Chapter 17

September 2, 1847

We have been traveling through the desert area again but with one difference. Like a cheerful blue jay, Willy has been circulating through the train talking the entire time. The boys are fascinated with him and his stories, while their fathers are more leery. One of the Simeroth boys especially seems fascinated with Willy and his stories. He is hanging on every word of his tales of Indians and the areas where he was the first white man to enter. Johan listens to his tales (All true you know!) like they were the Iliad. Claire said she wishes he would pay as much attention in class to her lessons as he does to Willy's stories. The women are without exception charmed by his manner and his compliments. Even Corrie, who views all men with a somewhat jaundiced view, finds him charming.

We have been going over the barren rolling hills with outcroppings of rock the only things we see. The only water to be found is in one of the occasional streams we come across. We will be soon be crossing 15 Mile Creek and then we have around 20 miles further to go before reaching the Tygh Valley. There we will we begin our journey in earnest over the Barlow Road. Willy has offered to supply the train with all the meat we want to pay for his passage. Everyone is willing to accept this as game has been getting harder and harder to find anywhere near the trail. The animals have gone because of over hunting or perhaps they have been driven away by the loud noises coming from the wagons. After bringing in 3 deer for us yesterday, he went out and brought back another this afternoon. None of the men can understand where he is finding them. All we can find when we hunt is rock and dust.

Willy seems fond of Elizabeth, possibly because he knew her uncle when he was trapping. When I asked Willy how old he was he looked ashamed and admitted that he had no idea. He must be at least 50 since I remember Elizabeth mentioning that her uncle was 47 and Willy remembers him as a younger man. They banter back and forth like they've known each other for years or like a young niece teasing a favorite uncle.

We have circled up near a small creek surrounded by bare rock. There is little forage for the oxen and none for the cattle in the immediate area. Again the single men have argued for going ahead with the cattle herd and waiting in the Tygh Valley until we arrive. After consulting with the scouts and the guide the wagon captain gave them permission as long as the guide, Joseph, went with them to provide leadership. We will meet them on the bank of the White River.

I have begun teaching Elizabeth and Louise some kata exercises now that they have improved their Tai Chi. They will be dangerous women to annoy at the rate they are improving. I have rarely seen anyone who seems more eager to learn how to fight. Are all women like this? Or has this era made the women feel so much rage toward men?

September 3, 1847

We rose this morning and the single men and older boys began to get ready for the cattle drive to the White River. For most, this was their first taste of responsibility and they looked at it like a vacation. We older men knew that this would soon change when they ran into problems and needed to make decisions on their own. Still this was a rite of passage that all men had to go through. We were not worried too much because this was a quiet area for now. With several tears and hugs the women kissed the young men and let them go.

Willy came back just as the young men were getting ready to leave. Behind him he had two mountain sheep on his mule while he carried my Hawken .54 in his arms. He came up to the wagon and handed the gun to Elizabeth, "Thank'ee for the loan of the rifle. It made getting these two a lot easier." He pulled the carcasses off the mule and resumed his monologue as he began skinning the hides. "I remember when I first went off like that on my first trapping expedition. I thought I was man-grown for sure then." He kept quiet for a time then, perhaps remembering his other firsts, first pelt, first woman, first Rendezvous. For a second he looked every year of his age. Then with a grin, he bowed to Louise and offered her a leg of the sheep. Putting the rest of it on the skin he carried the meat to the center fire where the remaining women descended on it with glad cries. We had not had lamb or mutton since we left Fort Boise and everyone was tired of venison or beef. As a reward, Corrie gave him a plate of bacon wrapped deer meat on corn bread with a large cup of strong coffee. Louise brought him the last piece of apple cobbler for his dessert. I felt jealous.

We mounted up and began our trip to the White River. We made good time until we came to Butter Creek and began to follow it to the Tygh Valley. The trail wasn't bad except when we had to enter the streambed. The wagons rolled over the rocks and fell with a crash that rattled everything and everyone inside. Elizabeth and I traded off every hour to keep from taking too much abuse. Louise had finally healed up enough to walk without too many problems and she kept Claire and Elizabeth company when I drove. Elizabeth carried on flirting with Willy when he came by, however, Willy didn't restrict his flirting only to Elizabeth. I heard the sounds of feminine laughter following his progress though the wagon train. Descending a last steep slope we entered the Tygh Valley. Ahead in the distance we spotted the young men and the cattle herd. Soon we caught up with them and settled down for the day.

We found that the young men under Joseph's leadership had gathered a large quantity of firewood and had spent the remaining time spearing salmon in the White River. They had prepared for the noon meal by placing the fish on spits and roasting them. The women soon chased the men away and took over the meal. Soon in addition to the smells of roasting salmon, there rose the scent of baking corn bread and several different types of cobblers. Several of the women began making raised bread and others began preparing the mutton for the dinner meal. I don't think there was a dry mouth in the camp by the time the women announced that the noon meal was ready. With a hearty appetite everyone fell to and made a complete wreck of the meal. We decided that we would rest up for the remainder of the day to let the oxen recover before we forded Tygh Creek and began our travels again.

I took the time to remind Joseph and Willy about their promise to talk about the Eola Mountains and the Willamette River as a possible destination. The wagon captain called a general meeting and we all talked about what the area had to offer and what we were looking for. Willy and Joseph talked about the difficulties of getting around in the spring and fall on the roads in the valley and the necessity of having a navigable river to ship our produce to markets It was decided that the wagon train would send a party to the area and chose an area big enough for the entire train, describing it by the best means at hand in 640 acre parcels. As no survey had been made in the Oregon Territory, land was claimed based on it's description based on a local landmark and the marking of boundaries. The land would then be distributed through the wagon train by means of a lottery so the survey party didn't get all the best lands. Those who wished to trade after we took up our claims could do so at that time.

A discussion then followed of who would be the best ones to send for this purpose. To my surprise, and also Claire's, she was chosen as the one best able to describe the new land well enough for our claims. I objected to her going by herself with a group of men, especially since she was pregnant. Corrie spoke up and offered to go with her as her son was one of the survey party. Two other women offered to go as well so I dropped my objections. The men wanted me to go but I refused, as I had Louise's pregnancy to worry about. Several other women spoke up about their pregnancies and said that they might need help as well.

Next came the discussion of how they were going to get there. Finally it was decided that the party would be mounted entirely on horses and a new wagon purchased for the women when they reached the settlement of Salem. I gave Claire a hundred dollars for the wagon and emergencies while others donated what they could. Finally we wrapped up the meeting and all retired to the wagons.

That night Claire and I made love to each other as if we would never see each other again. Elizabeth and Louise made love to us both and burst out in tears as they kissed Claire for the last time until we met in Oregon City. Exhausted by the emotions we finally dropped off to sleep.

September 3, 1847

The next day was a sad and happy one. Everyone was happy that we had decided on a destination for our settlement but sad about the pending separation from their loved ones. The survey party took every horse except two of the worst to go with them. This gave them a mount and a remount each with two spare horses if they needed them. After a last breakfast together, they departed for the Eola Hills. My wives and several other women broke out in tears as they left and not a few men had to turn their heads as they went by. We loaded the wagons and headed toward the ford of Butter Creek. The scouts had reported that the ford was shallow and fairly smooth so we quickly crossed and started west along the river. We were amazed at the difference just a few miles had made: going from a dusty desert like climate to a tree filled landscape. We continued moving along side of the river at a good rate crossing three smaller streams until we reached the foothills of the Cascades. We made camp and got ready for the night.

The dinner meal was a cheerless affair even though Willy tried to cheer Elizabeth up. Finally he gave up and moved to another fire for the night. That night we lay together, feeling like something was missing. We all missed Claire and felt her absence deeply, but no one as deeply as Louise. We ended up cuddling her until she finally cried herself to sleep. Whispering to each other over Louise's sleeping body, Elizabeth and I talked about the empty feeling we felt since Claire had gone. We cried a few tears together and fell asleep.