CHAPTER FOUR
ROUTE FROM OREGON TO CALIFORNIA.
We left the rendezvous near the Methodist Mission, on the upper Willammette, on the 18th day of June, 1844, for Upper California. Our Company consisted of thirty-seven persons; of which number, thirteen were women and children; the rest were made up of Americans, English, French, Mexicans, and Indians of four different tribes. We took our baggage entirely with pack animals, as the route will admit of being traveled in no other way.— Proceeding up the Willammette River ninety miles, near to the point where it comes out of the mountains, we left it, and bearing off across the Valley, at ten miles, came to the Calapooiah Mountains; and passed over them, a distance of twelve miles, with ease, into the Valley of the Umqua. Passing across it by a very circuitous way, which characterizes the whole route to California, we came, at sixty miles, to the foot of the Umqua Mountains, and encamped by a small, clear mountain stream, which ran hurriedly along, through a beautiful and extensive inclination, thickly set with a fine green sward; and over which, here and there, the dark green Pines arose to the height of two hundred feet.
Late in the evening, about twenty of the Umqua Indians, came into our Camp. At night, several of them, being induced by a half breed Frenchman, of our party, who was always fond of witnessing and participating in all the games and amusements of his savage brethren, performed one of their War Dances. After equipping and painting themselves, in the most hedious manner which their imaginations, almost
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