FOOTNOTES:

[25] William Allen White.

CHAPTER LI.

THE RETURN TRIP.

I left Washington on the 8th of January, 1908, and shipped the outfit over the Alleghany Mountains to McKeesport, Pennsylvania, having been in Washington, as the reader will note, thirty-nine days. From McKeesport I drove to Pittsburg and there put the team into winter quarters to remain until the 5th of March; thence shipped by boat on the Ohio River to Cincinnati, Ohio, stopping in that city but one day, and from there shipping by rail to St. Louis, Missouri. At Pittsburg and adjacent cities I was received cordially and encouraged greatly to believe the movement for a national highway had taken a deep hold in the minds of the people. The Pittsburg Automobile Club issued a circular letter to all the automobile clubs of Pennsylvania, and likewise to the congressional delegation of Pennsylvania, urging them to favor not only the bill then pending in Congress, appropriating $50,000 for marking the Oregon Trail, but also a measure looking to the joint action of the national government and the states, to build a national highway over the Oregon Trail as a memorial road. I was virtually given the freedom of the city of Pittsburg, and sold my literature without hindrance; but not so when I came to Cincinnati. The mayor treated me with scant courtesy, but the automobile clubs of Cincinnati took action at once similar to that of the Pittsburg club. Again when I arrived in St. Louis, I received at the city hall the same frigid reception that had been given me at Cincinnati, although strenuous efforts were made by prominent citizens to bring out a different result. However, the mayor was obdurate and so after tarrying for a few days, I drove out of the city, greatly disappointed at the results, but not until after the automobile club and the Daughters of the American Revolution had taken formal action endorsing the work. My greater disappointment was that here I had anticipated a warm reception. St. Louis, properly speaking, had been the head center of the movement that finally established the Oregon Trail. Here was where Weythe, Bonneyville, Whitman and others of the earlier movements out on the trail had outfitted; but there is now a commercial generation, many of whom that care but little about the subject. Nevertheless I found a goodly number of zealous advocates of the cause of marking the Trail.

The drive from St. Louis to Jefferson City, the capital of the State of Missouri, was tedious and without results other than reaching the point where actual driving began in early days.

Governor Folk came out on the state house steps to have his photograph taken and otherwise signified his approval of the work, and I was accorded a cordial hearing by the citizens of that city. On the fourth of April I arrived at Independence, Missouri, which is generally understood to be the eastern terminus of the Trail.

I found, however, that many of the pioneers shipped father up the Missouri, some driving from Atchison, some from Leavenworth, others from St. Joseph and at a little later period, multitudes from Kainsville (now Council Bluffs), where Whitman and Parker made their final break from civilization and boldly turned their faces westerly for the unknown land of Oregon.

A peculiar condition of affairs existed at Independence. The nearby giant city of Kansas City had long ago overshadowed the embryo commercial mart of the early thirties and had taken even that early trade from Independence. However, the citizens of Independence manifested an interest in the work and took measures to raise a fund for a $5,000 monument. At a meeting of the commercial club it was resolved to raise the funds, but found to be "uphill work." Whether they will succeed is problematical. A novel scheme had been adopted to raise funds. A local author proposed to write a drama, "The Oregon Trail," and put it on the stage at Independence and Kansas City, for the benefit of the Monument fund. If he can succeed in carrying out successfully the plot as outlined, he ought to write a play that would be a monument to the thought as well as to provide funds for a monument to the Trail, for certainly here is a theme that would not only fire the imagination of an audience but likewise enlist their sympathies. I am so impressed with the importance of this work that I am tempted to outline the theme in the hope if his attempt does not succeed, that others may be prompted to undertake the work.

First, the visit of the four Flat Head Indians in search of the "white man's book of heaven," entertained in St. Louis by Gen. George Rogers Clark, of Lewis and Clark fame, until two of them died; then the death of a third on the way home; the historic speech of one, telling of their disappointment, and final return home of the single survivor; then follows the two-thousand-mile bridal tour of Whitman and Spaulding, and this in turn by the historic movement of the early home builders to the Oregon country with its grand results; the fading memory of a forgetful generation until the recollections of the grand highway is recovered in a blaze of glory to be handed down to succeeding generations, by the homage of a nation.

At Kansas City, Mo., the thoughts of the people had been turned to the Santa Fe Trail by the active campaign in the border state of Kansas in erecting markers on that trail. To my utter surprise it seemed that the Oregon Trail had almost been forgotten; the sentiment and thought had all been centered on the Santa Fe Trail. I tarried with them exactly one month, spoke to numerous organized bodies, and came away with the feeling the seed had been planted that would revive the memory of the Oregon Trail and finally result in a monument in the greater city. In the lesser Kansas City, Kansas, I visited all the public schools, spoke to the eleven thousand school children of the city and came away with the satisfaction of having secured contributions from over 3,000 children to a fund for erecting a monument in that city.

To further interest the children of the State of Kansas, I placed $25.00 in the hands of their state superintendent of schools, to be offered as a prize for the best essay on the Oregon Trail. This contest has been determined during the calendar year of 1908 and the award made.

Addressing Colored School, Kansas City, Kans.

All existing maps in the State of Kansas ignore the Oregon Trail. The "Santa Fe Trail" is shown; there is a "Fremont Trail," a "California Trail," a "Mormon Trail," but not one mile of an "Oregon Trail," although this great historic ancient trail traversed the state for fully two hundred miles. This incident shows how extremely important, that early action to mark the Oregon Trail should be taken before it is too late.

The Santa Fe and Oregon trails from Independence and Kansas City are identical out to the town of Gardner, Kansas, forty miles or thereabouts. Here, the Santa Fe Trail bore on to the west and finally southwest, while the Oregon Trail bore steadily on to the northwest and encountered the Platte Valley below Grand Island in what is now Nebraska. At the "forks of the road," the historian Chittenden says, "a simple signboard was seen which carried the words 'Road to Oregon,' thus pointing the way for two thousand miles. No such signboard ever before pointed the road for so long a distance and probably another such never will. I determined to make an effort to at least recover the spot where this historic sign once stood, and if possible plant a marker there. Kind friends in Kansas City, one of whom I had not met for sixty years, took me in their automobile to Gardner, Kansas, where, after a search of two hours, the two survivors were found who were able to point out the spot—Mr. V. R. Ellis and William J. Ott, whose residence in the near vicinity dated back nearly fifty years; aged respectively, 77 and 82 years. The point is at the intersection of Washington and Central Street in the town of Gardner, Kansas. In this little town of a few hundred inhabitants stands a monument for the Santa Fe Trail, a credit to the sentimental feelings of the community, but, having expended their energies on that work, it was impossible to get them to undertake to erect another, although I returned a few days later, spoke to a meeting of the town council and citizens and offered to secure $250.00 elsewhere if the town would undertake to raise a like sum.

This last trip cost me over a hundred dollars. As I left the train at Kansas City on my return, my pocket was "picked" and all the money I had, save a few dollars, was gone. This is the first time in my life I have lost money in that way, and I want it to be the last.

I planned to drive up the Missouri and investigate the remaining five prongs of The Trail—Leavenworth, Atchison, St. Joseph and Kanesville, the other, Independence and Westpoint (now Kansas City), considered as one—but first drove to Topeka, the capital city of the State of Kansas, where I arrived May 11th (1908). The "Trail" crosses the Kansas River under the very shadow of the state house—not three blocks away—yet only a few knew of its existence. The state had appropriated $1,000 to mark the Santa Fe Trail, and the Daughters of the Revolution had conducted a campaign of supplementing this fund and had actually procured the erection of 96 markers. While I received a respectful hearing by these ladies, yet they shrank from undertaking new work at the present time. The same conditions controlled at Leavenworth and likewise at Atchison, and hence, I did not tarry long at either place, but at all three, Topeka, Leavenworth and Atchison, a lively interest was manifested, as well as at Lawrence, and I am led to feel the drive was not lost, although no monument was secured, but certainly the people do now know there is an Oregon Trail. All the papers did splendid work and have carried on the work in a way that will leave a lasting impression.

On the 23d of May the team arrived at St. Joseph, Missouri. At this point many pioneers had outfitted in early days and the sentiment was in hearty accord with the work, yet plainly there would be a hard "tug" to get the people together on a plan to erect a monument. "Times were very tight to undertake such a work" came the response from so many that no organized effort was made. By this time the fact became known that the committee in Congress having charge of the bill appropriating $50,000 to mark the Trail, had taken action and had made a favorable report, and which is universally held to be almost equivalent to the passage of the bill.

So, all things considered, the conclusion was reached to suspend operation, ship the team home and for the time being take a rest from the work. I had been out from home twenty-eight months, lacking but five days, hence it is small wonder if I should conclude to listen to the inner longings to get back to the home and home life. Put yourself in my place, reader, and see what you think you would have done. True, the Trail was not yet fully nor properly marked, yet something had been accomplished and with this, the thought, a good deal more might be expected from the seed planted.

May 26th I shipped the outfit to Portland, Oregon, where I arrived on the 6th day of June (1908), and went into camp on the same grounds I had camped on in March (1906) on my outward trip.

Words cannot express my deep feelings of gratitude for the royal, cordial reception given me by the citizens of Portland, from the mayor down to the humblest citizen, and for the joyous reunion with the 2,000 pioneers who had just assembled for their annual meeting.

The drive from Portland to Seattle is one long to be remembered, and while occupying a goodly number of days, yet not one moment of tedious time hung heavy on my shoulders, and on the 18th day of July, 1908, I drove into the city of Seattle and the long "trek" was ended.

It would be unbecoming in me to assume in a vainglorious mood that the manifestation of cordiality, and I may say joy, in the hearts of many at my homecoming was wholly due to the real merit of my work, knowing as I do that so many have magnified the difficulties of the trip, yet it would be less than human did I not feel, and unjust did I not express the pride, and I hope is pardonable, and openly acknowledge it, for the kindly words and generous actions of my friends and neighbors, and to all such I extend my kindest and heartfelt thanks.

CHAPTER LII.

THE END.

Now that the trip has been made, and an account of stock, so to speak, taken, I have become surprised the work was undertaken. Not that I regret the act any more than I regret the first act of crossing the Plains in 1852, which to me now appears to be as incomprehensible as the later act. If one questions the motive prompting and governing the movements of the early pioneers, scarcely two of the survivors will tell the same story, or give the same reason. This wonderful movement was brought vividly home to my mind recently while traversing the great fertile plains of the Middle West, where most of the emigrants came from. Here was a vast expanse of unoccupied fertile land, beautiful as ever mortal man looked upon; great rivers traversed this belt, to carry the surplus crops to distant markets; smaller streams ramify all over the region to multiply the opportunities for choice locations to one's heart's content, and yet these Oregon emigrants passed all these opportunities and boldly struck out on the 2,000-mile stretch of what was then known as the Great American Desert, and braved the dangers of Indian warfare, of starvation, of sickness—in a word, of untold dangers,—to reach the almost totally unknown Oregon Country. Why did they do it? Can any man tell? I have been asked thousands of times while on this later trip what prompted me to make it? I can not answer that question satisfactorily to myself and have come to answering the question by asking another, or more accurately speaking, several, "Why do you decorate a grave?" or "Why do we as a people mark our battlefields?" or "Why do we erect monuments to the heroic dead of war?" It is the same sentiment, for instance, that prompted marking the Gettysburg battlefield.

Yes, as I recently returned home over the Oregon Short Line Railroad that in many places crossed the old Trail (with Dave and Dandy quietly chewing their cud in the car, and myself supplied with all the luxuries of a great palatial overland train), and I began vividly to realize the wide expanse of country covered, and passed first one and then another of the camping places, I am led to wonder if, after all, I could have seen the Trail stretched out, as like a panorama, as seen from the car window, would I have undertaken the work? I sometimes think not. We all of us at times undertake things that look bigger after completion, than in our vision ahead of us, or in other words, go into ventures without fully counting the cost. Perhaps, to an extent this was the case in this venture; the work did look larger from the car window than from the camp. Nevertheless, I have no regrets to express nor exultation to proclaim. In one sense the expedition has been a failure, in that as yet the Trail is not sufficiently marked for all time and for all generations to come. We have made a beginning, and let us hope the end sought will in the near future become an accomplished fact, and not forget the splendid response from so many communities on the way in this, the beginning. And let the reader, too, remember he has an interest in this work, a duty to perform to aid in building up American citizenship, for "monumenting" the Oregon Trail means more than the mere preservation in memory of that great highway; it means the building up of loyalty, patriotism—of placing the American thought upon a higher plane, as well as of teaching history in a form never to be forgotten and always in view as an object lesson.

The financing of the expedition became at once a most difficult problem. A latent feeling existed favoring the work, but how to utilize it—concentrate it upon a plan that would succeed,—confronted the friends of the enterprise. Elsewhere the reader will find the reason given, why the ox team was chosen and the drive over the old Trail undertaken. But there did not exist a belief in the minds of many that the "plan would work," and so it came about that almost every one refused to contribute, and many tried to discourage the effort, sincerely believing that it would result in failure.

I have elsewhere acknowledged the liberality of H. C. Davis of Claquato, Washington, sending his check for $50.00 with which to purchase an ox. Irving Alvord of Kent, Washington, contributed $25.00 for the purchase of a cow. Ladd of Portland gave a check for $100.00 at the instance of George H. Rimes, who also secured a like sum from others—$200.00 in all. Then when I lost the ox Twist and telegraphed to Henry Hewitt of Tacoma to send me two hundred dollars, the response came the next day to the bank at Gothenburg, Nebraska, to pay me that amount. But, notwithstanding the utmost effort and most rigid economy, there did seem at times that an impending financial failure was just ahead. In the midst of the enthusiasm manifested, I felt the need to put on a bold front and refuse contributions for financing the expedition, knowing full well that the cry of "graft" would be raised and that contributions to local committees for monuments would be lessened, if not stopped altogether. The outlay had reached the $1,400.00 mark when I had my first 1,000 copies of the "Ox Team" printed. Would the book sell, I queried? I had written it in camp, along the roadside; in the wagon—any place and at any time I could snatch an opportunity or a moment from other pressing work. These were days of anxieties. Knowing full well the imperfections of the work, small wonder if I did, in a figurative sense, put out the book "with fear and trembling,"—an edition of 1,000 copies. The response came quick, for the book sold and the expedition was saved from failure for lack of funds. Two thousand more were printed, and while these were selling, my cuts, plates and a part of a third reprint were all destroyed by fire in Chicago, and I had to begin at the bottom. New plates and new cuts were ordered, and this time 6,000 copies were printed, and later another reprint of 10,000 copies (19,000 in all), with less than 1,000 copies left unsold two months after arriving home. So the book saved the day. Nevertheless, there were times—until I reached Philadelphia—when the question of where the next dollar of expense money would come from before an imperative demand came for it bore heavily on my mind. Two months tied up in Indianapolis during the winter came near deciding the question adversely; then later, being shut out from selling at Buffalo, Albany and some other places, and finally the tie-up in New York, related elsewhere, nearly "broke the bank". New York did not yield a rich harvest for selling, as I had hoped for, as the crowds were too great to admit of my remaining long in one place, but when Philadelphia was reached and I was assigned a place on Broad Street near the city hall, the crowds came, the sales ran up to $247.00 in one day and $600.00 for four days, the financial question was settled, and there were no more anxious moments about where the next dollar was to come from, although the aggregate expenses of the expedition had reached the sum of nearly eight thousand dollars.

"All is well that ends well," as the old saying goes, and so I am rejoiced to be able to report so favorable a termination of the financial part of the expedition.

CHAPTER LIII.

THE INTERIM AND SECOND TRIP.

The preceding chapter, "The End", was written more than eight years ago. Readers will have noted the work of monumenting the Oregon Trail was left unfinished, that only a beginning had been made, that the seed had been planted from which greater results might reasonably have been expected to follow; that though in one sense the work had failed, nevertheless the effort had been fully justified by the results obtained.

A great change has come over the minds of the American people in this brief period of eight years. Numerous organizations have sprung into existence for the betterment of Good Roads, for the perpetuation of "The Old Trails" and the memory of those who wore them wide and deep. It is without the province of this writing to give a history of these various movements, and in any event space forbids undertaking the task. Suffice it to say the widespread interest in the good roads movement alone is shown by the introduction of sixty bills upon the subject during the first month of the Sixty-fourth Congress—more than double that introduced in any previous Congress. But we are now more concerned to record a brief history of what happened to the "Overland Outfit" since the so-called great trek ended.

At the Yukon Exposition, 1909.

Dave and Dandy, after a few weeks of visiting, were put into winter quarters in Seattle, where the admonition of the Israelite law, "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn", was observed and both showed more fat on the ribs for the nearly three years of the strenuous life on the road. The dog "Jim" had likewise fattened up under a less strenuous life, but did not lose his watchful, faithful care of things surrounding him, that had seemed to have become a sort of second nature while on the trip. The owner of the "outfit", the writer, soon became restless under enforced idleness and arranged to participate in the Alaska Yukon Exposition held in Seattle during the summer of 1909, for illustrating pioneer life in the cabin and feeding the hungry multitude. Neither enterprise succeeded financially and the "multitude" soon ate him out of "house and home", demonstrating he had missed his calling by the disappearance of his accumulation, leaving him the experience only, to be vividly felt, though mysterious as the unseen air. To "lie down" and give up, to me was unthinkable. I had contemplated a second trip over the Trail to add to what had been done even if it was impossible to "finish up", but winter was approaching and so a trip to the sunny climate of California was made to remain until the winter 1909-10 had passed into history.

March 16, 1910, the start was made for a second trip over the old Trail from The Dalles, Oregon. "Dave" by this time had become a "seasoned ox" though had not yet worked out of him the unruly meanness that seemed to cling to him almost to the last. "Dandy" was not a whit behind him as an ox and kept his good nature for the whole trip before him (which lasted nearly two years) and to the end of his life.

On this trip no effort was made to erect monuments, but more special attention paid toward locating the Trail. Tracings of the township survey through which the Trail was known to run were obtained at the state capitals at Boise, Idaho; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Topeka, Kansas. The United States deputy surveyors of public lands are instructed to note all roads or trails crossing section or township lines. Here came "confusion worse confounded" by the numerous notations, some appearing on several section lines in succession, others on one line and then not again for many miles and, of course, it was not known by the deputies which was the Oregon Trail, or which was a later road or which was simply an old buffalo trail, and later followed by the Indians.

If we could pick up a known point of the Oregon Trail noted on a section line crossing and search for another even if many miles distant and find it and get the general direction, I don't recall a single failure to locate the intervening points. This, however, did not always result in finding the visible marks on the ground, but the memory of the old settlers would come in or an Indian might remember, and then sometimes we would stumble on it before we knew where the mysterious track lay. Once I remember finding two rods in length of the "old trough" in a fence road crossing, where the traces in fields on both sides had been cultivated, the road graded, and only this little spot left undisturbed. Other places out on the plains were left undisturbed by improvements. Nature had come in to it in parts and obliterated the marks. Then again at other places the marks remained so plain one might almost say it could be seen miles ahead, both wide and deep—200 feet wide in places where the sage had been killed out, and then again in sandy points so deep one hesitates to tell fearing lest he may be accused of exaggerating; but here goes: I did measure one point fifteen feet deep and seventy-five feet wide.

In the sage lands there came points where one might say the Trail could be identified by its "countenance", that is by the shade of color of the sage growth, sometimes only a very light shade at that, yet unmistakable where one had become accustomed to see it, like a familiar face. To me this search became more and more interesting, and I may say fascinating, and will remain a pleasant memory as long as I live.

It is not my purpose to give a detailed account of this second trip beginning at The Dalles, Oregon, March 16, 1910, and ending at Puyallup, Washington, August 26, 1912, twenty-nine months and ten days, but only refer briefly, very briefly, to some experiences, a passing notice only.

At San Antonio, Texas, we camped in the Alamo, adjoining to that historic spot where David Crocket was killed. At Chicago the crowds "jostled" us almost like the experience in New York three years before. I crossed over the Loop Fork of Platte River, three-quarters of a mile wide, in the wagon box under a moving picture camera to illustrate the ways of the pioneers of the long ago. We encountered a veritable cloudburst in the Rocky Mountains in which we very nearly lost the outfit in the roaring torrent that followed, and did lose almost all of my books and other effects. Later Dandy pulled off one of his shoes in the mountain road and became so lame we were compelled to abandon farther driving, then we shipped home. Then came the great misfortune of losing Jim out of the car, and never got him back. Nevertheless, I have no regrets to express and have many pleasant memories to bear witness of the trip. All in all it was a more strenuous trip than the drive to Washington and all things considered it was prolific in results.

Part of the time I was alone; but I didn't mind that so much, except for the extra work thrown upon me.

One more incident, this time a pleasant one:

One day as I was traveling leisurely along, suddenly there appeared above the horizon veritable castles—castles in the air. It was a mirage. I hadn't seen one for sixty years, but it flashed upon me instantly what it was—the reflection of some weird pile of rocks so common on the Plains. The shading changes constantly, reminding me of the almost invisible changes of the northern lights, and it so riveted my attention that I forgot all else until Jim's barking ahead of the oxen recalled me to consciousness, as one might say, to discover Dave and Dandy had wandered off the road, browsing and nipping a bit of grass here and there. Jim knew something was going wrong and gave the alarm. Verily the sagacity of the dog is akin to the intelligence of man.

As just recorded, the second trip was ended. I had long contemplated contributing the outfit for the perpetuation of history. It did not take long to obtain an agreement with the city authorities at Tacoma to take the ownership over and to provide a place for them. Before the whole agreement was consummated the State of Washington assumed the responsibility of preserving them in the State Historical Building, where by the time this writing is in print the whole outfit will be enclosed in a great glass case, fourteen feet by twenty-eight, in one of the rooms of the new State Historical Building. The oxen, from the hands of the taxidermist, look as natural as life, while standing with the yoke on in front of the wagon, as so often seen when just ready for a day's drive.

The wagon, typically a "Prairie Schooner" of "ye olden days" of the pioneers, with its wooden axle, the linch pin and old-fashioned "schooner bed", weather-beaten and scarred, would still be good for another trip without showing wobbling wheels or screeching axle, as when plenty of tar had not been used. Of this "screeching" the memory of pioneers hark back to the time when the tar gave out and the groaning inside the hub began with a voice comparable and as audible as of a braying donkey, or the sharper tone of the filing of a saw. Is it, or was it, worth while to preserve these old relics? Some say not. I think it was. Taxidermists tell us, barring accidents and if properly cared for, the oxen are virtually indestructible and that a thousand years hence they may be seen in this present form by the generation then inhabiting the earth, who may read a lesson as to what curious kind of people lived in this the twentieth century of the Christian era.

A map of the old Trail nearly forty feet long has been made with painstaking care, an outline of which will be painted on the inside of the glass case. Nearly a hundred and fifty monuments, or thereabouts, have been erected along the old landmark. Photographs of most of these have been secured or eventually all will be. The plan is to number these and display them on the glass with a corresponding number at the particular point on the map where each belongs. These will doubtless be added to as time goes on to complete the record of the greatest trail of all history—where twenty thousand died in the conquering of a continent, aside from the unknown number that fell by the resisting hand of the native uncivilized savages. It's a pathetic story and but few, very few, of the actors are left to tell the story.

THE OLD TRAILS.

I do not propose to write a history of the "Old Trails". That has been done by painstaking historians, though it may be truly said that by no means has the last word been written. There is, however, a field that is to be hoped will soon be occupied, for the assembling of already recorded facts in a "Child's History" in attractive form, to the end the younger generation as they come on the stage of action may learn to love the memory of the pioneers and the very tracks they trod. Nothing will more surely build up a healthy patriotism in the breasts of generations to follow than a study of the deeds of their forbears that conquered the fair land they inhabit. Thus far, a brief history has been given of the effort to erect granite monuments along the old Trail. This of itself is a commendable, grand work, but by no means the last word. Simple sentinel monuments, if we may so designate them, have their value, but to be enduring should be of utility that will not only serve as a reminder of the past but likewise attract the attention of the greater number, the multitude that will become interested because of their utility and more willing to lend a hand to their preservation after once being created. This is why the pioneers have so persistently clung to the design of a highway along the lines of the trails—once a highway, say they, let them always be such as long as civilization continues.

And so an appeal was made to Congress for renewing the memory of the "Old Trails" by establishing a national highway from coast to coast, to be known as "Pioneer Way".

PIONEER WAY.

64th Congress, First Session.—H. R. 9137.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

January 15, 1916.

Mr. Humphrey of Washington introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs and ordered to be printed.

A BILL

To survey and locate a military and post road from Saint Louis, Missouri, to Olympia, Washington.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of War be, and is hereby, directed, to appoint a board of two members, one of them being a United States Army engineer and the other a civilian, to make a preliminary survey for a military and post highway from Saint Louis, Missouri, to Olympia, Washington, said military highway to follow the following route as near as may be: From Saint Louis to Kansas City, Missouri, following as near as may be the general route of what is commonly known as the "Old Trail." From Kansas City, following the joint Santa Fe and Oregon trails for about forty miles to the city of Gardner, Kansas; thence following the general route of the Oregon Trail to Topeka, Kansas, and from Topeka thence to the State line of Nebraska; thence, following said trail, to the Platte River, and thence along the most practical route near the right bank of the said Platte River to a point where, in the judgment of said board, they may decide as to the best point to cross said river, said crossing to be below or at the junction of the north and south forks of said river; thence, as near as may be, along the left river bank of said North Platte River to the State line of Wyoming; thence by the best general route to a point where the Old Trail diverges from said river to the left bank of the Sweetwater River near the landmark known as Independence Rock; thence up Sweetwater River to a point where said Old Trail leaves said river and ascends to the summit of the Rocky Mountains in the South Pass, and thence to the nearby point known as Pacific Springs; thence to Bear River Valley and the State line of Idaho; thence down said valley to Soda Springs and to Pocatello, Idaho; thence to American Falls, Idaho, and to the best crossing of the Snake River; thence to and down the Boise Valley to Boise City, Idaho; thence to recrossing of Snake River and to Huntington in the State of Oregon; thence to La Grande, Oregon; thence over the Blue Mountains to the city of The Dalles, Oregon; thence through the Columbia River Gap to Vancouver on the right bank of the Columbia River in the State of Washington; thence to the city of Olympia, Washington; following generally the Old Oregon Trail and other trails followed by the pioneers in going from Saint Louis to Puget Sound, utilizing, wherever practicable, roads and highways already existing.

Sec. 2. That said board shall report as to the cost, the location of said highway, and the character of construction that they deem advisable for such highway.

Sec. 3. That said board shall also take up with the State authorities in the States through which the said road shall pass and report what co-operation can be secured from such States in the construction and maintenance of such road.

Sec. 4. That the board shall also report on the advisability of employing the United States Army in the construction of any portion of said road.

Sec. 5. That the name of said road shall be "Pioneer Way."

See. 6. That the sum of $75,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, be, and the same is hereby, appropriated out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of defraying the expense in connection with such survey.

"At the hearing before the House Committee on Military Affairs, H. R. 9137, A Bill 'To survey and locate a Military and Post Road from Saint Louis, Missouri, to Olympia, Washington,' Ezra Meeker, of Seattle, Washington, was called before the Committee and made an oral plea favoring the passage of the bill and filed a statement, a copy of which appears below":

The bill before you authorizing the locating and survey of a great National Highway to be known as "Pioneer Way," as a tribute to the memory of the pioneers, has a deeper significance than that of sentiment, though fully justified from that motive alone.

It is well to remember that the possession of the Oregon country hung in the balance for many years; that a number of our statesmen of the Nineteenth Century, including Jefferson himself, did not believe we should attempt to incorporate this vast territory, the Oregon country, as a part of the United States, Jefferson even going so far as advocating an independent government in that, to him then, land of mystery.

Encouraged by these differences of opinion among our own people and prompted by the hunger for territorial aggrandizement and likewise spurred to action by the rich harvest of furs that poured millions of pounds sterling into the coffers of the London company, known as the Hudson Bay Company, the British government tenaciously held its grip on the country and refused to give it up until the pioneers, the home builders, boldly took possession, refused any sort of a compromise and presented the alternative of war or to be left in peaceable possession of their homes. It is simply a record of history that this vanguard of bold, great men and women hastened the final settlement of the contest and it is believed by many to have been the determining factor that compelled the British to withdraw.

It was a great event in the history of the United States, in fact of the world's history, as otherwise the "Stony Mountains," as Jefferson advocated, would have been the western limits of the United States, and it requires no stretch of the imagination to discern the far-reaching results that would have followed.

Although as I have said, justified in undertaking this great work from sentiment alone, there are other potent factors that to some may seem to be of greater importance and to which I wish to call your attention.

The last decade has wrought great changes in world affairs by the numerous discoveries and improvements; not the least of these is the wonderful advance in the use of the "trackless" car now progressing so rapidly. Pardon me for saying that in my belief that any of you gentlemen that may live to be of my present age will see a far greater improvement than has already been made—one that staggers the imagination to grasp.

Having been born before the advent of railroads in the United States (1830); witnessing the strides in civilization made possible by this great factor, I can truly say that I believe there is a far greater impending change before you from the introduction of the trackless car than has followed the rail car. This one feature alone, the government ownership (State or National) of the road bed with private ownership of the car will foster enterprise, build up character, promote independence of spirit, change the tide of people from the cities "back to the farm", now so important to the continued welfare of the nation. The tremendous effect upon the development of the seven States, through which this proposed highway will pass, can not fail to serve as a great object lesson and encourage other great interstate highways so necessary to the commercial development of the country in time of peace and preparedness for defense in time of war.

As to the latter, preparedness for war, I will speak presently, but just now wish to call your attention to the influence upon the material developments of the country, which in fact is a measure of preparedness for defense or war. This measure, if you will notice, provides for state co-operation in the building and maintenance of this thoroughfare. This feature should not be lost sight of. It is important, of vital importance may I not say. If a given state will not join, the national government nevertheless should build the road and restrict its use to military and postal service, until such times as the state would enter into an equitable agreement as to its cost and upkeep (which would not be for long), for commercial use as well as for military and postal purposes.

Now, as to preparedness for defense or for war to follow the building of this great trunk line, military highway over the Oregon Trail which would soon be followed east by the extension on the old Cumberland road as such to Washington and, as originally, to Philadelphia, thus creating the world's greatest thoroughfare, is so patent, we need not occupy your time to discuss, except as to the general principles of such a measure. We can readily see how a small army may become more formidable than a larger one where the means are at hand for speedy mobilization. The great battle of the Marne, that saved Paris from the horrors of a siege and probable destruction, was won by the French by the sudden concentration of troops made possible by the use of thousands of automobiles.

This object lesson should not be lost sight of and it should be remembered that the road bed is the final word; in other words, the usefulness of the automobiles is measured by the road condition. It is without the province of this discussion to advocate the measures, that is the extent of preparedness this nation should undertake. There are millions of honest citizens who believe there is no danger of an attack from a foreign foe and hence no measure of preparedness is necessary, forgetting that as far back as history records run, there has been war, wars of conquest, religious wars, wars from jealousies or towering ambitions, from causes so numerous, we tire to recite them and that what has happened in the history of the thousands of years that have passed, will happen in the cycle of time in the future.

Whatever may be the difference of opinion as to what measure of defense we adopt, whether it shall be a large army or a large navy, there should be none as to this proposed measure coupled as it is with such other manifest benefits to follow, alone sufficient to warrant the undertaking. I have been witness in my short span of life of 85 years to four wars this nation has been engaged in, all in measure without preparedness and all in consequence resulting in frightful loss. We can't forget the battle of Bladensburg, where over 8,000 raw troops, unprepared, gave way before 4,000 trained that marched to Washington and burned the Capitol and inflicted a humiliation that rancors to this day in the breast of any American citizen with red blood in his veins.

Shall we invite a like humiliation for the future? I say nay, nay, and bear with me if I repeat again, nay, nay. I feel deeply the solemnity of this duty that rests in your hands and pardon me if I do speak with deep feeling.

Mind you, I am addressing you as to this particular feature of preparedness.

Many of you gentlemen will doubtless remember that pathetic address of Hon. Lloyd George in the House of Commons last December, now known the world over as the "Too Late" appeal. After a million lives had been lost and billions of pounds sterling expended, this address fell like a thunderbolt upon the ears of Parliament. He said, "Too late," emphasizing the words: "We have been too late in this, too late in that, too late in arriving at decision, too late in starting this enterprise or that adventure. The footsteps of the Allies have been dogged by the mocking spectre of too late."

Let not "Too late" be inscribed on the portals of our workshop.

It's a solemn warning this, that some day will come home in disaster to this nation if we fail to take heed and profit by the lessons from the experience of others as taught in these outspoken words of agony, shall we not say, almost presaging the downfall of a great nation.

I am not an alarmist, not a pessimist, but, gentlemen, we should not ignore plain facts. There is a disturbing question on the Pacific Coast that we should heed. A vast population to the West is clamoring to enter the United States whom we are unwilling to receive as citizens and who would refuse to accept citizenship.

You will remember the tension of but a few months ago. Some day the bands of friendship will snap and light the flames of war. Do you remember the utter failure—breakdown shall I not say—of the railroads during the war with Spain? What if this condition covered 3,000 miles instead of but a few hundred? With bridges destroyed by spies, trains derailed, railroads blockaded, it requires no stretch of the imagination to know what would happen. Provide this roadbed, and hundreds of thousands of trackless cars would appear on the scene and supply transportation for the speedy transfer of troops and as like in the battle of the Marne referred to, would decide the fortune of the day.

Bear with me for a moment longer, please. I may have spoken with too much zeal, too much earnestness, too much feeling, but I look upon the action to be taken by this committee as of great importance. We pioneers yearn to have this work begun because of the intense desire to perpetuate the memory of the past and believe it of great importance to the rising generation in implanting this memory in the breasts of the future rulers of the nation and of sowing the seeds of patriotism, but of transcendant importance, as you will perceive from what I have said, is the beginning of this work and carrying it to a speedy finish, as a measure of preparedness for defense or war. Let not the responsibility of "Too late" rest upon your shoulders, but speedily pass this bill to the end a report may reach this Congress in time for action before the year ends.

CHAPTER LIV.

CONQUEST OF THE OREGON COUNTRY. [27]

I will not delay you long with a story relating the beginning of the conquest of the Oregon country through American valor. The first period, that of the exploration, can be told in very few words. Robert Gray, captain of the ship "Columbia", on May 7, 1792, discovered Grays Harbor, and on May 11th, entered the mouth of a great river and named it "Columbia" after the name of his ship.

The next great event to be recorded is the time when Lewis and Clark "on the 7th of November, 1805, heard the breakers roar, and saw, spreading and rolling before them, the waves of the western ocean, 'the object of our labors, the reward of our anxieties'," as they recorded in that wonderful journal of that wonderful trip.

It is permissible to note that sixteen years before Gray sailed into the mouth of the great river, Jonathan Carver, an American explorer, on the 7th of December, 1776, sixty miles above St. Anthony Falls, from a point which we may very properly call the heart of the continent, wrote these immortal words: "The four most capital rivers on the continent of North America, viz., the St. Lawrence, the Mississippi, the River Bourbon, and the Oregon, or the River of the West, have their sources in the same neighborhood". While Carver did not explore the river, or any of its tributaries, yet with wonderful vision foretold of its existence, and gave it a name, the "Oregon", the first instance that word was written. It is beyond the wit of man to divine where the word came from other than from the imaginative brain of that noted traveler.

The second period, that of exploitation, began with the entrance of the ship "Tonquin" into the mouth of the Columbia on the 25th of March, 1811, sent out by John Jacob Astor as "planned for a brilliant trading project". The tragic fate of the ship in more northern waters is told by an Indian, of the massacre of the whole ship's crew save one who, wounded, had retreated to the hold of the ship near the magazine and blew up the ship and avenged the death of his comrades by destroying ten Indians to every white man of the crew that had been sacrificed.

Next on the scene came the Hunt party overland, to arrive at Astoria February 15, 1812. The suffering of this party, the danger incurred, with the risks taken, far and away eclipse any feat of record in exploration of the Oregon country.

Following close upon the heels of their arrival came Astor's second ship, "The Beaver", to cross the bar at the mouth of the Columbia River May 10, 1812. The American flag that had floated peacefully over the heads of the little colony at Astoria for fourteen months was doomed, a year and seven months later, to the humiliation of being hauled down to make way for the British flag, as a result of the fortunes of war, and was not restored until October 6, 1818. As a result of the joint occupancy treaty of October 20, 1818, the British continued to exploit the country and built Fort Vancouver in 1824, and remained in full control of all avenues of trade until challenged by the traders coming from the east, with St. Louis the head center.

In 1822 General William H. Ashley's company sent out "bands of trappers to form camps in the best beaver districts, and trap out the streams one after another", much like the gold seekers who would wash out the gold of the different streams in succession. One of these Ashley parties discovered the South Pass (1822) and invaded the Oregon country, and a commercial war began and continued until the final overthrow of the British twenty-four years later.

In 1830 (the year I was born) the first wagon crossed the summit of the Rocky Mountains through the South Pass, that wonderful opening in the range, easy of access from either slope, and where the way is as safe, with no more obstacles to overcome than in a drive twenty miles south of Tacoma. William L. Sublette, reported to be the first man to invade the Oregon country through the South Pass for trapping, still lives, or did a year ago, at "Elk Mountain", a small place in Wyoming, high up on the west slope of the Rocky Mountains. He must be a very old man, but I am told is yet quite active.

I followed his "cut-off" west from the Big Sandy to Bear River, in the year 1852, and can testify it was then a hard road to travel. On my recent trip (1906) I avoided this short cut and followed more nearly the trail of 1843 further south, which led to near Fort Badger, below the forty-second parallel of latitude, and then Mexican territory.

We have now arrived at a period of impending change when the eccentric Bonneville drove through the South Pass (1832), closely followed by that adventurous Bostonian, Nathaniel J. Wythe. Both lost everything they had in these ventures, but they pointed the way, followed a little later by countless thousands of home builders to the Oregon country. A part of the Wythe party remained and became the first American home builders in the Oregon country.

We are now arrived at what we may call the third period. The four Flathead or Nez Perces Indians, shall we not call them Pilgrims, had crossed over to St. Louis (1832) in search of the "White Man's Book of Heaven". General Clark, of Lewis and Clark fame, then Indian agent for the West, had received them kindly, and introduced them widely to the religious world and elsewhere. Their advent kindled a flame of missionary zeal not often excelled, with the result that in 1834 the Methodists sent Jason Lee and others, and in 1835 the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, representing the Presbyterian and Congregationalists, sent Dr. Samuel Parker and Marcus Whitman as missionaries to the Oregon country. Parker completed the trip during the year of 1835, but Whitman turned back at the rendezvous on Green River, west of the crest of the Rock Mountains, and retraced his trail to his home for the purpose of securing more aid to occupy the field, and the following year with his young wife, in company with H. H. Spaulding and wife, crossed over to Vancouver, where the party arrived in September, 1836. These two were the first ladies to pass over the Oregon Trail and deserve special mention here, not so much for this distinction as for their piety, coupled with heroism and courage, not popularly expected of their sex. I will venture to digress to pay a just tribute to the pioneer ladies, so often, and I may say so generally, misunderstood. Students of history are well aware that, but for the firm support of the Pilgrim mothers, the lot of the Pilgrims that landed on Plymouth Rock would have been infinitely harder. I have often thought that in thinking and speaking of the Pilgrims we ought always to speak of the Pilgrim fathers and mothers. It has fallen to my lot to observe at close range the heroism of Pioneer mothers, and I wish to testify that, under stress of suffering or danger, they always became a bulwark of encouragement and support.

Let me relate one instance. Meeting one day nine wagons on the Oregon Trail returning, we discovered the teams were all driven by the women and children—the men were all dead. This was on the trail in the Platte Valley after that dreadful scourge of cholera had struck the columns.

While the missionaries were but few in number, their influence became widespread, and especially helpful to the later inrush of home builders, and even if not successful in saving men's souls, they were instrumental in saving men's lives, and deserve a tender spot in our hearts. I would not have you infer from the remark about "saving men's souls" that I wished to belittle the efforts of those sincere men, the missionaries. I simply record a fact acknowledged by the missionaries themselves.

We now approach the fourth period, that of the home builders. It is hardly fair to say this class exploited the country, developed is the better word. We have, in fact, come to the turning point as to the future of the country. If the English had been able to throw a strong colony into the Oregon country, no man can tell what the final result would have been. England was arrogant, and some at least, of her statesmen held the United States in contempt, and would have welcomed a war over the Oregon country. The joint occupancy treaty (fortunate for us) disarmed the war spirit, for did they not have control of the trade of the country? And could they not afford to wait?—forgetting that exploiting and developing a country are radically different.

When the American home builders began to arrive in great numbers it became impossible to again renew the pact for joint occupancy, and the treaty of 1846 quickly followed. As I have said, a few of the Wythe party of 1833 remained and joined the settlers' colony already begun by discharged Hudson Bay servants, and trappers who had tired of nomadic life, less than a hundred all told, at the end of the year 1839. In May, 1840, the ship "Lusanne" arrived, bringing fifty men, women and children as a reinforcement to the Methodist Mission at Champoeg, but who soon became home builders. During the two following years, possibly a hundred more arrived direct from the east, having traversed the Oregon Trail from the Missouri River.

All of a sudden there came a widespread "Oregon fever" during the winter of 1842-3. A measure known as the Lynn bill had passed the Senate, granting land to actual settlers. Whitman had returned overland during the winter. Fremont had made his first trip as far as to the Rocky Mountains and returned to be commissioned to lead a large exploring party to the Oregon country. The "times" were not prosperous, nor health good in the Middle West, and besides, an unrest had taken possession of the minds of many people on account of the slavery question. The result was that more than a thousand people congregated nearby what is now Kansas City, preparing to start for Oregon as soon as time and seasonable weather would permit; some pushed out to Elm Grove, west of the Missouri, and camped; others passed on a little farther; finally a great company was formed, captains appointed, and all was to move with precision, and order, and the start was made. But the independent spirit of the frontiersmen would not brook control and soon there came a division into two parties, then, later, others broke away, until finally but little of the discipline was left, though there continued co-operation in the face of a common danger. Whitman joined, or rather overtook, the main body of the moving caravan, but he never led it, or attempted to lead it. His knowledge of the trail and his counsel was helpful. It was upon Whitman's advice that the great venture was made to open a wagon road from Ft. Hall west—over 600 miles—a wonderful feat. Thus, nearly a thousand people reached the Oregon country in 1843, and news sent back that a wagon road had been opened the whole length of the Oregon Trail.

Life was at once infused into the dormant body of the Provisional Government that had been formed, and the absolute rule of the Hudson Bay Company ended.

During the year 1844, nearly fifteen hundred immigrants reached Oregon and yet, early in 1845, the British Government refused to accept the thrice made offer of a settlement of the boundary on the 49th parallel, but when 3,000 emigrants crossed over during the year 1845, and the Hudson Bay Company gave up the contest by formally, on the 15th of August, 1845, placing themselves under the protection of the Provisional Government, then the British Government of their own accord, offered to accept the line she had so long persistently refused. The Ashburton Treaty speedily followed, and the Oregon question was settled—the conquest was complete.

Of the subsequent migration, I cannot tarry to speak in detail. In 1850, the population of the whole of the old Oregon country was less than 15,000. The gold excitement had drawn large numbers to California, and turned much of the immigration from the east to that field. Not until the great wave of 1852, when 50,000 people crossed the Missouri River, did Oregon make a new beginning in the race for population.

I had cast my fortune with that throng—a marching column 500 miles long—and like Sherman's army marching through Georgia 50,000 strong at the beginning, but leaving 5,000 dead on the way. At the parting of the ways at Bear River, many turned to the south, yet leaving a great throng to reach the Oregon country. And yet, when I rowed my little open boat, 18 feet long, into Commencement Bay on a June day of 1853, there were less than 4,000 inhabitants in all the territory within the boundary of this great State, and but eleven persons within the borders of the present city of Tacoma.

And now, my friends, will this generation "let the dead bury the dead", and let the memory of those who made it possible for you to enjoy the blessings of this great commonwealth, sink into oblivion? Or will you join generously to perpetuate the memory of those who have gone before, to the end that you may profit by their examples?

A word now as to this institution, "The Washington State Historical Society". It was my fortune to be in at the beginning. More than twenty years have passed since the completed organization was formed by articles of incorporation. Thirty-six people participated in the organization—six only of the signers are now living. We are admonished that the generation of men that made the beginning will all soon have passed and gone into history. Shall the work thus begun languish and fail for lack of support? The time has arrived when there should be an emphatic answer to this question by liberal state aid appropriation. Much has already been lost because of the withholding of this help. The harvest has been ripe all these years and many of the precious relics have been lost or garnered elsewhere. Remember, this is a harvest that cannot be reproduced. If not gathered in time, it is lost forever.

A case in point: There is an opportunity now to secure a typical blockhouse built nearly sixty years ago, one of seventy-five built during the Indian war, all of which will disappear in a few years if left exposed to the elements. This society ought to be enabled to secure this relic, [28] erect it under the shelter of a great building, fill it with exhibits, and preserve the whole for future generations. I mention this as one instance only, but the country is rich in these relics that will become more and more precious as future generations come on the scene of action. This is not something we can leave for future generations to do, for then it will be too late; it is NOW this work ought to be prosecuted. I will repeat, by state aid.

A word now as to the proposed memorial arch to the Pioneers to be erected in Tacoma, perhaps within less than a stone's throw of the home of the society, to add its beauty to what is to become the civic center of the city, with the magnificent structure of the High School building on the one part; the home of the Historical Society, may we not hope, in as impressive architectural structure, near by for another part; with that wonderful and unique structure—shall we call it the Stadium—as the central figure of attraction, the whole overlooked by this work of art, this record of history, as well as a tribute to those who contributed to the conquest of the Oregon country, this empire of which we all are so justly proud.

It is but little over a hundred years since this history began. Momentous changes have come in our national history within that short period of time, not the least of which is this great conquest, opening a gateway to the great "western" ocean, thus winning of the farther west, to found a nation spanning the continent from ocean to ocean, destined to be one of the greatest world powers of all history.

As before outlined, the march of events naturally divides into five periods. Provision is made for five large bronze tablets, or engraved in granite on the base of the arch, upon which to record a history of the conquest; one for a record of the explorers, giving names and dates; a second, a history of the exploitation during fur gathering period, and disclosure of the interior; a third might recite the efforts and achievements of the missionaries, giving names and dates; a fourth may show the Oregon Trail in relief, and recite the history of the home builders, and, finally, a fifth should show present day achievements, as for instance, who founded the city of Tacoma and when, and present day population; who founded Olympia, Seattle, Spokane; in a word, the cities of the State, thus reaching out to the borderland of pioneer days.

The groups of bronze statues to crown the arch will naturally represent these different periods and lend an enchanting scene the eye will never tire viewing. We will doubtless hear some one, or more than one, say all this can't be done. Seven years ago I heard many say that the Oregon Trail could not be searched out, and found "with an old ox team", but it was done. I did not hear it, but heard of it, that "the man was crazy to go out with such a rig"; "that the people would laugh at him"; but they didn't laugh. Many came to the dedicatory services of monuments, and stood with tears in their eyes, instead of giving way to mirth. I tell you, friends, such work as here proposed reaches the hearts of men and makes better citizens of them—makes them love their country better, their flag, their homes, their own lives, when they participate and become conscious of having performed an altruistic act; it is farther reaching than we are at first thought willing to concede.

But I must have done. I sincerely thank you for the courtesy in extending this invitation to speak before you and for the respectful hearing accorded by the assembled audience.