USA > Oregon > The Oregon native son, Vol. I > Part 76
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"Days when the thought to vision turns From cloud to cloud, from changing tree to tree,
From field to forest; and the full heart yearns
For something-God knows what-that cannot be."
' A TRIP ACROSS NEW BRUNSWICK."
Bangor, Me., Sept. 14, 1899.
My last budget was dated St. John's, N. B., the 11th inst., whence we journey- ed by boat to Fredericton, in the same province.
The trip up the St. John's river to the latter city, some ninety miles, is most charming. from a scenic point of view. This river is as picturesque as any navi- gable stream in the world. While it has neither the grandeur and sublimity of the Columbia, nor the majestic aspects of the Hudson, yet in pleasing variety of natural beauties it is no whit inferior to either of these two streams, and by nature it has been more profusely en- dowed than the Rhine.
In the early afternoon we reached Fredericton, the capital of New Bruns- wick, a neat little city of seven thousand to eight thousand people. Commercially or historically speaking, it is not of spec- ial importance. Its most notable struc- tures are the provincial capitol and uni- versity, the English cathedral and the barracks-the latter maintained for the
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OREGON NATIVE SON.
elementary training of minor militia offi- cers.
From Fredericton, a six hours' ride westerly brought us to Houlton, within the borders of the State of Maine. The day following our arrival there we made a trip (on the Bangor & Aroostock R. R.) through the Aroostock country-the extreme northeastern portion of Maine. Returning to Houlton, in the afternoon, a train carried us to Greenville, on the south end of Moosehead Lake. Early the next morning, taking a northerly course, we had a sail down this lake on the steamer Katahdin.
I am frank to say that no lake I have ever seen outrivals Moosehead in the di- versity of lovely vistas-neither the Irish, the Scotch, the English, the Swiss, nor the California lakes are finer. Its extreme length is said to be 38 miles, while its width varies from 18 to less than 2 miles, and the surface is broken by beautiful wooded islands and penin- sulas. Of lovely bays and coves there are not a few. Upon all sides rise ver- dure-clad hills attaining their greatest height in Mt. Katahdin, some five thous- and feet above the sea level. This moun- tain is seen to the eastward of the lake. The view (in all directions) from the Mt. Kineo Hotel, over half way up the lake, is not to be surpassed. . Leaving that hostlery shortly after lunch, we retraced our course to Greenville, there taking train, and reaching Bangor about 8 P. M. Lest any of my readers should have forgotten the geographical situation of Bangor, I will mention that it lies on the west bank of the Penobscot River, about fifty miles from its confluence with the sea, near Bucksport.
We now come to a historical consider- ation of the beautiful stream upon which Bangor is situated-namely the Penob- scot-one of the three streams-the Penobscot, the St. Croix and the St. John-that are associated with a most romantic episode of early French colo- nization in America. The scenes we view here have a double charm, linked as most of them are with some tale of human achievement or of human suffer- ing:
Early in the 17th century the French family of Etienne, otherwise La Tours, discerned the importance of the fur trade of these three water-ways, and Charles La Tour, the younger, established his main post and fort on St. John's harbor. with outposts on the St. Croix and Penobscot.
The struggle between La Tour and his rival, Charinsay, who was established on the opposite shore of the Bay of Fundy, on the little bay of Annapolis, was bitter and unrelenting, though La Tour seems never to have courted the warfare. Suf- fice it to say that they fought each other with alternating fortune, until finally, during the absence of La Tour in Boston, Charinsay induced La Tour's wife, a most gifted and valiant woman, to ca- Fitulate, under promise of life, liberty, etc., to all in the fort. This promise was basely violated and Madame La Tour died broken hearted, a few weeks later. Within a very short time thereafter Charinsay was drowned; and his widow and the bereaved La Tour composed the unhappy differences of their rival inter- ests by uniting in marriage. Thus came eventually, peace and tranquility, after much strife and distraction. But hardly had the wedding bells ceased ringing when the English sailed into the bay of St. John, and there-as they have ever since done in other parts of the world- dispossessed of their holdings the original settlers, the now happily wedded adver- saries. And thus ended the ill-starred venture of the La Tours-one of the most pathetic incidents in the early his- tory of "Acadia."
The American Acadia which em- braced the modern provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, was a land of romance. Here were reproduced. 11 a smaller scale, the conditions of life that obtained in France during feudal tini's. and here the Acadian peasant, cut off by the ocean from the land of his fathers and living apart from the corrupting influences of the outer world, developed a type of life unique in its simplicity. As the tour- ist sails on the St. John River or trav- erses .AAnnapolis Valley - Evangelina
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A TOUR OF THE WORLD.
Land-and views the tides of the basin of Minas, or the marshes of Grand Pre, his mental vision will revert to the time when these conditions of life pre- vailed, which have so long since passed away. Never was. a land so beloved as Acadia was by the Acadian people, and the story of their exile, as told by Long- fellow, has drawn tears from many eyes; yet the descendants of the exiles of 1755 now number more than 100,000 persons in the land from which their forefathers were deported .
After several weeks' journeyings in Canadian Provinces-from Manitoba to New Foundland inclusive-it seems not out of place to say a few words con- cerning the peoples constituting these British colonies. French and Irish, Scotch and English have here so modi- fied their racial peculiarities and preju- dices by mutual concessions in law and government, as well as in social inter- course, that the aggregation has become one of the most admirable examples of representative government-enterprise and progress without haste, a communi- ty at once intelligent, tolerant, civilized, Christianized, orderly, rational and fra- ternal. It gives me great pleasure to say that during these weeks of travel through Canada I witnessed no incident of disorder, incivility, or discourtesy- only one case of drunkenness, and but two beggars, amidst a general decorum as commendable as it was simple and un- pretentious. Frugality, thrift and kind- ness were everywhere manifest. In their public utilities the welfare and con- venience of the people are as fully and amply considered as in any portion of the world that I have visited. and the frank cordiality everywhere evident is comforting in the highest degree to every well-wisher of his kind.
A GLIMPSE OF NEW ENGLAND. Concord and Lexington.
Boston, Mass., Sept. 16, 1899.
My last budget was dated Bangor, Me., Sept. 14th. From there we pro- ceeded to Bar Harbor, Mt. Desert Is- land, for a very brief sojourn. That
island resort, ten miles out from the mainland, is reached by means of a trim, screw ferry-steamer that makes the trip from Sullivan, the railroad terminus, in about 35 minutes. Bar Harbor is prac- tically the entrance to what is known as Frenchman's Bay, which extends north into the mainland to a point two or three miles beyond Sullivan Station. In America I know of nothing quite like this Bay, and ca nonly compare it with the harbor of Hong Kong.
The town of Bar Harbor has a north- erly exposure, much as does the city of Victoria on the Island of Hong Kong, at the mouth of the Pearl River. More- over, the little islands scattered along Mt. Desert Island-east, west and south -which incoming vessels must pass to reach the Harbor, remind one of the somewhat similar islands passed in en- tering the harbor of Hong Kong from the north, or emerging from it toward the south.
The place has been so much in vogue as a summer resort, that we were both surprised and disappointed at some of its aspects, notably the fact that four out of six large hotels were closed, their patrons having deserted them for more congenial localities. I asked an old ac- quaintance whom I met there, a gentle- man of wealth and refinement, how he explained the decadence and ruin of these four hotels, which have remained closed for several seasons. He replied it is due simply to the disinclination of most people who formerly supported them to be confronted by the ostenta- tion of the rich. Said he: "One of these hotels-the West End-could seat between 500 and 600 guests in its dining room, and formerly had occupants for every chair, but patrons who could only afford to pay moderate prices were man- ifestly averse to suffering from compari- son with the display made by the wealth- ier people who had gathered there in force of late years." I refain from com- ment upon this peculiar condition of af- fairs in our renowned republic, simply narrating the facts as given me by a gen- tleman of character who is himself inter- ested in Bar Harbor properties.
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OREGON NATIVE SON.
After a twelve hour's stay in and around Frenchman's Bay, we boarded a sleeper at Sullivan and reached Boston the following morning. The weather being perfect, we betook ourselves im- mediately after lunch. by train, to Con- cord and vicinity. For the benefit of those who may never have been in that section, I will say that Concord is just 20 miles outside of Boston, Lexington about 15, and there are good "turnpike" roads between the towns and all along from Boston. Arriving at Concord we found awaiting us a commodious, com-
a bargain was made with the Squaw Sachem the Sagamore Tahattawam and other Indians who then sold their right in the six miles square called Concord to the English planters and gave them peaceful possession of the land A. D. 1636.
(Designedly called Concord, as sig- nifying peace.) On another panel, sim- ilarly mounted, near the sidewalk on grounds of the First Parish, is the fol- lowing:
LINE OF THE MINUTE E4
STAND YOUR CROUND - DONT FIRE UNLESS FIRED UPON BUT IF THEY MEAN TO HAVE A WAP LET IT BECIN HERE
fortable barouche, to which were har- nessed a pair of neat steppers, held in hand by a gentleman who proved to be not only an accomplished "whip" but thoroughly informed regarding the his- torical traditions of these noted localities. It would be impracticable to enter here into any extended details of all the in- teresting features of Concord, Lexing- ton, etc. . On a bronze panel set in gran- ite, on Lowell Road, is inscribed:
Here in the house of the Reverend Peter Bulkeley first minister and one of the
THE FIRST PROVINCIAL CONGRESS of delegates from the towns of MASSACHUSETTS
was called by conventions of the people to meet at Concord on the eleventh day of October, 1774. The delegates assembled here in the meeting house on that day, and organized with John Hancock as President and Benjamin Lincoln as Secretary. Called together to maintain the rights of the people. THIS CONGRESS assumed the government of the province and by its megeuros pronarod the way"
571
A TOUR OF THE WORLD.
Scores of books have been written, and doubtless scores will yet be written upon the themes that these memorial tablets call to mind, and I cannot for- bear testifying to the good taste and patriotism which suggested these tokens of popular appreciation commemorating
haven of rest beautiful enough to satisfy the most fastidious.
Hawthorne's plot holds no monument, but it is enclosed by an arbor vitae hedge about four feet high.
Emerson's is marked by a rough, un- cut stone of pinkish marble or quartz,
Boral
MINUTE MAN. Concord Battlefield-1775.
persons and incidents of importance con- nected with the history of our country.
One of the most notable spots near Concord is "Sleepy Hollow," the local cemetery, in which rest so many illus- trious dead. It is indeed a hollow, en- closed on all sides as if in the sheltering embrace of mother earth. This is a
bearing the following inscription :
"The passive master lent the hand
To the vast soul who o'er his planned."
Opposite Hawthorne's plot is that of the Alcott family, within which not only Bronson Alcott lies at rest, but also Louisa M. Alcott, dear to so many of the present generation of readers. A simple
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OREGON NATIVE SON.
low stone, on which are carved the dates of birth, marks the last resting place of this esteemed writer.
Farther along, on the same path lead- ing to the Emerson, Hawthorne and Alcott plots, is the grave of Thoreau. On this stands a granite block, showing that author to have been born in 1787, deceased 1850. All these graves are on a knoll which is shaded by a grove of noble white pines, oaks and elms.
As already stated, it would be im- practicable to dwell, however briefly, on the many features of interest encounter- ed in this most interesting three hours' drive, but I will mention a few more. On our way to Lexington we passed a little, brown, frame building, known as the "School of Philosophy," a quaint and by no means imposing structure, also the house where Hawthorne lived, which still retains on its top a little tower, reached by a ladder. Up this the author was wont to climb and draw the ladder in after him to ensure seclusion and quiet from intrusion of thoughtless call- ers when engaged in literary composi- tion.
An item of present interest connected with the historical worthies of Massa- chusetts is the agitation about the rela- tive importance of the services rendered by those patriots who took part in the incident known as Paul Revere's Ride, There were three men-Revere, Dawes and Prescott-and it is now claimed that reliable developments show Dawes to have made the most strenuous efforts of any to attain the object of that famous ride. All three participating, and all three having been stopped by British sentries, the spot where their progress was arrested is marked by a bronze tab-
let bearing testimony of the services of each. The inscription is set in a granite block forming part of a stone wall or fence enclosing a field, about midway on the road between Concord and Lexing- ton.
One of the principal monuments seen in this locality is a statue to the Minute Men, designed by a Concord artist, and dedicated on the centennial anniversary of the Concord fight. As the years roll by, the town becomes more and more a place of pilgrimage for those who have the curiosity to witness the spot where the first blood was shed, not only in de- fense of the thirteen colonies, but in the effort to establish a free and independ- ent Republic on these shores. On the crest of the hill where the monument stands, the original Minute Men and militia formed their line before marching down to the front at the bridge, and their position in the fight is well repre- sented by the statue. Said Rev. Mr. Woodbury in his famous speech, deliv- ered before the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1851 :
"God did well to select old Middlesex. and the loved and revered center of old Middlesex, namely Concord, as the spot not where this achievement was to be completed, but where it was to be be- gun; where the troops of crowned kings were to meet, not the troops of the peo- ple. but the people themselves, and be routed and beaten from the field, and what is more, and what is better, stay beaten-we hope, we doubt not, till the end of time."
This sentiment ought to be seriously considered by the inventors, aiders and abetors of "Benevolent Assimilation."
(To be continued.)
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SOME HISTORICAL INACCURACIES.
Editor Native Son :- Will you permit me to correct a statement made in your excellent magazine in your November- December number, namely, that Christo- pher C. Simmons, son of M. T. Sim- mons, was the first white American child born north of the Columbia river. He was born at Washougal in 1845. I have seen this statement made several times before, but it is a mistake. The first of whom I have been able to find any rec- ord was the son of Dr. J. B. Richmond, who was appointed missionary to the Indians at Nesqually, by Jason Lee, in 1840. The following is the record made by Dr. Richmond in his family Bible at the time of the child's baptism by Mr. Lee in the summer of 1842:
"Francis Richmond, son of John P. Richmond and his wife, America, was born at Puget Sound, near Nesqually, Oregon Territory, on the 28 of Febru- ary, Anno Domini 1842, and was baptiz- ed by Rev. Jason Lee, Superintendent of the Oregon Missions."
See my "Missionary History of the Pacific Northwest." pages 240-241.
Another erroneous statement, publish- ed. so far as I know. first in Bancroft's "History of Oregon." relates to the na- tivity of Governor George Abernethy. Ilis statement. and others following him, is. that Mr. Abernethy was not an Amer- ican by birth. but was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. I have laving before me now a letter from Mr. Abernethy, written to myself February 10th, 1877. from which I quote:
"I was born in New York City, on the 8th of October. 1807: joined the M. E. church, January 1825: was appointed class leader in the Duane Street church in 1833: left New York for Oregon 9th October. 1839. with the great reinforce- ment for the mission. as Missionary Steward or Secular Agent, under the superintendence of Rev. Jason Lee."
In the "History of the Early Indian Wars of Oregon," a book written by Mrs. Francis Fuller Victor, and publish- ed by order of the legislature of Oregon, and at the expense of the state, is the following statement, on page 17, at the beginning of Chapter II:
"Besides the Methodist missions, there were, north of the Columbia river, and east of the Cascade mountains, several Presbyterian missions, founded in 1836, 1837 and 1838. They were under the superintendency of Dr. Marcus Whit- man."
In this brief paragraph there are at least two errors in matter of fact. In the first place, there were no missions of any denomination "north of the Colum- bia river, east of the Cascade mountains" at all. All of the missions of the Ameri- can Board were south and east of that river. The one at Waiiletpu was 25 miles east of the Columbia, that at Lap- wai not less than a hundred miles east, and that at Tshimakani about 30 miles east. Reckoning the course of the Co- lumbia geographically as west it would be said, that they were all those distances south of the Columbia.
Again. Dr. Whitman was not "super- intendent" of these missions. There was no responsible executive or "superin- tendent" of these missions. Dr. Cushing Eells, of the Tshimakani mission, thus states the case: "The missions of the American Board were little re- publics. All of the important ar- rangements in regard to each station are made in annual meetings of all the mem- bers of the mission, and determined by a vote of a majority of those present." Dr, Whitman's vote counted but one, and the vote of each member of the mis- sion counted the same.
Very important conclusions of history hinge on such facts as are here referred to, hence this writing.
H. K. HINES.
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7 962
THE KLAMATH.
Written for the Oregon Native Son.
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From thy crystal springs, Mazama, Leap the streamlets clear and free, Roaring down the glacial gorges Madly rushing to'ward the sea; Resting never 'mid the highlands, Frothing, foaming on the way, Lost anon o'er cliffs volcanic, Born again from silv'ry spray.
Roaring, rushing, sweeping, gushing Struggling ever to be free- Gaining force and gaining volume For the foray to the sea.
Thus beginning 'mid thy summits, Torn by igneous fires anon- Threads of silver, springing ever, Thus the streams of Klamath run. Beetling crags and mighty pillars Rise above where springs awake, Crags that curb the deep cerulean Of our mystic Crater lake.
Deep and tranquil, gently flowing Shimmering o'er volcanic sands; Roaring, rushing, sweeping, gushing Onward through plutonic lands.
SPRING CREEK, A Tributary of the Klamath.
Through the valleys, broad and verdant, At the Cascades' sylvan base, Canyon born, the icy rivulets Babble onward in their race, Purling 'mid the drifting pebbles, Shimmering o'er volcanic sands. Crystal currents swift uniting Dimple o'er the meadow lands-
Streams of crystal, deep and tranquil, ยท Shimmering o'er the meadow lands, Canyon born, but now untrameled, Gently creeping o'er the sands.
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THE KLAMATH.
Anon in lakes of 1Ouse and 2Ouxy All thy silvery streamlets glide, Lakes long known to Indian story, Where the Klamath boatmen ride; And the tongues of war and clamor, Heard at first where forests roar, Wake again in songs of gladness All along the pebbly shore.
Changed to songs of home and welcome, All the warlike tongues of yore, As the wavelets beat in gladness All along the sounding shore.
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Where the Klamath boatmen ride.
Chosen home of Indian legends. Tales of love and warriors true; Stilled at last the battle's clamor Where the winged arrows flew. Sounds of peace and songs of gladness Fill the welkin round thy strand, For the deeds of savage foeman Mar no more thy happy land.
Songs of gladness, songs of welcome, Where the emerald shorelines sweep, Songs of rest from mighty labor In the canons vast and deep. In the canyons vast and deep.
1 Ouse, is the name in the Klamath tongue, for upper Klamath lake, and 2Ouxy, for Klamath marsh or lower lake. The latter is the lake mentioned by Fremont in his jour- nal, as Klamath lake.
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OREGON NATIVE SON.
Ouse of Klamath, lake of beauty, How the Redman loves thy shore Where his fathers built their wigwams In the mystic days of yore. O, the haughty Klamath gathers All his mighty force from thee
And sweeps in triumph down the gorges Surging onward to the sea-
Free from mountain, free from lakelet, Free from dallying on the plain, Free to rush with frenzied fervor On mad marching to the main.
-O. C. Applegate:
The Oregonian-While the Oregonian dates its birth as a newspaper from 1850, and has, through its business manage- ment, as well as its editorial columns, made its way to a place in the estimation of business men and statesmen, occupied by papers in the United States that are counted as a single dozen of the best, it is not the first to have been published by that name in America, though it can maintain the claim as far as the Pacific coast is concerned. There was organized in July, 1838, in Lynn. Mass., a society known as the Oregon Provisional Emi- gration Society. Its intentions being to send emigrants to Oregon, the first in- stallment to consist of one hundred men with their families. to be followed by others until thousands would arrive. All comers under its auspices had to be of good moral character and be believers in the Christian religion. The expenses were to be paid out of a joint stock fund. Assessments not to be in excess of $3 per year. This society published a monthly newspaper which was called the "Oregonian." The present Oregonian was founded as a weekly in 1850; as a daily in 1861. and in 1895 several month- ly editions were published. These latter editions were, however, issued under the auspices of real estate interests and its columns were devoted to the opportuni- ties and resources of the Pacific North- west, making no mention of general
events transpiring. There are but few of these monthly editions in existence, and they are, owing to the name used in pub- lication, of a nature that will warrant their being preserved among the ar- chives of the historical societies.
One of the easiest words ever heard, to pronounce, was the name of one of the tribes of Indians who entertained the exploring party of Lewis and Clarke. Ii you doubt it, try it. It is "Tschlahtsp- tocks." The pioneers got the idea in mind that there was more poetry in the word than they cared to have their tongues dally with, and they modernized the word into "Clatsop.'
The first school in the Willamette val- ley was taught by Solomon H. Smith in 1834, on the claim of Joseph Gervais. at a point where Fairfield now stands. The students were native and half-breed children. He was teaching there on the arrival of the Methodist missionaries, Revs. Jason and Daniel Lee.
The first honey bees brought Fere were introduced in 1854 by John Daven- port. He brought the hive across the plains in that year. The hive was so fix- ed that the bees could get plenty of night and air, but could not get free from their prison. They subsisted on the honey they had made before starting.
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MAJOR MOORHOUSE'S CAYUSE TWINS.
TRADITIONAL CAUSE AND DISCONTINUANCE OF A BARBEROUS CUSTOM.
Illustrations Copyrighted by Lee Moorhouse, Pendleton. Oregon.
The fame of the little Cavuse Indian twins-Tox-e-lox and A-lom-pum-has traveled far and wide, and they are doubtless the best known pappooses in America.
They are the products of the skill of Major Lee Moorhouse, the best known amateur photographer on the coast. It would not be saying too much to assert that he is one of the most widely known amateurs in the United States. At his home in Pendleton he has over 1800 negatives, of which 90 per cent are prize plates, and nearly all are of Indian sub- jects. Scarcely anyone else will claim so complete a collection of Indian pictures.
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