Continuing with the diary of the driver for the Riggs' family, James Field:
Fri., 5. - Went 15 miles, camping upon the Lake fork of John Day's river. I was mistaken about our being through the Blue Mountains. Although we were through the main range, yet the road for the past few days has led across low mountains which, having their steepest descent toward the west, did not appear high until we ascended them. The map of the country we had with us also indicated that we had passed the head of John Day river, as the Malheur was made to head much further south than the John Day, and yet we have held a south south-west course from the Malheur, and are now upon the head forks of the John Day river.
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| Map of the Crooked River watershed, its main tributaries and downriver connection to the Columbia River via the Deschutes River. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crooked_River_(Oregon) |
Sat., 6. - Went about 14 miles to-day, camping upon another fork of Crooked river instead of John Day as stated yesterday, and we are in fact upon the waters of Deschutes river, and steering direct toward the Cascade mountains in order to attempt a passage through them. The tale of our going down the John Day river was a mere tale of Meek's in order to get us upon this route and then take us wherever he pleased. But if he now fails to take us across the Cascades his head will not be worth a chew of tobacco to him, if what some of our men say prove true. He is with Owensby's company, which is one day's travel ahead of ours, and we make their camps every evening, where we find a note buried at the foot of a stake, stating the distance to the next camp, and the names of the streams.
Sun., 7. - Went about 16 miles, camping upon a lake of miserable, stagnant water, filled with ducks, geese and cranes, and surrounded with tall rushes, the borders being miry. Had excellent grass, but were obliged to pack wormwood for half a mile for fuel. During the night 15 head of horses and mules left us.
Mon., 8. - Went about 13 miles, camping upon a creek which appears to feed the lake our last camp was situated upon. We have been traveling for the last three days across a nearly dead level plain, in a south-westerly direction, and are now nearly across it, the bluffs rising abruptly from the level of the plain, which they surround, and are in many places nearly perpendicular. Many parts of this plain, particularly where we struck it, has a soil of good depth, and is covered with a very fine kind of grass resembling blue grass. Much of it is covered with that same eternal wormwood mentioned so often, and there are many places which look as though they were covered with water during the wet season, now presenting a surface of naked white clay encrusted in place with a white substance resembling saleratus and answering the same purpose, as some of the women in camp have proven by experiment. Four of the horses which left our last camp were found to-day at a distance of several miles from it, but there is no news of the others. They probably strayed off in search of water, as the borders of the lake were so miry they could not get a drink.
Tues., 9. - Last evening a child of E. Packwood, of Illinois, which had been ill a few days died suddenly. At present there are a good many sick about the camp, the majority of them complaining of fever. The child was buried in the dry wormwood barrens, and as we left the camp the wagons filed out over the grave, thus leaving no trace of its situation. The reason of our doing this was that the Indians in this part of the country are very fond of clothing, giving almost anything they possess in order to obtain it, and fearing that they might disturb the grave after we left, we took the precaution of leaving a beaten road across it. I cannot say that they would do anything to a grave were they to find one, for we have passed several evidently made by the emigrants at various times, and none of them appeared to have been disturbed. Went six miles, camping near a spring which sinks near where it rises.
Wed., 10. - The ground about our encampment is encrusted with salt, which in some places may be scraped up with the hand in nearly a pure state. Went about 30 miles to-day, over a road pretty well strewn with the hard, round nigger-heads frequently mentioned after leaving Fort Hall, and camped after midnight at a spring, where we found Owensby's company, which had arrived 24 hours before us. Their last camp was about seven miles this side of ours, and it was a dry one in the midst of wormwood barrens, so that they were nearly two days without water. We found about 200 head of their stock between the two encampments, apparently nearly famished for water, and drove them on with us, but few of them giving out on the way, although they looked miserable.
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| The scenic Lower Deschutes River winds through Oregon’s high desert as it flows north to the Columbia River. (Bob Wick, BLM) https://www.recreation.gov/marketing.do?goto=acm/Explore_And_More/exploreArticles/the-wild-and-scenic-lower-deschutes-river.htm |
Thurs., 11. - It being 2 o'clock this morning before we got to camp, we stuck to it the remainder of the day. Owensby's company left about noon for a camp six or seven miles ahead. His company are in as much confusion as any set of fellows I have seen on the road. Having lost confidence in Meek, many of them are trying to hunt a road for themselves. It seems there was a misunderstanding between us and Meek when we left Snake river respecting the route he intended taking. We understood him that on leaving the Malheur river he intended striking over to the John Day river and down it to the old road. When we found ourselves on the branches of Deschutes river it rather surprised us, and as we had a report in camp a few days before that he was going to pilot Owensby across the Cascade mountains to the Willamette settlements, we supposed he was taking a straight shoot for them. It seems that he calls the Deschutes river the John Jay, which he says is the name by which it is known to the mountain traders, and the similarity of the two names made us mistake one for the other. It was his intention to follow down Crooked river to Deschutes and down it to the old road, but when he came to the marshy lake spoken of last Sunday, the company refused to follow him if he made the circuit necessary to get around it upon Crooked river again so he struck off in a westerly direction in order to get upon the main Deschutes river. He well knew that there was a scarcity of both grass and water across here and so informed them, but it was nearer and they would have him go it, and now blame him for coming the route they obliged him to.
From “The Diary of James Field” Willamette Farmer (Portland, OR, Fridays: April 18 – August 1, 1879).
18 Jul 1879 (August 22-September 7)
25 Jul 1879 (September 8-18)
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