Diary of James Field, as published in the Willamette Farmer, continued:
Fri., 19. - Went about 22 miles, road tolerably rough much of the way, camping upon a stream in a deep, narrow glen resembling the Malheur much in character, and which we believe to be Lohum's fork of Deschutes or Falls river.
Sat., 20. - Went about eight miles, camping upon the same stream mentioned yesterday, down which we followed all day, frequently crossing it, and at one narrow pass we were obliged to follow the bed of the river for nearly a fourth of a mile.
Sun., 21. - Went about 16 miles to-day, still keeping down the river, occasionally cutting across the lowest points of the bluffs, and camping upon it again. The hills along the stream upon either hand are covered in many places with tall pines.
Mon., 22. - Went about seven miles, keeping still down along the river, which has to be crossed every mile or two, and sometimes two or three times in a mile. Camped at the foot of a tremendous hill, which it is necessary to ascend, and which when we first came in sight of appeared to be strung with wagons from the bottom to near the top, several companies being engaged in the ascent at the same time.
Tues., 23. - Went about 12 miles, striking away from the river and camping upon a small branch of it. Had a long and hard pull in the morning to ascend the hill spoken of yesterday, but once up we felt amply repaid the trouble of climbing up by the prospect which lay before us. There were the Cascade mountains stretching along the western horizon, apparently not more than forty miles distant, forming a dark outline, varied by an occasional snow-peak, which would rise lofty and spire-like, as if it were a monument to departed greatness.
Wed., 24. - Went about 15 miles, camping at a spring in the midst of the plains, without a single landmark to tell the situation.
NOTE. - This ends the journal, and we publish below a letter from Mr. Field in regard to the latter part of the journey. - Ed. Farmer.
Fri., 19. - Went about 22 miles, road tolerably rough much of the way, camping upon a stream in a deep, narrow glen resembling the Malheur much in character, and which we believe to be Lohum's fork of Deschutes or Falls river.
Sat., 20. - Went about eight miles, camping upon the same stream mentioned yesterday, down which we followed all day, frequently crossing it, and at one narrow pass we were obliged to follow the bed of the river for nearly a fourth of a mile.
Sun., 21. - Went about 16 miles to-day, still keeping down the river, occasionally cutting across the lowest points of the bluffs, and camping upon it again. The hills along the stream upon either hand are covered in many places with tall pines.
Mon., 22. - Went about seven miles, keeping still down along the river, which has to be crossed every mile or two, and sometimes two or three times in a mile. Camped at the foot of a tremendous hill, which it is necessary to ascend, and which when we first came in sight of appeared to be strung with wagons from the bottom to near the top, several companies being engaged in the ascent at the same time.
Tues., 23. - Went about 12 miles, striking away from the river and camping upon a small branch of it. Had a long and hard pull in the morning to ascend the hill spoken of yesterday, but once up we felt amply repaid the trouble of climbing up by the prospect which lay before us. There were the Cascade mountains stretching along the western horizon, apparently not more than forty miles distant, forming a dark outline, varied by an occasional snow-peak, which would rise lofty and spire-like, as if it were a monument to departed greatness.
Wed., 24. - Went about 15 miles, camping at a spring in the midst of the plains, without a single landmark to tell the situation.
NOTE. - This ends the journal, and we publish below a letter from Mr. Field in regard to the latter part of the journey. - Ed. Farmer.
 |
| The Deschutes at its confluence with the Columbia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deschutes_River_(Oregon)#/media/File:Deschutes_River.jpg |
Port Chester, N.Y.,
June 3, 1879.
Friend Clarke:
Through the kindness of my old friend, R. Weeks, of Portland, I am in receipt of three numbers of your paper, containing installments of my diary kept while crossing the plains in '45, with a request that I may complete it from memory. This it is impossible for me to do, as it was cut short by my illness with camp fever, which destroyed all memory of what transpired during the remainder of the journey. I have an indistinct recollection of crossing the Deschutes river in a wagon body caulked tight, and drawn back and forth by ropes, of being carried and laid upon a bed among the rocks that lined the river-banks where we crossed, and of arriving at The Dalles so helpless that it was necessary to lift me out of and into the wagon like a baby. Then I remember going down to the Cascades in a boat such as the Hudson Bay Co. then used on the river, of walking and crawling past the first steep rapid, then getting into a canoe with some Indians and running the remainder of the rapids to the landing place of the old Caliapooia, Capt. Cook owner and master; then of sailing down the Columbia and up the Willamette to Linton, a place on the west bank of the river below Portland, and then having the only wagon-road to the Tualatin plains below Oregon City from the river. From Linton to Oregon City I was a fellow-passenger with old Mr. Fleming, the pioneer printer, so long connected with the press at that place, and I think it was late in November when we arrived there.
When I returned here overland in the spring of '48 I deposited the diary with Capt. J. B. Riggs, of Polk county, and when I returned to Oregon in '50, finding that he had used the blank leaves in the book to keep his business accounts on, I left it with him. If it is still my property, - and I know of no reason why it should not be, - please hand it to the Society of Pioneers, of Oregon. With my compliments I herewith present it to them.
It was written up daily after all my other duties as teamster and general assistant about the camp were performed. It has never been revised by me, and I hope my old companions will overlook any errors I have made.
Your friend,
James Field.
From “The Diary of James Field” Willamette Farmer (Portland, OR, Fridays: April 18 – August 1, 1879).
1 Aug 1879 (September 18-24 + letter from author)
#/media/File:Deschutes_River.jpg){kind=link}
No comments:
Post a Comment