Journal of a Mountain Man

by Win Blevins

  24 Clear & dry

  25 A Light shower of rain fell last night which gives a deep colour to vegetation this morning the summer birds seem to enjoy the change by their buesy songs and continual chirping The hoarse notes of the firr grouse is heard makeing a Bass for the shrill medow larks trible

  26 Clear

  27 Clear a light shower of rain fell last night Coll light showers of rain fell during the afternoon

  28 Called on Dr. [Elijah] White Indian agent for the Teritory found the Dr. a plasant companionable man makeing out his dispaches for the Express soon departing for the states by the way of canada on my way passed the methodist mission Established by Mr Jason Lee who like many others made an unhappy selection nearly the whole of the mission houses having been overflown by the freshets during the lasts winter and much of their fencing carried away and one thousand Bushel of wheat distroyed Mr [Alanson] Beers occupied the mission hous all the members of the Establishment being scattered and mission opperations all stoped the soil of the mission farmes is [good] but the place wants veriety being an uneven plainworn in gutters by the frishets from the river I did not heare of any advantages of any consequence that had resulted to the Indians from this establishment during its most flurrishing days but it apears that the most of the funds ware aprpopated to individual speculation The day proved disagreeable and severall rapid showers of snow fell during the day which melted as it fell

  29 morning Fogy cleard about noon made preperations to go by water to the falls of willhamet

  30 cloudy wind s.W.

  31 Rainy arived at the Falls

  “the greate and salatory effects of Temperance”

  Tuesday April the First 1945 The second term of the circuit court opened its session for the county Klackimus and was attended by a small genteel well behaved audience the Judge Mr [James W.] Nesmith charged the gran Jury in a short but appropriate address

  and here might be seen the greate and salatory effects of Temperance the Judge the sheriff and several of the Jurors having left the states their friend[s] society and civilization on the account of the demorilizeing effects of spiritous Liquor here whare no alcahall can be obtained they have become good intelegent industrious citizens accumelating property and filling the highes and most importent offices in the Teritory with honor to themselves and the country they now have become citizens of [Oregon]

  2 Continues Rainy

  3 Cloudy

  4 Clear & warm Left the falls to assend the willhamet by water our small canoe being only large enough to carry two men and thir Baggage the rocks close in near to the waters edge for about three miles above the falls whare the steep cliffs begin to recede and (and) the vally opens out to a considerable width the Twalatta river enters 2 miles above the falls and tumbles through the rocks in a succession of rapids which renders this river intirely unfit for navigation even for a light canoe about one mile above the mouth of the Tuallata is a considerable rapid in the willhamet whare several boats laden with wheat have been lost during the past winter this rapid however is not dangerous in low water and may be passed by steam boats at common stage 10 miles above the Tuallatta the Molelilla river enters from the east heading in the cascade mountains and is about the same size of the twallatta measuring about 60 yards wide but the latter stream discharges double the water of the former and is scarcely ever fordable the Twalatta being fordable in many places when low made about 20 miles and encamped the whole of the country seen from the river is thickly covered with Firr timbr and impenetrable under brush

  5 Clear and warm about 9 oclock arived at champoeg here a village is laid out but nothing doing in the way of improvement this place is a dry sandy level a few feet above high water and is Twenty five miles above the falls a settlement of about Two Hunded families of Half breeds and canadian French reside in the vicinity stoped with Mr Newel [Robert Newell] the propietor who has been one of the Rocky Mountain trappers and 4 years since gathered his posibles his Flat Head wife and changed his precarious mountain life for a more certain means of subsistance in the Willhamet vally and has had the honor of being one of the members of the provisional Legislature for the past year

  6 Cloudy I noticed several Beautifull flowering shrubs in thickets now in bloom and a Beautifull species of Humming Bird Hovering around them several showers of rain fell during the day

  7 Fair and warm wind South Doct. McLaughlin arived here from above Few men can out do the venerable Doctor for philanthopy urbanity and Social conversation Too much praise cannot be bestwoed on the venerable superintendant of the H. B. Co for his humanity and fostering care bstowed on the poor and wearied emigrants on their first arival in this country

  8 Attended a convention for the nomination of governor and other Executive officers a Judge and several Military officers all apeared to go off fairly and without Difficulty The day pleasant and warm The Frenchman at whose house the convention was held has a beautifull young bearing apple orchard now casting the Bloom and shewing the young fruit

  9 Clear and warm

  10 Showery the hills which ware purple with flowers lately are now completely covered in yallow

  11 Clear and pleasant

  12 same A party for the states consisting of about 15 men assemble to day at the falls and will take their final leave in a few days [Camp’s 1960 edition indicates that this was Overton Johnson’s party of 12 men who left on April 19]

  13 some showers of rain fell during the night the leaves on most of the Trees is now full grown

  14 The morning clear I noticed severable fields of wheat narely knee high and many farmers have not commenced sowing as yet and some have not began to plow

  15 Cool with light showers of rain mingled with hail The court for Yam Hill County met and adjourned without a case (bieing) being filed on docket

  16 Cool and clear

  17 Cool Light Showers

  18 Cloudy most of the day

  19 Clear with a cool Breeze from the N. W. Wholesome Exhilerating and pleasant to the lungs

  20 A stiff white frost this morning cloudy & Quite cool

  21 another white Frost and cool cloudy day great Qwantities of geese and Brant passing to the N. at so greate a hight as to [be] allmost invisible allso greate Qauntities of Firr Grouse on the hills these grouse are fine eating & much resemble a Pheasant in appearance but are nearly double the weight of a Pheasant

  22 Cool and Blustry after a rainy night

  23 some Frost cool and clear

  24 Rainy

  25 Rainy The [sky] cleared off with a stiff west wind

  26 Clear and fine

  27 Cool and chilly clared off in the afternoon and shewed us the Low mountains covered white in snow a circumstance that hapened But one during the winter

  28 The sun arose clear and splendid the afternoon was not so favourable for in swiming my horse over the Yam Hill river he got tangled in the willows near the shore and after a number of fruitly exertions to clear the brush and assend the nearly perpendicular bank he gave up to drown I swung from the canoe and taking the rope swam ashore one mor exertion with my help brot him out of the Brush and throwing the cord to the men in the canoe they landed safely on the oposite side we then mounted and rode Fifteen miles about 5 miles of which distance it Blew and rained without mercy and extremely cold directly in our faces

  29 Frost this morning yestarday morning Likewise the day proved fair I staid last night with Mr Jacob Reed [Reid] who has a fine farm of 50 acres in wheat allthough he came to the [country] without friends in 1843 he has Likewise one of the most beautifull romantic building places I have yet seen in the country a clear spring of Limpid water breaking out in a grove of low gnarled oaks on a handsome assent surrounded by a high ridge of the same kind of land all smoothe and covered with a fine short grass surrounded by a much higher ridge of firr timber except to the west whare opens a rich level prarie sufficient fo a large farm the view bounded by the Killimook mountains at the distance of a few miles to the west

  30 wi
thout Frost pleasant

  “the icy pinicle of mount Hellen”

  Thirsday May the First 1845 Clear and pleasant wind west

  2 Clear and pleasant The mountains have been hid in fog and clouds for some days past but opened handsomely to view again to day and seem to be covered with new fallen snow

  3 Morning clear and cool with a heavy dew spent the day which proved to be verry fine in the novel occupation of dressing a Panther skin for a gun cover The forenoon was warm and sultry the sea breeze came up from the west early in the afternoon coal and pleasant and continued untill after sun set

  4 Another clear day The oak leaves full grown and the oak is the latest of all the timber in this country goose Berries nearly Large Enough for use The Farmers are still sowing wheat and will continue some time yet

  5 Clear and warm to day commences the greate collection of wild cattle for the purpose of Branding and delivering all that have been solod or Trded for the last six months

  6 same A Large dark cloud of smoke seemed to be hovering around the Icy pinicle of mount Hellen for some days past but whether it proceeded forom the crater or not I could not determin the Hills have been for some days completely red with the clover now in full bloom

  7 The wind Shifted to the south & it commenced raining in half an hour

  the afternoon clear and cool went to Mr Jays to see the branding and marking of wild cattle saw a pound full containing some 5 or 600 Head and 10 or 12 men on horse back Lassing and draging out by the saddle

  8 Clear and cool Had a conversation with Mr. [Henry?] Wood who had just returned from a trip to Peugetts sound he informs me that he assended the Cowletts river in a canoe some 25 or 30 miles & found the stream deep with a strong current avarage width about one Hundred yards The Cowlets vally and settlement commences (commences) 25 miles up this stream forom the columbia the river banks high and dry the country back rough and mountainous and thickly covered with timbe[r] the Praries openes out in the vally and are beautiful and rich soil Size of the vally some 40 to 60 miles wide and 60 to 80 Long about one third smoothe Prarie the other two thirds thickly covered with fine timber mostly Firr Two other rivers head in this vally to wit the Jahalis and Black river Both Emtying in to the Pacific North of the columbia and discharging narly the same quantity of water as the Cowletts

  He Likewise passed over the ridge into the vally near Pugetts sound called the Nesqually vally this vally Extends beyond the strech of vision in all directions Except to the East whare it is bounded by the raged peaks of the cascade mountains through these However there is a good easy pass in the direction of Fort walla walla This last mentioned vally is well clothed in grass but timbr is scarce and but little seen excpt neare the mountains or bordering on and neare the streams this latter of a shrubby discription and not generally valuable the former good and valuable but in most places inconvenient

  9 Visited Mr Waldows settlement the day proved showery and disagreeable Mr. Waldow [Daniel Waldo] has made his selection in the Hills deviding the waters of the Moleally and the Santiam rivers and was last season the only person in the colony who cultivated the settlement is now around him extending their farms in all directions over the most beautifull tract of country sinking and swelling in regular rounded forms of all immaginary verieties finely interspersed with groves of oak and Firr Timbr and numerous springs of never failing clear water in many insances bursting out neare the top of the hills

  Mr Waldow has a fine stock of the best blooded cattle I have yet seen in the Teritory

  10 Appearance of Showers and in this we ware not disappointed for a number of rapid Showers fell during the day I rode through the entire upper settlements on the East of the willhamet and was highly pleased with the beautifull veriaty of hill and vally so softly valed and intermingled with hill and dale as Likewis timber and Prarie all luxuriently clothed in a rich and heavy coat of vegetation and litterly clothed in Flowers the upland in yallow and the vallys in purple The Quantity of small flowering vegettiles is verry remarkable & beyond all conception

  11 Clear and Fine some showers passed to the North

  12 A slight Frost and a c[l]eare morning the afternoon cloudy

  13 It rained moderately nearly all night It being the First warm pleasant rain we have had this season

  14 The rain continued all night and all day likewise

  15 Continues to Rain Moderately in the afternoon it ceased to rain

  16 Morning clear and Bright Visited Dr White the [Indian Agent] and in walking over his farm we picked a few handfulls of ripe strawberries which grow here in greate abundance on nearly all the Prarie lands

  17 Clear and Beautifull with fine warm weather My Dog had fine sport catching young Larks All those buisied in preparing for California who intend to make that trip this season the atmosphere verry clear & Bright

  17 Same

  18 Same spent the day in writeing an answer to some Queries propounded by Dr White who leaves for the states on the hopes of obtaining the gubenatorial chair.

  OREGON

  In your Reqest of May the 16 you ask me what I Think of soil I Believe the Soil to be very productive which has been wel proved in all Instances that has come under my observation and I am Free to [say] it has all the appearances of being remarkably durable being formed allmost intirely of clay and decomposed vegitable matter

  The climate is no doubt Beautifull Beyond all conception to an American in the dry season

  The rainy season is verry disagreeable But the temprature is Remarkably even therer being no Intence warm weather nor extreme cold and this Equality of Temprature is no doubt conducive to health

  Health. The American and European population of this country seem To Enjoy remarkable good health in Fact far Beyond all my former observations considering the Hardshps and exposures they yearly undergo

  scenery in this I know I shall want Language I[n] richness and veriety of Scenery this county cannot be surpassed assend one of your smoothe Handsomely rounded eminences and you have at once glance all the veriety of Scenery that nature ever produced six or eight Heaven towring peaks are visable at once covered in eternal Ice and snow thier ruged time worn sides softned by Distance. your eye desending the region of bear Rocks and Nightly Frosts in a Broad Belt around the Peaks attracts your attention with lower peaks of the same attitude Still desending long ranges of deep green Firr clad elivations of great veriety of shape and apearance Extend themselves to the right and let far beyond the strech of vision

  The Eye still desending you catch the softly rounded grass clad hills with thier shrubby oak groves and Prarie vallies with various shades of green drapery untill at last your [eye] rests on the broad vally Striching itself paralell withe mountain

  here too you have the veriety of Timber and Prarie with all the meanderings of the large and small streams that wind and intersect the vally in all directions Bring your eye closer and you Distinguish farms and fields still closer and houses and herds appear and last not least of all a few horsemen are seen going like the wind over some smoothe Prarie and disappearing in an oak grove pardon me sir those rapid cousiers ware gentlemen and Ladies out on a ride of plesure

  Timber Nature seems to have Reversed things allmost intirely here you have the noble ash, oak and maple dwindled down in to shrubs and dwarfs while the dwarfish Laurel and alder strech themselves up into valuable Timbrs and the still more dwarfish Hazel and Elder shoot up into usefull sized shrubs But the noble Firr of this country is beyon all conception there being Nothing in the states to bear any comparison But few of the Trees measuring less than 100 feet of clear valuable Timbr and many going Far beyond this length and in many instances yielding from Thirty to Forty thousand rails from an acre [The following is crossed out,—“on the whole I do not know that I can give you a bette discription than to quote of stanza of native Poetry

  The Firrs their length their extrem hight” etc. etc.]

  as to the Rivers streams and water couses of this country they are admirably adapted
in many insances for Hydraulic porposes and may be generally verry cheaply used for all the necesary machienery that will eer [be] required for even an extensive manufacturing community

  But for navegation the rivers are generally to rapid and too many and to great obstuctions to ever make the inland navigation cheap easy or safe

  as to natureal advantages so far as Subsistance is concerned such of the Teritory as is cultivatible I have no doubt will yield Bountifullyand many of the dry and arid portions would feed considerable numbers of the several kinds of domestic stock but taking the Teritory as [a] whole seven Eights of it is mere wast land and never can support a civilized population you must consider all my former remarks confined to the west of the cascade mountains

  as to national advantages I concieve they must be but few allowing the settlements of the East to Extend to the Forks of the River Platte then you have Twelve Hundred miles of dry arid mountain Region to pass to arive near the Blue mountain whare Settlements may again possibly exist with a verry few exceptions so that nature [has] thrown insurpassable objections to i[t]s becomeing an intergal part of the United states it may However and no doubt will strengthen the commercial relations with China Russia and the Pacific Islands and coasts

  I am of opinion that a Section of Land ought and will be granted to all those who may be occupents of this Teritory at or before the time of the establishment of the U. S. claim or previous to the organization of a Territorial government on account of their early movement, and unprecedented hard ships as Likewis on account of the encouragements By all the movements in Congress in relation to the settlement and occupation of this remote part of the U. S. Teritory