My Native Land - James Cox
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Here he informed friends of the incarcerated individuals of the fix they
were in, and advised them to go to their release, preferring himself to
keep as far as possible from the representatives of the law. Liberty was
obtained by the payment of considerable sums in the way of fines and
costs, and although the event took place some years ago, the way in
which the inexperienced gambler escaped, while his more hardened and
experienced friends were caught, is still a constant source of merriment
among officers and passengers.
It was while enjoying a delightful and distinctly sensational trip on
the Columbia River that the passengers were enlightened as to a
comparatively old trick, which was executed with the utmost promptness
and despatch by a young second mate. This young man was never known to
have any money. Generous in the extreme, and heartily full of fun, he
managed to get rid of his salary as promptly as it was paid him, and his
impecuniosity was a standing joke among members of the crew and regular
passengers. On one occasion the boat met with an accident, and was tied
up at a small town for four or five days. The hero of the story, with a
number of other light-hearted individuals, naturally went ashore on
pleasure bent. They had what is generally called a good time, but what
little funds they had when they started were soon exhausted.
Two or three councils of war were held as to how a supply of liquid
refreshments, of a character not included in the temperance man's bill
of fare, could be obtained. Finally, the second mate undertook to secure
the needful without the expenditure of any money. He borrowed a heavy
overcoat belonging to one of the party, and then hunted up two large
wine bottles. One of these he filled with water and securely corked. The
other he took empty, and with these in his pockets entered the saloon.
Producing the empty bottle he asked the bar-keeper how much he would
charge for filling it, and on hearing the amount told him to go ahead.
As soon as the bottle was filled and returned to the second mate, he
slipped it in his pocket, and in a very matter-of-fact manner began to
make arrangements for the liquidation of the debt, at a convenient
period. The saloon-man naturally resented any discussion of this
character, and told his customer to either pay for the liquor or return
it right away. Assuming an air of injured innocence, our friend took out
the bottle of water, handed it to the barkeeper and said he "guessed
he'd have to take it back." The unsuspecting purveyor of liquor that
both cheers and inebriates, grumbled considerably, emptied the bottle of
water into the demijohn of whisky, handed back the bottle to the
apparently disconsolate seeker after credit, and told him to "get out."
Naturally, no second order was necessary. Five minutes later, the entire
party could have been seen sharing the contents of the bottle which had
not been emptied, but which they lost no time in emptying. The trick
answered its purpose admirably. When, about two weeks later, the man who
had played it was again in the town, he called at the saloon to pay for
the whisky. He was treated very kindly, but hints were freely given as
to the necessity of a keeper accompanying him on his travels. In other
words, the bar-keeper declined distinctly to believe that he had been
hoodwinked as stated. This feature of the joke was, in the opinion of
its perpetrators, the most amusing feature of all, and it need hardly be
said that very little effort was made to disabuse the unbelieving but
somewhat over-credulous bar-keeper.
The Columbia River is one of the most interesting and remarkable on the
continent. Rising, as it does, quite near the source of the Missouri
River, it runs, by a very circuitous route, to the Pacific Ocean, being
in places very narrow, and in others abnormally wide. The Dalles of the
Columbia are known the world over. They are situated some sixty or
seventy miles west of the city of Portland, and are within easy distance
of the American Mount Blanc. They extend from Dalles Station, a small
town on the Union Pacific Railroad, to Celilo, another station about
fifteen miles farther east. Between these two points the bed of the
Columbia is greatly reduced in width, and its boundaries are two huge
walls of rock, which rise almost perpendicularly from the water level.
The width of the chasm, through which the water rushes wildly, varies
considerably, but at no point in the western section does it exceed 130
feet, although on either side of the Dalles the width of the river
itself ranged from about 2,000 to much more than 2,500 feet.
As the volume of water is enormous at this point, especially after rain
and much melting of snow, there is often a rise of fifty feet in a few
hours in the narrow channel of the Dalles. Sometimes the rise exceeds
seventy feet, and an effect most extraordinary in character results.
From many points along the river banks, Mount Hood can be seen towering
away up into the clouds. The bluffs themselves are marvels of formation,
very difficult to explain or account for. When the water is low, there
is an exposure of almost vertical cliffs. The bluffs vary in height to a
remarkable extent, and the lower the water, the more grotesque the
appearance of the figures along them. When the water is very low, there
is a cascade, or waterfall, every few feet, presenting an appearance of
continuous uproar and froth, very attractive to the sightseer, but very
objectionable from the standpoint of navigation.
When the water is high, these cascades are lost sight of, and the rocks
which form them are covered with one raging torrent, which seems
inclined to dash everything to one side in its headlong course towards
the Pacific Ocean. Logging is a most important use to which the Columbia
River is put, and when immense masses of timber come thundering down the
Dalles, at a speed sometimes as great as fifty miles an hour, all
preconceived notions of order and safety are set at naught. There is one
timber shoot, more than 3,000 feet long, down which the logs rush so
rapidly that scarcely twenty seconds is occupied in the entire trip. The
Dalles generally may be described as a marvelous trough, and the name is
a French word, which well signifies this feature.
Farther down the river, and near the city of Portland, there are some
very delightful falls, not exceptionally large or high, but very
delightful in character, and full of contradictions and peculiarities.
Steamboating on the Columbia River, in its navigable sections, is
exceedingly pleasant and instructive. The river is the largest in
America which empties into the Pacific Ocean. For more than 140 miles it
is navigable by steamers of the largest kind, while other vessels can
get up very much higher, and nearer the picturesque source. On some
sections of it, glaciers of great magnitude can be seen, and there are
also many points concerning which legend and tradition have been very
busy. According to one of these traditions, the Indians who formerly
lived on the banks of the river were as brave as the ancient Spartans
and Greeks, though if this is approximately correct, the law and
argument of descent must be entirely erroneous, for the Indians of this
section to-day rank among the meanest and most objectionable of the
entire country.
An artistic illustration is given of the "whaleback" steamer, used
principally on our Northern lakes. The whaleback varies from a somewhat
clumsy looking craft, resembling in appearance very much the back of a
whale, to the much more attractive and navigable craft shown in the
illustration. These whalebacks have a very important part to play in
internal navigation. It seems able to withstand, readily, bad weather
and rough water. Unlike most vessels which are safe under these
conditions, it requires very little water to be safely navigated, and it
can carry heavy loads in six or eight feet of water.
The revival of the steamboat trade on our great rivers, and the
recovering from the railroads of at least a portion of the trade stolen
away, is a pet hobby among river men generally, and especially among
those whose parents taught them from the cradle up the true importance
of the magnificent internal waterways bountifully provided for our
native land by an all-wise Providence. It is seriously proposed to
attempt this revival by aid of whaleback steamers, and if the project is
carried out, the success which will attend the effort is likely to
agreeably surprise even the most enthusiastic among those who are now
advocating it.
CHAPTER XX.
THROUGH THE GREAT NORTHWEST.
The Importance of Some of our Newest State--Romantic History of
Montana--The Bad Lands and their Exact Opposite--Civilization Away Up in
the Mountains--Indians who have Never Quarreled with White
Men--Traditions Concerning Mount Tacoma--Wonderful Towns of the Extreme
Northwest--A State Shaped like a Large Chair--The Falls of Shoshone.
Within the last few years new States have been admitted into the Union
which, in themselves, form a magnificent empire. We allude to the great
Northwestern Territories which have become States within the last
decade, and which have added so much luster to the escutcheon of our
native land. The utmost ignorance prevails as to these States, and as to
the northwestern corner of the United States proper, a term generally
applied to this great Republic, with the exception of Alaska.
Every now and again the report comes of a great forest fire in the
Northwest, and occasionally the world is horrified by reports of a
terrible calamity of this character, involving great loss of life and
property. Owing to this fact there is a tendency to look on the
northwestern tier of States as one huge forest, ever offering a
temptation to that terrible destructive agency--fire. People who profess
to have made tours through the country, add to the complication by
enlarging on this one characteristic, and omitting all reference to the
other features, in which the great Northwest towers head and shoulders
above competitors, and teaches the entire world a lesson in
productiveness, fertility, and, we may add, industry.
The World's Fair served to very largely disabuse the public mind
concerning what is destined to become one of the wealthiest sections of
the United States. The elegant State buildings that were erected on the
shores of Lake Michigan, and the gorgeous displays of fruits, grain,
ore, and different products, must have convinced the average visitor
that there was a great deal more in the far West and Northwest than he
had dreamt of. Many were induced in consequence of the information they
received, to blend their fortunes with the young States, and although
the financial condition of the country has not been calculated to
expedite the fulfillment of their Aladdin-like hopes, most of them have
done well enough to be able to congratulate themselves on the change in
the location and occupation.
We can only speak of some of the most remarkable features of this great
section, greater, indeed, than several Old World nations combined.
Helena is the capital of one of these new States, to which is given the
euphonic name of Montana. The name is very appropriate, as it signifies
"belonging to the mountains." The Indians had a very similar name for
the territory now included in the State, and Judge Eddy called it the
"Bonanza State" because of its mining sensations, a name which has clung
to it with much fidelity ever since. The arms of the State are
significant and almost allegorical. The present is linked with the past
by means of a retreating buffalo, significant of the extermination of
this interesting and valuable species. The great mining resources of
Montana are shown by a miner's pick and shovel, and in the rearground
the sun is setting behind eminences of the Rocky Mountains. Montana was
first discovered by Canadians, some two hundred years ago. The first
permanent settlement was early in the present century, and, until within
the last fifty years, all goods and utensils used in it were dragged up
the Missouri River from St. Louis, a distance of nearly 2,000 miles.
When the war broke out, the Territory was occupied almost entirely by
Indians, with a few daring fur traders and a number of missionaries,
who, in exercise of their duty, had no fear at all. The discovery of
gold which took place almost simultaneously with the firing of the first
shot in the conflict between the North and the South, brought thousands
of adventurers from all parts of the Union and introduced millions of
capital. Some of the mines turned out phenomenally successful, and
although there were the usual heart-burnings on account of failures, the
average of success was very great. The State's gold mines have yielded
fabulous sums, and more recently steps have been taken to extract from
the quartz and rock a full measure of wealth that is to be found there.
Montana is a Northwestern State in fact as well as name. It is situated
on the high plateau between the Continental Divide and the Bitter Root
Range. Fully one-fifth of its area lies beyond the Rocky Mountains, and
its northern boundary is the snow-covered region of Canada and British
Columbia. The eastern portion of the State, bordering upon the Dakotas,
is for the most part prairie land, rising rapidly in the direction of
the west, and forming the approach to the mighty Rockies. The western
portion, bordering upon Idaho, is much more mountainous in character.
Some 50,000 square miles of hilly country are to be seen here, many of
the peaks rising to heights exceeding 10,000 feet. The State alone is
larger in area than the entire British Islands, and it is infinitely
larger than the whole of New England. That it is a country of
magnificent distances, is shown from the fact that the northern frontier
equals in length the distance between the great seat of learning and
culture in Massachusetts and the capital city of the short-lived
Confederacy.
Although most of Montana is rich in either agriculture or mineral, a
considerable area is occupied by the notorious Bad Lands. General Sully
described these lands very accurately, or at least aptly, when he said
that they reminded him of "the other place with the fires out." So many
descriptions of the Bad Lands have been given, that we need scarcely
refer to them at great length. The clay, rock and peculiar dust which
lies all around this territory becomes, on the slightest provocation,
the nastiest kind of quicksand. Nothing can thrive or prosper in the Bad
Lands which, however, are full of evidences of prehistoric life and
which, perhaps, at one time were the scenes of activity and even
prosperity.
In exact contrast to the Bad Lands is the Gallatin Valley, about four
hundred square miles in extent. It is stated to be one of the most
fertile spots in the world, and by common consent it has been called the
Egypt of Montana. A portion of it has been cultivated, and its yield per
acre has been found to be prodigious. At no great distance from this
fertile spot, two of America's most remarkable rivers have their rise.
The greatest of these is the Missouri, which, measured from its source
to final entrance into the Gulf of Mexico along the bed of the
Mississippi River, is really the longest river in the world. Away up
here in the mountains, the Missouri, which subsequently becomes one of
the most treacherous and destructive rivers in the universe, runs
through picturesque canons and over great gorges of rock, finally
leaving the State a great river, though still insignificant in
comparison with the volume it is to assume, and the drainage work it is
to accomplish farther away from the mighty hills among which it had its
source.
The Northern Pacific Railroad runs through this wonderful State, with so
great a future before it. Helena, the capital city of Montana, was
originally a mining camp, and early prophecies were that it would not
outlive the mining enthusiasm. These prophecies, however, have proved
entirely mistaken. It is no longer a mere mining town, with rough, busy,
uncultured men rushing hither and thither in the eager pursuit of their
daily avocation. It is now not only the judicial capital of Montana, but
it is also the great center of educational advance. It has a number of
very handsome public buildings, and is the home of many men, who, having
made their fortunes in the mines of the new Northwest, have been so
impressed with the beauties of scenery and climate, that they have
decided to abide where at first they merely intended to sojourn. Helena
is more than 4,000 feet above the sea level, and its 20,000 inhabitants
are reputed to be worth more than $100,000,000. The apostle of socialism
or communism who suggested an equal division among the 60,000,000 of our
people of all the wealth of the nation, would find little encouragement
in this great mountain city, where poverty, if not unknown, is very
scarce.
Much more typical as a mining city is Butte. This is situated upon a
hill quite peculiarly located, and is reached by a ride along the Silver
Bow Valley. Close here is the wonderful Anaconda mine. The mines in the
neighborhood have a reputation for immense yield, the annual extracts of
gold, silver and copper being valued at more than $33,000,000. The
Anaconda smelter, built some twelve years ago, is said to be the largest
in the world, and the town itself seems to literally talk mining by its
streets, its houses, its business, its habits and its people.
Missoula is the third largest city of Montana. Its site is a splendid
one for a city. The Hell Gate Canon and River merge into a magnificent
plain, the foot of the noted Bitter Root Valley. The Hell Gate River
breaks out from the canon and mountains into the wide plain and sweeps
majestically across the extreme northern limit of it, hugging closely
the Mission Range to the north. At the western side of the valley the
Bitter Root River combines with the Hell Gate, and together, and now
under the name of the Missoula River, they flow westward between high
mountains. The northern end of the valley is perhaps six miles or more
wide. The great opening in the mountain is rather triangular in shape,
with the apex of the triangle many miles up the valley to the south.
Here is a city laid out and built up in perfect harmony with its
location, as is evidenced by the tasteful manner in which the place is
planned and the character of its business blocks and residences.
Telephones, electric lights, and water supply are found even in the
remote suburbs of Missoula.
The mountains literally hem them in. Immediately to the northeast is a
bare hill that is startling in its resemblance to an animal. It is like
a huge, recumbent elephant, the hind quarters of which form the northern
end of Hell Gate Canon, around which the railroad curves as it issues
from the canon. The "Mammoth Jumbo," as it is appropriately known,
reclines with head to the north and trunk stretched out behind him. One
eye is plainly seen, and one huge shoulder is visible. Down in the
south, sharp, decisive, with a steep, rocky escarpment facing us, and a
long ridge descending from it, is Lolo Peak, of the Bitter Root Range, a
noted landmark. This overhangs Lolo Pass, through which Chief Joseph
came in his famous retreat from General Howard in 1877, which terminated
in the battle of the Bear Paw Mountains, October 5th, where the brave
and able chieftain was captured with the rest-of his tribe, when almost
within reach of freedom just across the Canadian border.
At the southern extremity of the valley on the banks of the Bitter Root
River, and with the range serving as an effective background, is Fort
Missoula, a pleasantly located military post. Several interpretations of
the meaning of the word "Missoula" are given. Father Guidi, a priest of
long residence in the country, gave me what he considers the true one,
which also indicates the manner in which the Hell Gate Canon and River
were christened. The spot where Missoula is located was once the scene
of conflict between the various tribes of Indians. The "Flatheads" and
"Blackfeet" were deadly enemies, and, presumably, may have fought over
this lovely spot. At any rate, the ground just at the mouth of the Hell
Gate Canon was covered long ago with skulls and human bones.
These Flathead Indians are noted for the fact that they have never
adopted a hostile attitude towards white people. They are advanced in
civilization, as readers of Chapter IX and its accompanying illustration
will have noted. Tradition states that their religion demands that the
head of every infant must be flattened by means of a board before the
bones harden sufficiently to assume a shape. However this may be, none
of the surviving members of the tribe have particularly flat heads, and
all deny emphatically the statement that nature is ever interfered with
in the manner stated. These Indians call themselves "Selish," a name
apparently without reason or derivation. The Flathead Reservation was
formed about forty years ago. On three sides it is walled in by high
mountains, and it consists of about 2,240 square miles of territory. The
railway station, Arlee, is so named after the last war chief of the
Flatheads. Passengers are often amused by the gaudily decked Indians who
are seen at this station, which is quite near the reservation.
An interesting story attaches to the Jocko River and Reservation. It is
stated that an Irishman named Jacob Finley established a ranch on the
river early in the present century. The French Canadians who settled in
the neighborhood and intermarried with the Indians, called Finley by his
Christian name with a peculiar French pronunciation, which made it sound
very like much Jaco or Jocko--the latter name gradually becoming
generally adopted. It was quite natural to call the river and the valley
after the ranch owner, and the name finally became generally accepted as
correct. This man Finley left behind him a family of seventeen, and
before he had been dead many years his direct descendants numbered
within three or four of an even century.
The Indians called the stream the Nlka, an unpronounceable combination
of letters, resulting from a most interesting though variously described
event.
Mrs. Ronan, the well-known writer, tells an interesting story of how
names are given by Indians. Thus, her own daughter's name was Isabel,
but the Indians called her "Sunshine." In February, 1887, the little
girl was born. For some days prior to her birth the weather had been
gloomy in the extreme. Almost simultaneously with the child's birth the
sun, so long hidden under the clouds, burst forth to gladden the heart
of man. With one accord, the Indians declared that the little one had
brought sunshine with her, and hence the name, which, as subsequent
events have proved, was exceptionally appropriate.
Accompanying this chapter is an illustration of Mount Tacoma. This
mountain is one of the most attractive, as well as lofty, in the
Northwest. As can easily be supposed, traditions without number are
connected with it. No greater mistake can be made than to imagine that
the Indians who are found in this region are naturally atheistic, as
well as ignorant. To the student of religion there is rather an inherent
belief in the Supreme Being among these people, with very strong proofs
of the truth of the divine revelation. One of the traditions, told with
much fervor and earnestness about Tacoma, involves in it a Savior of
mankind. With great reverence and awe the good listener among the band
of tourists is told that at one period--legends are seldom very specific
in the matter of time or space--a Savior arrived in a copper canoe, his
mission being to save the Siwash Indians, who were spoken of as the
chosen people of the Great Unseen. That some prophet or missionary
certainly came to this region and preached appears to be evident from
the very definite survival of the doctrines taught by him. His creed
seems to have been a very apt blending of all that is best in the
teachings of Buddha, with many of the precepts of the "Sermon on the
Mount" added.
Love to mankind, the evil of revenge, and the glories of forgiveness
form the principal features of the doctrine. The legend, or tradition,
goes on to say that so violent was the opposition to this crusader, who
attacked local institutions so bitterly, that finally he was seized and
nailed to a tree. This act of crucifixion resulted from a final sermon,
in which the wanton destruction of human beings was denounced in terms
of great vehemence. As nine, instead of seven or three, is the general
number talked of in this section, it is not surprising that the story
should go on to state that after nine days the "Mysterious One" was
reanimated, and once more commenced his work of reformation and tuition.
Nothing in connection with the story can be objected to. By some it is
supposed to be the result of casual immigration from the regions of
Palestine, to which also is attributed the story of the flood.