Week 26 – Slow

 

My brother, my oldest daughter and my nephew have two speeds…Fast and Stop. The word SLOW is foreign to them. This is a trait obviously passed down from my dad.  It’s truly amazing how fast one can journey across the entire width of the country today. Whether by plane, train, or automobile, imagine what your ancestors would think of the ability to get from one place to another in a single day. It is my firm belief that none of the aforementioned family members would have had the patience to travel in a previous life.

Michael Tetherow and Barbara Shrum married in Lincoln County, North Carolina on Christmas Eve in 1798. Both were born in North Carolina to German immigrant parents. Their oldest son was born in Rutherford County, North Carolina in 1800, but by 1803, the family had moved to an area near the French Broad River, about twelve miles across the Tennessee line. Three more sons were born there – David, in 1803; John, in 1808; and George William Tetherow in 1812.  Michael died in 1813 leaving thirteen-year-old Solomon as the head of the household. Over the next few years, they moved around quite a bit. At some point before 1823, they had relocated further west to Clay County, Missouri, as on April 2^nd of that year, Solomon married Ibba Elizabeth Baker. John died in Howard County, Missouri in 1831. In 1840, David was living in Buchanan County, Missouri; Solomon and his family, along with his mother, are in Platte County Missouri. While George doesn’t appear in the 1840 census, he married Ellen Moore on 15 October 1832 in Ray County, but the name Tetherow has been misspelled so many times, there is no telling how George’s surname was listed. While I descend from George, his brother Solomon is the topic of my story.  Solomon Tetherow was a pioneer. He and his wife eventually settled at the fork of the Luckiamute River, which is in present day Polk County, Oregon. He lived a long life reaching the age of 79.  His journey to get there, however, was fraught with troubles…

Around the middle of the 19^th century, trains could travel up to fifty miles per hour; a cowboy, with a good horse, could make fifty miles per day; and a single wagon made anywhere from eight to twenty miles a day. If you’ve ever been in a metropolitan area during rush hour, you know how slow traffic can be. If a single wagon travelled eight to twenty miles a day, imagine if you were in a line of 500 horse and ox drawn wagons.  I’m sure you’ve heard of wagon trains heading west, but have you ever stopped to think how a wagon train came to be? I would have guessed that a family decided to head west and gathered some friends and neighbors, loaded up the wagons and off they went. This vision was reaffirmed when watching the TV show “1883” where a group of immigrants hired a guide and his side-kicks and headed off into the wilderness. I had really never given it a thought until I began looking into Solomon Tetherow and discovered the Savannah Oregon Emigrating Society.

On 5 April 1845, a “group of persons wishing to emigrate to Oregon” met and formed the Savannah Oregon Emigrating Society. They elected the Reverend William Held as chair, and Reverend Lewis Thompson as secretary. They adopted a constitution which outlined the rules and regulations for the journey. Any male, at least sixteen years of age, could subscribe by paying the fee of one dollar. Each wagon had to be capable of bearing one fourth more than their load and the Teams able to draw one fourth more than their load. Loose cattle could not exceed 33 to one driver. No “ardent spirits” would be taken or drank on the route except for medicinal purposes and if smuggled, when discovered would be destroyed. All males over the age of sixteen must furnish his own “good and sufficient” gun with 11/2 of powder and six pounds of lead. The necessary outfit would consist of 150 pounds of flour; or 100 pounds of flour and 75 pounds of meal; and 50 pounds of bacon. They elected an Executive Council of twelve. Solomon Tetherow was elected Captain.  All members of the Association were to assemble at Wolf River between the 15th and 25th of April. Finally, on 5 May 1845, the Executive Council met and it was resolved they would leave at 8 o’clock in the morning. A census of all persons was taken; a muster roll; a roll of Armed Men; and a roll of Cattle Drivers.

Nearly 3,000 people headed from the Platte River area of Missouri to Oregon in the spring of 1845. Two wagon trains from Independence (KS), one captained by Presley Welch, the other by Samuel Hancock (40 wagons); three good-sized wagon trains from Saint Joseph; over 60 wagons captained by W.G. T’Vault; and the 66 wagons (consisting of 624 people) of the Savannah Oregon Emigrating Society, captained by Solomon Tetherow. In all, more than 500 wagons, all with the same vision of reaching Oregon and the promise of free land. From Wolf River, Kansas to the Willamette Valley, Oregon, it is 1,789 miles.

From the transcribed "Diary of Eli Cooley" by Michael and Mary Lou Cooley, oregonpioneers.com, each day was journaled with the number of miles traversed. The diary, in its entirety is riveting, but I've selected just a few entries for you...

May 6th 1845 Tue - The Company left the place of Rundeyvases [rendezvous] on Wolf River and proceeded on their Journey and camped at Brush Point. Common rode [road]. Weather fine; water and wood plenty. One wagon broke; oxen bolt [bolted] but got in to camp at night. One ox killed. Traveled 6 miles.

Tue 20th May - Rode common. Crossed some dreams. Come 4 miles and crossed a creek and 6 miles and turned to the rite [right] and camped. Wood and water plenty; weather fine. Mr Cunningham and Owenbey [Ownbey] with 5 wagons left the Company today. 10 miles

Sun 15th June - The rode has been tolerable good today; the weather fine though wee had a sprinkle of rain this evening. The time has been tolerable plenty on the River today. Wee camped on the River at the mouth of Larimers Fork opposite Fort Laramere [Laramie] (St Johns crossed out and Laramere written over it). They is a great many Indians here now. Mr. Owensby's Company is camped about 1 miles below us tonight. Plenty of wood now. 15 miles

Wen 26th June - 3 miles

Thu 10th July - 6 miles

Thu 17th July - A verry heavy frost this morning and ice 1/4 of an inch thick... 17 miles (in JULY!)

Aug Sat 9 - 2 miles

Aug Fri 22 - Laid by today. Weather fine. Mr. Meak [Meek], for the sum of 50 dollars proffers [offers] to take the company a new rout [route] which he says is about 150 miles nearer than the old one and a better one...

Aug Sun 24 - Mr. Meek this morning started to pilot us the new rout. Wee left the old rout and turned to the left... 8 miles

Rumors were rampant among the emigrants that attacks by the Walla Walla and Cayuse Indians were likely. With the promise of a faster and safer journey, the group, including Solomon Tetherow, followed Stephen Meek west. Around 200 wagons and 1,000 people left the trail where no wagons had gone before. It soon became abundantly clear that Stephen Meek did not have the experience to lead the group through the Oregon desert.

Almost immediately, the route became exceedingly rocky, which caused stress on the oxen - several died each day. A few of the travelers had been stricken with "camp fever" before leaving the main trail. Already weak, these emigrants had to climb a steep, narrow ravine of boulders to make way for the wagons. Upon reaching the Oregon High Desert, the realization that it was a drought year brought angst and anger at Mr. Meek. Several weeks passed and there was not enough water or grass to survive on. Scouts were sent out to look for water, some travelling 50 miles, to no avail. At some point, it is said that Meek climbed Midnight Point where he stated he could see Buck Creek, which was 25 miles to the north. The wagon train left right away, but Mr. Meek was no longer leading them.

Because of the numbers, it was decided that the group would split into tow. Samuel Parker led a group up Steen's Ridge, where wagon ruts are still seen today. Solomon Tetherow took a smaller group of around 33 wagons and continued west. This group included Stephen Meek. Native Americans guided the group to water, and a small relief party was sent ahead to The Dalles for aid. What was thought to be a two-day journey turned into a ten-day trek. By the time the relief party reach The Dalles, they were starving and weak.

On August 25th, several of the oxen had been lost and three young men went in search of them. They came upon a small stream and found twenty unique colored pebbles. Once they recovered the oxen, they returned to the train. When showing the pebbles other travelers, it was determined they were gold. When asked how much of it was there, the men told them, "We would have filled on of those blue buckets." Thus, began the Legend of the Blue Bucket Gold. Three years later, gold was discovered in California and the stream where the men found the gold remains a mystery today.

The rest of the wagon train had continued and on September 26th, they were reunited with the group led by Samuel Parker. For two weeks, the emigrants, aided by a mountain man and a rescue crew, worked to get the wagons across the Sherars Falls by taking the wagons part and using a rope and pulley system. During the second week of October, the wagon train finally arrived at The Dalles. At least 23 of the emigrants had died before the destination and another 25, who were already near starvation, lost their lives after arriving. The trip took them 6 months and 20 days. The next year, another wagon train followed a man who promised them a faster route - among them was the Donner party. The Meek Cutoff became one of the sixteen historic trails recognized by the State of Oregon and Solomon Tetherow found his place in history.