USA > Oregon > The Oregon native son, 1900-1901 > Part 49
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However, the field is large, competi- tion unheard of, vigor approved. modesty applauded, ignorance ignored. and suc- cess perhaps. You may, from some camping or hunting expedition, have ac- quired what you think experience. You have, with a congenial party, been initi- ated in the art of cooking. washing dishes and cleaning fire arms, but to be thrown upon your own resources, among strange men and surrour lings, where merit is the only accepted accomplish- ment, has caused many an ardent as- pirant for fortune to quickly forget the troubles he has had, and take them all back to his heart together home, good clothes and the cook. for to follow out a feminine adage, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach." Must
he not have left his heart behind him, or, be filled with conceit at his own cul- inary achievements, to face the inevi- table accompanyment of prospecting- bachelorhood.
Look around in camp at the relics of argonautism, grey-bearded, descrepit pensioners, whose little $8 or Șio a month give them an assurance of lux- urious age, while they make a few dol- lars with the rocker, or run across a pocket in the hills, when they feel like exerting themselves. It is a strange and pitiful sight to find so many old men en- during hardships and discomforts, when they should be surrounded by sympa- thetic relatives or friends with pleasant environments. Surely they have visions of retiring through acquired persistericy some of the fortunes that have slipped through their fingers The new comer looks almost with contempt at these hoary-headed, tough-fisted veterans, tak- ing their advice with a great deal of al- lowance for crank medicine.
To the prospector is given the doubt- ful supposition of his having "influ- ential friends," for at some time in his life. other occupations engaged him where perhaps his energies were not rewarded according to his idea of recompense, so he voluntarily enlisted in the army of gold seekers for a possible enrichment
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After going over ground in his origin- al and efficient style, territory that has been traversed for forty years or more, he is prepared to extol the value of this or that rock, and give expert opinion as to how a man's mine should be operated, or for settling in some old cabin osten- sibly for future operations. If he has backing, and is withal a good worker, he will run a few tunnels on his prospects and have assays made, which, if favor- able, is an incentive for further investi- gation. He may spend years in just this kind of uncertain eagerness, gradually growi ng morose and cranky and brood- ing more each day over the ill luck that brought him to this condition of affairs, but loth to give up the evidence of his hard work and convictions.
Brothers may be seen working in their "diggins" during the Winter months, raising garden and sawing wood and lumber in Summer, content:d with their lot, having a neat little home in the mountains, methodical and . conomical in their habits, saving their earnings for a trip to the home back East, or. to a for- eign land, where they will make the boys who stayed behind sick with envy at sight of their sack of golden nug- gets. It is hard to discriminate between the prosperous and the discouraged ones. He who wears the filthiest rags may have a pocket full of big nuggets tied to a buckskin string, all the while saying he is "just about making grub."
The owner of a large hydraulic mine has the care of an extensive business on his mind. With thousands invested, a break in the ditch means not alone the loss for repair, but it lessens the output forthe season, as every day the water is turned off and the gravel is not run- ning through the boxes, and mightily
steadily, too, there is no gold going in. His dreams are of gigantic lides, banks caving in the mine, with perhaps a man or two crushed, a sudden food cair :- ing dam and all out when horrors -- a terrific blast-a boulder rent in twain.
The sudden melting of snows causes damage in the steep mountain cou dirv enough to discourage any bust a miner. He is a worker or would not be here. knows how to take advantage of nature's forces, and, with a rope and tackle. can alone do the work of half a dozen Chinamen.
To some a periodical spree is always the accompanyment of a good clean-up. Then the wily sharper takes advantage of a generous nature, gets Mr. Miner into trouble and out again, for a consider- ation, usually his mine, or an interest in it, and when soberness follows a de- pleted pocket-book, the miner realiz.i.g that he has been "done," resignedly ac- cepts the situation, sells the rest of his accumulation, and makes a change of location.
Then the schemer is on the lookout for another victim, though of another class. By skillful manipula"on he !in- loads for a big price, a . ompany is formed and under directions of a com- petent and rustling manager the mine is brought to its liighest standard of pro- duction, to be a dividend paver or a failure.
Returned Nomers find in Oregon that which they sought in Alaska-av. and a glorious healthful clinate thrown in. No need to spend a thousand col- lars experimenting. That amount j:1- diciously invested will buy an interest in a good paying mine or put an undevel- oped one in shape to produce.
A. B. COUSIN.
CROSSING THE PLAINS.
After securing my discharge I walked from Salem to Yoncolla, in the Umpqua valley, where, finding my claim jumped, I walked back to Corvallis and secured a position carrying the U. S. mail be- tween Lafayette and Oakland. My route was one hundred and fifty miles long, the round trip was to be made each week, rain or shine. Half the time, during the winter season, I had to swim most of the streams, and my clothes would be wet for a week. It was a hard way to serve the Lord, but the hard- ships attendent on mail carrying was not exceptional in those days. I held my job from May, 1856, until May, 1858. The latter summer I was running around considerable with a light wagon, de- livering medicines for Drs. Hutchings and Poppleton of Lafayette.
In the fall of 1858 I returned to The Dalles and opened a livery stable, go- ing broke in the business. I stayed at The Dalles until the month of August, 1859.
In August, 1859, I went as cook with surveyors to Umatilla valley to survey all the country lying between Willow creek and the foot of the Blue mount- ains. I cooked for twelve men for two or three months. I believe some of the men are still alive. Mr. D. P. Thompson is I know. On the second night out from The Dalles we camped at the mouth of Rock creek on John Day river. It was very late when we stopped, and after supper, staking out our mules, we spread our blankets and turned in. About 10 o'clock we smelled rattle snakes and all climbed into the wagon, and stayed there until morning. At day break we went to killing the rattle- snakes. Thirty of forty fell victims to our onslaught, but the most of them es- caped by retreating into a cliff or rocks into the rear of our camp.
The work began at Butter creek. D. P. Thompson ran one compass, and his
brother Allen the other. As the weather was very warm, it was necessary to get an early start in the morning, conse- quently I had to hustle out in the morn- ing before daylight to get breakfast. Mr. D. P. Thompson was at that time a great walker, he could catch an antelope easy. Some days he would meander so far from the camp that it would re- quire double the time to get back. He was never leg weary, but always fresh as a daisy. There is one little incident of that trip which I shall never forget. Our bread was made of sour dough and Sally-Ann (better known by tenderfeet as soda) , and I kept a supply on hand constantly. After a meal it was neces- sary to mix the dough in a large tin pan and place it in the sun to rise. The dough being mixed and placed in the sun, as usual, I spread a news paper over the top, laid a stick of wood on top of that, and, mounting a mule, started to a ranch five miles off, to purchase some butter. When I came in sight of camp on my re- turn, my eyes encountered a wonderful sight. A magpie had taken a notion to eat my dough, and mixed himself up in it, and twisted and turned around until he had completely buried himself. I was hostile, and took Mr. Magpie out and chopped him all up. The dough, being full of feathers, was discarded, and with no small undertaking I made ready an- other batch of yeast-cake bread to feed my twelve hungry boarders that night. I have never liked a magpie since. Mr. Thompson surveyed and sectionized that entire country between the Umatilla and the Columbia. At times we had trouble procuring water. One day while camped on the Umatilla river, we packed the water kegs on the mules and pro- ceeded with the men to do some sur- veying between the Umatilla and the Columbia.
With two mules we took four water kegs half way to the Columbia, where
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the twelve men filled their canteens and commenced work, while I started back to camp with the mules. It was an ex- ceedingly warm day, the temperature being 100 degrees in the shade. I had ten miles to go and had not provided my- self with water. I suffered terribly with thirst, and when I got to the Umatilla river, I just laid down and drank water until I could hold no more, then I rolled over and went to sleep and let my mules take care of themselves. That night the supper call sounded after bed time. After Mr. Thompson finished his con- tract, we came back to The Dalles, where I stopped that fall and winter.
Charley White was sheriff of Wasco county, and appointed me one of his deputies. This county then reached from the Cascade mountains clear to the Rockies, and took all the country over to the Utah line. Since then fourteen counties have been hatched out of it, and there are eggs enough for two or three more. The Dalles was a wide- open little town with plenty of sporting men, among whom was Bill Nixen, Jim Chandsey, Rub Short, Buckskin Bill, Jack Harris, Johnie Moran, Duff Neill. Joe and Jack Crab, and Vic Trevitt; W. Isaacs had a store, Fielding Brown had a big saloon, and Charlie Mansfield was post master.
There were many freight trains haul- ing from The Dalles to Celilo. Huma- son and Johnson were the principal freighters.
The soldiers would come down from the garrison every night and have a few fights with the boys, and very often the ambulance would come down in the morning and pick up a dead soldier and haul him back to the garrison. Cutting and shooting was the order of the day. In April while out riding. my horse fell and broke my leg in two places, and I was laid up nine months.
In February, 1861. I went to Walla Walla and stopped with Mr. W. S. Gil- liam, who lived on Dry creek about ten miles from that city. I remained there until April, when I started a pony ex- press to the Oro Fino mines, Capt. Pierec
and and Marion Moore having dis- covered gold there in 1860.
With only one pony and $5 in money and one pair of blankets, but with plenty of grit, I left Walla Walla about the fifth of April, and started for the diggings. My route was past Dry creek to Coppei. Whiskey creek, and on to Touchet, then up the Pattit and the Whetstone hollow on to the Tucannon where a Frenchman lived with his Indian wife. From there over to the Pataha, whre a man lived by the name of Funer. He was married to an Indian woman, known as Queen, the daughter of the old Cayuse chief Winip- Snoot. From there my route was over to Alpowa creek, and down it to its mouth. When I crossed Snake river at Silcott's ferry, near the junction of Clearwater and Snake river. Thence followed up the Clearwater past the Lap- wai Indian agency of Nez Perce Indians. I went to what was then known as Whiskey flat, at the foot of the Bitter- root mountains, where I cought up with a pack train bound for the mines, and stopped four days to help them shovel the snow so they could proceed. The snow for some distance was from three to four feet deep. We finally worked our way through and found thirty or forty miners at the camp, called Pierce City, after Capt. Pierce. I stayed there two days and received a lot of letters to carry back to Walla Walla, at fifty cents each. This trip proved very hard on me, as there were few houses or stopping places between Walla Walla and the mines.
Where Dayton, Washington, now stands, at the crossing of the Touchet, two men by the name of Schuebly had a log house, and kept a stopping place. Another man by the name of Ping had a ranch near them. Jesse and Henry Day each had a ranch near by. These were the last houses until reaching the cannon. The next house was John Turner's, at the head of Pataha, so I had to carry some cold lunch with me which consisted of raw bacon, raw onions and crackers. I slept where niglit overtook me.
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CROSSING THE PLAINS.
Realizing only five dollars out of my first trip, I began to feel blue, but had no intention of giving up. My next trip paid me ten dollars over my ex- penses, and from that time on business was good. On my third trip down I found a small steamer tied up to the bank of the Clearwater, at the foot of the rapids above the Indian agency. A mian by the name of S . S. Slater was on board with a stock of goods. His first intention was to start a trading post where he had tied up, but changed his mind, dropped back to the junction of Snake and Clearwater rivers, and un- loaded his goods, and opened up the first store where Lewiston now stands. I think Mr. Slater is now dead. He was a man well known in Portland in the early sixties.
After Lewiston was started, a man by the name of Jacob Schultz started a .. ferry across Snake river near there and he took in a bushel of money. In 1861-2-3 Lewiston grew like a mush- room. However, it was a city of tents mostly, the first summer. Hill Beachy built a large hotel, and saloons multi- plied daily. No one seeing Lewiston now for the first time, can realize what in was in June, 1860. It was not only a lively town, but a tough one, a bad lot of toughs arriving there from Cali- fornia and Nevada.
I stayed with my little express, and as fast as I came in. bought more horses, and by July augmented my train to ten good saddle ponies. They were scattered along the rout at convenient distances, so I could change two or three times a day. In the meantime Tracy & Co., consisting of Ned. Tracy, Ned. James and Ned. Norton had started an ex- press to Oro Fino, employed some of the best riders to be had-one was Billy Albright, another was George Reynolds (better known as Cavuse George)-and many a had race I had with him between Oro Fino and Walla Walla. On two different occasions we raced from Oro Fino to Walla Walla, one hundred and eighty miles, without sleep, and made . stops only to change tired horses for fresh ones. On one of my racing trips
my canteen was broke and a buckskin bag containing eight hundred dollars in gold dust was lost from it. I was in the lead and would have won allright, but missing the bag of dust gave up the race and suffered George to go on ahead. I dismounted and led my horse by the halter back almost a mile where I found the purese of gold in the road. WVe had a "hot old time" on our next trip down. First one and then the other in the lead. On Dry creek, ten miles out of Walla Walla, I changed horses at Aldridge's place, and George changed one mile below, at Doc. Bonney's place. When we got on the flat between Walla Walla and Dry creek, we were about one mile apart, each doing his best from there in, as there was a bet up of $500 on us. Henry Milney had $500 up on me, and Fred Patterson had $500 up on George, but I had the best horse on the last ten mile heat, so I won by half a mile. There was a great deal of ex- citement when I crossed Mill creek into Walla Walla.
Tracy & Co. had an idea they could run me off the route, but they did not succeed. I offered to sell out but they were not on the buy.
Sometime in the month of July when the news of the Civil war was eagerly sought after, Tracy & Co. had a pack of horses loaded with news papers, and I had a similarly equipped animal with a good lot of papers on board. We each recognized the fact that the one entering the mining camp first would sell his papers, and the last man get scooped. When I reached Tom Bell's ferry on the Clearwater, he told me that Cayuse George and Billy Albright were a half hour ahead of me; but. said Tom, "they will be sure to stop at Texas ranch to gin up." Discretion here meant finan- cial success, as I did a little hard work. I rode very quietly. When near the old Texas ranch I saw a light and heard the boys talking. I skipped along like a skulking cayote in the darkness of night, until I was at least a half a mile on the other side, and rode like the devil himself or a band of Commanches were after me, arriving at Oro Fino
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about midnight, and, selling all my papers, I went to bed at four o'clock. Next morning George and Billy came in like tornadoes, yelling like Indians, and shouting the latest news; but the boys gave them the "horse laugh" and told them the news was there four hours ahead of them. I had made a scoop wor- thy of a New York newspaper reporter.
Oro Fino had by this time become a lively town, with five thousand inhabit- ants. In the place Captain Ankeney, Geo. E. Cole and D. M. Jessee had a store, J. H. Lappeus had a big saloon.
A little man by the name of Button went in there with his wife. They had one cow, and baked bread and made pies. They sold their pies for $I each, and milk for 25 cents a pint. They cleaned up $2,000 by fall, and lft the diggings. Once in August I left Oro Fino for Walla Walla after sunset to
escape the warm day's ride. I was carry- ing seventy-five pounds of gold dust and a lot of letters. About three miles from town a thick piece of timber along the road obscured the moonlight and it be- came very dark. All at once I observed a man coming towards me with a gun in his hand, I pulled my pistol and yelled for him to throw up his hands which he did, when I rode up and found it was a miner returning from a hunting. It was hard to tell who was the most scared, him or me. That same night I camped in the pine timber near the Clear- water. About two o'clock in the morn- ing my horse began to snort, and rais- ing my head I saw two great mountain wolves trying to reach the animals. I fired at them with my pistol and they left, but there was no more sleep for me that night.
ISAAC V. MOSSMAN.
To be continued.
PORTLAND, DALLES AND SALT LAKE RAILWAY.
Nearly all writers upon the subject which forms the caption to this article, give the briefest mention to the part in which some of the business men of Port- land were concerned in the enterprise, and to the great benefits accruing to the city through their endeavor to make it a success.
What has been said comprises in the main, what transpired at the National capitol during the time endeavor was being made to secure congressional aid in the construction of the line. Search the pages of the various histories of Oregon, and not one of them speak of the public spirited citizens interested in its building, except the president of the company, W. W. Chapman, who repre- sented the great undertaking before con- gress, forcing the interests defeating the assistance desired, to alter their plans and give to Oregon the just recog- nition due her.
Full mention is made, however, to the various officials of the various lines, and often the names of persons are given who became identified with those roads long subsequent to their construction. Done probably for the reason that the writers have an eye out for possible fu- ture favors wanted. The facts are, that the men who sought to build the Port- land, Dalles and Salt Lake line, by giv- ing their attention, means and encour- agement thereto, builded greater for Oregon's welfare than those whose names and titles appear as "the makers of history." and the builders of our great state. Those who are named, no doubt. occupy a place worthy of noting, still. that is no reason why those who made it possible for them to be the occupants of their positions, should be relegated to oblivion. Honor should be given to whom honor is due, especially so when a worthy deed has been performed, or self sacrifice made.
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P., D. & S. L. RAILWAY.
While Col. Chapman performed his duties ably and well, wrecking his fortune to accomplish the end sought, and is entitled to all the praise bestowed upon him for his great work, he could not have fought monopoly and private aims into agreeing to proceed for the public good, had he not been supported by home endeavor- an endeavor backed by his associates in the Portland, Dallles and Salt Lake railway, together with the public spirited Portland people who con- tributed ther menas toward the project. As soon as the company was organized, Justus M. Strowbridge, the vice presi- dent of the company, made it a tender of offices in his elegant brick block on First street which was accepted. and from that time to the time the company ceased business, it occupied these apartments without charge.
The undertaking being a home enter- prise, the work necessary to further its interests must needs come from the source from whence it sprang, until capital could be secured from the money centers of the east or the old world. To get the required funds. contributions had to be solicited from the business men of Portland. Some one had to per- form this labor, a task that was no easy job after the matter had dragged along for some time. In this matter. Dr. J. C. Hawthorne and Justus M. Strowbridge, often ably assisted by E. J. Jeffry and C. H. Woodard, usually took the initiative, and often it was, when funds were wanted, that they advanced them from their own means. being liberal enough to do so without taking the trouble to ask that others share the expense with them. C. H. Lewis, Jos. A. Strowbridge, and C. MI. Wiberg were among the earnest workers in the enterprise.
Those who were not connected with the Oregon Steam Navigation Company, or influenced by Northern Pacific inter- ests, subscribed handsomely from time to time, realizing that this enterprise was the salvation of Portland's future pros- perity. That success or failure would force opposing interests to modify their intentions to a recognition of the fact
that Portland should not be "side- tracked." Sufficient surveys were made to demonstrate the feasibility of thebuild- ing of the contemplated line at a very reasonable cost per mile, and Col. Chap- man was sent to Washington, during several sessions of congress in the in- terests of the road. The Northern Pa- cific Railroad, now the Northern Pa- cific Railway, was about to abandon the building of a line down the Columbia river from Wallula to Portland, which action on its part would work a for- feiture of a portion of the land grant to be given as government aid in the construction of the road. This contem- plated forfeiture, the Portland, Dalles and Salt Lake enterprise endeavored to secure to enable it to build its line, and the arguments presented by Col. Chap- man to show the great value his com- pany's road would be to Oregon in par- ticular, and the Union at large, of a ne- cessity put the resources of the country in their true light before those who held the purse strings of wealth, and upon the representations thus made the manage- ment of the Northern, which had hitherto failed to float its bonds at eighty-five cents, with its entire land grant as a bonus. easily sold them at par and saved the land grant. This sale put the treasury of that road in such a condition that it could and did complete its line, a completion which in all probability would have been delayed were it not for the showing made by the Portland, Dalles and Salt Lake road, which was appropriated by the Northern to its advantage.
The Union Pacific interests also be- came posted as to the situation and to such an extent that it became a factor in the movement, and when the majority in congress legislated adversely to the Portland. Dalles and Sait Lake interests, thereby killing the enterprise. it took up the matter in earnest, building the Ore- gon Short Line. following closely the surveys of the home endeavor.
The organizers of the Portland, Dalles and Salt Lake road have much to be proud of, even though their projected
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line was not built under their name and management. Their activity in the mat- ter placed the bankrupt Northern on a fırın financial basis with monied men, who at once advanced the means to re- lieve it of embarrassment and construst its line to the Pacific, as well as bring about the construction of the Short Line. The debt of gratitude which Portland and the entire Northwest owes
these public spirited citizens can never be paid, and it is with pleasure that the writer is permitted to give mention on historic page of the names of the prime movers in the. undertaking and it is with regret that he is unable to record the names of all contributing to the great good done, because the record of such is unobtainable.
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