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“ The book is a narrative of railroad development in the west, and particularly in Oregon and Washington.
The railroad idea began in the 1830s as that of a transcontinental portage to connect the commerce of the occident and the orient, like that of the navigators who, beginning 300 years before, sought a route to the far east. The upbuilding of the pioneer west, led by gold discoveries in the 1850s and 1860s, and the need for fast transit for national defense enforced by the civil war, changed the railroad plan from oriental idealism to domestic industrialism. ”

“ We saw no other land as good during our further progress west, but, on the contrary, traveled over soil in every way inferior and lacking advantages necessary for the farmer. The Willamette or Wallamette Valley, in Oregon, is the first favorable locality for farming purposes that is met with, after leaving the Kansas, until the traveler has fairly crossed the prairies and the mountains and descended among the Pacific tributaries. But this valley is admitted, quite generally, by enemies as well as friends of the Oregon enterprise, to be a really romantic and attractive section. ”

“ Many were in favor of an independent government, but the majority were favorable to a government dependent upon and subject to the control of the United States for a limited time five years, perhaps when, if the United States had not extended her jurisdiction to that country, they were favorable to declaring themselves independent, not only of the United States, but of all the powers of the world. ”

“ Until the place of worship was ready, we assembled for morning & evening prayers & worship on the Sabbath in the open air, & sometimes, before we closed the exercises, our bare heads would be covered with snow. We might as well hold back the Sun in his march through the heavens, as hold back the minds of this people from religious inquiries. This & the constant intercourse with them in every kind of work, compelled me to use every effort to acquire their language. Frequently while putting up our house, a word must be had, or a stick of timber fall at the risk of life ”

“ The immediate object of this new systematized field work is to make known and permanently accessible, preferably in public depositories, all discoverable materials of history in a community. The ultimate aim must be to arouse the interest and to secure the co-operation of the community itself. The ideal conditions are achieved when each community is placed in permanent possession of all its historical treasures and is made permanently mindful of their value. ”

“ Where boundaries have shifted and cultures have been disrupted the sole reliance on the notoriously unstable memory of man for information concerning territories which are now almost legendary is highly unsatisfactory. Both methods as the author has used are to be desired as sources and mutual checks. To these must be added the final check, archaeology, where a time sequence is involved.
We now have a series of studies of tribal distributions for the Pacific coast states (although that for Oregon by Mr. Joel V. Berreman, M.A. thesis at the University of Oregon, is still in manuscript) . ”

“ Our interests, however, and the interest of the people, who are beginning to turn their attention to that settlement, requires that the disputes in regard to that territory should be adjusted, or, at least, we should assert and firmly maintain our just jurisdiction over it. Already—even while the Edinborough Review was uttering its predictions that no migration would ever take place from the United States to the country of the Oregon,—companies of men and women are crossing the Rocky Mountains, and new expeditions are preparing 1 for another season. ”

“ A company of settlers were building 1 a sawmill on one side of the rock islands in the river. They have since built a large flouring-mill. Doctor McLoughlin has also built since a sawmill and a very large flouring-mill, and in place of four houses, we have now fifty, and before the first of May next there will be one hundred. This may seem strange, but it is true. Lots that I was offered for $5.00 can not now be bought for $1,000. The country improves in like manner, for every man in the colony works hard. There is no new country in the world that is in such a state of prosperity as Oregon. ”

“ More space could be used to good advantage for the displays. The society dwells in hope of occupying, some day, its own commodious building.
The Work of the SoaExv. Twenty years of historical work in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest will be the record of the Oregon Historical Society at the end of the current year, which the society began last month. One of the most permanent productions has been the Quarterly, which began in March, 1900, and is now in its eighteenth volume. The society has made a great collection of pioneer and Indian relics, newspapers, letters and "original sources." ”

“ A changing conception of history and of their functions is impelling the historical agencies in these Middle West states to adopt this more scientific and intensive method with their field work. If history is to portray "the vast ongoing common life" of a community, no phase of community life, whether it be political, social, economic or otherwise. Can be overlooked. The realization of the ideal history of any community can be expected only after the accumulation, or at least tfie bringing to light, of all discoverable materials relating to the life of that community. ”

“ A war party of Kansas Indians had attacked a party of Pawnees and killed three of their number. Three Pawnees had escaped to Sir William Drummond Stewart's party, and were protected by them from their pursuers. The informant met Sir William's party on the Big Sandy and the Oregon company near the waters of the Big Blue, two hundred and fifty miles above Independence. They were all well and getting along smoothly, having experienced no difficulty, except in crossing the Kansas River, where the Oregon company sunk their boats and came near drowning several children. ”

“ I then go over with the subject to the people, the crier correcting my language & carrying out the history, but this only forms a starting point for these inquiring minds. They return to their tents, & sometimes spend the whole night in perfecting what they but partially understood on the Sabbath. If one is to leave camp for some distant part of the country, my crier and the paintings are sent for, and the whole night spent in going over the subjects to prepare himself to instruct others. Several are already preaching in different parts of the nation. ”

“ The sun never shone upon a people less likely to take counsel from their fears. They were ready, ever ready, by land or by sea; all they asked was a cause in which they might safely invoke the blessing of Heaven. ”

“ The accompanying map of tribal territories is merely tentative. Its sole purpose is to serve as a basis for corrections in the light of future field work.” (p. 5) . Faced with the practical difficulty of defining that elusive group the tribe, he solves his problem in a practical fashion by accepting as a "tribe" "any group which has figured in the literature as a national entity, avoiding as far as possible groupings that are too wide, like Teit's dialect groups, and those that are too narrow, like the local villages and band. ”

“ A field agent of the state historical society is to visit each county and make an inventory of the county archives. He is also to search for material of historical value in private hands, securing the same for the society whenever possible, and finally he is to encourage in every possible way local historical activity. The more definite task of this field agent is to inventory the county archives ; his attention to other objects depends upon develop- ments in the field. ”

“ As Idleness is the root of all Evil, and Bear in mind that as the Labour of the Mind is superior to that of the Body by so much is a well informed Man superior to an Ignorant Laborer. At the same time that application to our Studies increases our knowledge it improves our hearts and elevates our Mind to the Great Author of our Being-points our Duty to him and makes us preserve the Advantage to ourselves in discharging them with cheerfulness and pleasure. ”

“ Major Harris, the same "Black Harris," who has been mentioned among our mountain sketches, and a famous old traveler, is now at Independence, preparing for a great expedition to Oregon next spring. He is connected with Major Adams, who gives some excellent advice to emigrants wishing to join them. Major Adams says that notwithstanding "large bodies move slow," he can easily move his expedition even to the shores of the Pacific, in four months. The distances are nearly as subjoined:
Every man should be provided at least with a good rifle, six pounds of powder and twelve pounds of lead. ”

“ We shall be in great want of books for teaching the English language We think it all important to acquire the native language & reduce it to writing & teach it but probably it will never be desirable to print it but only teach it to instruct & interest the parents. ”

“ D. S. Baker built the Walla Walla-Wallula railroad out of public spirit and philanthropy, instead of profit designs. The greatest industrialists of their time, the ruggedest individualists, were the railroad builders, and the busiest periods of progress were those of railroad construction, 1868-73, 1880-93, 1905-09. Dr. Bryan has brought to fruition the observations and reflections of a long and useful career amid the scenes of his narrative.
Express and Stagecoach Days in California, by Oscar Osburn Winther, Stanford University Press, 1936, 197 pages. ”

“ The Cayuse originally spoke a distinct language from the Nez perces but have so long intermarried that Nez perces is spoken by all & the younger ones do not understand Cayuse at all. The Walla Wallas also are to a great extent able to speak Nez perces Several have been with us during the winter & spring & many express a wish to come next year & cultivate land. We shall not have access to as many Indians at first as Brother Spalding but in the end I think as many will be benefited by this station as that. ”

“ In making bargains by diplomacy, the recent history of our country has proved that we are not a match for our British rival. To put an end to the convention and assert our title at once in its full extent is the most effectual method, we are convinced, of procuring its early acknowledgment by Great Britain. If we leave the matter to mere negotiation we may see ourselves manoeuvred out of the northern portion of a territory to the whole of which we have the fairest title in the world."
[From the Picayune, February 2, 1844.]
CONGRESSIONAL—OREGON TERRITORY.
Mr. ”

“ Lee, one of the eleven men who returned from Lieutenant Fremont's expedition, leaving that adventurous young explorer still in the mountains, has arrived in this city, and his statements fully confirm the representations that have already been made public in regard to Fremont and his party. Captain Fitzpatrick, with a division of seventeen of Fremont's men, arrived first at Fort Hall in September, the Oregon company arrived the next day, and Fremont himself the day after. There was a great distress for provisions both among the Oregonians and Fremont's party. ”

“ I have observed your note at the end of my Uncle's letter and see you write a very good hand for a Boy and that if you chuse you will write very well. Now mind what I say take pains and learn and every one will be fond of you but if you do not mind your book and take pains to learn no one will care for you nor will look at you so you see it will be your fault if people are not fond of you. ”

“ A definite effort is made also to enlist the interest of some one person in each locality, who will agree to keep on the look- out for material ; one who will either take steps to secure such material, or inform the society about it ; one, in short, who will act as a sort of representative of the society in his community.
In Illinois this line of investigation has attained a more advanced stage. In 1915 a volume on County Archives of the State of Illinois, as Vol. 12 of the Illinois Historical Collec- tions, was issued. The Illinois Historical Survey has the work in charge. ”

“ We strongly urge the importance of settling the question by negotiation that hasty action would be productive of loss instead of gain to the country. He adverted to the danger of submitting the question to the hazards of war, and enumerated the naral forces of Great Britain ready at a moment's notice to bear against us in that region; the facility with which she could transport her immense land forces from China to that territory ”

“ And if it is necessary for them to learn so many English words, of course the most difficult, by reason of having nothing in their language to explain them, why not learn the other half, easy to be learned, because they have corresponding words in their own language that will explain them, & then they are introduced at once into an inexhausible fountain of religious & scientific reading. ”

“ A party of Indians, living some 500 miles up the Columbia, had arrived with wood packed upon their horses, for their own use that night. We shared freely with them & the rain ceasing soon after supper, we were enabled to dry ourselves and get some sleep. The Indians on the Columbia below W. W. are in the most degraded & wretched condition of any we met with after leaving the borders of the States. Multitudes of them are without a particle of clothing. ”

“ Doctor Linn's bill, now before the United States Senate, for the settlement of Oregon, provides that settlers shall be entitled to six hundred and forty acres of land, upon condition of five years' residence; and a chain of posts to be erected, extending from the Missouri or Arkansas River into the Oregon territory. ”

“ The annual meeting of the Oregon Pioneer Association was held for the 64th year at Portland, June 18, 1936. The membership of the association for the most part is now made up of persons who were born in Oregon, although there are still a few who crossed the plains. ”