking them apart, put them aboard some Indian canoes, which were in waiting, and crossed in safety; after putting our wagons in order of travel, and preparing to start, we discovered ourselves minus a quantity of powder and shot, two shirts and two pairs of pantaloons, which the Indians had appropriated to their own use, doubtless to pay the trouble of ferriage.

     In the morning a quarrel ensued among the Indians respecting their canoes, closing in a melee, and such a fight I never before witnessed; stones and missiles of every description that were at hand were used with freedom. We did not interfere with them, and when they were tired of fighting the effects of the battle were visible in numerous instances, such as bloody noses and battered, bleeding heads.

     We ascended the bluff and traveled along the brink for several miles, then crossed over the ridge to a small creek; after crossing it, we took up a dry run for one or two miles, thence over a ridge to a running branch, and there encamped. The country through which we traveled this day was extremely rough; all prairie, and covered with grass, but very dry.

 

113th Day

 

Father Lempfrit- We arrived early in the morning at the residence of the Bishop of Walla Walla. He was saying mass at the time of our arrival. He welcomed us with kindness and invited us to stay with him until we were able to arrange for a barge to transport us to Fort Vancouver. The Bishop's residence is not grand, far from it. It is a little wooden cabin about twelve feet by fifteen. Such is his little manor house! On one side of it another house is being built for him but as there are no workmen and it remains uninhabitable.

 

Joel Palmer- This day we traveled about five miles, which brought us to the Dalles, or Methodist Missions. Here was the end of our road, as no wagons had ever gone below this place. We found some sixty families in waiting for a passage down the river; and as there were but two small boats running to the Cascade falls, our prospect for a speedy passage was not overly flat­tering.

 

Willis Boatman (Mary Ann’s husband)- We were getting pretty near the Blue Mountains, where one of Mr. Scott's men who had been complaining for some time of the scurvy, got so bad that he had to be hauled. About this time Mrs. Boatman commenced to get ill with the scurvy. We expected at this time to cross the Cascade Mountains with our teams. We concluded to go by the Dalles and get some more provisions as we had not enough to last us into the settlement on the west of the Cascade mountains. On arrival at the Dalles the last of September, Mr Scott's man was so low that we could not move him. So we lay there about two weeks waiting for him to get better or die. Finally he died and we buried him at the Dalles. Before he died my brother was taken down with the Mountain or nervous fever. Mrs Boatman was still sick with the scurvy and I was taken with a kind of flux there. Not one of us was able to help the other. My wife lay for three days with a broken tooth in her mouth and could not open her mouth wide enough to get it out,—her mouth was so sore and swollen from the effects of the scurvy. At last I got so bad that I did not expect to ever recover. I called my wife to the bed and told her that I never expected to be up again and that I wanted her and John, if they lived, to sell the wagon and remaining team and try to get back to the States to her people. We all lingered along for a few days and my wife commenced to get a little better. My brother still got worse and before we got able to travel it had commenced clouding up and the old settlers at the Dalles told us that it was not safe to start across the mountains as it was then snowing there and we would likely be snowed under. There were several parties there in the same fix that we were in and so we began to look around to see if we could find any conveyance by water. Finally we found a man who had a small boat, so we hired him to take us down to the cascade falls on the Columbia River, and we got all our stuff aboard.

 

Editor’s Note: Willis and Mary Ann Boatman finally landed in Portland on October 22, 1852. They had very few possessions left and no money. They moved into a one-room shack with dirt floors that had been abandoned by its previous inhabitant. Mary Ann gave birth to their first child on December 31st, (a boy, George Washington Boatman.) This may be the explanation for why she stopped writing in her diary back in August. The next year, they relocated to the Puyallup Valley in the Puget Sound area of what became Washington State. They had seven children, became prominent and respected members of their community and lived to old age.

 

114th Day

 

Father Lempfrit- At 5:30 this same evening on September 28 we entrusted our fate to a small canoe that was to transport us to Fort Vancouver. I feared greatly for my baggage that had already got wet before this. Our canoe was heavily loaded, we had four Indians to row us and a fifth man, the young American, who was our skipper. We wanted to go about a dozen miles before nightfall but as we descended the Columbia a strong wind got up so we landed on the right bank of the river to camp there overnight.

 

Joel Palmer- This day we intended to make arrange­ments for our passage down the river, but we found upon inquiry, that the two boats spoken of were engaged for at least ten days, and that their charges were exor­bitant, and would probably absorb what little we had left to pay our way to Oregon City. We then determined to make a trip over the mountains, and made inquiries respecting its practicability of some Indians, but could learn nothing definite, excepting that grass, timber and water would be found in abundance; we finally ascer­tained that a Mr. Barlow and Mr. Nighton had, with the same object, penetrated some twenty or twenty-five miles into the interior, and found it impracticable. Nighton had returned, but Barlow was yet in the moun­tains, endeavoring to force a passage; they had been absent six days, with seven wagons in their train, in­tending to go as far as they could, and if found to be impracticable, to return and go down the river.

     We succeeded in persuading fifteen families to accompany us in our trip over the mountains, and immediately made preparations for our march. On the afternoon of the first of October, our preparations were announced as complete, and we took up our line of march; others in the mean time had joined us, and should we fall in with Barlow, our train would consist of some thirty wagons.

 

W.L. Adams, 1848- Des Chutes was the most dangerous stream we forded on the route. It was forded a few hundred yards above its junction with the Columbia. The bottom was full of huge boulders. The water was deep enough to swim the small cattle and the team. The Indians rode in and showed us how deep it was. The company was afraid to venture. We hired the Indians to pilot us over, giving them a shirt for each team in the company. The wagon beds were propped up nearly to the tops of the standards. The waters roared over the rocks so as to drown an ordinary voice. Crossing, the water ran near to the tops of the wagon-beds; and the frightened women covered their heads with bed-clothing and screamed....

 

Editor’s Note: It is at this point that we lose the journal accounts of Father Lempfrit and Medorem Crawford. Father Lempfrit soon travels by canoe on the Columbia River to meet with the Bishop at Fort Vancouver.

     Medorem Crawford’s group traveled by horseback along the Columbia River to Oregon City. Other than floating down the river, this was the only route known to get to Oregon City in 1842.

     Only Joel Palmer and Mary Black are left to travel the Barlow Road, which is the trail followed by the Fulkerson/Miller wagon train in 1847. Palmer’s experience is considerably different than Fulkerson/Miller as it was made two years earlier, when the trail was still under construction.

 

Editor's quote- Now he had a far more profound and genuine intuition of the great human illusion about time, which is that its reality is like that of a road – on which one can constantly see where one was and where one probably will be – instead of the truth: that time is a room, now so close to us that we regularly fail to see it.  John Fowles. The French Lieutenant’s Woman

​​

​

​

Go to next page