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---Chapter 10: My Father and Family and Mrs. Welch Go Down the Columbia River in Flat Boats and Indian Canoes---
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On the day following our departure from The Dalles on our perilous journey across the Cascade mountains my father began the work of loading all our goods on the improvised boats. The wagons were taken to peices and loaded a piece at a time first. Then the household goods were placed around our trunks and chests. It has been well said that on such a journey one should take only the bare necessities of life, but in every home there are many treasures that are most valuable for their associations than for their intrinsic value or usefulness. My little chair made of sugar maple wood, a chest of books sent me from Massachusetts when but eight years of age, calicoes bought during the Revolutionary war and paid for at the rate of $75.00 a yard was used to make most of my stock of spare quilts, also many rare bits of needlework, some of which are still in existence. These were valued for their associations and father was careful to see that not one of our keep-sakes was misplaced. My sheetings, pillow covers, towels and all other household linen was of pure bleached homespun linen and this was all packed in the great walnut-wood sea chest that had been sent to me from Massachusetts.
Mrs. Welch and her little ones were also aided in the work of loading their goods. Mother, you see, was not able to do much of this work, besides the care of my little brother occupied her time and attention.
These floats were constructed of Indian canoes lashed together. The family and children were placed in the ship yawl, as some of the women were too nervous to attempt riding in the Indian canoes. There was no difficulty in securing the aid of Indian boatmen and on the third day, October 21, 1845, their journey was begun.
After a short day's journey they brought the b'oats ashore and established camp for the night. On the third day they reached the Cascades of the Columbia. Here all the goods had to be unloaded and carried around. A camp was established and Indian carriers assisted in the work. They were paid wages but seemed to appreciate the food provided them and not one instance of hishonesty occurred. Father could speak enough of the jargon to make himself understood and they were careful and considerate helpers. Not one deserted the ranks.
After reaching the lower level of the river three ship yawls were found waiting which had been sent by Doctor McLaughlin from Vancouver to meet any emigrant that might reach that point and find himself in need of such conveyance.
My mother and Mrs. Welch and the children were compelled to walk the five miles or more around the portage. The Indian boatmen assisted the children in this long walk over the rugged ground and before nightfall they were safely around the Cascades.
When the goods and family were safely loaded in the yawls the descent of the lower river was begun and from there on the trip to Fort Vancouver was a delightful pleasure trip. From that point dear father and mother looked with anxious thought and fear toward the snowy summit of old Mount Hood, feeling that their children might even then be forever lost in that wild and dangerous region. Mother told me afterwards of her daily constant prayer for our safety and father always referred to those anxious days of separation with solemn and subdued tone of voice, in every note of which he betrayed his earnest feelings in behalf of our safety.
They camped on the sandy beach of the Columbia river at Vancouver for several days while father made a journey by canoe to Oregon City. While there he rented a good house about twelve miles down the river on the West side where the old foundry buildings are located, and to these the family removed and located permanently for the winter.
I did not see dear mother until the following spring. I have mentioned that father had come in the late fall to take charge of the stock. Mrs. Welch's sons were soon with their mother. Of the others who were associated with us in that perilous starving time I have no trace, except the Smith boys who became worthy settlers of Marion county, Oregon, but I often recall the words of Johnny Moore when he said, "I left my good mother and my home in old Ireland to seek adventures in the New World, and now we must perish on this snow covered mountain. Ah! Mr. Walden, we have wood and guns but not a man of us is able to so much as pull the trigger to start a fire, and here we must all perish in the snow," But thanks to a merciful Providence the fire was kindled, our lives were preserved, and we were restored to our friends to begin life anew in this beautiful land of promise.
Of those who came across the plains with us I can get record of but three who are now living, my brother, Lemuel Lemmon, at Salem, Oregon; my sister, Mrs. Elizabeth Crocker Davis, of Hood River, Oregon, the widow of Charles C. Davis, and Indian War veteran who died many years since.
My four living children are Nathan B., of Chester, Montana, who has seven sons and four grandchildren; John E., of Weston, Oregon, who has seven sons and one daughter; Martha J. Alien, of La Grande, Oregon, who has one son and one daughter; Mary A. Bassett, of Chester, Montana. My eldest son, Peter, Smith, died at Prescott, Washington, September, 1893, and his wife and family of six children reside at Milton, Oregon, where his eldest son, John, died soon after completing his course in pharmacy. My daughter, Mrs. Rhoda C. Moore, died at Drain, Oregon, June 4, 1898.
While there is no official roster in existence that I know of the following names and families came to my memory as -being members of our party. Many of these people or their descendants are well known in the respective portions of the northwest territory throughout which they scattered. Of course there were many more in our train besides those mentioned here but no importance was attached at the time to preserving a record so memory is the only source I have of giving these names. Other things that occurred from day to day so completely occupied our waking moments that no thought was given to this portion of our trip.
Capt. David Carson. Charles Craft and family.
Mr. L. English. William Taylor and family
Kim Stewart. Fred Taylor.
John Stuart and family. Marion Taylor.
James Smith and family. Alien Minor.
Simeon Smith. Marion Poe.
Seth Smith. Joshua Welch.
Saul Smith.. Perry Welch.
Jennings Smith. John Welch.
Stephen Statts and family. Bartlett Welch.
J. M. Powell. Sarah J. Walden.
John Terwilager and family. William Whitlock and family.
Mr. McTimmons and family. Benjamin Walden and family.
Mr. Peterson and family. Mr. Davidson and family.
Anderson Cox and family. Mr. Phillips and family.
Mr. Forest and family. Mr. Bell and family.
Mr. Frost and family. Mr. Lewis and family.
Marion Hart. Vantrilla Quinze.
Mrs. Welch and family. Miles Lewis.
John Meeker and family. Ben Lewis.
David Taylor. Ruth Terwilager.
William Hall and family. Philander Lemmon.
Mr. Lloyd and family. Lemuel Lemmon.
Joe fobs and family John Lemmon.
CJapt. Lev. English and family. Jane Bourne Lemmon.
Capt. Samuel Parker and family.
Elizabeth Crocker Lemmon Davis.
I have mentioned our surroundings during this winter of 1845 and 1846. As soon as Spring opened father and my husband went up to the Wiilamette valley to the old Methodist Mission at Salem. They located donation claims on land near what is now Brooks Station, Marion county, Oregon. Here two of my sons were born–Peter Smith, February 24, 1847, and Nathan Bourne Stout Smith, September 10, 1849.
About this time we sold the improvements on our claim and moved to the Walde Hills, six miles east of Salem, where we located a donation claim and soon had a comfortable home. Mr. Walden taught several terms of school and the two elder children attended their first terms of school with their father as teacher, but a severe illness rendering him a permanent cripple came on and financial difficulties were to be encountered, yet we were reasonably prosperous and as the years went by we were ever blest with every needed comfort.
In the fall of 1848 father went to California with a few others who were allured there by the excitement that followed the discovery of gold. He wintered on the Sacramento river and the claim only yielded little more than expenses, but as the Spring rains came on a sudden rise and fall of the Sacramento river exposed a bar where the men of that camp picked up about two thousand dollars each in nugget gold. Some of the men decided to return home and on the third day another rise in the river covered the land where they had been working so they started at once for home. Father brought the gold dust and nuggets safely home in a coffee pot and the weight was over nineteen hundred dollars.
In the Spring of 1850 we sold the improvements on our claim and moved to the Walde Hills where we relocated on a donation claim that was not a full sized government claim, but we iiked the location much better and as my husband had put most all his work on father's land we had not as yet attempted to do much in the way of making our home. The new claim was alluvial and we soon had a beautiful home place. Mr. Walden taught several terms of school and the two older sons were started in their school life at this time. Salem was then a small trading post with but .fine store in the town and that owned by Mr. Prindle and Mr. Crump. The Mission school was conducted by Mr. Waller, Rev. Chapman,* and one or two others whose names I do not recall, but that school c6ntiniies as the Wiilamette University of today.
By an accident Mr. Walden was rendered a permanent cripple and from that time on a severe and arduous lot befell us, but by perseverance the three little sons took up their father's work and we were blessed with sufficient for our needs.
In the year 1858 our oldest daughter, Lucy Elizabeth, died of Diphtheria, the first case of that dread disease I had ever seen.
In the year 1858 husband's father and mother Walden came to Oregon and bought a home near us. Their other son, Smith Walden and family came at the same time and settled a donation claim adjoining what is now Halsey, Linn county, Oregon.
In May, 1864, Father Walden passed away at our home in his 94th year. He was ill for only a short time and not seriously but for a few days, but we had them with us to give every possible attention.
Mother Walden made her home with us until her death in June, 1875.
My father died in June, 1870, and mother in February, 1875. Fafher and mother and father Walden are buried at MacCleary, Oregon.
In June, 1871, we rented our farm in the Walde Hills and following the advise of a council of physicians moved to Eastern Oregon for the benefit of Mr. Walden's health. Mother Walden came with us and was buried at Weston, Oregon. My two youngest children, Benjamin Franklin and Edmund Burke, were also buried in this cemetery. The third daughter, Sarah Marie, was laid to rest in the Weston cemetery, September 11, 1884, and the father and husband of my youth rests with them. He passed from earth November 26, 1887.
Seven years later I was married to Dr. R. Cummins of Touchet, Washington, and on December 8, 1913, he passed from earth to the Great Beyond.
After our establishing a home on our donation land claim in the Walde Hills six miles east of Salem, Oregon, we felt rested from the anxieties of our journey and went about the work of improving our home. A large orchard of various fruits was soon planted and quite extensive fields of grain were prepared.
' Our settler's cabin was soon replaced by the large farmhouse now known as the Frank Savage home on the highway from Salem to McCleay, and trees that we planted in those early days still shed their fragrant blooms and cooling shade for comfort of man and beast.
In those days there were no established highways and roads were mere trails over hill and dale until road districts were set apart and primitive sort of bridges were laid across the more turbulent streams. The more dangerous mudholes were marked by the accumulation of poles, fence rails and blocks used in lifting wagon wheels out of the mire.
To get medical assistance in the homes required a horseman to carry the message to the doctor, and then the medical man would come post haste either on horseback or riding in a gig drawn by a horse.
Horse-back riding was a favorite amusement with the younger people and one of the first weddings to occur was that of Miss Hall and Mr. Pugh. Soon as the ceremony was completed, a party of several couples on horse-back went over the French Prairie calling at the homes long enough to say Mr. and Mrs. Pugh are on the way home and we are going ahead to bear the news.
One of my first undertakings was the manufacture of soap for household purposes, and, to my surprise, the ladies from the mission came to get my recipe, as at that time all washing and cleaning was accomplished with the use of lye made from oak ashes causing much suffering and blistering of hands.
Our splendid team of oxen old Duke, and Dime, that had served us so faithfully had gone the way of tlie world and we soon had a lot of good horses for the use of our young sons.
Mr. Walden was familiar with orchard work and was in demand for budding and grafting among the many seedling trees that were every where being cultivated. We had sweet apples growing on the same tree with sour waxen-gate apples, and Seckel pears growing on the same tree with Bartletts, also, one tree of seedless apples, Baldwins, Winesaps, Winter pear-mains, and Gloria Mondis were among our first tree plantings, and those varieties still survive.
Mr. John Stipp, deeded land for a cemetery forever and a church was built on that land and then the building was given over for school purposes. Among early teachers in that building were Mr. O. Jacobs, Mr. Heman Geer, Mr. Walter Forward, Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Mattoon, and other capable instructors for our children.
We were fortunate in securing a large library of standard books from Eld. James Bassett, who shipped direct from London to Salem and as pastor of our church gave the books in exchange for a valuable riding horse. In this way we had good reading for our family of growing children. Two books of special educative value were the explorations of Drs. Stevens, and Catherwood in Central America and of Dr. Earth, in Darkest Africa, also, the Life of Capt. Cook, who lost his life in the Sandwich Islands.
Mr. Walden was a regular subscriber to Blackwood's magazine. McCauley's History of England was also among our reading opportunities and I much preferred my children to use their spare time and rest days in acquiring useful knowledge than in vanity. We had much pleasure* in the contents of Peter Parley's Pictorial Panorama, which was included in our purchase of books.
I have in former chapters told of our finally leaving this home in Marion County for a residence in Eastern Oregon. For the past two years I have been living on a homestead in Montana and on this my ninetieth birthday have a shower of letters and tokens from more than twenty states of the Union and having a number of friends to greet me at the home of my youngest daughter where all is done that possibly could be for my comfort and entertainment. I have kept a diary of my wonderful experiences and good health enjoyed since coming to this the last milestone of my journey and like good Dr. Living-stone I hope to be carried back to the land of my adoption and laid to rest in the old cemetery at Weston, soon as I am Called to that bourne from which no traveler returns.
I am now nearing the end of my journey of life and as the evening shades appear I glance over my past life and, as the many vivid scenes are reproduced, a deep sense of thankfulness thrills my soul as I contemplate the many trials and sorrows that have encompassed my journey of life, yet there abides this one greatest of blessings and I have this one great source of thankfulness, that in every vicissitude one gracious presence has ever been present in every time of trial to guide, guard and protect my life so that I may truly say "Surely Goodness and Mercy have followed me all my days."
May my little book prove of some interest to you and give courage to those who falter when meeting the difficulties and arduous tasks of life.
SARAH J. CUMMINS