suggest certain camping places. Pack train travel did not pay much attention to grades, but was regulated by known watering places for beast and man. It is very reasonable to suppose that their route was that of this “cut-off” from Green River to Bear River. From near Cokeville to Snake fort on the Boise River their trail very certainly was closely that which became the Oregon trail of later years. In other words the adventurous fur trader first marked the path for the missionary and the pioneer.
With these remarks the journal of Mrs. Whitman may be more easily understood by the reader.
Dearest Mother. We commenced our journey to Walla Walla July 18th 1836, under the protection of Mr. McLeod,[1] & his company. Came ten miles, in a southwesterly direction. The Flat Head & Nez Perces Indians & some lodges of the Snake tribe, accompany us to Fort Hall. While they are with us, we shall make but one camp in a day. On the 19th we did not move at all. 20th Came twelve miles in the same direction as on the 18th over many steep & high mountains. On the 21st our course was south east in the morning. Traveled fifteen miles. Yesterday the 22nd was a tedious day to us, we started about nine o'clock A M rode untill half past four, P M. Came twenty one miles. Had two short showers in the afternoon which cooled the air considerably before this the heat was oppressive. I thought of Mothers bread & butter many times as any hungry child would, but did not find it on the way. I fancy pork & potatoes would relish extremely well. Have been living on fresh meat for two months exclusively. Am cloyed with it. I do not know how I shall endure this part of the journey. Find it much harder to make one camp in a day than we did to make
two, while with Fitzpatric,[2] for our dinner and two hours rest in
- ↑ John McLeod, chief trader of the Hudson's Bay Company. Without his guidance and assistance the journey of this missionary party to the Columbia would have been disastrous, if not impossible.
- ↑ Thomas Fitzpatrick, who had been in charge of the party of American fur traders from the Missouri River to Rendezvous; see Chittenden, American Fur Trade, 259.
