Journal of Travels From St. Josephs to Oregon / With Observations of That Country, Together With Some Description of California, Its Agricultural Interests, and a Full Description of Its Gold Mines.

by Riley Root

As the advantages for knowing the pronunciation of some of the words that occur in the following work are limited amongst most eastern readers, it may not be improper here to give some explanation by way of change in their orthography.

The name of the Willamette, a river in the west valley of Oregon, is changd to Will-am-et, with the accent on the second syllable. A tributary of the Willamet river, with the several names of Quality, Tualiton, and Troliton, is more familiarly calld Twality. Also another, which flows from Mt. Jefferson, by some calld Santa Anna, is more properly calld San-ty-am.

San or Saint Joaquin in California, is pronouncd Saint Wau-keen, with the accent on the second syllable. Stanislaus, a tributary of the St. Wau-keen, is often improperly calld Spanish Slough. Juba river, a tributary of the Sacramento, is now calld Yu-bar river. The old name of Rio de Plumas, is familiarly known by the name of Feather river. Mereposa is divided into four syllables, with the half accent on Mer, and the full accent on Po. The above definitions may in some degree, help the reader to the proper pronunciation of some words as used in California.

JOURNAL.

CHAPTER I.

Journey from home—Trip down the Mississippi and up the Missouri River to St. Josephs.

I left home in Knox county, Illinois, the 3d day of April, 1848, for Woodstock in Fulton county, a distance of about 20 miles, where I staid one day with my eldest daughter. I then started for the Mississippi river, to Nauvoo, a Mormon town, by the way of La Harp, a distance of fifty miles, over which route most of the way to La Harp is as handsome prairie as I have seen in the State. I visited the Temple at Nauvoo, with the expectation of seeing a beautiful edifice, as the Mormons would have it to appear, that the glory of the latter Temple is to exceed that of the former.

It is true that on approaching the Temple[1] the visitor beholds something exquisite in its outward appearance, though not more so than many other buildings in America, but on visiting its inner scenery, the visitor is not arousd by any thing sublime, curious or tasteful. The inner arrangements may be in accordance with their plans of order and church government, yet the design and workmanship are of an ordinary appearance. But the building is fast going to decay, and the town is vacated of three fourths of its inhabitants.

[1]It has since been burnt.