Fred Lockley

“ It won't look well if I brag about what a good man I am, and, on the other hand, nobody likes to knock himself. As a matter of fact,, my dad was a pretty good man. He was capable as well as popular. They elected him captain of the wagon train when we came to Oregon in 1845. If you think it's any snap to run a wagon train of 66 wagons with every man in the train having a different idea of what is the best thing to do, all I can say is that some day you ought to try it and you'll change your opinion. Nearly 3,000 people came across the plains in 1845. ”

“ Some of the early pioneers of Oregon hailing from the South brought their slaves to Oregon with them and asserted their right to hold them as slaves in Oregon. One of the strong men in politics in Oregon's early clays was Colonel Nathaniel Ford. Some years ago T. W. Davenport, whose son, Homer Davenport, the cartoonist, put Silverton on the world's map, wrote to Judge R. P. Boise, of the Oregon Supreme Court, and received the following reply [1] as to the legal status of slavery in Oregon in the early fifties:
"Yours of the second instant is just received. ”

“ Section 4. That when any free negro or mulatto shall have come to Oregon, he or she, as the case may be, if of the age of eighteen or upward, shall remove from and leave the country within the term of two years for males and three years for females from the passage of this act; and that if any free negro or mulatto shall hereafter come to Oregon, if of the age aforesaid, he or she shall quit and leave within the term of two years for males and three years for females from his or her arrival in the country. ”

“ The cattle became restless and tried to take the back track. The wagon train would have to halt while the immigrants hunted for the lost cattle. While Dave Herron was out looking for his lost cattle, he noticed in the bed of a small stream, a piece of metal that looked like copper or brass. He picked it up, put it in his pocket and took it with him to camp. Another member of the party also brought a lump of dull yellow metal to camp. They were unable to determine whether it was gold, copper, or brass. This was in 1845 before the discovery of gold in California. ”

“ Mr. Burnett, who within a few years was to become the first American Governor of the State of California, said in his letter to send word on ahead if the emigrants were apt to need food. While Minto and his two companions were at the Fort G. W. Bush with his wife and five children and his cattle arrived at the Fort. It was decided to have Minto, Clark and Crockett press on as rapidly as possible and tell Peter Burnett to send help to the emigrants. After considerable hardship the three young men reached the Willamette Valley and delivered their message to Peter Burnett. ”

“ Father put up a log cabin and brought the family from Linnton to Portland. He traded two thin oxen for a fat young steer, which he killed. With this meat he started the first butcher shop in Portland. People going from Vancouver to Oregon City usually tied up their canoes at the clearing on the river bank near our house. Father sold meat to these travelers, as well as to settlers in the vicinity of Portland. Father also started the first hotel in Portland. He called it the Ohio Hoilse after his native state. Father made the first pumps used in Portland. ”

“ If you hang him, we are all dead men. If you give him a little time he may be able to recognize some landmark here and find a way out.The men agreed to give Meek three days. Meek left during the night and made his way to The Dalles, where,he appealed to the Missionaries for help. The Missionaries there were either unwilling or unable to do anything, so Moses Harris, or the "Black Squire" as he was usually called, an old mountain man and a companion of Joe Meek, secured supplies from the Indians and started out to rescue the lost immigrants. ”

“ The immigrants were more interested in finding the lost trail to the Willamette valley and securing water for their thirsty children than in discovering gold, so no attention was paid to the stream on which the nuggets had been found. ”

“ My father rode three horses till they were beat out looking for water. Upon his return to the camp he found three wagons had been placed facing each other in the form of a triangle, their tongues raised and tied together at the top. The sullen and angry men of the party had put a rope around Steve Meek's neck and were about to hang him. My father, pointing his gun at the men, said, 'The first man that pulls on that rope will be a dead man. Steve Meek is the only man who has ever been in this part of the country before. ”

“ When the votes were counted it was found that there were 2,645 votes for slavery and 7,727 votes against making Oregon a slave state. There were 1,081 votes to allow free negroes to come to Oregon and 8,640 against allowing free negroes to reside in the state. ”

“ The stream ran in a southwesterly direction, but whether it was a branch of the Malheur river or not the immigrants did not know.
"A few years later, when gold was discovered in California, the finding of these nuggets was recalled. When my brothers went to the Oro Fino mines in Idaho, my father said he believed he could guide them to where the gold had been found, in what was called the Blue Bucket mines. One of the immigrants, when asked about finding the gold there, said he could have picked up his blue bucket full of nuggets if he had known it was gold. ”

“ In the meantime the President will give you all the protection which existing laws and detachments of the army and navy can enable him to extend to you; and until Congress has time to act, your friends must rely upon you to govern yourselves as you have heretofore done under the provisions of your own voluntary compact, and with the justice, harmony and moderation which is due to your own character and to the honor of the American name. ”

“ Art. 2nd Any male over the age of sixteen may be- come a member of the Company by subscribing the Con- stitution & paying into the Treasury the initiation fee of one dollar. Art. 3rd No Minors shall be received into this Com- pany without the consent of their legal Guardian. Art. 4th No person shall be admitted whose obvious intention is to avoid the payment of his honest debts. Art. 5th A majority of the members may expel any one for good cause. ”

“ Art. 15th The Wagons shall be capable of bearing one fourth more than their load, and the Teams able to draw one fourth more than their load. Art. 16th The number of Loose Cattle shall never ex- ceed 33 to one driver. Art. 17th. No ardent spirits shall be taken or drank on the route except for medicinal purposes, & if smuggled in shall when discovered be destroyed under the control of the Commandant. Art. 18th Each male over the age of sixteen shall furnish himself with a good & sufficient gun and 1% of powder & 6 lbs of lead to be inspected & reported on as in other cases. ”

“ Art. 5th Any man going to sleep on duty or deserting his post without leave The executive Council shall deter- mine the fine or punishment. Art. 6th The Treasurer shall collect safely keep & disburse the money in the treasury at the discretion of the executive Council. ”

“ Salmon P. Chase, Montgomery Blair and William Gardin- our were my father's lawyers. They were to receive one-third of the 640 acres if they won the case. Ben Stark, D. Lownsdale and W. W . Chapman were the ones contesting my father's claim to Portland. "In 1849, the year after I was born, Rev. J. H. Wilbur built the Taylor Street Methodist church. Settlers had very little money, but Rev. Wilbur would go into a saloon and make his appeal; and very frequently the men who were gambling would say 'you can have the next jackpot.' Frequently Rev. ”

“ Wilbur would come out of a saloon with a double handful of money in his hat, and not all of it was silver by any means, for times were flush in '49, and there were lots of $5 and $10 Beaver gold pieces in circu- lation ,as well as fifty dollar gold slugs."
There are not many pioneers who crossed the plains to Oregon in 1845 left. Among the interesting survivors of this immigration is Sam Tetherow of Dallas, whose 358 FRED LOCKLEY f father, Solomon Tetherow, was captain of one of the wagon trains that came to the Willamette valley in 1845. While in Dallas recently I decided to interview Mr. ”

“ Any one guilty of Larceny shall be fined double the amount, and receive 39 lashes on his bare back.
Any one guilty of indecent language shall be fined at the discretion of the Ex. Counsel.
Every Dog found running about Camp at large shall be shot at the discretion of the Capt. ”

“ Captain Hembree fought bravely and killed two of the Indians, but he himself was killed and scalped. Major Cornoyer followed the Indians, overtook them and killed six of them. They took the body of Captain Hembree to The Dalles and from there they shipped it to his home in LaFayette, where they held a big funeral. FRED LOCKLEY "In the spring of 1856 we were mustered out. You can make up your mind we were pretty glad to get home where we could get something fit to eat, for a good deal of the time when we were chasing Indians we lived oil horse meat straight, without salt, coffee or bread. ”

“ Art. 7th The Executive Council shall lay on an ad- valorem tax on property for the purpose of defraying expenses—all private property exempted. Wm. Dawson Chairman Art. 8th Whenever repeated complaints shall be made to the Executive Council, of the inefficiency of any of the officers of the company it shall be their duty to cause him to resign.
H THE MCNEMEES AND TETHEROWS 373 Constitution Oregon Encampment—Wolf River, April 5th, 1845. One O'Clock Company met. The committee reported the constitution on the previous page which was adopted. Solomon Tetherow was elected Capt. ”

“ ROLL OF CATTLE DRIVERS James W. Johnson, Francis M. Mooreland, Joseph Watt, Daniel D| Bailey, Rodolphus Kent, Samuel Han- cock, Reason Foster, James Officer, John Officer, Eli Officer, James Cooley, Abner Loyd, James Foster, Edward Wooley, Lewis Thompson, Paul Hilterbrand, Frederic Ketchum, John Moore, H. M. Knighton, William Wilson, William Dawson, H. D . Martin, Adam Smith, Ezekiel Smith, William Martin, James Jackson, James O. Hen- derson, Wayman St. ”