USA > Oregon > Pioneer days of Oregon history, Vol. II > Part 15
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sanctity, attended to the scaffold by Father Veynet, of the Catholic Church. In his account of Catholic missions Right Rev. Bishop Blanchet claims that they were innocent vic- tims, who gave themselves to redeem their people-or to that effect. Their father confessor exclaimed, as their fate was called for: "Onward! Onward to heaven! Children ! Into Thy hands, Lord Jesus, I commend my spirit !"
Thus ended the Cayuse war, and its results were eminently satisfactory.
At the close of the campaign an escort was sent to Spokane to bring down the missionaries there Revs. Eells and Walker, and their families and employés-and all mis- sions to the disaffected tribes were temporarily discontinued. At both Lapwai, among the Nez Percés, and at Waiilatpu, on the Walla Walla, among the Cayuses, there had been progress made by superior men among the Indians, some of whom had farms opened, and their children had the ad- vantage of schools. The effect is seen to-day in the intelli- gence of those who attended them. The after condition of these tribes belongs to history, and the object of my work is fulfilled in giving this brief story of the way the settlers of Oregon-two thousand miles from the nearest civiliza- tion and separated from it by winter snows and mountain barriers-carried the Cayuse war to a successful conclusion.
CHAPTER LIV
ISTACHUS, THE CHRISTIANIZED INDIAN
ISTACHUS, or Stickas, was a remarkable character ; he lived where his ancestors had lived for more generations than In- dian genealogy could trace. As the country became settled several white families occupied land near him and he was a great favorite with them. It was common to see him riding the range with some white child, son of these neighbors, mounted behind. The nearest family was named Moore; he often visited them and partook of their hospitality. He always prayed before he left them. Finally, the Indians having agreed to live on the reservation, orders came for their removal and Stickas had to give up his ancestral home and the fields he had so long cultivated. He went to bid a last farewell to his friends, the Moores, and said: "This is the land my fathers owned and tilled for many a year; many of them are buried here and I had hoped to finish my life here and also be buried here. It is not right that I should have to move in my old age, but we have agreed to do so. God owns the land and His children should live where they wish on His land. I go away and you will see me no more. Let us pray!" Kneeling down, he offered peti- tions for each member of the family by name, then took a sorrowful farewell. Leaving his old home-and no people have stronger local attachments than our Indians-he took up his residence on the reservation, where after a few years he died. He had for many years lived as a devoted
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Christian by precept and example, among difficulties that would have discouraged many a man with better oppor- tunities.
During the fifties, when Istachus made his home on the Umatilla, the emigrants received much aid and comfort from him; several anecdotes were current that prove the fidelity with which he kept the Christian faith, and illus- trated the teachings of Whitman, the martyr missionary, who had been his personal friend. His village was near the old emigrant crossing of the Umatilla, and occasionally, when early fall rains raised the river, he assisted to make the passage. The Umatilla is no mere summer ripple when storms have drenched the mountain ranges and warm autumn rains melt the lingering snows into raging floods. Stickas-or Istachus-was always willing to enter the tor- rent on his well-broken horse, that had been trained to stem the floods, as well as range the uplands ; so one day, after a drenching rain had caused the river to rise, a company of emigrants were crossing with his volunteered assistance. Among them was a woman who had become terrified at the surging waters over their rocky beds. It is characteristic of Indians that they seldom use their English, so Stickas- though he was fairly versed in that tongue, did his talk by pantomime and broken words very sparsely used. He signed for this woman to mount behind him and she did so, taking two half hitches round her protector. When they came into swift water his passenger shrieked and screamed as if she was surely lost. Stickas tried the golden influence of silence awhile, but when thoroughly disgusted with her want of faith, turned an angry-or rather a scornful-look on her, and exclaimed in perfect English, "Wicked woman,
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put your trust in God!" Had it come from the heavens or from a vision, she could not have been more utterly over- whelmed than she was to receive a rebuke so merited from the lips of one she supposed an untutored savage. It goes with- out saying that she stopped screaming and made the trip after that with entire confidence in both her God and the ferryman that He had sent her.
Another incident was more amusing still-as also in- structive. Stickas owned a nice lot of horses and was a fair judge of horseflesh. The emigrants often came by with jaded horses and could not make the remaining journey. While their stock was much better quality, they could afford to trade for a stout Cayuse pony in good condition that would learn to work. It was thus that the natives acquired good American horses, as also did others who had fat stock to trade for lean. One day Stickas sat silent and thought- ful by his lodge door, when a train from the emigration was passing to The Dalles. The owner of one team came to him to inquire about his horses and stated his need of fresh ani- mals to replace his jaded stock. He thought the Indian very indifferent, so asked him on what terms he could trade a fresh riding horse for the one he bestrode.
Now, our traveller was a Baptist clergyman on his travels. No doubt they started with due observance of the Sabbath, and had kept the faith as pure as circumstances would permit ; but the changing circumstances met with on the plains-teams giving out and feed growing shorter, provisions scarcer, with September's cold nights-all these circumstances warned them to make haste. So by the time our Baptist preacher had got over the Rocky Mountains, had crossed Green River and hewn a way over the Blue
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Mountains, his idea of the Sabbath had been modified by circumstances. He had lost the run of the days and even of the weeks, and stood abashed and surprised in the presence of this gentle savage, who looked up in surprise at the ques- tion and said: "I never swap horses on the Sabbath Day !"
Mrs. Catherine Pringle furnished me with other inter- esting facts as to Istachus. When the Whitman mission was established he soon became an earnest listener and was really converted to the Christian faith. All his life there- after he lived as a consistent Christian. When Dr. Whit- man returned, with the emigration of 1843, Stickas met him and helped him guide the train over the Blue Mountains. He was fine appearing, with so even a disposition and so kind, that he was universally liked. His perceptions of right and wrong were very acute; he did much for weary emigrants who passed through his country.
The night before the massacre Dr. Whitman was at his lodge, twenty-five miles from the mission. As the doctor mounted to go, Stickas told him that mischief was brewing, that he had better leave the mission until they had better hearts. It is possible that he knew what was to be, and from a sense of honor to his people did not explain. Mr. Spauld- ing was also there, but remained until next day; noticing the gloom of his host, who was usually so cheerful, he asked the cause and the answer was: "My people have decided against the Americans." That night the two wives of Stickas sat on either side of his bed after he had retired, and sang their mournful death song all the night, but refused to say for whom they mourned. He was allowed to go the next morning in total ignorance of the massacre that had taken place. Whether he feared violence at the hands of his
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people, or from some code of savage honor, will never be known. Mrs. Pringle says: "While he refused to accept the charges made against Whitman by his people, he went to the priests and they seemed to confirm the story that Whitman was poisoning the Cayuses. On his return he wept and mourned over the supposed faithlessness of one he ' considered the best of men." When Mr. Ogden came to re- deem the prisoners, Stickus went to Fort Walla Walla and there met the Osborns, who had escaped. He gave Osborn the hat he wore and tied a handkerchief on the head of his son, as he said they would need them going down the river. In the Cayuse war he remained neutral, living in seclusion.
Two years after, Mrs. Pringle met him at Oregon City, at the trial of the murderers. It was there that he learned that the Cayuse charges against Whitman were false. He never ceased to mourn for Dr. and Mrs. Whitman, and often told emigrants how good they were. In the war of 1855 his son-in-law was tried and condemned to death; after the sentence was pronounced he asked leave to speak, then rose and said: "I know that my son-in-law has done wrong, and that it is right he should be punished. I have always been the friend of the whites. I never refused them food. This man is my son-in-law ; my daughter is his wife; she has lit- tle children ; if he dies there will be no one to provide for them. I am old and not able to work. I want him punished, but for my sake punish him without taking his life." The sentence was reconsidered; punishment was changed to a severe whipping. Poor old Istachus seems to have been more sinned against than sinning.
CHAPTER LV
IMMIGRATIONS FROM 1845 TO 1848
THE immigration of 1845 was greater than any that pre- ceded it. It doubled the population of Oregon. The 3,000 who arrived during the year and the 3,000 who preceded them mostly settled in the Willamette valley. There were a few at Clatsop and some had made homes in the valleys be- tween the Columbia River and Puget Sound; but these scarcely amounted to a tenth of the total. No settlements had been made east of the Cascades, save the missions at The Dalles, Waiilatpu, Lapwai, Colville, and Spokane to the north. The Catholics had their various missions, and the fur trade had stations through all the wide area of the In- land Empire. By this time the value of the fur trade had greatly diminished everywhere, for fur-bearing animals were in process of extermination. Gradually, but surely, the beaver had vanished from the scene. But the Hudson's Bay Company was still powerful and had become interested in fisheries and the lumber trade. The field was wide and their enterprise found other channels. In the meantime the Columbia River and Willamette Indians had vanished with the passing of the game. They were victims to the degrada- tion and vice that too often follows in the path of civiliza- tion, and too often accompanies it. Venereal diseases im- paired their life and left them more degraded than even sav- agery had created them. Then came, also, the contagious diseases that followed the immigrations. Of these the
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measles proved most dangerous, sweeping away native tribes until scarce a remnant was left of what had been aboriginal nations. These results were more severe at the west, where they were easily reached by sailing vessels, than to the east of the Cascades. To the west the native race had gradually melted away and the field was left open to the invading whites.
The immigrants retained the same features that distin- guished their forerunners. They had gone from various States to the border, where they were removed from trade and had a few resources, but possessed a spirit of loyalty, with independence, that empowered them to follow the west- ern march to the farthest shore.
Bancroft has been at pains to collect from survivors of this immigration important facts that correspond with what I had previously gathered from similar sources. Some of, the companies rendezvoused at Independence and others at St. Joseph. Twenty-five wagons, under Pressly Welch, as- sisted by Joel Palmer and Samuel K. Barlow, and forty wagons, commanded by Samuel Hancock, left Independ- ence ; two other companies-one of fifty-two wagons, under Hackleman, with sixty-five wagons, commanded by W. G. T'Vault, left St. Joseph, John Waymire being lieutenant and James Allen sergeant. There was a fifth company, with sixty-five wagons, under Solomon Tetherow.
There seems to have been no trouble on the route and all went well. They reached Fort Hall all right, but two men were supposed to have been killed by Indians while hunting at the crossing of Snake River. They were now on the waters of the Columbia, within reach of the promised land. But at Fort Hall their troubles commenced. Forty-six
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wagons had started for California. At that time there was fear that Great Britain would send her Pacific fleet to take possession of California and on that might depend the fate of Oregon. At Fort Hall were several who had been to California the previous year and were desirous to induce others, who might be coming, to leave the Oregon trail for that leading to the south.
It is certain that many did take the route to California, reached there in safety, found themselves disappointed and the following year made their way to Oregon. One was L. B. Hastings, who was then prominent in inducing others to go the southern route, but afterwards came to Oregon. He was at Portland in 1850, but went to Puget Sound and was prominent there.
There was a rough road to travel on Snake River and to cross the Blue Mountains, as well as danger to meet in de- scending the Columbia. Two hundred wagons were induced to try a new route that has come down in history as "Meek's cut-off." I will give that story as it was told me in 1885 by William H. Herren, who was in that company.
BY MEEK'S CUT-OFF
I have the story of the fearful.journey by Meek's Cut- off, as told me by both Colonel T. R. Cornelius and William H. Herren, and as given by Bancroft's history, who claimed that Elijah White originated the idea of making the supposed shorter route to save two hundred miles of travel, and that Stephen Meek carried out his suggestion ; about two hundred families following him. They took an old and abandoned trail of the fur hunters and went up the
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Malheur River for several days without trouble, though it was so rocky that the oxen's feet soon wore out and they could hardly be forced on. Stephen Meek was brother of Jo Meek, and was also a mountain man, but had no actual acquaintance with the route he was leading these people to follow.
Colonel Cornelius was then a boy of seventeen and re- members that Meek told the men of the train of the time to be saved by travelling through a beautiful region with which he seemed very familiar. It was agreed to pay him $300 to act as pilot, part of it was in advance; then a party was formed that moved forward. Meek had just married a young girl on the border and was desirous to add to his scant store by doing this service. The families of Cornelius, Herren, Adams and others took the new trail with perfect confidence. An interesting feature of the journey was that one day, in the bed of a small stream, Cornelius, Sr., picked up a small yellow piece of metal, half as large as a grain of coffee, that he pounded flat on the wagon tire and won- dered what it could be, then threw it in the wagon bed. A few years later when in the California gold mines he remem- bered this and then knew that they had missed discovery of gold in Oregon at that early time. They were then on the headwaters of the John Day River, where mines were dis- covered forty years ago that have proved rich to this day. That was the site of the famous Blue Bucket diggings, of which much has been said and written.
Not finding good pasture, they had trouble with cattle, so bore south to find grass, but only found alkali plains and foul water. It was a desert region; they turned north, where the fountains of the Columbia should be, but there
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was no game and they soon had short allowance. Many be- came sick, and soon death was a common visitor. They dug graves and made fires over them, then pushed on with the sad courage of despair. For awhile they had funerals daily and buried some one at each camping, driving teams and wagons over the consecrated spots to deceive the Indians ; there was too much apprehension of evil to utter or display their grief.
There was no sign that even Indians had ever frequented that desert region, so it finally dawned on them that their pilot had no knowledge as to where he was leading them. Unhealthy conditions, worry of mind and wear of body, in- sufficient food and filthy water, caused a sickness known as mountain fever ; the children were sick and several died of dysentery. Turning north, they followed a dry ridge be- tween the Deschutes and John Day rivers, and half the men hunted for living springs while the other half pursued stock that was crazed with thirst. Despair settled on all; the old and young wept together-and only the women showed the truest courage.
They finally refused to listen to their guide, and mur- murs, not loud but deep, soon grew to angry threats, so that Meek realized that his life was in danger. He knew that a certain course must lead to the Columbia, but they refused to listen to him, so following the advice of some of the elders, Meek and his wife concealed themselves and one night stole away for The Dalles. They grew moody and selfish ; cold- eyed selfishness looked out of faces that had been alive with human sympathy; almost in silence the days passed; the sick died and were silently buried. They killed young heifers they had hoped to drive on to become mothers of
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stately herds-and it seemed murder to do it, all the more because the poor creatures were so starved as to be mere skeletons. On this diet mothers and children sickened and died. At least twenty hidden graves marked the desert road. The first who went the old emigrant road got to The Dalles, while Meek's company was unheard of-were often dying by the way, only to grow unselfish as death came nearer and the end promised rest and peace.
One evening they were on a rocky wilderness-where stock range now, when they can eat snow or drink its melt- ings-all day they had been famished; a small squad that had ridden on returned to report no water for twenty miles ; at this Adams and Cornelius struck north for the Blue Mountains, in sight, for they knew that water from the ranges fed the Columbia's tributaries. They pushed on "all night long till break of day," and the middle of the forenoon found a small stream, where they camped and rested-probably the head of Crooked River. Two days later nine men left for The Dalles, taking but four days' provisions ; the teams followed slowly. The nine were nine long days reaching The Dalles; only that they got some salmon of Indians, they must have killed a horse. At the mission, Rev. Waller furnished food and they met Black Harris, a mountaineer, who returned to aid the emigrants. They were gone twenty days, and were fortunate in meeting the train, as they feared to miss them and knew their dis- tress. It is not easy to tell the horror they were in, and evils were aggravated by painful circumstances. They had wearily made the best of what food and force they had; when short they killed a cow or steer. When weeks wore on they despaired of seeing those advance messengers again,
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fearing they had died by the way. Perishing and frenzied, they yet had an unknown terror stored up concerning the fate of those friends. Words cannot say the joy with which the advance-Cornelius's wagons always led-saw the messengers return-and bringing them relief.
That these were come back safe, and they knew they were on a road that led somewhere, for the moment overcame hunger that was clamorous. Laughter and tears were un- bidden companions, the banishing of apprehension made the sage plains a haven of rest beyond power of words. There was excitement, but no noise ; too serious a time for hilarity, for the sick and dying were there still. They camped where they met and waited for the rear ones to get supplies and join the company. Some were so far behind that they did not arrive when the advance started the next morning.
Palmer's company reached The Dalles the 29th of Sep- tember. It was the middle of October when the travellers by Meek's cut-off reached there; they were detained two weeks at the crossing of the Deschutes. Even the horrors of that journey over mountains and deserts from Fort Hall did not surpass the terrible suffering that many underwent in de- scending the Columbia. There were but few boats; their provisions were scant ; many suffered from famine and dis- ease. The suffering they endured had terrible details that time has seldom known and human endurance seldom equalled. The Hudson's Bay Company came to the rescue with their batteaux. There had been little need for river craft when there was no business to employ them, and no leisure to enjoy them. The settlers were mostly poor and too busy making homes and opening farms to have time to think of others.
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In this contingency, with winter close at hand and the dreaded rainy season liable to commence at any time ; when many families were waiting transportation and only two small boats were at their command, Palmer and his company determined to attempt to cross the Cascade Mountains to the Willamette valley. Knighton had-with Barlow and seven others-penetrated twenty-five miles into the range to find no pass, so had returned, discouraged. On the 1st of Octo- ber, Palmer, with fifteen families and twenty-three wagons, left The Dalles to join Barlow, overtaking his company on the 3d. Seeking for a route, they went into the mountains, following gorges, climbing ravines, penetrating thickets and swamps. When thirty-six miles had been made from camp they came to an impassable cañon. There they prospected and toiled, but made little progress until it was too danger- ous to longer dally, so leaving their wagons with a guard, mounting a few of the women and children on horses, they started to take them to the Willamette by the cattle trail that led from The Dalles that they had found in their wan- derings.
The rains commenced; the cold was intense; for awhile they lost their trail in the dense fog, but it cleared up after that, and to their great joy they met a company from Ore- gon City who had heard of this effort to cross the range, so had come to meet and assist them. They had loaded eleven horses with provisions and arrived in time to avert fearful disaster. This relief saved many lives. Sending the women and children on to Oregon City, they returned to camp to find a distressful scene. The relief company had turned back to give up the effort, when an impulse caused them to make one more search for the train; then in six miles they
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met Palmer's party, when several families at the camp were nearly destitute. Then all started for the Willamette, women and children on horses, and even the half-starved cattle carrying loads; the men were wading through the snow on the mountains afoot. There were other parties who ventured later and had similar experience ; death was staring many in the face ; many horses died-every one of the eleven that came with provisions died on the way. On the 1st of November Palmer reached the homes of the Willamette val- ley, but it was December before all the pilgrims arrived. It is needless to say that kind-hearted settlers helped all as they came. No one who has knowledge of these fearful sierras, with their snowy peaks, forming a continuous line from Southern California to the frozen north, can imagine the fearful task it was to penetrate and cross that rugged range -as rugged as any on the earth-at such a season.
Palmer and his family were a month on this dangerous journey. Those who went down the river experienced al- most as many vicissitudes and dangers as they who took the mountain trail. But this we have described elsewhere.
When the provisional legislature met in December, 1845, Barlow was authorized to construct a wagon road, or toll road, over the Mount Hood pass of the Cascades. This was partially completed the next season. In July they rescued the wagons and baggage left at "Fort Deposit." The emi- gration of that year-1846-mostly crossed the mountains. The sides of some of the hills that descended to the Wil- lamette were so steep that it was dangerous to attempt to go down them. It was the custom to cut some tree of sufficient size and let its top drag behind the wagon, as all ordinary- clogs and brakes were insufficient.
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