| [ CHAPTER I.] |
| Autobiography. |
| Birth and Parentage—Boyhood Days—Aversion to School—Early Ambitions—Farm Training—Life in a Printing Office—At Tippecanoe as a Songster | 7 |
| [ CHAPTER II.] |
| Time of My Youth. |
| Our Ohio Home—A Period of Invention—The Printing Press—Our Removal to Indiana—Habits Acquired on the Trip | 15 |
| [ CHAPTER III.] |
| Early Days in Indiana. |
| I'm Going to Be a Farmer—Off for Iowa—An Iowa Winter | 18 |
| [ CHAPTER IV.] |
| Off for Oregon. |
| Preparation—Getting a Partner—First Day Out | 23 |
| [ CHAPTER V.] |
| The Ferry Across the Missouri | 26 |
| [ CHAPTER VI.] |
| Out on the Plains. |
| Indian Country—The Cholera—Extent of Emigration—The Casualties | 29 |
| [ CHAPTER VII.] |
| Buffalo Chase and Stampede. |
| Buffalo Trails—Chase on the Missouri—Stampede on the Platte | 37 |
| [ CHAPTER VIII.] |
| Out on the Plains. |
| The Law of Self-Preservation—Crossing the Snake River—Wagon Beds as Boats—Down Snake River in Wagon Boxes—On to Portland | 39 |
| [ CHAPTER IX.] |
| Floating Down the River | 51 |
| [ CHAPTER X.] |
| The Arrival. |
| At Work—Moving to St. Helens—Building a Home | 57 |
| [ CHAPTER XI.] |
| The First Cabin. |
| Home Life—A Trip to Puget Sound | 63 |
| [ CHAPTER XII.] |
| Cruise on Puget Sound. |
| Building a Boat—Afloat on Puget Sound—A Visit to the Indians | 69 |
| [ CHAPTER XIII.] |
| Cruise on Puget Sound. |
| At Steilacoom | 77 |
| [ CHAPTER XIV.] |
| Cruise on Puget Sound. |
| At Tacoma—On Puyallup Bay | 84 |
| [ CHAPTER XV.] |
| Cruise on Puget Sound. |
| At Alki Point—A Fish Story | 91 |
| [ CHAPTER XVI.] |
| Cruise on Puget Sound. |
| Port Townsend—Building the City—Colonel Ebey | 96 |
| [ CHAPTER XVII.] |
| From Columbia River to Puget Sound. |
| Arrival Home—Preparations to Move—The Trip | 101 |
| [ CHAPTER XVIII.] |
| The Second Cabin. |
| The New Home—Brother Oliver Returns to the States | 115 |
| [ CHAPTER XIX.] |
| Trip Through Natchess Pass. |
| Cross the Streams | 122 |
| [ CHAPTER XX.] |
| Trip Through Natchess Pass—Cont. |
| Many Obstacles—Killing of Steers to Make Rope—A Brave Boy | 128 |
| [ CHAPTER XXI.] |
| Trip Through Natchess Pass—Cont. |
| Fun with the Pony—Immigrants | 136 |
| [ CHAPTER XXII.] |
| Trip Through Natchess Pass—Cont. |
| Desert Lands—Lost—Crossing the River—Reunion | 142 |
| [ CHAPTER XXIII.] |
| Trip Through Natchess Pass—Cont. |
| Nearly Home—Trouble Over Titles—Parting | 148 |
| [ CHAPTER XXIV.] |
| Trip Through Natchess Pass—Cont. |
| Home Again—Visitors—Jay Cooke and My Pamphlet | 154 |
| [ CHAPTER XXV.] |
| First Immigrants Through Natchess Pass. |
| Hard Trip—Letter from Geo. H. Himes | 161 |
| [ CHAPTER XXVI.] |
| Building of the Natchess Pass Road. |
| Many Obstacles—Lines from Winthrop—Receipts | 169 |
| [ CHAPTER XXVII.] |
| Building of the Natchess Pass Road—Cont. |
| Letter from A. J. Burge—Lawlessness—A Great Pioneer, George Bush—The Fanning Mill—The First Cougar | 178 |
| [ CHAPTER XXVIII.] |
| About Indians. |
| Massacre—Flight of Settlers | 183 |
| [ CHAPTER XXIX.] |
| Fraser River Stampede. |
| Excitement High—Off for Whatcom—The Arrival—Where's De Lacy? | 186 |
| [ CHAPTER XXX.] |
| An Old Settlers' Meeting. |
| Review of the Past—Lady Sheriff—Personal Anecdotes | 195 |
| [ CHAPTER XXXI.] |
| A Chapter on Names. |
| Seattle—Puyallup and Amusing Incidents | 201 |
| [ CHAPTER XXXII.] |
| Pioneer Religious Experiences and Incidents. |
| Aunt Ann—Mr. and Mrs. Wickser—John McLeod | 206 |
| [ CHAPTER XXXIII.] |
| Wild Animals. |
| Carrie Sees a Cougar—An Unfriendly Meeting | 210 |
| [ CHAPTER XXXIV.] |
| The Morning School. |
| The First Log School House—Going to Market—Fifty Years Ago | 216 |
| [ CHAPTER XXXV.] |
| An Early Survey. |
| The Surveying Party—The Camp—Location—Value | 221 |
| [ CHAPTER XXXVI.] |
| The Hop Business. |
| My Hop Venture—The Curse on Hops | 223 |
| [ CHAPTER XXXVII.] |
| The Beet Sugar Venture | 230 |
| [ CHAPTER XXXVIII.] |
| The History of a History | 231 |
| [ CHAPTER XXXIX.] |
| Banking. |
| Bank President—The Run on the Bank | 235 |
| [ CHAPTER XL.] |
| The Klondike Venture. |
| Through White Horse Rapids—On the Yukon | 238 |
| [ CHAPTER XLI.] |
| THE OREGON TRAIL MONUMENT EXPEDITION. |
| The Ox. |
| Ready for the Trip—Getting Notoriety | 243 |
| [ CHAPTER XLII.] |
| The Start. |
| Making Camps—Out on the Trail—Centralia, Wash.—Chehalis, Wash.—Jackson's—Toledo, Wash.—Portland, Oregon | 246 |
| [ CHAPTER XLIII.] |
| The Dalles, Oregon. |
| Quotations from Journal—Shoeing the Oxen—Out from The Dalles—Pendleton, Oregon—The Blue Mountains—Meacham, Oregon—La Grande, Oregon—Ladd's Canyon—Camp No. 34—Baker City, Oregon—Old Mt. Pleasant, Oregon—Durkee, Oregon—Huntington—Vale, Oregon | 255 |
| [ CHAPTER XLIV.] |
| Old Fort Boise—Parma, Idaho—Boise, Idaho—Twin Falls, Idaho—American Falls, Idaho—Pocatello, Idaho—Soda Springs, Idaho—Montpelier, Idaho—The Mad Bull—The Wounded Buffalo—Cokeville, Wyoming | 266 |
| [ CHAPTER XLV.] |
| Independence Rock. |
| The Rocky Mountains. |
| Pacific Springs—Sweetwater—Split Rock—The Devil's Gate | 271 |
| [ CHAPTER XLVI.] |
| Fish Creek—North Platte—Casper, Wyoming—Glen Rock—Douglas, Wyoming—Puyallup, Tacoma, Seattle—New Changes | 280 |
| [ CHAPTER XLVII.] |
| Fort Laramie, Wyoming. |
| Scott's Bluff—The Dead of the Plains—The Lone Grave—Chimney Rock—North Platte | 289 |
| [ CHAPTER XLVIII.] |
| Death of Twist. |
| Gothenberg, Nebraska—Lexington | 298 |
| [ CHAPTER XLIX.] |
| Kearney, Nebraska. |
| Grand Island | 303 |
| [ CHAPTER L.] |
| From Indianapolis to Washington—Events on the Way | 306 |
| [ CHAPTER LI.] |
| Return Trip. |
| Leaving Washington—Out West Again—From Portland to Seattle | 320 |
| [ CHAPTER LII.] |
| The End | 328 |
| [ CHAPTER LIII.] |
| The Interim and Second Trip. |
| Good Road Movement—The Overland Outfit in the Interim—Yukon Exposition—The Trip of 1910-'11—Hunting for the Trail—Dedication of the Wagon and Team to Washington—A Bill for Surveying "Pioneer Way"—The Author's Plea Before the House Committee on Military Affairs | 331 |
| [ CHAPTER LIV.] |
| Conquest of the Oregon Country. |
| (1) Exploration, by Robert Gray, Lewis and Clark and Jonathan Carver—Naming Oregon. (2) Exploitation, by John Jacob Astor, the Hunt Party, Hudson Bay Co.—Ashley, Bonneyville and Wythe—(3) Missionary; "White Man's Book of Heaven," Lee, Parker, Whitman and Spaulding as Missionaries—Tribute to Pioneers. (4) Home builders; American Settlers Outnumber English—English give up Joint Occupancy, Withdrawal and Ashburton's Treaty—Establishment of the Oregon Trail 1843—Emigration of 1852—Conclusions | 343 |
| [ CHAPTER LV.] |
| Pioneer Life in Puyallup. |
| The Cabin—Stilly a Typical Pioneer—Stilly's Cabin Becomes The Author's Home—The Ivy Vine—Dedication of the Cabin as "Pioneer Park"—The Author's Phonographic Address | 352 |
| [ CHAPTER LVI.] |
| Pioneer Life in Puyallup Valley. |
| The Carson Family—The Walker Family—"Good Templars Lodge"—Holiday Celebrations—First Postoffice—Mount Rainier Glacier—Colony of 1853—Indian Massacre and Flight of the Settlers—Discovery of Coal—Acquiring Title of Land—Publication of "Washington Territory West of the Cascades"—Pioneer Socialism—Religion and Schools—Allen's Letter—Early Settlers Meet in Puyallup's Park—Great Public Dinner—Strong Program Speech by Ezra Meeker | 360 |
| [ CHAPTER LVII.] |
| Sketches of Western Life. |
| "Occidental Transcontinental Oriental McDonald"—His Personal Appearance—His Sloop—His Prophecies | 375 |
| [ CHAPTER LVIII.] |
| Sketches of Western Life. |
| "The Prairie Schooner"—Why Wagon Body was Boat Shape—Crossing Snake River—Moving Pictures of Crossing Loop Fork of the Platte River—How the Teams Crossed the River | 377 |
| [ CHAPTER LIX.] |
| High Cost of Living. |
| Cincinnati Market a Hundred Years Ago; No Middlemen—All Markets Now, All Middlemen—Transportation, a Factor in the Cost of Living—Causes, "High Living," Abandonment of Simple Life, Change in Environments and Extravagant Wants | 381 |
| [ CHAPTER LX.] |
| Cost of High Living. |
| Fortieth Anniversary Celebration of the Completion of N. P. R. R.—Extravagance and Waste at the Celebration—Supply and Demand Regulates Prices—Consumer Too Far Removed from Producer, Demand Too Much Service, Buys in Too Small Quantities—Too Much Money—Remedy, Stop Extravagance and Waste, and Buy With Judgment | 386 |
| [ CHAPTER LXI.] |
| Preparedness. |
| Witness of Five Wars—Results, Advancement of Civilization—Wars Cannot be Averted—Preparedness Gives Advantage—It Does Not Cause War—The Monroe Doctrine and the "Open Door To China"—No Other Nation Will Assert Our Rights—Preparedness Does Not Prevent Wars, But Lessens the Danger | 395 |
| [ CHAPTER LXII.] |
| How to Live to be a Hundred | 399 |