felt like crying and knew many women
ahead of her had felt the same way.
All the hard work, pushing
the wagons up the grade, paid off with only a few minor accidents
like harness breaks and broken wheels. The day came when wagon
master Coopersmith relayed the word that Portland, Oregon was
around the bend.
At Portland, Oregon, Anselm
drove his wagon on a paddle boat and parked along with the other
travelers headed for the Willamette Valley. In town, he bought
supplies and filed a land claim. Besides the supplies, he filled
every vacant space in the wagon with two feet tall cherry, plum,
apple, peach and pear trees.
“ My,
that's a lot of trees. Why do you need so many?” Miranda
asked.
“ Dey are
all different kinds of fruit. Vhen one quits bearing another vill
start. Dat vay we vill haf income all summer long from de fruit
once de trees bear,” Anselm explained.
Miranda walked along the
boat deck to Sarie Lee and Wilbur's wagon. He was reloading their
wagon for the trip to Willamette Valley.
Sarie Lee was reading a
letter from her relatives. She looked so sad.
Miranda asked, “Everything
all right at home?
“ Yes, I
wrote home about Bobby Lee's passing when we reached the fort in
Idaho. Our kin just wanted to send us their sorries.” Sarie Lee had
tears in her eyes. “It sure makes me plum sad to think about
leaving Bobby Lee in the desert.”
“ There
aren't any words that will help you get through this loss. Only
thing that makes the loss bearable will be time. Maybe now and then
a hug will help. I have plenty of them to share with you,” Miranda
said as she put her arms around Sarie Lee.
When the paddle boat eased
away from the dock, the settlers were on the last leg of the
journey to where they wanted to settle. The trip on the Columbia
River was three hundred and twenty miles long.
When they reached the spot
to disembark, the boat pilot parked as close as he dared to the
bank, before he released the gang plank. The settlers hitched up
the wagons and drove the oxen down the plank and through the
shallow water to land.
The farmers that brought
cattle to Portland had to keep the herd together when they were
unloaded from the boat. Anselm was on horseback with the cattle
while Miranda drove their wagon to shore.
From there the wagons took
a trail through one of the snow capped mountain ranges. The land
was thick with aspen trees, Douglas firs and spruce. Miranda was so
glad to see the last of flat, grass lands filled with sagebrush and
large boulders. The trail was steep and narrow with a view over the
edge of the mountain that sometimes made Miranda wish she hadn't
looked.
Tall Ponderosa pines
covered the Cascade mountains. The green timber and white mountain
tops touching the sky could be made out from miles away. Anselm
told Miranda the Oregon Mountains bordered on the west of the
valley and the Calapooga mountain range on the south
side.
Traveling down the mountain
trail was just as scary as the climb up. Anselm spent a lot of time
using the brake to keep the wagon from running over the slow oxen.
What a relief when the settlers reached the base of the mountains.
They scattered out to find their piece of land. Miranda felt a
great weight lifted from her as she looked around. The area was
nicer than she had imagined after what she'd traveled through. This
flat land would make for easy traveling.
Chapter 9
It took from early May until the
end of September to reach this flat valley from Independence,
Missouri. Anselm sorted out his cattle. When he headed the herd
across the valley, Miranda gave Sarie Lee and Jefferson Davis one
last hug and drove the wagon away from the rest of the settlers.
Anselm traveled until he found the land that was their
claim.
It was almost dark when Miranda
parked the wagon in a grove of black hawthorn trees. She climbed
down and walked around to limber up.
Anselm tied his horse to a branch
and came to her. “I believe dis iss de place to build de log
ahead of her had felt the same way.
All the hard work, pushing
the wagons up the grade, paid off with only a few minor accidents
like harness breaks and broken wheels. The day came when wagon
master Coopersmith relayed the word that Portland, Oregon was
around the bend.
At Portland, Oregon, Anselm
drove his wagon on a paddle boat and parked along with the other
travelers headed for the Willamette Valley. In town, he bought
supplies and filed a land claim. Besides the supplies, he filled
every vacant space in the wagon with two feet tall cherry, plum,
apple, peach and pear trees.
“ My,
that's a lot of trees. Why do you need so many?” Miranda
asked.
“ Dey are
all different kinds of fruit. Vhen one quits bearing another vill
start. Dat vay we vill haf income all summer long from de fruit
once de trees bear,” Anselm explained.
Miranda walked along the
boat deck to Sarie Lee and Wilbur's wagon. He was reloading their
wagon for the trip to Willamette Valley.
Sarie Lee was reading a
letter from her relatives. She looked so sad.
Miranda asked, “Everything
all right at home?
“ Yes, I
wrote home about Bobby Lee's passing when we reached the fort in
Idaho. Our kin just wanted to send us their sorries.” Sarie Lee had
tears in her eyes. “It sure makes me plum sad to think about
leaving Bobby Lee in the desert.”
“ There
aren't any words that will help you get through this loss. Only
thing that makes the loss bearable will be time. Maybe now and then
a hug will help. I have plenty of them to share with you,” Miranda
said as she put her arms around Sarie Lee.
When the paddle boat eased
away from the dock, the settlers were on the last leg of the
journey to where they wanted to settle. The trip on the Columbia
River was three hundred and twenty miles long.
When they reached the spot
to disembark, the boat pilot parked as close as he dared to the
bank, before he released the gang plank. The settlers hitched up
the wagons and drove the oxen down the plank and through the
shallow water to land.
The farmers that brought
cattle to Portland had to keep the herd together when they were
unloaded from the boat. Anselm was on horseback with the cattle
while Miranda drove their wagon to shore.
From there the wagons took
a trail through one of the snow capped mountain ranges. The land
was thick with aspen trees, Douglas firs and spruce. Miranda was so
glad to see the last of flat, grass lands filled with sagebrush and
large boulders. The trail was steep and narrow with a view over the
edge of the mountain that sometimes made Miranda wish she hadn't
looked.
Tall Ponderosa pines
covered the Cascade mountains. The green timber and white mountain
tops touching the sky could be made out from miles away. Anselm
told Miranda the Oregon Mountains bordered on the west of the
valley and the Calapooga mountain range on the south
side.
Traveling down the mountain
trail was just as scary as the climb up. Anselm spent a lot of time
using the brake to keep the wagon from running over the slow oxen.
What a relief when the settlers reached the base of the mountains.
They scattered out to find their piece of land. Miranda felt a
great weight lifted from her as she looked around. The area was
nicer than she had imagined after what she'd traveled through. This
flat land would make for easy traveling.
Chapter 9
It took from early May until the
end of September to reach this flat valley from Independence,
Missouri. Anselm sorted out his cattle. When he headed the herd
across the valley, Miranda gave Sarie Lee and Jefferson Davis one
last hug and drove the wagon away from the rest of the settlers.
Anselm traveled until he found the land that was their
claim.
It was almost dark when Miranda
parked the wagon in a grove of black hawthorn trees. She climbed
down and walked around to limber up.
Anselm tied his horse to a branch
and came to her. “I believe dis iss de place to build de log
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